The wild Tribes of New Mexico -- Speculative Theories -- Clavigero and
the _Azteques_ -- Pueblo Bonito and other Ruins -- Probable
Relationship between the _Azteques_ and tribes of New Mexico -- The
several Nations of this Province -- _Navajóes_ and _Azteques_ --
Manufactures of the former -- Their Agriculture, Religion, etc. --
Mexican Cruelty to the Indians and its Consequences -- Inroads of
the Navajóes -- Exploits of a Mexican Army -- How to make a Hole in
a Powder-keg -- The _Apaches_ and their Character -- Their Food --
Novel Mode of settling Disputes -- Range of their marauding
Excursions -- Indian Traffic and imbecile Treaties -- Devastation of
the Country -- Chihuahua Rodomontades -- Juan José, a celebrated
Apache Chief, and his tragical End, etc. -- Massacre of Americans in
Retaliation -- A tragical Episode -- _Proyecto de Guerra_ and a
'gallant' Display -- The _Yutas_ and their Hostilities -- A personal
Adventure with them, but no blood shed -- Jicarillas.
All the Indians of New Mexico not denominated Pueblos--not professing
the Christian religion--are ranked as _wild tribes_, although these
include some who have made great advances in arts, manufactures and
agriculture. Those who are at all acquainted with the ancient history
of Mexico, will recollect that, according to the traditions of the
aborigines, all the principal tribes of Anahuac descended from the
North: and that those of Mexico, especially [Pg068] the Azteques,
emigrated {283} from the north of California, or northwest of New
Mexico. Clavigero, the famous historian heretofore alluded to,[35]
speaking of this emigration, observes, that the _Azteques_, or Mexican
Indians, who were the last settlers in the country of Anahuac, lived
until about the year 1160 of the Christian era in Aztlan, a country
situated to the north of the Gulf of California; as is inferred from
the route of their peregrinations, and from the information afterwards
acquired by the Spaniards in their expeditions through those
countries. He then proceeds to show by what incentives they were
probably induced to abandon their native land; adding that whatever
may have been the motive, no doubt can possibly exist as to the
journey's having actually been performed. He says that they travelled
in a southeastwardly direction towards the Rio Gila, where they
remained for some time--the ruins of their edifices being still to be
seen, upon its banks. They then struck out for a point over two
hundred and fifty miles to the northwest of Chihuahua in about 29° of
N. latitude, where they made another halt. This place is known by the
name of _Casas Grandes_[36] (big houses), on account of a large
edifice which still stands on the spot, and which, according to the
general tradition of those regions, was erected by the Mexican
Indians, during their [Pg069] wanderings. The building is constructed
after the plan of those in New Mexico, with three stories, covered
with an _azotea_ or terrace, and without door or entrance {284} into
the lower story. A hand ladder is also used as a means of
communication with the second story.
Even allowing that the traditions upon which Clavigero founded his
theoretical deductions are vague and uncertain, there is sufficient
evidence in the ruins that still exist to show that those regions were
once inhabited by a far more enlightened people than are now to be
found among the aborigines. Of such character are the ruins of _Pueblo
Bonito_, in the direction of Navajó, on the borders of the
Cordilleras; the houses being generally built of slabs of fine-grit
sand-stone, a material utterly unknown in the present architecture of
the North.[37] Although some of these structures are very massive and
spacious, they are generally cut up into small irregular rooms, many
of which yet remain entire, being still covered, with the _vigas_ or
joists remaining nearly sound under the _azoteas_ of earth; and yet
their age is such that there is no tradition which gives any account
of their origin. But there have been no images or sculptured work of
any kind found about them. Besides these, many other ruins (though
none so perfect) are scattered over the plains and among the
mountains. What is very remarkable is, that a portion of them are
situated at a great distance from any water; so that the inhabitants
must have depended entirely upon rain, as is the case with the Pueblo
of Acoma at the present day.
