UNIVERSITY OF CM IFORNIA qAN niFGO 
 
 3 1822 00803 1825
 
 i LIBRARY 
 
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 ^
 
 THE ADVENTURES 
 
 CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE 
 
 WASHINGTON IRVING. 
 
 CHICAGO AND NEW YORK : 
 BELFORD, CLA.RKE & COMPANY, 
 
 PUBLISUERS.
 
 TROW't 
 
 PRINTING AND OOOKBINDINQ COMP, T ' 
 NEW YORK.
 
 INTRODUCTORY NOTICE. 
 
 While engaged in writing an account of the grand cnter- 
 I)rise of Astoria, it was my practice to seek all kinds of oral 
 information connected with the subject. Kowhere did I pick 
 up more interesting particulars than at the table of Mr. Jolui 
 Jacob Astor, who, being the patriarch of the fur trade in the 
 United States, was accustomed to have at his board various 
 persons of adventurous turn, some of whom had been engaged 
 in his own great undertaking; others, on their o^\'T). account, 
 had made expeditions to the Kocky Mountains and the waters 
 of the Columbia. 
 
 Among these personages, one who peculiarly took my fancy 
 was Captain Bonneville, of the United States army ; who, in a 
 rambling kind of enterprise, had strangely ingrafted the trap- 
 per and hunter upon the soldier. As his expeditions and ad- 
 ventures will form the leading theme of the f olloA\ing pages, a 
 few biographical particulars concerning him may not be unac- 
 ceptable. 
 
 Captain Bonneville is of French parentage. His father was 
 a worthy old emigrant, who came to this countrj^ many yoai'S 
 since, and took up his abode in New York. He is represented 
 as a man not much calculated for the sordid struggle oi' a 
 money-making world, but possessed of a happy temperament, 
 ii festivity of imagination, and a simpUcity of heart that made 
 him proof against its rabs and trials. He was an excellent 
 scholar; ■v/ell acquainted with Latin and Greek, and fond of 
 the modern classics. His book was his elysium; once im- 
 mersed in the pages of Voltaire, Corneille, or Racine, or of his 
 favorite English author, Shakspearo, he forgot the world and 
 all its concerns. Often woidd he be seen, in summer weather, 
 seated under ono of the trees on the Batterj', or the portico of 
 St. Paul's Churcli in Broadway, his bald head uncovered, his 
 hat lying by his sif^'e, his eyes riveted to the page of his book,
 
 4 INTRODUCTORY NOTICE. 
 
 and his whole soul so engaged as to lose all consciousness of the 
 passing throng or the passing hour. 
 
 Captain Bonneville, it will be found, inherited something of 
 his father's bonhomie, and his excitable imagination ; though 
 the latter was somewhat disciplined in early years by mathe- 
 matical studies. He was educated at our national Mihtary 
 Academy at West Point, where he acquitted himself very 
 creditably ; thence, he entered the army, in which he has ever 
 since continued. 
 
 The nature of our military service took him to the frontier, 
 where, for a number of years he was stationed at various 
 posts in the Far West. Here he was brought into frequent 
 intercourse with Indian traders, mountain trappers, and other 
 pioneers of the wilderness; and became so excited by their 
 tales of wild scenes and wild adventui-es, and their accounts of 
 vast and magnificent regions as yet unexplored, that an expe- 
 dition to the Rocky Mountains became the ardent desire of his 
 heart, and an enterprise to explore untrodden tracts, the lead- 
 ing object of his ambition. 
 
 By degrees he shaped his vague day-dream into a practical 
 reality. Having made himself acquainted with all the requi- 
 sites for a trading enterprise beyond the mountains, he deter- 
 mined to imdertake it. A leave of absence and a sanction of 
 his expedition was obtained from the major general in cliief, 
 on his offering to combine public utility with his private pro- 
 jects, and to collect statistical information for the War De- 
 partment concerning the wild countries and wild tribes he 
 might visit in the course of his journeyings. 
 
 Nothing now was wanting to the darling project of the cap- 
 tain but the ways and means. The expedition would require 
 an outfit of many thousand dollars ; a staggering obstacle to 
 a, soldier, whose capital is seldom anything more than his 
 sword. FuU of that buoyant hope, however, which belongs to 
 the sangitine temperament, he repaired to New York, the 
 great focus of American enterprise, where there are always 
 funds ready for any scheme, however chimerical or romantic. 
 Here he had the good fortune to meet with a gentleman of 
 high respectability and influence, who had been his associate 
 in boyhood, and who cherished a schoolfellow friendship for 
 him. He took a general interest in the scheme of the captain ; 
 introduced him to commercial men of his acquaintance, end in 
 a little while an association was formed, and the necessc..ry 
 funds were raised to carry the proposed measiu'e into effect.
 
 INTRODUCTORY NOTICE. 5 
 
 One of the most efSciont persons in this association was Mr. 
 Alfred Seton, who, when quite a youth, had accompani«d one 
 of the expeditions sent out by Mr. Astor to his commercial es- 
 tablishments on the Columbia, and had distinguished himself 
 by his activity and courage at one of the interior posts, ilr. 
 Seton was one of the American youths who were at Astoria at 
 the time of its surrender to the British, and who manifested 
 Buch grief and indignation at seeing the flag of their country 
 hauled down. The hope of seeing tliat flag once more planted 
 on the shores of the Columbia may have entered into his mo- 
 tives for engaging in the present enterprise. 
 
 Thus backed and provided. Captain Bonneville undertook 
 his expedition into the Far West, and was soon beyond the 
 Kocky Mountains. Year after year elapsed without his re- 
 turn. The term of his leave of absence expired, yet no re- 
 port was made of him at headquarters at Washington. He 
 was considered virtually dead or lost, and his name was 
 stricken from the armj- list. 
 
 It was in the autumn of 1835, at the country seat of Mr. 
 John Jacob Astor, at HeUgate, that I first met with Captain 
 Bonneville. He was then just returned from a residence of 
 upward of three yeai"s among the mountains, and was on his 
 way to report himself at headquarters, in tlie hopes of bemg 
 reinstated in the service. From all that I could learn, his 
 wanderings in the wilderness, though they had gratified his 
 curiosity and his love of adventure, had not much benefited 
 his fortunes. Like Corporal Trim in his campaigns, he had 
 "satisfied the sentiment." and that was all. In fact, he was 
 too much of the frank, freehearted soldier, and had inherited 
 too much of his father's temperament, to make a scheming 
 trapper, or a thrifty bargainer. Thei-e was something in the 
 whole appearance of the captain that prepossessed me in hi>r 
 favor. He was of the middle size, well made and well set : and 
 a mihtary frock of foreign cut, that had seen service, gavt' 
 him a look of compactness. His countenance was frank, open, 
 and engaging ; well browned by the sun, and had something of 
 a French expression. He had a pleasant black eye, a high fore- 
 head, and, while he kept his hat on, the look of a man in the 
 jocund prime of his days; but the moment hi-^ head was un- 
 covered, a bald crown gained him credit for a few more years 
 than he was really entitled to. 
 
 Being extremely curious, at the time, about everything con- 
 nected with the Far West, I addressed numerous questions to
 
 6 TNTRODUCTORT NOTICE. 
 
 him. They drew from him a number of extremely striking de^ 
 tails, which were given with mingled modesty and frankness ; 
 and in a gentleness of manner, and a soft tone of voice, contrast- 
 ing singularly with the wild and often startling nature of his 
 themes. It was difficult to conceive the mild, quiet-looking 
 personage before you, the actual hero of the stirring scenes 
 related. 
 
 In the course of three or four months, happening to be at the 
 city of Washington, I again came upon the captain, who was 
 attending the slow adjustment of his affairs with the War De- 
 partment. I found him quartered with a worthy brother in 
 arms, a major in the army. Here he was writing at a table, 
 covered with maps and papers, in the centre of a large bar- 
 rack room, fancifully decorated with Indian arms, and tro- 
 phies, and war dresses, and the skins of various wild animals, 
 and hung round with pictures of Indian games and ceremonies, 
 and scenes of war and hunting. In a word, the captain was 
 beguiling the tediousness of attendance at court by an attempt 
 at authorship ; and was rewriting and extending his travelling 
 notes, and making maps of the regions he had explored. As 
 he sat at the table, in this curious apartment, with his high 
 bald head of somewhat foreign cast, he reminded me of some 
 of those antique pictures of authors that I have seen in old 
 Spanish volumes. 
 
 The result of his labors was a mass of manuscript, which he 
 subsequently put at my disposal, to fit it for publication and 
 bring it before the world. I found it full of interesting details 
 of life among the mountains, and of the singular castes and 
 races, both white men and red men, among whom he had 
 sojourned. It bore, too, throughout, the impress of his charac- 
 ter, his bonhomie, his kindliness of spirit, and his susceptibihty 
 to the grand and beautiful. 
 
 That manuscript has formed the staple of the following 
 work. I have occasionally interwoven facts and details, 
 gathered from various sources, especially from the conversa- 
 tions and journals of some of the captain's contemporaries, 
 who were actors in the scenes he describes. I have also given 
 it a tone and coloring drawn from my own obsei-vation during 
 an excursion into the Indian country beyond the bounds of 
 civilization ; as I before observed, however, the work is sub- 
 stantially the narrative of the worthy captain, and many of 
 its most graphic passages are but little varied from his own 
 language.
 
 INTRODUCTORY NOTICE. 7 
 
 I shall conclude this notice by a dedication which he had 
 made of his manuscript to his hospitable brother in arnxs, in 
 whose quarters I found him occupied in his hterary labors ; it 
 is Li dedication which, I believe, possesses the qualities, not 
 always found in complimentary documents of the kind, of 
 being sincere, and bcmg merited. 
 
 TO 
 
 JAMES HARVEY HOOK, 
 
 MAJOR, U. S. A., 
 
 WHOSE JEALOUSY OP ITS HONOR, 
 
 WHOSE ANXIETY FOR ITS INTEIIESTS, 
 
 AND 
 
 WHOSE SENSIBILITY FOR ITS WANTS, 
 
 HAVE ENDEARED IIIM TO THE SERVICE A3 
 
 ?[i)c Soltiicr'B JFriciili ; 
 
 AND WHOSE GENERAL AMENITY, CONSTANT CHEERFULNESS, 
 
 DISINTERESTED HOSPITALITY. AND UNWEARIED 
 
 BENEVOLENCE, ENTITLE HIM TO THE 
 
 STILL LOFTIER TITLE OF 
 
 THE FRIEND OF MAN, 
 
 THIS WORK IS INSCRIBED, 
 ETC. 
 
 New Tm% 1843.
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE, 
 
 CONTEl^TS. 
 
 PAQX 
 
 Inthoddctory Notice a 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 State of the Fur Trade of the Rocky Mountains — American enterprise — General 
 Ashley and his associates— Sublette, a famous leader — yearly rendezvous 
 among the mountains— stratagems and dangers of t)ie trade — bands of trap- 
 pers—Indian banditti— Crows and Blackfeet — Mountaineers — traders of the 
 Far West— character and habits of the trapper J7 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 
 Departure from Fort Osage— modes of transportation— pack-horses-wagons— 
 Walker and Cerr6— their characters— buoyant feelings on launching upon the 
 Prairies— wild equipments of the trappers— their gambols and antics— differ- 
 ence of character between the American and French trappers— Agency of the 
 Kansas — General Clarke — White Plume, the Indian chief — night scene in a 
 trader's camp — colloquy between White Plume and the captain— bee-hunters 
 —their expeditions— their feuds with the Indians— bargaining talent of White 
 Plume 9( 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 
 Wide Prairies —vegetable productions— tabular hills- slabs of sandstone- 
 Nebraska, or Platte River — scanty fare — buffalo skulls— wagons turned into -^ 
 boats— herds of buffalo — cliffs resembling castles— The Chimney— Scott's 
 Bluflfs— story connected with them — the Bighorn or Ahsalita- its nature and 
 habits— difference between that and the "Woolly Sheep," or Goat of .the 
 Mountains 31 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 An alarm— Crow Indians— their app>earances— mode of approach— their venge- 
 ful errand- their curiosity— hostility between the Crows and Blackfeet— lov-
 
 10 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAOE 
 
 ing conduct of the Crows— Larmie's Fork— first navigation of the Nebraska — 
 Great elevation of the country— rarity of the atmosphere— its effect on the 
 woodwork of wagons — Black Hills — their wild and broken scenery — Indian 
 dogs — Crow trophies— sterile and dreary country — banks of the Sweet Water 
 — buffalo hunting — ^adventure of Tom Cain, the Irish cook 36 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Magnificent scenery— Wind River Mountains — treasury of waters— a stray horse 
 —an Indian trail— trout streams— the great Green River valley— an alarm— a 
 band of trappers— FonteneUe — his information — sufferings of thirst — encamp- 
 ment on the Seeds-Ke-Dee — strategy of rival traders — fortification of the camp 
 — the Blackfeet — banditti of the mountains — their character and habits 44 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Sublette and his band — Robert Campbell — Mr. Wyeth and a band of " Down- 
 Easters" — Yankee enterprise — Kitzpatrick— his adventure with the Blackfett 
 — a rendezvous of mountaineers — the battle of Pierre's Hole— an Indiaa am- 
 buscade — Sublette".s retui-n 51 
 
 CHAPTER Vn. 
 
 Retreat of the Blackfeet — Fontenelle'scamp in danger — Captain Bonneville and 
 the Blackfeet — free trappere — their character, habits, ^ dress, equipments, 
 horses— game fellows of the mountains— theh- visit to the camp — good fellow- 
 ship and good cheer— a carouse— a swagger, a brawl, and a reconciUation. ... 61 
 
 CHAPTER Vin. 
 
 Plans for the winter— Salmon River— abundance of salmon west of the moun- 
 tains — new arrangements — caches— Cerr^'s detachment— movement in Fon- 
 teneUe's camp — departure of the Blackfeet — their fortunes— Wind [Mountain 
 streams — Buckeye, the Delaware hunter, and the grizzly bear — bones of mur- 
 dered travellers— visit to Pierre's Hole— traces of the battle— Nez Perc6s In- 
 dians—arrival at Salmon River 66 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Horses turned loose — preparations for winter quarters — hungry times — Nez 
 Percys, their honesty, piety, pacific habits, religious ceremonies— Captain Bon- 
 ne ville's conversations with them— their love of gambling 71 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Blackfeet in the horse prairie— search after the hunters— difficulties and dangers 
 — a card party in the wilderness — the card party interrupted—" Old Sledge" a 
 losing game— visitors to the camp— Iroquois hunters— hanging-eared Indians.. 75 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Rival trapping partiee-MancEuvering— a desperate game— Vanderburgh asdthe 
 Blackfeet— deserted camp— tire— a dark defile —an Indian ambu.sh— a fierce
 
 CONTENTS. 11 
 
 PAGE 
 
 mel6e — fatal consequences— Fitzpatrick and the brldpe— trappers' precautions 
 — meeting with the Blackfeet— more fighting— anecdote of a young Mexican 
 and an Indian girl 79 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 A winter camp in the wilderness— medlry of trappers, hunters, and Indians — 
 scarcity of game— new arrangements in the camp— detnclinicnts sent to a dis- 
 tance—carelessness of the Iiuiians when encamped— sickness among the In- 
 dians—excellent character of the Nez Percys— the Captain's effort as a pacifl- 
 cator— a Nez Perciis argument in favor of war— robberies by the Blackfeet — 
 long suffering of the Nez Perot's— a hunter's Elysium among the mountains- 
 more robberies— the Captain preaches up a crusade— the eflfect upon his 
 hearers 84 
 
 CH^VPTER Xra. 
 Storj- of Kosato, the renegade Blackfoot 92 
 
 CHAl^ER XIV. 
 
 The party enters the mountain gorge— a wild fastness among the hills— moun- 
 tain mutton— peace and plenty — the amorous trai)per— a piebald wedding— a 
 free trapper's wife — her gala equipments— Christmas in the wilderness 95 
 
 CHAITER XV. 
 
 A hunt after hunters— hungry times— a voracious repast— wintry weather— 
 Godin's River — splendid winter scene on the great lava plain of Snake River- 
 severe travelling and tramping in the snow— Manueuvres of a solitary Indian 
 horseman — encampment on Snake River- Banneck Indians— the horse chief— 
 his charmed life 101 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 llisadventures of Matthieu and his partj-— return to the caches at Salmon River 
 —battle between Nez Pcrcfis and Blackfeet— heroism of a Nez Perc6s woman 
 — enrolled among the braves 107 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Opening of the caches— detachments of Cerr»^ and Hodgkiss— Salmon River 
 Mountains- superstition of an Indian trapper— (iodins River— preparations 
 for trapping— an alarm— an intcri-uption- a rival baud— phenomena of Snake 
 River plain— vast clefts and chasms— ingulfed streams— sublime scenery— a 
 grand buffalo hunt 118 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Meeting with Hodgkiss— misfortunes of the Nez Percys— schemes of Kosato. the 
 renegade — his foray into the horse prairie— invasion of Blackfeet — Blue John 
 and his Forlorn Hope— their generous enterprise— their fate— consternation 
 and despair of the village— solenm obsequies — attempt at Indian trade — Hud- 
 son's Bay Company's monopoly— arrangements for autumn— breaking up of 
 an encampment 117
 
 12 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Precautions lu dangerous defiles— trappers' mode of defence on a prairie — a 
 mysterious visitor— arrival in Green River Valley— adventures of the detach- 
 ments—the forlorn partisan— his tale of disasters 124 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Gathering in Green River "Valley— visitings and feastings of leaders— rough was- 
 sailing among the trappers — wild blades of the mountains — Indian belles- 
 potency of bright beads and red blankets— arrival of supplies— revelry and ex- 
 travagance — mad wolves— the lost Indian 129 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Schemes of Captain Bonneville— the great Salt Lake— expedition to explore it- 
 preparations for a journey to the Bighorn 133 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 The Crow country— the Crow paradise— habits of the Crows— anecdotes of Rose, 
 the renegade white man— his flglits with the Blackfeet— his elevation— his 
 death — Arapooish, the Crow chief —his eagle —adventure of Robert Campbell 
 — honor among the Crows 185 
 
 CHAPTER XXni. 
 
 Departure from Green River Valley— Popo Agie— its course— the rivers into 
 which it runs— scenery of the bluffs— the great Jar Spring— volcanic tracts in 
 the Crow country— burning mountain of Powder River— Sulphur Springs — 
 hidden fires — Colter's Hell— Wind River— Campbell's party- Fitzpatrick and 
 his trappers— Captain Stewart, an amateur traveller— Nathaniel Wyeth— anec- 
 dotes of his expedition to the Far West — disaster of Campbell's party— a union 
 of bands — the bad pass — the Rapids — departure of Fitzpatrick — embarkation 
 of Peltries— Wyeth and his bull boat — adventures of Captain Bonneville in the 
 Bighorn Mountains— adventures in the plains— traces of Indians— travelling 
 precautions— dangers of making a smoke— the rendezvous 141 
 
 CHAPTER XXTV. 
 
 Adventures of 'a party of ten— the Balaamite mule— a dead point— the mysteri- 
 ous elks— a night attack— a retreat— travelling under an alarm— a joyful meet- 
 ing—adventures of the other party— a decoy elk— retreat to an island— a sav- 
 age dance of triumph— arrival at Wind River 148 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Captain Bonneville sets out for Green River Valley— journey up the Popo Agie 
 —buffaloes— the staring white bears— the smoke— the Warm Springs— attempt 
 to traverse the Wind River Mountains— the great slope— mountain dells and 
 
 ' chasms— crystal lakes— ascent of a snowy peak— sublime prospect^ — a pano- 
 rama—" Les dfgnes de Pitie," or Wild Men of the Mountains IS"*
 
 CONTENTS. 13 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 PAOK 
 
 A retrograde move— Channel of a mountain torrent— Alpine scenery— cascades 
 —beaver valleys— beavers at worl£— their architecture— their modes of felling 
 trees— mode of trapping the beaver— contests of skill— a beaver " up to trap " 
 — arrival at the Cireen River caches 158 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIL 
 
 Route towards Wind River— dangerous neighborhood— alarms and precautions 
 —a sham encampment— apparition of an Indian spy— midnight move— a 
 mountain deflle— the Wind River valley— tracking a party— deserted camps 
 —symptoms of Ciows— meeting of comrades— a trapper entrapped— Crow 
 pleasanti-y— Crow spies— a decampment- return to Green River Valley- 
 meeting with Pitzpatricks party— their adventures among the Crows— ortho- 
 dox Crows 163 
 
 CHAPTER XXVm. 
 
 A region of natural curiosities— the plain of white clay— Hot Springs— the Beer 
 Spring— departure to seek the trappers— plain of Portneuf-lava— chasms and 
 gullifs- Banneck Indians— their hunt of the buffalo— hunters' feast— trencher 
 hei-oes- bullying of an absent foe— the damp comrade— Indian spy— meeting 
 with Hodgkiss— his adventures— Poordevil Indians— triumph of the Bannecks 
 — Blackfeet policy in war 171 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 Winter camp at the Portneuf — fine springs — the Banneck Indians— their honesty 
 — Captain Bonneville prepares for an expedition — Christmas- the American 
 Falls— wild scenery— Fishing Falls— Snake Indians — scenery of the Bnineau— 
 view of the volcanic coimtry from a moimtain — I'owder River— Shoshokoes, 
 or Root Diggers— their character, habits, habitations, dogs— vanity at its last 
 shift 178 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Temperature of the climate— Root Dicgers on horse— an Indian guide— moun- 
 ** tain prospects — the Grand Rond— difficulties on Snake River— a scramble over 
 the Bhie Mountains— sufferings from himger— prospect of the Immabab Val- 
 ley — the exhausted traveller 186 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 Progress in the Valley- an Indian cavalier— the Captain falls into a lethargy- 
 A Nez Percys partriarch— hospitable treatment — the bald hend — bargaining 
 —value of an old plaid cloak— the family horse— the cost of an Indian present 192 
 
 CHAPTER XXXn. 
 
 Nez Perc'^s camp— a chief with a hard name— the big hearts of the East— hos- 
 pitable treatment — the Indian guides— myst«rious councils— the loquacious
 
 14 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAQB 
 
 chief— Indian tomb— fjrand Indian reception— an Indian feast— town-criers— 
 honesty of the Nez Perc6s— the Captain's attempt at healing 198 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 Scenery of the Way-Lee-Way— a substitute for tobacco— sublime scenery of 
 Snake River— the garrulous old chief and his cousin — a Nez Percys meeting — 
 a stolen skin— a scapegoat dog— mysterious conferences— the little chief —his 
 hospitaUty — the Captain's account of the United States — his healing skill 205 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 Fort Wallah-Wallah— its commander— Indians in its neighborhood — exertions 
 of Mr. Pambrune for their improvement — religion — code of laws — range of the 
 lower Nez Perces — Camash and other roots — Nez Percys horses — preparations 
 for departure— refusal of supplies — departure— a laggard and glutton 21S 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 The uninvited guest — free and easy manners — salutary jokes— a prodigal son — 
 exit of the glutton — a sudden change in fortune — danger of a visit to poor 
 relations — plucking of a prosperous man— a vagabond toilet— a substitute for 
 the very fine horse— hard travelling— the uninvited guest and the patriarchal 
 colt — a beggar on horseback — a catastrophe — exit of the merry vagabond 216 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 The difficult mountain — a smoke and consultation— the Captain's speech — an 
 icy turnpike— danger of a false step— arrival on Snake River— return to Port- 
 neuf— meeting of comrades 222 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 Departure for the rendezvous— a war party of Blackfeet^a mock bustle— sham 
 fights at night— warlike precautions— dangers of a night attack-a panic 
 among horses— cautious march— the Beer Springs— a mock carousal— skir- 
 mishing with buffaloes— a buffalo bail^arrival at the rendezvous— meeting 
 of various bands 227 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 Plan of the Salt Lake expedition— great sandy deserts— sufferings from thirst 
 — Ofcden's River— trails and smoke of lurking Indians— thefts at night -a trap- 
 per's revenue — alarms of a guilty conscience— a murderous victory — Califor- 
 nian Jlouutains— plains alon-g the Pacific— Arrival at Monterey — accmnit of 
 the place and neighborhood- Lower California — its extent— the peninsula — 
 soil— climate— production— its settlement by the Jesuits— their sway over the 
 Indians — their expulsion— nuns of a missionary establishment— sublime scen- 
 ery — Upper California — missions — their power and policy — reso'i^'ep of the 
 country — designs of foreign nations 231
 
 CONTENTS. 15 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 PAOB 
 
 Gay life at Monterey— Mexican horsemen— a bold dragoon— use of the lasso— 
 Vaqueros— noosing a bear— flt^lit between a bull and a beai-— departure from 
 3Iouterey— Indian horse-stealers- outrages committed by the travellers- 
 indignation of Captain Bonneville 238 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 Travellers' tales— Indian lurkers— prognostics of Buckeye — signs and portents — 
 the Medicine wolf — an alarm— an ambush— the captured provant— triumph of 
 Buckeye.— arrival of supplies--grand carouse — arrangements for the year- 
 Mr. Wyeth and his new-levied band S42 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 A voyage in a buU boat 846 
 
 CHAPTER XLII. 
 
 Departure of Captain Bonneville for the Columbia— advance of Wyeth — efforts 
 to keep the lead — Hudson's Bay party— a junketing — a delectable beverage — 
 honey and alcohol— high carousing— the Canadian " bon vivant"— a cache— 
 a rapid move— Wyeth and his plans— his travelUiig companions — buffalo hunt- 
 ing— more conviviality — an interruption 259 
 
 CHAPTER XLIH. 
 
 A rapid march— a cloud of dust— wild horsemen-" High jinks "■- horse-racing 
 and rille shooting— the came of liand— the Ashing season— mode of fishing- 
 table lands— salmon fishers- the Captain's visit to an Indian lodge— the Indian 
 gu-1— the pocket mirror— supper— troubles of an evil conscience 2C4 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 Outfit of a trapper- risks to which he is subjected — partnership of trappei"s— 
 enmity of Indians — distant smoke— a country on fire — Gun Creek — Grand 
 Rond— fine pastures— perplexities in a smoky country — conflagration of 
 forests . 2G9 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 
 The Skynses — their traffic — hunting— food— horses — a horse-race — devotional 
 feeling of the Skynses, Nez PercCs. and Flatheads — prayers — exhortations — 
 a preacher on horseback — effect of religion on the manners of the tribes — 
 a new light 278 
 
 CHAPTER XTA^. 
 
 Scarcity in the cnmp — refusal of supplies by the Hudson's Bay Company— con- 
 duct of the Indians- a hungry retreat— John Day's River— the Blue Moim-
 
 16 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAQB 
 
 tains— salmon fishing on Snake River— messengers from the Crow country- 
 Bear River Valley— immense immigration of Buffalo— danger of buffalo hunt- 
 ing—a wounded Indian— Eutaw Indians — a "surround " of antelopes 277 
 
 CHAPTER XLVn. 
 
 A. festive winter— conversion of the Shoshonies— visit of two free trappers — 
 gayety in the camp— a touch of the tender passion — the reclaimed squaw — 
 an Indian fine lady— an elopement— a pursuit— market value of a bad wife. .. 283 
 
 CHAPTER XLVUI. 
 
 Breaking up of winter quarters— move to Green River— a trapper and his rifle — 
 an arrival in camp — a free trapper and his squaw in distress— story of a Black- 
 foot beUe 287 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX. 
 
 Rendezvous at Wind River— campaign of Montero and his brigade in the Crow 
 country— wars between the Crovis and the Blackfeet— death of Arapooish— 
 Blackfeet lurkers— sagacity of the horse— dependence of the hunter on his 
 horse— return to the settlements 291 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Nathaniel J. "Wyeth and the trade of the Far West 298 
 
 Wreck of a Japanese Junk on the Northwest Coast 300
 
 Adventures of Captain Bonneville. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 STATE OF THE FUR TRADE OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS— AJIERI- 
 CAN ENTERPRISES— GENERAL ASHLEY AND HIS ASSOCIATES— 
 SUBLETTE, A FAIMOUS LEADER— YEARLY RENDEZVOUS AMONQ 
 THE MOUNTAINS — STRATAGEMS AND DANGERf OF THE TRADE — 
 BANDS OF TRAPPERS— INDIAN BANDITTI — CROWS AND BLACK- 
 FEET — MOUNTAINEERS — TRADERS OF THE FAR AVEST— CHARAC- 
 TER AND HABITS OF THE TRAPPER. 
 
 In a recent Avork we have given on acconnt of the grand enter- 
 prise of Mr. John Jacob Aster, to estabhsh an Anioricnn empo- 
 riuni for the fur trade at the mouth of tlie Columbia, orOi'cgon 
 River; of the failure of that enterprise through the capture of 
 Astoria by the British, in 1814; and of the way in which the 
 control of the trade of the Columbia and its dependencies fell 
 into the hands of the Northwest Compony. We have stated, 
 Hkewise, the unfortimate sii]'>ineness of the American Govern- 
 ment, in neglecting the application of Mr. Astor for the protec- 
 tion of the American flag, and a small military force, to enable 
 1 im to reinstate himself in the possession of Astoria at the re- 
 turn of peace; when the post was formallj- given up by the 
 British Government, though still occupied by the Northwest 
 Company. By that supiueness the sovereignty in the country 
 has been virtually lost to the United States ; and it will cost 
 both governments much trouble and difficulty to settle matters 
 on that just and rightful footing, on which they would readily 
 have been placed, had the proposition of Mr. Astor been a4;- 
 tcnded to We shall now state a few particulars of £ub.se(]ucnt 
 event?, 6< as to lead the reader up to the period of x^'hidi we
 
 18 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 are about to treat, and to prepare Wm for the circumstances of 
 our narrative. 
 
 In conseiiuence of the apathy and neglect of the American 
 Government, Mr. Astor abandoned all thoughts of regaining 
 Astoria, and made no further attempt to extend his enterprises 
 beyond the Rocky Mountains; and the Northwest Company 
 considered themselves the lords of the country. They did not 
 Icng enjoy unmolested the sway which they had somewhat sur- 
 reptitiously attained. A fierce competition ensued between them 
 and their old rivals, the Hudson's Bay Company ; wliich was 
 carried oii at great cost and sacrifice, and occasionally with 
 the loss of life. It ended in the ruin of most of the partners of 
 the Northwest Company ; and the merging of the relics of that 
 establisliment, in 1821, in the rival association. From thau 
 time, the Hudson's Bay Company enjoyed a monopoly of the 
 Indian trade from the coast of the Pacific to the Rocky Moun- 
 tains, and for a considerable extent north and south. They 
 removed their emporium from Artoria to Fort Vancouver, a 
 strong post on the left bank of the Columbia River, about sixty 
 miles from its mouth; whence they furnished their interior 
 posts, and sent forth their brigades of trappers. 
 
 The Rocky Mountains formed a vast barrier between them 
 and the United States, and their stern and awful defiles, their 
 rugged valleys, and the great western plains watered by their 
 rivers, remained almost a terra incognita to the American 
 trapper. The difficulties experienced in 1808, by Mr. Henry, of 
 the Missouri Company, the first American who trapped upon 
 the head- waters of the Columbia ; and the frightful hardships 
 sustained by Wilson P. Hunt, Ramsay Crooks, Robert Stuart, 
 and other intrepid Astorians, in their ill-fated expeditions 
 across the mountains, appeared for a time to check all further 
 enterprise in that direction. The American traders contented 
 themselves with following up the head branches of the Mis- 
 souri, the Yellowstone, and other rivers and streams on the 
 Atlantic side of the mountains, but forbore to attempt those 
 great snow-crowned sierras. 
 
 One of the first to revive these tramontane expeditions was 
 General Ashley, of ]\Iissouri, a man whose courage and achieve- 
 ments in the prosecution of his enterprises have rendered him 
 famous in the Far West. In conjunction with Mr. Henry, al- 
 read^r mi^ntioned, he establishod a post on the banks of the 
 Yellowstone River, in 182i^, and in the following year pushed a 
 resolute band of trappera across the mountains to the banks of
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 19 
 
 the Green River or Colorado of the West, often known by the 
 iiidiau name of th--^ Sceds-ke-deo Agie.* This attempt was fol- 
 lowed up and sustidnod by others, until in 1825 a footmg was 
 recured, and a co^aplete system of trapping organized beyond 
 the moimtains. 
 
 It is difficult to do justice to the courage, fortitude, and per- 
 severance of the pioneers of the fur trade, who conducted tlieso 
 early expeditions, and fii-st broke their way thi-ough a wilder-' 
 ness where everytliing was calculated to deter and dismay 
 them. They had to traverse the most dreary and desolate 
 mountains, and barren and trackless wastes, uninhabited by 
 man, or occasionally infested by predatory and cruel savages. 
 They knew nothing of the country beyond the verge of their 
 horizon, and had to gather information as they wandeio.... 
 They beheld volcanic plains stretching around them, and 
 ranges of moimtains piled up to the clouds and glistening mth 
 eternal frost; but knew nothmg of their defiles, nor how they 
 were to be penetrated or traversed. They launched themselves 
 in frail canoes on rivers, without knowing whither their swift 
 currents would carry them, or what rocks, and shoals, and 
 rapids, they might encounter in their course. They had to be 
 continually on the alert, too, against the mountain tribes, who 
 be.set every defde, laid ambuscades in their path, or attacked 
 them in their night encampments; so that, of the hardy bands 
 of trappers that first entered into these regions, three fifths are 
 said to have fallen by the hands of savage foes. 
 
 In this wild and wailike school a number of leaders have 
 spinmg up, originally in the employ, subsequently partners of 
 Ashley; among these we may mention Smith, Fitzpatrick, 
 Bridger, Robert Campbell, and AVilliam Sublette : whose adven- 
 tures and exploits partake of the wildest spirit of romance. 
 The association commenced by General Ashley undenvcnt va- 
 rious modifications. Tliat gentleman having acquired liUiH- 
 cient fortune, sold out his interest and retired; and the lea ling 
 spirit that succeeded him was Captain William Sublette ; a man 
 worthy of note, as his name has become renowned in frontier 
 story. He is a native of Kentucky, and of game descent; 
 his maternal grandfather. Colonel Wheatley, a companion of 
 Boone, having been one of the pioneers of the West, celebrated 
 in Indian warfare, and killed in one of the contests of the 
 " Bloody Ground." We sliall frequently have occasion to speak 
 
 * i.e. Ths Piairi© IIou Rivor. Agie in the Crow language Eignifles river.
 
 20 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNBYILLE. 
 
 of tWs Sublette, and al^rays to the credit of his game qualities. 
 In 1830, the association took the name of the Rocky Mountain 
 Fur Company, of wliich Captain Sublette and Eobert Campbell 
 were prominent members. 
 
 In the meantime, the success of this company attracted the 
 attention and excited the emulation of the American Fur Com- 
 pany and brought them once more into the field of their ancient 
 enterprise. Mr. Astor, the founder of the association, had re- 
 tired fi'om busy life, and the concerns of the company were 
 ably managed by Mr. Eamsay Crooks, of Snake River renown, 
 who still oflBciates as its president. A competition immediate- 
 ly ensued between the two companies, for the trade with the 
 mountain tribes, and the trapping of the head-waters of the 
 Columbia and the other great tributaries of the Pacific. Be- 
 side the regular operations of these formidable rivals, there 
 have been from time to time desultory enterprises, or rather 
 experiments, of minor associations, or of adventurous indi- 
 viduals, beside roving bands of independent trappers, who 
 either hunt for themselves, or engage for a single season in the 
 service of one or other of the main companies. 
 
 The consequence is, that the Rocky Mountains and the ulte- 
 rior regions, from the Russian possessions in the north down to 
 the Spanish settlements of California, have been traversed and 
 ransacked in every direction by bands of huntere and Indian 
 traders; so that there is scarcely a mountain pass, or defile, 
 that is not known and threaded in their restless migrations, 
 nor a nameless stream that is not haunted by the lonely 
 trapper. 
 
 The American fur companies keep no established posts beyond 
 the mountains. Everything there is regulated by resident part- 
 ners; that is to say, partners who reside in the tramontane 
 country, but who move about from place to place, either with 
 Indian tribes, whose traffic they wish to monopoli::c, or with 
 main bodies of their own men, whom they e:nploy in trading 
 and trapping. In the r meantime, they detach bands, or "bri- 
 gades" as they are tei-med, of trappers in various cTirecticn.:, as- 
 signing to each a portion of country as p hunting or trapping 
 ground. In the months of June and July, when there is an in- 
 terval between the hunting seasons, a c:eneral rendezvous is 
 held, at some designated place in the mountains, where the af- 
 fairs of the past year are settled by the resident partners, and 
 the plans for the following year axranged. 
 
 To tliiG rendez%'ouB repair the various brigades of trappers
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 21 
 
 from their widely separated huntinp: prrounds, bringing in tho 
 products of their year's campaign, liither also repair the In- 
 dian tribes accustomed to traffic their peltries with the com- 
 pany. Bands of free trappers resort hither also, to sell the 
 furs they have collected ; or to engage their services for the 
 next hunting season. 
 
 To this rendezvous the company sends annually a convoy of 
 supplies from its establishment on the Atlantic frontier, under 
 the guidance of some experienced partner or officer. On tho 
 arrival of this convoy, the resident partner at the rendezvous 
 depends, to set all his next year's machinery in motion. 
 
 Now as the rival companies keep a vigilant eye upon each 
 other, and are anxious to discover each other's plans and move- 
 ments, they generally contrive to hold their annual assein- 
 blages at no great distance apart. An eager competition ex- 
 ists also between their respective convoys of supphes, which 
 shall first reach its place of rendezvous. For this purpose they 
 set off with the first appearance of gi-ass on the Atlantic fron- 
 tier, and push with all diligence for the mountains. The com- 
 pany that can first open its tempting supplies of coffee, tobac- 
 co, ammunition, scarlet cloth, blankets, bright shawls, and 
 glittering trinkets, has the greatest chance to get all the peltries 
 and furs of the Indians and free trappers, and to engage their 
 services for the next season. It is able, also, to fit out and dis- 
 patch its own trappers the soonest, so as to get the start of its 
 competitors, and to have the first dash into the himting and 
 trapping grounds. 
 
 A new species of strategy has sprung out of this hunting and 
 trapping competition. The constant study of the rival bands 
 is to forestall and outwit each other ; to supplant each other in 
 the good-wUl and custom of the Indian tribes ; to cross each 
 other's plans; to mislead each other as to routes; in a word, 
 next to his own advantage, the study of the Indian trader is the 
 disadvantage of his competitor. 
 
 The influx of this wandering trade has had its effects on the 
 habits of the mountain tribes. They have found the trapping 
 of the beaver their most profitable species of hunting; and the 
 traffic with the white man has opened to them sources of lux- 
 ury of which they previously had no idea. The introduction 
 of firearms has rendered them more successful hunters, but at 
 the same time more formidable foes; some of them incorrigibly 
 savage and warlike in their nature have found the expeditions 
 of the fur traders grand objects of profitable adventure. To .
 
 22 ABVENTUllES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 waylay and harass a band of trappers with their pack-horscsr, 
 when embarrassed in the rujrged defiles of the mountains, has 
 become as favorite an exploit with these Indians as the plimdor 
 of a caravan to the Arab of the desert. The Crows and Black- 
 feet, who were such terrors in the path of the early adventurers 
 to Astoria, still continue their predatory habits, but seem to 
 have brought them to greater system. They know the routes 
 and resorts of the trappers; where to waylay them on their 
 journeys; where to find them in the hunting seasons, and 
 where to hover about them in winter quarters. The life of a 
 trapper, therefore, is a perpetual state militant, and he must 
 sleep with his weapons in his hands. 
 
 A new order of trappers and traders, also, has grown out of 
 this system of things. In the old times of the great North- 
 west Company, when the trade in furs was pursued chiefly 
 about the lakes and rivers, the expeditions were carried on in 
 batteaux and canoes. The voyageurs or boatmen were the 
 rank and file in the service of the trader, and even the hardy 
 "men of the north," those great rufflers and game birds, were 
 faui to be paddled from point to point of their migrations. 
 
 A totally different class has now sprung up;— "the Moun- 
 taineers," the traders and trappers that scale the vast moun- 
 tain chains, and pursue their hazardous vocations amid their 
 wild recesses. They move from place to place on horseback. 
 The equestrian exercises, therefore, in which they are en- 
 gaged, the nature of the countries they traverse, vast plains 
 and mountains, pure and exhilarating in atmospheric qualities, 
 seem to make them physically and mentally a more lively and 
 mercurial race than the fin- traders and trappers of former 
 days, the self -vaunting "men of the north." A man who be- 
 strides a horse must be essentially different from a man who 
 cowers in a canoe. We find them, accordingly, hardy, lithe, 
 vigorous, and active ; extravagant in word, and thought, and 
 deed; heedless of hardship; daring of danger; prodigal of the 
 present, and thoughtless of the future. 
 
 A difference is to be perceived even between these mountain 
 hmiters and those of the lower regions along the waters of the 
 Missouri. The latter, generally French Creoles, live comfor- 
 tably in cabins and log-huts, well sheltered from the inclem- 
 encies of the seasons. They are within the reach of frequent 
 Bupphes from the settlements ; their life is comparatively free 
 from danger, and from most of the vicissitudes of the upper 
 wilderness. The consequence is, that they are less hardy, self-
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN liON NEVILLE. 23 
 
 dopendont and game-spirited, than tbe mountaineer. If tho 
 latter by chance comes among them on his way to and from 
 the settlements, he is hke a game-cock among the common 
 roosters of the poultry-j-ard. Accustonaed to live in tents, or 
 to bivouac in the open air, he despises the comforts and is im- 
 patient of the confinement of the log-house. If his meal is 
 not ready in season, he takes his rilie, hies to the forest or 
 prairie, shoots his own game, lights his fire, and cooks his 
 repast. With his horse and his rille, he is independent of tho 
 Avorld, and spurns at all its restraints. The very superintend- 
 ents at the lower posts will not put him to mess with the com- 
 mon men, the hirelings of the establishment, but treat him as 
 something superior. 
 
 There is, perhaps, no class of men on the face of the earth, 
 says Captain Bonneville, who led a life of more continued ex- 
 ei'tion, peril, and excitement, and who are more enamored of 
 their occupations, than the free trappers of the West. No toil, 
 no danger, no privation can turn the trapper from his pursuit. 
 His passionate excitement at times resembles a mania. In vain 
 may the most vigilant and cruel savages beset his path; in 
 vain may rocks and preeijiices, and wintry torrents oppose his 
 progress ; let but a single track of a beaver meet liis eye, and 
 he forgets all dangers and defies all difficulties. At tunes, he 
 may be seen with his traps on his shoulder, buffeting his way 
 across rapid streams, amid floating blocks of ice; at other 
 times, he is to be found with his traps swung on his back 
 climbing the most rugged mountains, scaling or descending 
 the most frightful precipices, searching, by routes inaccessible 
 to the horse, and never before trodden by white man, for 
 springs and lakes unknown to his comrades, and where he 
 may meet with liis favorite game. Such is the mountaineer, 
 the hardy trapper of the West; and such, as we have slightly 
 sketched it, is the wild, Robin H(jod kind of life, with all its 
 strange and motley populace, now existing in full vigor among 
 the Rocky Mountains. 
 
 Having thus given the reader some idea of the actual state of 
 the fur trade in the interior of our vast continent, and made 
 him acquainted with the wild chivalry of tho mountains, we will 
 no longer delay the introduction of Captain Bonneville and his 
 band into this field of their enterpi'ise. but launch them at 
 once upon the perilous plains of the Far West.
 
 24 ADVENTURES OF ATTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 
 DEPARTURE FROM FORT OSAGE — MODES OF TRANSPORTATION- 
 PACK-HORSES — WAGONS — WALKER AND CERRE ; THEIR CHAR- 
 ACTERS — BUOYANT FEELINGS ON LAUNCHING UPON THE PRAI- 
 RIES — WILD EQUIPMENTS OF THE TRAPPERS — THEIR GAMBOLS 
 AND ANTICS— DIFFERENCE OF CHARACTER BETWEEN THE AMER- 
 ICAN AND FRENCH TRAPPERS — AGENCY OF THE KANSAS — 
 GENERAL CLARKE — WHITE PLUME, THE KANSAS CHIEF— NIGHT 
 SCENE IN A trader's CAMP— COLLOQUY BETWEEN WHITE PLUME 
 AND THE CAPTAIN— BEE-HUNTERS— THEIR EXPEDITIONS — THEIR 
 FEUDS WITH THE INDIANS — BARGAINING TALENT OF WIUTE 
 PLUME. 
 
 It was on the first of May, 1832, that Captain Bonneville 
 took his departure from the frontier post of Fort Osage, on the 
 Missouri. He had enlisted a party of one hundred and ten 
 men, most of whom had been in the Indian country, and some 
 of whom were experienced hunters and trappei*s. Fort Osage, 
 and other places on the borders of the western wilderness, 
 abound with characters of the kind, ready for any expedition. 
 
 The ordinary mode of transportation in these great inland 
 expeditions of the fur traders is on mules and pack-horses ; but 
 Captain Bonneville substituted wagons. Though he was to 
 travel through a trackless wilderness, yet the greater part of 
 his route would he across open plains, destitute of forests, and 
 where wheel carriages can pass in every direction. The chief 
 difficulty occurs in passing the deep ravines cut through the 
 prairies by streams and winter torrents. Here it is often 
 necessary to dig a road down the banks, and to make bridges 
 for the wagons. ^ 
 
 In transporting his baggage in vehicles of this kind. Captain 
 Bonneville thought he would save the great delay caused every 
 morning by packing the horses, and the labor of unpacking in 
 the evening. Fewer horses also would be required, and less risk 
 incurred of their wandering away, or being frightened or car- 
 ried off by the Indians. The wagons, also, would be more 
 easily defended, and might form a Sind of fortification in case 
 of attack m the open prairies. A train of twenty wagons, 
 
 I
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 2^ 
 
 drawn by oxen, or by four mules or horses eaxjh, and laden 
 with merchandise, ammunition, and provisions, were disposed 
 in two columns in the centre of the party, which was equally 
 divided into a van and a rear-guard. As sub-leaders or lieu- 
 tenants in his expedition. Captain Bonneville had made choice 
 oC Mr. I. R. Walker and Mr. M. S. Cerre. The former was n 
 native of Tennessee, about six feet high, strong built, dark 
 complexioned, brave in spirit, though mild in manners. IJe 
 had resided for many years in Missouri, on the frontier; had 
 been among the earliest adventurers to Santa Fc, where he 
 went to ti-ap beaver, and was taken by the Spaniards. Being 
 liberated, he engaged with the Spaniards and Sioux Indians in 
 a war against the Pawnees ; then retui-ned to Missoiu-i, and had 
 acted by turns as sheriff, trader, trapper, until he was enhsted 
 as a loader by Captain Bonneville. 
 
 Cerre, his other leader, had likewise been in expeditions to 
 Santa Fe, in which he had endured much hardship. He was 
 of the middle size, light complexioned, and though but about 
 twenty-five years of age, was considered an experienced In- 
 dian trader. It was a great object with Captain Bonneville to 
 got to the mountains before the summer heats and summer 
 flies should render the travelling across the prairies distress- 
 ing; and before the annual assemblages of people connected 
 with tlie fur trade shoidd have broken up, and dispersed to the 
 hunting grounds. 
 
 The two rival associations already mentioned, the American 
 Fur Company and the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, had 
 their several places of rendezvous for the present year at no 
 great distance apart, in Pierre's Hole, a deep valley in the 
 heart of the mountains, and thither Captain Bonneville in- 
 tended to shape his course. 
 
 It is not easy to do justice to the exulting feelings of the 
 worthy captain, at finding himself at the head of a stout band 
 of hunters, trappers, and woodmen; fairly launched on the 
 broad prairies, with his face to the boundless west. The 
 tamest inhabitant of cities, the veriest spoiled child of civili- 
 zation, feels his heart dilate and his pulse beat high on finding 
 himself on horseback in the glorious wilderness; what then 
 must be the excitement of one whose imagination had been 
 stimulated by a residence on the frontier, and to whom the 
 wilderness was a region of romance I 
 
 His hfird}^ followers partook of his excitement. !Most of 
 them had already experienced the "wild freedom of savage life.
 
 26 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 and looked forward to a renewal of past scenes of adventure 
 and exploit. Their very appearance and equipment exhibited 
 a piebald mixture, half civilized and half savage. Many of 
 them looked more like Indians than white men, in their garbs 
 and accoutrements, and their very horses were caparisoned in 
 barbaric style, with fantastic trappings. The outset of a band 
 of adventurers on one of these expeditions is always animated 
 and joyous. The Asrelkin rang with their shouts and yelps, 
 after the manner of the savages ; and with boisterous jokes 
 and hght- hearted laughter. As they passed the straggling 
 hamlets and solitary cabins that fringe the skirts of the fron- 
 tier, they would startle their inmates by Indian yells and war- 
 whoops, or regale them with grotesque feats of hjorsemanship 
 well suited to their half savage appearance. Most of these 
 abodes were inhabited by men who had themselves been in 
 similar expeditions; they welcomed the travellers, therefore, 
 as brother trappers, treated them with a hunter's hospitality, 
 and cheered them with an honest God speed at parting. 
 
 And here we would remark a great difEerence, in point of 
 character and quality, between the two classes of trappers, the 
 " American" and "French," as they are called in contradis- 
 tinction. The latter is meant to designate the French Creole 
 of Canada or Louisiana; the former the trapper of the old 
 American stock, from Kentucky, Tennessee, and others of the 
 Western States. The French trapper is represented as a 
 lighter, softer, more self-indulgent kind of man. He must 
 have his Indian wife, liis lodge, and his petty conveniences. 
 He is gay and thoughtless, takes little heed of landmarks, de- 
 pends upon his leaders and companions to think for the com- 
 mon weal, and, if left to himself, is easily perplexed and lost. 
 
 The American trapper stands by himself, and is peerless for 
 the service of the wilderness. Drop him in the midst of a 
 prairie, or in the heart of the mountains, and he is never at 
 a loss. He notices every landmark; can retrace his route 
 through the most monotonous plains, or the most perplexed 
 labyrijiths of the mountains ; no danger nor difficulty can ap- 
 pall him, and he scorns to complain under any privation. In 
 equipping the two kinds of trappers, the Creole and Canadian 
 are apt to prefer the light fusee ; the American always grasps 
 his rifle; he despises what he caUs the "shot-gun." We give 
 these estimates on the authority of a trader of long experience, 
 and a foreigner by birth. " I consider one American," said he, 
 "equal to three Canadians in point of sagacity, aptness at
 
 ADVEJ^TURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 27 
 
 resources, self-dependence, and fearlessness of spirit. In fact, 
 no one can cope with hiui as a stark traniper of the wilder- 
 ness." 
 
 Beside the two classes of trappers just mentioned, Captain 
 Bonneville had enlisted several Delaw^are Indians in his em- 
 ploy, on whose hunting qualifications he placed great i-eliance. 
 
 On the Gtli of May the travellers passed the last border habi- 
 tation, and bade a long farcw-ell to the case and security of 
 civilization. The buoyant and clamorous spirits with which 
 they liad conimonced their march gradually subsided as they 
 entered upon its difficulties. They found the prairies saturated 
 witJi the heavy cold rains prevalent m certain seasons of the 
 year in this part of the country, the wagon wheels sank deep 
 in the mire, the horses were often to the fetlock, and both 
 steed and rider were completely jaded by the evening of the 
 12th. wiien they reached the Kansas River; a fine stream 
 about three hundred yards wide, entering the Missouri from 
 the south. Though fordable in almost ever}' part at the end of 
 summer and during the autumn, yet it was necessary to con- 
 struct a raft for the transportation of the wagons and effects. 
 All this was done in the course of the following day, and by 
 evening the w^hole party arrived at the agency of the Kansas 
 tribe. This was under the superintendence of General Clarke, 
 brother of the celebrated traveller of the same name, who, 
 with Lewis, made the firet expedition down the waters of the 
 Columbia. He was living like a patriarch, surrounded by 
 laborers and interpreters, all snugly housed, and provided with 
 excellent farms. The functionary next in consequence to the 
 agent was the blacksmith, a most important, and, indeed, in- 
 dispensable personage in a frontier community. The Kansas 
 resemble the Osages in featin*es, dress, and language; they 
 raise corn and hunt the buffalo, ranging the Kansas River and 
 its tributary streams ; at the time of the captain's visit they 
 w(^re at war with the Pawnees of the Nebraska, or Platte 
 River. 
 
 The unusual sight of a train of wagons caused quite a sensa- 
 tion among these savages; who thronged about the caravan, 
 examining everything minutely, and asking a thousand ques- 
 tions; exhibiting a degree of excitability, and a lively curi- 
 osity, totally opposite to that apathy with which their race is 
 so often reproached. 
 
