The journey delayed
A walk to the camp
A list of wants
Captain Sutter's account of his first settlement in California
How he served the Indians, and how he civilised them
Breakfast
Captain Sutter's wife and daughter
Ridiculous stories about the discovery of the goldmines
Joe Smith's prophecy
An Indian ghost
Something about a ship-load of rifles.
_May 30th_.--To my great disappointment, our journey was not resumed
to-day. As I had expected, Malcolm had found there was no chance of
getting the farrier's assistance yesterday, and he came to me in the
evening to inform me that he and the rest were going into camp for the
night. Bradley and myself found an ample supper prepared for us; and,
after doing due justice to the eatables, and dressing Bradley's arm, I
shortened the night a couple of hours by jotting down the events of the
day.
This morning I rose early and walked to the camp, which I found, about
half a mile off, under some oaks in a piece of pasture land on the
Captain's farm. I had some difficulty in finding it out, for there were
at least fifteen or twenty tents of one kind or another in the
"bottom." The party were all roused, and breakfast was preparing under
Don Luis's superintendence. It was the general opinion that we must buy
two extra horses to carry our breadstuffs, etc. Malcolm reported that
there were a variety of articles we were still in want of; namely, tin
drinking-cups, some buckets for water, with forks, and other small
articles. He recommended that a couple more axes and a strong saw be
bought at Brannan's, together with hammers, nails, etc., and some of
the Indian baskets which seem to be so common about here.
On my return to the Fort, I fell in with the Captain, rigged out in a
military undress uniform. I chatted with him for half an hour about his
farm, etc. He told me that he was the first white man who settled in
this part of the country; that some ten years ago, when the Mexican
government was full of colonization schemes, the object of which was to
break up the Missions, and to introduce a population antagonistic to
the Californians, he received a grant of land, sixty miles one way and
twelve another, about sixteen or seventeen hundred acres of which he
had now brought under cultivation. "When I came here," said the
Captain, "I knew the country and the Indians well. Eight years ago
these fields were overgrown with long rank grass, with here and there
an oak or pine sprouting out from the midst. You can see what they are
now. As to the Indians, they gave me a little more trouble. I can boast
of fourteen pieces of cannon, though one has little occasion for them
now, except to fire a few salutes on days of rejoicing. Well! most of
these guns came from Ross within the last four years; but when I first
arrived here, I brought with me a couple of howitzers, from which one
night, when these thieves were hemming me in on all sides, I discharged
a shell right over their heads. The mere sight of it, when it bursted,
was sufficient to give them a very respectful notion of the fighting
means at my command. But though this saved me from any direct attack,
it did not secure me against having my horses and cattle stolen on
every convenient occasion." The Captain went on to say, that he at last
brought the Indians pretty well under control; and that, by promises of
articles of clothing, they became willing to work for him. He took good
care to trust very few of them with rifles or powder and shot. Nearly
every brick in the buildings of the Fort, he tells me, was made by the
Indians, who, moreover, dug all the ditches dividing his wheat-fields.
These ditches are very necessary, to prevent the large number of cattle
and horses on the farm from straying among the crops.
On our way to the house, I got the Captain to speak to the head
blacksmith about our horses, after which we went in to breakfast, when
I saw his wife and daughter for the first time. They are both very
ladylike women, and both natives of France. During the meal, I found
Captain Sutter communicative on the subject of the discovery of the
gold mines, which I was very glad of, as I was anxious to learn the
true particulars of the affair, respecting which so many ridiculous
stories had been circulated. One was to the effect that the mines had
been discovered by the Mormons, in accordance with a prophecy made by
the famous Joe Smith. Another tale was, that the Captain had seen the
apparition of an Indian chief, to whom he had given a rifle (the
possession of which he only lived three months to enjoy, having been
trampled down by a buffalo in the neighbourhood of the Rocky Mountains,
on his way with his tribe to make an attack on the Pawnees), when the
ghost in question told the Captain that he would make him very rich,
and begged that, with this promised cash, the Captain would immediately
buy a ship-load of rifles, and present one to every member of his
tribe. Such were the absurd stories circulated. The true account of the
discovery I here give, as near as I can recollect, in the Captain's own
words.