The general appearance of Pueblo Bonito, {285} as well as that of the
existing buildings of Moqui in the [Pg070] same mountainous regions,
and other Pueblos of New Mexico, resembles so closely the ruins of
Casas Grandes, that we naturally come to the conclusion that the
founders of each must have descended from the same common stock. The
present difference between their language and that of the Indians of
Mexico, when we take into consideration the ages that have passed away
since their separation, hardly presents any reasonable objection to
this hypothesis.
The principal wild tribes which inhabit or extend their incursions or
peregrinations upon the territory of New Mexico, are the _Navajóes_,
the _Apaches_, the _Yutas_, the _Caiguas_ or Kiawas, and the
_Comanches_.[38] Of the latter I will speak in another place. The two
first are from one and the same original stock, there being, even at
the present day, no very important difference in their language. The
Apaches are divided into numerous petty tribes, of one of which an
insignificant band, called Jicarillas, inhabiting the mountains north
of Taos, is an isolated and miserable remnant.[39]
The _Navajóes_ are supposed to number about 10,000 souls, and though
not the most numerous, they are certainly the most important, at least
in a historical point of view, of all the northern tribes of Mexico.
They reside in the main range of Cordilleras, 150 to 200 miles west of
Santa Fé, on the waters of Rio Colorado of California, not far from
the region, according to historians, from whence the [Pg071] {286}
Azteques emigrated to Mexico; and there are many reasons to suppose
them direct descendants from the remnant, which remained in the North,
of this celebrated nation of antiquity. Although they mostly live in
rude _jacales_, somewhat resembling the wigwams of the Pawnees, yet,
from time immemorial, they have excelled all others in their original
manufactures: and, as well as the Moquis, they are still distinguished
for some exquisite styles of cotton textures, and display considerable
ingenuity in embroidering with feathers the skins of animals,
according to their primitive practice. They now also manufacture a
singular species of blanket, known as the _Sarape Navajó_, which is of
so close and dense a texture that it will frequently hold water almost
equal to gum-elastic cloth. It is therefore highly prized for
protection against the rains. Some of the finer qualities are often
sold among the Mexicans as high as fifty or sixty dollars each.
Notwithstanding the present predatory and somewhat unsettled habits of
the Navajóes, they cultivate all the different grains and vegetables
to be found in New Mexico. They also possess extensive herds of
horses, mules, cattle, sheep and goats of their own raising, which are
generally celebrated as being much superior to those of the Mexicans;
owing, no doubt, to greater attention to the improvement of their
stocks.
Though Baron Humboldt[40] tells us that some missionaries were
established among this tribe {287} prior to the general massacre of
1680, but few attempts to christianize them have since been made. They
now remain in a state of primitive paganism--and not only independent
of the Mexicans, but their most formidable enemies.[41] [Pg072]
After the establishment of the national independence, the
government of New Mexico greatly embittered the disposition of the
neighboring savages, especially the Navajoes, by repeated acts of
cruelty and ill-faith well calculated to provoke hostilities. On one
occasion, a party consisting of several chiefs and warriors of the
Navajoes assembled at the Pueblo of Cochiti,[42] by invitation of the
government, to celebrate a treaty of peace; when the New Mexicans,
exasperated no doubt by the remembrance of former outrages, fell upon
them unawares and put them all to death. It is also related, that
about the same period, three Indians from the northern mountains
having been brought as prisoners into Taos, they were peremptorily
demanded by the Jicarillas, who were their bitterest enemies; when the
Mexican authorities, dreading the resentment of this tribe, quietly
complied with the barbarous request, suffering the prisoners to be
butchered in cold blood before their very eyes! No wonder, then, that
the New Mexicans are so generally warred upon by their savage
neighbors.