 The personage who most attracted the captain's attention at 
 this place was "White Plume," the Kansas chief, and they
 
 28 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 soon became good friends. Wliite Plume (we are pleased Avith 
 liis chivalrous soubriquet) inhaljited a large stone house, built 
 for him by order of the American Government ; but the estab- 
 lishment had not been carried out in corresponding style. 
 It might be palace without, but it was wigwam within; so 
 that, between the stateliness of his mansion and the squahd- 
 ness of his furniture, the gallant White Plume presented soma 
 such whunsical incongruity as we see in the gala equipments 
 of an Indian chief on a treaty-making embassy at Wasliing- 
 ton, who has been generously decked out in cocked hat and 
 military coat, in contrast to his breech-clout and leathern 
 leggins ; being grand oflBcer at top, and ragged Indian at bot- 
 tom. 
 
 White Plume was so taken with the courtesy of the captain, 
 and pleased with one or two presents received from him, that 
 he accompanied him a day's journey on his march, and passed 
 a night in his camp, on the margin of a small stream. The 
 method of encamping generally observed by the caj^tain was 
 as follows : The twenty Avagons were disposed in a square, at 
 the distance of thirty-three feet from each other. In every 
 interval there was a mess stationed; and each mess hai its 
 fii-e, where tke men cooked, ate, gossiped, and slept. The 
 horses were placed in the centre of the square, with a guard 
 stationed over them at night. 
 
 The horses were "side Imed," as it is termed; that is to say, 
 the fore and hind foot on the same side of the animal were 
 tied together, so as to be within eighteen inches of each other. 
 A horse thus fettered is for a time sadly embarrassed, but soon 
 becomes sufficiently accustomed to the restraint to move about 
 slowly. It prevents his wandering; and liis being easily car- 
 ried off at night by lurking Indians. When a horse that is 
 "foot free" is tied to pne thus secured, the latter forms, as it 
 were, a pivot, roimd which the other runs and curvets, in case 
 of alarm. 
 
 The encampment of which we are speaking presented a 
 striking scene. The various mess-fires were surrouiided by 
 picturesque groups, standing, sitting, and reclining; some 
 busied in cooking, others in cleaning their weapons; while 
 the frequent laugh told that the rough joke or merry story 
 was going on. In the middle of the camp, before the principal 
 lodge, sat the two chieftains. Captain Bonneville and White 
 Plume, in soldier-like communion, the captain delighted with 
 the opportunity of meeting, on social terms, with one of the
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 29 
 
 red waiTiors of the -wilderness, the unsophisticated children of 
 nature. Tlie latter was squatted on his buffalo robe, his strong 
 ieatures and red skin glaring in the broad light of a blazing 
 fire, while he recounted astounding tales of the bloody exploits 
 of his tribe and himself in their wars with the Pawnees ; for 
 there are no old soldiers more given to long campaigning 
 stories than Indian "braves." 
 
 The feuds of White Plume, however, had not been corfined 
 to the red men ; he had much to say of brushes with bee hunt- 
 ere, a class of offenders for whom ho seemed to cherish a 
 particular abhorrence. As the species of hunting prosecuted 
 by these worthies is not laid down in any of the ancient books 
 of venerie, and is, in fact, pecuhar to our western frontier, a 
 Avord or two on the subject may not be unacceptable to the 
 reader. 
 
 The bee hunter is generally some settler on the verge of the 
 prairies; a long, lank fellow, of fever and ague complexion, 
 acquired from living on new soil, and in a hut built of green 
 logs. In the autumn, when the harvest is over, these frontier 
 settlers form parties of two or three, and prepare for a bee 
 hunt. Having provided themselves with a wagon, and a num- 
 ber of empty casks, they sally off, armed with their rifles, 
 into the wilderness, directing their course east, west, north, or 
 south, without any regard to the ordinance of the American 
 Govermnent which strictly forbids all trespass upon the lands 
 belonging to the Indian tribes. 
 
 The belts of woodland that traverse the lower prairies and 
 border the rivers are peopled by innumerable swarms of Avild 
 bees, which make their hives in hollow trees, and fill them 
 with honey tolled from the rich flowers of the prairies. The 
 bees, according to popular assertion, are migrating, like the 
 f^ettiers, to the west. An Indian trader, well experienced in 
 Ithe country, informs us that within ten years that he has 
 passed in the Far West, the bee has advanced westward above 
 a hundred miles. It is said on the Missouri that the wild tur- 
 key and the wild bee go up the river together ; neither is found 
 in the upper regions. It is but recently that the wild tuikey 
 has been killed on the Nebraska, or Platte ; and his travelling 
 competitor, the wild bee, appeared there about the same time. 
 
 Be all this as it may; the course of our party of bee huntci'S 
 is to make a wide circuit through the woody river bottoms, 
 and the patches of forest on the pi-aii'ies, marking, as they go 
 out, G^'ory tree in ^hich they iave dotoctcd a hive. Thoso
 
 30 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 marks are generally respected by any other bee hunter that 
 should come upon their ti'ack. When they have marked cufFi- 
 cient to fill all their casks, they turn their faces homeward, cut 
 down the trees as they proceed, and ha\ang loaded their 
 ■wagon with honey and wax, return well pleased to the settle- 
 ments. 
 
 Now it so happens that the Indians relish wild honey as 
 highly as do the white men, and are tlie more deliglited with 
 this natural luxury from its having, in many instances, but 
 recently made its appearance in their lands. The consequence 
 is numberless disputes and conflicts between them and the bee 
 hunters ; and often a party of the latter, returning, laden with 
 rich spoil from one of their forays, are apt to be waylaid by the 
 native lords of the soil ; their honey to be seized, their harness 
 cut to pieces, and themselves left to find their way home the 
 best way they can, happy to escape with no greater personal 
 harm than a sound rib-roasting. 
 
 Such were the marauders of whose offences the gallant 
 White Plume made the most bitter complaint. They were 
 chiefly the settlers of the western part of Missouri, who are 
 the most famous bee hiuiters on the frontier, and w^hose fa- 
 vorite hunting ground lies within the lands of the Kansas 
 tribe. According to the account of White Plume, however, 
 matters were pretty fairly balanced between Mm and the of- 
 fenders; he having as often treated them to a taste of the 
 bitter, as they had robbed him of the sweets. 
 
 It is but justice to this gallant chief to say that he gave 
 proofs of having acquired some of the hghts of ciWlization 
 from his proximity to the whites, as was evinced in his knowl- 
 edge of driving a bargain. He required hard cash in return 
 for some corn with which he supplied the worthy captain, and 
 left the latter at a loss which most to admire, his native chiv- 
 alry as a brave or his acquired adroitness as a trader.
 
 ADVJ£2fTUEES OF CAPTAI2{ B02i NEVILLE. 31 
 
 CHAPTER III. • 
 
 WIDE PRAIRIES -VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS — TABULAR HILLS- 
 SLABS OF SANDSTONE— KEBPASKA OR PLATTE RIVER— SCANTY 
 FARE -BUFFALO SKULLS -WAGONS TURNED INTO BOATS- 
 HERDS OF BUFFALO— CLIFFS RESEMBLING CASTLES— THE CHIM- 
 NEY — SCOTT'S BLUFFS — STORY CONNECTED AVITH THEM— THE 
 BIGHORN OR AHSAHTA— ITS NATURE AND HABITS — DIFFERENCE 
 BETWEEN THAT AND THE "WOOLLY SHEEP," OR GOAT OF THE 
 MOUNTAINS. 
 
 From the middle to the end of May, Captain Bonneville pur- 
 sued a western course over vast undulating plains, destitute of 
 tree or shrub, rendered niirj^ by occasional rain, and cut up by 
 deep water-courses where they had to dig roads for their 
 wagons down the soft crumbling banks, and to throw bridges 
 across the streams. The weather had attained the summer 
 heat ; the thermometer standing about fifty-seven degrees in 
 the morning, early, but rising to about ninety degi-ees at noon. 
 The incessant breezes, however, wliich sweej) tliese vast plains, 
 render the heats endurable. Game was scanty, and they had 
 to eke out their scanty fare with Avild roots and vegetables, such 
 as the Indian potato, the wild onion, and the prairie tomato, and 
 thoy met with quantities of " red root," from which the himt- 
 ers make a very palatable beverage. The only human being 
 that crossed their path was a Kansas warrior, returning from 
 some soUtary expedition of bravado or revenge, bearing a 
 Pawnee scalp as a trophy. 
 
 The country gradually rose as they proceeded westward, and 
 their route took them over liigh ridges, commanding wide and* 
 beautiful prospects. The vast pkiin was studded on the west 
 with innumerable hills of conical shape, such as are seen north 
 of the Arkansas River. These hills have their summits appar- 
 ently cut off about the same elevation, so as to leave flat surfaces 
 at top. It is conjectured by some that the Avliole country may 
 originally have been of the altiiude of these tabular hills, but 
 through some process of nature may have sunk to its present 
 level ; these insulated eminences being protected by broad foun- 
 dations of solid rock.
 
 32 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 Captain Bonneville mentions another geological phenomenon 
 north of Rod River, where the surface of the earth, in consid- 
 erable tracts of country, is covered with broad slabs of sand- 
 stone, having the form and position of grave-stones, and look- 
 ing as ^f they had been forced up by some subterranean 
 agitation. "The resemblance," says he, "which these very 
 remarkable spots have in many places to old churchyards is 
 curious in the extreme. One might almost fancy himsclt 
 among the tombs of the pre- Adamites. " 
 
 On the 2d of June they arrived on the main stream of the 
 Nebraska or Platte River ; twenty -five miles below the head of 
 the Great Island. The low banks of this river give it an ap- 
 pearance of great width. Captain Bonneville measured it in 
 one place, and found it twenty-two hundred yards from bank 
 to bank. Its depth was from three to six feet, the bottom full 
 of quicksands. The Nebraska is studded with islands covered 
 with that species of poplar called the cotton-wood tree. Keep- 
 ing up along the course of this river for several days, they 
 were obliged, from the scarcity of game, to piit themselves 
 upon short allowance, and occasionally to kill a steer. They 
 bore their daily labors and privations, however, with great 
 good humor, taking their tone, in all probability, from the 
 buoyant spirit of their leader. ' ' If the weather was inclem- 
 ent, " says the captain, ' ' we watched the clouds, and hoped for 
 a sight of the blue sky and the merry sun. If food was scanty, 
 we regaled ourselves with the hope of soon falling in with herds 
 of buffalo, and having nothing to do but slay and eat." We 
 doubt whether the gonial captain is not describing the cheeri- 
 ness of his own breast, which gave a cheery aspect to every- 
 thing around him. 
 
 There certainly were evidences, however, that the country 
 was not always equally destitute of game. At one place they 
 observed a field decorated with buffalo skulls, arranged in cir- 
 cles, curves, and other mathematical figures, as if for some 
 mystic rite or ceremony. They were almost innumerable, and 
 seemed to have been a vast hecatomb offered up in thanks- 
 giving to the Great Spirit for some signal success in the chase. 
 
 On the 11th of June they came to the fork of the Nebraska, 
 where it divides itself into two equal and beautiful streams. 
 One of these branches rises in the west-southwest, near the 
 head- waters of the Arkansas. Up the course of this branch, as 
 Captain Bonneville was well aware, lay the route to the Ca- 
 mancho and Kioway Indians, and to the northern Mexican set-
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIX BOXXEVILLE. 33 
 
 tlcments; of the other branch he knew nothmp;. Its sources 
 might he among Avild and inaccessible chits, and tmnble 
 and foam down rugged defiles and over craggy precipices; but 
 its direction was in the ti'ue course, and up tliis stream he de- 
 termined to prosecute his route to the Rocky a^fountains. Find- 
 ing it impossible, from quicksands and otlier dangerous impedi- 
 ments, to cross the river in this neighborhood, he kept up 
 along the south fork for two days, merely seeking a safe fording 
 place. At length he encamped, caused the bodies of the wagons 
 to be dislodged from the wheels, covered with buffalo hides, 
 and besmeared with a compound of tallow and ashes; thus 
 forming rude boats. In these they ferried their effects across 
 the stream, which was six hundred yards wide, with a swift 
 and strong current. Three men Avere in each boat, to manage 
 it; others waded across, pushing the barks before them. Thus 
 all ci'osscd in safety. A march of nine miles took them over 
 high rolling prairies to the north fork ; their eyes being regaled 
 Avith the welcome sight of herds of buffalo at a distance, some 
 careering the plain, others grazing and reposing in the natural 
 meadows. 
 
 Skirting along the north fork for a day or two, excessively 
 annoj'ed by musquitoes and buffalo gnats, thej^ reached, in the 
 evening of the 17th, a small but beautiful grove, from which 
 issued the confused notes of singing birds, the first they had 
 heai'd since crossing the boundary of ^Missouri. After so many 
 days of weary travelling, through a naked, monotonous and 
 silent country, it was delightful once more to hear the song of 
 the bird, and to behold the verdure of the grove. It was a 
 beautiful sunset, and a sight of the glowing rays, manthng the 
 tree-tops and rustling branches, gladdened every heart. They 
 pitched their camp in the grove, kindled their fires, partook 
 merrily of their rude fare, and resigned themselves to tlie 
 sweetest sleep they had enjoyed since theii* outset upon the 
 prairies. 
 
 The country now became rugged and broken. High bluffs 
 advanced upon the river, and forced the travellei'S occasionally 
 to leave its banks and wind their course into the interior. 
 In one of the wild and solitary passes they were startled by 
 the trail of four or five pedestrians, whom they supposed to be 
 spies from some predatory camp of either Arickara or Crow 
 Indians. This obliged them to redouble their vigilance at 
 night, and to keep especial watch upon their horses. In these 
 rugged and elevated regions they began to see the black-
 
 Si ' AD VENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 tailed deer, a species larger than the ordinary kind, and chiefly 
 found in rocky and mountainous countries. They had reached 
 also a great buffalo range; Captain Bonneville ascended a 
 high bluff, commanding an extensive view of the suriounding 
 plains. As far as his eye could reach, the country seemed 
 absolutely blackened by innumerable herds. No language, he 
 says, could convey an adequate idea of the vast living mass 
 thus presented to his eye. He remarked that the bulls and 
 cows generally congregated in separate herds. 
 
 Opposite to the camp at this place Avas a singular phenom- 
 enon, which is among the curiosities of the country. It is 
 called the chimney. The lower part is a conical mound, rising 
 out of the naked plain ; from the summit shoots up a shaft or 
 column, about one hundred and twenty feet in height, from 
 which it derives its name. The height of the vv'hole, according 
 to Captain Bonneville, is a hundred and seventy-five yards. 
 It is composed of indurated clay, with alternate layere of red 
 and white sandstone, and may be seen at the distance of up- 
 ward of thirty miles. 
 
 On the 21st they encamped amid high and beetling chffs of 
 indurated clay and sandstone, bearing the semblance of 
 towers, castles, churches and fortified cities. At a distance it 
 was scarcely i)ossible to persuade one's self that the works of 
 art wore not mingled with these fantastic freaks of nature. 
 They have received the name of Scott's Bluffs from a melan- 
 choly circumstance. A number of years since, a party were 
 descending the upper part of the river in canoes, when their 
 frail barks were overturned and all their powder spoiled. 
 Their rifles being thus rendered useless, they were unable to 
 procure food by hunting and had to depend upon roots and 
 wild fiiiits for subsistence. After suffering extremely from 
 hunger, they arrived at Laramie's Fork, a small tributary of 
 the north livanch of the Nebraska, about sixty miles above the 
 cliffs just mentioned. Here one of the party, by the name of 
 Scott, was taken ill ; and his companions came to a halt, until 
 he should recover health and strength sufficient to proceed. 
 While they were searching round in quest of edible roots they 
 discovered a fresh trail of white men, who had evidently but 
 recently preceded them. What was to be done? By a forced 
 march they might overtake this party, and thus be able to 
 reach the settlements in safety. Should they linger they 
 might all perish of famine and exhaustion. Scott, however, 
 was incapable of moving ; they were too feeble to aid him for-
 
 ABVENTURKS OF CAPTAIN BOXM'JVII.I.E. 35 
 
 •ward, and dreaded that such a clog would prevent their com- 
 ing up willi the advance party. Tliey determined, therefore, 
 to al)andon him to his fate. Accord in^^dy, under pretence of 
 seeking food, and such simples as might be efhcacious in his 
 malady, they deserted him and hastened forward upon the 
 trail. They succeeded in overtaking the party of which they 
 were in quest, but concealed their faithless desertion of Scott; 
 alleging that he had died of disease. 
 
 On the ensuing summer, these very individuals visiting 
 these parts in company with others, came suddenly upon tlie 
 bleached bones and grinning skull of a human skeleton, which, 
 by certain signs they recognized for the remains of Scott. 
 This was sixty long miles from the place where they had 
 abandoned liim ; and it appeared that the wretched man had 
 crawled that immense distance before death put an end to his 
 miseries. The wild and picturesque bluffs in the neighborhood 
 of his lonely grave have ever since borne his name. 
 
 Amid this wild and sti'iking scenery. Captain Bonneville, 
 for the first time, beheld iiocks of the ahsahta or bighorn, an 
 animal which frequents these cliffs in great numbers. They 
 accord with the nature of such scenery, aqd add much to its 
 romantic effect ; bounding like goats from crag to crag, often 
 trooping along the lofty shelves of the mountains, under the 
 guidance of some venerable patriarch, with horns twisted 
 lower than his muzzle, and sometimes peering over the edge of 
 a precipice, so high that they appear scarce bigger than crows ; 
 indeed, it seems a pleasiu-e to them to seek the most rugged 
 and frightful situations, doubtless from a feeling of security. 
 
 This animal is commonly called the nioimtain sheep, and is 
 often confounded with another animal, the " woolly sheep," 
 found more to the northward, about the country of the Flat- 
 heads. The latter likewise inhabits cliffs in summer, but 
 descends into the valleys in the winter. It has white wool, 
 like a sheep, mingled with a thin growth of long hair ; but it 
 has short legs, a deep belly, and a beard like a goat. Its horns 
 are about five inches long, slightly curved backward, black as 
 jet, and beautifully polished. Its hoofs are of the same color. 
 This animal is by no means so active as the bighorn, it does 
 not bound much, but sits a good deal upon its haunches. It is 
 not so plentiful either; rarely more than two or three are seen 
 at a time. Its wool alone gives a resemblance to the sheep ; it 
 is more properly of the goat genus. The flesh is said to have a 
 musty flavor; some have thought the fleece might be valuable.
 
 86 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 as it is said to be as fine as that of the goat of Cashmere, but it 
 is not to be procured in sufficient quantities. 
 
 The ahsahta, argaH, or bighorn, on the contrary, has short 
 hair hke a deer, and resembles it in shape, but has the head 
 and horns of a sheep, and its flesh is said to be dehcious 
 mutton. The Indians consider it more sweet and dehcate 
 than any other kind of venison. It abounds in the Rocky 
 ]\Iountains, from the fiftieth degree of north latitude quite 
 down to California ; generally in the highest regions capable of 
 vegetation ; sometimes it ventures into the valleys, but on the 
 least alarm, regains its favorite cliffs and precipices, where it 
 is perilous, if not impossible for the hmiter to follow.* 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 AN ALA?.!I— CROW INDIA^"S— THEIR APPEARANCE— MODE OF AP- 
 PROACH—THEIR VENGEFUL ERRAND— THEIR CURIOSITY— HOS- 
 TILITY BETWEEN THE CROWS AND BLACKFEET— LOVING CONDUCT 
 OF THE CROWS— LARAMIE'S FORK — FIRST NAVIGATION OF THE 
 NEBRASKA— GREAT ELEVATION OF THE COUNTRY— RARITY OF 
 THE ATMOSPHERE— ITS EFFECT ON THE WOODWORK OF WAGONS 
 — BLACK HILLS — THEIR WILD AND BROKEN SCENERY — INDIAN 
 DOGS — CROW TROPHIES — STERLE AND DREARY COUNTRY— BANKS 
 OF THE SWEET WATER— BUFFALO HUNTING — ADVEi^TURE OF 
 TOM CAIN, THE IRISH COOK. 
 
 When on the march. Captain Bonneville always sent some 
 of his best hunters in the advance to reconnoitre the country, 
 as weU as to look out for game. On the 24th of May, as the 
 caravan was slowly journeying up the banks of the Nebraska, 
 the hunters came galloping back, waving their caps, and giving 
 the alarm cry, Indians ! Indians ! 
 
 The captain immediately ordered a halt : the hunters now 
 came up and announced that a large war-party of Crow In- 
 dians were just above, on the river. The captain knew the 
 character of these savages; one of the most roving, warlike, 
 
 * Dimensions of a male of this species: from the nose to the base of the tail, five 
 feet; lenerth of the tail, four inches; pirth of the body, four feet; height, three feet 
 eight inches; the horn, three feet six inches long; one foot three inches in circum- 
 ference at base.
 
 ABVENTURKS OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. ;n 
 
 crafty, and predatory tribes of the mountains; horse-stealers 
 of the first order, and easily provoked to acts of sanp^Jinary 
 violence. Orders were accordingly given to prepare for action, 
 and every one promptly took the jiost that had been assigned 
 him, in the general order of the march, in all cases of warlike 
 emergency. 
 
 Everything being put in battle array, the captain took the 
 lead of his little band, and moved on slowly and warily. In 
 a little while he beheld the Crow warriors enierginjO: from 
 among the bluffs. There were about sixty of them; fine mar- 
 tial-looking fellows, painted and ari-ayed for war, and mounted 
 on horses decked out Avith all kinds of wild trappings. They 
 came prancing along in gallant style, with many wild and 
 dexterous evolutions, for none can surpass them in horseman- 
 ship: and their bright colors, and flaunting and fantastic em- 
 bellishments, glaring and sparkling in the morning sunshine, 
 gave them reallj^ a striking appearance. 
 
 Their mode of ai>proach, to one not acquainted with the tac- 
 tics and ceremonies of this rude chivalry of the wilderness, 
 had an air of direct hostility. They came galloping forward 
 in a body, as if about to make a furious charge, but, when 
 close at hand, opened to the right and left, and wheeled in wide 
 circles round the travellers, Avhooping and yelling like maniacs. 
 
 This done, their mock fury sank into a calm, and the chief, 
 approaching the ca]>tain, ^vho had remained warily drawn up, 
 thougii informed of the pacific nature of the man(puvre, ex- 
 tended to him the hand of friendship. The pipe of peace was 
 smoked, and now all was good fellowship. 
 
 The Crows -were in pursuit of a ban<l <»f Cheyennes, wlio had 
 attacked their village in the night and killed one of their peo- 
 ple. They had already been five and twenty days on the track 
 of the marauders, and were determined not to return home 
 until they had sated their revenge. 
 
 A few days previously, some of their scouts, -who were rang- 
 ing the country at a distance from the main body, had discov- 
 ered the party of Captain Bonneville. Th(\y had dogged it for 
 a time in secret, astonished at the long train of wagons and 
 oxen, and especially struck with the sight of a cow atid calf, 
 quietly following the caravan; supposing them to be some kind 
 of tame buffalo. Having satisfied their curiosity, they car- 
 ried back to their chief intelligence of all that they had scon. 
 He had, in consequence, diverged from his pursuit of ven- 
 geance, to behold the wor.dor'; d'^^cribed to him. "Now that
 
 38 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVIl.LE. 
 
 we have met you," said he to Captain Bonne\alle, "and have 
 seen these marvels with our own eyes, our hearts are glad." 
 In i'act, nothing could exceed the curiosity evinced by those 
 people as to the objects before them. Wagons had never 
 be(^]i seen by them before, and they exaiaiined tiicm with 
 the greatest minuteness; but the calf was the peculiar object 
 of their admiration. They watched it with intense interest as 
 it licked the hands accustomed to feed it, and were struck with 
 the mild expression of its countenance, and its perfect docDity. 
 
 After much sage consultation, they at length determined that 
 it must be the " great medicine" cf the white party ; an appella- 
 tion given by the Indians to anything of supernatural and 
 mysterious power, that is guarded as a talisman. They were 
 completely thrown out in their conjecture, however, by an offer 
 of the white men to exchange the calf for a horse ; their esti- 
 mation of the great medicine sank in an instant, and they de- 
 clined the bargain. 
 
 At the request of the Crow chieftain the two parties en- 
 camped together, and passed the residue of the day in company. 
 The captain was well pleased with every opportunity to gain a 
 knowledge of the "unsophisticated sons of nature," who had 
 so long been objects of his poetic speculations; and indeed tliis 
 wild, horse-stealing tribe is one of the most notorious of the 
 mountains. The chief, of course, had his scalps to show and his 
 battles to recount. The Blackfoot is the hereditary enemy of 
 the Crow, toward whom hostility is like a cherished princi- 
 ple of religion ; for every tribe, besides its casual antagonists, 
 has some enduring foe with whom there can be no permanent 
 reconciliation. The Crows and Blackfeet, upon the whole, are 
 enemies worthy of each other, bemg rogues and ruffians of the 
 fii'st water. As their predatory excursions extend over the 
 same regions, they often come in contact with each other, and 
 these casual conflicts serve to keep their wits awake and their 
 jjassions alive. 
 
 The present party of Crows, however, evinced nothing of the 
 invidious character lor which they are renoAvned. During the 
 day and night that they were encamped in company with the 
 travellers, their conduct was friendly in the extreme. They 
 were, in fact, quite irksome in their attentions, and had a caress- 
 ing manner at times quite importunate. It was not until after 
 separation on the following morning, that the captain and his 
 men ascertained the secret oi: all this loving-kindness. In the 
 course of their fraternal caresses, the Crows had contrived to
 
 ADVKNTUlll'JS OF CAl'TAIX BOXNI'JVJ LLIJ. 39 
 
 empty the pockets of their white brothers ; to abstract the very 
 buttons h'om. their coats, and, above all, to make free with 
 their hmiting knives. 
 
 By equal altitudes of the sun, taken at this last encampment, 
 Captain Bonneville ascertained his latitude to be 41" 47' north. 
 The thermometer, at six o'clock in the morning, stood at fiity- 
 nine degrees; at two o'clock, p.m., at ninety-two degrees; and 
 at six o'c;lock in the evening, at seventy degrees. 
 
 The Black Hills, or Mountains, now began to be seen at a 
 distance, printing the horizon with their rugged and broken 
 outlines ; and threatenuig to oppose a difficult barrier in the 
 way of the travellers. 
 
 On the 2()th of May, the travellers encamped at Laramie's 
 IFork, a clear and beautiful sti'oam, rising in the west-south- 
 west, maintaining an average width of twenty yards, and 
 winding through broad meadows abounding in currants and 
 gooseberries, and adorned with groves and clumps of trees. 
 
 By an observation of Jupiter's satellites, with a Dolland 
 reflecting telescope, Captain Bonneville ascertained the longi- 
 tude to be 102^ 57' west of Greenwich. 
 
 We will here step ahead of our narrative to observe, that 
 about three years after the time of which we are treating, ]\Ir. 
 Robert Campbell, formei-l\^ of the Rocky Mountain Fur Com- 
 pany, descended the Platte from this fork, in skin canoes, 
 thus proving, what had always been discredited, that the river 
 was navigable. About the same time, he built a fort or trad- 
 ing post at Laramie's Fork, which he named Fort William, 
 after his friend and partner, Mr. Wilham Sublette. Since 
 that time, the Platte has become a highway for the fur 
 traders. 
 
 For some days past, Captain Bonneville had been made 
 sensible of the great elevation of country into which he was 
 gradually ascending, by the effect of the dryness and rare- 
 f;iction of the atmosphere upon his wagons. The woodwork 
 shrunk ; the paint boxes of the wheels were continually work- 
 ing out, and it was necessary to support the spokes by stout 
 props to prevent theii- falling asunder. The travellers were 
 now entering one of those great steppes of the Far West, 
 where the prevalent aridity of the atmosphere renders the 
 country unfit for cultivation. In these regions there is a 
 fresh sweet growth of grass in the spring, but it is scanty and 
 short, and parches up in the course of the summer, so that 
 there i^? none for the Imnters to =:ct fire to in tlie autumn. It
 
 40 ADVLWTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 is a common observation that ' ' above the forks of the Platte 
 the grass does not burn." All attempts at agrieiilturo and 
 gardening in the neighborhood of Fort WHliam have been 
 attended with very little success. The grain and vegetables 
 raised there have been scanty in quantity and poor in quality. 
 The great elevation of these plains, and the dryness of the 
 atmosphere, will tend to retain these immense regions in a 
 state of pristine wUdness. 
 
 In the course of a day or two more, the travellers entered 
 that wild and broken tract of the Crow country called the 
 Black Hills, and here their journey became toilsome in the 
 extreme. Rugged steeps and deep ravines incessantly ob- 
 structed their progress, so that a great part of the day was 
 spent in the painful toil of digging through banks, filling up 
 ravines, forcing the wagons iip the most forbidding ascents, or 
 swinging them with ropes down the face of dangerous preci- 
 pices. The shoes of their horses were worn out, and their feet 
 injured by the rugged and stony roads. The travellers were 
 annoyed also by frequent but brief storms, which would come 
 hurrying over the hills, or through the mountain defiles, rage 
 with great fury for a short time, and then pass off, leaving 
 everything calm and serene again. 
 
 For several nights the camp had been infested by vagabond 
 • Indian dogs, prowling about in quest of food. They were 
 about the size of a large pointer; with ears short and erect, 
 and a long bushy tail — altogether, they bore a striking resem- 
 blance to a wolf. These skulking visitors would keep about 
 the purlieus of the camp until daylight ; when, on the first stir 
 of life among the sleepers, they would scamper off until they 
 reached some rising ground, where they would take their 
 seats, and keep a sharp and hungry watch upon every move- 
 ment. The moment the travellers were fairly on the march, 
 and the camp was abandoned, these starveling hangers-on 
 would hasten to the deserted fires to seize upon the half-picked 
 bones, the offal and garbage that lay about ; and, having made 
 a hasty meal, with many a snap and snarl and growl, would 
 follow leisurely on the trail of the caravan. Many attempts 
 were made to coax or catch them, but in vain. Their quicic 
 and suspicious eyes caught the slightest sinister movement, and 
 they turned and scami^ered off. At length one was taken. 
 He was terribly alarmed, and crouched and trembled as if 
 expecting instant death. Soothed, however, by caresses, he 
 began after a time to gather confidence and wag his tail, and
 
 ADVi:yruRi:s of captaix noyyEViLLE. ^\ 
 
 at length was brought to follow close at the heels of his 
 captors, still, however, darting around furtive and suspicious 
 glances, and evincing a disposition to scamper off upon the 
 least alarm. 
 
 On the first of July the band of Crow warriors again crossed 
 their path. They came in vaunting and vainglorious style; 
 displaying five Cheyenne scalps, the trophies of their ven- 
 geance. They were now bound homeward, to appease the 
 manes of their comrade by these proofs that his death had 
 been revenged, and intended to have scalp dances and other 
 triumphant rejoicings. Captain Bonneville and his men, how- 
 ever, were by no means disposed to renew their confiding 
 intimacy with these crafty savages, and above all, took care 
 to avoid their i)ilfering caresses. They remarked one pre- 
 caution of the Crows with respect to their horses ; to protect 
 their hoofs from the sharp and jagged rocks among which 
 they had to pass, they had covered them with shoes of buffalo 
 liide. 
 
 The route of the travellers lay generally along the course of 
 the Nebraska or Platte, but occasionally, where steep prom- 
 ontories advanced to the margin of the stream, they were 
 obliged to make inland circuits. One of these took them 
 through a bold and stern coimtry, bordered by a range of low 
 mountains, running east and west. Everything around bore 
 traces of some fearful convulsion of nature in times long past. 
 Hitherto the various strata of rock had exhibited a gentle 
 elevation toward the southwest, but here everything appeared 
 to have been subverted, and thrown out of place. In many 
 places there were heavy beds of white sandstone resting upon 
 red. Immense strata of rocks jutted up into crags and clifTs ; 
 and sometimes formed perpendicular walls and overhanging 
 precipices. An air of sterility prevailed over these savage 
 wastes. The valleys Avere destitute of herbage, and scantily 
 clothed with a stunted species of wormwood, generally known 
 among traders and trappers by the name of sage. From an 
 elevated point of their march through this region, the travel- 
 lers caught a beautiful view of the Powder Peck Mountains 
 away to the north, strt^tching along the very verge of the 
 horizon, and seeming, from the snow with which they were 
 mantled, to be a chain of small white clouds connecting sky 
 and earth. 
 
 Though the thermometer at mid-day ranged from eighty to 
 ninety, and even sometimes rose to ninoty-thrcc degrees, vf t
 
 42 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 occasional spots of snow were to be seen on the tops of the 
 low mountains, among which the traveUers were journeying; 
 proois of the great elevation of the whole region. 
 
 Tlie Nehraslca, in its passage through the Black Hills, is 
 confined to a much narrower channel than that through which 
 it flows in the plains below ; but it is deeper and clearer, and 
 rushes with a stronger current. The scenery, also, is more 
 varied and beautiful. Sometunes it glides rapidly but smoothly 
 through a picturesque valley, between wooded banks; then, 
 forcing its way into the bosom of rugged motmtains, it rushes 
 impetuously through narrow defiles, roaring and foaming down 
 rocks and rapids, until it is again soothed to rest in some peace- 
 ful valley. 
 
 On the 12th of July Captain Bonneville abandoned the main 
 stream of the Nebraska, which was continually shouldered by 
 rugged promontories, and making a bend to the southwest, for 
 a couple of days, part of the time over plains of loose sand, en- 
 camped on the 14th on the banks of the Sweet Water, a stream 
 about twenty yards in breadth, and four or five feet deep, 
 flowing betAveen low banks over a sandy soil, and forming one 
 of the forks or upper branches of the Nebraska. Up this 
 stream they now shaped their course for several successive 
 days, tending generally to the west. The soil was light and 
 sandy ; the country much diversified. Frequently the plains 
 were studded with isolated blocks of rock, sometunes in the 
 shape of a half globe, and from three to four hundred feet high. 
 These singular masses had occa^ionallj' a very imposing, and 
 even sublime appearance, rising from the midst of a savage and 
 lonely landscape. 
 
 As the travellers continued to advance, they became more 
 and more sensible of the elevation of the country. The hills 
 around were more generally capped with snow. The men 
 complained of cramps and colics, sore hps and mouths, and vio- 
 lent headaches. The wood-work of the wagons also shrank so 
 much that it was with difficulty the wheels wei'e kept from 
 falling to pieces. The country bordering upon the river w.as 
 fi'cquently gashed with deep ravines, or traversed by high 
 bluffs, to avoid which the travellers were obliged to make wide 
 circuits through the plains. In the course of these, they came 
 upon immense herds of buffalo, which kept scouring off in the 
 van, like a retreating aiTny. 
 
 Among the motley retainers of the camp was Tom Cain, a 
 raw Irishman, who ofliciated as cook, whose vai'ious blunders
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTATX BONNEVILLE. 43 
 
 and expedients in his novel situation, and in the wild scenes 
 and wild kind of lite into wliicli lie had siiddeidy bc(!n tlirown, 
 had made him a kind of butt or dn^ll of the camp. Tom, how- 
 c\er, began to discover an ambition superior to his station; 
 and the conversation of the hunters, and their stories of their 
 exploits, mspired him with a desire to elevate himself to the 
 dignity of their order. The buffalo in such immense droves 
 presented a tempting opportunity for making his first essay. 
 He rode, in the luie ol march, all prepared for action: his 
 powder llask and shot-pouch knowingly slung at the pommel 
 of his saddle, to beat hand; his rifle balanced on his shoulder. 
 While in this plight a troop of buffalo came trotting by in great 
 alarna. In an instant, Tom sprang from his horse and gave 
 chase on foot. _ Fmding they were leaving hmi behind, ho 
 levelled his rifle and pulled trigger. His shot produced no 
 other effect than to increase the speed of the buffalo, and to 
 frighten his own horse, who took to his heels, and scampered 
 off with oil the ammunition. Tom scampered after him, hal- 
 looing witli might and main, and the wild horse and wild Irish- 
 man soon disappeared among the ravines of the prairie. Cap- 
 tain Bonneville, who was at the head of the line, and had seen 
 the transaction at a distance, detached a party in pursuit of 
 Tom. A fter a long interval they returned, leading the fright- 
 ened horse; but though they had scoured the country, and 
 loolced out and shouted from every height, they had soon 
 nothing of his rider. 
 
 As Captain Bonneville knew Tom's utter awkwardness and 
 inexperience, and the dangers of a bewildered Irishman in the 
 midst of a prairie, he halted and encamped at an early hour, 
 that there might bo a rogidar hunt for him in the morning. 
 
 At early dawn on the following day scouts were sent off ia 
 every direction, while the main body, after breakfast, pro- 
 ceeded slowly on its course. It was not until the middle of the 
 afternoon that the hunters returned, Avitli honest Tom mounted 
 behind one of them. They had found him in a complete state 
 of perplexity and amazement. His appearance caused shouts 
 of merriment in the camp; but Tom for once could not join 
 in the mirth raised at his expense ; he was completely chap- 
 fallen, and apparently cured of the hunting mania for the roet 
 of hit; life.
 
 44 ADVEXTURKS OF CAPTAlN BOXJS'EVILLE. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 MAGNIFICENT SCENERY— WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS— TREASURY OF 
 WATERS — A STRAY HORSE — AN INDIAN TRAIL— TROUT STREA3IS 
 — THE GREAT GREEN RIVER VALLEY — AN ALARM — A BAND OP 
 TRAPPERS— FONTENELLE, HIS INFORMATION— SUFFERINGS OF 
 THIRST — ENCAMPMENT ON THE SEEDS-KE-DEE — STRATEGY OF 
 RIVAL TRADERS — FORTIFICATION OF THE CAMP — THE BLACK- 
 
 \ FEET — BANDITTI OF THE MOUNTAINS — THEIR CHARACTER AND 
 HABITS. 
 
 It was on the 20th of July that Captain Bonneville first came 
 in sight of the grand region of his hopes and anticipations, the 
 Rocky Mountains. He had been making a bend to the south, 
 to avoid some obstacles along the river, and had attained a 
 high, rocky ridge, when a magnificent prospect burst upon his 
 sight. To the west rose the Wind River Mountains, with their 
 bleached and snowy summits towering into the clouds. Those 
 stretched far to the north-northwest, until they melted away 
 into what appeared to be faint clouds, but which the experi- 
 enced eyes of the veteran hunters of the party recognized for 
 the rugged mountains of the Yellowstone ; at the feet of Avhicli 
 extended the wild Crow country : a perilous, though profitable 
 region for the trapper. 
 
 To the southwest the eye ranged over an immense extent of 
 wilderness, with what appeared to be a snowy vapor resting 
 upon its horizon. This, however, was pointed out as another 
 branch of the great Chippewyan, or Rocky chain ; being the 
 Eutaw Mountains, at whose basis the wandering tribe of hunt- 
 ers of the same name pitch their tents. 
 
 We can imagine the enthusiasm of the worthy captain, when 
 he beheld the vast and mountainous scene of his adventurous 
 enterjDrise thus suddenly unveiled before him. We can imagine 
 with what feelings of awe and admiration he must have con- 
 templated the Wind River Sierra, or bed of mountains ; that 
 great fountain-head from whose springs, and lakes, and melted 
 snows some of those mighty rivers take their rise, which wan- 
 "ier over hundreds of miles of varied country and clime, and 
 rind their way to the opposite waves of the Atlantic and the 
 Pacific.
 
 ADVENT URIiS OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 45 
 
 Tlie Wind River IMountains are, in fact, among the most 
 remarkable of the whole Rocky chain ; and would appear to be 
 among the loftiest. They form, as it were, a great bed of 
 mountains, about eighty miles in length, and from twenty to 
 thirty in breadth; with rugged peaks, covered with eternal 
 snows, and deep, narrow valleys, full of springs, and brooks, 
 and rock-bound lakes. From this great treasury of Avaters 
 issue forth limpid streams which, augmenting as they descend, 
 become mam ti'ibutaries of the Missouri on the one side, and 
 the Columbia on the other ; and give rise to the Seeds-ke-dee 
 Agie, or Green River, the great Colorado of the West, that 
 empties its current into the Gulf of California. 
 
 The Wind River Mountains are notorious m hunters' and 
 trappers' stories: their rugged defiles, and the rough tracts 
 about their neighborhood, having been lurking places for the 
 predatory hordes of the mountains, and scenes of rough en- 
 counter with Crows and Blackfeet. It Avas to the west of 
 these mountams, in the vallej'- of the Seeds-ke-dee Agie, or 
 Green River, that Captain Bonneville intended to make a halt, 
 for the purpose of giving repose to his people and his horses, 
 after their Aveary journeying ; and of collecting information 
 as to his fviture course. This Green River Valley, and its im- 
 mediate neighborhood, as we have already observed, formed 
 the main point of rendezvous, for the present year, of the rival 
 fur companies, and the motley populace, civilized and savage, 
 connected with them. Severed days of rugged travel, how- 
 ever, yet remained for the captain and his men before they 
 should encamp in this desired resting-place. 
 
 On the 21st of July, as they wei^e pursuing their course 
 through one of the meatlows of the Sweet Water, they beheld 
 a horse grazing at a little distance. He showed no alai'm at 
 'their approach, but suftored himself quietly to be taken, evinc- 
 ing a perfect state of tameness. The scouts of the party w^ere 
 instantly on the look-out for the owners of this animal, lest 
 some dangerous band of savages might be lurking in the A-icin- 
 ity. After a narroAv search, they discovered tlie trail of an 
 Indian party, which had cA'idently passed through that neigh- 
 borhood but recently. The horse Avas accordingly taken pos- 
 session of, as an estray ; but a more vigilant watch than usual 
 was kept round the camp at nights, lest his former owners 
 should be upon the proAvl. 
 
 The travellers had now attained so high an elevation, that 
 on the 23d of July, at daybreak, there was considerable ice in
 
 46 ADVENTURliS OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 the water-buckets, and the thermometer stood at twenty-two 
 degrees. The rarity of the atmosphere continued to affect the 
 wood-work of the wagons, and the wheels were incessantly 
 falling to pieces. A remedy was at length devised. The tire 
 of each wheel was taken oft"; a band of wood was nailed round 
 the exterior of the felloes, the tire was then made red hot, re- 
 placed round the wheel, and suddenly cooled with water. By 
 this means, the whole was bound together with great compact- 
 ness. 
 
 The extreme elevation of these great steppes, which range 
 along the feet of the Rocky Mountains, takes away from the 
 seeming height of their peaks, which yield to few in the 
 known world in point of altitude above the level of the sea. 
 
 On the 24th, the travellers took final leave of the Sweet 
 Water, and keeping westwardly, over a low and very rocky 
 ridge, one of the most southern spurs of the Wind River Moun- 
 tains, they encamped, after a march of seven hours and a half, 
 on the banks of a small clear stream, running to the south, in 
 which they caught a number of fine trout. 
 
 The sight of these fish was hailed with pleasure, as a sign 
 that they had reached the waters winch flow into the Pacific ; 
 for it is only on the western streams of the Rocky Mountains 
 that trout are to be taken. The stream on which they had 
 thus encamped proved, in effect, to be tributary to the Seeds- 
 ke-dee Agie, or Green River, into which it flowed, at some dis- 
 tance to the south. 
 
 Captain Bonneville now considered himself as having fairly 
 passed the crest of the Rocky Mountains ; and felt some degree of 
 exultation in being the first individuol that had crossed, north 
 of the settled provinces of Mexico, from the waters of the At- 
 lantic to those of the Pacific, with wagons. Mr. William Sub- 
 lette, the enterprising leader of the Rocky Mountain Fur Com- 
 pany, had, two or three years previously, reached the vaUey of 
 the Wind River, which lies on the northeast of the mountains; 
 but had proceeded with them no further. 
 
 A vast valley now spread itself before the travellers, 
 bounded on one side by the Wind River Mountains, and to the 
 west by a long range of high hills. This, Captain Bonneville 
 was assured by a veteran hunter in his company, was the great 
 valley of the Seeds-ke-dee; and the same informant would have 
 fain persuaded him that a small stream, three feet deei'), which 
 he came to on the 25th, was that river. The captain was con- 
 vinced, however, that the stream was too insignificant to
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 47 
 
 drain so wido a valley and the adjacent mountains: he en- 
 camped, therefore, at an early hour, on its borders, that ho 
 might take the whole of the next day to reach the main river; 
 which he presimied to flow between him and the distant range 
 of western hills. 
 
 On the 20th of July he commenced his march at an early 
 hour, making directly across the valley, toward the hills in the 
 west ; proceeding at as bi'isk a rate as the jaded condition of 
 his horses Avould permit. About eleven o'clock in the morning 
 a gi'eat cloud of dust was descried in the rear, advancing 
 directly on the trail of the party. The alarna was given; they 
 all came to a halt, and held a council of war. Some conjec- 
 tured that the band of Indians, whose trail they had discovered 
 in the neighborht)od of the stray horse, had been lying in wait 
 for them, in some secret fastness of the mountains ; and were 
 about to attack them on the open plain, w-here they would 
 have no shelter. Preparations wei-e inunediately made for de- 
 fence; and a scouting party sent off to reconnoitre. They 
 soon came galloping back, making signals that all was Avell. 
 The cloud of dust was made by a band of fifty or sixty mounted 
 trappers, belonging to the American Fur Company, who soon 
 came up. leading their pack-horses. They were headed by Mr. 
 Fontenelle, an experienced leader, or " partisan," as a chief of 
 a party is called in the technical language of the trappers. 
 
 Mr. Fontenelle informed Captain Bonneville that he was on 
 his way from the company's trading post on the Yellowstone to 
 the yearly rendezvous, wath reinforcements and supplies for 
 their hunting and trading parties beyond the mountains; and 
 that he expected to meet, by appointment, with a band of free 
 trappers in that very neighborhood. He had fallen upon the 
 trail of Captain Bonneville's party, just after leaving the Ne- 
 braska ; and, finding that they had frightened off all the game, 
 had been obliged to push on, by forced marches, to avoid 
 famine; both men and horses were, therefore, much travel- 
 worn; bvit this was no place to halt; the plain before them lie 
 said, was destitute of grass and water, neither of w^hich would 
 be met with short of the Green River, which Avas yet at a con- 
 siderable distaiice. He hoped, he added, as his party were all 
 on horsebaclc, to reach the river, with hard travelling, by 
 nightfall; but he doubted the possibility of Captain Bonne- 
 ville's arrival there with his wagons before the day following. 
 Having imparted tliis information, ho pushed forward with all 
 speed.
 
 4S ADVEM'UUES OF CAPTA12^ B02s SEVILLE. 
 
 Captain Bonneville followed on as fast as circumstances 
 Avoiild permit. The ground was firm and gravelly; but the 
 horses were too much fatigued to move rapidly. After a long 
 and harassing day's march, without pausing for a noontide 
 meal, they were compelled at nine o'clock at night to encamp 
 in an open plain, destitute of water or pasturage. On the fol- 
 lowing morning, the horses were turned loose at the peep oi' 
 day, to slake their tliirst, if possible, from the dew collected 
 on the sparse grass, here and thei'e springing up among dry 
 sand-banks. The soil of a great part of tliis Green Eiver 
 vaUcy is a whitish clay, into which the rain cannot penetrate, 
 but which dries and cracks with the sun. In some places it 
 produces a salt weed, and grass along the margins of the 
 streams ; but the wider expanses of it are desolate and barren. 
 It was not until noon that Captain Bonneville reached the 
 banks of the Seeds-ke-dee, or Colorado of the West; in the 
 mean time, the sufferings of both men and horses had been 
 excessive, and it was with almost fi'antic eagerness that they 
 hurried to allay their burning thirst m the limpid current of 
 the river. 
 
 Fontenolle and his party had not fared much better; the 
 chief part had managed to reach the river by nightfall, but 
 were nearly knocked up by the exertion ; the horses of others 
 sank under them, and they were obliged to pass the night upon 
 the road. 
 
 On the folloning morning, July 27, Fontenelle moved his 
 camp across the river, while Captain Bonneville proceeded 
 some little distance below, where there was a small but fresh 
 meadow, yielding abundant pasturage. Here the poor jaded 
 horses Avere turned out to graze, and take their rest: the 
 weary journey up the mountains had worn them down in 
 flesh and spirit ; but this last march across the thirsty plain 
 had nearly finished them. 
 
 The captain had here the first taste of the boasted strategy 
 of the fur trade. During his brief but social encampment in 
 company with Fontenelle, that experienced trapper had man- 
 aged to win over a number of Delaware Indians whom the 
 captain had brought with him, by offering them four hundred 
 dollars each, for the ensuing autumnal hunt. The captain was 
 some^vhat astonished when he saw these hunters, on whose 
 services he had calcidated securely, suddenly pack up their 
 traps, and go over to the rival camp. That he might in 
 some measure, however, be even with his competitor, he dis-
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIX BONNEVILLE. 49 
 
 patched two scouts to look out for the band of free trappers 
 who were to meet Fonteucllo in tliis neighborhood, and to en- 
 deavor to brmg them to his camp. 
 
 As it would be necessary to remain some time in this neigh- 
 borhood, that both men and horses might repose, and recruit 
 their strength ; and as it was a region full of danger. Captain 
 Bonneville proceeded to fortify his camp with breastworks of 
 logs and jDickets. 
 
 These precautions were, at that time, peculiarly necessary 
 from the bands of Blackfeet Indians which were roving about 
 the neighborhood. These savages are the most dangerous ban- 
 ditti of the mountains, and the inveterate foe of the trappers. 
 Tliey are Ishmaelites of the first order ; always with weapon 
 in hand, ready for action. The young braves of the tribe, wdio 
 are destitute of property, go to war for booty ; to gain horses, 
 and acquire the means of setting up a lodge, supporting a 
 family, and entitling themselves to a seat in tlie public coun- 
 cils. The veteran Avarriors fight merely for the love of the 
 thing, and the consequence which success gives them among 
 their people. 
 
 They are capital horsemen, and are generally well moimted 
 on short, stout horses, similar to the prairie ponies to be met 
 with at St. Louis. When on a war party, however, they go 
 on foot, to enable them to skulk through the country with 
 greater secrecy ; to keep in thickets and ravines, and use more 
 adroit subterfuges and stratagems. Their mode of w^arfare is 
 entirely by ambush, surprise, and sudden assaults in the night 
 time. If they succeed in causing a panic, thoy dash forward 
 with headlong fury : if the enemj^ is on the alert, and shows 
 no signs of fear, they become wary and deliberate in their 
 movements. 
 
 Some of them are ai-med in the primitive style, with bows 
 and arrows; the greater part have American fusees, made 
 after the fasliion of those of the Hudson's Bay Company. 
 These they prociire at the trading post of the Am.erican Fur 
 Company, on iMarias Eiver, where they trafiic their peltries 
 for arms, ammimition, clothing, and trinkets, Thcj' are ex- 
 tremelj' fond of spirituous liquors and tobacco; for wliich 
 nuisances they are ready to exchange, not merolj' their guns 
 and horses, but even their wives nnd daup:hters. As they are 
 a ti'eacherous race, and have cherished a lurking hostility to 
 the whites ever since one of their tribe was killed by Mr. 
 LeAvis, the associate of General Clarke in his exploring expcdi-
 
 50 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 tio» across the Eocky Mountains, the American Fur Company- 
 is obliged constantly to keep at that post a garrison of sixty or 
 seventy men. 
 
 Under the general name of Blackfeet are comprehended sev- 
 eral tribes : such as the Siu-cies, the Peagans, the Blood Indians, 
 and the Gros Ventres of the Prairies: who roam about the 
 southern branches of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers, 
 together with some other tribes further north. 
 
 The bands infesting the Wind Eiver Mountains, and the 
 country adjacent, at the time of which we are treating, were 
 Gros Ventres of the Prairies, which are not to be confounded 
 with Gros Ventres of the Missouri, who keep about the loicer 
 part of that river, and are friendly to the white men. 
 
 Tliis hostile band keeps about the head waters of the Mis- 
 souri, and numbers about nine hundred fighting men. Once 
 in the course of two or three years they abandon their usual 
 abodes, and make a visit to the Arapahoes of the Arkansas. 
 Their route lies either through the Crow country, and the 
 Black Hills, or through the lands of the Nez Perces, Flatheads, 
 Bannacks, and Shoshonies. As tiicy enjoy their favorite state 
 of hostility with all these tribes, their expeditions are prone to 
 be conducted in the most lawless and predatory style ; nor do 
 they hesitate to extend their maraudings to any party of white 
 men they meet with; following their trails; hovering about 
 their camps ; waylaying and dodging the caravans of the free 
 traders, and murdering the solitary trapper. The conse- 
 quences are frequent and desperate fights between them and 
 the ' ' mountaineers, " in the wUd defiles and fastnesses of the 
 Eocky Mountains. 
 
 Tlie band in question was, at this time, on their way home- 
 ward from one of their customary visits to the Arapahoes; 
 and in the ensuing chapter ive shall treat of some bloody en- 
 counters between them and the trappers, which had taken 
 place just before the arrival of Captain Bonneville among the 
 mountains.
 
 ADVENTURi:S OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 51 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 SUBLETTE AOT) HIS BAND — ROCERT CAMPBELL — MR. WYETR AND 
 A BAND OP " DOWN-EASTERS"— YANKEE ENTERPRISE — FITZ- 
 PATRICK— HIS ^VDVENTURE WITH THE BLACKFEET— A RENDEZ- 
 VOUS OF MOUNTAINEERS— THE BATTLE OF PIERRE'S HOLE— AN 
 INDIAN AMBUSCADE— SUBLETTE'S RETURN. 
 
