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Show 90 TEAVELS AND ADVENTUEES IN THE FAE WEST. proved much more palatable than our broken down horses. The Delawares also discovered recent footprints of Utah Indians. This information caused Col. Fremont to double the guard and examine the arms of the whole party, who hitherto had been warned by him of the necessity there was for keeping them in perfect order. Suddenly it occurred to me that my double-barrel gun might be out of order: I had used it as a walking-stick, in descending the mountain that day; the snow was so deep that I was obliged to resort to that course to extricate myself from the drifts. I quietly went to the place where I had laid it down, and attempted to fire it off; both caps exploded, but the gun did not go off, the barrels being filled with frozen snow. The quick ear of Col. Fremont heard the caps explode. He approached me very solemnly and gave me a lecture, setting forth the consequences which might have ensued from a sudden attack of the Indians on our camp. " Under present circumstances, Mr. Carvalho," said he, " I should have to fight for you." His rebuke was merited, and had its effect throughout the camp, for all the men were most particular afterwards in keeping their arms in perfect order. We travelled that day nearly twenty miles, and encamped outside of a Utah Indian village, containing a large number of lodges and probably several hundred persons. The men were mostly armed with rifles, powder-horns, and also with their Indian implements of warfare. On our mules was packed the balance of our " fat horse " of the night before. These Indians received us very kindly, and during the |