About fifteen years ago, the Navajoes were subjected by the energy of
Col. Vizcarra, who succeeded in keeping them in submission for {288}
some time; but since that officer's departure from New Mexico, no man
has been [Pg073] found of sufficient capacity to inspire this daring
tribe either with respect or fear; so that for the last ten years they
have ravaged the country with impunity, murdering and destroying just
as the humor happened to prompt them. When the spring of the year
approaches, terms of peace are generally proposed to the government at
Santa Fé, which the latter never fails to accept. This amicable
arrangement enables the wily Indians to sow their crops at leisure,
and to dispose of the property stolen from the Mexicans during their
marauding incursions, to advantage; but the close of their
agricultural labors is generally followed by a renewal of hostilities,
and the game of rapine and destruction is played over again.
Towards the close of 1835, a volunteer corps, which most of the
leading men in New Mexico joined, was raised for the purpose of
carrying war into the territory of the Navajoes. The latter hearing of
their approach, and anxious no doubt to save them the trouble of so
long a journey, mustered a select band of their warriors, who went
forth to intercept the invaders in a mountain pass, where they lay
concealed in an ambuscade. The valiant corps, utterly unconscious of
the reception that awaited them, soon came jogging along in scattered
groups, indulging in every kind of boisterous mirth; when the
war-whoop, loud and shrill, followed by several shots, threw them all
into a state of speechless consternation. {289} Some tumbled off their
horses with fright, others fired their muskets at random: a terrific
panic had seized everybody, and some minutes elapsed before they could
recover their senses sufficiently to betake themselves to their heels.
Two or three persons were killed in this ridiculous engagement, the
most conspicuous of whom was a Capt. Hinófos, who commanded the
regular troops.[43] [Pg074]
A very curious but fully authentic anecdote may not be
inappropriately inserted here, in which this individual was concerned.
On one occasion, being about to start on a belligerent expedition, he
directed his orderly-sergeant to fill a powder-flask from an
unbroached keg of twenty-five pounds. The sergeant, having bored a
hole with a gimlet, and finding that the powder issued too slowly,
began to look about for something to enlarge the aperture, when his
eyes haply fell upon an iron poker which lay in a corner of the
fire-place. To heat the poker and apply it to the hole in the keg was
the work of but a few moments; when an explosion took place which blew
the upper part of the building into the street, tearing and shattering
everything else to atoms. Miraculous as their escape may appear, the
sergeant, as well as the captain who witnessed the whole operation,
remained more frightened than hurt, although they were both very
severely scorched and bruised. This ingenious sergeant was afterwards
Secretary of State to Gov. Gonzalez, of revolutionary {290}
memory,[44] and has nearly ever since held a clerkship in some of the
offices of state, but is now captain in the regular army.
I come now to speak of the _Apaches_, the most extensive and powerful,
yet the most vagrant of all the savage nations that inhabit the
interior of Northern Mexico. They are supposed to number some fifteen
thousand souls, although they are subdivided into various petty bands,
and scattered over an immense tract of country. Those that are found
east of the Rio del Norte are generally known as _Mezcaleros_, on
account of an article of food much in use among them, called
_mezcal_,[45] but by far the greatest portion of the nation is located
in the west, and is mostly known by the sobriquet [Pg075] of
_Coyoteros_, in consequence, it is said, of their eating the _coyote_
or prairie-wolf.[46] The Apaches are perhaps more given to itinerant
habits than any other tribe in Mexico. They never construct houses,
but live in the ordinary wigwam, or tent of skins and blankets. They
manufacture nothing--cultivate nothing: they seldom resort to the
chase, as their country is destitute of game--but depend almost
entirely upon pillage for the support of their immense population,
some two or three thousand of which are warriors.
For their food, the Apaches rely chiefly upon the flesh of the cattle
and sheep they can steal from the Mexican ranchos and haciendas. They
are said, however, to be more fond of {291} the meat of the mule than
that of any other animal. I have seen about encampments which they had
recently left, the remains of mules that had been slaughtered for
their consumption. Yet on one occasion I saw their whole trail, for
many miles, literally strewed with the carcasses of these animals,
which, it was evident, had not been killed for this purpose. It is the
practice of the Apache chiefs, as I have understood, whenever a
dispute arises betwixt their warriors relative to the ownership of any
particular animal, to kill the brute at once, though it be the most
valuable of the drove; and so check all further cavil. It was to be
inferred from the number of dead mules they left behind them, that the
most harmonious relations could not have existed between the members
of the tribe, at least during this period of their journeyings. Like
most of the savage tribes of North America, the Apaches are
passionately fond of spirituous liquors, and may frequently be seen,
in times [Pg076] of peace, lounging about the Mexican villages, in a
state of helpless inebriety.