 Leaving Captain Bonnovillo and his band ensconced within 
 thoir fortitiod camp in the Green River valley, we shall step 
 back and accompany a party of the Rocky Mountain Fur Com- 
 pany in its progress, with supplies from St. Louis, to the 
 annual rendezvous at Pierre's Hole. This party consisted of 
 sixty men, well mounted, and conducting a line of pack-horses. 
 Th'^y Avcre commanded by Captain William Sublette, a part- 
 ner in the company, and one of the most active, intrepid, and 
 renowned leaders in this half military kind of service. He 
 was accompanied by his associate in business, and tried com- 
 panion in danger, Mr. Robert Campbell, one of the pioneers of 
 the trade beyond the mountains, who had commanded trap- 
 ping parties there in times of the gi'catest peril. 
 
 At these worthy compeers were on their route to the fron- 
 tier, they fell in with another expedition, likewise on its way 
 to the mountains. This was a party of regular " down- 
 easters," that is to say, people of New England who, with the 
 all-penetrating and all-pervading spirit of their race were now 
 pushing thoir way mto a new field of enterprise Avith which 
 they were totally unacquainted. The party had been fitted 
 out and was maintained and commanded by Mr. Nathani'^l J. 
 Wyeth, of Boston.* This gentleman had conceived an idea 
 that a profitable fishery for sahnoii might be established on the 
 Columbia River, and connected with the fur trade. He had, 
 accordingly, invested caiiital in goods, calculated, as he fup- 
 posed, for the Indian trade, and had enlisted a number of 
 eastcra men in liis employ, who had never been in the Far 
 West, nor knew anything of "the wilderness. With these he 
 was bravely steering his way across the continent, undismayed 
 
 * Tn the fornipr nditions of this work we have erroneously given this enterprising 
 individual the title of cap»ain.
 
 62 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 by danger, difficulty, or distance, in the same way that a New 
 England coaster and his neighbors will coolly launch forth on 
 a voyage to the Black Sea or a whaling cruise to the Pacific. 
 
 With all their national aptitude at expedient and resoux'ce, 
 Wyeth and his men felt themselves completely at a loss when 
 they reached the frontier, and found that the wilderness re- 
 quired experience and habitudes of which they were totally 
 deficient. Not one of the party, excepting the leader, had ever 
 seen an Indian or handled a rifle ; they were without guide or 
 interpreter, and totally unacquainted with "wood craft "and 
 the modes of making their way among savage hordes, and sub- 
 sisting themselves during long marches over wild mountains 
 and barren plains. 
 
 In this predicament, Captain Sublette found them, in a man- 
 ner becalmed, or rather lam aground, at the little frontier town 
 of Independence in Missouri, and kindly took them in tow. 
 The two parties travelled amicably together ; the f I'ontier men 
 of Sublette's party gave their Yankee comrades some lessons 
 in hunting, and some insight into the art and mystery of deal- 
 ing with the Indians, and they all arrived without accident at 
 the upper branches of the Nebraska or Flatte River. 
 
 In the course of their march, Mr. Fitzpatrick, the partner of 
 the company who was resident at that time beyond the moun- 
 tains, came down from the rendezvous at Pierre's Hole, to 
 meet them and hurry them forward. He travelled in company 
 with them until they reached the Sweet Water ; then taking a 
 couple of horses, one for the saddle and the other as a pack- 
 horse, he started off express for Pierre's Hole, to make arrange- 
 ments against their arrival, that he might commence his 
 hunting campaign before the rival company. 
 
 Fitzpatrick was a hardy and experienced mountaineer, and 
 knew all the passes and defiles. As he was pursuing his lonely 
 course up the Green River valley, he descried several horse- 
 men at a distance, and came to a halt to reconnoitre. He sup- 
 posed them to be some detachment from the rendezvous, or a 
 party of friendly Indians. They pei'ceived him, and setting 
 up the war-whoop, dashed forward at fuU speed; he saw at 
 once his mistake and his peril - they were Blackfeet. Spring- 
 ing upon his fleetest horse, and abandoning the other to the 
 enemy, he made for the mountains and succeeded in escaping 
 up one of the most dangerous defiles. Hero ho concealed 
 himself imtil he thought the Indians had go.ae off, when he 
 returned into the valley. He was again pursued, lost his
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 63 
 
 remaining horse, and only escaped by scrambling up among 
 the dill's. For several days he remained lurking among rocks 
 and precipices and almost famished, having but one remain- 
 ing charge in his rifle, which he kept for self-deience. 
 
 In the meantime, Sublette and Campbell, with their felloAv- 
 traveller, Wyetli, had ])ursued their march immolested, and 
 arrived in the Green River valley, totally unconscious that 
 there was any lurking enemy at hand. They had encamped 
 one night on the banks of a small streaan, which came doAvn 
 from the Wind River Mountains, when about midnight a band 
 of Indians burst upon their camp, with horrible yells and 
 whoops, and a discharge of guns and ari'ows. Happily no 
 other harm was done than wounding one mule, and causing 
 several horses to break loose from their pickets. The camj) 
 was instantly in arms ; but the Indians retreated with yells of 
 exultation, carrying off several of the horses under covert of 
 the night. 
 
 This was somewhat of a disagi*eeable foretaste of mountain 
 life to some of Wycth's band, accustomed only to the regular 
 and peaceful life of New England ; nor was it altogether to the 
 taste of Captain Sublette's men, who were chiefly Creoles and 
 townsmen from St. Louis. They continued their march the 
 next morning, keeping scouts ahead and upon their flanks, and 
 arrived without further molestation at Pierre's Hole. 
 
 The first inquiry of Captain Sublette, on reacliing the ren- 
 dezvous, was for Fitzpatrick. He had not arrived, nor had 
 any intelhgence been received concerning him. Great uneasi- 
 ness was now entertained, lest he should have fallen into the 
 hands of the Blackfeet who had made the midnight attack 
 upon the camp. It was a matter of general joy, therefore, 
 when he made his appearance, conducted by tAvo half-breed 
 Iroquois hunters. He had lurked for several days among the 
 mountains until almost starved ; at length he escaped the vigi- 
 lance of his enemies in the night, and was so fortunate as to 
 meet the two Iroquois hunters who, being on horseback, con- 
 veyed him without further difficulty to the rendezvous. He 
 arrived thei*e so emaciated that he could scarcely be recog- 
 nized. 
 
 The valley called Pierre's Hole is about thiriy miles in length 
 and fifteen in width, bounded to the w-est and south by low 
 and broken riflgcs, and overlooked to the east by three lofty 
 mountains called the three Tetons, which domineer as land- 
 marks over a vast extent of country.
 
 5-1 ADVE^TUREti OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 A fine stream, fed by rivulets and mountain springs, pours 
 through the valley toward the noith, dividing it into nearly 
 equal parts. The meadows on its borders are broad and ex- 
 tensive, covered with willow and Cottonwood trees, so closely 
 interlocked and matted together as to be nearly impassable. 
 
 In this valley was congregated the motley populace connected 
 with the fur trade. Here the two rival companies had their 
 encampments, with their retainers of all kinds: traders, trap- 
 pers, hunters, and half-breeds, assembled from all quarters, 
 awaiting their yearly supplies, and their orders to start off in 
 new du-ections. Here, also, the savage tribes connected with 
 the trade, the Nez Perces or Chopunnish Indians, and Flat- 
 heads, had pitched their lodges beside the streams, and Avith 
 their squaws, awaited the distribution of goods and fineiy. 
 There was, moreover, a band of fifteen free t] appers, com- 
 manded by a gallant leader from Arkansas, named Sinclair, 
 who held their encampment a little apart from the rest. Such 
 was the wild and heterogeneous assemblage, amounting to 
 several hundred men, civilized and savage, distributed in tents 
 and lodges in the several camps. 
 
 The arrival of Captain Sublette with supplies put the Rocky 
 Mountain Fur Company in full activity. The wares and mer- 
 chandise were quickly opened, and as quickly disposed of to 
 trappers and Indians ; the usual excitement and revelry took 
 place, after which all hands began to disperse to their several 
 destinations. 
 
 On the 17th of July, a small brigade of fourteen trappers, led 
 by INIilton Sublette, brother of the captain, set out with the in- 
 tention of proceeding to the southwest. They were accompa- 
 nied by Sinclair and his fifteen free trappers; "Wyeth, also, and 
 his New England band of beaver hunters and salmon fishers, 
 now dwindled down to eleven, took this opportunity to prose- 
 cute their cruise in the wilderness, accomiDanied with such 
 experienced pilots. On the first day they proceeded about 
 eight miles to the southeast, and encamped for the night, still 
 hi the valley of Pierre's Hole. On the folio-wing morning, just 
 as they were raising their camp, they observed a long line of 
 people pouring down a defile of the mountains. They at first 
 supposed them to be Fontenelle and his party, whose arrival 
 had been daily expected. Wyeth, however, reconnoitred them 
 with a spy-glass, and soon perceived they were^ Indians. They 
 were divided into two parties, forming, in the whole, about 
 one hundred and fifty persons, men, women and children.
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 55 
 
 Some were on horsebaclc, fantastically painted and arrayed, 
 •with scarlet blankets fluttering in the wind. The greater ]jart, 
 however, wei-e on loot. They had perceived the trappei-s 
 before they were themselves discovered, and came down yell- 
 ing and whooping into the plain. On nearer approach thev 
 •were ascertained to be Blackf eet. 
 
 One of the trappers of Sublette's brigade, a half-breed, 
 named Antoinc Godin, now mounted his horse, and rode forth 
 as if to hold a conference. He wiis the son of an Iioquois 
 hunter, who liad been crueUy nmrdercd by the Blackfeet at a 
 small stream below the mountains, which still bears his name. 
 In company with Antome rode forth a P^'lathead Indian, whose 
 once ix)werful tribe had been complett^ly broken down in their 
 •wars with the Blackfeet. Both of them, therefore, cherished 
 the most vengeful hostility against these marauders of the 
 mountains. The Blackfeet came to a lialt. One of the chiefs 
 advanced singly and unarmed, beai-ing the pipe of peace. 
 This overture was certainty pacific; but Antoine and the Flat- 
 head were pi^disposed to hostihty, and pretended to consider 
 it a treacherous movement. 
 
 "Is vour piece charged?" said Antoine to his red companion. 
 
 "Itk" 
 
 "Then cock it and follow me.'" 
 
 They met the Blackfoot chief half-way, who extended his 
 hand in friendship. Antoine gi"asped it. 
 
 "Fire!" cried he. 
 
 The Flathead levelled his piece, and broiight the Blackfoot 
 to the ground, Antoine snatched off his scarlet blanket, which 
 ■was richly ornamented, and galloped off with it as a trophy 
 to the camp, the bullets of the enemy whistUng after him. 
 The Indians immediately threw themselves into the edge of a 
 fiwamp, among w^illows and cotton wood trees, interwoven with 
 vines. Here they began to fortify themselves; the women 
 digging a trench, and throwing up a breastwork of logs and 
 branches, deep hid in the bosom of the w^ood, while the war- 
 riors skirmished at the edge to keep the trappers at bay. 
 
 Tlio latter took their station in a ra\ine in front, whence 
 they kept up a scattcrmg fire. As to Wyoth, and his little 
 band of " do^vn-easters," they were perfectly astoimued by tliis 
 second specimen of life in the wHdemess ; the men, being es- 
 pecially unused to bush-fighting and the use of the rifle, were 
 at a loss how to proceed. Wyoth, however, acted as a skilful 
 commander. He got all his horses into camp and secui^d
 
 56 AD VENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 them; then, making a breastwork of his packs of goods, he 
 charged his men to remain in garrison, and not to stir out of 
 their fort. For himself, he mingled with the other leaders, 
 determined to take his share in the conflict. 
 
 In the meantime, an express had been sent ofE to the rendez- 
 vous for reinforcements. Captain Sublette and his associate, 
 Campbell, were at their camp when the express came galloping 
 across the plain, waving his cap, and giving the alai^m ; ''Black- 
 feet! Blackfeet! a fight in the upper part of the valley!— to 
 arms ! to arms !" 
 
 The alarm was passed from camp to camp. It was a com- 
 mon cause. Every one turned out with horse and rifle. The 
 Nez Perces and Flatheads joined. As fast as horseman could 
 arm and mount he galloped oft' ; the valley was soon alive with 
 white men and red men scouring at full speed. 
 
 Sublette ordered liis men to keep to the camp, being recruits 
 from St. Louis, and unused to Indian warfare. He and liis 
 friend Campbell prepared for action. Throwing off their 
 coats, rollmg up their sleeves, and arming themselves with 
 pistols and rifles, they mounted their horses and dashed for- 
 ward among the first. As they rode along, they made their 
 wills in soldier-like style ; each stating how his effects should 
 be disposed of in case of his death, and appointing the other 
 his executor. 
 
 The Blackfeet warriors had supposed the brigade of Milton 
 Sublette all the foes they had to deal with, and were aston- 
 ished to behold the whole valley suddenly swarming with 
 horsemen, galloping to the field of action. They withdrew 
 into their fort, which was completely. hid from sight in the 
 dark and tangled wood. Most of their women and children 
 had retreated to the mountains. The trappers now sallied 
 forth and approached the swamp, firing into the thickets at 
 random ; the Blackfeet had a better sight at their adversaries, 
 who were in the open field, and a half-breed was wounded in 
 the shoulder. 
 
 When Captain Sublette aiTived. he urged to penetrate the 
 swamp and storm the fort, but all hung back in awe of the 
 dismal horrors of the place, and the danger of attacking such 
 desperadoes in their savage den. The very Indian alhes, 
 though accustomed to bush-fighting, regarded it as almost 
 impenetrable, and full of frightful danger. Sublette was not 
 to be turned from his purpose, but offered to lead the way into 
 the swamp. Campbell stepped forward to accompany him.
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 57 
 
 Before entering the perilous wood, Sublette took his brothers 
 aside, and told them that in case he fell, Campbell, who knew 
 his will, was to bo his executor. This done, he grasped his riflo 
 and pushed into the thickets, followed by Campbell, Sinclair, 
 the partisan from Arkansas, was at the edge of the wood with 
 liis brother and a few of his men. Excited by the gallant ex- 
 ample of the two friends, he pressed forward to sliare their 
 dangers. 
 
 The swamp was produced by the labors of the beaver, which, 
 by damming up a stream, had inundated a portion of the val- 
 ley. The place was all overgrown with woods and thickets, 
 so closely matted and entangled that it was impossible to see 
 ten paces ahead, and the three associates in peril had to crawl 
 along one after another, making their way by putting the 
 branches and vines aside ; but doing it with caution, lest they 
 should attract the eye of some lurking marksman. They took 
 the lead by turns, each advancing about twenty yards at a 
 time, and now and then halloomg to their men to follow. 
 Some of the latter gradually entered the swamp, and followed 
 a little distance in their rear. 
 
 They had now reached a more open part of the wood, and 
 had glimpses of the rude fortress from between the trees. It 
 was a mere breastwork, as we have said, of logs and branches, 
 with blankets, buiTalo robes, and the leathern covers of lodges 
 extended round the top as a screen. The movements of the 
 leaders, as they groped their way, had been descried by the 
 sharp-sighted enemy. As Sinclair, who was in the advance, 
 was putting some branches aside, he Avas shot thi-ough the 
 body. He fell on the spot. ''Take me to my brother," said 
 he to Campbell. The latter gave him in charge to some of the 
 men, who conveyed him out of the swamp. 
 
 Sublette now took the advance. As he was reconnoitring 
 the fort, he perceived an Indian peeping through an aperture. 
 In an instant his rifle was levelled and discharged, and the ball 
 struck the savage in the eye. While he was reloading, he 
 called to Campbell, and pointed out to him the hole ; ' ' Watch 
 that place," said he, " and you will soon have a fair chance for 
 a shot." Scarce had he uttei-ed the words, when a ball struck 
 him in the shoiilder, and almost wheeled him round. His first 
 thought was to take hold of his arm with his other hand, and 
 move it up and down. He ascei'taincd, to his satisfaction, 
 that the bone was not broken. The next moment ho was so 
 faint that he could not stand. Campbell took hun in his arms
 
 nS ADVEyi^UBES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 and cai'ried him oiit of the thicket. The same shot that struck 
 Sublette wounded another man in the head. 
 
 A brisk fire was now opened by the mountaineers from the 
 wood, answered occasionally from the fort. Unluckily, the 
 trappers and their aUies, in searching for the fort, had got 
 scattered so that Wyeth and a number of Nez Perces ap- 
 proached the fort on the northwest side, while others did the 
 same on the opposite quarter. A cross-fire thus took place 
 which occasionally did mischief to friends as well as foes. An 
 Indian was shot down close to Wyeth, by a baU which, he was 
 convmced, had been sped from the rifle of a trapper on the 
 other side of the fort. 
 
 The number of whites and then- Indian allies had by this 
 time so much increased by arrivals from the rendezvous, that 
 the Blackfeet were completely overmatched. They kept dog- 
 gedly in their fort, however, making no offer of surrender. 
 An occasional firing into the breastwork was kept up during 
 the day. Now and then one of the Indian allies, in bravado, 
 would rush up to the fort, fire over the ramparts, tear off a 
 buffalo robe or a scarlet blanket, and return with it in triumph 
 to his comrades. Most of the savage garrison that fell, how- 
 ever, were killed in the first part of the attack. 
 
 At one time it was resolved to set fire to the fort ; and the 
 squaws belonging to the allies were employed to collect com- 
 bustibles. This, however, was abandoned; the Nez Perces 
 being unwilling to destroy the robes and blankets, and other 
 spoils of the enemy, w^hich they felt sure would fall into their 
 hands. 
 
 Tlie Indians, when fighting, are prone to taunt and revile 
 each other. During one of the pauses of the battle the voice 
 of the Blackfeet chief was heard. 
 
 " So long," said he, "as we had powder and ball, we fought 
 you in the open field: when those were spent, Ave retreated 
 here to die with our women and children. You may burn us 
 in our fort ; but, stay by our ashes, and you who are so lumgry 
 for fighting will soon have enough. There are four hundred 
 lodges of our brethren at hand. They will soon be here — their 
 arms are strong — their hearts are big — they will avenge us !" 
 
 This speech was translated two or three times by Nez Perce 
 and Creole interpreters. By the time it was rendered into 
 English, the cliief was made to say that four hundred lodges 
 of his tribe were attacking tlie encampment at the other end 
 of the valley. Every one now was for hurrying to the de-
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. m 
 
 fence of the rendezvous. A pnrty was left to keep watch upon 
 tlie lort; the rest galloped off to the camp. As night came on, 
 the trai>pers di'cw out of the swamp, and remained about the 
 skirts of the wood. By morning, their companions returned 
 from the rendezvous, with the report that all was safe. As 
 the day opened, they ventured within the swamp and ap- 
 proaclied the fort. All was silent. Tliey advanced up to it 
 without opposition. They entered: it had been abandoned in 
 the night, and the Blackfeet had elfected their retreat, cai-ry- 
 ing olf their wounded on litters made of branches, leaving 
 bloody traces on the herbage. The bodies of ten Indians were 
 found within the fort ; among them the one shot in the eye by 
 Bublette. The Blackfeet alterwai'd reported that they had lost 
 twenty-six warriors in this battle. Thirty -two horses were 
 likewise found killed; among them were some of those re- 
 cent I3 carried oil from Sublette's party, in the night; wliich 
 showed that these were the very savages that had attacked 
 him. They proved to be an advance party of the main body 
 of Blackfeet, which had been upon the trail of Sublette's party. 
 Five white men and one half-breed were killed, and several 
 wounded. Seven of the Nez Perccs were also killed, and six 
 wounded. They had an old chief who was reputed as invul- 
 nerable. In the course of the action he was hit by a spent 
 ball, and threw up blood ; but his skin was unbroken. His 
 people vv^ere now fully convinced that he was proof against 
 powder and ball. 
 
 A strilcing circumstance is related as having occuri-ed the 
 morning after the battle. As soHie of the trappers and their 
 Indian allies were approaching the fort, through the woods, 
 they beheld an Indian woman, of noble form and features, 
 leaning against a tree. Their surprise at her lingering here 
 alone, to fall into the hands of her enemies, was dispelled, 
 when they saw the corpse of a warrior at her feet. Either 
 she was so lost in grief as not to perceive theii* approach; or a 
 proud spirit kept her silent and motionless. The Indians set 
 up a yell, on discovering her, and before the trappers could in- 
 terfere, her mangled body fell upon the corpse which she had 
 refused to abandon. "We have heard this anecdote discredited 
 by one of the leaders who had been in the battle: but the fact 
 may have taken place without his seeing it, and been con- 
 cealed from liim. It is an instance of female devotion, even to 
 the death, which we are well disposed to believe and to record. 
 
 After the battle, the brigade of Milton Sublette, together
 
 60 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 with the free trappers, and Wyeth's New England band, re- 
 mained some days at the rendezvous, to see if the main body 
 of Blackfeet intended to make an attack ; nothing of the kind 
 occuri'ing, they once more put themselves in motion, and pro- 
 ceeded on their route toward the southwest. 
 
 Captain Sublette having distributed his supplies, had in- 
 tended to set ofE on his return to St. Louis, taking with liim 
 the peltries collected from the trappers and Indians. His 
 wound, however, obliged him to' postpone his departure. Sev- 
 eral who were to have accompanied liim became impatient 
 of this delay. Among these was a young Bostonian, Mr. 
 Joseph More, one of the followers of Mr. Wyeth, who had seen 
 enough of mountain life and savage warfare, and was eager to 
 return to the abodes of civilization. He and six others, among 
 whom were a Mr. Foy, of Mississippi, Mr. Alfred K. Stephens, 
 of St. Louis, and two grandsons of the celebrated Daniel 
 Boone, set out together, in advance of Sublette's party, think- 
 ing they would make their own way through the mountains. 
 
 It was just five days after the battle of the swamp, that 
 these seven companions were making their way through Jack- 
 son's Hole, a valley not far from the three Tetons, when, as 
 they were descending a hill, a party of Blackfeet that lay in 
 ambush started up with terrific yells. The horee of the young 
 Bostonian, who was in front, wheeled round with affright, and 
 threw his unskilful rider. The young man scrambled up the 
 side of the hill, but, unaccustomed to such wild scenes, lost 
 his presence of mind, and stood, as if paralyzed, on the edge 
 of a bank, until the Blackfeet came up and slew him on the 
 spot. His comrades had fled on the first alarm; but two of 
 them, Foy and Stephens, seeing his danger paused when they 
 got half way up the liiD, turned back, dismounted, and has- 
 tened to his assistance. Foy was instantly killed. Stephens 
 wa3 severely wounded, but escaped to die five days afterward. 
 The survivors returned to the camp of Captain Sublette, bring- 
 ing tidings of this new disaster. That hardy learler, as soon as 
 he could bear the journey, set out on his return to St. Louis, 
 accompanied by Campbell. As they had a number of pack- 
 horses richly laden with peltries to convoy, they chose a dif- 
 ferent route through the mountains, out of the way, as they 
 hoped, of the litrking bands of Blackfeet. They succeeded in 
 making the frontier in safety. We remember to have seen 
 them with, thoir band, about two or three months afterward, 
 passing through a skirt of woodland in the upper part of Mis-
 
 ADVFjNTURES of captain BONNEVILLE. 6X 
 
 souri. Thoir long; cavalcade stretched in sint^^le file Tor nearly 
 half a mile. Sublette still wore his arm in a sling. The moun- 
 taineers in their rude hunting dresses, armed with lifles and 
 roughly mounted, and leading their pack-horses down a hill of 
 the forest, looked like banditti returning with plunder. On 
 the top of some of the packs were perched several half-breed 
 children, perfect little imps, with wild black eyes glaring from 
 among elf locks. These, I was told, were children of the 
 trappers; pledges of love from their squaw spouses in the 
 wilderness. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 RETREAT OF THE CLACICFEET — FONTENELLE'S CAMP IN DANGER 
 — CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE AND THE BLACKFEET — FREE TRAPI'ERS 
 -••THEIR CHARACTER, HABITS, DRESS, EQUIPMENTS, HORSES — 
 GAME FELLOWS OP THE MOUNTAINS — THEIR VISIT TO THE 
 CAMP— GOOD FELLOWSHIP AND GOOD CHEER— A CAROUSE — A 
 SWAGGER, A BRA\VL,, AND A RECONCILIATION. 
 
 The Blackfeet warriors, Avhen they effected their midnight 
 retreat from their wild fastness in Pierre's Hole, fell back into 
 the valley of the Seeds-kc-dee, or Green Piver, where they 
 joined the main body of their band. The whole force 
 amounted to several hundred fighting men, gloomy and exas- 
 perated by their late disaster. They had with them their 
 wives and children, which incapncitated them from any bold 
 and extensive entei-prise of a warlike nature ; but when, in the 
 course of their wanderings, they came in sight of the encamp- 
 ment of Fontonelle, wlio lind rnoved some distance up Green 
 River valley in search of the free trappers, they put up tre- 
 mondons war-cries, and advanced fiercely as if to attack it. 
 Second thoTic:hts caused them to moderate their fury. They 
 recollected the severe lesson just received, and could not but 
 remark the strength of Fontenelle's position ; which had b'^en 
 chosen with grent .judgment. A formal talk ensued. Tlio 
 Blnr-kfeet said nothing of the late bnttle, of which Fontonello 
 hnd ns yet received no accounts; the latter, however, knew the 
 hostile and perfidious nature of these savages, and took care to 
 i'-'form them of the enenmpment of Gnptnin Ponneville, that 
 they might know there were more white men in the neighbor- 
 iiood.
 
 62 ADVi':yTunES of cAPTArx bonnevtllii:. 
 
 The conferencG ended, Fontenclle sent ,a Delaware Indian of 
 his party to conduct fifteen of the Blackfeet to the camp of 
 Captain BonneviUe. There were at that time two Crow In- 
 dians in the captain's camp who had i-eccntly arrived there. 
 They looked with dismay upon this deputation from their im- 
 placable enemies, and gave the captain a terrible character of 
 them, assuring him that the best thing he could possibly do 
 was to put those Blackfeet deputies to death on the spot. The 
 captain, however, who had heard nothing of the conflict at 
 Pierre's Hole, declined all compliance with this sage counsel. 
 He treated the grim warriors with his usual urbanity. They 
 passed some little time at the camp ; saw, no doubt, that every- 
 thing was conducted with military skill and ^dgilance ; and 
 that such an enemy was not to be easily surj^rised, nor to be 
 molested with impunity, and then departed, to report all that 
 they had seen to their comrades. 
 
 The two scouts which Captain Bonneville had sent oift to 
 seek for the band of free trappers, expected by FonteneUe, and 
 to invite them to his camp, had been successful in their search, 
 and on the 12th of August those vf orthies made their appear- 
 ance. 
 
 To explain the meaning of the appellation free trapper it is 
 necessary to state the terms on which the men enlist in the 
 service of the fur companies. Some have regular wages and 
 are furnished with weapons, horses, traps, and other requisites. 
 Tliese are under command, and bound to do every duty re- 
 quired of them connected with the service ; such as hunting, 
 trapping, loading and unloading the horses, mounting guard ; 
 and, in short, all the drudgery of the camp. These are the 
 hii'cd ti'appers. 
 
 The free trappers are a more independent class ; and in do- 
 scribing them Ave shall do little more than transcribe the gi'a- 
 phic description of them by Captain Bonneville. "They come 
 and go," says he, "when and where they please; provide their 
 r>wn horses, arms, and other equipments: trap and trade on 
 their own account, and dispose of their skins and peltries to 
 the highest bidder. Sometimes, in a dangerous hunting 
 ground, they attach themselves to the camp of some trader 
 for protection. Here they come under some restrictions ; they 
 have to conform to the ordinary rules for trapping, and to sub- 
 mit to such restraints and to take part in such general duties 
 as are established for the good order and safety of the camp. 
 In return for this protection, and for their camp keeping, they
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 63 
 
 are bound to dispose of all the beaver they take to the trader 
 who commands the camp, at a certain rate per skin ; or, should 
 they prefer seekinu; a market elsewhere, they are to make him 
 an allowance of Irom thirty to forty dollars for the whole 
 hunt." 
 
 There is an inferior order who, cither from prudence or 
 povoriy, come to these dangerous hunting grounds without 
 horses or accoutrements, and are furnished by the traders. 
 These, like the hired trappers, are bound to exert themselves 
 to the utmost in taking beaver, which, without skinning, they 
 render in at the trader's lodge, where a stipulated price for 
 each is placed to their credit. These, though gonei'ally in- 
 cluded in the generic name of free trappere, have the more 
 specific title of skin trappers. 
 
 The wandering whites who mingle for any length of time 
 with the savages have invariably a proneness to adopt savage 
 habitudes ; but none more so than the free trappers. It is a 
 matter of vanity and ambition with them to discard every- 
 thing that may bear the stamp of civilized life, and to adopt 
 the manners, habits, dress, gesture, and even walk of the In- 
 dian. You cannot pay a free trapper a greater compliment 
 than to pei'suade him you have mistaken him for an Indian 
 brave; and in truth the counter feit is com]:)lete. His hair, 
 suffered to attain to a great length, is carefully combed out, 
 and either left to fail carelessly over his shoulders, or plaited 
 neatly and tied up in otter skins of parti -colored ribbons. A 
 hunting-shirt of rufHod calico of bright dyes, or of ornamented 
 leather, falls to his knee: below which, curiously fashioned 
 leggins. ornamented with strings, fringes, and a profusion of 
 hawks' bells, reach to a costly pair of mocrasons of the finest 
 Indian fabric, richly embroidered with beads. A blanket of 
 scarlet, or some other briglit color, hangs from his shoulders. 
 and is girt round his waist with a red sash, in which he be- 
 stows his pistols, knife, and the stem of his Indian pipe ; pre- 
 parations either for peace or war. His gun is lavishly deco- 
 rated with brass tacks and vcmiilion, and provided with a 
 fringed cover, occasionally of buckskin, ornamented here and 
 there with a feather. Flis horse, the noble minister to tho 
 pride, pleasure, and profit of the mountaineer, is selected for 
 his speed and spirit and pranciiig gait, and holds a place in his 
 estimation second only to himself. Ho shares largely of his 
 bounty, and of his pride and pomp of trapping. lie is ca- 
 parisoned in tho most dashing and fantastic style ; tho bridles
 
 64 ADVENTURES OF CAPTJJy BONNEVILLE. 
 
 and crupper are weightily embossed with beads and cockades; 
 and head, mane and tail are interwoven with abundance of 
 eagles' plumes which flutter in the wind. To complete this 
 grotesque equipment, the proud animal i.5 bestreaked and be- 
 spotted with vermilion, or with white clay, whichever presents 
 the most glaring contrast to his real color. 
 
 Such is the account given by Captain Bonneville of these 
 rangers of the wilderness, and their appearance at the camj) 
 was strikingly characteristic. They came dashing forward at 
 full speed, firing their fusees and yelling in Indian style. Their 
 dark sunburned faces, and long flowing hair, their leggms, 
 flags, moccasons, and richly-dyed blankets, and their painted 
 horses gaudily caparisoned, gave them so much the air and 
 appearance of Indians that it was diflBcult to persuade one's 
 self that they were white men, and had been brought up in 
 civilized life. 
 
 Captain Bonneville, who was dehghted with the game look 
 of these cavahers of the mountains, welcomed them heartily to 
 his camp, and ordered a free allowance of grog to regale them, 
 which soon put them in the most braggart spirits. They pro- 
 nounced the captain the finest fellow m the world, and his 
 men all bons garcons, jovial lads, and swore they would pass 
 the day with them. They did so; and a day it was, of boast, 
 and swagger, and rodomontade. The prime bullies and braves 
 among the free trappers had each his circle of novices, from, 
 among the captain's band; mere greenhorns, men unused to 
 Indian life; mangeurs cle lard, or pork-eaters; as such new- 
 comers are superciliously called by the \'eterans of the wilder- 
 ness. These he would astonish and delight by the hour, with 
 prodigious tales of his doings among the Indians ; and of the 
 wonders he had seen, and the wonders he had performed, ia 
 his adventurous ^peregrinations among the mountains. 
 
 In the evening, the free trappers drew off, and returned to the 
 camp of Fontenelle, highly delighted with their visit, and v/ith 
 their new acquaintances, and promising to return the follow- 
 ing day. They kept their word; day after day their visits 
 Avere repeated; they became "hail fellow weU met" with 
 Captain Bonneville's men; treat after treat succeeded, until 
 both parties got most potently convinced, or rather con- 
 founded, by liquor. Now came on confusion and uproar. The 
 free trappers were no longer suffered to have all the swagger 
 to themselves. The ca,mp bullies and prime trappers of the 
 party began to ruffle up and to brag, in tiu-n, of their perils
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAVTaIn BONNEVILLE. 
 
 G5 
 
 and achieveraents. Each now tried to out-boast and out- 
 talk the othei" ; a quarrel ensued, as a matter of course, and a 
 general fight, according to frontier usage. The two factions 
 drew out their forces for a pitched battle. They fell to work 
 and belabored each other with might and main; kicks and 
 cuffs and dry bloAvs wei-e as well bestowed as they were 
 well merited, until, having fought to their hearts' content, 
 and been drubbed mto a familiar acquaintance with each 
 other's prowess and good quahties, they ended the fight by be- 
 coming firmer friends than they could have been rendei-cd by 
 a year's peaceable companionship. 
 
 While Captain Bonneville amused himself by observing the 
 habits and characteristics of this singular class of men, and in- 
 dulged them, tor the time, in all their vagaries, he profited by 
 the opportunity to collect from them information concerning 
 the different pai'ts of the country about which they had been 
 accustomed to range ; the characters of the tribes, and, in short, 
 everything important to his entorprise. He also succeeded in 
 securing the services of several to guide and aid him in his 
 peregrinations among the mountains, and to trap f(jr him 
 during the ensuing season. Having strengthened his party 
 with such valuable recruits, he felt in some measure consoled 
 for the loss of the Delaware Indians, decoyed from him by Mr. 
 Fontenclle. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 PLANS FOR THE WINTER — SALMON RIVER— ABUNDANCE OF SAL- 
 MON WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS — NEW ARRANGEMENTS— CACHES 
 ^CERRE'S detachment— MOVEMENTS IN FONTENELLE'S CAMP 
 — DEPARTURE OF THE BLACKFEET— THEIR FORTUNHS— WIND 
 MOUNTAIN STREAMS— BUCKEYE, THE DELAWARE HUNTEK, AND 
 THE GRIZZLY BEAR — BONES OF' MURDERED TRAVELLERS — VISIT 
 TO PIERRE'S HOLE- TRACES OF THE BATTLE— NEZ PERCE IN- 
 DIANS—ARRIVAL AT SALMON RIVKR. 
 
 The information derived from the free tra])pera determined 
 Captain Bonneville as to his further movements. He learned 
 that in the G reen River valley the "winters were severe, the 
 snow frequently falling to the depth of several feet ; and that 
 there was no good wintering ground in the neighborhood.
 
 66 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 The upper part of Salmon River was represented as far more 
 eligible, besides being in an excellent beaver country; and 
 thither the captain resolved to bend his course. 
 
 The Salmon Eiver is one of the upper branches of the Oregon 
 or Columbia ; and takes its rise from various sources, among a 
 group of mountains to the northwest of the Wind River chain. 
 It owes its name to the immense shoals of salmon which as- 
 cend it in the months of September and October. The salmon 
 on the west side of the Rocky Mountains are, hke the buffalo 
 on the eastern plans, vast migratory supplies for the wants of 
 man, that come and go with the seasons. As the buffalo in 
 countless throngs find their certain way in the transient pas- 
 turage on the prairies, along the fresh banks of the rivers, and 
 up every valley and green defile of the mountains, so the sal- 
 mon, at their allotted seasons, regulated by a subhme and all- 
 seeing Providence, swarm in myriads up the great rivers, and 
 find their way up their main branches, and into the minutest 
 tributary streams; so as to pervade the great arid j)lains, and 
 to penetrate even among barren mountains. Thus wandering 
 tribes are fed in the desert places of the wilderness, where there 
 is no herbage for the animals of the chase, and where, but for 
 these periodical supplies, it would be impossible for man to 
 subsist. 
 
 The rapid currents of the rivers which run into the Pacific 
 render the ascent of them very exhausting to the salmon. 
 When the fish first run up the rivers, they are fat and in fine 
 order. The struggle against impetuous streams and frequent 
 rapids gradually renders them thin and weak, and great num- 
 bers are seen floating down the rivers on their backs. As the 
 season advances and the water becomes chilled, they are flung 
 in myriads on the shores, where the wolves and bears assem- 
 ble to banquet on them. Often they rot in such quantities 
 along the river banks, as to taint the atmosphere. They are 
 commonly from two to three feet long. 
 
 Captain Bonneville now made his arrangements for the 
 autumn and the winter. The nature of the country through 
 wliich he was about to travel rendered it impossible to proceed 
 with wagons. He had more goods and supplies of various 
 kinds, also, than were required for present purposes, or than 
 could be conveniently transported on horseback ; aided, there- 
 fore, by a few confidential men, he made caches^ or secret pits, 
 during the night, when all the rest of the camp were asleep, 
 and in these deposited the superfluous effects, together with
 
 ADVJ:NTUHI:s of CAl'lAiy BO^^NKVILr.E. 67 
 
 the wagons. All traces of the caches were then carefully 
 obliterated. This is a common expedient with the traders and 
 trappers of the mountains. Havuig no established posts and 
 magazines, they make these caches or deposits at certain 
 points, whither they repair occasionally, for sujjplies. It is an 
 expedient derived from the wandering tribes of Indians. 
 
 Many of the . horses were stiU so weak and lame as to be 
 imfit for a long scramble through the mountains. These were 
 collected into one cavalcade, and given in charge to an experi- 
 enced trapper, of the name of Matthieu. He was to proceed 
 westward, with a brigade of trappers, to Bear River; a stream 
 to the west of the Green River or Colorado, Avhere there was 
 good pasturage for the horses. In this neighborhood it was 
 expected he would meet the Shoshonie villages or bands,* on 
 their yearly migrations, with whom he was to trade for peltries 
 and provisions. After he had traded with these people, finished 
 his trapping, and recruited the strength of the horses, he was 
 to proceed to Salmon River, and rejoin Captain Bonneville, 
 who intended to fix his quarters there for the winter. 
 
 While these arrangements were in progress in the camp of 
 Captain Bonneville, there was a sudden bustle and stir in the 
 camp of Fontenelle. One of the partners of the American Fur 
 Company had arrived, in all haste, from the rendezvous at 
 Pierre's Hole, in quest of the supplies. The competition be- 
 tween the two rival companies was just now at its height, and 
 prosecuted with unusual zeal. The tramontane concerns of 
 the Rocky ]\Iountain Fur Company were manajred by two 
 resident partners, Fitzpatrick and Bridger; those of the 
 American Fur Company, by Vanderburgh and Dripps. The 
 latter were ignorant of the mountain regions, but trusted to 
 make up by vigilance and activity for their Avant of knoAvledge 
 of the country. 
 
 Fitzpatrick, an experienced trader and trapper, knew the 
 evils of competition in the same hunting grounds, and had 
 proposed that tlie two companies should divide the coimtry, so 
 as to hunt in different directions: this proposition being re- 
 jected, he had exerted himself to get first into the field. His 
 exertions, as have already been shoAvn, were effectual. The 
 
 * .\ village of Indians, in trappers' lanfT'iapp. dors not always imply a fixed oom- 
 r.iniiity: hut often a wanderinp horde or band. The Shoshonies. like most of the 
 mountain tribes, have no settled residences; but are a nomadic people, dwelling in 
 tents or lodges, and shifting their encampments from place to place, according as 
 fish and game abound.
 
 68 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 early arrival of Sublette, with supplies, had enabled the vari- 
 ous brigades of the Rocky Mountain Company to start ott" to 
 their respective hunting grounds. Fitzpatrick himself, with 
 liis associate, Bridger, had pushed off with a strong party of 
 trappers, for a prime beaver country to the north-northwest. 
 
 This had put Vanderburgh ui^on his mettle. He had lias- 
 tened on to meet Fontenelle. Finding him at his camp in 
 Green Eiver valley, he immediately furnished himself with 
 the supplies ; put himseK at the head of the free trappers and 
 Delawares, and set off with all speed, determined to follow 
 hard upon the heels of Fitzpatrick and Bridger. Of the ad- 
 ventures of these parties among the mountains, and the dis- 
 astrous effects of their competition, we shall have occasion to 
 treat in a future chapter. 
 
 FonteneUe, having now delivered his supplies and accom- 
 plished his errand, struck his tents and set oft' on his return to 
 the Yellowstone. Captain Bonneville and his band, therefore, 
 reaiained alone in the Green River valley ; and their situation 
 might have been perilous, had the Blackfeet band still ling- 
 ered in the vicinity. Those marauders, however, had been 
 dismayed at finding so many resolute and well-appointed par- 
 ties of wdiite men in this neighborhood. They had, therefore, 
 abandoned this part of the country, passing over the head- 
 watei's of the Green River, and bending their course toward 
 the Yellowstone. Misfortune pursued them. Their route lay 
 through the country of their deadly enemies, the Crows. In 
 the Wind River valley, which lies east of the mountains, they 
 were encountered by a powerful war party of that tribe, and 
 completely put to rout. Forty of them were killed, many of 
 their women and chOdren captured, and the scattered fugitives 
 hunted hke wild beasts, until they w^ere completely chased out 
 of the Crow country. 
 
 On the 22d of August Captain Bonneville broke up his 
 camp, and set out on his route for Salmon River. His bag- 
 gage was arranged in packs, three to a mule, or pack-horse; 
 one being disposed on each side of the animal, and one on 
 the top ; the three forming a load of from one hundred and 
 eighty to two hundred and twenty pounds. This is the trap- 
 pers' style of loading their pack-horses. His men, however, 
 were inexpert at adjiisting the packs, which were prone to get 
 loose and slip off, so that it was necessary to keep a rear-guard 
 to assist in reloading. A few days' experience, however, 
 brought them into proper training.
 
 • ADVENTURES OF CAVTAIN BONNEVILLE. CO 
 
 Their march lay up the valley of the Seeds-ke-dco, over- 
 looked to the right by the lofty peaks of the Wind River 
 Mountains. tVom bi'ight httlo lakes and fountain-heads of 
 this remarkable bod of mountains poured forth the tributary 
 streams of the Seeds-ke-dee. Some came rushing down gullies 
 and ravines; others tumbling in ci-ystal cascades from in- 
 acH?ossible clefts and roclcs, and others winding their way in 
 rapid and pellucid currents across the valley, to throw them- 
 selves into the main river. So transparent were these waters 
 that the trout with which they abounded could be seen gliding 
 about as if in the air ; and their pebbly beds were distinctly 
 visible at the depth of many feet. This beautiful and diaph- 
 anous quality of the Rocky Mountain streams prevails for a 
 long time after they have mingled theu* waters and swollen 
 uato important rivers. 
 
 Issuing from the upper part of the valley, Captain Bonne- 
 ville continued to the east-northeast, across rough and lol'ty 
 ridges, and deep rocky defiles, extremely fatiguing both to 
 man and horse. Among his hunters was a Delaware Indian 
 who had remained faithful to him. His name was Buck- 
 eye. He had often ju-ided hmiself on his skiU and success 
 in coping with the grizzly bear, that terror of the hunters. 
 Though crippled in the left arm, he declared he had no hesita- 
 tion to close with a wounded bear, and attack him with a 
 sword. If arm(3d with a rifle, he was willing to bi"avo the 
 animal when in full force and fury. He had twice an oppor- 
 tunity of proving his prowess, in the course of this jno»intain 
 journey, and was each time successful. liis mode was to seat 
 himself upon the ground, with his rifle cocked and resting on 
 his lame ai*m. Thus prepared, he would await the approaeh 
 of the bear with perfect coolness, nor pull trigger imtil he 
 was close at hand. In each instance, he laid the monster dead 
 ui)oa the spot. 
 
 A march of three or four days, through savage and lonely 
 scenes, brought Captain Bonneville to the fatal defile of Jack- 
 son's Hole, where poor More and Foy had been surprised and 
 murdered by the Blackfeet. The feelings of the captain were 
 sho >kofl at beholding the bones of these unfortimate young 
 men bl'" ' ing among the rocks; and he caused them to bo 
 decently mterred. 
 
 On the ,3d of September he arrived on the sumniit of a moun- 
 tain wliich commanded a full view of the eventful valley of 
 Pierre's Hole ; w^hencc he could trace the winding of its stream
 
 70 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. ■ 
 
 through green meadows and forests of willow and Cottonwood, 
 and have a prospect, between distant mountains, of the lava 
 plains of Snake River, dimly spread forth like a sleeping ocean 
 below. 
 
 After enjoying this magnificent prospect, he descended into 
 the valley, and visited the scenes of the late desperate conflict. 
 There were the remains of the rude fortress in the swamp, 
 shattered by rifle shot, and strewed with the mingled bones of 
 savages and horses. There was the late populous and noisy 
 rendezvous, with the traces of trappers' camps and Indian 
 lodges ; but their fires w^ere extinguished, the motley assem- 
 blage of trappers and hunters, white traders and Indian 
 braves, had aU dispersed to different points of the wilder- 
 ness, and the valley had relapsed into its pristine sohtude 
 and silence. 
 
 That night the captain encamped upon the battle gi^ound ; 
 the next day he resumed his toilsome peregrinations through 
 the mountains. For upward of two weeks he continued his 
 painful march ; both men and horses suffering excessively at 
 times from hunger and thirst. At length, on the 19th of Sep- 
 tember, he reached the upper waters of Salmon River. 
 
 The weather was cold, and there were symptoms of an im- 
 pending storm. The night set in, but Buckeye, the Delaware 
 Indian, was missing. He had left the party early in the morn- 
 ing, to hunt by himself, according to his custom. Fears were 
 entertained lest he should lose Ms way and become bewildered 
 in tempestuous weather. Tliese fears increased on the follow- 
 ing morning when a violent snow-storm came on, which soon 
 covered the earth to the depth of several inches. Captain 
 Bonneville immediately encamped, and sent out scouts in 
 every direction. After some search Buckeye was discovered, 
 quietly seated at a considerable distance in the rear, waiting 
 the expected approach of the party, not knowing that they had 
 passed, the snow having covered their trail. 
 
 On the ensuing morning they resumed their march at an 
 early hour, but had not proceeded far when the hunters, wlio 
 were beating up the country in the advance, came gallop- 
 ing back, makmg signals to encamp, and crying Indians! 
 Indians ! 
 
 Captain Bonneville immediately struck into a skirt of wood 
 and prepared for action. The savages were now seen trooping 
 over the hills in great numbers. One of them left the main 
 body and cauic forward smglj', making signals of peace. He
 
 ADVE2iTUliKS OF CAPTAJy BO^'JS'EVILLE. 71 
 
 announced them as a band of Nez Perces,* or Pierced -nose In- 
 dians, friendly to the whites, wliorcupon an invitation was re- 
 turned by Captain Bonneville for them to come and encamp 
 with him. They halted for a short time to make their toilet, an 
 operation as important with an Indian warrior as with r. fash- 
 ionable beauty. This done they arranged themselves in 
 martial style, the chiefs leading the van, the braves following 
 in a long line, painted and decorated, and topped olf with lliit- 
 tering plumes. In this way they advanced, siiouting and 
 singing, firing oflt" their fusees, and clashing their shields. The 
 two parties encamped hard by each other. The Nez Perces 
 were on a hunting expedition, but had been almost famished 
 or. their march. They had no provisions left but a few di-ied 
 salmon; yet, finding the white men equally in want they 
 generously offered to share even this meagre pittance, and 
 frequently repeated the offer with an earnestness that left no 
 doubt of their sincerity. Their generosity won the heart of 
 Captain Bonneville, and produced the most cordial good-will 
 on the part of his men. For two days that the parties 
 remained in company, the most amicable intercourse pre- 
 vailed, and they parted the best of friends. Captain Bonne- 
 ville detached a few men under ]\Ir. Cerre, an able leader, to 
 accompany the Nez Perces on their hunting expedition, and to 
 trade with them for meat for the wintci-'s supply. After this, 
 he proceeded down the river about five miles below the forks, 
 w^hen he came to a halt on the 2Gth of September, to establish 
 his winter quarters. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 HORSES TURNED LOOSE— PREPARATIONS FOR WINTER QUARTERS 
 —-HUNGRY TIMES — NEZ PERCES, THEIR HONESTY, PIETY, 
 PACIFIC HABITS, RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES — CAPTAIN BONNE- 
 VILLE'S CONVERSATJONS WITH THEM— THEIR LOVE OF GAM- 
 BUNG. 
 
 It w^as gratifying to Captain Bonnevillo, after so long and 
 toilsome a course of travel, to reheve his poor jaded horses of 
 
 * We should observe that this tribe is nniversnlly called by its French 
 name, which is pronounced by tlie trappers. S-jwrry. There are t\v*> main 
 branches of this tribe, the upper Nepercys aud the lower Nepercys, as we 
 Btaall show hereafter.
 
 72 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 the burdens under which they were almost ready to give out, 
 and to behold them rolhng upon the grass, and taking a long 
 repose after all their sulierings. Indeed, so exhausted were 
 they, that those employed under the saddle were no longer 
 capable of hunting for the daily subsistence of the camp. 
 
 All hands now set to work to prepare a winter cantonment. 
 A temporary fortification was thrown up for the protection of 
 the party ; a secure and comfortable pen, into which the horses 
 could be driven at night ; and huts were built for the reception 
 of the merchandise. 
 
 This done. Captain Bonneville made a distribution of his 
 forces ; twenty men were to remain with laim in garrison to 
 protect the property ; the rest were organized into three bri- 
 gades, and sent off in different tUrections, to subsist them- 
 selves by hunting the buffalo, until the snow should become 
 too deep. 
 
 Indeed, it would have been impossible to provide for the 
 whole party in this neighborhood. It was at the extreme wes- 
 tern limit of the buffalo range, and these anunals had recently 
 been completely hunted out of the neighborhood by the Nez 
 Forces, so that, that, although the hunters of the garrison were 
 continually on the alert, ranging the country roimd, they 
 brought in scarce game sufficient to keep famine from the 
 door. Now and then there was a scanty meal of fish or wild- 
 fowl, occasionally an antelope; but frequently the cravings of 
 hunger had to be appeased with roots, or the flesh of wolves 
 and musk-rats. Rarely could the inmates of the cantonment 
 boast of having made a full meal, and never of having where- 
 withal for the morrow. In this way they starved along until 
 the 8th of October, when they were joined by a party of five 
 families of Nez Forces, who in some measure reconciled them 
 to the hardships of their situation, by exhibiting a lot still more 
 destitute. A more forlorn set they had never encountered; 
 they had not a morsel of meat or fish ; nor anything to subsist 
 on, exceptmg roots, wild rosebuds, the barks of certain plants, 
 and other vegetable productions ; neither had they any weapon 
 for hunting or defense, excepting an old spear. Yet the poor 
 fellows made no murmur nor complaint ; but seemed accus- 
 tomed to their hard fare. If they could not teach the white 
 men their practical stoicism, they at least made them ac- 
 quainted with the edible properties of roots and wild rosebiids. 
 and furnished them a supply fi'om their own store. The 
 necessities of the camp at length became so urgent that Cap-
 
 ADVENTUUKS OF CAPTAIN BONNI'JVILLE. 73 
 
 tain Bonneville determined to dispatch a party to the Horeo 
 Prairie, a plain to the north of his cantonment, to procure a 
 supply of provisions. When the men were about to depart, he 
 proposed to the Nez Perces that they, or some of them, should 
 join the hunting party. To his surprise they promptly de- 
 clined. He inquired the reason for their refusal, seeing that 
 they were in nearly as starving situation as his own people. 
 They replied that it was a sacred day with them, and the Great 
 Spirit would be angiy should they devote it to hunting. They 
 ottered, however, to accompany the party if it would delay its 
 departure until the following day; but this the pincliing de- 
 mands of hunger Avould not X->ei'niit, and the detachment pro- 
 ceeded. A few days afterward, four of them signified to 
 Captain Bonneville that they were about to hunt. "What!" 
 exclaimed ho, "without gims or arrows; and with only one 
 old spear? What do you expect to kill?" They smiled among 
 themselves, but made no answer. Preparatory to the chase, 
 they performed some religious rites, and offered up to the 
 Great Spirit a few short prayers for safety and success; then, 
 having received the blessings of thou- wives, they leaped upon 
 their horses and departed, leaving the whole pai"ty of Chi'is- 
 tian spectators amazed and rebuked by this lesson of faith and 
 dependence on a supronie and benevolent Being. "Accus- 
 tomed," adds Captain Bonneville, "as I had heretofore been, 
 to find the wretched Indian revelling in blood and stained by 
 every vice which can degrade human nature, I could scarcely 
 realize the scene which I had witnessed. Wonder at such un- 
 affected tenderness and piety, where it was least to have been 
 sought, contended in all oiu' bosoms with shame and confusion, 
 at receiving such pure and wholesome instructions from crea- 
 tures so far beloAv us in the arts and comforts of life." The 
 simple prayers of the poor Indians were not unheard. In the 
 course of four or five days they returned, laden with meat. 
 Captain Bonneville was curious to know how they had 
 attained such success with such scanty means. They gave him 
 to understand that they had chased the herds of buffalo at full 
 speed, until they tired them down, when they easily dispatched 
 them with the spear, and made use of the same weapon to flay 
 the carcasses. To carry through their lessons to their Chris- 
 tian friends, the poor savages Avere as charitable as they had 
 been pious, and generously shared with them the spoils of their 
 hunting; giving them food enough to last for several days. 
 A further and more intimate intercourse with this tribe gave
 
 74 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 Captain Bonneville still greater cause to admire their strong 
 devotional feeling. "Simply to call these people religious," 
 says he, ' ' would convey but a faint idea of the deep hue of 
 piety and devotion which pervades then- whole conduct. Their 
 honesty is immaculate, and their purity of purpose, and their 
 observance of the i*ites of their religion, are most uniform and 
 remarkable. They are, certainly more like a nation of saints 
 than a horde of savages." 
 