The range of this marauding tribe extends over some portions of
California, most of Sonora, the frontiers of Durango, and at certain
seasons it even reaches Coahuila: Chihuahua, however, has been the
mournful theatre of their most constant depredations. Every nook and
corner of this once flourishing state has been subjected to their
inroads. Such is the imbecility of the local governments, that the
savages, in order to dispose of {292} their stolen property without
even a shadow of molestation, frequently enter into partial treaties
of peace with one department, while they continue to wage a war of
extermination against the neighboring states. This arrangement
supplies them with an ever-ready market, for the disposal of their
booty and the purchase of munitions wherewith to prosecute their work
of destruction. In 1840, I witnessed the departure from Santa Fé of a
large trading party freighted with engines of war and a great quantity
of whiskey, intended for the Apaches in exchange for mules and other
articles of plunder which they had stolen from the people of the
south. This traffic was not only tolerated but openly encouraged by
the civil authorities, as the highest public functionaries were
interested in its success--the governor himself not excepted.
The Apaches, now and then, propose a truce to the government of
Chihuahua, which is generally accepted very nearly upon their own
terms. It has on some occasions been included that the marauders
should have a _bonâ fide_ right to all their stolen property. A
_venta_ or quit-claim brand, has actually been marked by the
government upon large numbers of mules and horses which the Indians
had robbed from the citizens. It is hardly necessary to add that these
truces have rarely been observed by the wily savages longer than
[Pg077] the time necessary for the disposal of their plunder. As soon
as more mules were needed for service or for traffic--more cattle for
beef--more {293} scalps for the war-dance--they would invariably
return to their deeds of ravage and murder.
The depredations of the Apaches have been of such long duration, that,
beyond the immediate purlieus of the towns, the whole country from New
Mexico to the borders of Durango is almost entirely depopulated. The
haciendas and ranchos have been mostly abandoned, and the people
chiefly confined to towns and cities. To such a pitch has the temerity
of those savages reached, that small bands of three or four warriors
have been known to make their appearance within a mile of the city of
Chihuahua in open day, killing the laborers and driving off whole
herds of mules and horses without the slightest opposition.
Occasionally a detachment of troops is sent in pursuit of the
marauders, but for no other purpose, it would seem, than to illustrate
the imbecility of the former, as they are always sure to make a
precipitate retreat, generally without even obtaining a glimpse of the
enemy.[47] And yet the columns of a little weekly sheet published in
Chihuahua always teem with flaming accounts of prodigious feats of
valor performed by the 'army of operations' against _los bárbaros_:
showing how "the enemy was pursued with all possible vigor"--how the
soldiers "displayed the greatest {294} bravery, and the most
unrestrainable desire to overhaul the dastards," and by what
extraordinary combinations of adverse circumstances they were
"compelled to relinquish the pursuit." Indeed, it would be difficult
to find a braver race of people than the [Pg078] _Chihuahueños_[48]
contrive to make themselves appear upon paper. When intelligence was
received in Chihuahua of the famous skirmish with the French, at Vera
Cruz, in which Santa Anna acquired the glory of losing a leg,[49] the
event was celebrated with uproarious demonstrations of joy; and the
next number of the _Noticioso_[50] contained a valiant fanfaronade,
proclaiming to the world the astounding fact, that one Mexican was
worth four French soldiers in battle: winding up with a "_Cancion
Patriótica_," of which the following exquisite verse was the
_refrain_:
"_Chihuahuenses, la Patria gloriosa_
_Otro timbre á su lustre ha añadido;_
_Pues la_, ıuʌıɔʇɐ lɐ פɐlıɐ ıupoɯɐqlǝ
AL VALOR MEXICANO _ha cedido_."