 In fact, the antibeUigerent policy of this tribe may have 
 sprung from the doctrines of Christian chai'ity, for it would 
 appear that they had imbibed some notions of the Christian 
 faith from Catholic missionaries and traders who had been 
 among them. They even had a rude calendar of the fasts and 
 festivals of the Romish Church, and some traces of its cere- 
 monials. These have become blended with their own wild 
 rites, and present a strange medley ; civilized and barbarous. 
 On the Sabbath, men, women, and cliildren array themselves 
 in their best style, and assemble round a pole erected at the 
 head of the camp. Here they go through a wild fantastic 
 ceremonial; strongly resembling the rehgious dance of the 
 Shaking Quakers ; but from its enthusiasm, much more strik- 
 ing and impressive. During the intervals of the ceremony, 
 the principal chiefs, v/ho officiate as priests, instruct them in 
 their duties, and exhort them to \drtue and good deeds. 
 
 "There is something antique and patriarchal," observes Cap- 
 tain Bonneville, "in this union of the offices of leader and 
 priest ; as there is in many of their customs and manners, 
 which are all strongly imbued with religion." 
 
 The worthy captain, indeed, appears to have been strongly 
 interested by this gleam of unlooked-for light amid the dark- 
 ness of the wilderness. He exerted himself, during his sojourn 
 among this simple and well-disposed people, to inculcate, as far 
 as he was able, the gentle and humanizing precepts of the 
 Christian faith, and to make them acquainted with the lead- 
 ing points of its history ; and it speaks highly for the purity 
 and benignity of his heart, that he derived unmixed happiness 
 from the task. 
 
 "Many a time," says he, "was my little lodge thronged, or 
 rather piled with hearers, for they lay on the ground, one lean- 
 ing over the other, until there was no further room, all listening 
 with greedy ears to the wonders which the Great Spirit had 
 revealed to the white man. No other subject gave them half 
 the satisfaction, or commanded half the attention; and but
 
 A'DVEyTL'llES or CAPTAjy BONNKVILLK. 75 
 
 few scenes in my life remain so freshly on my memory, or are 
 6') ploasurably recalled to my contemplation, as these houi-s of 
 intercourse with a distant and benighted race in the midst of 
 the desert." 
 
 The only excesses indulged in by this temperate and exem- 
 plary people, appear to be gambling and horscracing. In these 
 they engage with an eagerness that amounts to iiifatuation. 
 Knots of gamblers will assemble before one of their lodge fires, 
 early in the evening, and remain absorbed in the chances and 
 changes of the game until long after dawn of the following 
 day. As the night advances, they wax warmer and warmer. 
 Bets increase in amount, one loss only serves to lead to a greater, 
 until in the course of a single night's gambling, the richest 
 chief may become the poorest varlet in the camp. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 BLACKFEET IN THE HORSE PRAHIIE — SEARCH AFTER THE HUNT- 
 ERS — DIFFICULTIES AND DANGERS — A CARD PARTY IN THE WIL- 
 DERNESS—THE CARD PARTY INTERRUPTED— " OLD SLEDGE" A 
 LOSING GAME— VISITORS TO THE CAMP — IROQUOIS HUNTERS — 
 HANGING-EARED INDIANS. 
 
 On the 12th of October, two young Indians of the Nez Perce 
 tribe arrived at Captain Bonneville's encampment. They were 
 on their way homeward, but had been obliged to swerve from 
 their ordinary route through the mountains, by deep snows. 
 Their new route took them through the Horse Prairie. In 
 traversing it, they had been attracted by the distant smoke of 
 a camp fire, and on stealing near to reconnoitre, had discovered 
 a war party of Blackfcet. They had serwral horses with them; 
 and, as they generally go on foot on warli»ke excursions, it was 
 concluded that these horses had been captui-ed in the course of 
 their maraudings. 
 
 This intelligence awakened solicitude on the mind of Captain 
 Bonneville for the party of himtors whom he had sent to that 
 neighborhood ; and the Nez Perzes. when informed of the cir- 
 cumstance, shook their heads, and declared their belief that 
 the horses they had se-^jn had been stolen from that very pai'ty. 
 
 Anxious for information on the subject. Captain Bonne- 
 vjJIo dispatched two hunters to beat up the comitry in that
 
 76 ADVE2iTUHES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 direction. They searched in vain; not a trace of the men 
 could be found ; but they got into a region destitute of game, 
 where they were woU-nigh famished. At one tune thej^ were 
 three entire days without a mouthful of food ; at length they 
 beheld a buffalo grazing at the foot of the mountain. After 
 manoeuvring so as to get within shot, they lired, but merely 
 v/ounded him. He took to flight, and they followed Lim over 
 hiU and dale, \\ath the eagerness and perseverance of starving 
 men. A more lucky shot brought him to the ground. Stan- 
 field sprang upon him, plunged his knife into his throat, and 
 allayed his raging hunger by drinking his blood. A fire was 
 instantly kindled beside the carcass, when the two hunters 
 cooked, and ate again and again, tuitil, perfectly gorged, they 
 sank to sleep before their hunting fire. On the following 
 morning they rose early, made another hearty meal, then 
 loading themselves with buffalo meat, set out on their return 
 to the camp, to report the fruitlessness of their mission. 
 
 At length, after six weeks' absence, the hunters made their 
 appearance, and were received with joy proportioned to the 
 anxiety that had been felt on their account. They had hunted 
 with success on the prairie, but, while busy drying buffalo 
 meat, were joined by a few panic-stricken Flatheads, Avho 
 informed them that a powerful band of Blackfeet were at 
 hand. The hunters immediately abandoned the dangerous 
 hunting ground, and accompanied the Flatheads to their 
 village. Here they found Mr. Cerre, and the detachment of 
 hunters sent with him to accompany the hunting party of the 
 Nez Perces. 
 
 After remaining some time at the village, until they sup- 
 posed the Blackfeet to have loft the neighborhood, they set off 
 with some of Mr. Cerre's men for the cantonment at Salmon 
 River, where they arrived v.'ithout accident. They informed 
 Captain Bonneville, however, that not far from his quarters 
 they had found a wallet of fi-esh meat and a cord, wMch they 
 supposed had been left by some prowling Blackfeet. A few 
 days afterward ]\Ir. Cerre, with the remainder of liis men, 
 likewise arrived at the cantomnent. 
 
 ]Mr. Walker, one of his subleaders, who had gone with a 
 band of twenty hunters to range the countiy just beyond the 
 Horse Prairie, had likewise his share of adventures with the 
 all-pervading Blackfeet. At one of his encampments the 
 guard stationed to keep watch round the camp grew weary of 
 their duty, and feeling a little too secure, and too much at
 
 ADVhWTURh'-S OF VAPJALX JU).\ SKVI LLI'. 77 
 
 home on these prairies, retired to a small grove of willuws to 
 amuse themselves with a social game of cards called "old 
 sledge," which is as popiUar among these trampers of the 
 prairies as whist or ecarte aniong the polite circles of the 
 cities. From the midst of their sport they were suddenly 
 roused by a discharge of firearms and a shriU war-whoop. 
 Starting on their feet, and snatching up their rifles, they 
 beheld in dismay their horses and mides already in possession 
 of the enemy, who had stolen upon the camp imperceived, 
 while they were spell-bound by the magic of old sledge. The 
 Indians sprang upon the animals barebacked, and endeavored 
 to urge tliem off under a galling fire that did some execution. 
 The mules, however, confounded by the hurly-burly and dis- 
 liking tlieir new riders kicked up Iheir heels and dismounted 
 half of them, in spite of their hoi'semanship. This threw the 
 rest into con fusion; they endeavored to protect their unhorsed 
 comrades from the furious assaults of the wliitcs; but, after a 
 scene of "confusion worse confounded," horses and mules 
 were abandoned, and the Indians betook themselves to the 
 bushes. Here they quickly scratched holes in the earth about 
 two feet deep, in which they prostrated themselves, and while 
 thus screened from the shots of the white men, Avere enabled 
 to make such use of their bows and arrows and fusees, as to 
 repulse their assailants and to effect their retreat. This 
 adventure threw a temporary stigma upon the game of "old 
 sledge." 
 
 In the course of the autumn, four Iroquois hunters, dri\'en 
 by the snow from their hunting gi'ounds, made their appear- 
 ance at the cantonment. They were kindly welcomed, and 
 during their sojourn made themselves useful in a variety of 
 ways, being excellent trappei'S and first-rate woodsmen. They 
 were of the remnants of a pai-ty of Iroquois hunters that came 
 from Canada into these mountain regions many years previ; 
 ously, in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company. They 
 were led by a brave chieftain, named Pierre, who fell by the 
 hands of the Blackfeet, and gave his name to the fated valley 
 of Pierre's Hole. This branch of the Iroquois tribe has ever 
 since remained among these mountains, at mortal enmity 
 Avith the Blackfeet, and have lost many of their prinu^ buntci-s 
 in their feuds with that ferocious race. Some of th(Mn fell in 
 with General Ashley, in the course of one of his gnllant excur- 
 sions into the wilderness, and have continued ever since in the 
 employ of the company.
 
 78 ADVE2iTUliES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 Among the motley visitors to the winter quarters of Captain 
 Bonneville was a party of Pends Oreilles (or Hanging-ears) 
 and their chief. These Indians have a strong resemblance, in 
 character and customs, to the Nez Perces. They amount to 
 about three hundred lodges, are well armed, and possess great 
 numbers of horses. Dui'ing the spring, summer, and autumn, 
 they hunt the buffalo about the head-waters of the Missouri, 
 Henry's Fork of the Snake Eiver, and the northern branches 
 of Salmon Eiver. Their winter quarters are upon the Racine 
 Amere, where thoy subsist upon roots and dried buffalo meat. 
 Upon this river the Hudson's Bay Company have established 
 a trading post, where the Pends Oreilles and the Flatheads 
 bring their peltries to exchange for arms, clothmg, and 
 trinkets. 
 
 This tribe, like the Nez Perez, evince strong and peculiar 
 feelings of natural piety. Their religion is not a mere 
 superstitious fear, like that of most savages ; they evince ab- 
 stract notions of morality ; a deep reverence for an overruling 
 spirit, and a respect for the rights of their fellowmen. In one 
 respect their religion partakes of the pacific doctrines of the 
 Quakers. They hold that the Great Spirit is displeased with 
 all nations who wantonly engage in war; they abstain, there- 
 fore, from all aggressive hostilities. But though thus un- 
 offending in their policy, they are called upon continually to 
 wage defensive warfare; especially wilh the Blackfeet; with 
 whom, in the course of their hunting expeditions, they come 
 in frequent collision and have desperate battles. Their con- 
 duct as warriors is without fear or reproach, and they can 
 never be driven to abandon their hunting grounds. 
 
 Like most savages they are firm believers in dreams, and in 
 the power and efl&cacy of charms and amulets, or medicines as 
 they term them. Some of their braves, also, who have had 
 numerous hairbreadth 'scapes, like the old Nez Perce chief in 
 the battle of Pierre's Hole, are believed to wear a charmed 
 life, and to be bullet-proof. Of these gifted beings marvellous 
 anecdotes are related, which are most potently believed by 
 their fellow savages, and sometimes almost credited by the 
 white hunters.
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 79 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 RIVAL TRAPPING PARTIES— MANCEUVRINQ — A DESPERATE GAME — 
 VANDERBURGH AND THE BLACKFEET— DESERTED CAMP FIRE — 
 A DARK DEFILE — AN INDIAN AMBUSH— A FIERCE MELEE— FATAL 
 CONSEQUENCES— FITZPATRICK AND BRIDGER— TRAPPERS' PRE- 
 CAUTIONS—MEETING WITH THE BLACKFEET— MORE FIGHTING — 
 ANECDOTE OF A YOUNG MEXICAN AND AN INDIAN GIRL. 
 
 "While Captain Bonneville and his men are sojourning 
 among the Nez Perces, on Salmon River, we will inquire after 
 the fortunes of "^hose doifghty rivals of the Rocky ]\Iountains 
 and American ifur- Companies, who started off for the trap- 
 ping grounds to the north-northwest. 
 
 Fitzpatrick and Bridger, of the former company, as we have 
 already shown, having received their supplies, had taken the 
 lead, and hoped to have the fii'st sweep of the hunting grounds. 
 Vanderburgh and Dripps, however, the two resident partners 
 of the opposite company, by extraordinary exertions were en- 
 abled soon to put themselves upon their traces, and pressed 
 forward with such speed as to overtake thom just as they had 
 reached the heart of the beaver country. In fact, being ignor- 
 ant of the best trapping grounds, it was their object to follow 
 on, and profit by the superior knowledge of the other party. 
 
 Nothing coidd equal the chagrin of Fitzpatrick and Bridger 
 at being dogged by their inexperienced rivals, especially after 
 their offer to divide the country with them. They tried in 
 every way to blind and baffle them; to steal a march upon 
 tliem, or lead them on a "wrong scent; but all in vain. Van- 
 derburgh made up by activity and intelligence for his ignor- 
 ance of the country ; was always wary, always on the alert ; 
 discovered every movement of his rivals, however secret, and 
 was not to be eluded or misled, 
 
 Fitzpatrick and his colleague now lost all patience; since 
 the others persisted in following them, they determined to give 
 them an unprofitable chase, and to sacrifice the lumting season 
 rather than share the products with their rivals. They ac- 
 cordingly took up their line of march down the course of the 
 Missouri, keeping the main Blackfoot trail, and tramping dog-
 
 80 ADVEJSTURKS OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 gedly forward, without stopping to set a single trap. The 
 others beat the hoof after them for some time, but by degrees 
 began to perceive that they were on a wild-goose chase, and 
 getting into a country perfectly barren to the trapper. They 
 now came to a halt, and bethought themselves how to make 
 up for lost time, and improve the remainder of the season. It 
 was thought best to divide their forces and try different trap- 
 ping grounds. While Dripps went in one direction, Vander- 
 burgh, with about fifty men, proceeded in another. The latter, 
 in his headlong march had got into the very heart of the Black- 
 foot country, yet seems to have been unconscious of his danger. 
 As his scouts were out one day, they came upon the traces of 
 a recent band of savages. There were the deserted fires still 
 smoking, surrounded by the carcasses of buffaloes just killed. 
 It was evident a party of Blackfeet had been frightened from 
 theii' hunting camp, and had retreated, probf^.dy to seek rein- 
 forcements. The scouts hastened back to the camp, and told 
 Vanderburgh what they had seen. He made light of the 
 alarm, and, taking nine men with him, galloped off to recon- 
 noitre for himself. He found the deserted hunting camp just 
 as they had represented it ; there lay the carcasses of buffaloes, 
 partly dismembered; there were the smouldering fires, still 
 sending up their wreaths of smoke ; everything bore traces of 
 recent and hasty retreat ; and gave reason to beUeve that the 
 savages were still Ixu-king in the neighborhood. With heed- 
 less daring, Vanderburgh put himself upon their trail, to trace 
 them to their place of concealment. It led bun over prairies, 
 and through skirts of woodland, until it entered a dark and 
 dangerous ravine. Vanderburgh pushed in, without hesita- 
 tion, followed by liis little band. They soon fovmd themselves 
 in a gloomy dell, between steep banks overhung with trees, 
 where the profound silence was only broken by the tramp of 
 their oavh horses. 
 
 Suddenly the horrid war-whoop burst on their ears, mingled 
 with the sharp report of rifles, and a legion of savages sprang 
 from their concealments, yelling, and shaking their buffalo 
 robes to frighten the horses. Vanderburgh's horse fell, mor- 
 tally wounded by the first discharge. In his fall he pinned his 
 rider to the ground, who called in vain upon his men to assist 
 in extricating him. One was shot down scalped a few paces 
 distant ; most of the others were severely woimded, and sought 
 their safety in flight. The savages approached to dispatch 
 the unfortunate leader, as he lay struggling beneath liis horse.
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 81 
 
 He had still his rifle in his hand and his pistols in his belt. 
 The first savage that advanced received the contents of the 
 rifle in his breast, and fell dead upon the spot ; but before Van- 
 derburgh coiUd draw a pistol, a blow from a tomahawk laid 
 him prostrate, and he was dispatched by repeated wounds. 
 
 Such was the fate of Major Hem*y Vanderburgh, one of the 
 best and worthiest leaders of the American Fur Company, 
 who by his manly bearing and dauntless courage is said to 
 have made himself universally popular among the bold-hearted 
 rovers of the wilderness. 
 
 Those of the little band who escaped fled in consternation to 
 the camp, and spread direful reports of the force and ferocity 
 of the enemy. The party, being without a head, were in com- 
 plete confusion and dismay, and made a precipitate retreat, 
 without attempting to recover the remains of their butchered 
 leader. They made no halt until they reached the enciimp- 
 ment of the Pends Oreilles, or Hanging-eare, where they of- 
 fered a reward for the recovery of the body, but without suc- 
 cess; it never could be found. 
 
 In the meantime Fitzpatrick and Bridger, of the Rocky 
 Mountain Company, fared but little better than their rivals. 
 In their eagerness to mislead them they betrayed themselves 
 into danger, and got into a region infested with the Blackfeet. 
 They soon fovmd that foes were on the watch for them ; but 
 they were experienced in Indian warfare, and not to be sur- 
 prised at night, nor drawn into an ambush in the daytime. 
 As the evening advanced, the horses were all brought in and 
 picketed, and a guard was stationed roimd the camp. At the 
 earliest streak of day one of the leaders would moinit his 
 horse, and gallop off full speed for about half a mile; then 
 look round for Indian trails, to ascertain whether there had 
 been any lurkers round the camp ; returning slowly, he would 
 reconnoitre every ravme and thicket where there might be an 
 ambush. Tliis done, he would gallop off in an opposite direc- 
 tion and repeat the same scrutiny. Finding all tliincs safe, 
 the horses would be turned loose to graze, but always under 
 the eye of a guard. 
 
 A caution equally vigilant was observed in the marcli, on 
 approaching any defile or place where an enemy might lie in 
 wait; and scouts were always kept in the advance, or along 
 the ridges and rising grounds on the flanks. 
 
 At length, one day, a large band of Blackfeet ap]>eared in 
 the open field, but in the vicinity of recks and cliffs. They
 
 82 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 kept at a wary distance, but made friendly signs. The trap- 
 pers replied in the same way, but likewise kept aloof. A 
 small party of Indians now advanced, bearing the pipe of 
 peace ; they were met by an equal number of white men, and 
 they formed a group midway between the two bands, where 
 the pipe was circulated from hand to hand, and smoked wath 
 all due ceremony. An instance of natural affection took place 
 at this pacific meeting. Among the free trappers in the Eocky 
 Mountain band was a spirited young Mexican named Loretto, 
 who, in the course of liis wanderings, had ransomed a beauti- 
 ful Blackfoot girl from a band of Crows by whona she had 
 been captiu-ed. He made her his wife, after the Indian style, 
 and she had followed his fortunes ever since, with the most 
 devoted affection. 
 
 Among the Blackfeet warriors who advanced with the calu- 
 met of peace she recognized a brother. Leaving her infant 
 with Loretto she rushed forward and threw herself upon her 
 brother's neck, who clasped Ms long-lost sister to his heart 
 with a warmth of affection but little compatible with the 
 reputed stoicism of the savage. 
 
 \Vliile this scene was taking place, Bridger left the main body 
 of trappers and rode slowly toward the group of smokers, with 
 his rifle resting across the pommel of his saddle. The chief of 
 the Blackfeet stepped forward to meet him. From some un- 
 fortunate feeling of distriist Bridger cocked his rifle just as the 
 chief was extending his hand in friendship. The quick ear of 
 the savage caught the click of the lock; in a twinkling he 
 grasped the barrel, forced the muzzle downward, and the 
 contents were discharged into the earth at his feet. His next 
 movement was to wrest the weapon from the hand of Bridger 
 and fell him with it to the earth. He might have found this 
 no easy task had not the unfortunate leader received two 
 arrows in his back during the struggle. 
 
 The chief now sprang into the vacant saddle and galloped off 
 to Ms band. A wild hurry-skurry scene ensued ; each party 
 took to the banks, the rocks and trees, to gain favorable posi- 
 tions, and an irregular firing was kept up on either side, with- 
 out much effect. The Indian girl had been huiTied off by 
 her people at the outbreak of the affray. She would have 
 returned, through the dangers of the fight, to her husband and 
 her child, but was prevented by her brother. The young 
 Mexican saw her struggles and her agony, and heard her 
 piercing cries. With a generous impulse he caught up the
 
 adve:nturks of captain bonneville. 83 
 
 child in his arms, rushed forward, regardless of Indian shaft 
 or rifle, and placed it in safety upon her bosom. Even the 
 savage'heart of the Blackfoot chief was reached by this noble 
 deed. He pronounced Loretto a madman for his temerity, but 
 bade him depart in peace. The young Mexican hesitated ; he 
 urged to have his wife restored to him, but her brother inter- 
 fered, and the countenance of the chief grew dark. The girl, 
 he said, belonged to his tribe — she must remain with her peo- 
 ple. Loretto would still have lingered, but liis wife implored 
 him to depart, lest his life should be endangered. It was with 
 the greatest reluctance that he returned to his companions. 
 
 The approach of night put an end to the skirmishing fire of 
 the adverse parties, and the savages drew off without renew- 
 ing their hostilities. We cannot but remark that both in this 
 affair and that of Pierre's Hole the affray commenced by a 
 hostile act on the part of white men at the moment when the 
 Indian warrior was extending the hand of amity. In neither 
 instance, as far as circumstances have been stated to us by 
 different persons, do we see any reason to suspect the savage 
 chiefs of perfidy in then' overtures of friendship. They ad- 
 vanced in the confiding way usual among Indians when they 
 bear the pipe of peace, and consider themselves sacred from 
 attack. If we violate the sanctity of this ceremonial, by any 
 hostile movement on our part, it is we who incur the charge of 
 faithlessness ; and we doubt not that in both these instances 
 the white men have been considered by the Blackfeet as the 
 aggressors, and have, in consequence, been held up as men not 
 to be tinisted. 
 
 A word to conclude the romantic incident of Loretto and his 
 Indian bride. A few months subsequent to the event just 
 related, the young Mexican settled his accounts with the 
 Rocky Mountain Company, and obtained liis discharge. He 
 then left his comrades and set off to rejoin his wife and cliild 
 among her people ; and we understand that, at the time we arc 
 writing these pages, he resides at a trading-house estabhshed 
 of late by the American Fur Company in the Blackfoot coun- 
 try, where he acts as an interpreter, and has his Indian girl 
 with him.
 
 84 AD VJi'iy TUBES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 CHAPTEE XII. 
 
 k WINTER CAMP IN THE WILDERNESS — MEDLEY OF TRAPPERS, 
 HUNTERS, AND INDIANS— SCARCITY OF GAME— NEW ARRANGE- 
 MENTS IN THE CAMP — DETACHMENTS SENT TO A DISTANCE — 
 CARELESSNESS OF THE INDIANS WHEN ENCAMPED — SICKNESS 
 AMONG THE INDIANS— EXCELLENT CHARACTER OP THE NEZ 
 PERCES— THE CAPTAIN'S EFFORT AS A PACIFICATOR— A NEZ 
 PERCE'S ARGUJIENT IN FAVOR OF WAR — ROBBERIES BY THE 
 BLACKFEET— LONG SUFFERING OF THE NEZ PERCES — A HUN- 
 TER'S ELYSIUJI AMONG THE MOUNTAINS— MORE ROBBERIES — 
 THE CAPTAIN PREACHES UP A CRUSADE— THE EFFECT UPON 
 HIS HEARERS. 
 
 For the greater part of the month of November Captain 
 Bonneville remained in his temporary post on Salmon River. 
 He was now in the full enjoyment of his wishes; leading a 
 hunter's Ufe in the heart of the wilderness, with all its wild 
 populace around hmi. Beside his own people, motley in char- 
 acter and costume — Creole, Kentuckian, Indian, half-breed, 
 hired trapper, and free trapper — he was surrounded by en- 
 campments of Nez Perces and Flatheads, with their droves of 
 horses covering the hills and plains. It was, he declai'es, a 
 wild and busthng scene. The hunting parties of white men 
 and red men, continually sallying forth and returning; the 
 groups at the various encampments, some cooking, some 
 working, some amusing themselves at different games; the 
 neighing of horses, the braying of asses, the resounding 
 strokes of the axe, the sharp report of the rifle, the whoop, 
 the halloo, and the frequent burst of laughter, all in the midst 
 of a region suddenly roused from perfect silence and loneliness 
 by this transient hunters' sojourn, realized, he says, the idea 
 of a "populous solitude." 
 
 The kind and genial character of the captain had. evidently, 
 its influence on the opposite races thus fortuitously congregated 
 together. The most perfect harmony prevailed between them. 
 The Indians, he says, were friendly in their dispositions, and hon- 
 est to the most scrupulous degree in their intercoiu'se with the 
 white men. It is true they were somewhat importunate in
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 85 
 
 their curiosity, and apt to be continually in the way, examining 
 everything with keen and prying eye, and watching every 
 movement of the white men. All tliis, however, was borne 
 with great good-humor by the captain, and through bis exam- 
 ple by his men. Indeed, throughout all his transactions he 
 shows himself the friend of the poor Indians, and his conduct 
 toward them is above all praise. 
 
 The Nez Perces, the Flatheads, and the Hang^ing-ears pride 
 themselves upon the number of their hordes, of whicli they pos- 
 sess more in proportion than any other of the mountain tribes 
 within the buffalo range. Many of the Indian warriors and 
 hunters encamped around Captain Bonneville possess from 
 thirty to forty horses each. Their horses are stout, well-built 
 ponies, of great wind, and capable of enduring the severest 
 hardsbip and fatigue. The swiftest of them, however, are 
 those obtained from the Avhites while sufficiently young to be- 
 come acclimated and inured to the rough service of the moun- 
 tains. 
 
 By degrees the popidousness of this encampment began to 
 produce its inconveniences. The immense droves of horees 
 owned by the Indians consumed the herbage of the surround- 
 ing hills; while to drive them to any distant pasturage, in a 
 neighborhood abounding with lurking and deadlj^ enemies, 
 would be to endanger the loss both of man and beast. Game, 
 too, began to grow scarce. It w-as soon hunted and frightened 
 out of the vicinity, and though the Indians made a wide cir- 
 cuit through the moimtains in the hoj^e of driving the buffalo 
 toward the cantonnaent, their expedition was unsuccessful. It 
 was plain that so large a party could not subsist themselves 
 there, nor in any one place throughout the winter. Captain 
 Bonneville, therefore, altered his whole arrangements. He de- 
 tached fifty men toward the south to winter upon Snake River, 
 and to trap about its w^aters in the spring, with orders to rejoin 
 him in the month of July at Horse Creek, in Green River val- 
 ley, wliich he had fixed upon as the general rendezvous of his 
 company for the ensuing year. 
 
 Of all his late partj^ he now retained with him merely a 
 small number of free trappers, with whom he intended to so- 
 journ among the Nez Perces and Flatheads, and adopt the 
 Indian mode of moving with the game and gra.ss. Those 
 bands, in effect, shortly afterward broke uj) their encamp- 
 ments and set off for a less beaten neighborhood. Captain 
 Bonneville remained behind for a few days, that he might se*
 
 86 ADVENTUIIKS OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 cretly prepare caches, in which to deposit everything not re- 
 quired for current use. Thus hghtened of all superfluous 
 incumbrance, he set off on the 20th of November to rejoin his 
 Indian allies. He found them encamped in a secluded part of 
 the country, at tlie head of a small stream. Considering thein- 
 selves out of all danger in tins sequestered spot from their old 
 enemies, the Blackfeet, their encami^ment manifested the most 
 negligent security. Their lodges were scattered in every direct 
 tion, and their horses covered every hill for a great distance 
 I'ound, grazing upon the upland bunch grass which grew in 
 great abundance, and though dry, retained its nutritious prop- 
 erties instead of losmg them like other grasses in the autumn. 
 
 When the Nez Perces, Flatheads, and Pends Oreilles are en- 
 cam])ed in a dangerous neighborhood, says Captain Bonneville, 
 the greatest care is taken of their horses, those prime articles 
 of Indian wealth, and objects of Indian depredation. Each 
 warrior has his horse tied by one foot at night to a stake plant- 
 ed before his lodge. Here they remain until broad daylight ; 
 by that time the young men of the camp are already ranging 
 over the surrounding hills. Each family' then drives its horses 
 to some eligible spot, where they are loft to graze imattended. 
 A young Indian repairs occasionally to the pasture to give 
 them water, and to see that all is well. So accustomed are the 
 horses to this management, that they keep together in the pas- 
 ture where they have been left. As the sun sinks behind the 
 hills, they may be seen moving from all points toward the 
 camp, where they surrender themselves to be tied up for the 
 night. Even in situations of danger, the Indians rarely set 
 guards over their camp at night, intrusting that office entirely 
 to their vigilant and well-trained dogs. 
 
 In an encampment, however, of such fancied security as that 
 in which Captain Bonneville found his Indian friends, much 
 of these precautions with respect to their horses are omitted. 
 They merely drive them, at nightfall, to some sequestered lit- 
 tle dell, and leave them there, at perfect liberty, until the 
 morning. 
 
 One object of Captain Bonneville in wintering among these 
 Indians was to procure a supply of horses against the spring. 
 They were, however, extremely unwilling to part with any, 
 and it was with great difficulty that he purchased, at the rate 
 of twenty dollars each, a few for the use of some of his free 
 trappers who were on foot and dependent on him for their 
 equipment.
 
 ABVE^'TURKS OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 87 
 
 In this encampment Captain Bonneville remained from the 
 21st of November to the 9th of December. During this period 
 the thennometer ranged from thu-teen to forty -two dcgi-ees. 
 There were occasional falls of snow; but it generally melted 
 away almost immediately, and the tender blades of new grass 
 began to shoot up among the old. On the 7th of December, 
 however, the thermometer fell to seven degrees. 
 
 The reader will recollect that, on distributing his forces when 
 in Green River valley. Captain Bonneville had detached a 
 party, headed by a leader of the name of Matthieu, with all the 
 weak and disabled horses, to sojourn about Bear River, meet 
 the Shoshonie bands, and afterward to rejoin him at his winter 
 camp on Salmon River. 
 
 More than sufhcient time had elapsed, yet Matthieu failed to 
 make his appearance, and uneasiness began to be felt on his 
 account. Captain Bonneville sent out four men, to range the 
 country through which he would have to pass, and endeavor to 
 get some information concerning him ; for his route lay across 
 the great Snake River plain, which spreads itself out like an 
 Arabian desert, and on which a cavalcade could be descried at 
 a great distance. The scouts soon returned, having proceeded 
 no further than the edge of the plain, pretending that their 
 horees were lame ; but it was evident they had feared to ven- 
 ture, with so small a force, into these exposed and dangerous 
 regions. 
 
 A disease, which Captain Bonneville supposed to be pneu- 
 monia, now appeared among the Indians, carrying off num- 
 bers of them after an illness of three or four days. The 
 worthy captain acted as physician, prescribing profuse sweat- 
 ings and copious bleedings, and uniformly with success, if the 
 patient were subsequently treated with proper care. In extra- 
 ordinary cases, the poor savages caUed in the aid of their own 
 doctors or conjurors, who officiated with great noise and mum- 
 mery, but with little benefit. Those who died during this 
 epidemic were buried in graves, after the manner of the 
 whites, but without any regard to the direction of the head. 
 It is a fact worthy of notice that, while this malady made such 
 ravages among the natives, laot a single wliite man had the 
 slightest symptom of it. 
 
 J A familiar intercourse of some standing -with the Pierced- 
 nose and Flathead Indians had now convinced Captain Bonne- 
 ville of their amicable and inoffensive character ; he began to 
 take a strong interest in them, and conceived the idea of be-
 
 88 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIX BOyM:VILLE. 
 
 coming a pacificator, and healing the deadly feud between 
 them and the Blackfect, in which they were so deplorably the 
 sufferci-s. He proposed the matter to some of the leaders, and 
 virged that they should meet the Blackfeet chiefs in a grand 
 pacific conference, offei'ing to send two of his men to the 
 enemy's camp with pipe, tobacco and flag of truce, to nego- 
 gotiate the proposed meeting. 
 
 •The Nez Pei-ces and Flathead sages upon this held a council 
 of war of two days' duration, in which there was abundance of 
 hard smoking and long talking, and both eloquence and to- 
 bacco were nearly exhausted. At length they came to a deci- 
 sion to reject the worthy captain's proposition, and upon 
 pretty substantial grounds, as the reader may judge. 
 
 "War," said the chiefs, "is a bloody business, and full of 
 evil; but it keeps the eyes of the chiefs always open, and 
 makes the limbs of the young men strong and supple. In war, 
 every one is on the alert. If we see a trail we know it must be 
 an enemy ; if the Blackfeet come to us, we know it is for war, 
 and we are ready. Peace, oa the other hand, sounds no alarm ; 
 the eyes of the chiefs are closed in sleep, and the young men 
 are sleek and lazy. The horses stray into the mountains ; the 
 women and their Httle babes go about alone. But the heart of 
 a Blackfoot is a lie, and liis tongue is a trap. If he says peace 
 it is to deceive; he comes to us as a brother; he smokes his 
 pipe with us ; but when he sees us weak, and off our guard, he 
 will slay and steal. We will have no such peace ; let there be 
 war 1" 
 
 With this reasoning Captain Bonneville was fain to ac- 
 quiesce; but, since the sagacious Flatheads and their allies 
 were content to remain in a state of warfare, he wished them 
 at least to exercise the boasted vigilance which war was to 
 produce, and to keep their eyes open. He represented to them 
 the impossibility that two such considerable clans could move 
 about the coimtry without leaving trails by which they might 
 be traced. Besides, among the Blackfeet braves were several 
 Nez Perces, who had been taken prisoners in early youth, 
 adopted by their captors, and trained up and imbued with 
 warhke and predatory notions ; these had lost aU sympathies 
 Avith their native tribe, and would be prone to lead the enemy 
 to their secret haunts. He exhorted them, therefore, to keep 
 upon the alert, and never to remit their vigilance while within 
 the range of so crafty and cruel a foe. All these counsels were 
 lost upon his easy and simple-minded hearers. A careless in-
 
 ADVEyrURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 89 
 
 difference reigned throughout their encampments, and then 
 horses were permitted to range the hills at night in perrect 
 freedom. Captain Bonneville had his own horses brought in 
 at night, and properly piclvoted and guarded. The evil he ap- 
 prehended soon took i»lace. In a single night a swoop was 
 made through the neighboring pastures by the Ulackfeet, and 
 eighty-six of the linest horses carried off. A whip and a rope 
 were left in a conspicuous situation by the robbers, as a taunt 
 to the simpletons they had unhorsed. 
 
 Long before sunrise the news of this calamity spread like 
 wildfire through the different encampments. Captain Bonne- 
 ville, whose own horses remained safe at their jiickets, watched 
 in momentary expectation of an outbreak of warriors, Pierced- 
 nose and Flathead, in furious pursuit of the marauders; but 
 no such thing — they contented themselves with searching dili- 
 gently over hill and dale, to glean up such horses as had 
 escaped the hands of the marauders, and then resigned them- 
 selves to their loss with the most exemplary quiescence. 
 
 Some, it is true, who were entirely unhorsed, set out on a 
 begging visit to their cousins, as they called them, the Lower 
 Nez Forces, who inhabit the lower country about the Colum- 
 bia, and possess horses in abundance. To these they repair 
 when in difficulty, and seldom fail, by dint of begging and bar- 
 tering, to get themselves once more mounted on horseback. 
 
 Game had now become scarce in the neighborhood of the 
 camp, and it was necessary, according to Indian custom, to 
 move off to a less beaten ground. Captain Bonneville pro- 
 posed the Horse Prairie ; but his Indian friends objected that 
 many of the Nez Perces had gone to visit their cousins, and 
 that the whites were few in number, so that their united force 
 was not sufficient to venture upon the buffalo grounds, which 
 were infested by bands of Blackfeet. 
 
 They now spoke of a place at no great distance, which they 
 represented as a perfect lumter's elj'sium. It was on the right 
 branch, or head stream of the river, locked up among cliffs and 
 precipices where there was no danger from roving bands, and 
 where the Blackfeet dare not enter. Here, they said, the elk 
 aboimded, and the mountain sheep were to be seen troopmg 
 upon the rocks and hills. X little distance beyond it, also, 
 herds of buffalo were to be met with, out of the range of dan- 
 ger. Thither they proposed to move their camp. 
 
 The proposition pleased the captain, who was desirous, 
 through the Indians, of becoming acquainted with all the
 
 90 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 secret places of the land. Accordingly, on the 9th of Decem- 
 ber, they struck their tents, and moved forward by short 
 stages, as many of the Indians were yet feeble from the late 
 malady. 
 
 Following up the right fork of the river they came to where 
 it entered a deep gorge of the mountains, up which lay the se- 
 cluded region so much valued by the Indians. Captain Bonne- 
 ville halted and encamped for three days before entering the 
 gorge. In the meantime he detached five of his free trappers 
 to scour the hills, and kill as many elk as possible, before the 
 main body should enter, as they would then be soon frightened 
 away by the various Indian hunting parties. 
 
 While thus encamped, they were still liaV.e to the marauds 
 of the Blackfeet, and Captain Bonneville admonished his 
 Indian friends to be upon their guard. The Nez Perces, how- 
 ever, notwithstanding their recent loss, were still careless of 
 their horses ; merely driving them to some secluded spot, and 
 leaving them there for the night, without sotting any guard 
 upon them. The consequence Avas a second swoop, in which 
 forty-one were carried o^. This was borne with equal philoso- 
 phy with the first, and no effort was made either to recover 
 the horses, or to take vengeance on the thieves. 
 
 The Nez Perces, however, grew more cautious with respect 
 to their remaining horses, driving them regularly to the camp 
 every evening, and fastening them to pickets. Captain Bonne- 
 ville, however, told them that this was not enough. It was 
 evident they were dogged by a daring and persevering enemy, 
 who was encouraged by past impunity; they should, there- 
 fore, take more than usual precautions, and post a guard at 
 night over their cavalry. They could not, however, be per- 
 suaded to depart from their usual custom. The horse once 
 picketed, the care of the owner was over for the night, and he 
 slept profoundly. None waked in the camp but the gamblers, 
 who, absorbed in their play, were more difficult to be roused 
 to external circumstances than even the sleepers. 
 
 The Blackfeet are bold enemies, and fond of hazardous ex- 
 ploits. The band that were hovering a'bout the neighborhood, 
 finding that they had such pacific people to deal with, re- 
 doubled their daring. The horses being now picketed before 
 the lodges, a number of Blackfeet scouts penetrated in the 
 early part of the night into the very centre of the camp. Here 
 they went about among the lodges as calmly and deliberately as 
 if at home, quietly cutting loose the horses that stood picketed
 
 ADVENTURED OF GAPTMX EOXNEVILLE. 01 
 
 by the lodges of their sleeping owners. One of these prowlers, 
 more adventurous than the rest, approaelied a fire round which 
 a gi'0ui> of Nez Percys were gambling with the most intense 
 eagerness. Here he stood for some time, muffled up in his 
 robe, peering over the shoulders of the players, watching the 
 changes of their countenances and the fluctuations of the 
 game. So completely engrossed were they, that the presence 
 of tliis muffled eaves-dropper was unnoticed and, having exe- 
 cuted his bravado, he retired undiscovered. 
 
 Having cut loose as many horses as they could conveniently 
 carry off, the Blackfeet scouts rejoined their comrades, and 
 all remained patiently round the camp. By degrees the 
 horses, finding themselves at hbci-ty, took their route toward 
 theu" customary grazing ground. As they emerged from the 
 camp they were silently taken possession of, until, having 
 secured about thirty, the Blackfeet sprang on their backs 
 and scampered off. The clatter of hoofs sta^-tled the gam- 
 blers from their game. They gave the alarm, which soon 
 roused the sleepers from every lodge. Still aU was quiescent ; 
 no marshalling of forces, no saddling of steeds and dashing 
 off in pursuit, no talk of retribution for their repeated out- 
 rages. The patience of Captain Bonneville was at length ex- 
 hausted. He had played the part of a pacificator Avithout 
 success ; he now altered his tone, and resolved, if possible, to 
 rouse their war spirit. 
 
 Accordingly, convoking their chiefs, he inveighed against 
 their craven policy, and urged the necessity of vigorous and 
 retributive measures that would check the confidence and 
 presumpti»n of their enemies, if not inspire them vnih. awe. 
 For this purpose, he advised that a war party should be imme- 
 diately sent off on the trail of the marauders, to follow them, 
 if necessary, into the very heart of the Blackfoot country, and 
 not to leave them until they had taken signal vengeance. Be- 
 side this, he recommended the organization of minor war 
 parties, to make reprisals to the extent of the losses sustained. 
 "Unless you rouse yourselves from your apathy," said he, 
 "and strike some bold and decisive blow, you will cease to be 
 considered men, or objects of manly warfare. The very 
 squaws and children of the Blackfeet wiU be set against you,' 
 while their warriors reserve themselves for nobler antag- 
 onists." 
 
 This harangue had evidently a momentary effect upon the 
 pride of the hearers. After a short pause, however, one of the
 
 92 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 orators arose. It was bad, he said, to go to war for mere re- 
 venge. The Great Spirit had given them a heart for peace, 
 not for war. They had lost horses, it was true, but they could 
 easily get others from their cousins, the Lower Nez Perces, 
 without incurring any risk ; Avhereas, in war they should lose 
 men, who were not so readily replaced. As to their late losses, 
 an increased watclifulness would prevent any more misfor- 
 tunes of the kind. He disapproved, therefore, of all hostile 
 measures ; and all the other chiefs concurred in his '^pinion. 
 
 Captain Bonneville again took up the point. "It is true," 
 said he, ' ' the Great Spirit has given you a heart to love your 
 friends; but he has also given you an arm to strike your 
 enemies. Unless you do something speedily to put an end to 
 this continual plundering, I must say farewell. As yet I have 
 sustained no loss ; thanks to the precautions which you have 
 slighted ; but my property is too unsafe here ; my turn will 
 come next ; I and my people will share the contempt you are 
 bringing upon yourselves, and will be thought, like you, poor- 
 spirited beings, who may at any time be plundered with im- 
 punity." 
 
 The conference broke up with some signs of excitement on 
 the part of the Indians. Early the next morning, a party of 
 thirty men set off in pursuit of the foe, and Captain Bonne- 
 ville hoped to hear a good account of the Blackfeet marau- 
 ders. To his disappointment, the war party came lagging 
 back on the following day, leading a few old, sorry, broken- 
 down horses, which the f ree-booters had not been able to urge 
 to sufficient speed. Tliis effort exhausted the martial spirit, 
 and satisfied the woimded pride of the Nez Forces, and they 
 relapsed into their usual state of passive indifference. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 STORY OP KOSATO, THE RENEGADE BLACKFOOT. 
 
 If the meekness and long-suffering of the Pierced-noses 
 grieved the spirit of Captain Bonneville, there was another in- 
 dividual in the camp to whom they were stiU more annoying. 
 This was a Blackfoot renegado, named Kosato, a fiery hot- 
 blooded youth who, with a beautiful girl of the same tribo,
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN UONMJVILLE. 93 
 
 had taken refuge among the Nez Perces. Though adopted 
 mto the tribe, he still retained the warlike spirit of his race, 
 and loathed the peaceful, inoffensive habits of those around 
 him. The hunting of the deer, the elk, and the buffalo, which 
 was the height of their ambition, was too tame to satisfy his 
 wild and restless natiu-e. His heart burned for the foraj', the 
 ambush, the skirmish, the scamper, and all the haps and 
 hazards of roving and predatory warfare. 
 
 The recent hoverings of the Blackfeet about the camp, their 
 nightly prowls and daring and successful marauds, had kept 
 him in a fever and a flutter, like a hawk in a cage who hears 
 his late companions swooping and screaming in wild liberty 
 above him. The attempt of Captain Bonneville to rouse the 
 war spirit of the Nez Perces, and i^rompt them to retaliation, 
 was ardently seconded by Kosato. For several days he was 
 incessantly devising schemes of vengeance, and endeavoring to 
 set on foot an expedition that should cany dismay and desola- 
 tion into the Blackfeet town. All his art was exerted to touch 
 upon those springs of human action with which ho was most 
 familiar. He drew the listening savages round him by his ner- 
 vous eloquence; taunted them with recitals of past wrongs and 
 insults; drew glowing pictures of triumphs and trophies Avithin 
 their reach; recounted tales of daring and romantic enterprise, 
 of secret marchings, covert lurkings, midnight surprisals, sack- 
 ings, burnings, plunderings, scalpings; together with the tri 
 umphant return, and the feasting and rejoicing of the victors. 
 These wild tales were intermingled wath the beating of the 
 dinim, the yell, the war-whoop and the war-dance, so inspiring 
 to Indian valor. All, however, were lost upon the peaceful 
 spirits of his hearers; not a Nez Perce was to be roused to ven- 
 geance, or stimulated to glorious war. In the bitterness of his 
 heart, the Blackfoot renegado repined at the mishap which had 
 severed him from a race of congenial spirits, and driven him to 
 take refuge among beings so destitute of martial fire. 
 
 The character and conduct of this man attracted the atten- 
 tion of Captain Bonneville, and he was anxious to hoar the 
 reason why he had deserted his tribe, and why he looked back 
 upon them with such deadly hostility. Kosato told him his 
 own story briefly : it gives a picture of the deep, strong pas- 
 sions that work in the bosoms of these miscalled stoics. 
 
 "You see my wife," said he, " she is good; she is beautiful — 
 I love her. Yet she has been the cause of all my troubles. 
 She was the wife of my chief. I loved her more than he did ;
 
 94 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 and she knew it. We talked together ; we laughed together ; we 
 were always seeking each other's society ; but we were as inno- 
 cent as cliildren. The chief grew jealous, and commanded her 
 to speak with me no more. His heart became hard toward her ; 
 his jealousy grew more furious. He beat her without cause and 
 without mercy ; and threatened to kill her outright if she even 
 looked at me. Do you want traces of his fury ? Look at that scar ! 
 His rage against me was no less persecuting. War parties of 
 the Crows were hovering round us ; our young men had seen 
 their trail. All hearts were roused for action ; my horses were 
 before my lodge. Suddenly the chief came, took them to his 
 own pickets, and called them his own. What could I do? he 
 was a chief. I durst not speak, but my heart was burning. T 
 joined no longer in the council, the hunt, or the war-feast. 
 What had I to do there? an unhorsed, degraded warrior. 1 
 kept by myself, and thought of notliing but these wrongs and 
 outrages. 
 
 ' ' I was sitting one evening upon a knoll that overlooked the 
 meadow where the horses were pastured. I saw the horses that 
 were once mine grazing among those of the chief. This mad- 
 dened me, and I sat brooding for a time over the injviries I had 
 suffered, and the cruelties which she I loved had endvired for 
 my sake, until my heart swelled and grew sore, and my teeth 
 were clinched. As I looked down upon the meadow I saAv the 
 chief walking among his horses. I fastened my eyes upon him 
 as a hawk's ; my blood boiled ; I drew my breath hard. He went 
 among the willows. In an instant I was on my feet; my hand 
 was on my knife —I flew rather than ran — before he was aware 
 I sprang upon him, and with two blows laid him dead at my 
 feet. I covered his body with earth, and strewed bushes over 
 the place ; then I hastened to her I loved, told her what I had 
 done, and urged her to fly with me. She only answered me 
 with tears. I reminded her of the wrong;? I had suffered, and 
 of the blows and stripes she had endured from the deceased; I 
 had done nothing but an act of justice. I again urged her to 
 fly ; but she only wept the more, and bade me go. My heart 
 was heavy, but my eyes were dry. I folded my arms. ' 'Tis 
 well,' said I; ' Kosato will go alone to the desert. None will 
 be with him but the wild beasts of the desert. The seekers 
 of blood may follow on his trail. They may come upon him 
 when he sleeps and glut their revenge ; but you will be safe. 
 Kosato will go alone. ' 
 
 "I turned away. She sprang after me, and strained me in
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 95 
 
 her arras. ' No, ' cried she, ' Kosato shall not go alone 1 Wher- 
 ever he goes I will go — ho shall never part from nie. ' 
 
 *' We hastily took in onr hands such things as wo most 
 needed, and stealing (juietly from the village, mounted the firet 
 horses we encountered. Speeding day and night, we soon 
 reached this tribe. They received us with welcome, and wo 
 have dwelt with them in peace. They are good and kind ; they 
 are honest; but tlieir hearts are the hearts of women." 
 
 Such was the story of Kosato, as related by him to Captain 
 Bonneville. It is of a kind that often occiu's in Indian life ; 
 where love elopements from tribe to tribe are as frequent as 
 among the novel-read heroes and heroines of sentimental 
 civiliisatioh, and often give rise to bloody and lasting feuds. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE PARTY ENTERS THE MOUNTAIN GORGE — A WILD FASTNESS 
 AMONG HILLS— MOUNTAIN MUTTON — PEACE AND PLENTY— THE 
 A3IOROUS TRAPPER— A PIEBALD WEDDING— A FREE TRAPPER'S 
 WIFE— HER GALA EQUIP3IENTS— CHRISTMAS IN THE WILDER- 
 NESS. 
 
 On the 19th of December Captain Bonneville and his con- 
 federate Indians raised their camp, and entered tlie narrow 
 gorge made by the north fork of Salmon River. Up this lay 
 the secure and plenteous hunting region so temptingly described 
 by the Indians. 
 
 Since leaving Green River tlie plains had invariably been of 
 loose sand or coarse gravel, and the rocky fdiniation of th(^ 
 mountains of iirimitive limestone. The livere, in general, 
 were skirted with willows and bitter cotton-wood trees, and 
 the prairies covered with wormwood. In the hollow breast of 
 the mountains which they were now penetrating, the surround- 
 ing heights Avere clothed with pine; while the declivities of tho 
 lower hills afforded abundance of bunch grass for the laorses. 
 
 As the Indians had represented, they were now in a natural 
 fastness of the mountains, the ingress and egress of which was 
 by a deep gorge, so narrow, ruc-ged, and difficult as to prevent 
 socT-et approacli or rapid retreat, and to admit of easj' defence. 
 The Biackfoct, therefore, refrained from venturing in after tho
 
 96 AJJVBu\'TUIihti OF CAPTAiy BONNEVILLE. 
 
 Ncz Perces, awaitinjr a better cliance, when they should once 
 more emerge into the open country. 
 
 Captain Bonneville soon found that the Indians had not ex- 
 aggerated the advantages of this region. Besides the numer- 
 ous gangs of elk, large flocks of the ahsahta or bighorn, the 
 mountain sheep, were to be seen bounding among the preci- 
 pices. These simple animals Avere easily circumvented and 
 destroyed. A few huntei-s may surround a flock and kill as 
 many as they please. Nrunbers were daily brought into 
 camp, and the flesh of those which were young and fat was 
 extolled as superior to the finest mutton. 
 
 Here, then, there was a cessation from toil, from hunger, 
 and alarm. Past ills and dangers were forgotten. • The hunt, 
 the game, the song, the story, the rough though good-hu- 
 mored joke, made time pass joyously away, and plenty and 
 security reigned throughout the camp. 
 
 Idleness and ease, it is said, lead to love, and love to matri- 
 mony, in civilized life, and the same procass takes place in the 
 wilderness. Filled with good cheer and mountain mutton, 
 one of the free trappers began to repine at the solitude of his 
 lodge, and to experience the force of that great law of nature, 
 " it is not meet for man to live alone." 
 
 After a night of grave cogitation he repaired to Kowsoter, 
 the Pierced-nose chief, and unfolded to him the secret work- 
 ings of his bosom. 
 
 " I want," said he, "a wife. Give me one from among your 
 tribe. Not a young, giddy-pated girl, that will think of noth- 
 ing but flaunting and finery, but a sober, discreet, hard-work- 
 ing squaw ; one that wiU share my lot without flinching, how- 
 ever hard it may be ; that can take care of my lodge, and be 
 a companion and a helpmate to me in the wilderness." Kow- 
 soter promised to look round among the females of his tribe, 
 and procure such a one as he desired. Two days were requi- 
 site for the search. At the expiration of these, Kowsoter 
 called at his lodge, and informed him that he would bring 
 his bride to him in the course of the afternoon. He kept his 
 word. At the appointed time he approached, leading the 
 bride, a comely copper-colored dame attired in her Indian 
 finery. Her father, mother, brothers by the half dozen and 
 cousins by the score, all followed on to grace the ceremony 
 and greet the new and important relative. 
 