Literally translated:
Chihuahuenses! our glorious country
Another ray has added to her lustre;
For the _invincible, indomitable Gallia_
Has succumbed to Mexican valor.
By the inverted letters of "_invicta, la Galia indomable_," in the
third line, the poet gives {295} the world to understand that the
kingdom of the Gauls had at length been whirled topsy-turvy, by the
glorious achievements of _el valor Mexicano_!
From what has been said of the ravages of the Apaches, one would be
apt to believe them an exceedingly brave people; but the Mexicans
themselves call them cowards when compared with the Comanches; and we
are wont to look upon the latter as perfect specimens of poltroonery
when brought [Pg079] in conflict with the Shawnees, Delawares, and
the rest of our border tribes.[51]
There was once a celebrated chief called Juan José at the head of this
tribe, whose extreme cunning and audacity caused his name to be
dreaded throughout the country. What contributed more than anything
else to render him a dangerous enemy, was the fact of his having
received a liberal education at Chihuahua, which enabled him, when he
afterwards rejoined his tribe, to outwit his pursuers, and, by robbing
the mails, to acquire timely information of every expedition that was
set on foot against him. The following account of the massacre in
which he fell may not be altogether uninteresting to the reader.
The government of Sonora, desirous to make some efforts to check the
depredations of the Apaches, issued a proclamation, giving a sort of
_carte blanche_ patent of 'marque and reprisal,' and declaring all the
booty that might be taken from the savages to be the rightful property
of the captors. Accordingly, in the {296} spring of 1837, a party of
some 20 men composed chiefly of foreigners, spurred on by the love of
gain, and never doubting but the Indians, after so many years of
successful robberies, must be possessed of a vast amount of property,
set out with an American as their commander, who had long resided in
the country.[52] In a few days they reached a _ranchería_ of about
fifty warriors with their families, among whom was the [Pg080] famous
Juan José himself, and three other principal chiefs. On seeing the
Americans advance, the former at once gave them to understand, that,
if they had come to fight, they were ready to accommodate them; but on
being assured by the leader, that they were merely bent on a trading
expedition, a friendly interview was immediately established between
the parties. The American captain having determined to put these
obnoxious chiefs to death under any circumstances, soon caused a
little field-piece which had been concealed from the Indians to be
loaded with chain and canister shot, and to be held in readiness for
use. The warriors were then invited to the camp to receive a present
of flour, which was placed within range of the cannon. While they were
occupied in dividing the contents of the bag, they were fired upon and
a considerable number of their party killed on the spot! The remainder
were then attacked with small arms, and about twenty slain, including
Juan José and the other chiefs. Those who escaped became afterwards
their own avengers in a {297} manner which proved terribly disastrous
to another party of Americans, who happened at the time to be trapping
on Rio Gila not far distant. The enraged savages resolved to take
summary vengeance upon these unfortunate trappers; and falling upon
them, massacred them every one![53] They were in all, including
several Mexicans, about fifteen in number.[54] [Pg081]
The projector of this scheme had probably been under the
impression that treachery was justifiable against a treacherous enemy.
He also believed, no doubt, that the act would be highly commended by
the Mexicans who had suffered so much from the depredations of these
notorious chiefs. But in this he was sadly mistaken; for the affair
was received with general reprehension, although the Mexicans had been
guilty of similar deeds themselves, as the following brief episode
will sufficiently show.
In the summer of 1839, a few Apache prisoners, among whom was the wife
of a distinguished {298} chief, were confined in the calabozo of Paso
del Norte. The bereaved chief, hearing of their captivity, collected a
band of about sixty warriors, and, boldly entering the town, demanded
the release of his consort and friends. The commandant of the place
wishing to gain time, desired them to return the next morning, when
their request would be granted. During the night the forces of the
country were concentrated; notwithstanding, when the Apaches
reappeared, the troops did not show their faces, but remained
concealed, while the Mexican commandant strove to beguile the Indians
into the prison, under pretence of delivering to them their friends.