 The trapper received his new and numerous family connec- 
 tion with proper solemnity; he placed his bride beside him,
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLK. 97 
 
 and, fiUinp: the pipe, the great symbol of peace, with his best 
 tobacco, took two or three whiffs, then handed it to the chief 
 who transferred it to the father of the bride, from whom it 
 was passed on from hand to hand and mouth to mouth of the 
 whole circle of kinsmen round the fire, all maintaining the 
 most profound and becoming silence. 
 
 After several pipes had been filled and emptied in this sol- 
 emn ceremonial, the chief addressed the bride, detailing at 
 considerable length the duties of a wife which, among In- 
 dians, are little less onerous than those of the pack-horse; 
 this done, he turned to her friends and congratulated them 
 upon the great alliance she had made. They showed a due 
 sense of their good fortune, especially when the nuptial pres- 
 ents came to be distributed among the chiefs and relatives, 
 amounting to about one himdred and eightj^ dollars. The 
 company soon retired, and now the worthy trapper found 
 indeed that he had no green girl to deal with ; for the know • 
 ing dame at once assumed the style and dignity of a trapper's 
 wife: taking possession of the lodge as her undisputed em- 
 pire, arranging everything according to her own taste and 
 nabitudes, and appearing as much at home and on as easy 
 terms with the trapper as if thcj^ had been man and wife for 
 years. 
 
 We have already given a picture of a free trapper and his 
 hoi'se, as fui'nished by Captain J^onneville : we shall here sub- 
 join, as a companion picture, his description of a free trap- 
 per's wife, that the reader may have a correct idea of the kind 
 of blessing the worthy hunter in question had invoked to so- 
 lace him in the wilderness. 
 
 " The free trapper, whde'a bachelor, has no greater pet than 
 his horse ; but the moment he takes a wife (a sort of brevet 
 rank in matrimony occasionallj' bestowed upon some Indian 
 fair one, like the heroes of ancient chivalry in the open field), 
 he discovers that he has a still more fanciful and capricious 
 animal on which to lavish his expenses. 
 
 " No sooner does an Indian belle experience this promotion, 
 than all her notions at once rise and expand to the dignity of 
 her situation, and the purse of her lover, and his credit into 
 the bargain, are taxed to the iitmost to fit her out in becoming 
 style. The wife of a free trapper to be equipped and ai-rayed 
 like any oi'dinary and undistinguished squaw? Perish tbj 
 grovelling thought I In the first place, she must have a horse 
 for her own riding; but no jaded, sorry, cai'th-spirited hack.
 
 98 ADVENTURES OB' CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 such as is sometimes assigned by an Indian husband for the 
 transportation of his squaw and her pappooses : the wife of a 
 free trapper must have the most beautiful animal she can lay 
 her eyes on. And then, as to his decoration: headstall, breast- 
 bands, saddle and crupper are lavishly embroidered with beads, 
 and hung with thimbles, hawks' bells, and bunches of ribbons. 
 From each side of the saddle hangs an csquimoot, a sort of 
 pocket, in which she bestows the residue of her trinkets and 
 nick-nacks, which cannot be crowded on the decoration of her 
 horse or herself. Over this she folds, with great care, a 
 drapery of scarlet and bright-colored calicoes, and now con- 
 siders the caparison of her steed complete. 
 
 "As to her own person, she is even still more extravagant. 
 Her hair, esteemed beautiful in proportion to its length, is 
 carefully plaited, and made to fall with seeming negligence 
 over either breast. Her riding hat is stuck full of party-col- 
 ored feathers ; her robe, fashioned somewhat after that of the 
 "whites, is of red, green, and sometimes gray cloth, but always 
 of the finest texture that can be procured. Her leggins and 
 moccasins are of the most beautiful and expensive workman- 
 ship, and fitted neatly to the foot and ankle, which with the 
 Indian women are generally well formed and delicate. Then 
 as to jewelry : in the way of fmger-rings, ear-rings, necklaces, 
 and other female glories, nothing within roach of the trapper's 
 nienns is omitted that can tend to impress the beholder with 
 an idea of the lady's high estate. To finish the whole, she se- 
 lects from among her blankets of various dyes one of some 
 glowing color, and throwing it over her shoulders with a na- 
 tive grace, vaults into the saddle of her gay. prancing steed, 
 and is ready to follow her mountaineer ' to the last gasp with 
 love and loyalty.' " 
 
 Such is the general picture of the free trapper's wife, given 
 by Captain Bonneville; how far it applied in its details to the 
 one in question does not altogether appear, though it would 
 seem from the outset of her connubial career, that she was 
 ready to avail herself of all the pomp and circumstance of her 
 new condition. It is worthy of mention that wherever there 
 are several wives of free trappers in a camp, the keenest rival- 
 ry exists between them, to the sore detriment of their hus- 
 bands' purses. Their whole time is expended and their inge- 
 nuity tasked by endeavors to eclipse each other in dress and 
 decoration. The jealousies and heart-burnings thus occasioned 
 among these so-styled children of nature are equally intense
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 99 
 
 with those of the rival loaders of style and fashion in the luxu- 
 rious abodes of civilized life. 
 
 The genial festival of Christinas, which throughout all Chris- 
 tendom lights up the fireside of home with niirlh and jollity, 
 followed hard upon the wedding just described. Though tar 
 from kindred and friends, Captain Bonneville and his handfiil 
 of free trappers were not disposed to suffer the festival to pass 
 unenjoyed ; they were in a region of good cheer, and were dis- 
 posed to be joyous; so it was determined to " light up the yule 
 clog," and celebrate a merry Christmas in the heart of the 
 wilderness. 
 
 On Christmas eve, accordingly, they began their rude fetes 
 and rejoicings. In the course of the night the free trappers 
 surrounded the lodge of the Pierced-nose chief and in lieu of 
 Christmas carols, saluted him. with a/eit dcjoie. 
 
 Kowsoter received it in a truly Christian spirit, and after a 
 speech, in which he expressed his high gratification at the 
 honor done him, invited the whole company to a feast on the 
 following day. His invitation was gladly accepted. A Christ- 
 mas dinner in the wigwam of an Indian chief ! There was nov- 
 elty in the idea. Not one failed to be present. The banquet 
 was served up in primitive style : skins of various kinds, nicely 
 dressed for the occasion, were spread upon the ground ; upon 
 these were heaped up abundance of venison, elk meat, and 
 mountain mutton, with various bitter roots which the Indians 
 Use as condiments. 
 
 After a short prayer, the company all seated themselves 
 cross-logged, in Turkish fashion, to the banquet, which passed 
 off with gi-eat hilarity. After Avhich various games of strength 
 and agility by both -white men and Indians closed the Chi'ist- 
 mas festivities.
 
 100 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 CHAPTEE XV. 
 
 k HUNT AFTER HUNTERS— HUNGRY TIMES— A VORACIOUS RE- 
 PAST—WINTRY WEATHER — GODIN's RIVER— SPLENDID WINTER 
 SCENE ON THE GREAT LAVA PLAIN OP SNAKE RIVER— SEVERE 
 TRAVELLING AND TRAMPING IN THE SNOW— MANCEUVRES OF A 
 SOLITARY INDIAN HORSEMAN — ENCAJIPMENT ON SNAKE RIVER 
 — BANNECK INDIANS— THE HORSE CHIEF — HIS CHARMED LIFE. 
 
 The continued absence of Matthieu and his party had, by this 
 time, caused great uneasiness in the mind of Captain Bonne- 
 ville ; and, finding there was no dependence to be placed upon 
 the perseverance and courage of scouting parties in so perilous 
 a quest, he determined to set out himself on the search, and to 
 keep on until he should ascertain something of the object of 
 his soKcitude. 
 
 Accordingly on the 26th December he left the camp, ac- 
 companied by thirteen stark trappers and hunters, all well 
 mounted and armed for dangerous enterprise. On the follow- 
 ing morning they passed out at the head of the mountain gorge 
 and sallied forth into the open plain. As they confidently ex- 
 pected a brush with the Blackfeet, or some other predatory 
 horde, they moved with great circumspection, and kept vigi- 
 lant watch in their encampments. 
 
 In the course of another day they left the main branch of 
 Salmon River, and proceeded south toward a pass called John 
 Day's defile. It was severe and arduous travelling. The 
 plains were swept by keen and bitter blasts of wintry wind ; 
 the ground was generally covered with snow, game was scarce, 
 so that hunger generally prevailed in the camp, while the want 
 of pasturage soon began to manifest itself in the declining vigor 
 of the horses. 
 
 The party had scarcely encamped on the afternoon of the 
 2Sth, when two of the hunters who had sallied forth in quest 
 of game came galloping back in great alarm. While hunting 
 they had perceived a party of savages, evidently manoeuvring 
 to cut them off from the camp ; and nothing had saved them 
 from being entrapped but the speed of their horses. 
 
 These tidings struck dismay into the camp. Captain Bonne'
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. ]01 
 
 ville endeavored to reassure his men by representing the posi- 
 tion ot their eneanipnient, and its capahihty of defence. He 
 then ordered tlie liorses to be driven in and picketed, and 
 threw up a rough breastwork of fallen trunks of trees and the 
 vegetable rubbish of the wilderness. Within this barrier was 
 maintained a vigilant watch throughout the night, "which 
 passed away without alarm. At early dawn they scrutinized 
 the surrounding plain, to discover whether any enemies had 
 been lurking about dm-ing the night; not a foot-print, however, 
 was to bo <liscovered in the coarse gi'avel with w-hich the plain 
 was covered. 
 
 Hunger now began to cause more uneasiness than the appre- 
 hensions of surrounding enemies. After marching a few miles 
 they encamped at the foot of a mountain, in hopes of finding 
 buffal-o. It was not until the next day that they discovered a 
 pair of fine bulls on the edge of the plain, among rocks and ra- 
 vines. Having now been two days and a half Avithout a mouth- 
 ful of food, they took especial care that these animals should 
 not escape them. While some of the surest marksmen ad- 
 vanced cautiously with their rifles into the roiigli ground, foia* 
 of the best mounted horsemen took their stations in tlie plain, 
 to nm the bulls down should they only be maimed. 
 
 The buffalo were wounded and set off in headlong flight. 
 The half-famished horses were too weak to overtake them on 
 the frozen ground, but succeeded in driving them on the ice, 
 where they slipped and fell, and were easily dis])atched. The 
 hunters loaded themselves with beef for present and future 
 suppl3^ and then returned and encamped at the last night's 
 fire. Here they passed the remainder of the day, cooking and 
 eating with a. voracity pro]>ortioned to previous starvationi, 
 forgetting in the hearty revel of the moment the certain dan- 
 gers with which they were environed. 
 
 The cravings of hunger being satisfied, they now began to 
 debate about their furtlier progress. The men were much dis- 
 heartened by the hardships they had already endm-ed. Indee«l, 
 two who had been in the rear guard, taking advantage of their 
 position, had deserted and returned to the lodges of the Nez 
 Perces. The prospect ahead was enough to stagger the stout- 
 est heart. They were in the dead of winter. As far as the eye 
 could reach the wild landscape was wrapped in snow, wiiich 
 was evidently deepening as they advanced. Over this they 
 woifld have to toil, with the icy wind Ijlowing in their fares: 
 their horses might give out through want of ])asturage, and
 
 102 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 they themselves must expect intervals of horrible famine hke 
 that they had already experienced. 
 
 With Captain Bonneville, however, perseverance was a mat- 
 ter of pride ; and, having undertaken this enterprise, nothing 
 could turn him back until it was accomplished : tiiough he de- 
 clares that, had he anticipated the difficidties and sufferings 
 which attended it, he should have flinched from the undertak- 
 ing. 
 
 Onward, therefore, the little band urged their way, keeping 
 along the course of a stream called John Day's Creek. The 
 cold was so intense that they had frequently to dismount and 
 travel on foot, lest they shoidd freeze in their saddles. The 
 days which at this season are short enovigh even in the open 
 prairies, were narrowed to a few hours by the liigh mountains, 
 which allowed the travellers but a brief enjoyment of the 
 cheering rays of the sun. The snow was generally at least 
 twenty inches in depth, and in many places much more: thone 
 who dismounted had to beat their way with toilsome steps. 
 Eight miles were considered a good day's journey. The horses 
 ■were almost famished; for the herbage was covered by the 
 deep snow, so that they had nothing to subsist upon but scanty 
 wisps of the dry buneii grass which peered above the surface, 
 and the small branches and twigs of frozen willows and worm- 
 wood. 
 
 In this way they urged their slow and painful course to the 
 south down John Day's Creek, until it lost itself in a swamp. 
 Here they encamped upon the ice among stiffened willows, 
 where they were obliged to beat down and clear away the 
 snow to procure pasturage for their horses. 
 
 Hence, they toiled on to Godin Eiver ; so called after an Iro- 
 quois hunter in the service of Sublette, who w'as murdered 
 there by the Blackfeet. Many of the features of this remote 
 wilderness are thus named after scenes of violence and blood- 
 shed that occurred to the early pioneers. It was an act of 
 lilial vengeance on the part of Godin's son Antoine that, as the 
 reader may recollect, brought on the recent battle at Pierre's 
 Hole. 
 
 From Godin's Eiver, Captain Bonneville and Ms followers 
 came out upon the plain of the Three Butes, so called fi'om 
 three singular and isolated hills that rise from the midst. It 
 is a part of the great desert of Snake River, one of the most re- 
 markable tracts beyond the mountains. Could they have ex- 
 perienced a respite from their sufferings and anxieties, the
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 103 
 
 immense landscape spread out before them was calculated to 
 inspire admiration. Winter has its beauties and gloi-ies as 
 well as summer; and Captain Bonnovillo had the soul to ap- 
 preciate them. 
 
 Far away, says ho, over the vast plains, and up the steep 
 sides of the lofty mountains, the snow lay spread in dazzling 
 whiteness: and Avh(>never the sun emerged in the morning 
 above the giant peaks, or burst forth from among clouds in his 
 mid-day course, mountain and dell, glazed rock and frosted 
 tree, glowed and sparkled Avith suri)assing lustre. The tall 
 pines seemed sprinkled Avith a silver dust, and the willows, 
 studded with minute icicles reflecting the prismatic rays, 
 brought to mind the fairy trees conjured up by the caliph's 
 story-teller to adorn his vale of diamonds. 
 
 The poor wanderers, however, nearly starved with hunger 
 and cold, were in no mood to enjoy the glories of these brilliant 
 scenes ; though they stamped pictures on their memory which 
 have been recalled with delight in more genial situations. 
 
 Encamping at the west Bute, they found a place swept by 
 the winds, so that it was bare of snow, and there was abun- 
 dance of bunch grass. Here the horses were turned loose to 
 graze thi-oughout the night. Though for once they had ample 
 l^asturage, yet the keen winds were so intense that, in the 
 morning, a mule was found frozen to death. The trappei'S gath- 
 ered round and mourned over him as over a cherished friend. 
 Tlioy feared their half-famished hoi-ses would soon share 
 his fate, for there seemed scarce blood enough left in their 
 Veins to withstand the freezing cold. To beat the way further ' 
 through the snow with these enfeebled animals seemed next to 
 impossible; and despondency began to creep over their hearts, 
 when, fortunately, they discovered a trail made by some hunt- 
 ing party. Into this they immediately entered, and proceeded 
 with less difficulty. Shortly afterward, a fine bulFalo bull 
 came bounding across the snow and Avas instantly brought 
 down by the hunters. A fire was soon blazing and crackling, 
 and an amjile repast soon cooked, and sooner dispatched ; after 
 which they made some further progress and then encamped. 
 One of the men reached the camp nearly frozen to dcatli ; but 
 good cheer and a blazing fire gradually restored life, and put 
 his blood in circulation. 
 
 Having now a l)eaton patii, they proceeded the next morning 
 with more facility; indeed, the snow decreased in depth as 
 they receded from the mountains, and the temperature became
 
 104 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 more mild. In the course of the day they discovered a soli- 
 tary horseman hovering at a distance before them on the 
 plain. They spurred on to overtake him ; but he was better 
 mounted on a fresher steed, and kept at a wary distance, re- 
 connoitring them with evident distrust ; for the wild dress of 
 the free trappers, their leggins, blankets, and cloth caps gar- 
 nished with fur and topped off with feathers, even their very 
 elf-locks and weather-bronzed complexions, gave them the 
 look of Indians rather than white men, and made him mistake 
 them for a war party of some hostile tribe. 
 
 After much manoeuvring, the wild horseman was at length 
 brought to a parley; but even then he conducted himself with 
 the caution of a knowing prowler of the prairies. Dismount- 
 ing from his horse, and using him as a breastwork, he levelled 
 his gun across his back, and, thus prepared for defence like a 
 wary cruiser upon the high seas, he permitted himself to be 
 approached within speaking distance. 
 
 He proved to be an Indian of the Banncck tribe, belonging 
 to a band at no great distance. It was some time before he 
 could be persuaded that he was conversing with a party of 
 white men, and induced to lay aside his reserve and join them. 
 He then gave them the interesting intelligence that there were 
 two companies of white men encamped in the neighborhood. 
 This was cheering news to Captain Bonneville ; who hoped to 
 find in one of them the long-sought party of Matthieu. Push- 
 ing forward, therefore, with renovated spirits, he reached 
 Snake River by nightfall, and there fixed his encampment. 
 
 Early the next morning (13th January, 1833), dilige«it search 
 was made about the neighborhood for traces of the reported 
 parties of white men. An encampment was soon discovered 
 about four miles further up the river, in which Captain Bonne- 
 ville to his great joy found two of Matthieu's men, from whom 
 he learned that the rest of his party woidd be there in the 
 course of a few days. It was a matter of great pride and self- 
 gratulation to Captain Bonneville that he had thus accom- 
 plished his dreary and doubtful enterprise ; and he determined 
 to pass some time in this encampment, both to await the return 
 of Matthieu, and to give needful repose to men and horses. 
 
 It was, in fact, one of the most eligible and delightful winter- 
 ing grounds in that whole range of country. The Snake River 
 here wound its devious way between low banks through the 
 great plain of the Three Butes ; and was bordered by wide and 
 fertile meadows. It was studded with islands which, like the
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTALY BOXXEVFLLE. 105 
 
 alluvial bottoms, were covered with gi'ovcs of cotton-wood, 
 thickets of willow, tracts of good lowland grass, and abinidance 
 of green rushes. The adjacent plains were so vant in extent 
 that no single band of Indians could drive the buffalo out of 
 them; nor was the snow of sufficient depth to give any sei-ious 
 inconvenience. Indec.1, during the sojom-n of (Captain Bonne- 
 ville in this neighborhood, which was in the heart of winter, 
 he found the weather, with the exception of a few cold and 
 stormy days, generally mild and pleasant, freezing a little at 
 night but invariably thawing Avith the morning's sun — resem- 
 bling the spring weather in the middle parts of the United 
 States. 
 
 The lofty range of the Three Tetons, those great landmarks 
 of the Rocky Mountains rising in the east and circling away to 
 the north and Avest of the great plain of Snake River, and the 
 mountains of Salt River and Portneuf towai'd the south, catch 
 the earliest falls of snow. Their white robes lengthen as the 
 winter advances, and spread themselves far into the plam, 
 driving the buffalo in herds to the banks of the river in quest 
 of food ; whore they are easily slain in great numbers. 
 
 Such were the palpable advantages of this winter encamp- 
 ment; added to which, it was secure from the prowlings and 
 plunderings of any petty band of roving Blackfcet, the diffi- 
 culties of retreat rendering it unwise for those crafty depre- 
 dators to venture an attack unless with an overpowering 
 force. 
 
 About ten miles below the encampment lay the Banneck 
 Indians; numbering about one hundred and twenty lodges. 
 They are brave and cunning Avarriors and deadly foes of the 
 Blackfeet, whom they easily overcome in battles Avliere their 
 forces are equal. They are not vengeful and enterprising in 
 warfare, boAvever; seldom sending Avar parties to attack the 
 Blackfeet tOAvns, but contenting themselves Avith defending 
 their own territories and house. About one third of their Avar- 
 riors are armed Avith fusees, the I'cst Avith bows and arrows. 
 
 As soon as the spring opens they move doAvn the right bank 
 of Snake River and encamp at the heads of the Boisee and 
 Payette. Here their horses Avax fat on good pasturage, Avhilo 
 the ti-ibe rcA-els in plenty upon the flesh of deer, elk, bear, and 
 beaver. They then descend a little further, and are met by the 
 LoAver Nez Ferces, with AA'hom they trade for Ixii'ses; giving in 
 exchange beaver, buffalo, and buffalo robes. Hence they strike 
 upon the tributary streams on the left bank of Snake River.
 
 106 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 and encamp at the lise of the Portneuf and Blaclcfoot streams, 
 in the buffalo range. Their horses, although of the Nez Perce 
 breed, are inferior to the parent stock from being ridden at too 
 early an age, being often bought when but two years old and 
 immediately put to hard work. They have fewer horses, also, 
 than most of these migratory tribes. 
 
 At the time that Captain Bonneville came into the neigh- 
 borhood of these Indians, they were all in mourning for their 
 chief, surnamed The Horse. This chief was said to possess a 
 chai'med hfe, or rather, to be invulnerable to lead; no bullet 
 having ever hit him, though he had been in repeated battles, 
 and often shot at by the surest mai^ksmen. He had shown 
 great magnanimity in his intercourse with the white men. 
 One of the great men of liis family had been slain in an attack 
 upon a band of trappers passing through the territories of liis 
 tribe. Vengeance had been sworn by the Bannecks ; but The 
 Horse interfered, declaring himself the friend of white men 
 and, having great influence and authority among his people, he 
 compelled them to forego all vindictive plans and to conduct 
 themselves amicably whenever they came in contact with the 
 traders. 
 
 This chief had bravely fallen in resisting an attack made by 
 the Blackfeet upon his tribe, while encamped at the head of 
 Godin River. His fall in nowise lessened the faith of his people 
 in his charmed life ; for they declared tliat it was not a iDuIlet 
 which laid him low, but a bit of horn which had been shot into 
 him by some Blackfoot marksman aware, no doubt, of the in- 
 efficacy of lead. Since his death there was no one with suffi- 
 cient influence over the tribe to restrain the wild and predatory 
 propensities of the young men. The consequence w^as they had 
 become troublesome and dangerous neighbors, openly friendly 
 for the sake of traffic, but disposed to commit secret depreda- 
 tions and to molest any small party that might fall within 
 their reach.
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIX BO^'NEVILLE. 107 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 MISADVENTURES OF MATTHIEU AXD HIS PARTY—RETURN TO THE 
 CACHES AT SALMON RIVER — BATTLE BETWEEN NEZ PERCES 
 AND BLACKFEET— HEROISM OF A NEZ PERCE WOMAN— EN- 
 ROLLED AMONG THE BRAVES. 
 
 On the 3d of February Matthieii, with the residue of his band, 
 arrived in camp. He had a disastrous story to relate. After 
 parting with Captain Bv:)nneville in Green River valley he had 
 proceeded to the westward, keeping to the north of the Eutaw 
 Mountains, a spur of the great Rocky chain. Hei-e he expori- 
 enced the most rugged travelling for his horses, and soon dis- 
 covered that there was but little chance of meeting the Sho- 
 shonie bands. He now proceeded along Bear River, a stream 
 much frequented by trappers, intending to shape his course to 
 Salmon River to rejoin Captain Bonneville. 
 
 He was misled, however, either through the ignorance or 
 treachery of an Indian guide, and conducted into a wild valley 
 where he lay encamped during the autumn and the early part 
 of the winter, nearly buried in snow and almost starved. 
 Early in the season he detached five men, with nine horses, to 
 proceed to the neighborhood of the Sheep Rock, on Bear 
 River, where game was plenty, and there to procure a supply 
 for the camp. They had not proceeded far on their expedition 
 wlien their trail was discovered by a party of nine or ten In- 
 dians, who immediately commenced a lurking pursuit, dogging 
 them secretly for five or six daj's. So long as their encamp- 
 ments were well chosen and a proper watch maintained the 
 wary savages kept aloof ; at length, observing that they were 
 badly encamped, in a situation where they might be approached 
 with secrecy, the enemy crept stealthily along under cover of 
 the river bank, preparing to burst suddenly upon their prey. 
 
 Tliey had not advanced within striking distance, however, 
 before they were discovered by one of the trappers. He im- 
 mediately but silently gave the alarm to his companions. 
 They all sprang upon their horses and prepared to reti-eat to a 
 safe position. One of the party, however, named Jennings, 
 doubted the correctness of the alarm, and before he mounted 
 his horso wanted to ascertain the fact. His companions urered
 
 108 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 him to mount, but in vain ; he was incredulous and obstinate. 
 A volley of firearms by the savages dispelled his doubts, but 
 GO overpo^vered his nerves that he was unable to get into his 
 saddle. His comrades, seeing his peril and confusion, gener- 
 ously leaped from their horses to protect him. A shot from a 
 rifle brought him to the earth; in his agony he called upon the 
 others not to desert him. Two of them, Le Roy and Ross, 
 after fighting desperately, were captured by the savages ; the 
 remaining two vaulted into their saddles and saved themselves 
 by headlong flight, being pursued for nearly thirty miles. 
 They got safe back to Matthieu's camp, where their story in- 
 spired such dread of larking Indians that the hunters could 
 not be prevailed upon to imdertake another foray in quest of 
 provisions. They remained, therefore, almost starving in 
 their camp ; now and then killing an old or disabled horse for 
 food, while the elk and the mountain sheep roamed unmo- 
 lested among the surrounding mountains. 
 
 The disastrous surprisal of this hunting party is cited by 
 Captain Bonneville to show the importance of vigilant watch- 
 ing and judicious encampments in the Indian country. Most 
 of this kind of disasters to traders and trappers arise from 
 some careless inattention to the state of their arms and ammu- 
 nition, the placing of their horses at night, the position ol their 
 camping ground, and the posting of their night watches. The 
 Indian is a vigilant and crafty foe, by no means given to hair- 
 brained assaults; he seldom attacks when he finds his foe well 
 prepared and on the alert. Caution is at least as efficacious a 
 protection against him as courage. 
 
 The Indians who made this attack were at first supposed to 
 be Blackfeet; until Captain Bonneville found subsequently, in 
 the camp of the Bannecks, a horse, saddle, and bridle, which 
 he recognized as having belonged to one of the hunters. The 
 Bannecks, however, stoutly denied having taken these spoils 
 in fight, and persisted in aflirming that the outrage had been 
 perpetrated by a Blackfoot band. 
 
 Captain Bonneville remained on Snake River nearly three 
 weeks after the arrival of Matthieu and his party. At length 
 his horses having recovered stren.gth sufficient for a journey, 
 he prepared to return to the Nez Perces, or rather to visit his 
 caches on Salmon River; that he might take thence goods and 
 equipments for the opening season. Accoi'dingly, leaving six- 
 teen men at Snake River, he set out on the 19th of February 
 with sixteen others on his journey to the caches.
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 109 
 
 Fording the rivor, he proceeded to the borders of the deep 
 pnow, when he encamped under tlie lee of immenKc piles of 
 Inirned rock. On the 2Jst ho was again lloundering through 
 the snow, on the great Snake River plain, where it lay to the 
 depth of thirty inches. It was suflBciently incrusted to bear a 
 pedestrian, but the poor horses broke through the crust, and 
 plunged and strained at every step. So lacerated were they 
 by the ice that it was necessary to change the front every 
 hundred j^ards, and put a different one in advance to break 
 the way. The open prairies were swept by a piercing and 
 biting wind from the northwest. At night, thej^ had to task 
 their ingenuity to provide shelter and keep from freezing. In 
 the first place, they dug deep holes in the snow, piling it up in 
 ramparts to windward as a protection against the blast. Be- 
 neath these they spread buffalo skins, upon which they 
 stretched themselves in full dress, with caps, cloaks, and moc- 
 casins, and covered themselves with numerous blankets: not- 
 withstanding all wliich they were often severely pinched with 
 the cold. 
 
 On the 2Sth of February they arrived on the banks of Godin 
 River. This stream emerges from the mountains opposite an 
 eastern branch of the ]\Ialade River, running southeast, forms 
 a deep and swift cuiTcnt about twenty yards Avide, passing 
 rapidly through a defile to which it gives its name, and then 
 enters the great plain where, after meandering about forty 
 miles, it is finalh" lost in the region of the Burned Rocks. 
 
 On the banks of this river Captain Bonneville was so fortu- 
 nate as to come upon a buffalo trail. Following it up, he en- 
 tered the defile, where he remained encamped for two days to 
 allow the hunters time to kill and dry a supply of buffalo beef. 
 In this sheltered defile the weather was moderate and grass 
 was already sprouting more than an inch in height. There 
 was abundance, too, of the salt weed wdiich grows most plen- 
 tiful in clayey and gravelly barrens. It resembles pennyroyal, 
 and derives its name from a partial saltness. It is a nourish- 
 ing food for the horses in the winter, but they reject it the 
 moment the young gi'ass affords sufficient pasturage. 
 
 On the Gth of March, having cured sufficient meat, the pai'ty 
 resumed their march, and moved on with comparative ease, 
 excepting where they had to make their way through snow- 
 drifts which had been piled up by the wind. 
 
 On the 11th, a small clcnid of smoke was observed rising in a 
 deep part of the defile. An encampment was instantly formed
 
 110 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 and scouts were sent out to reconnoitre. They returned with 
 intelligence that it was a hunting party of Flatheads, return- 
 ing from the buffalo range laden with meat. Captain Bonne- 
 ville joined them the next day, and persuaded thenx to pro- 
 ceed with his party a few miles below to the caches, whither 
 ho proposed also to invite the Nez Perces, whom he hoped to 
 find somewhere in this neigi borhood. In fact, on the 13th, he 
 was rejoined by that friendly tribe who, since he separated 
 from them on Salmon River, had likewise been out to hunt 
 the buffalo, but had continued to be haunted and harassed by 
 their old enemies the Blackfeet, who, as usual, had contrived 
 to carry off many of their horses. 
 
 In the course of this hunting expedition, a small band of ten 
 lodges separated from the main body in search of better pas- 
 turage for their horses. About the 1st of March, the scattered 
 parties of Blackfoot banditti united to the number of three 
 hundred fighting men, and determined upon some signal blow. 
 Proceeding to the former camping ground of the Nez Perces, 
 they found the lodges deserted ; upon which they hid them- 
 selves among the willows and thickets, watching for some 
 straggler wiio might guide them to the present " whereabout" 
 of their intended victims. As fortune would have it Kosato, 
 the Blackfoot renegade, was the first to pass along, accom- 
 panied by his blood-bought bride. He w^as on his way from 
 the main body of hunters to the Httle band of ten lodges. The 
 Blackfeet knew and marked hmi as he passed ; he was within 
 bowshot of their ambuscade ; yet, much as they thirsted for 
 his blood, they forbore to launch a shaft; sparing him for the 
 moment that he might lead them to their prey. Secretly fol- 
 lowing liis trail, they discovered the lodges of the unfortunate 
 Nez Perces, and assailed them with shouts and yellings. The 
 Nez Perces numbered only twenty men, and but nine were 
 armed with fusees. They showed themselves, however, as 
 brave and skilful in Avar as they had been mild and long-suf- 
 fering in peace. Their first care was to dig holes inside of 
 their lodges ; thus ensconced they fought desperately, laying 
 several of the enemy dead upon the ground; while they, 
 though some of them were wounded, lost not a single warrior. 
 
 During the heat of the battle, a woman of the Nez Perces, 
 seeing her warrior badly wounded and unable to fight, seized 
 his bow and arrows, and bravely and successfully defended his 
 person, contributiiig to the safety of the whole party. 
 
 In another part of the field of action, a Nez Perce had
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. \\\ 
 
 crouched behind the trunk of a fallen tree, and Icept up a gall- 
 ing fire from his covert. A Blackfoot seeing this, prociu-ed a 
 round log, and placing it before him as he lay prostrate, I'oUed 
 it forward toward the trunk of the tree behind which his enemy- 
 lay crouched. It was a moment of breathless interest ; who- 
 ever first showed himself would be in danger of a shot. The 
 Nez Perce put an end to the suspense. The moment the logs 
 touched he sprang upon his feet and discharged the contents 
 of liis fusee into the back of his antagonist. By this time the 
 Blackfeet had got possession of the horses, several of their war- 
 riors lay dead on the field, and the Nez Perces, ensconced in 
 tlieir lodges, seemed resolved to defend themselves to the last 
 gasp. It so happened that the chief of the Blackfeet party was 
 a renegade from the Nez Perces; unlike Kosato, however, he 
 had no viiidictiv^e rage against his native tribe, but was rather 
 disposed, now he had got the booty, to spare all imnecessary 
 effusion of blood. He held a long parley, therefore, with the 
 l)esieged, and finally drew ofi^ his warriors, taking with him 
 seventy horses. It appeared, afterward, that the bullets of the 
 Blackfeet had been entirely expended in the course of the bat- 
 tle, so that they were obliged to make use of stones as substi- 
 tute. 
 
 At the outset of the fight Kosato, the renegade, fought with 
 fury rather than valor, animating the others by word as well 
 as deed. A wound in the head from a rifle ball laid him sense- 
 less on the earth. There his body remained when the battle 
 was over, and the victors were leading off the horses. His wife 
 hung over him with frantic lamentations. The conquerors 
 paused and urged her to leave the lifeless renegade, and return 
 with them to her kindred. She refused to listen to their solici- 
 tations, and they ]\assed on. As she sat watching the features 
 of Kosato, and giving Avay to passionate grief, she thought she 
 perceived him to breathe. She was not mistaken. The ball, 
 which had been nearly spent before it struck him, had stunned 
 instead of killing him. By the ministry of his faithful Avife he 
 gradually recovered, reviving to a redoubled love for her, and 
 hatred of his tribe. 
 
 As to the female Avho had so bravely defended her husband, 
 she was elevated by the tribe to a rank far above her sex, and 
 beside other honoi'able distinctions, was thenceforAvard per- 
 mitted to take a part iu the war dances of the braves 1
 
 112 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 OPENING OF THE CACHES— DETACHMENTS OF CERRE AND HODGN 
 KISS— SALMON RIVER MOUNTAINS — SUPERSTITION OF AN INDIAN 
 TRAPPER — GODIN's RIVER — PREPARATIONS FOR TRAPPING — AN 
 ALARM — AN INTERRUPTION— A RIVAL BAND— PHENOMENA OP 
 SNAKE RIVER PLAIN — VAST CLEFTS AND CHASMS — INGULFED 
 STREAMS — SUBLIME SCENERY— A GRAND BUFFALO HUNT, 
 
 Captain Bonneville found his caches perfectly secure, and 
 having escretly opened them he selected such articles as were 
 necessary to equip the free trappers and to supply the incon- 
 siderable trade with the Indians, after which he closed them 
 again. The free trappers, being newly rigged out and supplied, 
 were in high spirits, and swaggered gayly about the camp. To 
 compensate all hands for past sufferings, and to give a cheer- 
 ful spur to further operations, Captain Bonneville now gave 
 the men what, in frontier phrase, is termed " a regular blow 
 out." It was a day of uncouth gambols and fi-olics and rude 
 feasting. The Indians joined in the sports and games, and all 
 was mirth and good-fellowship. 
 
 It was now the middle of March, and Captain BonneviUe 
 made preparations to open the spring campaign. He had 
 pitched upon Malade River for his main trapping ground for 
 the season. This is a stream which rises among the gi'eat bed 
 of mountains north of the Lava Plain, and after a winding 
 course falls into Snake River. Previous to his departure the 
 captain dispatched Mr. Cerre, with a few men, to visit the 
 Indian vUlages and purchase horses; he furnished his clerk, 
 Mr. Hodgkiss, also, with a small stock of goods, to keep up a 
 trade with the Indians during the spring, for such jDeltries as 
 they might collect, appointing the caches on Salmon River as 
 the point of rendezvous, where they were to rejoin him on the 
 15th of June following. 
 
 This done he set out for Malade River, with a band of twenty- 
 eight men composed of hired and free trappers and Indian 
 hunters, together with eight squaws. Their route lay up along 
 the right fork of Salmon River, as it passes through the deep 
 defile of the mountains. They travelled very slowly, not above 
 five nailcs a day, for many of the horses were so weak that they
 
 ADVENTURES Oh' VAPTAIN BOi\AJ(:VJJJJi;. ni-i 
 
 faltered and staggered as they walked. Pasturage, howe%'er, 
 "vvas now growing plentiiul. There was abiuulance of fresh 
 grass, which in some places had attained such height as to 
 wave in the wind. The native flocks of the wilderness, the 
 mountain sheep, as they arc called by the trappers, were con- 
 tinually to be seen upon the hills between which they passed, 
 and a good supply of mutton was provided by the hunters, as 
 they were advancing toward a region of scarcity. 
 
 In the course of his journey Captain Bonneville bad occasion 
 to remark an instance of the many notions, and almost super- 
 stitions, which prevail among the Indians, and among some of 
 the white men, with respect to the sagacitj* of the beaver. 
 The Indian hunters of his party were in the habit of exploring 
 all the streams along which they passed, in search of "beaver 
 lodges," and occasionally set their traps with some success. 
 One of them, however, though an experienced and skilfid trap- 
 per, was invariably unsuccessful. Astonished and mortified at 
 such unusual bad luck, he at length conceived the idea that 
 there Avas some odor about his person of which the beaver got 
 scent and retreated at liis approach. He immediately set about 
 a thorough purification. Making a rude sweating-house on the 
 banks of the river, he Avoujd shut hunself up untd in a reeking 
 perspiration, and then suddenly emerging, would plunge into 
 the river. A number of these sweatings and plungings ha\-ing, 
 as he supposed, rendered his person perfectly "inodorous," he 
 resumed his trapping with renovated hope. 
 
 About the beginning of Ai)ril they encamped upon Godin's 
 River, where they found the swamp full of " musk-rat houses." 
 Here, therefore. Captain Bonneville determined to remain a 
 few daj's and make his first regular attemi^t at trapping. That 
 his maiden campaign might open with spirit, he promised the 
 Indians and free trappers an extra price for every musk-rat 
 they should take. All now set to woik for the next day's sport. 
 The utmost animation and gayety prevailed throughout the 
 camp. Evcrjthing looked auspicious for their spring campaign. 
 The abundance of musk-rats in the swamp was but an earnest 
 of the nobler game they were to fmd when they should reach 
 the ]\Ialade Eiver, and have a capital beaver country all to 
 themselves, where they might trap at their leisure without 
 molestation. 
 
 In the midst of their gayety a hunter came galloping into 
 the camp, shouting, or rather yelling, "A trail! a trails-- ' 
 lodge poles ! lodge poles 1"
 
 114 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 These were words full of meaning to a trapper's ear. They 
 intimated that there was some band in the neighborhood, and 
 probably a hunting party, as they had lodge poles for an en- 
 campment. The hunter came up and told his story. He had 
 discovered a fresh trail, in which the traces made by the drag- 
 ging of lodge poles were distinctly visible. The buffalo, too, 
 had just been driven out of the neighborhood, which showed 
 that the hunters had already been on the range. 
 
 The gayety of the camp was at an end; all preparations for 
 musk-rat trapping were suspended, and all hands sallied forth 
 to examine the trail. Their worst fears were soon confirmed. 
 Infallible signs showed the unknown party in the advance to be 
 white men ; doubtless, some rival band of trappers ! Here was 
 competition when least expected; and that too by a party 
 already in the advance, who were driving the game before 
 them. Captain Bonneville had now a taste of the sudden tran- 
 sitions to which a trapper's hfe is subject. The buoyant confi- 
 dence in an uninterrupted hunt was at an end ; every counte- 
 nance lowered with gloom and disappointment. 
 
 Captain Bonneville immediately dispatched two spies to over- 
 take the rival party, and endeavor to learn their plans; in the 
 meantime, he turned his back upon the swamp and its musk- 
 rat houses and followed on at ' ' long camps, " which in trapper's 
 language is equivalent to long stages. On the 6th of April he 
 met his spies returning. They had kept on the trail like hounds 
 until they overtook the party at the south end of Godin's defile. 
 Here they found them comfortably encamped: twenty-two 
 prime trappers, aU well appointed, with excellent horses in 
 capital condition led by J^Iilton Sublette, and an able coadjutor 
 named Jarvie, and in full march for the ]\Ialade hunting ground. 
 This was stunning news. The Malade River was the only trap- 
 ping ground within reach ; but to have to compete there with 
 veteran trappers, perfectly at home among the mountains, and 
 admirably moimted, while they were so poorly provided with 
 horses and trappers, and had but one man in their party ac- 
 quainted with the country — it was out of the question. 
 
 The only hope that now remained was that the snoAv, which 
 still lay deep among the moimtains of Godin River and blocked 
 up the usual pass to the Malade country, might detain the other 
 party until Captain Bonneville's horses should get once more 
 into good condition in their present ample pasturage. 
 
 The rival pai'ties now encamped together, not out of com- 
 panionship, but to keep an eye upon each other. Day after
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. HH 
 
 day passed by without any possibility of getting to the Malado 
 country. Sublette and Jarvie endeavored to force their woy 
 across the mountain ; but the snows lay so deep as to obhgo 
 them to turn b'-ck. In the meantime the captain's hors-es were 
 daily gaining strength, and their hoofs imi)roving, which had 
 been worn and battered by moimtain sei'vice. The captain, 
 also, was increasing his stock of provisions; so that the delay 
 was all in his favor. 
 
 To any one who merely contemplates a map of the country 
 this difficulty of getting from Godin to Malade Eiver \\dll ap- 
 pear inexplicable, as the intervening mountains terminate in 
 the great Snaice Eiver plain, so that, ajiparently, it would be 
 perfectly easy to proceed round their bases. 
 
 Hero, however, occur some of the striking phenomena of 
 this wild and sublime region. The great loAver plain which ex- 
 tends to the feet of these mountains is broken uj) near their 
 bases into crests, and ridges resembhng the surges of the ocean 
 breaking on a rocky shore. 
 
 In a line with the mountains the plain is gashed with numer- 
 ous and dangerous chasms, from four to ten feet wide, and of 
 great depth. Captain Bonneville attempted to sound some of 
 these openings, but without any satisfactory result. A stone 
 dropped into one of them reverberated against the sides for 
 apparently a very great depth, and, by its sound, indicated the 
 same kind of substance with the surface, as long as the strokes 
 could be heard. The horse, instinctively sagacious in avoiding 
 danger, shrinks back in alarm from the least of these chasms, 
 pricking up his ears, snorting and pawing, until permitted to 
 turn away. 
 
 We have been told by a person well acquainted with the 
 country tliat it is sometimes necessarj' to travel fifty and sixty 
 miles to get round one of these tremendous ravines. Con.^ider- 
 able streams, like that of Godin's River, that run with a bold, 
 free current, lose themselves in this plain ; some of them end 
 in swamps, others suddenly disappear, finding, no doubt, sub- 
 terranean outlets. 
 
 Opposite to these chasms Snake River makes two desperate 
 leaps over precipices, at a short distance from each other; one 
 twent}', the other foi-ty feet in height. 
 
 The volcanic plain in question forms an area of aboiit sixty 
 miles in diameter, where nothing meets the eye but a desolate 
 and awful waste ; where no grass gi'ows nor water runs, and 
 where nothing is to be seen but lava. Ranges of mountains
 
 116 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE 
 
 skirt this plain, and, in Captain Bonneville's opinion, were 
 formei'ly connected, until rent asunder by some convidsion of 
 nature. Far to the east the Three Tetons lift their heads sub- 
 limely, and dominate this wide sea of lava— one oi the most 
 striking features of a wDderness where everything seems on a 
 scale of stern and simijle grandeur. 
 
 We look forward with impatience for some able geologist to 
 explore this sublime but almost unknown region. 
 
 It was not until the 25th of April that the two parties of 
 trappers broke up their encampments, and undertook to cross 
 over the southwest end of the mountain by a pass explored by 
 their scouts. From various points of the mountain they com- 
 manded boundless prospects of the lava plain, stretching away 
 in cold and gloomy barrenness as far as the eye could reach. 
 On the evening of the 2tJth they reached the plain west of the 
 mountain, watered by the Malade, the Bcisee, and other 
 streams, which comprised the contemplated trapping-ground. 
 
 The country about the Boisee (or Woody) River is extolled 
 by Captain Bonneville as the most enchanting he had seen in 
 the Far West, presenting the mingled grandeur and beauty of 
 mountain and plain, of bright rinming streams and vast grassy 
 meadows waving to the breeze. 
 
 We shall not follow the captain throughout his trapping 
 campaign, which lasted until the beginning of June, nor detail 
 all the manoeuvres of the rival trapping parties and their vari- 
 ous schemes to outwit and out-trap each other. Suffice it to 
 say that, after having visited and camped about various 
 streams with various success, Captain Bonneville set forward 
 early in June for the appointed rendezvous at the caches. On 
 the way, he treated his party to a grand buffalo hunt. The 
 scouts had reported numerous herds in a plain beyond an in- 
 tervening height. There was an immediate halt; the fleetest 
 horses were forthwith mounted and the party advanced to the 
 summit of the hill. Plence they beheld the great plain below 
 absolutely swarming with buffalo. Captain Bonneville now 
 appointed the place Avhere he would encamp; and toward 
 which the hunters were to drive the game. He cautioned the 
 latter to advance slowly, reserving the strength and speed of 
 the horses until within a moderate distance of the herds. 
 Twenty-two horsemen descended cautiously into the plain, 
 conformably to these directions. " It wgs a beautiful sight," 
 says the captain, "to see the runners, as they are callod, ad- 
 vancing in column, at a slow trot, until within two hundred
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 117 
 
 and fifty yards of the outskirts of the herd, then dashing: on at 
 full speed until lost in the immense multitude oi huffaloes 
 scouring: the \)\a\n in every direction." All was now tumult 
 and wild confusion. In the meantime Captain Bonneville and 
 the residue of the party moved on to the appointed camping 
 ground; thither the most expert runners succeeded in driving 
 numbers of buffalo, which were killed hard by the camp, and 
 the flesh transported thither without difficulty. In a little 
 while the! whole camp looked like one great slaughter-house; 
 the carcasses were skilfully cut up, great fires were made, 
 scaffolds erected for drying and jerking beef, and an ample 
 provision was made for future subsistence. On the 15th of 
 June, the precise day appointed for the rendezvous. Captain 
 Bonneville and his party arrived safely at the caches. 
 
 Here he was joined by the other detachments of his main 
 party, all in good health and spirits. The caches were again 
 opened, supplies of various kinds taken out, and a hberal 
 allowance of aqua vitoe distributed throughout the camp, to 
 celebrate with proper conviviality this mei'ry meeting. 
 
 CHAPTER XVni. 
 
 MEETING WITH HODGKISS— MISFORTUNES OF THE NEZ PERCEf3— 
 SCHEMES OF KOSATO, THE RENEGADO— HIS FORAY INTO THE 
 HORSE PRAIRIE— INVASION OF BLACKFEET— BLUE JOHN AND 
 HIS FORLORN HOPE — THEIR GENEROUS ENTERPRISE— THEIR FATE 
 — CONSTERNATION AND DESPAIR OF THE VILLAGE— SOLEMN 
 OBSEQUIES— ATTEMPT AT INDIAN TRADE— HUDSON'S BAY COM- 
 PANY'S MONOPOLY— ARRANGEMENTS FOR AUTUMN — BREAKING 
 UP OF AN ENCAMPMENT. 
 
 Having now a pretty strong party, well armed and equipped, 
 Captain Bonneville no longer felt the necessity of fortifying 
 himself in the secret places and fastnesses of the mountains; 
 but sallied forth boldly into the Snal^e River plain, in search 
 of his clerk, Hodgkiss, Avho had remained -with the Xt^z Pei'ces. 
 He found him on the 24th of June, and learned from him an- 
 otlier chapter of misfortunes which had recently befallen that 
 ill-fated race. 
 
 After the departure of Captain Bonneville in !March, Kosato.
 
 lis ADVENTURKS OF CAI'TAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 the renegade Blackfoot, had recovered from the wound re- 
 ceived in battle ; and with his strength revived all his deadly- 
 hostility to his native tribe. He now resinned his efforts to 
 stir lip the Nez Perces to reprisals upon their old enemies ; re- 
 minding them incessantly of all the outrages and robberies 
 they had recently experienced, and assuring them that such 
 would continue to be their lot until they proved themselves 
 men by some signal retaliation. 
 
 The impassioned eloquence of the desperado at length pro- 
 duced an effect ; and a band of braves enlisted under his guid- 
 ance, to penetrate into the Blackfoot country, harass theii- vil- 
 lages, cax-ry off their horses, and commit all kinds of depreda- 
 tions. 
 
 Kosato pushed forward on his foray as far as the Horse 
 Prairie, where he came upon a strong party of Blackfeet. 
 Without waiting to estimate their force, he attacked them 
 with characteristic fury, and was bravely seconded by his 
 followers. The contest, for a time, was hot and bloody; at 
 length, as is customary with these two tribes, they paused, and 
 held a long parley, or rather a war of words. 
 
 "What need," said the Blackfoot chief, tauntingly, "have 
 the Nez Perces to leave their homes, and sally forth on war 
 parties, when they have danger enough at their own doors? If 
 you want fighting, return to your villages; you will have 
 plenty of it there. The Blackfeet warriors have hitherto made 
 war upon you as children. They are now coming as men. A 
 great force is at hand ; they are on their way to your towns, 
 and are determined to rub out the very name of the Nez 
 Perces from the mountains. Return, I say, to your towns, 
 and fight there, if you wish to live any longer as a people. " 
 
 Kosato took him at his word ; for he knew the character of 
 his native tribe. Hastening back with his biind to the Nez 
 Perces village, he told all that he had seen and heard, and 
 urged the most prompt and strenuous measures for defence. 
 The Nez Perces, however, heard him with their accustomed 
 phlegm; the threat of the Blackfeet had been often made, and 
 as often had proved a mere bravado ; such they pronounced it 
 to be at present, and, of course, took no precautions. 
 
 They were soon convinced that it was no empty menace. In 
 a few days a Tbf.ncl cf three hundred Blackfeet warriors ap- 
 peared upon the hills. Ail now was consternation in the 
 village. Tlie force of the Nez Perces was too small to coi^e with 
 the enemy in open fight ; manj' of the young men having; gone
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 119 
 
 to their relatives on the Cohmibia to procure horses. The sages 
 met in hurried council. What was to be done to ward off a 
 blow which threatened annihilation? In this moment of im- 
 minent peril, a Pierccd-nose chief, named Blue John by tho 
 whites, offered to approach seci'c;tly with a small, but chosen 
 band, through a defile which led to the encampment of the 
 enemy, and, by a sudden onset, to drive off the horses. Should 
 this blow be successful, the spirit and strength of the invaders 
 would be broken, and the Nez Perces, having horses, would be 
 more than a match for them. Should it fail, the village would 
 not be Avorse off than at present, when destiuction appeared 
 inevitable. 
 
 Twenty-nine of the choicest Tvarriors instantly volunteered 
 to follow Blue John m this hazardous enterprise. They pre- 
 pared for it with the solemnity and devotion peculiar to the 
 tribe. Blue John consulted his medicine, or talismanic charm, 
 such as every chief keeps in his lodge as a supernatural pro- 
 tection. The oracle assured him that his enterprise Avould bo 
 completely successful, provided no rain shoidd fall before he 
 had passed through the defile; but should it rain, his band 
 would be utterly cut off. 
 
 The day was clear and bright; and Blue John anticipated 
 that the skies wovdd be propitious. He departed in high 
 spirits with his forlorn hope; juid never did band of braves 
 make a more gallant display — horsemen and horses being dec- 
 orated and equipped in the fiercest and most glaring style — 
 glittering with arms and ornaments, and fluttering with 
 feathers. 
 
 The weather continued serene until they reached the defile ; 
 but just as they were entering it a black cloud rose over the 
 mountain crest, and there was a sudden shower. The warriors 
 turned to their leader, as if to read his opinion of this unlucky 
 omen; but the countenance of Blue John remained unchanged, 
 and they continued to press forward. It was their hope to 
 make their w^ay undiscovered to the very vicinity of the Black- 
 foot camp ; but they had not proceeded far in the defile, when 
 they met a scouting })arty of the enemy. They attaolced and 
 drove them among the hills, and were pursuing them with 
 great eagerness when they heard shouts and yells behind them, 
 and beheld the main body of the Blackfeet advancing. 
 
 The second chief wavered a little at the sight and proposed 
 an instant retreat. "We came to fight!" replied Blue John, 
 sternly. Then giving his war-whoop, he sprang forward to
 
 120 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 the conflict. His braves followed him. They made a head- 
 long charge upon the enemy; not %vith the hope of victory, 
 but the determination to sell their lives dearly. A frightful 
 carnage, rather than a regular battle, succeeded. The forlorn 
 band laid heaps of their enemies dead at their feet, but were 
 overwhelmed with numbers and pressed into a gorge of the 
 mountain ; where they continued to fight until they were cut 
 to pieces. One only, of the thirty, survived. He sprang on 
 the horse of a Blackf oot warrior whom he had slain, and escap- 
 ing at full speed, brought home the balefid tidings to his 
 village. 
 