The unsuspecting chief and twenty others were entrapped in this
manner, and treacherously dispatched in cold blood: not, however,
without some loss to the Mexicans, who had four or five of their men
killed in the fracas. Among these was the commandant himself, who had
no sooner given the word, "_¡Maten á los carajos!_" (kill the
scoundrels!) than the chief retorted, [Pg082] "_¡Entónces morirás tu
primero, carajo!_" (then you shall die first, carajo!) and immediately
stabbed him to the heart!
But as New Mexico is more remote from the usual haunts of the Apaches,
and, in fact, as her scanty ranchos present a much less fruitful field
for their operations than the abundant haciendas of the South, the
depredations of this tribe have extended but little upon that
province. The only serious incursion that has come within my
knowledge, was some ten {299} years ago. A band of Apache warriors
boldly approached the town of Socorro[55] on the southern border, when
a battle ensued between them and the Mexican force, composed of a
company of regular troops and all the militia of the place. The
Mexicans were soon completely routed and chased into the very streets,
suffering a loss of thirty-three killed and several wounded. The
savages bore away their slain, yet their loss was supposed to be but
six or seven. I happened to be in the vicinity of the catastrophe the
following day, when the utmost consternation prevailed among the
inhabitants, who were in hourly expectation of another descent from
the savages.
Many schemes have been devised from time to time, particularly by the
people of Chihuahua, to check the ravages of the Indians, but
generally without success. Among these the notorious _Proyecto de
Guerra_, adopted in 1837, stands most conspicuous. By this famous
'war-project' a scale of rewards was established, to be paid out of a
fund raised for that purpose. A hundred dollars reward were offered
for the scalp of a full grown man, fifty for that of a squaw, and
twenty-five for that of every papoose! To the credit of the republic,
however, this barbarous _proyecto_ was in operation but a few weeks,
and [Pg083] never received the sanction of the general government;
although it was strongly advocated by some of the most intelligent
citizens of Chihuahua. Yet, pending its existence, it was rigidly
complied with. I saw myself, on one {300} occasion, a detachment of
horsemen approach the Palacio in Chihuahua, preceded by their
commanding officer, who bore a fresh scalp upon the tip of his lance,
which he waved high in the air in exultation of his exploit! The next
number of our little newspaper contained the official report of the
affair. The soldiers were pursuing a band of Apaches, when they
discovered a squaw who had lagged far behind in her endeavors to bear
away her infant babe. They dispatched the mother without commiseration
and took her scalp, which was the one so 'gallantly' displayed as
already mentioned! The officer concluded his report by adding, that
the child had died not long after it was made prisoner.
The _Yutas_ (or _Eutaws_, as they are generally styled by Americans)
are one of the most extensive nations of the West, being scattered
from the north of New Mexico to the borders of Snake river and Rio
Colorado, and numbering at least ten thousand souls. The habits of the
tribe are altogether itinerant. A band of about a thousand spend their
winters mostly in the mountain valleys northward of Taos, and the
summer season generally in the prairie plains to the east, hunting
buffalo. The vernacular language of the Yutas is said to be distantly
allied to that of the Navajoes, but it has appeared to me much more
guttural, having a deep sepulchral sound resembling ventriloquism.
Although these Indians are nominally at peace with the New Mexican
government, they do not hesitate to lay {301} the hunters and traders
who happen to fall in with their scouring parties under severe
contributions; and on some occasions they have been known to proceed
[Pg084] even to personal violence. A prominent Mexican officer[56] was
scourged not long ago by a party of Yutas, and yet the government has
never dared to resent the outrage. Their hostilities, however, have
not been confined to Mexican traders, as will be perceived by the
sequel.