 Who can paint the horror and desolation of the inhabitants? 
 The flower of their warriors laid low, and a ferocious enemy at 
 their doors. The air was rent by the shrieks and lamentations 
 of the women, who, casting off their ornaments and tearing 
 their hair, wandered about, frantically bewailing the dead 
 and predicting destruction to the living. The remaining war- 
 riors armed themselves for obstinate defence; but showed by 
 their gloomy looks and sullen silence that they considered de- 
 fence hopeless. To their surprise the Blackfeet refrained from 
 pursuing their advantage; perhaps satisfied with the blood 
 already shed, or disheartened by the loss they had themselves 
 sustained. At any rate, they disappeared from the hills, and 
 it was soon ascertained that they had returned to the Horse 
 Prairie. 
 
 The imf ortunate Nez Perces noAv began once more to breathe. 
 A few of their warriors, taking pack-horses, repaired to the 
 defile to bring away the bodies of their slaughtered brethren. 
 They found them mere headless trunks ; and the wounds with 
 which they were covered showed how bravely they had 
 fought. Their hearts, too, had been torn out and carried off; 
 a proof of their signal valor ; for in devouring the heart of a 
 foe renowned for bravery, or who has distinguished himself in 
 battle, the Indian victor tliinks he appropriates to himself the 
 courage of the deceased. 
 
 Gathering the mangled bodies of the slain, and strapping 
 them across their pack-horses, the warriors returned, in dis- 
 mal procession, to the village. The tribe came forth to meet 
 them; the women with piercing cries and wailings; the men 
 with downcast countenances, in which gloom and sorrow 
 seemed fixed as if in marble. The mutOated and almost undis- 
 tinguishable bodies were placed in rows upon the ground, in 
 the midst of the assemblage; and the scene of heart-rending
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAiy BONNEVILLE. 121 
 
 angiiish and lamentation that ensued would have confounded 
 those who insist on Indian stoicism. 
 
 Such was the disastrous event that had overwhelmed the 
 Nez Perces tribe during the absence of Captain Jionneville; 
 and he was informed that Kosato, the renegade, who, being 
 stationed in the village, had been prevented from going on the 
 forlorn hope, was again striving to rouse the vindictive feel- 
 ings of his adopted brethren, and to prompt them to revenge 
 the slaughter of their devoted braves. 
 
 During his sojourn on the Snake lliver plain. Captain Bonne- 
 ville made one of his first essays at the strategy of the fur 
 trade. There was at this time an assemblage of Nez Perces, 
 Flatheads, and Cottonois Indians encamped together upon the 
 I>lain; well provided with beaver, which they had collected 
 during the spring. These they were waiting to traffic with a 
 a resident trader of the Hudson's Bay Company, who was 
 stationed among them, and with Avhom they were accustomed 
 to deal. As it happened, the trader was almost entirely desti- 
 tute of Indian goods ; his spring supply not having yet reached 
 him. Captain Bonneville had secret intelligence that the sup- 
 plies were on their way, and woidd soon arrive ; he hoped, how- 
 ever, by a prompt move, to anticipate their arrival, and secure 
 the market to himself. Throwing himself, therefore, among the 
 Indians, he opened his packs of merchandise and displayed the 
 most tempting wares : bright cloths, and scarlet blankets, and 
 glittering ornaments, and everything gay and glorious in the 
 eyes of warrior or squaw; all, however, was in vain. The Hud- 
 son's Bay trader was a perfect master of his business, thor- 
 rougly acquainted Avith the Indians he had to deal with, and 
 held such control over them that none dared to act openly in 
 opposition to liis Avishes ; nay, more— he came nigh turning the 
 tables upon the captain, and shaking the allegiance of some 
 of his free trappers, by distributing liquors among them. The 
 latter, therefore, was glad to give up a competition, where the 
 war was hkely to be carried into his own camp. 
 
 In fact, the traders of the Hudson's Bay Company have ad- 
 vantages over all competitors in the trade beyond the Rocky 
 Mountains. That huge monopoly centres within itself not 
 merely its own hereditary and long-established power and in- 
 fluence ; but also those of its ancient rival, but now integral 
 part, the famous Northwest Company. It has thus its races of 
 traders, trappers, hunters, and voj-ageurs, born and brought 
 up in its service, and inheriting from preceding generations a
 
 122 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 knowledge and aptitude in everything connected with Indian 
 Ufc, and Indian traflic. In the process of years, this company 
 has heen enabled to spread its ramifications in every direction ; 
 its system of intercourse is founded upon a long and intimate 
 knoAvledge of the character and necessities of the various tribes ; 
 and of all the fastnesses, defiles, and favorable hunting gi-ounds 
 of the country. Their capital, also, and the manner in which 
 their supplies ai-e disti-ibuted at various posts, or forwarded by 
 regular caravans, keep their traders well supplied, and enable 
 them to furnish their goods to the Indians at a cheap rate. 
 Their men, too, being chiefly drawn from the Canadas, where 
 they enjoy great influence and control, are engaged at the most 
 trifling wages, and supported at little cost; the provisions 
 w^hieh they take with them being little more than Indian com 
 and grease. They are brought also into the most perfect dis- 
 cipline and subordination, especially when their leaders have 
 once got them to their scene of action in the heart of the wil- 
 derness. 
 
 These circumstances combine to give the leaders of the Hud- 
 son's Bay Company a decided advantage over all the American 
 companies that come within their range; so that any close 
 competition with them is almost hopeless. 
 
 Shortly after Captain Bonneville's ineffectual attempt to 
 participate in the trade of the associated camp, the supplies of 
 the Hudson's Bay Company arrived; and the resident trader 
 w^as enabled to monopolize the market. 
 
 It was now the beginning of July ; in the latter part of which 
 month Captain Bonneville had appointed a rendezvous at Horse 
 Creek m Green Eiver valley, with some of the parties which 
 he had detached in the preceding year. He now turned his 
 thoughts in that direction, and prepared for the journey. 
 
 The Cottonois were anxious for him to proceed at once to 
 their country ; w-hich, they assured him, abounded in beaver. 
 The lands of this tribe lie immediately north of those of the 
 Flatheads and are open to the inroads of the Blackfeet. It is 
 true, the latter professed to be their allies ; but they had been 
 guilty of so many acts of perfidy, that the Cottonois had, lat- 
 terly, renounced theu* hollow friendship and attached them 
 selves to the Flatheads and Nez Forces. These they had accom- 
 panied in their migrations rather than remain alone at home, 
 exposed to the outrages of the Blackfeet. Tliey were now ap- 
 prehensive that tliese marauders would range their country 
 during: their absence and destroy the beaver; this was their
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. ]23 
 
 reason for urging Captain Bonneville to make it his autumnal 
 hunting ground. The latter, however, was not to be tempted; 
 his engagements required his presence at the rendezvous in 
 Green River valley; and he had already formed his ulterior 
 plans. 
 
 An imexpected difficulty now arose. The free trappers sud- 
 denly made a stand, and declined to accompany him. It was 
 a long and Aveary journey; the route lay througli Pierre's Hole, 
 and other mountain passes infested by the Blackfeet, and re- 
 cently the scenes of sanguinary confii(;ts. They were not dis- 
 posed to undertake such unnecessary toils and dangers, when 
 they had good and secure trapping grounds nearer at hand, on 
 the head-waters of Salmon River. 
 
 As these were free and independent fellows, whose will and 
 whhn were apt to be law — who had the whole wilderness be- 
 fox-e them, "where to choose,'' and the trader of a rival com- 
 pany at hand, ready to pay for their services— it was necessary 
 to bend to their wishes. Captain Bonneville fitted them out, 
 therefore, for the hunting ground in question; appointing Mr. 
 Hodgkiss to act as their partisan, or leader, and fixing a ren- 
 dezvous wh§re he should meet them in the course of the ensu- 
 ing winter. The brigade consisted of twen-ty-one free trappers 
 and four or five hired men as camp-k(>epers. This was not the 
 exact arrangement of a trapping party ; which when accurately 
 organized is composed of two thirds trappers whose duty leads 
 them continually abroad in pursuit of game; and one third 
 camp-keepers who cook, pack, and unpack; set up the tents, 
 take care ol' the horses and do all other duties usually assigned 
 by the Ip'^ians to their women. This part of the service is apt 
 to be fulfilled by French Creoles from Canada and the valley of 
 the Mississippi. 
 
 In the meantime the associated Indians having completed 
 their trade and received their supplies, were all ready to dis- 
 ])erse in various directions. As there was a formidable band 
 of Blackfeet just over a mountain to the northeast, by which 
 Hodgkiss and his free trappers would have to pass ; and as it 
 was known, that those sharp-sighted marauders had then* 
 scouts out watching every movement of the encampments, so 
 as to cut off stragglers or weak detachments, Captain Bonne- 
 ville prevailed upon the Noz Perces to accomjiany Hodgkiss 
 and his party until they should be beyond the range of the 
 enemy. 
 
 The Cottonois and the Fends Oreilles determined to move
 
 124 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 together at the same time, and to pass close under the moun- 
 tain infested by the Blackf eet ; while Captain Bonneville, with 
 his party, was to strike in an opposite direction to the south- 
 east, bending his course for Pierre's Hole, on his way to Green 
 River. 
 
 Accordingly, on the 6th of July, all the camps were raised at 
 the same moment ; each party taking its separate route. The 
 scene was wild and picturesque ; the long line of traders, trap- 
 pers, and Indians, with their rugged and fantastic dresses and 
 accoutrements ; their varied weapons, their innumerable 
 horses, some under the saddle, some burdened with packages, 
 others following in droves; all stretching in lengthening caval- 
 cades across the vast landscape, and making for different 
 points of the plains and mountains. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 PRECAUTIONS IN DANGEROUS DEFILES— TRAPPERS' MODE OF 
 
 DEFENCE ON A PRAIRIE A MYSTERIOUS VISITOR — ARRIVAL IN 
 
 GREEN RIVER VALLEY — ADVENTURES OP THE DETACHMENTS-- 
 THE FORLORN PARTISAN — HIS TALE OF DISASTERS. 
 
 As the route of Captain Bonneville lay through what was 
 considered the most perilous part of this region of dangers, he 
 took all his measures with military skill, and observed the 
 strictest circumspection. When on the march, a small scout- 
 ing party was thrown in the advance to reconnoitre the coun- 
 try through which they were to pass. The encampments were 
 selected with great care, and a watch was kept up night and 
 day. The horses were brought in and picketed at night, and 
 at daybreak a party was sent out to scour the neighborhood for 
 half a mile round, beating up every grove and thicket that 
 could give shelter to a lurking foe. When all was reported 
 safe, the horses were cast loose and turned out to graze. Were 
 such precautions generally observed by traders and hunters, 
 we should not so often hear of parties being surprised by the 
 Indians. 
 
 Having stated the military arrangements of the captain, we 
 may here mention a mode of defence on the open prairie, 
 ■wliich we have heard from a veteran in the Indian trade.
 
 ADVENTURED OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 125 
 
 When a party of trappers is on a journey with a convoy of 
 goods or peltries, eveiy man has tlirce pack-horses under his 
 care; each horse laden Avith three packs. Every man is pro 
 vided with a picket Avith an iron head, a mallet, and hobbles, 
 or leathern fetters for the horses. The trappers proceed across 
 the prairie in a long hue ; or sometimes three parallel lines, 
 sufficiently distant from each other to prevent the packs from 
 interfering. At an alarm, when there is no covei-t at hand, 
 the hne Avheels so as to bring the front to the rear and form 
 a circle. All then dismount, drive their pickets into the 
 ground in the centre, fasten the horses to them, and hobble 
 their forelegs, so that, in case of alarm, they cannot break 
 away. Then they unload them, and dispose of their packs as 
 breastAvorks on the periphery of the circle ; each man haA'ing 
 nine packs behind Avhich to shelter himself. In this promptly- 
 formed fortress, they await the assault of the enemy, and are 
 enabled to set large bands of Indians at defiance. 
 
 The first night of his march, Ca^itain Bonneville encamped 
 upon Henry's Fork ; an upper branch of Snake River, called 
 after the first American trader that erected a fort beyond the 
 mountains. Abovit an hour after all hands had come to a 
 halt the clatter of hoofs was heard, and a sohtary female, of 
 the Nez Perce tribe, came galloping up. She Avas mounted 
 on a mustang or half Avild horse, Avhich she managed by a 
 long rope hitched round the under jaw by Avay of bridle. 
 Dismounting, she Avalked silently into the midst of the camp, 
 and there seated herself on the ground, still liolding her horse 
 by the long halter. 
 
 The sudden and lonely apparition of this woman, and her 
 calm yet resolute demeanor, aAvakened universal curiosity. 
 The hunters and trappers gathered round, and gazed on her 
 as somethmg mysterious. She remained sih^nt, but main- 
 tained her air of calmness and self-possession. Captain Bonne- 
 A'ille a])proached and interrogated her as to the object of her 
 mysterious visit. Her ansAver Avas brief but earnest— " I loA'e 
 the whites— I Avill go Avith them." She Avas fortliAvith iuA-ited 
 to a lodge, of which she readily took possession, and from that 
 time forward was considered one of the camp. 
 
 In consequence, A^ery probably, of the mihtary precautions 
 of Captain BonncA-ille, he conducted his party in safety 
 through this hazardous region. No accident of a disastrous 
 kind occiUTod. excepting the loss of a horse. Avliicli, in passing 
 along the giddy edge of a precipice, called the Cornice, a dan-
 
 12G ADVENTUIIES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 gerous pass between Jackson's and Pierre's Hole, fell over the 
 brink, and was dashed to pieces. 
 
 On the 13th of July (18.33), Captain Bonneville arrived at 
 Green Eiver. As lie entered the valley, ho beheld it strewed in 
 every direction with the carcasses of buffaloes. It was evident 
 that Indians had recently been there, and in great numbers. 
 Alarmed at this sight, he came to a halt, and as soon as it was 
 dark, sent out spies to his place of rendezvous on Horse Creek, 
 where ho had expected to meet with his detached parties of 
 trappers on the following day. Early in the morning the spies 
 made their appearance in the camp, and with them came three 
 trappers of one of his bands, from the rendezvous, who told 
 him his people were all there expecting hun. As to the 
 slaughter among the buffaloes, it had been made by a friendly 
 band of ShoshoF 'es, who had fallen in with one of his trapping 
 parties, and accompanied them to the rendezvous. Having 
 imparted this intelligence, the three worthies from the ren- 
 dezvous broached a small keg of " alcohol, " which they had 
 brought with them, to enliven this merry meeting. The liquor 
 went briskly round ; all absent friends were toasted, and the 
 party moved forward to the rendezvous in high sjiirits. 
 
 The meeting of associated bands, who have been separated 
 from each other on these hazardous enterprises, is always in- 
 teresting; each having its tales of perils and adventui-es to 
 relate. Such Avas the case with the various detaclnnents of 
 Captain Bonneville's company, thus brought together on Horse 
 Creek. Here was the detachment of fifty men Avhich he had 
 sent from Salmon River, in the preceding month of November, 
 to winter on Snake River. They had met Avith many crosses 
 and losses in the course of their spring hunt, not so much from 
 Indians as from white men. They had come in competition 
 Avith rival trapping parties, particularly one belonging to the 
 Rocky Mountain Fur Company ; and they had long stories to 
 relate of their manoeuvres to forestall or distress each other. 
 In fact, in these virulent and sordid competitions, the trappers 
 of each party were more intent upon injuring their rivals, 
 than benefitting themseH^es ; breaking each other's traps, tramp- 
 ling and tearing to pieces tlio beaver lodges, and doing every- 
 thing in their poAA'er to mar the success of the hunt. We for- 
 bear to detail these pitiful contentions. 
 
 The most lamentable tale of disasters, hoAA'^CA^er, that Captain 
 Bonneville had to hear, was from a partisan, whom he had 
 detached in the preceding year, Avith twenty men, to hunt
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 107 
 
 through the outskirts of the Crow country, and on the tribu- 
 tary streams ot the Yellowstone; whence he was to proceed 
 and joui him in liis winter quarters on Salmon River. This 
 partisan appeared at the rendezvous witlioiit his party, and a 
 soiTowful tale of disasters had he to relate. In huntuig tho 
 Crow country, he fell in with a village of that tribe; hf)t<)rious 
 rogues, jockeys, and horse stealei's, and errant scamperers of 
 the mountains. These decoyed most of his men to desert, and 
 carry olf horses, traps, and accoutrements. Wlien he at- 
 tempted to retake the deserters, the Crow warrioi-s ruffled up 
 to him and declared the deserters v^ere their good friends, hod 
 determined to remain among them, and should not be mo- 
 lested. The poor partisan, therefore, was fain to leave his 
 vagabonds among these birds of their own feather, and being 
 too weak in numbei-s to attempt the dangerous pass across the 
 mountains to meet Captain Bonneville on Salmon River, he 
 made, with the few that remained faithful to him, for the 
 neighborhood of Tullock s Fort, on the Yellowstone, under the 
 protection of which he went into winter quarters. 
 
 He soon found out that the neighborhood of the fort was 
 nearly as bad as the neighborhood of the Crows. His men 
 were continually stealing away thither, Avith whatever beaver 
 skins they could secrete or lay their han<is on. These they 
 would exchange with the hangers-on of the fort for whiskey, 
 and then revel in drunkenness and debauchery. 
 
 The unlucky pai-tisan made another move. Associating with 
 his party a few free trappers, whom he met with in this neigh- 
 borhood, he started off early in the spring to trap on the head 
 waters of Powder River. In the course of the joiu-ney, his 
 horses were so much jaded in traversing a steep mountain, 
 that he was indiiced to turn them loose to graze during tho 
 night. The place was lonely; the path was rugge<l; there was 
 not the sign of an Indian in the neighborhood; not a blade of 
 grass that had been turned by a footstep. But who can calcu- 
 late on security in the midst of the Indian country, where the 
 foe lurks in silence and secrecy, and seems to come and go on 
 the wings of the Avind? Tlie horses had scarce been turned 
 loose, Avdien a couple of Arickara (or Rifkaree) warriors en- 
 tered the camp. Tliey affected a frank and friendly demeanor; 
 but their ayipearance and movements awakened the sus])icion8 
 of some of the veteran trappers, well versed in Indian wiles. 
 ConA-inced that they were spies sent on some sinister errand, 
 they took them in custody, and set to work to drive in the
 
 128 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 horses. It was too late — the horses were already gone. In 
 fact, a war party of Arickaras had been hovering on their trail 
 for several days, watching with the patience and perseverance 
 of Indians, for some moment of negligence and fancied secu- 
 rity, to make a successful swoop. The two spies had evidently 
 been sent into the camp to create a diversion, while their con- 
 federates carried ofE the spoil. 
 
 The unlucky partisan, thus robbed of his horses, turned furi- 
 ously on his prisoners, ordered them to be bound hand and 
 foot, and swore to put them to death unless his property were 
 restored. The robbers, who soon found that theu- spies were 
 in captivity, now made their apiDearance on horseback, and 
 held a parley. The sight of them, mounted on the very horses 
 they had stolen, set the blood of the mountaineers in a fer- 
 ment ; but it was useless to attack them, as they would have 
 but to turn their steeds and scamper out of the reach of pedes- 
 trians. A negotiation was now attempted. The Arickaras 
 offered what they considered fair terms ; to barter one horse, 
 or even two horses, for a prisoner. The mountaineers spurned 
 at their offer, and declared that, unless all the horses were re- 
 linquished, the prisoners should be burnt to death. To give 
 force to their threat, a pyre of logs and fagots was heaped up 
 and kindled into a blaze. 
 
 The parley continued; the Arickaras released one horse and 
 then another, in earnest of their proposition ; finding, hoAvever, 
 that nothing short of the relinquishment of all their spoils 
 would purchase the lives of the captives, they abandoned them. 
 to their fate, moving off with many parting words and lament- 
 able bowlings. The prisoners seeing them depart, and know- 
 ing the horrible fate that awaited them, made a desperate 
 effort to escape. They partially succeeded, but were severely 
 wounded and retaken ; then dragged to the blazing pyre, and 
 burnt to death in the sight of their retreating comrades. 
 
 Such are the savage cruelties that white men learn to prac- 
 tise, who mingle in savage life ; and such are the acts that lead 
 to terrible recrimination on the part of the Indians. Should 
 we hear of any atrocities committed by the Arickaras upon 
 captive white men, let this signal and recent provocation be 
 borne in mind. Individual cases of the kind dwell in the recol- 
 lections of whole tribes; and it is a point of honor and con- 
 science to revenge them. 
 
 The loss of his horses completed the ruin of the Unlucky par- 
 tisan. It was out of his power to prosecute his hunting, or to
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 129 
 
 maintain his party ; the only thought now was how to got hack 
 to civiUzed hfo. At the first water-course, his men built canoes, 
 and committed themselves to the stream. Some engaged them- 
 selves at various ti'ading estabhshments at which they touched, 
 others got hack to the settlements. As to the partisan, he found 
 an opportunity to make his way to the rendezvous at Green 
 River valley ; which he reached in time to render to Captain 
 Bonneville this forlorn account of his misadventures. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 GATHERINQ IN GREEN RIVER VALLEY— VISITINGS AND FEASTINGS 
 OF LEADERS — ROUGH WASSAILING AMONG THE TRAPPERS — 
 WILD BLADES OF THE MOUNTAINS — INDIAN BELLES— POTENCY 
 OF BRIGHT BEADS AND RED BLANKETS — ARRIVAL OF SUPPLIES 
 — REVELRY AND EXTRAVAGANCE — MAD WOLVES — THE LOST 
 INDLAN. 
 
 The Green River valley was at this time the scene of one of 
 those general gatherings of traders, trappers, and Indians, that 
 we have already mentioned. The three rival companies, which, 
 for a year past had been endeavoring to out- trade, out-trap, 
 and outwit each other, were here encamped in close proximity, 
 awaiting their annual supplies. About four miles from the 
 rendezvous of Captain Bonne %'ille was that of the American 
 Fur Company, hard by which, was that also of the Rocky 
 Mountain Fur Company. 
 
 After the eager rivalry and almost hostility displayed by 
 these companies in their late campaigns, it might be expected 
 that, when thus brought in juxta]iosition, they would hold 
 themselves warily and sternly aloof from each other, and, 
 should they happen to come in contact, brawl and bloodshed 
 would ensue. 
 
 No such thing ! Never did rival lawyers after a wrangle at 
 the bar meet with more social go(,)d-hinnor at a circuit dinner. 
 The lumting season over, all past tricks and manoeuvres are 
 forgotten, all feuds and bickerings buried in obliviou. From 
 the middle of June to the middle of Septenilior, all trapping is 
 suspended; for the beavers are then shedding their furs and 
 their skins are of little value. Tliis, then, is the trapper's holi-
 
 130 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 day when he is all for fun and frolic, and ready for a satur- 
 nalia among the mountains. 
 
 At the present season, too, all parties were in good humor. 
 The year had been productive. Competition, by threatening 
 to lessen their profits, had quickened their wits, roused their 
 energies, and made them turn every favorable chance to the 
 best advantage; so that, on assembling at their respective 
 places of rendezvous, each company found itseK in possession 
 of a rich stock of peltries. 
 
 The leaders of the ditferent companies, therefore, mingled on 
 terms of perfect good-fellowship; interchanging visits, and re- 
 galing each other in the best style their respective camps af- 
 forded. But the rich treat for the worthy captain was to see 
 the " chivalry" of the various encampments engaged m contests 
 of skill at running, jumping, wresthng, shooting with the rifle, 
 and running horses. And then their rough hunters' feastings 
 and carousals. They drank together, they sang, they laughed, 
 they whooped ; they tried to outbrag and outlie each other in 
 stories of their adventures and achievements. Here the free 
 trappers were in all their glory; they considered themselves 
 the "cocks of the walk," and always carried the highest crests. 
 Now and then familiarity was pushed too far, and would effer- 
 vesce into a brawl, and a " rough and tumble" fight; but it all 
 ended in cordial reconciliation and maudlin endearment. 
 
 The presence of the Shoshonie tribe contributed occasionally 
 to cause temporary jealousies and feuds. The Shoshonie beau- 
 ties became objects of rivalry among some of the amorous 
 mountaineers. Happy was the trapper who coidd muster up a 
 red blanket, a string of gay beads, or a paper of precious ver- 
 milion, with which to win the smiles of a Shoshonie fair one. 
 
 The caravans of supplies arrived at the valley just at this 
 period of gallantry and good-fellowship. Now commenced a 
 scene of eager competition and wild prodigality at the different 
 encampments. Bales were hastily ripped open, and their motley 
 contents poured forth. A mania for purchasing spread itself 
 throughout the several bands — munitions for war, for hunting, 
 for gallantry, were seized upon with equal avidity — rifles, 
 hunting knives, traps, scarlet cloth, red blankets, garish beads, 
 and glittering trinkets, were bought at any price, and scores 
 run up without any thought how they were ever to be rubbed 
 off. The free trappers especially were extravagant in their 
 purchases. For a free mountaineer to pause at a paltry con- 
 sideration of dollars and cents, in the attainment of any object
 
 ADVKyrURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. \\\\ 
 
 that might strike his fancy, would stamp him with the mark 
 of the beast in tiie estimation of his comrades. For a trader to 
 refuse one of these free and flourishing blades a credit, what- 
 ever unpaid scores might stare him in the face, would be a fla- 
 grant affront, scarcely to be forgiven. 
 
 Now succeeded another outbi-eak of revelry and extrava- 
 gance. The trappers were newly fitted out and ari-ayed, and 
 dashed about with their horses caparisoned in Indian st3'le. 
 The Shoshonie beauties also flaunted about in all the colors of 
 the rainbow. Every freak of prodigality was indulged to its 
 fullest extent, and in a little while most of the trappers, having 
 squandered away all their wages, and perhaps run knee-deep 
 in debt, were ready for another hard campaign in the wilder- 
 ness. 
 
 During this season of folly and frolic, there was an alarm of 
 mad wolves in the two lower camps. One or more of these 
 animals entered the camps for three nights successively, and 
 bit several of the people. 
 
 Captain Bonneville relates the case of an Indian who was a 
 universal favorite in the lower camp. He had been bitten by 
 one of these animals. Being out with a party shortly afterward 
 he grew silent and gloomy, and lagged behind the rest, as if 
 he wished to leave them. They halted and lu-ged liim to move 
 faster, but he entreated them not to approach him, and, leap- 
 ing from his horse, began to roll frantically on the earth, gnash- 
 ing his teeth and foaming at the mouth. Still he retained his 
 senses, and warned his companions not to come near him, as 
 he should not be able to restrain himself from biting them. 
 They hurried off to obtain relief; but on their return he was 
 nowhere to be found. His horse and his accoutrements re- 
 mained upon the spot. Three or four days afterAvard, a soli- 
 tary Indian, believed to be the same, was obsei-ved crossing a 
 valley, and pursued ; but he darted away into the fastnesses of 
 the mountains, and was seen no more. 
 
 Another instance we have from a different person who was 
 present in the encampment. One of the men of the Rocky 
 Mountain Fur Company had been bitten. He set out shortly 
 afterward in company with two white men. on his retin*n to the 
 settlements. In the course of a few days h(> showed symptoms 
 of hydrophobia, and became raving toward night. At length, 
 breaking away from his companions, he rushed into a thicket 
 of willows, where they left him to his fate!
 
 132 ADVE^s'TURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 SCHEMES OP CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE— THE GEEAT SALT LAKE— EX- 
 PEDITION TO EXPLORE IT — PREPARATIONS FOR A JOURNEY TO 
 THE BIGHORN. 
 
 Captain Bonneville now found himself at the head of a 
 hardy, well-seasoned and well-appointed company of trappers, 
 all benefited by at least one year's experience among the moun- 
 tains, and capable of protecting themselves from Indian ^viles 
 and stratagems, and of providing for their subsistence wherever 
 game was to be found. He had, also, an excellent troop of 
 horses, in prime condition, and fit for hard service. He deter- 
 mined, therefore, to strike out into some of the bolder parts of 
 his scheme. One of these was to carry his expeditions into 
 some of the unknown tracts of the Far West, beyond what is 
 generally termed the buffalo range. This would have some- 
 thing of the merit and charm of discovery, so dear to every 
 brave and adventurous spirit. Another favorite project was 
 to establish a trading post on the lower part of the Columbia 
 River, near the Multnomah vaUey, and to endeavor to re- 
 trieve for his country some of the lost trade of Astoria. 
 
 The first of the above mentioned views was, at present, 
 uppermost in his mind — the exploring of unknown regions. 
 Among the grand features of the wilderness about which he 
 was roaming, one had made a vivid impression on his mind, 
 and been clothed by his imagination with vague and ideal 
 chai'ms. This is a great lake of salt water, laving the feet of the 
 mountaias, but extending far to the west-southwest, into one 
 of those vast and elevated plateaus of land, which range high 
 above the level of the Pacific. 
 
 Captain Bonneville gives a striking account of the lake when 
 seen from the land. As you ascend the mountains about its 
 shores, says he, you behold this immense body of water spread- 
 ing itself before you, and stretching further and further, in. one 
 wide and fai'-reaching expanse, until the eye, wearied with 
 continued and strained attention, rests in the blue dimness of 
 distance, upon lofty ranges of mountains, confidently asserted 
 to rise from the bosom of the waters. Nearer to you, the
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 133 
 
 smooth and unruffled surface is studded with little islands, 
 where the mountain sheep roam in considerable numbers. 
 What extent of lowland may be encompassed by the high 
 peaks beyond, must remain for the present matter of mere 
 conjecture; though from the form of the summits, and the 
 breaks which may be discovered among them, there can bo 
 little doubt that they are the sources of streams calculated to 
 water large tracts, which are probably concealed from view by 
 the rotundity of the lake's surface. At some future day, iu 
 all probability, the rich harvest of beaver fur, which may be 
 reasonably anticipated in such a spot, will tcmi^t adventurers 
 to reduce all this doubtful region to the palpable certainty of a 
 beaten track. At present, however, destitute of the means of 
 making boats, the trapper stands upon the shore, and gazes 
 upon a promised land which his feet are never to tread. 
 
 Such is the somewhat fanciful view which Captain Bonne- 
 ville gives of this great body of water. He has evidently 
 taken part of his ideas concerning it from the representations 
 of others, who have somewhat exaggerated its features. It is 
 reported to be about one hundred and fifty miles long, and 
 fifty miles broad. The ranges of mountain peaks which Cap- 
 tain Bonneville speaks of, as rising from its bosom, are prob- 
 ably the summits of mountains beyond it, which may be 
 visible at a vast distance, when viewed from an eminence, in the 
 transparent atmosphere of these lofty regions. Sevei*al large 
 islands certainly exist in the lake ; one of which is said to be 
 mountainous, but not by any means to the extent required to 
 furnish the series of peaks above mentioned. 
 
 Cajjtain Sublette, in one of his earlj- expeditions across the 
 mountains, is said to have sent four men in a skin canoe, to 
 explore the lake, who professed to have navigated all round it ; 
 but to have suffered excessively from thirst, the ^Yater of the 
 lake being extremely salt, and there being no fresh strcarais 
 running into it. 
 
 Captain Bonneville doubts this report, or that the men ac- 
 complished the circumnavigation, because, he says, the lake 
 receives several large streams from the mountains which 
 bound it to the east. In the spring, when the streams are 
 swollen by rain and by the melting of the snows, the lake rises 
 several feet above its ordinaiy level; during the summer, it 
 gradually subsides again, leaving a sparkling zone of the finest 
 salt upon its shores. 
 
 The elevation of the vast plateau on which this lake is situ-
 
 134 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 ated, is estimated by Captain Bonneville at one and three 
 fourths of a mile above the level of the ocean. The admirable 
 purity and transparency of the atmosphere in this region, al- 
 lowing objects to be seen, and the report of firearms to be 
 heard at an astonishing distance; and its extreme drj'ness, 
 causing the wheels of wagons to fall in pieces, as instanced in 
 former passages of this work, are proofs of the great altitude 
 of the "kocky Mountain plains. That a body of salt water 
 should exist at such a height, is cited as a singular phenome- 
 non by Captain Bonneville, though the salt lake of Mexico is 
 not much inferior in elevation.* 
 
 To have this lake properly explored, and all its secrets re- 
 vealed, was the grand scheme of the captain for the present 
 year ; and while it was one in Avhich his imagination evidently 
 took a leading part, he believed it would be attended with great 
 profit, from the numerous beaver streams with which the lake 
 must be fringed. 
 
 This momentous undertaking he confided to his lieutenant, 
 Mr. Walker, in whose experience and ability he had gi-eat con- 
 fidence. He instructed him to keep along the shores of the 
 lake, and trap in all the streams on his route ; also to keep a 
 journal, and minutely to record the events of his journey, and 
 everything curious or interesting, making maps or charts of 
 his route, and of the surrounding country. 
 
 No pains nor expense were spared in fitting out the party, of 
 forty men, which he was to command. They had complete 
 supplies for a year, and were to meet Captain Bonneville in 
 the ensuing summer, in the valley of Bear River, the largest 
 tributary of the Salt Lake, which was to be his point of general 
 rendezvous. i 
 
 The next care of Captain Bonneville, was to arrange for the 
 safe transpprtation of the peltries which he had collected, to 
 the Atlantic States. Mr. Robert Campbell, the partner of Sub- 
 lette, was at this time in the rendezvous of the Rocky Moun- 
 tain Fur Company, having brought up their supplies. He was 
 about to set off on liis return, with the peltries collected during 
 the year, and intended to proceed through the Crow country, 
 to the head of navigation on the Bighorn River, and to descend 
 
 * The lake of Tezcnco, which surrnimds the city of Mexico, the largrest and lowest 
 of the five lakes in the Mexican plateau, and one of the most impregnated with saline 
 particles, is seven thoiisMnd four hundred and sixty-eight feet, or nearly one mile 
 and a half above thj level of the sea.
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 135 
 
 in boats down that river, the Missouri, and the Yellowstone, to 
 St. Louis. 
 
 Captain Bonneville determined to forward his peltries by 
 the same route, under the especial care of Mr. Cerre. By way 
 of escort, he would accompany Cerre to the point of cmbarka 
 tion and then make an autmimal liunt in the Crow country. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 rilE CROW COUNTRY — A CROW PARADISE —HABITS OF TIIR CROWS 
 — ANECDOTES OP ROSE, THE RENEGADE WHITE MAN — HIS FKillTS 
 WITH THE BLACKFEET — HIS ELEVATION— HIS DEATH— ARAroO- 
 ISH, THE CROW CHIEF — HIS EAGLE — ADVENTURE OF ROBERT 
 CAMPBELL — HONOR AMONG CROWS. 
 
 Before we accompany Captain Bonneville into the Crow 
 country, we will impart a few facts about this wild region, 
 and the wild people who inhabit it. We are not aware of the 
 precise boundaries, if there are any, of the country claimed by 
 the Crows; it appears to extend from the Black Hills to the 
 Eocky Mountains, including a part of their lofty rangers, and 
 embracing many of the plains and valleys watered by the 
 Wind River, the Yellowstone, the Powder River, the Little 
 Missouri, and the Nebraska. The country varies in soil and 
 climate; there are vast plains of sand and clay, studded with 
 large red sand-hills; other parts are mountainous and pictu- 
 resque ; it possesses warm springs, and coal mines, and abounds 
 with game. 
 
 But let us give the account of the country as rendered by 
 Arapooisli, a Crow chief, to Mr. Robert Campbell, of the 
 Rocky Mountain Fur Company. 
 
 "The Crow country," said he, "is a good country. The 
 Great Spirit has put it exactly in the right place; while you 
 are in it you fare well; whenever you go out of it, whichever 
 way you travel, you fare woi'se. 
 
 " If yoTi go to the south you have to wander over great 
 barren plains ; the water is warm and bad, and you meet the 
 fever and ague. 
 
 "To the noi-th it is cold; the winters are long and bitter,
 
 136 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 with no grass ; you cannot keep horses there, but must travel 
 Avith dogs. What is a country without horses? 
 
 ' ' On the Columbia they are poor and dirty, paddle about in 
 canoes, and eat fish. Their teeth are worn out; they are al- 
 wtiys taking fish-bones out of their mouths. Fish is poor food. 
 
 ' ' To the east, they dwell in villages ; they live well ; but they 
 drink the muddy water of the Missouri — that is bad. A 
 Crow's dog would not drink such water. 
 
 "About the forks of the Missouri is a fine country; good 
 water ; good grass ; plenty of bufiialo. In summer, it is almost 
 as good as the Crow country; but in winter it is cold; the 
 grass is gone ; and there is no salt weed for the horses. 
 
 "The Crow country is exactly in the right place. It has 
 snowy mountains and sunny plains; all kinds of climates 
 and good iliiiigvj for every season. When the suixuner heats 
 scorch the praii'ies, you can draw up under the mountains) 
 where the air is sweet and cool, the grass fresh, and the bright 
 streams come tumbling out of the snow-banks. There you 
 can hunt the elk, the deer, and the antelope, when their skins 
 are fit for dressing; there you wUl find plenty of white bears 
 and mountain sheep. 
 
 " In the autumn, when your horses are fat and strong from 
 the mountain pastures, you can go down into the plains and 
 hunt the buffalo, or trap beaver on the streams. And when 
 winter comes on, you can take shelter in the woody bottoms 
 along the rivers ; there you will find buffalo meat for your- 
 selves, and cotton- wood bark for your horses; or you may 
 winter in the Wind River vaUey, where there is salt weed in 
 abundance. 
 
 "The Crow country is exactly in the right place. Every- 
 thing good is to be found there. There is no country like the 
 Crow country." 
 
 Such is the eulogium on his country by Arapooish. 
 
 We have had repeated occasions to speak of the restless and 
 predatory habits of the Crows. They can muster fifteen hun- 
 dred fighting men ; but their incessant wars with the Black- 
 feet, and their vagabond, predatory habits, are gradually 
 wearing them out. 
 
 In a recent work, we related the circumstance of a white 
 man named Rose, an outlaw, and a designing vagabond, who 
 acted as guide and interpreter to Mr. Hunt and his party, on 
 their journey across the mountains to Astoria, who came near 
 betraying them into the hands of the Crows, and who re-
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. i:;7 
 
 raained amonp; the tribe, marrying one of their Avomen, and 
 adopting their congenial liabits.* A few anecdotes of the sub- 
 sequent fortunes of that renegade may not be uninteresting, 
 especially as they are comiected with the fortunes of the 
 tribe. 
 
 Rose was powerful in frame and fearless in spirit; and soon 
 by his daring deeds took his rank among the first braves of 
 the tribe. He aspired to command, and knew it was only to 
 be attained by desperate exploits. He distinguished hunself in 
 repeated actions with Blackfeet. On one occasion, a band of 
 those savages had fortified themselves within a breastwork, 
 and could not be harmed. Rose proposed to storm the work, 
 "Who will take the lead?" was the demand. "Il" cried he: 
 and putting himself at their head, rushed forward. The first 
 Blackioot that opposed him he shot down with hi-s rifle, and 
 snatching up the war-club of his victim killed four others 
 within the fort. The victory was complete, and Rose returned 
 to the Crow village covered with glory, and bearing five Black- 
 foot scalps, to be erected as a trophy before his lodge. From 
 this time he was known among the Crows by the name 
 of Che-ku-kaats, or "the man who killed five." He became 
 chief of the village, or rather band, and for a time was the 
 popular idol. His popularity soon awakened envy among the 
 native braves; he was a stranger, an intmider; a Avhite man. 
 A party seceded from his command. Feuds and civil wars 
 succeeded that lasted for two or three years, until Rose, hav- 
 ing contrived to set his adopted brethren by the ears, left 
 them, and went down the Missouri in 1!^23. Here he fell in 
 with one of the earhest trapping expeditions sent by General 
 Ashley across the mountains. It Avas conducted by Smith, 
 Fitzpatrick, and Sublette. Rose enlisted with them os guide 
 and interpreter. When he got them among the Crows, he 
 ;was exceedingly generous with their goods; making presents 
 to the braves of his adopted tribe, as became a high-minded 
 chief. 
 
 This doubtless, helped to revive his populai-ity. In that ex- 
 pedition, Smith and Fitzpatrick wore robbed of their horses in 
 Green River valley; the place where the robbery took place 
 still bears the name of Horse Creek. We are not informed 
 whether the horses were stolen thr(Migh the instigation and 
 management of Rose; it is not improbable, for such was the 
 
 * See Astoria.
 
 138 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 perfidy he had intended to pn^ctise on a former occasion 
 toward Mr. Hunt and his part}-. 
 
 The last anecdote we have of Rose is from an Indian trader. 
 When General Atkinson made his mihtary expedition up the 
 Missouri, in 1825, to protect the fur trade, he held a conference 
 with the Crow nation, at which Eose figured as Indian dig- 
 nitary and Crow interpreter. The military were stationed at 
 some little distance from the scene of the "big talk." While 
 the general and the chiefs were smoking pipes and making 
 speeches, the officers, supposing all was friendly, left the 
 troops and drew near the scene of ceremonial. Some of the 
 more knowing Crows, perceiving this, stole quietly to the 
 camp, and, unobserved, contrived to stop the touch-holes of 
 the field pieces with dirt. Shortly after a misunderstanding 
 occurred in the conference ; some of the Indians knowing the 
 cannon to be useless, became insolent. A tumult arose. In 
 the confusion Colonel O'Fallan snapped a pistol in the face of 
 a brave, and knocked him down with the butt end. The 
 Crows were all in a fury. A chance medley fight was on the 
 point of taking place, when Rose, his natural sympathies as a 
 white man suddenly recurring, broke the stock of his fusee 
 over the head of a Crow warrior, and laid so vigorously about 
 him with the baiTcl, that he soon put the whole throng to 
 flight. Luckily, as no lives had been lost, this sturdy rib- 
 roasting calmed the fury of the Crows, and the tmnult ended 
 without serious consequences. 
 
 What was the ultimate fate of this vagabond hero is not 
 distinctly known. Some report him to have fallen a victim to 
 disease, brought on by his licentious life; others assert that he 
 was murdered in a feud among the Crows. After all, his resi- 
 dence among these savages, and the influence he acquired over 
 them had, for a time, some beneficial effects. He is said, not 
 merely to have rendered them more formidable to the Black- 
 feet, but to have opened their eyes to the policy of cultivating 
 the friendship of the white men. 
 
 After Rose's death, his policy continued to be cultivated, 
 with indifferent success, by Arapooish, the chief already men- 
 tioned, who had been his great friend, and whose character he 
 had contributed to develope. This sagacious chief endeavored, 
 on every occasion, to restrain the predatory propensities of his 
 tribe when directed against the white men. "If we keep 
 friends with them," said he, "we have nothing to fear from 
 the Blackfeet, and can rule the mountains." Arapooish pre-
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 139 
 
 tended to be a {?reat "medicine man;'' a character amonj? the 
 Indians which is a compound of i)riest, doctor, prophet, and 
 conjurer. He carried about with him a tame eagle, as his 
 "medicine," or familiar. With the white men, he acknowl- 
 edged that this was all charlatanism ; but said it was necessary, 
 to give him weight and influence among his people. , 
 
 Mr. Robert Campbell, from whom we have most of these 
 facts, in the course of one of his trapping expeditions, was 
 quartered in the village of Arapooish, and a guest in the lodge 
 of the chieftain. He had collected a large quantity of furs, 
 and, fearful of being plundered, deposited but a part in the 
 lodge of the chief ; the rest he buried in a cache. One night, 
 Arapooish came into the lodge with a cloudy brow, and seated 
 himself for a time without saying a word. At length, turning 
 to Campbell, "You have more furs with you," said he, " than 
 you have brought into my lodge?" 
 
 "I have," replied Campbell. 
 
 "Where are they?" 
 
 Campbell knew the uselessness of any prevarication with an 
 Indian; and the importance of complete frankness. He de- 
 scribed the exact place where he had concealed his peltries. 
 
 "'Tis well," replied Arapooish; "you speak straight. It is 
 just as you say. But your cache has been robbed. Go and 
 see how many skins have been taken from it." 
 
 Campbell examined the cache, and estimated his loss to be 
 about one hundred and fifty beaver skins. Arapooish now 
 summqned a" meeting of the village. He bitterly reproached 
 his people for robbing a stranger who had confided to their 
 honor; and commanded that whoever had taken the skins, 
 should bring them back ; declaring that, as Campbell was his 
 guest and inmate of his lodge, he woidd not eat nor drink until 
 every skin was restored to him. 
 
 The meeting broke up, and every one dispersed. Arapooish 
 now charged Campbell to give neither reward nor thanks to 
 any one who should bring in the beaver skins, but to keep 
 count as they were delivered. 
 
 In a little while the skins began to make their appearance, a 
 few at a time; they were laid down in the lodge, and those 
 who brought them departed without saying a word. The day 
 passed away. Arapooish sat in one corner of his lodge, 
 wrapped up in his robe, scarcely moving a muscle of his coun- 
 tenance. When night arrived, he demanded if aU the skins had 
 been brought in. Above a hundred had been given up, and
 
 140 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 Campbell expressed himself contented. Not so the Crow chief- 
 tain. He fasted all that night, nor tasted a drop of water. In 
 the morning some more skins were brought in, and continued 
 to come, one and two at a time, throughout the day ; until but 
 a few were wanting to make the number complete. Campbell 
 ^vas now anxious to put an end to this fasting of the old chief, 
 and again declared that he was perfectly satisfied. Arapooish 
 demanded what number of skins were yet wanting. On being 
 told, he whispered to some of his people, who disappeared. 
 After a time the number were brought in, though it was evi- 
 dent they were not any of the skins that had been stolen, but 
 others gleaned in the village. 
 
 " Is all right now?" demanded Arapooish. 
 
 "All is right," re phed Campbell. 
 
 " Good ! Now bring me meat and drink !" 
 
 When they were alone together, Arapooish had a conversa- 
 tion with his guest. 
 
 ' ' When you come another time among the Crows, " said he, 
 " don't hide your goods; trust to them and they will not wrong 
 you. Put your goods in the lodge of a chief, and they are 
 sacred; hide them in a cache, and any one who finds will steal 
 them. My people have now given up your goods for my sake ; 
 but there are some foohsh young men in the village who may 
 be disposed to be troublesome. Don't hnger, therefore, but 
 pack your horses and be off." 
 
 Campbell took his advice, and made his way safely out of the 
 Crow country. He has ever since maintained that the Crows 
 are not so black as they are painted. "Trust to their honor," 
 says he, "and you are safe; trust to their honesty, and they 
 will steal the hair off your head." 
 
 Having given these few prehminary particulars, we will re- 
 sume the coui'se of our narrative.
 
 ADVEj^TURES of captain BONNEVILLE. HI 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 DEPARTURE FROM GREEN RIVER VALLEY — POPO AGIE— ITS COURSE 
 — THE RIVERS INTO WHICH IT RUNS— SCENERY OF THE BLUFFS 
 — THE GREAT TAR SPRING— VOLCANIC TRACTS IN THE CROW 
 COUNTRY — BURNING MOUNTAIN OF POWDER RIVER— SULPHUR 
 SPRINGS— HIDDEN FIRES -COLTER'S HELL— WIND RIVER -CAMP- 
 BELL'S PARTY — FITZPATRICK AND HIS TRAPPERS — CAPTAIN 
 STEWART, AN AMATEUR TRAVELLER — NATHANIEL WYETH — 
 ANECDOTES OF HIS EXPEDITION TO THE FAR WEST— DISASTER 
 OF CAMPBELL'S PARTY -A UNION OF BANDS — THE BAD PASS — 
 THE RAPIDS— DEPARTURE OF FITZPATRICK — EMBARKATION OP 
 PELTRIES— WYETH AND HIS BULL BOAT — ADVENTURES OF CAP- 
 TAIN BONNEVILLE IN THE BIGHORN MOUNTAINS — ADVENTURES 
 IN THE PLAIN — TRACES OF INDIANS — TRAVELLING PRECAUTIONS 
 — DANGERS OF M.\£ING A SMOKE— THE RENDEZVOUS. 
 
 On the 25tli of July Captain Bonneville struck his tents, and 
 set out on his route for the Bighorn, at the head of a party of 
 fifty-six men, including those who were to embark with CeiTe. 
 Crossing the Green River valley, he proceeded along the south 
 point of the Wind River range of mountains, and soon fell 
 upon the track of Mr. Robert Campbell's party, which had pre- 
 ceded him by a day. This he pursued, until he perceived that 
 it led down the banks of the Sweet Water to the southeast. 
 As this was different from his proposed direction, he left it; 
 and turning to the northeast, soon cam© upon the Avaters of the 
 Popo Agio. This stream takes its rise in the Wind River 
 Mountains. Its name, like most Indian names, is characteris- 
 tic. Popo, in the Crow language signifying head ; and Acjie, 
 river. It is the head of a long river, extending from the south 
 end of the Wind River Mountains in a northeast direction, 
 until it falls into the Yellowstone. Its course is generally 
 through plains, but is twice crossed by chains of mountains ; 
 the first called the Littlehorn, the second the Bighorn. After 
 it has forced its way through the first chain, it is called the 
 Horn River. After the second chain it is called the Bighorn 
 River. Its passage tliidugli iJiis last chain is rougli and vio- 
 lent; making repeated falls, ami rushing down long and furious
 
 142 ADVENT Ulih'S OF CAPTAIN' BO^'M'JVILLhJ. 
 
 rapids, which threaten destruction to the navigator ; though a 
 hardy trapper is said to have shot down them in a canoe. At 
 the foot of these rapids, is the head of navigation, where it was 
 the intention of the parties to construct boats, and embark. 
 
 Proceeding down along the Popo Agie, Captain Bonneville 
 came again in full view of the "Bluffs," as they are called, ex- 
 tending from the base of tiie Wind River Mountains far away 
 to the east, and presenting to the eye a confusion of hills and 
 cUffs of red sandstone, some peaked and angular, some round, 
 some broken into crags and precipices, and piled up in fantas- 
 tic masses ; but all naked and sterile. There appeared to be no 
 soil favorable to vegetation, nothing but coarse gravel; yet, 
 over all this isolated, barren landscape, were diffused such at- 
 mospherical tints and hues, as to blend the whole into har- 
 mony and beauty. 
 
 In this neighborhood, the captain made search for "the 
 great Tar Spring," one of the wonders of the mountains; the 
 medicinal properties of which, he had heard extravagantly 
 lauded by the trappers. After a toilsome search, he found it 
 at the foot of a sand-bluff, a little to the east of the Wind 
 Eiver Mountains; where it exuded in a small stream of the 
 color and consistency of tar. The men immediately hastened 
 to collect a quantity of it, to use as an ointment for the galled 
 backs of their horses, and as a balsam for their own pains and 
 aches. From the description given of it, it is evidently the 
 bituminous oil, called petroleum or naphtha, which forms a 
 principal ingredient in the potent medicine called British Oil. 
 It is found in various parts of Europe and Asia, in several of 
 the West India islands, and in some places of the United 
 States. In the State of New York, it is called Seneca Oil, from 
 being found near the Seneca lake. 
 
 The Crow country has other natural curiosities, which are 
 held in superstitious awe by the Indians, and considered great 
 marvels by the trappers. Such is the Burning Mountain, on 
 Powder Eiver, abounding with anthracite coal. Hei-e the 
 earth is hot and cracked ; in many places emitting smoke and 
 sulphurous vapors, as if covering concealed fires. A volcanic 
 tract of similar character is found on Stinking River, one of the 
 tributaries of the Bighorn, which takes its unhappy name from 
 the odor derived from sulphurous springs and streams. This 
 last mentioned place was first discovered by Colter, a hunter 
 belonging to Lewis and Clarke's exploring party, who came 
 upon it in the course of his lonely wanderings, and gave such
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. I4;j 
 
 an account of its gloomy terrors, its hidden fires, smoking pits, 
 noxious streams, and the all-pervading "smell of brimstone," 
 that it received, and has ever since retained among trappers, 
 the name of "Colter's Hell!" 
 
 Resuming his descent along the left bank of the Popo Agie, 
 Captain Bonneville soon reached the plains; where he found 
 several large streams entering from the west. Among these 
 was Wind River, which gives its name to the mountains 
 among which it takes its rise. This is one of the most impor- 
 tant streams of the Crow cotmtry. The river being much 
 swollen. Captain Bonneville halted at its mouth, and sent out 
 scouts to look for a fording place. While thus encamped, he 
 beheld in the course of the afternoon a long line of horsemen 
 descending the slope of the hills on the opposite side of the 
 Popo Agie. His first idea was, that they were Indians ; he 
 soon discovered, however, that they were white men, and, by 
 the long line of pack-horses, ascertained them to be the con- 
 voy of Campbell, which, having descended the Sweet Water, 
 was now on its way to the Horn River. 
 
 The two parties came together two or three days afterward, 
 on the 4th of August, after having passed through the gap of 
 the Littlehom Mountain. In company with Campell's convoy, 
 was a trapping party of the Rocky Mountain Company, headed 
 by Fitzpatrick; who, after Campbell's embarkation on the 
 Bighorn, was to take charge of all the horses, and proceed on 
 a trapping campaign. There were, moreover, two chance 
 companions in the rival camp. One was Captain Stewart, of 
 the British army, a gentleman of noble connections, who was 
 amusing himself by a wandering tour in the Far West; in the 
 course of which, he had lived in hunter's style ; accompanying 
 various bands of traders, trappers, and Indians; and manifest- 
 ing that relish for the wilderness that belongs to men of game 
 spirit. 
 
 The other casual inmate of Mr. Campbell's camp was Mr. 
 Nathaniel Wyeth; the self-same leader of the band of New 
 England salmon fishers, with whom we parted company in the 
 valley of Pierre's Hole, after the battle with the Blackfeet. A 
 few days after that affair, he again set out from the rendez- 
 vous in company with Milton Sublette and liis brigade of trap- 
 pers. On his march, he visited the battle groimd, niid pene- 
 trated to the deserted fort of the Blackfeet in the midst of the 
 wood. It was a dismal scene. The fort Avas streAved with the 
 paouldering bodies of the slain ; wliile vultures soared aloft, or
 
 144 ADFJ^WTUllES OF CAPTAIN BONJsEVILLE. 
 
 sat brooding on the trees around; and Indian dogs howled 
 about the place, as if bewailing the death of their masters. 
 Wyeth travelled for a considerable distance to the southwest, 
 in company with Milton Sublette, when they separated; and 
 the former, with eleven men, the remnant of his band, pushed 
 on for Snake River; kept down the course of that eventful 
 stream ; traversed the Blue Mountains, trapping beaver occa- 
 sionally by the way, and finally, after hardships of all kinds, 
 arrived on the 29th of October, at Vancouver, on the Colum- 
 bia, the main factory of the Hudson's Bay Company. 
 
 He experienced hospitable treatment at the hands of the 
 agents of that company ; but his men, heartily tired of wan- 
 dering in the wilderness, or tempted by other prospects, re- 
 fused, for the most part, to continue any longer in his service. 
 Some set off for the Sandwich Islands ; some entered into other 
 employ. Wyeth found, too, that a great part of the goods he 
 had brought with him were unfitted for the Indian trade ; in a 
 word, his expedition, undertaken entirely on his own resources, 
 proved a failure. He lost everything invested in it, but his 
 hopes. These were as strong as ever. He took note of every- 
 thing, therefore, that could be of service to him in the further 
 prosecution of his project ; collected all the information within 
 his reach, and then set off, accompanied by merely two men, 
 on his return journey across the continent. He had got thus 
 far "by hook and by crook," a mode in wliich a New England 
 man can make his way all over the world, and through all 
 kinds of difficulties, and was now bound for Boston; in fuU 
 confidence of being able to form a company for the salmon 
 fishery and fur trade of the Columbia. 
 
 The partj^ of Mr. Campbell had met with a disaster in the 
 course of their route from the Sweet Water. Three or four of 
 the men, who were reconnoitring the country in advance of the 
 main body, were visited one night in their camp, by fifteen or 
 twenty Shoshonies. Considering this tribe as perfectly friend- 
 ly, they received them in the most cordial and confiding man- 
 ner. In the course of the night, the man on guard near the 
 horses fell sound asleep ; upon wliich a Shoshonie shot him in 
 the head, and nearly killed him. The savages then made off 
 with the horses, leaving the rest of the party to find their way 
 to the main body on foot. 
 
 The rival companies of Captain Bonneville a7id Mr. Camp- 
 bell, thus fortuitously brought together, now prosecuted their 
 journey in gi-eat good fellowship; forming a joint camp of
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIS BONNEVILLE. 145 
 
 about a hundred men. The captain, however, began to enter- 
 tain doubts that Fitzpatrick and his trappers, who kept pro- 
 found silence as to their future movements, intended to hunt 
 the same grounds which he had selected for his autumnal cam- 
 paign ; which lay to the west of the Horn River, on its tributiiry 
 streams. In the course of liis march, therefore, he secretly de- 
 tached a small party of trappers, to make their way to those 
 hunting grounds, while he continued on Avith the main body ; 
 appointing a rendezvous at the next full moon, about the 2Sth 
 of August, at a place called the Medicine Lodge. 
 
 On reaching the second chain, called the Bighorn Monnt':i_is, 
 where the river forced its impetuous way through a precipi- 
 tous defile, with cascades and rapids, the travellers were 
 obliged to leave its banks, and traverse the mounts 'as by a 
 rugged and frightful route emphatically called the " Bad Pass." 
 Descending the opposite side, they again made for the river 
 banks; and about the middle of August, reached the point 
 below the rapids, where the river becomes navigable for boats. 
 Here Captain BonneviUe detached a second party of trappers, 
 consisting of ten men, to seek and join those whom he had de- 
 tached while on the route, appointing for them the same ren- 
 dezvous (at the Medicine Lodge), on the 28th of August. 
 
 All hands now set to work to construct "bull boats," as they 
 are technically called; alight, fragile kind of bark, character- 
 istic of the expedients and inventions of the A^-ildernoss ; being 
 formed of buffalo skins, stretched on frames. They are some- 
 times, also, called skin boats. Wyeth Avas the first ready; and, 
 Avith his usual promptness and hardiliood launched his frail 
 bark singly, on this wild and hazardous voyage, down an 
 almost interminable succession of rivera, winding through 
 countries teeming with savage hordes. Milton SubU'tte. his 
 former fellow traveller, and his companion in the battlf^ scc'.u's 
 of Pierre's Hole, took passage in his boat, llis (^rew consisted 
 of two white men, and two Indians. We shall hear fui-ther of 
 Wyeth, and his wild voyage in the course of our wanderings 
 about the Far West. 
 
 The remaining parties soon completed their several amia- 
 ments. That of Captain Bonneville was composed of three bull 
 boats, in wliich he embarked all his peltries, giving them in 
 charge of Mr. Cerrd, with a party of thirty -six men. Mr. Camp- 
 bell took command of his own boats, and the little squadrons 
 were soon gliding down the bright current of the Bighorn. 
 
 The secret precautions which Captain Bonneville had taken
 
 146 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 to throw his men first into the trapping ground west of the 
 Bighorn, were, probably, superfluous. It did not appear that 
 Fitzj)atrick had intended to hunt in that direction. The mo- 
 ment Mr. Campbell and his men embarked with the peltries 
 Fitzpatrick took charge of all the horses, amounting to above 
 a hundred, and struck off to the east, to trap upon Littlehorn, 
 Powder and Tongue Rivers. He was accompanied by Captain 
 Stewart, who was desirous of having a range about the Crow 
 country. Of the adventures they met with in that region of 
 vagabonds and horse stealers, we shall have something to re- 
 late hereafter. 
 
 Captain Bonneville being now left to prosecute his trapping 
 campaign without rivalry, set out, on the 17th of August, for 
 the rendezvous at Medicine Lodge. He had but four men re- 
 maining with him, and forty-six horses to take care of; with 
 these he had to make his way over mountain and plain, through 
 a marauding, horse-stealing region, full of peril for a numerous 
 cavalcade so slightly manned. He addressed himself to his 
 difRcidt journey, however, with his usual alacrity of spirit. 
 
 In the afternoon of his first day's journey, on drawmg near 
 to the Bighorn Mountain, on the summit of which he intended 
 to encamp for the night, he observed, to his disquiet, a cloiid 
 of smoke rising from its base. He came to a halt, and watched 
 it anxiously. It was very irregular ; sometimes it would almost 
 die away ; and then would mount up in heavy volumes. There 
 was, apparently, a large party encamped there ; probably, some 
 ruffian horde of Blackfeet. At any rate, it would not do for so 
 small a number of men, with so numerous a cavalcade, to ven- 
 ture within sight of any wandering tribe. Captain Bonne- 
 ville and his companions, therefore, avoided this dangerous 
 neighborhood; and, proceeding with extreme caution, reached 
 the summit of the mountain, apparently without being discov- 
 ered. Here they found a deserted Blackfoot fort, in which 
 they ensconced themselves ; disposed of everything as securely 
 as possible, and passed the night without molestation. Early 
 the next morning they descended the south side of the moun- 
 tain into the great plain extending between it and the Little- 
 horn range. Here they soon came upon numerous footprints, 
 and the carcasses of buffaloes; by whi<;h they knew there 
 must be Indians not far off. Captain Bonneville novv- becran to 
 feel solicitude about the two small parties of trappers which he 
 had detached, lest the Indians should have come upon them 
 before they had united their forces. But he felt still more
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 147 
 
 solicitude about his own party ; for it was hardly to be expectec^ 
 he could traverse these naked plains undiscovered, when In- 
 dians were abroad; and should he be discovered, his chance 
 would be a desperate one. Everytliing now depended upon 
 the greatest circumspection. It was dangerous to discharge a 
 gun or light a fire, or make the least noise, where such quick- 
 eared and quick-sighted enemies were at hand. In the course 
 of the day they saw indubitable signs that the buffalo had been 
 roaming there in gi-eat numbers, and had recently been fright- 
 ened away. That night they encamped with the greatest care; 
 and threw up a strong breastwork for their protection. 
 
 For the two succeeding days they pressed forward rapidly, 
 but cautiously, across the great plain; fording the tributary 
 streams of the Horn River; encamping one night among 
 thickets; the next, on an island; meeting, repeatedly, with 
 traces of Indians; and now and then, in passing through a 
 defile experiencing alarms that induced them to cock their 
 rifles. 
 
 On the last day of their march hunger got the better of their 
 caution, and they shot a fine buffalo bull at the risk of being 
 betrayed by the report. They did not halt to make a meal, 
 but carried the meat on Avith them to the place of rendezvous, 
 the Medicine Lodge, whei'e they arrived safely, in the evening, 
 celebrated their arrival by a hearty supper. 
 
 The next morning they ei-eoted a strong pen for the horses, 
 and a fortress of logs for themselves; amd continued to observe 
 the greatest caution. Their cooking was all done at mid-day, 
 when the fire makes no glare, and a moderate smoke cannot 
 be perceived at any great distance. In the morning and the 
 evening when the wind is lulled, the smoke rises perpendicu- 
 larly in a blue column, or floats in light clouds above the tree- 
 tops, and can be discovered from afar. 
 
 In this way the little party remained for several days, cau- 
 tiously encamped, until, on the 29th of August, the two detach- 
 ments they had been expecting, arrived together at the ren- 
 dezvous. They, as usual, hod tlioir several tales of adventures 
 to relate to the captain, which we will furnish to the reader ui 
 the next chapter.
 
 148 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 ADVENTURES OF THE PARTY OF TEN — THE BALAAMITE MULE— A 
 DEAD POINT— THE MYSTERIOUS ELKS —A NIGHT ATTACK— ARE- 
 TREAT— TRAVELLING UNDER AN ALARM — A JOYFUL MEETING- 
 ADVENTURES OF THE OTHER PARTY — A DECOY ELK — RETREAT 
 TO AN ISLAND— A SAVAGE DANCE OF TRIUMPH — ARRIVAL AT 
 WIND RIVER. 
 
 The adventures of the detachment of ten are the first in 
 order. Tliese trappers, when they separated from Captain 
 Bonneville at the place where the furs were embarked, jDro 
 ceeded to the foot of the Bighorn Mountain, and having en- 
 camped, one of ttiem mounted his mule and Avent out to set Ms 
 trap in a neighboring stream. He had not proceeded far Avhen 
 his steed came to a full stop. The trapper kicked and cud- 
 gelled, but to every blow and tick the mule sno'/ted and kicked 
 up, but stm refused to budge an inch. The rider now cast his 
 eyes warily around in search oi some cause for this demur, 
 when, to his dismay, he discovered an Indian fort within gun- 
 shot distance, lowering through the twilight. In a twinklmg 
 he wheeled about ; his mule now seemed as eager to get on as 
 himself, and in a few moments brought him, clattering with 
 his traps, among his comrades. He was jeered at for his 
 alacrity in retreating; his report was treated as a false alarm; 
 his brother trappers contented themselves with reconnoitring 
 the fort at a distance, and pronounced that it was deserted. 
 
 As night set in, the usual precaution, enjoined by Captain 
 Bonneville on his men was observed. The horses were brought 
 in and tied, and a guard stationed over them. This done, the 
 men wrapped themselves in their blankets, stretched them- 
 selves before the fire, and being fatigued with a long day's 
 march, and gorged with a hearty supper, were soon in a pro- 
 found sleep. 
 
 The camp fires gradually died away ; all was dark and silent ; 
 the sentinel stationed to watch the horses had marched as far, 
 and supped as heartily as any of his companions, and while 
 they snored, he began to nod at his post. After a time, a low 
 trampling noise reached his ear. He half opened his closing
 
 ADVE2JTURES OF CAPTAIX BONIJEVILLK. J 49 
 
 eyes, and beheld two or throe elks moving about the lodgers, 
 picking, and smelling, and gi-azing here and there. The sight 
 of elk within the purUeus of the camp caused some little sur- 
 prise ; but, iiaving had his supper, he cared not for elk meat, 
 and, suffering them to graze about umuolested, soon relapsed 
 into a doze. 
 
 Suddenly, before daybreak, a discharge of firearms, and a 
 struggle and tramp of hoi-ses, made every one start to his feet. 
 The fii"st move was to secure the horses. Some were gone; 
 others were struggling, and kicking, and trembhng, for there 
 ■was a horrible uproar of whoops, and yells, and firearms. 
 Several trappers stole qmetly from the camp, and succeeded in 
 driving m the horses whick had broken away ; the rest were 
 tethered still more strongly. A breastwork was thrown up of 
 saddles, baggage, and camp furniture, and all hands waited 
 anxiously for daylight. The Indians, in the meantime, col- 
 lected on a neighboring height, kept up the most horrible cla- 
 mor, in hopes of striking a jmnic into the camp, or frightening 
 off the horses. When the day dawned, the trappers attacked 
 them briskly and drove them to some distance. A desultory 
 fire was kept up for an hour, when the Indians, seeing nothing 
 was to be gained, gave uj the contest and retired. They 
 proved to be a war party of Blackfeet, who, while in search of 
 the Crow tribe, had fallen upon the trail of Captain Bonne- 
 ville on the Popo Agie, and dogged him to the Bighorn ; but 
 had been completely baffled by his vigilance. They had then 
 waylaid the present detachment, and were actually housed in 
 perfect silence within their fort, when the mule of the trapper 
 made such a dead point. 
 
 The savages went off uttering the wildest denunciations of 
 hostOity, mingled Avith opprobrious terms in broken English, 
 and gesticulations of the most insiUting kind. 
 
 In this melee, one white man was wounded, and two horses 
 were killed. On preparing the morning's meal, however, a 
 number of cups, knives, and other articles were missing, which 
 had, doubtless, been carried off by the fictitious elk, diu-ing the 
 slumber of the very sagacious sentinel. 
 
 As the Indians had gone off in the direction which the trap- 
 pers had intended to travel, the latter changed their route, and 
 pushed forward rapidly through the "Bad Pass. "nor halted 
 until night; when, supp(,>sing themselves out of the reach of 
 the enemy, they contented themselves Avith tying up their 
 horees and posting a guard. They had scarce laid down to
 
 150 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 sleep, when a dog strayed into the canap with a small pack of 
 moccasins tied upon his back ; for dogs are made to carry bur- 
 dons among the Indians. The sentinel, more knowing than he 
 oT the preceding night, awoke his companions and reported the 
 circumstance. It was evident that Indians were at hand. Ail 
 were instantly at work ; a strong pen was soon constructed for 
 the horses, after completing which, they resumed their slum 
 bers with the composure of men long inured to dangers. 
 
 In the nsxt night, the prowling of dogs about the camp and 
 various suspicious noises showed that Indians were still hover- 
 ing about them. Hurrying on by long marches, they at length 
 feu upon a trail, which, with the experienced eye of veteran 
 woodmen, they soon discovered to be that of the party of trap- 
 pers detached by Captain Bonneville when on his march, and 
 which they were sent to join. They likewise ascertained from 
 various signs that this party had suffered some maltreatment 
 from the Indians. They now pursued the trail with intense 
 anxiety; it carried them to the banks of the stream called 
 the Gray BuU, and down along its course, until they came to 
 where it empties into the Horn River. Here, to their great joy, 
 they discovered the comrades of whom they were in search, all 
 strongly fortified, and in a state of great watchfulness and 
 anxiety. 
 
 We now take up the adventures of this first detachment of 
 trappers. These men, after parting with the main body under 
 Captain BonneviUe, had proceeded slowly for several days up 
 the course of the river, trapping beaver as they went. One 
 morning, as they were about to visit their traps, one of the 
 camp keepers pointed to a fine elk, grazing at a distance, and 
 requested them to shoot it. Three of the trappers started off 
 for the purpose. In passing a thicket, they were fired upon by 
 some savages in ambush, and at the same time, the pretended 
 elk, throwing off his hide and his horn, started forth an Indian 
 warrior. 
 
 One of the three trappers had been brought down by the 
 volley; the others fled to the camp, and all hands, seizing up 
 whatever they could carry off, retreated to a small island in 
 the river, and took refuge among the willows. Here they 
 were soon joined by their comrade who had fallen, but who 
 had merely been wounded in the neck. 
 
 In the meantime the Indians took possession of the deserted 
 camp, with all the traps, accoutrements, and horses. While 
 Ihey were busy among the spoils, a solitary trapper, who had
 
 ADVhWTUJiJiJS OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLb. 151 
 
 been absent at bis \v(^rk, came sauntering to the camp with his 
 traps on his back. He had approached near by when an In- 
 dian came forward and motioned him to keep away ; at the 
 same moment, he was perceived by his comrades on the island, 
 and warned of his danger with loud cries. The poor fellow 
 stood for a moment, bewildered and aghast, then dropping liis 
 traps, wheeled and made off at full speed, quickened by a 
 sportive voUey which the Indians rattled after him. 
 
 In high good hmnor with their easy triimiph the savages 
 now formed a circle round the fire and performed a war dance, 
 with the v.nlucky trappers for rueful spectators. This done, 
 emboldened by what they considered cowardice on the part of 
 the white men, they neglected then- usual mode of bush-fight- 
 ing, and advanced openly withm twenty paces of the widows. 
 A sharp volley from the trappers brought them to a sudden 
 halt, and laid three of them breathless. The chief, who had 
 stationed himself on an eminence to direct all the movements 
 of his people, seeing three of his warriors laid low, ordofcd the 
 rest to retire. They immediately did so, and the whole band 
 soon disappeared behind a point of woods, carrying off with 
 them the horees, traps, and the greater part of the baggage. 
 
 It was just after this misfortune that the party of ten men 
 discovered this forlorn band of trappers in a fortress which 
 they had thrown up after their disaster. They were so per- 
 fectly dismayed, that they could not be induced even to go in 
 quest of their traps, which they had set in a neighboring 
 stream. The two parties now joined their forces, and made 
 their way without further misfortune, to the rendezvous. 
 
 Captain Bonneville perceived from the reports of these par- 
 ties, as well as from what he had observed himself in his re- 
 cent march, that he was in a neighborhood teeming with 
 danger. Two wandering Snake Indians, also, who visited th3 
 camp, assured him that there were two large bands of Crows 
 marching rapidly upon him. He broke up his encampment, 
 therefore, on the first of September, made his way to the 
 south, across the Littlehorn Mountain, imtil he reached Wind 
 River, and then turning Avestward, moved slowly up the banks 
 of that otroam, giving time for his men to trap as he proceeded. 
 As it was not in the plan of the present himting campaign to 
 go near the caches on Green River, and as the trappers Avere 
 in want of traps to replace those they had lost, Captain Bonne- 
 ville undercook to visit the caches, and procm-e a supply. To 
 accompany him in tliis hazardous expedition, which would
 
 152 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 take him through the defiles of the Wind River Mountains, 
 and up the Green River valley, he took but three men ; tho 
 main party were to continue on trapping up tov^-ard tlie head 
 of Yv7"ind River, near which he was to rejoin them, just about 
 tiie place where that stream issues from the mountains. We 
 shall accompany the captain on liis adventurous errand 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 CAPTAIN B0NNEVILL3 SETS OUT FOR GREEN RIVER VALLEY — 
 JOURNEY UP THE FOPO AGIE— BUFFALOES— THE STARING 
 WHITE BEARS— THE SMOKE — THE WARM SPRINGS — ATTEMPT TO 
 TRAVERSE THE WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS— THE GREAT SLOPE- 
 MOUNTAIN DELLS AND CHASSIS — CRYSTAL LAKES — ASCENT OF 
 A SNO^VY PEAK — SUBLIME PROSPECT— A PANORAMA — " LES 
 DIGNES DE PITIE," OR WILD MEN OF THE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 Having forded Wind River a little above its mouth, Captain 
 Bonneville and his three companions proceeded across a grav- 
 elly plain, untU they fell upon the Popo Agie, up the left bank 
 of which they held their course, nearly in a southerly direc- 
 lion. Here they came upon numerous droves of buffalo, and 
 halted for the purpose of procuring a supply of beef. As the 
 hunters were stealing cautiously to get within shot of the 
 game, two small white bears suddenly presented themselves 
 in their path, and, rising upon their hind legs, contemplated 
 them for some time with a whimsically solemn gaze. The 
 hunters remained motionless; whereupon the bears, having 
 apparently satisfied their curiosity, lowered themselves upoa 
 all fours, and began to Avithdraw. The hunters new advanced, 
 upon which the bears turned, rose again upon their haunches, 
 and repeated their serio-comic examination. This was re- 
 peated several times, until the hunters, piqued at their un- 
 mannerly staring, rebuked it with a discharge of their rifles. 
 The bears made an awkward bound or two, as if wounded, and 
 then walked off with great gravity, seeming to commune to- 
 gether, and every now and then turning to take another look 
 at the hunters. It was well for the latter that the bears were 
 but half grown, and had not yet acquired the ferocity of their 
 kind.
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 153 
 
 The buffalo were some-what startled at the report of the fire- 
 arms; but the hunters suceeeded in killing a couple of fine 
 cows, and, having secured the best of the moat, continued for- 
 ward until some time after dark, when, encamping in a large 
 thicket of willows, they made a great fire, roasted buffalo beef 
 enough for half a score, disposed of the whole of it with keen 
 relish and high glee, and then " turned in" for the night and 
 slept soimdly, like weary and well-fed hunters. 
 
 At daylight they wore in the saddle again, and skirted along 
 the river, passing through fresh grassy meadows, and a succes- 
 sion of beautiful groves of willows and cotton-wood. Toward 
 evening, Captain Bonneville observed smoke at a distance ris- 
 ing from among hills, directly in the route he was pursuing. 
 Apprehensive of some hostile band, he cmicealed the horses in 
 a thicket, and, accompanied by one of his men, crawled cau- 
 tiously up a height, from which he could overlook the scene 
 of danger. Here, with a spy-glass, he reconnoitred the sur- 
 rounding countrj^ but not a. lodge nor fire, not a man, horse, 
 nor dog, was to be discovered ; in short, the smoke which had 
 caused such alarm proved to be the vapor from several warm, 
 or rather hot springs of considerable magnitude, pouring forth 
 streams in eveiy direction over a bottom of white clay. One 
 of the springs was about twenty-five yards in diameter, and so 
 deep that the water was of a bright green color. 
 
 They were now advancing diagonally upon the chain of Wind 
 River Mountains, which lay between them and Green River 
 valley. To coast round their southern points would be a wide 
 circuit; whereas, could they force their way through them, 
 they might proceed in a straight line. The mountains were 
 lofty, with snowy peaks and cragged sides ; it was hoped, how- 
 ever, that some practicable defile might be found. They at- 
 tempted, accordingly, to penetrate the moiuatains by following 
 up one of the branches of the Popo Agie, but soon found them- 
 selves in the midst of stupendous crags and precipices, that 
 barred all progress. Retracing their steps, and falling back 
 upon the river, they consulted where to make another attempt. 
 They were too close beneath the mountains to scan them gener- 
 ally, but they now recollected having noticed, from the plain, 
 a beautiful slope, rising at an angle of about thirty degi-ees, 
 and apparently without any break, until it reached the snowy 
 region. Seeking this gentle accli\ity, they began to ascend it 
 -with alacrity, trusting to find at the top one of those elevated 
 plains which prevail among the Rocky Mountains. The slope
 
 154 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 was covered with coarse gravel, interspersed with plates of 
 freestone. The^ attained the summit with some toil, but 
 found, instead of a level, or rather undulating plain, that they 
 were on the brink of a deep and precipitous ravine, from the 
 bottom of which rose a se«ond slope, similar to the one they 
 had just ascended. Down into this profound ravine they made 
 their way by a rugged path, or rather fissure of the rocks, and 
 then labored up the second slope. They gained the summit 
 only to find themselves on another ravine, and now perceived 
 that this vast mountain, which had presented such a sloping 
 and even side to the distant beholder on the plain, was shagged 
 by fi'ightful precipices, and seamed with longitudinal chasms, 
 deep and dangerous. 
 
 In one of these wild dells they passed the night, and slept 
 soundly and sweetly after their fatigues. Two days more of 
 arduous climbing and scrambling only served to admit them 
 into the heart of this mountainous and a^vf ul solitude ; where 
 difficulties increased as they proceeded. Sometimes they 
 scrambled from rock to rock, up the bed of some mountain 
 stream, dashing its bright way down to the plains ; sometimes 
 they availed themselves of the paths made by the deer and the 
 mountain sheep, which, however, often took them to the brink 
 of fearful precipices, or led to rugged defiles, impassable for 
 their horses. At one place they were obliged to slide their 
 horses down the face of a rock, in which attempt some of the 
 poor animals lost their footing, rolled to the bottom, and came 
 near being dashed to pieces. 
 
 In the afternoon of the second day, the travellers attained 
 one of the elevated valleys locked up in this singular bed of 
 mountains. Here were two bright and beautiful little lakes, 
 set like mirrors in the midst of stern and rocky heights, and 
 surrounded by grassy meadows, inexpressibly refreshing to 
 the eye. These probably were among the sources of those 
 mighty streams which take their rise among these moun- 
 tains, and wander hundreds of miles through the plains. 
 
 In the green pastures bordering upon these lakes, the trav- 
 ellers halted to repose, and to give their weary horses time 
 to crop the sweet and tender herbage. They had now as- 
 scended to a great height above the level of the plains, yet 
 they beheld huge crags of granite piled one upon another, 
 and beetling like battlements far above them. While two of 
 the men remained in the camp with the horses. Captain 
 Bonneville, accompanied by the other men, set out to climb
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 155 
 
 a neighboring height, hoping to gain a commanding pros- 
 pect, and discern some practicable route through this stu- 
 pendons labyrinth. After much toil, he reached the summit 
 of a lofty clilf, but it was only to behold gigantic peaks ris- 
 ing all around, and towering far into the snowy regions of 
 the atmosphere. Selecting one which appeared to l)e the 
 liighest, he crossed a narrow intervening vtdley, and began 
 to scale it. He soon found that he had undertaken a tre- 
 mendous task ; but the pride of man is never more obstinate 
 than when climbing mountr:itis. The ascent was so steep 
 and rugged that he and his companions were fi*equently 
 obliged to clamber on hands and knees, with their guns slung 
 upon their backs. Frecjuently, exhausted with fatigue, and 
 dripping with perspiration, they threw themselves upon the 
 snow, and took handfuls of it to allay their parching thirst. 
 At one place they even stripped off their coats and hung 
 them upon the bushes, and thus lightly clad, proceeded to 
 scramble over these eternal snows. As they ascended still 
 higher, there were cool breezes that refreshed and braced 
 them, and springing with new ardor to their task, they at 
 length attained the summit. 
 
 " Here a scene burst upon the view of Captain Bonneville, that 
 for a time astonished and overwhelmed him with its immensi- 
 ty. He stood, in fact, upon that dividing ridge which Indians 
 regard as the crest of the world; and on each side of which 
 the landscape may be said to decline to the two cardinal oceans 
 of the globe. Whichever way he turned his eye, it was con- 
 founded by the vastness and variety of objects. Beneath him, 
 the Rocky Mountains seemed to open all their secret recesses; 
 deep, solemn valleys; treasured lakes; dreary passes; rugged 
 defiles and foaming torrents; while beyond their savage pre- 
 cincts, the eye was lost in an almost immeasurable landscape, 
 stretching on every side into dim and hazy distance, like the 
 expanse of a summer's sea. Whichever way he looked, he be- 
 held vast plains glimmering with reflected sunshine; mighty 
 streams wandering on their shining course toward either ocean, 
 and snowy mountains, chain beyond chain, and peak beyond 
 peak, till thev melted hke clouds into the horizon. For a time, 
 the Indian fable seemed realized ; he had attained that height 
 from which the Blackfoot warrior, after death, first catches a 
 view of the land of souls, and beholds the happy huntmg 
 gi'ounds spread out below him, brightening with the abodes of 
 the free and generous spirits. The captain stood for a long
 
 156 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 while gazing upon this scene, lost in a crowd of vague and in- 
 definite ideas and sensations. A long-drawn inspiration at 
 length reheved him from this enthralment of the mind, and he 
 began to analyze the parts of this vast panorama. A simple 
 enumeration of a few of its features may give some idea of its 
 collective grandeur and magnificence. 
 
 The peak on which the captain had taken his stand com- 
 manded the whole Wind Eiver chain; which, in fact, may 
 rather be considered one immense mountaiu, broken into 
 snowy peaks and lateral spurs, and seamed with naiTow val- 
 leys. Some of these valleys glittered with sUver lakes and 
 gushing streams ; the fountain-heads, as it were, of the mighty 
 tributaries to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Beyond the 
 snowy peaks, to the south, and far, far below the mountain 
 range, the gentle river, called the Sweet Water, was seen pur- 
 suing its tranquil waj^ through the rugged regions of the Black 
 Hills. In the east, the head-waters of Wind River wandered 
 through a plain, until, mingling in one powerful current, they 
 forced their way through the range of Horn Mountains, and 
 were lost to view. To the north were caught glimpses of the 
 upper streams of the Yellowstone, that great tributary of the 
 Missouri. In another direction were to be seen some of the 
 sources of the Oregon, or Columbia, flowing to the northwest, 
 past those towering landmarks, the Three Tetons, and pouring 
 down into the great lava plain ; while, almost at nhe captain's 
 feet, the Green River, or Colorado of the West, sot forth on its 
 wandering pilgrimage to the Gulf of Cahfornia ; at first a mere 
 mountain torrent, dashing northward over crag and precipice, 
 in a succession of cascades, and tumbling into the plain, Avhere, 
 expanding into an ample river, it circled away to the south, 
 and after alternately shining out and disappearing in the 
 mazes of the vast landscape, was finally lost in a horizon of 
 mountains. The day was calm and cloudless, and the atmos- 
 phere so pure that objects were discernible at an astonishing 
 distance. The whole of this immense area waa inclosed by an 
 outer range of shadowy peaks, some of them faintly marked 
 on the horizon, which seemed to waU it in frorii the rest of the 
 earth. 
 
 It is to be regretted that Captain Bonneville had no instru- 
 ments with him with which to ascertain the altitude of this 
 peak. He gives it as his opinion, that it is the loftiest point of 
 the North American continent ; but of this we have no satis- 
 factory proof. It is certain that the Rocky Mountains are of
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 157 
 
 an altitude vastly superior to what was formerly supposed. 
 "We rather incline to the opinion that the highest peak is fur- 
 ther to the northward, and is tlie same measured by Mr. 
 Thompson, sui'veyor to the Northwest Conipany; who, by 11k; 
 joint means of tlie barometer and trigonometric measurement, 
 ascertained it to be twenty-five thousand feet above tlie level 
 of the sea; an elevation only inferior to that of the Hmi- 
 alayas.* 
 
 For a long time, Captain Bonneville remained gazing around 
 him with wonder and enthusiasm; at length the chill and 
 wintry winds, whirhng about the snow-clad height, admon- 
 ished him to descend. He soon regained the spot where he 
 and his companions had thrown ofi" their coats, which were 
 now gladly resumed, and, retracing their course down the 
 peak, they safely rejoined their companions on the border of 
 the lake. 
 
 Notwithstanding the savage and almost inaccessible nature 
 of these mountains, they have theii* inhabitants. As one of 
 the party was out hunting, he came upon the track of a man, 
 in a lonely valley. Following it up, ho reached the brow of a 
 cliff, whence he beheld three savages rimning across the vaUcy 
 below him. He fired his gun to ^all their attention, hoping to 
 induce them to turn back. They only fled the faster, and dLs- 
 appeared among the rocks. The hunter returned and re]iortef] 
 what he had seen. Captain Bonneville at once concluded tha( 
 these belonged to a kind of hermit race, scanty in number, 
 that inhabit the highest and most inaccessible fa.stnesses. 
 They speak the Shoshonie language, and probably are offsets 
 from that tribe, though they have peculiarities of their own 
 which distinguish them from all other Indians. They are 
 miserably poor, own no horses, and ai-e destitute of every con- 
 venience to be derived from an intercourse with the whites. 
 Their weapons are bows and stone-pointed arrows, with which 
 they hunt the deer, the elk, and the mountain sheep. They 
 are to be foimd scattered about the countries of the Shoshonie, 
 Flathead, Crow, and Blackfeet tribes; but their residences are 
 always in lonely places, and the clefts of the rocks. 
 
 Their footsteps are often seen by the trappers in the high 
 and solitary valleys among the mountains, and the smokes of 
 their fires descried among the prec'pices, but they themselves 
 
 * See the letter of Professor Renwick, ia the Appendix to Astoria.
 
 158 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 are rarely met with, and still more rarely brought to a parley, 
 so frreat is their shyness and their dread of strangers. 
 
 As their poverty offers no temptation to the marauder, and 
 as they are inoffensive in their habits, they are never the ob- 
 jects of warfare; should one of them, however, fall into the 
 hands of a war party, he is sure to be made a sacrifice, for the 
 sake of that savage trophy, a scalp, and that barbarous cere- 
 mony, a scalp dance. These forlorn beings, forming a mere 
 link between human nature and the brute, have been looked 
 down upon with pity and contempt by the creolo trappers, 
 who have given them the appellation of ' ' les dignes do pitic, " 
 or "the objects of pity." They appear more worthy to be 
 called the wild men of tiie mountains. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 A RETROGRADE MOVE — CHANNEL OF A MOUNTAIN TORRENT — 
 ALPINE SCENERY— CASCADES— BEAVER VALLEYS — BEAVERS AT 
 WORK — THEIR ARCHITECTURE — THEIR MODES OF FELLING TREES 
 —MODE OF TRAPPING BEAVER— CONTESTS OF SKILL — A BEAVER 
 "up to trap"— arrival at the green RIVER CACHES. 
 
 The view from the snowy peak of the Wind River Moun- 
 tain, while it had excited Captain Bonneville's enthusiasm, 
 had satisfied him that it would be useless to force a passage 
 westward, through niultiplying barriers of cliffs and preci- 
 pices. Turning his face eastward, therefore, he endeavored 
 to regain the plains, intending to make the circuit round the 
 southern point of the mountain. To descend and to extricate 
 himself from the heart of this rock-piled wilderness, was al- 
 most as difficult as to penetrate it. Taking his course down 
 the ravine of a tumbling stream, the commencement of sonic 
 future river, he descended from rock to rock, and shelf to 
 shelf, between stupendous cliffs and beetling crags that 
 sprang up to the sky. Often he had to cross and recroea 
 the rushing torrent, as it wound foaming and roaring down 
 its broken channel, or was walled by perpendicular precipices; 
 and imminent was the hazard of breaking the legs of the 
 horses in the clefts and fissures of slippery rocks. The whole 
 scenery of this deep ravine was of Alpine wildness and sub-
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 159 
 
 limity. Sometimes the travellci*s passed beneath cascades 
 which pitched from such lol'ty heights that the water fell 
 into the stream like heavy rain. In other places torrents 
 came tumbling from ci-ag to crag, dashing into foam and 
 spray, and making tremendous din and uproar. 
 
 On the second day of their descent, the travellers, having 
 got beyond the steepest pitch of the mountains, came to where 
 th-^ deep and rugged ravine began occasionally to expand into 
 small levels or valleys, and the stream to assume for short 
 intervals a more peaceful character. Here not merely the 
 river itself, but every rivulet flowing into it, was dammed 
 up by communities of industrious beavers, so as to inundate 
 the neighborhood and make continual swamps. 
 
 During a mid-day halt in one of these beaver valleys. Cap- 
 tain Bonneville left his companions, and strolled down the 
 course of the stream to reconnoitre. He had not proceeded 
 far when he came to a beaver pond, and caught a glimpse 
 of one of its painstaking inhabitants busily at work upon the 
 dam. The curiosity of the captain was aroused, to behold the 
 mode of operating of this far-famed architect ; he moved for- 
 ward, therefore, with the utmost caution, parting the branches 
 of the water willows without making any noise, until having 
 attained a position conamanding a view of the whole pond, he 
 stretched himself fiat on the ground, and watched the solitary 
 workman. In a httle while three others appeared at the head 
 of the dam, bringing sticks and bushes. With these they pro- 
 ceeded directly to the barrier, which Captain Bonneville per- 
 ceived was in need of repair. Having deposited their loads 
 upon the broken part, they dived into the water, and shortly 
 reappeared at the surface. Each now brought a quantity of 
 mud, with which he would plaster the sticks and bushes just 
 deposited. This kind of masonry was continued for some 
 time, repeated supplies of wood and mud being brought, and 
 treated in the same manner. This done, the industrious 
 beavers indulged in a little recreation, chasing each other 
 about the pond, dodging and whisking about on the surface, 
 or diving to the bottom; and in their frolic often slapping 
 their tails on the water with a loud clacking sound. While 
 they were thus amusing themselves, another of the fraternitj' 
 made his appearance, and looked gravely on their sports for 
 some time, without offering to join in them. He then climbed 
 the bank close to where the captain was concealed, and, rear- 
 ing liimself on his hind quartei's, in a sitting position, put his
 
 160 ADVENTURES OB' CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 fore paws against a yoiing pine tree, and began to cut the bark 
 with his teeth. x\t times he would tear off a small piece, and 
 holding it between his paws, and retaining his sedentary posi- 
 tion, would feed himself with it, after the fashion of a monkey. 
 The object of the beaver, however, was e\idently to cut down 
 the tree ; and he was proceeding with his work, when he was 
 alarmed by the approacli of Captain Bonneville's men, who, 
 feeling anxious at the protracted absence of their leader, were 
 coming in search of him. At the sound of their voices, all the 
 beavers, busy as well as idle, dived at once beneath the sur- 
 face, and were no more to be seen. Captain Bonneville re- 
 gretted this interruption. He had heard much of the sagacity 
 of the beaver in cutting down trees, in which, it is said, they 
 manage to make them fall into the water, and in such a posi- 
 tion and direction as may be most favorable- for conveyance tn 
 the desired pomt. In the present instance, the tree was a tall, 
 straight pine, and as it grew perpendicularly, and there was 
 not a l)reath of air stii'ring, the beaver could have felled it in 
 any direction he pleased, if really capable of exercising a dis- 
 cretion in the matter. He was evidently engaged in ' ' belting" 
 the tree, and his first incision had been on the side nearest to 
 the water. 
 
 Captain Bonneville, however, discredits, on the whole, the 
 alleged sagacity of the beaver in this particular, and thinks 
 the animal has no other aim than to get the tree down, without 
 any of the subtle calculation as to its mode or direction of fall- 
 ing. This attribute, he thinks, has been ascribed to them from 
 the circumstance that most trees growing near water-courses, 
 either lean bodily toward the stream, or stretch their largest 
 limbs in that direction, to benefit by the space, the light, and 
 the air to be found there. The beaver, of course, attacks those 
 trees which are nearest at hand, and on the banks of the 
 stream or pond. He makes incisions round them, or, in tech- 
 nical phrase, belts them with his teeth, and when they fall, 
 they naturally take the direction in which their trunks or 
 branches preponderate. 
 
 "I have often," says Captain Bonneville, "seen trees 
 measuring eighteen inches in diameter, at the places vviiere 
 they had been cut through by the beaver, but they lay in 
 all directions, aad often very inconveniently for the after 
 purposes of the animal. In fact, so little ingenuity do they 
 at times display in this particular, that at one of our camps on 
 Snake River a beaver was found with liis head wedged into
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. Id 
 
 the cut which ho had made, the tree having fallen upon him 
 and held him nrisoner until lie died." 
 
 Great choice, according to tlio captain, is certainly displayed 
 by the beaver in selecting the wood whicli is to furnish bark 
 for winter provision. The whole beaver household, old and 
 young, set out upon this business, and will often make long 
 journeys before they are suited. Sftmetinies they cut down 
 trees of the largest size and then cull the branches, the bark of 
 which is most to their taste. These they cut into lengtbs of 
 about three feet, convey them to the water, and float them to 
 their lodges, where they are stored away for winter. They 
 are studious of cleanliness and comfort in their lodges, and 
 after their repasts, will carry out the sticks from which they 
 have eaten the bark, and throw them into the current beyond 
 the barrier. They are jealous, too, of their territories, and 
 extremely pugnacious, never permitting a strange beaver to 
 enter their premises, and often fighting with such virulence as 
 almost to tear each other to pieces. In the spring, which is 
 the breeding season, the male leaves the female at home, and 
 sets off on a tour of plea':ure, rambling often to a great 
 distance, recreating liimself in every clear nnd quiet expanse 
 of water on his way, and climbing the b.mks occasionally to 
 feast upon the tender sprouts of the young willows. As sum- 
 mer advances, he gives up liis bachelor rambles, and bethuik- 
 ing himself of housekeeping duties, returns home to his mate 
 and his new progeny, and marshals them all for the foraging 
 expedition in quest of winter provisions. 
 
 After having shown the public s])irit of this praiseworthy 
 little animal as a memljer of a community, and his amiable and 
 exemplary conduct as the father of a family, we grieve to re- 
 cord the perils with which he is environed, and the snares set 
 for him and his painstaking household. 
 
 Practice, says Captain Bonneville, has given such a quick- 
 ness of eye to the experienced trapper in all that relates to his 
 pursuit, that he can detect the slightest sign of beaver, how- 
 ever wild; and although the lodge may be concealed by close 
 thickets and overhanging willows, he can generally, at a single 
 glance, make an accurate guess at the number of its inmates. 
 He now goes to work to set his trap; planting it upon the 
 shore, in some chosen place, two or three inches below the sm*- 
 facc of the water, and secures it by a chain to a pole set deep 
 in the mud. A small twig is then stinppcd of its bark, nnd one 
 end is dipped in the "medicine," as the trappers term the
 
 162 ^J^ VK^TUIIKS OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE 
 
 peculiar bait which thoy employ. This end of the stick rises 
 about four inches above the surface of the water, the other end 
 is planted between the jaws of the trap. The beaver, possess- 
 ing an acute sense of smell, is soon attracted by the odor of the 
 bait. As he raises his nose toward it, his foot is caught in tha 
 trap. In his fright he throws a somerset into the deep water. 
 The trap being fastened to the pole, resists all his efforts to 
 drag it to the shore ; the chain by which it is fastened defies 
 lib teeth ; he struggles for a time, and at length sinks to the 
 bottom and is drowned. 
 
 Upon rocky bottoms, where it is not possible to plant the 
 pole, it is thrown into the stream. The beaver when entrapped 
 often gets fastened by the chain to sunken logs or floating 
 timber ; if he gets to shore, he is entangled in the thickets of 
 brook willows. In such cases, however, it costs the trapper 
 diMgent search, and sometimes a bout at swimming, before he 
 finds his game. 
 
 Occasionally it happens that several members of a beaver 
 family are trapped in succession. The survivors then become 
 extremely shy, and can scarcely be "brought to medicine," to 
 use the trapper's phrase, for " taking the bait." In such case, 
 the trapper gives up the use of the bait and conceals his traps 
 in the iisual paths and crossing-places of the household. Tlie 
 beaver now being completely "up to trap, " approaches themi 
 cautiously, and springs them ingeniously with a stick. At 
 other times he turns the traps bottom upward by the same 
 means, and occasionally even drags them to the barrier and 
 conceals them in the mud. The trapper now give up the con- 
 test of ingenuity, and shouldering his traps marches off, ad- 
 mitting that he is not yet " up to beaver." 
 
 On the day following Captain Bonneville's supei'vision of the 
 industrious and frolicsome community of beavers, of which he 
 has given so edifying an account, he succeeded in extricating 
 himself from the Wind Eiver Mountains, and regaming the 
 plain to the eastward, made a great bend to the south, so as to 
 go round the bases of the mountains, and arrived, without 
 further incident of importance, at tb.e old place of rendezvous 
 in Green River valley, on the 17th of September. 
 
 He found the caches, in which he had deposited his superflu- 
 ous goods and equipments, all safe, and having opened and 
 taken from them the necessary supplies, he closed them again, 
 taking care to obliterate all traces that might betray them to 
 the keen eyes of Indian marauders.
 
 ADVEMUni£6 OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 103 
 
 CHAPTER XXVn. 
 
 ROUTE TOWARD WIND RIVER — DANGEROUS NEIOnRORTIOOD — 
 ALARMS AND PRECAUTIONS— A SHAM ENCAMPMENT — APPARITION 
 OF AN INDIAJf SPY— MIDNIGHT MOVE— A MOUNTAIN DEFILE— 
 THE WIND RIVER VALLEY — TRACKING A PARTY— DESERTED 
 CAMPS — SYMPTOMS OF CROWS — MEETING OF COMRADES— A 
 TRAPPER ENTRAPPED— CROW PLEASANTRY— CROW SPIES — A 
 DECAMPMENT— RETURN TO GREEN RIVER VALLEY — MEETING 
 WITH FITZPATRICK'S PARTY— TUEIR ADVENTURES AMONG THE 
 CROWS— ORTHODOX CROWS. 
 
 On the 18th 0£ September, Qaptain Bonneville and his three 
 companions set out, bright and early, to rejoin the main party, 
 from wliich they had parted on Wind River. Their route lay 
 up the Green River vallej', with that stream on their right 
 hand, and beyond it the range of Wind River Mountains. At 
 the head of the valley they were to pass through a do file which 
 would bring them out beyond the northern end of I'.icse moun- 
 tains, to the head of Wind River ; where they expected to meet 
 the main party according to arrangement. 
 
 We have already adverted to the dangerous nature of this 
 neighborhood, infested by roving bands of Crows and Black- 
 feet, to whom the numerous defiles and passes of the coimtry 
 afford capital places for ambush and surprise. Tlie travellei-s, 
 therefore, kept a vigilant eye upon everything that might give 
 intimation of lurking danger. 
 
 About two hours after mid-daj', as they reached the smnmit 
 of a liill, they discovered buffalo on the plain below, runuiug 
 in every direction. One of the men, too, fancied ho heard the 
 report of a gun. It was concluded, therefore, that there was 
 some part}'' of Indians below, himting the buffalo. 
 
 The horses were immediately concealed in a narrow ravine ; 
 and the captain, mounting an eminence, but concealing him- 
 self from view, reconnoitred the whole neighborhood with a 
 telescope. Not an Indian was to be seen; so, after halting 
 abovit an hour, he resumed his journey. Convinced, however, 
 that he was in a dangerous neighborhood, he ad^ anced with 
 the utmost caution; winding liis way through hollows and
 
 1^4 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 ravines, and avoiding, as much as possible, any open tract or 
 rising ground that might betray his Httlo party to the watchful 
 eye of an Indian scout. 
 
 Arriving at length at the edge of the open meadow land 
 bordering on the river, he again observed the buffalo, as far as 
 he could see, scampering in great alarm. Once more conceal- 
 ing the hoi'ses, he and his companions remained for a long 
 time watching the various groups of the animals, as each 
 caiight the panic and started off ; but they sought in vain to 
 discover the cause. 
 
 They were now about to enter the mountain defile, at the 
 head of Green River valley, where they might be waylaid and 
 attacked ; they therefore arranged the packs on their horses, in 
 the manner most secure and convenient for sudden flight, 
 should such be necessary. This done, they again set forward, 
 keeping the most anxious look-out in every direction. 
 
 It was now drawing toward evening; but they could not 
 think of encamping for the night in a place so full of danger. 
 Captain Bonneville, therefore, determined to halt about sim> 
 set, kindle a fire, as if for encampment, cook and eat supper ; 
 but, as soon as it was sufficiently dai'k, to make a rapid move 
 for the summit of the mountain, and seek some secluded spot 
 for their night's lodgings. 
 
 Accordingly, as the sun went down, the little party came to 
 a halt, made a large fire, spitted their buffalo meat on wooden 
 sticks, and, when sufficiently roasted, planted the savory 
 viands before them ; cutting off huge slices with their hunting 
 knives, and supping with a hunter's appetite. The light of 
 their fire w^ould not fail, as they knew, to attract the attention 
 of any Indian horde in the neighborhood ; but they trusted to 
 be off and away before any prowlers could reach the place. 
 While they were supping thus hastily, however, one of their 
 party suddenly started up and shouted "Indians!" AU were 
 instantly on their feet, with their rifles in their hands ; but 
 could see no enemy. The man, however, declared that he 
 had seen an Indian advancing cautiously along the trail which 
 they had made in coming to the encampment, who, the mo- 
 ment he was perceived had thrown himself on the ground and 
 disappeared. He urged Captain Bonneville instantly to de- 
 camp. The captain, however, took the matter more coolly. 
 The single fact that the Indian had endeavored to hide himself, 
 convinced him that he was not one of a party on the advance 
 to make an attack. He was, probably, some scout, who had
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. \iy,\ 
 
 followed up their trail iintil he came in sight of their fire. 
 He would, in such case, retui'n, and re])oi-t wliat he had soon 
 to his companions. These, supposing tlic white men had en- 
 camped for the night, would keep aloof until very late, when 
 all should be asleep. They would then, according to Indian 
 tactics, make their stealthy approaches, and place themselves 
 in ambush around, preparatory to their attack at the usual 
 hour of daylight. 
 
 Such was Captain Bonneville's conclusion ; in consequence 
 of which, he counselled his men to keep perfectly quiet, and 
 act as if free fi-om alarm, until the prijper time arrived for a 
 movement. They, accordingly, continued their repast with 
 pretended appetite and jollity; and then trimmed and re- 
 plenished their fire, as if .for a bivouac. As soon, however, as 
 the night had completely set in, they left their fire blazing, 
 walked quietly amoiig the willows, and then leaping into their 
 saddles, made off as noiselessly as possible. In pro])(»rtion as 
 they left the point of danger behind them, the^^ relaxed in 
 their rigid and anxious taciturnity, and began to joke at the 
 expense of their enemy, whom they pictiu-ed to themselves 
 mousing in the neighborhood of their deserted fire, waiting for 
 the proper time of attack, and preparing for a grand dis- 
 appointment. 
 
 About midnight, feeling satisfied that they had gained a 
 secure distance, they posted one of their number to keep 
 watch, in case the enemy should follow on their trail, and 
 then, turning abruptly into a dense and matted thicket of 
 willows, halted for the night at the foot of the mountain, in- 
 stead of making for the summit, as they had originally in- 
 tended. 
 
 A trapper in the wilderness, like a sailor on the ocean, 
 snatches morsels of enjoyment in the midst of trouble, and 
 sleeps soundly when siuTOunded by danger. The little party 
 now made their arrangements for sleep with perfect calmness; 
 tho}"" did not venture to make a fire and cook, it is true, though 
 generally done by hunters whenever they come to a halt, and 
 have provisions. They comforted themselves, however, by 
 smoking a tranquil pipe; and then calling in the watch, and 
 turning loose the horses, stretched themselves on their pallets, 
 agreed that whoever shoiUd first awake should rouse the rest, 
 and in a little while were all in as sound sleep as though in the 
 midst of a fortress. 
 
 A little before day, they were all on the alert ; it was the
 
 166 ADVIC^TUIIES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 hour for Indian maraud. A sentinel was immediately de- 
 tached, to post himself at a little distance on their trail, and 
 give the alarm, should he see or hear an enemy. 
 
 With the first blink of dawn the rest sought the horses, 
 brought them to the camp, and tied them up until an hour 
 after sunrise, when, the sentinel having reported that all was 
 well, they sprang once more into their saddles, and pursued 
 the most covert and secret paths up the mountain, avoiding 
 the direct route. 
 
 At noon they halted and made a hasty repast, and then bent 
 their course so as to regain the route from which they had 
 diverged. They were now made sensible of the danger from 
 which they had just escaped. There were tracks of Indians, 
 who had evidently been in pursuit of them, but had recently 
 returned, baffled in their search. 
 
 Trusting that they had now got a fair start, and could not 
 be overtaken before night, even in case the Indians should re- 
 new the chase, they pushed briskly forward, and did not en- 
 camp until late, when they cautiously concealed themselves in 
 a secure nook of the momitains. 
 
 Without any further alarm, they made their way to the 
 head- waters of Wind River ; and i-eached the neighborhood in 
 which they had appointed the rendezvous with their com- 
 panions. It was within the precincts of the Crow country; 
 the Wind River valley being one of the favorite haunts of that 
 restless tribe. After much searching, Captain Bonneville came 
 upon a trail which had evidently been made by his main party. 
 It was so old, however, that he feared his people might have 
 left the neighborhood ; driven off, perhaps, by some of those 
 war parties which were on the prowl. He continued his 
 search with great anxiety, and no little fatigue ; for his horses 
 were jaded, and almost crippled, by their forced marches and 
 scramblings through rocky defiles. 
 