In the summer of 1837, a small party of but five or six Shawnees fell
in with a large band of Yutas near the eastern borders of the Rocky
Mountains, south of Arkansas river. At first they were received with
every demonstration of friendship; but the Yutas, emboldened no doubt
by the small number of their visitors, very soon concluded to relieve
them of whatever surplus property they might be possessed of. The
Shawnees, however, much to the astonishment of the marauders, instead
of quietly surrendering their goods and chattels, offered to defend
them; upon which a skirmish ensued that actually cost the Yutas
several of their men, including a favorite chief; while the Shawnees
made their escape unhurt toward their eastern homes.
A few days after this event, and while the Yutas were still bewailing
the loss of their people, I happened to pass near their _rancherías_
(temporary village) with a small caravan which mustered about
thirty-five men. We {302} had hardly pitched our camp, when they began
to flock about us--men, squaws, and papooses--in great numbers; but
the warriors were sullen and reserved, only now and then muttering a
curse upon the Americans on account of the treatment they had just
received from the Shawnees, whom they considered as half-castes, and
our allies. All of a sudden, a young warrior seized a splendid steed
which belonged to our party, and, leaping upon his back, galloped
[Pg085] off at full speed. Being fully convinced that, by acquiescing
in this outrage, we should only encourage them to commit others, we
resolved at once to make a peremptory demand for the stolen horse of
their principal chief. Our request being treated with contumely, we
sent in a warlike declaration, and forthwith commenced making
preparations for descending upon the _rancherías_. The war-whoop
resounded immediately in every direction; and as the Yutas bear a very
high character for bravery and skill, the readiness with which they
seemed to accept our challenge began to alarm our party considerably.
We had defied them to mortal combat merely by way of bravado, without
the least expectation that they would put themselves to so much
inconvenience on our account. It was too late, however, to back out of
the scrape.
No sooner had the alarm been given than the _rancherías_ of the
Indians were converted into a martial encampment; and while the
mounted warriors were exhibiting their preliminary {303} feats of
horsemanship, the squaws and papooses flew like scattered partridges
to the rocks and clefts of a contiguous precipice. One-third of our
party being Mexicans, the first step of the Indians was to proclaim a
general _indulto_ to them, in hopes of reducing our force, scanty as
it was already. "My Mexican friends," exclaimed in good Spanish, a
young warrior who daringly rode up within a few rods of us, "we don't
wish to hurt _you_; so leave those Americans, for we intend to kill
every one of _them_." The Mexicans of our party to whom this language
was addressed, being rancheros of some mettle, only answered, "_Al
diablo_! we have not forgotten how you treat us when you catch us
alone: now that we are with Americans who will defend their rights,
expect ample [Pg086] retaliation for past insults." In truth, these
rancheros seemed the most anxious to begin the fight,--a remarkable
instance of the effects of confidence in companions.
A crisis seemed now fast approaching: two swivels we had with us were
levelled and primed, and the matches lighted. Every man was at his
post, with his rifle ready for execution, each anxious to do his best,
whatever might be the result; when the Indians, seeing us determined
to embrace the chances of war, began to open negotiations. An aged
squaw, said to be the mother of the principal chief, rode up and
exclaimed, "My sons! the Americans and Yutas have been friends, and
our old men wish to continue so: it is only a {304} few impetuous and
strong-headed youths who want to fight." The stolen horse having been
restored soon after this harangue, peace was joyfully proclaimed
throughout both encampments, and the _capitanes_ exchanged
ratifications by a social smoke.
The little tribe of Jicarillas also harbored an enmity for the
Americans, which, in 1834, broke out into a hostile _rencontre_. They
had stolen some animals of a gallant young backwoodsman from Missouri,
who, with a few comrades, pursued the marauders into the mountains and
regained his property; and a fracas ensuing, an Indian or two were
killed. A few days afterward all their warriors visited Santa Fé in a
body, and demanded of the authorities there, the delivery of the
American offenders to their vengeance. Though the former showed quite
a disposition to gratify the savages as far as practicable, they had
not helpless creatures to deal with, as in the case of the Indian
prisoners already related. The foreigners, seeing their protection
devolved upon themselves, prepared for defence, when the savages were
fain to depart in peace.