 On the following day, about noon, Captain BonneviUe came 
 upon a deserted camp of his people, from which they had evi- 
 dently turned back; but he could find no signs to indicate 
 why they had done so ; whether they had met with misfortune, 
 or molestation, or in what direction they had gone. He was 
 now more than ever perplexed. 
 
 On the following day he resumed his march with increasing 
 anxiety. The feet of his horses had by this time become so 
 worn and wounded by the rocks, that he had to make mocca- 
 sins for them of bufiEalo hide. About noon he came to another
 
 ADVhWTLIlh-S OF CAPJAJy liO^^MiVlLLl-:. ](;7 
 
 deserted camp of his men ; but soon after lost their trail. After 
 great search, he once more found it, turning in a southerly di- 
 rection along the eastern bases of the Wind Kiver Mountains, 
 wliich towered to the right. He now pushed forward with all 
 possible speed, in hopes of overtaking the party. At niglit ho 
 slept at another of their camps, from which they had but re- 
 ccntly departed. When the day dawned sufficiently to distin- 
 guish objects, he perceived the danger that must be dogging 
 the heels of his main party. All about the camp were traces 
 of Indians who must have been prowlmg about it at the time 
 his people had passed the night there ; and who must still be 
 hovering about them. Convinced now that the mam party 
 could not be at any great distance, he mounted a scout on the 
 best horse, and sent him forward to overtake them, to warn 
 them of their danger, and to order them to halt, until he should 
 rejoin them. 
 
 In the afternoon, to his great joy, he met the scout return- 
 ing, with six comrades from the main party, leading fresh 
 horses for his accommodation ; and on the following day (Sep- 
 tember 25th), all hands were once more reunited, after a sepa- 
 ration of nearly three weeks. Their meeting was hearty and 
 joyous ; for they had both experienced dangers and perplexi- 
 ties. 
 
 The main party, in pursuing their course Tip the Wind River 
 valley, had been dogged the whole way hy a Avar part}' of 
 Crows. In one place they had been fired upon, but without 
 injury; in another place, one of their horses had been cut 
 loose, and carried off. At length, they were so closely l)cset 
 that they were obliged to make a retrograde move, lest they 
 should be surprised and overcome. This was the movement 
 ■which had caused such perplexity to Captain Bonneville, 
 
 The whole party now remained encamped for two or three 
 days, to give repose to both men and horees. Some of the 
 trai^pei's, however, pui-sued their vocations about the neigh- 
 boring streams. While one of them was setting his traps, he 
 heard the tramj) of horses, and loolcing up, beheld a party of 
 Crow braves moving along at no great distance, with a consid- 
 erable cavalcade. The trapper hastened to conceal himself, 
 but was discerned by the quick eye of the savages. With 
 whoops and yells, they dragged him from his hiding-place, 
 flourished over his head their tomahawks and sealping-knivee, 
 and for a time the poor trapper gave himself up for lost. For- 
 timntely the Crows were in a jocose rather th.an a sanguinary
 
 ICS AnvKyrunics of captain bonneville. 
 
 mood. They amused themselves heartily for a while at the 
 expense of his terrors, and after having played oft" divers 
 Crow pranks and pleasantries, suffered him to depart un- 
 harmed. It is true, they stripped him completely, one tak- 
 ing his horse, another his gun, a third his traps, a fourth 
 his blanket, and so on through all his accoutrements, and even 
 his clothing, until he was stark naked ; but then they genei"- 
 ou ly made him a present of an old tattered buffalo robe, and 
 dismissed him, with many v. Dmplimentary speeches and much 
 laughter. When the trapper returned to the camp in such 
 sorry plight, he was greeted with peals of laughter from his 
 comrades, and seemed more mortified by the style in which he 
 had been dismissed, than rejoiced at escaping with his life. A 
 circumstance which he related to Captain Bonneville gave 
 some insight into the cause of this extreme jocularity on the 
 part of the Crows. They had evidently had a jun of luck, 
 and, like winnmg gamblers, were in high good humor. Among 
 twenty-six fine horses, and some mules, which composed their 
 cavalcade, the trap^^sr recognized a number which had be- 
 longed to Fitzpatrick's brigade, when they parted company on 
 the Bighorn. It was supposed, therefore, that these vaga- 
 bonds had been on his trail, and robbed him of part of his 
 cavalry. 
 
 On the day following this affair, three Crows came into Cap- 
 tain Bonneville's camp, with the most easy, innocent, if not 
 impudent air imaginable; walking about with that impertur- 
 bable coolness and unconcern in which the Indian rivals the 
 fine gentleman. As they had not been of the set which 
 stripped the trapper, though evidently of the same band, 
 they were not molested. Indeed, Captain Bonneville treated 
 them with his usual kindness and hospitality ; permitting them 
 to remain all day in the cami), and even to pass the night 
 there. At the same time, however, he caused a strict watch 
 to be maintained on all their movements and at night sta- 
 tioned an armed sentinel near them. The Crows remonstrated 
 against the latter being armed. This only made the captain 
 suspect them to be spies, who meditated treachery; he re- 
 doubled, therefore, his precautions. At the same time he as- 
 sured his guests that while they were perfectly welcome to the 
 shelter and comfort of his camp, yet, should any of their tribe 
 venture to approach during the night, they would certainly be 
 shot, which Avould be a xerj unfortunate circumstance, and 
 much to be deplored. To the latter x*emark they fully as-
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. HJQ 
 
 sen ted, and shoi'tly aftiTward commenced a wild song or 
 chant, which they kept up for a Ion;:; time, and in which 
 thoy very probably gave tlioir friends, who might be prowl- 
 ing round the camp, notice that the white men were on the 
 alert. The night passed away without disturbance. In the 
 morning the three Crow guests were very pressing that Cap- 
 tain Bonneville and his party should accompany them to their 
 camp, which they said was close by. Instead of accepting 
 their invitation Captain Bonneville took his departure with 
 all possible dispatch, eager to be out of the vicinity of such 
 a piratical horde; nor did he relax ihe diligence of his march 
 until, on the second day, he reached the banks of the Sweet 
 Water, beyond the limits of the Crow country, and a heavy 
 fall of snow had obliterated aU traces of his course. 
 
 He now continued on for some few days, at a slower pace, 
 round the point of the mountain towai'd Green River, and ar- 
 rived once more at the caches, on the 14th of October. 
 
 Here they found traces of the band of Indians who had 
 hunted them in the defile toward the head-waters of Wind 
 River. Having lost all trace of them on their way over the 
 mountains, they had turned and followed back their trail 
 down the Green River valley to the caches. One of these 
 they had discovered and broken open, but it fortimately con- 
 tained nothing b\it fragments of old iron, which thoy had 
 scattered about in all directions, and then dopnrted. In e.v- 
 amining their deserted camp, Captain Bonneville discovered 
 that it numbered thirty-nine fires, and had more reason than 
 ever to congratulate himself on having escaped the clutches of 
 such a formidable band of freebooters. 
 
 He now turned his course southward, imder cover of the 
 mountains, and on the 25th of October reached Libergo's Ford, 
 a tributary of the Coloi-ado, where he came suddenly upon the 
 trail of this same war ])arty, Avhich had crossed the stream so 
 recently that the banks wore yet wet with the water that had 
 been splashed upon them.. To judge from their tracks, they 
 could not be less than three hundred warriors, and a])parsntly 
 of the Crow nation. 
 
 Ca])tain Bonneville was extremely uneasy lest this over- 
 powering force should come upon him in some place where he 
 would not have the means of fortifying himself promptly. He 
 now moved toward Hane's Fork, another tributary of the Col- 
 orado, where he encamped, and remained durmg the 26th of 
 October. Seeing a large cloud of smoke to the south, he nip-
 
 170 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 posed it to arise from some encampment of Shoshonies, and 
 sent scouts to procure information, and to purchase a lodge. 
 It was, in fact, a band of Shoshonies, but with them were en- 
 camped Fitzpatrick and his party of trappers. That active 
 leader had an eventful story to relate of his fortunes in the 
 country of the Crows. After parting with Captain Bomieville 
 on the banks of the Bighorn, he made for the west, to trap 
 upon Powder and Tongue Rivers. He had between twenty 
 and thirty men wath him, and about one hundred horses. So 
 large a cavalcade could not pass through the Crow countiy 
 without attracting the attention of its f reebooting hordes. A 
 large band of Crows were soon on their traces, and came up 
 with them on the 5th of September, just as they had reached 
 Tongue Eiver. The Crow chief came forward with great ap- 
 pearance of friendship, and proposed to Fitzpatrick that they 
 should encamp together. The latter, however, not having any 
 faith in Crows, declined the invitation, and pitcTied his camp 
 three miles off. He then rode over with two or three men, to 
 visit the Crow chief, by whom he was received with great ap- 
 parent cordiahty. In the meantime, however, a party of 
 young braves, who considered them absolved by his distrust 
 from all scruples of honor, made a circuit privately, and 
 dashed into his encampmeni. Captain Stewart, who had re- 
 mained there in the absence of Fitzpatrick, behaved with great 
 spirit ; but the Crows were too numerous and active. They 
 had got possession of the camp, and soon made booty of every- 
 thing — carrying off all the horses. On their way back they 
 met Fitzpatrick returning to his camp ; and finished their ex- 
 ploit by rifling and nearly stripping him. 
 
 A negotiation took place between the plundered white men 
 and the triumphant Crows ; what eloquence and management 
 Fitzpatrick made use of we do not know, but he succeeded in 
 prevaihng upon the Crow chieftain to return him his horses 
 and many of his traps, together with his rifles and a few 
 rounds of ammunition for each man. He then set out with all 
 speed to abandon the Crow country, before he should meet 
 with any fresh disasters. 
 
 After his departure, the consciences of some of the most 
 orthodox Crows pricked them sorely for ha\dng suffered such 
 a cavalcade to escape out of their hands. Anxious to wipe off 
 so foul a stigma on the reputation ot the Crow nation, they 
 followed on his trail, nor quit hovering about him on his 
 inarch until they had stolen a, number of his best horses and
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 17[ 
 
 mules. It was, doubtless, this same band which came u]ion 
 the lonely trapper on the Popo Apie, and generously gave him 
 an old bulfalo robe in exchange for his rifle, his traps, and all 
 his accoutrements. With these anecdotes, we shall, for the 
 present, take our leave of the Crow country and its vagabond 
 chivalry. 
 
 I 
 
 CHAPTER XXVni. 
 
 A REGION OF NATURAL CURIOSITIES— THE PLAIN OP WHITE CLAY 
 — HOT SPRINGS— THE BEER SPRING — DEPARTURE TO SEEK THE 
 FREE TRAPPERS — PLAIN OF PORTNEUF — LAVA— CHASMS AND 
 GULLIES— BANNECK INDIANS— TFIEIR HUNT OF THE BUFFALO— 
 HUNTERS' FEAST — TRENCHER HEROES — BULLYING OF AN AB- 
 SENT FOE— THE DA3IP COMRADE — THE INDIAN SPY — MEETING 
 WITH HODGKISS — HIS ADVENTURES — POORDEVIL INDIANS — 
 TRIUMPH OF THE BANNECKS— BLACKFEET POLICY IN WAR, 
 
 Crossing an elevated ridge, Captain Bonneville now came 
 Upon Bear River, which, from its source to its entrance into 
 the Great Salt Lake, describes the figures of a horse-shoe. 
 One of the principal head waters of this river, although sup- 
 posed to abound with beaver, has never been visited by the 
 trapper; rising among rugged mountains, and being barri- 
 cadoed by fallen pine trees and tremendous precipices. 
 
 Proceeding down this river, the party encamped, on the Gth 
 of November, at the outlet of a lake about thirty miles long, 
 and from two to three miles in width, completely imbedded in 
 low ranges of mountains, and connected with Bear River by 
 nn impassable swamp. It is called the Little Lake, to distin- 
 (juish it from tlie great one of salt water. 
 
 On the 10th of November, Cq^tain Bonneville visited a ]ilace 
 in the neighborhood which is quite a region of natural cin-iosi- 
 ties. An area of about half a mile square presents a level sur- 
 face of white clay or fuller's earth, perfectly spotless, resem- 
 bling a great slab of Parian marble, or a sheot of dazzling 
 snow. The effect is strikingly b(^autiful at all times; in sum- 
 mer, when it is surrounded with verdure, or in autiunn. when 
 it contrasts its bright inunaculate surface with the witiiered 
 herbage. Seen from a distant eminence, it then shines like .a 
 nii.ror, set in the l)'.-o>vn landscape Aro'.ind tbi-^ plain rro
 
 172 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 clustered numerous springs of various sizes and temperatures. 
 One of them of scalding heat, boils furiously and incessantly, 
 rising to the height of two or three feet. In another place there 
 is an aperture in the earth from which rushes a column of 
 steam that forms a perpetual cloud. The ground for some dis- 
 tance ai'ound sounds hollow, and startles the solitary trapper, 
 as he hears the tramp of his horse giving the sound of a 
 muffled drum. He pictures to himself a mysterious gulf be- 
 low, a place of hidden fires, and gazes round him with awe and 
 uneasiness. 
 
 The most noted curiosity, however, of this singular region is 
 the Beer Spring, of which trappers give wonderful accounts. 
 They are said to turn aside from their route through tha 
 country to drink of its waters, with as much eagerness as the 
 Arab seeks some famous well of the desert. Captain Bonne- 
 ville describes it as having the taste of beer. His men drank 
 it with avidity, and in copious draughts. It did not appear to 
 him to possess any medicinal properties, or to produce any 
 peculiar effects. The Indians, however, refuse to taste it, and 
 endeavor to persuade the white men from doing so. 
 
 We have heard this also called the Soda Spring, and de- 
 scribed as containing iron and sulphur. It probably possesses 
 some of the properties of the Ballston water. 
 
 The time had now arrived for Captain Bonneville to go in 
 quest of the party of free trappers, detached in the beginning 
 of July, under the command of Mr. Hodgkiss to trap upon the 
 head waters of Salmon River. His intention was to unite 
 them with the party with which he was at present travelling, 
 that all might go into quarters together for the winter. Ac- 
 cordingly, on the 11th of November, he took a temporary 
 leave of his band, appointing a rendezvous on Snake River, 
 and, accompanied by three men, set out upon his journey. His 
 route lay across the plain of the Portneuf , a tributary stream 
 of Snake River, called after an unfortunate Canadian trapper 
 murdered by the Indians. The whole country through which 
 he passed, bore evidence of volcanic convulsions and confla- 
 grations in the olden time. Great masses or lava lay scattered 
 about in every direction : the crags and cliffs had apparently 
 been imder the action of fire; the rocks in some places seemed 
 to have been in a state of fusion ; the plain was rent and split 
 with deep chasms and gullies, some of which were partly filled 
 with lava. 
 
 They had not proceeded far, however, before they saw a
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 173 
 
 party of horsemen galloping fiill tilt toward thoni. Tliey 
 instantly turned, and made full speed for the covert of a 
 woody stream, to fortify themselves among the trees. The 
 Indians came to a halt, and one of them came forward alone. 
 He reached Captain I>onne\allo and his men just as they were 
 dismoimting and about to post themselves. A few words 
 dispelled all uneasiness. It was a party of twentj'-five Ban- 
 neck Indians, friendly to the whites, and they proposed, 
 through their envoy, that both parties should encamp to- 
 gether, and hunt the buffalo, of which they had discovered 
 several large herds hard by. Ca]itain Bonneville cheerfully 
 assented to their i^roposition, being curious to see theii* man- 
 ner of hunting. 
 
 Both parties accordingly encamped together on a convenient 
 spot, and prepared for the hunt. The Indians first posted a 
 boy on a small hill near the camp, to keep a lookout for 
 eneinies. The "runners," then, as they are called, mounted 
 on fleet horses, and armed with bows and arrows, moved 
 slowly and cautiously toward the buifalo, keejiing as much as 
 possible out of sight, in hollows and ravines. When within 
 a proper distance, a signal was given, and they all opened at 
 once like a pack of hounds, with a full chorus of yells, dashing 
 into the midst of the herds, and launching their arrows to the 
 right and left. The plain seemed absolutely to shake under 
 the tramp of the bullalo, as they scoured off. The cows in 
 headlong panic, the buUs furious with rage, uttering deep 
 roars, and occasionally turning with a desperate rush iipon 
 their pursuers. Nothing could sm-pass the sjiirit, grace, and 
 dexterity, with which the Indians managed their horses; 
 wheeling and coursing among the affrighted herd, and launch- 
 ing their arrows with unerring aim. In the midst of the 
 apparent confusion, they selected their victims with perfect 
 judgment, generally aiming at the fattest of the cows, the 
 flesh of the bull being nearly worthless at this season oi' the 
 year. In a few minutes, each of the hunters had crip])led 
 three or four cows. A single shot was suflicient for llie pur- 
 pose, and the animal, once maimed, was left to be comjilelely 
 dispatched at the end of the chase. Frequently a cow was 
 killed on the spot by a single arrow. In one instance, Captain 
 Bonneville saw an Indian shoot his arrow completely through 
 the body of a cow, so that it struck in the ground beyond. 
 The bulls, however, are not so easily killed as the cows, and 
 always cost the hunter several arrows, sometimes making
 
 174 ADVKXTURKS OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 battle upon tlic horses, and cbasinp; them furiously, thoTigh 
 sevtMvly wounded, with the darts still sticking in their fl(>sh. 
 
 The grand scamper of the hunt being over, the Indians 
 proceeded to dispatch the animals that had been disabled; 
 then cutting up the carcasses, they returned with loads of 
 meat to the camp, where the choicest pieces were soon roast- 
 ing before large fires, and a hunters' feast succeeded ; at which 
 Captain Bonneville and his men were quahfied, by previous 
 fasting, to perform their parts with ^reat vigor. 
 
 Some men are said to wax valorous upon a full stomach, 
 and such seemed to be the case with the Lanneck braves, 
 who, in proportion as they crannned themselves with buffalo 
 meat, grew stout of heart, until, the supper at an end, they 
 began to chant war songs, setting forth their mighty deeds, 
 and the victories they had gained over the Blackfeet. Warm- 
 ing with the theme, and inflating themselves with their own 
 eulogies, these magnanimous heroes of the trencher would 
 start up, advance a short distance beyond the light of the 
 fires, and apostrophize most vehemently their Blackfeet 
 enemies, as though they had been within hearing. Ruffling 
 and swelling, and snorting, and slapping their breasts, and 
 brandishing their arms, thoy would vociferate all their ex- 
 ploits; reminding the Blackfeet how thoy had drenched tlieir 
 tov/ns in tears and blood; enumerate the blows they had 
 inflicted, the warriors they had slain, the scalps they had 
 brought off in triumph. Then, having said everything that 
 coifld stir a man's spleen or pique his valor, they would dare 
 their imaginary hearers, now that the Bannecks were few^ in 
 number, to come and take their revenge — receiving no rej^ly 
 to this valorous bravado, they would conclude by all kinds of 
 sneers and insults, deriding the Blackfeet for dastards and 
 poltroons, that dared not accept their challenge. Such is the 
 kind of swaggering and I'hodomontade in which the "red 
 men" are prone to indulge in their vainglorious moments ; for, 
 with all their vaunted taciturnity, they are vehemently prone 
 at times to become eloquent about their exploits, and to sound 
 their own trimipet. 
 
 Having vented their valor in this fierce effervescence, the 
 Banneck braves gradually calmed down, lowered their crests, 
 smootluMl their ruffled feathere, and betook themselves to 
 sleep, without placing a single guai'd over their camp; so that, 
 had the Blackfeet taken them at their word, but few of these 
 braggart heroes might have survived for any further boasting.
 
 ADVKNrURKS OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 175 
 
 On the following morning, Captain Bonneville purchased a 
 supply of butfnlo meat from his braggadocio friends; who, 
 with all their vaporing, were in fact a very forlorn horde, 
 destitute of firearms, and of almost everything that consti- 
 tiites riches in savage life. The bargain concluded, the Ban- 
 necks set off for their village, which was situated, they said, 
 at the minith of the Portneuf, and Captain Bonneville and his 
 com]ianions shaped their course toward Snake River. 
 
 Arrived on the banks of that river, he found it ra]^id and 
 boisterous, but not too deep to be forded. In traversing it. how- 
 ever, one of the horses was swept suddenly from his footing, 
 and his rider was tlung from the saddle into the midst of the 
 stream. Both horse and horseman were extricated without any 
 damage, excepting that the latter was completely drenched, so 
 that it was necessary to kindle a lire to dry him. While they 
 were thus occupied, one of the party looking up, perceived an 
 Indian scout cautioiisly reconnoitring them irom the sununit 
 of a neighboring hill. The moment he found himself discov- 
 ered, he disappeared behind the hill. From liis furtive move- 
 ments, Captain Bonneville suspected him to be a scout from 
 the Blackfeet camj), and that he had gone to report what he 
 had seen to his companions. It woidd not do to loiter in such 
 a neighborhood, so the kindling of the fire was abandoned, the 
 drenched horseman mounted in drip]iing condition, and the 
 little band pushed fcn-Avnrd directly into the jtlain. going at a 
 smart pace, luUil they had gained a considerable distance from 
 the place of supposed danger. Here encamping for the night, 
 in the midst of abundance of sage, or wormwood, which af- 
 forded fodder for their horses, they kindled a huge fire for the 
 benefit of their damp comrade, and then proceeded to prepare a 
 s\unptuous siuiper of buffalo humps and ribs, and other choice 
 bits, which they had brought ^\^th them. After a hearty re- 
 past, relished with an appetite unknown to city e])icures, tbey 
 stretched themselves upon their couches of skins, and mid(>r 
 the starry canopy of heaven, enjoyed the sound anil sweet sleep 
 of hardy and well-fed mountaineers. 
 
 They continued on their journey for several days, without 
 any incident worthy of notice, and on the 19th of November, 
 came upo.i traces of the party of which they were in search; 
 such as burned patches of prairie, and deserted camping 
 grounds. All these w(>re carefully examined, to discover, by 
 their freshness or antiiiuity the probable time that the trap- 
 pers had left them; at length, after much Avandering and in-
 
 376 ADVENTUllES OF CAPTAIN BONMCVILLE. 
 
 vcstigating, they came upon the regular trail of the hunting 
 party, which led into the mountains, and following it up 
 briskly, came about two o'clock in the afternoon of the 20th, 
 upon the encampment of Hodgkiss and liis band of free trap- 
 pers, in the bosom of a mountain valley. 
 
 It will be recollected that these free trappers, who were 
 masters of themselves and their movements, had refused to 
 accompany Captain Bonneville back to Green River in the 
 preceding month of July, preferring to trap about the upper 
 waters of the Salmon River, where they expected to find 
 plenty of beaver, and a less dangerous neighborhood. Their 
 hunt had not been very successful. They had penetrated the 
 great range of mountains among which some of the upper 
 branches of Salmon River take their rise, but had become so 
 entangled among immense and almost impassable barricades 
 of fallen pines, and so impeded by tremendous precipices, that 
 a great part of their season had been wasted among these 
 mountains. At one time they had made their way through 
 them, and reached the Boisee River ; but meeting with a band 
 of Banneck Indians, from whom they apprehended hostilities, 
 they had again taken shelter among the moimtains, where 
 they were found by Captain Bonneville. In the neighborhood 
 of their encampment, the captain had the good fortune to meet 
 with a family of those wanderers of the mountains, emphatically 
 called "les dignej de pitie," or Poordevil Indians. These, hoAv- 
 ever, appear to have forfeited the title, for they had with them 
 a fine lot of skins of beaver, elk, deer, and mountain sheep. 
 These, Captain Bonneville purchased from them at a fair valua- 
 tion, and sent them off astonished at their own Avealth, and no 
 doubt objects of envj- to all their pitiful tribe. 
 
 Being now reinforced by Hodgkiss and his band of free trap- 
 pers. Captain Bonneville put himself at the head of the- united 
 parties, and set out to rejoin those he had recently left at the 
 Beer Spring that they might all go into winter quarters on 
 Snake River. On this route, he encountered many heavy falls 
 of snow, which melted almost immediately, so as not to impede 
 his march, and on the 4th of December, he found his other 
 party, encamped at the very place where he had partaken in 
 the buffalo hunt with the Bannecks. 
 
 That braggart horde was encamped but about three miles off, 
 and were just then in high glee and festivity, and more swag- 
 gering than ever, celebrating a prodigious victory. It appeared 
 that a party of their braves being out on a hunting excm-sion,
 
 ABVl'jyrURKS OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. \'}J 
 
 discovered a band of Blackfoet moving, as they thought, to 
 surprise their hunting camp. The Bannecks immediately- 
 posted themselves on each side of a dark ravine, throwgh 
 which the enemy must pass, and, just as they were entangled 
 in the midst of it, attacked them with great fury. The Black- 
 feet, struck with sudden panic, threw off their buffalo robes 
 and fled, leaving one of their warriors dead on the spot. The 
 victors eagerly gathered up the spoils ; but their greatest prize 
 was the scalp of the Blackfoot brave. This they bore off in 
 triumph to the village, where it had ever since been an object 
 of the greatest exultation and rejoicing. It had been elevated 
 upon a pole in the centre of the village, where the warriors 
 had celebrated the scalp dance round it, with war feasts, war 
 songs, and warlike harangues. It had then been given up to 
 the women and boys ; who had paraded i j up and down the 
 village with shouts and chants aiid antic dances; occasionally 
 saluting it with all kinds of taunts, invectives, and revilingt;. 
 
 The Blackfeet, in this affair, do not appear to have acted up 
 to the character which has rendered them objects of such ter- 
 ror. Indeed, their conduct in war, to the inexperienced ob- 
 server is full of inconsistencies; at one time they are headlong 
 in courage, and heedless of danger; a.t another time cautious 
 almost to cowardice. To understand these ap]")arent incongni- 
 ities, one must know their principles of warfare. A war party, 
 however triumphant, if they lose a warrior in the fight, bring 
 back a cause of mourning to their people, which casts a shade 
 over the glory of their achievement. Hence, the Indian is 
 often less fierce and reckless in general battle than he is in a 
 private brawl; and the chiefs are checked in their boldest un- 
 dertakings by the fear of sacrificing their Avarriors. 
 
 This peculiarity is not confined to the Blackfeet. Among the 
 Osages, says Captain Bonneville, when a warrior falls in battle, 
 his comrades, though they have fought with consummate valor, 
 and won a glorious victory, will leave their arms upon the field 
 of battle, and returning home with dejected coimtenances, will 
 halt without the encampment, and wait until the relatives of 
 the slain come forth and invite them to mingle again with 
 their people.
 
 178 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 WINTER CAMP AT TEE PORTNEUF— FINE SPRINGS— THE BANNECK 
 INDL\NS— THEIR HONESTY— CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE PREPARES 
 FOR AN EXPEDITION— CHRISTMAS -THE AMERICAN FALLS— WILD 
 SCENERY — FISHING FALLS — SNAKE INDIANS — SCENERY ON THE 
 BRUNEAU — VIEW OF VOLCANIC COUNTRY FROM A MOUNTAIN — 
 POWDER RIVER— SHOSHOKOES, OR ROOT DIGGERS — THEIR CHAR- 
 ACTER, HABITS, HABITATIONS, DOGS — VANITY AT ITS LAST SHIFT. 
 
 In establishing his winter camp near the Portneuf. Captain 
 Bonneville had drawn off to some little distance from his Ban- 
 neck friends, to avoid all annoyance from their intimacy or 
 intrusions. In so doing, however, he had been obliged to take 
 up his quarters on the extreme edge of the flat land, where he 
 was encompassed with ice and snow, and had nothing better 
 for his horses to subsist on than wormwood. The Bannecks, 
 on the contrary, were encamped among fine springs of water, 
 where there was grass in abundance. Some of these springs 
 gush out of the earth in sufficient quantity to turn a mill ; and 
 furnish beautiful streams, clear as crystal, and full of trout of 
 a large size ; which may be seen darting about the transparent 
 water. 
 
 Winter now set in regularly. The snow had fallen fre- 
 quently, and in large quantities, and covered the ground to the 
 depth of a foot ; and the continued coldness of the weather pre- 
 vented any thaw. 
 
 By degrees, a distrust which at first subsisted between the 
 Indians and the trappers, subsided, and gave way to mutual 
 confidence and good-will. A few presents convinced the chiefs 
 that the wliite men were their friends; nor Avere the white men 
 wanting in proofs of the honesty and good faith of their savage 
 neighbors. Occasionally, the deep snow and the want of fod- 
 der obliged them to turn their weakest horses out to roam in 
 quest of sustenance. If they at any time strayed to the camp 
 of the Bannecks, they were immediately brought back. It 
 must bo confessed, however, that if the stray horse happened, 
 by any chance, to be in vigorous plight and good condition, 
 though he was equally sure to be returned by the honest Ban-
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 179 
 
 necks, yet it was always aftci- the lapse of several days, and in 
 a very gaunt and jaded state; and always with the remark 
 that they had found him a long way off. The unchnritnhle 
 were apt to surmise that he liad, in tlie interim, been well tised 
 up in a buffalo hunt ; but those accustomed to Indian morality 
 in the matter of horseflesh, considered it a singular evidence of 
 honesty that he should be brought back at all. 
 
 Being convinced, therefore, from these, and other circum- 
 stances, that his people were encamped in the neighborhood of 
 a tribe as honest as they were vaUant, and satisfied that they 
 would pass their winter unmolested, Captain Bonneville pre- 
 pared for a reconnoitring expedition of great extent and peril. 
 This was, to penetrate to the Hudson's Bay establishments on 
 the banks of the Columbia, and to make himself acquainted 
 with the country and the Indian tribes; it being one part of his 
 scheme to establish a trading post somewhere on the lower 
 part of the river, so as to participate in the trade lost to the 
 United States by the capture of Astoria. This expedition 
 would, of course, take him through the Snake River country, 
 and across the Blue Momitains, the scenes of so much hardship 
 and disaster to Hunt and Crooks, and their Astorian bands, 
 who first explored it, and he would have to pass through it in 
 the same friglitful season, the depth of winter. 
 
 The idea of risk and hardshi]i, however, only served to stim- 
 ulate the adventurous spirit of the captain. He chose three 
 companions for his journey, put up a small stock of necessaries 
 in the most portable form, and selected five horses and mules 
 for themselves and their baggage. He proposed to rejoin his 
 band in the early part of March, at the winter encampment 
 near the Portncnif. All these arrangcrrents being completed, 
 he mounted his horse on Cliristmas morning, and set off with 
 his three comrades. They halted a little beyond tlie Banneck 
 camp, and made their Christmas dinner, which, if not a very 
 merry, was a very hearty one, a iter which they resumed their 
 joiirney. 
 
 They were obliged to travel slowly, to spare their horses ; for 
 the snow had increased in dei)th to eighteen inches; and 
 though somewhat packed and frozen, was not sufficiently so to 
 yield fii-m footing. Their route lay to the west, down along 
 the left side of Snake Riv'er; and they were several days in 
 reaching the first, or American Falls. The Ixuiks of the livor, 
 for a considerable distance, both above and below the falls, 
 have a volcanic character ; masses of basaltic rock are piled
 
 ISO ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 one upon another; the water makes its way through their 
 broken chasms, boihng through narrow channels, or pitching 
 in beautiful cascades over ridges of basaltic columns. 
 
 Beyond these falls, they came to a picturesque, but incon- 
 siderable stream, called the Cassie. It runs through a level 
 valley, about four miles wide, where the soil is good; bat the 
 prevalent coldness and dryness of the climate is unfavoraljle to 
 vegetation. Near to this stream there is a small mountain of 
 mica slate, including garnets. Granite, in small blocks, is 
 likewise seen in this neighborhood, and white sandstone. 
 From this river, the traveUers had a prospect of the snowy 
 heights of the Salmon River Mountains to the north; the 
 nearest, at least fifty mUes distant. 
 
 In pursuing his course westward. Captain Bonneville gener- 
 ally kept several miles from Snake Eiver, crossing the heads 
 of its tributary streams ; though he often found the open coun- 
 try so encumbered by volcanic rocks, as to render travelling 
 extremely difiicult. Whenever he approached Snake River, 
 he found it running through a broad chasm, with steep, per- 
 pendicular sides of basaltic rock. After several days' travel 
 across a level plain, he came to a part of the river which filled 
 him with astonishment and admiration. As far as the eye 
 could reach, the river was walled in by perpendicular cliffs 
 two hundred and fifty feet liigh, beetling hke dark and gloomy 
 battlements, while blocks and fragments lay in masses at their 
 feet, in the midst of the boihng and wlxirling current. Just 
 above, the whole stream pitched in one cascade above forty 
 feet in height, with a thundering sound, casting up a volume 
 of spray that hung in the air hke a silver mist. These are 
 called by some the Fishing Falls, as the salmon are taken here 
 in immense quantities. They cannot get by these falls. 
 
 After encamping at this place all night. Captain Bonneville, 
 at sunrise, descended with his party through a narrow ravine, 
 or rather crevice, in the vast wall of basaltic rock which bor- 
 dered the river ; this being the only mode, for many miles, of 
 getting to the margin of the stream. 
 
 The snow lay in a thin crust along the banks of the river, so 
 tliat their travelhng was much more easy than it had been 
 hitherto. There were foot tracks, also, made by the natives, 
 which greatly facilitated their progress. Occasionally, they 
 met the inhabitants of this wUd region ; a timid race, and but 
 scantily provided with the necessaries of life. Their dress con- 
 sisted of a mantle about four feet square, formed of strips of
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE!. lyi 
 
 rabbit skins sewed togethor; this therhun? over their shoul- 
 di^rs, in the ordinary Indian mode of wearing the blank(>t. 
 Their weapons were bows and arrows; the latter tipi)('d wjlh 
 obsidian, which abounds in the neighborhood. Tlieir huts were 
 shaped hke haystaclcs, and constructed of branches of willow 
 covered with long grass, so as to be warm and comfortable. 
 Occasionally, they were surrounded by small inclosures of 
 wormwood, about three feet high, which gave them a cottage- 
 like appearance. Three or four of these tenements were oc- 
 casionally grouped together in some wild and striking situa- 
 tion, and had a picturesque effect. Sometimes they were in 
 sufficient number to form a small hamlet. From these people 
 Captain Bonneville's party frequently purchased salmon, dried 
 in an admirable manner, as* were likewise the roes. This 
 seemed to be their prime article of food; but they were ex- 
 tremely anxious to get buffalo meat in exchange. 
 
 The high walls and rocks, within which the travellers had 
 been so long inclosed, now occasionally presented openings, 
 through winch they were enabled to ascend to the plain, and 
 to cut off considerable bends of the river. 
 
 Throughout the whole extent of this vast and singular chasm, 
 the scenery of the river is said to be of the most \\'ild and ro- 
 mantic character. The rocks present every variety of masses 
 and grouping. Niuncrous small streams come rushing and 
 boiling through narrow clefts and ravines ; one of a considerable 
 size issued from the face of a i)recipice, within twenty- Five feet 
 of its summit; and after running in nearly a horizontal line for 
 about one hundred feet, fell, by numerous small cascades, to 
 the rocky bank of the river. 
 
 In its career through this vast and singular defile, Snake 
 River is upward of three hundred yards Avide, and as clear as 
 spring water. Sometimes it steals along with a tranquil and 
 noiseless course; at other times, for miles and miles, it dashes 
 on in a thousand rapids, wild and beautiful to the eye, and 
 hdling the ear with the soft tumult of plashing waters. 
 
 !Many of the tributary streams of Snake River, rival it in the 
 wildness and pictures(iueness of their scenery. That called the 
 Bruneau is particiflarly cited. It runs through a tremendous 
 chasm, rather than a valley, extending upward of a hundred 
 and fifty miles. You come upon it on a sudden, in traversing 
 a level plain. It seems as if you could throw a stone across 
 from cliff to cliff; yet, the valley is near two thousand feet 
 deep; so that the river looks like an inconsiderable stream.
 
 182 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 Basaltic rocks rise perpendicularly, so that it is impossible to 
 get from the fjlain to the water, or from the river margin to 
 the plain. The current is bright and limpid. Hot springs are 
 found on the borders of this river. One bursts out of the cliffs 
 forty feet above the river in a stream sufficient to turn a mill, 
 and sends up a cloud of vapor. 
 
 We find a characteristic picture of this volcanic region of 
 mountains and streams, furnished by the journal of Mr. 
 Wyetn, which lies before us; who ascended a peak in the 
 neighborhood we are describing. From this sununit, the coun- 
 try, he says, appears an indescribable chaos; the tops of the 
 hills exliibit the same strata as far as the eye can reach ; and 
 appear to have once formed the level of the country ; and the 
 valleys to be formed by the sinking of the earth, rather than 
 the rising of the hills. Through the deep cracks and chasms 
 thus formed, the rivers and brooks make their way, which 
 renders it difficult to follow them. All these basaltic channels 
 are called cut rocks by the trappers. Many of the mountain 
 streams disappear in the plains; either absorbed by their 
 thirsty soil, and by the porous siu-face of the lava, or swallowed 
 up in gulfs and chasms. 
 
 On the 12th of January (1834), Captain Bonneville reached 
 Powder River ; much the largest stream that he had seen since 
 leaving the Portneuf. He struck it about three miles above 
 its entrance into Snake River. Here he found himself above 
 the lower narrows and defiles of the latter riv^er, and in an 
 open and level country. The natives now made their appear- 
 ance in considerable numbers, and evinced the most insatiable 
 curiosity respecting the white men ; sitting in groups for hours 
 together, exposed to the bleakest winds, merely for the pleas- 
 ure of gazing upon the strangers, and watching every move- 
 ment. These are of that branch of the great Snake tribe 
 called Shoshokoes, or Root Diggei's, from their subsisting, in a 
 great measure, on the roots of the earth ; thoiigh they hkcAvise 
 take fish in great quantities, and hunt, in a small way. They 
 are, in general, very poor ; destitute of most of the comforts of 
 life, and extremely indolent; but a mild, inoffensive race. 
 Tliey differ, in many respects, from the otTier branch of the 
 Snake tribe, the Shoshonies; who possess horses, are more 
 roving and adventurous, and hunt the buffalo. 
 
 On the follo^\'ing day, as Captain Bonneville approached the 
 mouth of Powder River, he discovered at least a hundred fami- 
 lies of these Diggers, as they are familiarly called, assembled
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 183 
 
 in one place. Tlie women and children kept at a distance, 
 perched among the rocks and cliffs ; their eager curiosity being 
 somewhat dashed with fear. From their elevated posts, they 
 scrutinized the strangers with the most intense earnestness; 
 regarding them with almost as much awe as if they had been 
 beings of a supernatural order. 
 
 Tlie men, however, were by no means so shy and reserved ; 
 but importuned Captain Bonneville and his companions exces- 
 sively by their curiosity. Nothing escaped their notice; and 
 any thing they could lay their hands on, underwent the most 
 minute examination. To get rid of such inquisitive neighbors, 
 the travellci's kept on for a considerable distance, before they 
 encamped tor the night. 
 
 The country, hereabout, was generally level and sandy ; pro- 
 ducing very little grass, but a considerable quantity of sage or 
 wormwood. The plains were diversified by isolated hills, all 
 cut off as it were, about the same height, so as to have tabular 
 summits. In tliis they resembled the isolated hills of the great 
 prairies, east of the Rocky Mountains ; especially those found 
 on the plains of the Arkansas. 
 
 The high precipices wliich had hitherto walled in the chan- 
 nel of Snake River had now disappeared ; and the banks were 
 of the ordinary height. It should be observed, that the great 
 vaUej^s or plains, through which the Snake River wound its 
 course, were generally of great breadth, extending on each side 
 from tliirty to forty miles; where the view was bounded by 
 unbroken ridges of mountains. 
 
 The travellers found but little snow in the neighborhood of 
 Powder River, though the weather continued intensely cold. 
 They learned a lesson, however, from their forlorn friends, the 
 Root Diggers, which they subsequently found of great service 
 in their wintry wanderings. They frequently observed them 
 to be furnished with long ropes, twisted from the bark of the 
 woi-mwood. This they used as a slow match, carrying it 
 always lighted. Whenever they wished to warm themselves, 
 they would gather together a little dry wormwood, apply the 
 match, and in an instant produce a cheering blaze. 
 
 Captain Bonneville gives a cheerless account of a villnge of 
 these Diggere, which he saw in crossing the plain below Pow- 
 der River. '"They live," says he, "without any fiu'ther pro- 
 tection from the inclemency of the season, than a sort of 
 breakweather, about three feet high, composed of sage (or 
 wormwood), and erected around thorn in the shape of a half
 
 184 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 moon." Whenever he met with them, however, they had al- 
 ways a large suite of half -starved dogs ; for these animals, in 
 sanv-age as well as in civilized life, seem to be the concomitants 
 of beggary. 
 
 These dogs, it must be allowed, were of more use than the 
 be,c:garly curs of cities. The Indian children used them in 
 hunting the small game of the neighborhood, such as rabbits 
 and prairie dogs; in which mongrel kind of chase they ac- 
 quitted themselves with some credit. 
 
 Sometimes the Diggers aspire to a nobler game, and succeed 
 in entrapping the antelope, the fleetest animal of the prairies. 
 The process by which tliis is effected is somewhat singular. 
 When the snow has disappeared, says Captain Bonneville, and 
 the ground become soft, the women go into the thickest fields 
 of wormwood, and pulling it up in great quantities, construct 
 with it a hedge about three feet high, inclosing about a hundred 
 acres. A single opening is left for the admission of the game. 
 This done, the women conceal themselves behind the worm- 
 wood, and wait patiently for the coming of the antelopes: 
 which sometimes enter this spacious trap in considerable num- 
 bers. As soon as they are in, the women give the signal, and 
 the men hasten to play their part. But one of them enters the 
 pen at a time ; and, after chasing the terrified animals round 
 the inclosure, is relieved by one of his companions. In this 
 way the hunters take their turns, relieving each other, and 
 keeping up a continued pursuit by relays, without fatigue to 
 themselves. The poor antelopes, in the end, are so wearied 
 down, that the whole party of men enter and dispatch them 
 with clubs ; not one escaping that has entered the inclosure. 
 The most curious circumstance in this chase is, that an animal 
 so fleet and agile as the antelope, and straining for its life, 
 should range round and round tiiis fated inclosure, without 
 attempting to overleap the low barrier which surrounds it. 
 Such, however, is said to be the fact; and such their only mode 
 of hunting the antelope. 
 
 Notwithstanding the absence of all comfort and convenience 
 in their habitations, and the general squalidness of their appear- 
 ance, the Shoshokoes do not appear to be destitute of ingenuity. 
 They manufacture good ropes, and even a tolerably fine thread, 
 from a sort of weed found in their neighborhood ; and construct 
 bowls and jugs out of a kind of basket-work formed from small 
 strips of wood plaited ; these, by the aid of a little wax, they 
 render perfectly water tight. Beside the roots on which they
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 185 
 
 mainly depend for Gultsistence, they collect great quantities of 
 seed, of various kinds, beaten with one hand out of the tops of 
 the plants into wooden bowls held for that jmrpose. The seed 
 thus collected is winnowed and parched, and ground between 
 two stones into a kind of meal or Hour; whicli, when mixed 
 with water, forms a very palatable paste or gruel. 
 
 Some of these people, more provident and industrious than 
 the rest, lay up a stock of dried salmon, and other fish, for 
 winter; with these, they were ready to traffic with the travel- 
 lei's for any objects of utility in Indian life; giving a largo 
 quantity in exchange for an awl, a knife, or a fish-hook. 
 Others were in the most abject state of want and starvation ; 
 and would even gather up the fish-bones which the travellers 
 threw away after a repast, warm them over again at the fire, 
 and pick them with the gi-eatest a^'idity. 
 
 The farther Captain Bonneville advanced into the country 
 of these Root Diggers, the more evidence he perceived of their 
 rude and forlorn condition. "They were destitute," says he, 
 *' of the necessary covering to protect them from the weather; 
 and seemed to be in the most unsophisticated ignorance of any 
 other propriety or advantage in the use of clothing. One old 
 dame had abt;olutelynothing on her person but a thread round 
 her neck, from which was pendant a solitary bead." 
 
 What stage of human destitution, however, is too destitute 
 for vanity! Though theno naked and forlorn-looking beings 
 had neither toilet to arrange, nor beauty to contemplate, theh* 
 greatest passion was for a Miirror. It was a " great medicine,' 
 in their eyes. The sight of one was suflBcient, at any time, to 
 throw them into a jxaroxysm of eagerness and delight; and 
 they were ready to give anything they had for the smallest 
 fragment in which they might behold their squalid features. 
 With this simple instance of vanity, m its primitive but vigor- 
 ous state, we shall close our remarks on the Root Diggers.
 
 18G ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 TEMPERATURE OF THE CLIMATE — ROOT DIGGERS ON" HORSEBACK 
 — AN INDIAN GUIDE — MOUNTAIN PROSPECTS — THE GRAND ROND 
 — DIFFICULTIES ON SNAKE RIVER— A SCRAMBLE OVER THE 
 BLUE MOUNTAINS— SUFFERINGS FROM HUNGER— PROSPECT OF 
 THE IMMAHAH VALLEY — THE EXHAUSTED TRAVELLER. 
 
 The temperature of the regions west of the Rocky Mountains 
 is much milder than in the same latitudes on the Atlantic side ; 
 the upper plains, however, which lie at a distance fi"om the sea- 
 coast are subject in winter to considerable vicissitude ; being 
 traversed by lofty "sierras," crowned with perpetual snow, 
 which often produce flaws and streaks of intense cold. This 
 was experienced by Captain Bonneville and his companions in 
 their progress westward. At the time when they left the 
 Bannecks, Snake River was frozen hard; as they proceeded, 
 the ice became broken and floating ; it gradually disappeared, 
 and the weather became warm and pleasant, as they ap- 
 proached a tributary stream called the Little Wyer ; and the 
 soil, which was generally of a watery clay, with occasional in- 
 tervals of sand, was soft to the tread of the horses. After a 
 time, however, the mountains approached and flanked the 
 river, the snow lay deep in the valleys, and the current was 
 once moi-e icebound. 
 
 Here they were visited by a party of Root Diggers, who 
 were apparently rising in the world, for they had " a horse to 
 ride and weapon to wear," and were altogether better clad and 
 equipped than any of the tribe that Captain Bonneville had 
 met with. They were just from the plain of Boisee River, 
 where they had left a number of their tribe, all as well pro- 
 vided as themselves, having gims, horses, and comfortable 
 clotliing. All these they obtained from the Lower Nez Perces, 
 with whom they were in habits of frequent traffic. They ap- 
 peared to have imbibed from that tribe their non-combative 
 principles, being mild and inoffensive in their manners. Like 
 them, also, they had something of religious feelings; for Cap- 
 tain Bonneville observed that, before eating thoy washed their 
 hands and made a short prayer; which he understood was
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 187 
 
 their invariable custom. From these Indians he obtained a 
 considerablo siippi}' of fish, and an excellent and well-condi- 
 tioned horse, to replace one which had become too weak for 
 the journey. 
 
 The travellers now moved forward with renovated spirits ; 
 the snow, it is true, lay deeper and deeper as they advanced, 
 but they trudged on merrily, considering themselves avcII 
 provided for the journey, which could not be of much longer 
 duration. 
 
 They had intended to proceed up the banks of Gun Creek, a 
 stream which flows into Snake River from the west ; but w-ere 
 assured by the natives that the route in that dii'ection was 
 impracticable. The latter advised them to keep along Snake 
 River, where they would not be impeded by the snow. Tak- 
 ing one of the Diggers for a guide they set off along the river, 
 and to their joy soon found the country free from snow, as 
 had been pretlicted, so that their horses once more had the 
 benefit of tolerable pasturage. Their Digger proved an excel- 
 lent guide, trudging cheerily in the advance. He made an 
 unsuccessful shot or two at a deer and a beaver ; but at night 
 found a rabbit liole, whence he extracted the occupant, upon 
 which, with the addition of a fish given by the travellers, he 
 made a hearty supper, and retired to rest, filled with good 
 cheer and good humor. 
 
 The next day the travellers came to where the hills closed 
 upon the river, leaving here and there intci'vals of undulating 
 meadow land. The river w^as sheeted with ice, broken into 
 hills at long intervals. The Digger kept on ahead of the party, 
 crossing and recrossing the river in pursuit of game, until, 
 unluckily, encountering a brother Digger, he stole off with 
 him, without the ceremony of leave-taking. 
 
 Being now left to themselves, they proceeded untQ they 
 came to some Indian huts, the inhabitants of which spoke 
 a language totally different from any they had yet heard. 
 One, however, understood the Nez Perce language, and 
 through him they made inqm"ries as to their route. These 
 Indians were extremely kind and honest, and furnished them 
 with a small quantity of meat ; but none of them coidd be m- 
 duced to act as guides. 
 
 Immediately in the route of the travellers lay a high momi- 
 tain, which they ascended with some difficulty. The prospect 
 from the summit was grand but disheartening. Directly be- 
 fore them towered the loftiest peaks of Immahah rising far
 
 188 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 higher than the elevated ground on which they stood ; on the 
 other hand, they were enabled to scan the course of the river, 
 dashing along through deep chasms, between rocks and preci- 
 pices, until lost in a distant wilderness of mountains, which 
 closed the savage landscape. 
 
 They remained for a long time contemplating, with per- 
 plexed and anxious eye, this wild congregation of mountain 
 barriers, and seeking to discover some pi'acticable passage. 
 The appi-oach of evening obliged them to give up the task, and 
 to seek some camping ground for the night. Moving briskly 
 forward, and plunging and tossing through a succession of 
 deep snow-drifts, they at length reached a valley known 
 among trappers as the "Grand Eond," which they found 
 entirely free from snow. 
 
 This is a beautiful and very fertile valley, about twenty 
 miles long and five or six broad ; a bright cold stream called 
 the Fourche de Glace, or Ice River, runs through it. Its 
 sheltered situation, embosomed in mountains, renders it good 
 pasturing ground in the winter time ; when the elk come down 
 to it in great nujnbers, driven out of the mountains by the 
 snow. The Indians then resort to it to hunt. They likewise 
 come to it in the summer to dig the camash root, of which it 
 produces immense quantities. When this plant is in blossom, 
 the whole valley is tinted by its blue flowers, and looks like 
 the ocean when overcast by a cloud. 
 
 After passing a night in this valley, the travellers in the 
 morning scaled the neighboring hills, to look out for a more 
 eligible route than that upon which they had unluckily fallen; 
 and, after much reconnoitring determined to make their way 
 once more to the river, and to travel upon the ice when the 
 banks should prove impassable. 
 
 On the second day after this determination, they were again 
 upon Snake River, but, contrary to their expectations, it was 
 nearly free from ice. A narrov/ ribbon ran along the shore, 
 and sometimes there was a kind of bridge across the stream, 
 formed of old ice and snow. For a short time, they jogged 
 along the bank, with tolerable facility, but at length came to 
 where the river forced its way into the heart of the mountains, 
 winding between tremendous walls of basaltic rock, that rose 
 perpendicularly from the water's edge, fro"vvning in bleak and 
 gloomy grandeur. Here difficulties of all kinds beset their 
 path. The snow was from two to three feet deep, but soft and 
 yieldmg, so that the horses had no foothold, but kept plunging
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 189 
 
 forward, straininp: tlicmsclvcs by perpotunl eflForts. Some- 
 times the cra.c,^ and promontories iorced them upon the 
 narrow ribbon of ice that bordered the shore; sometimes they 
 had to scramble over vast masses of rock which had tumbled 
 from the impending precipices; sometimes they had to cross 
 the strctuii upon the hazardous bridges of ice and snow, sink- 
 ing to the knee at every step ; sometimes they had to scale 
 slippery acclivities, and to pass along narrow cornices, glazed 
 with ice and sleet, a shouldering wail of rock on one side, a 
 yawning precipice on the other, whore a single false step would 
 have been fatal. In a lower and less dangerous pass, two of 
 their horses actually fell into the river; one was saved with 
 much difficulty, but the boldness of the shore prevented their 
 rescuing the other, and he was swept away by the rapid 
 current. 
 
 In this way they struggled forward, manfully braving diffi- 
 culties and dangers, until they came to where the bed of the 
 river was narrowed to a mere chasm, with perpendicidar 
 walls of rock that defied all further progress. Turning their 
 faces noAv to the mountain, they endeavored to cross dii-ectly 
 over it; but, after clambering nearly to the smnmit, found 
 their path closed by insunnoim table barriers. 
 
 Nothing now remained but to retrace their steps. To 
 descend a cragged mountain, however, was more difficult and 
 dangerous than to ascend it. Tliey had to lower themselves, 
 cautiously and slowly, from steep to steep; and. wliile they 
 managed with difficulty to maintain their own footing, to aid 
 their horses by holding on firmly to the rope halters, as the 
 poor animals stumbled among slippery rocks, or slid down icy 
 declivities. Thus, after a day of intense cold, and severe and 
 incessant toil, amid the wildest of scenery, they managed, 
 about ni^ihtfall, to reach the camping groimd from which they 
 had started in the morning, and for the first time in the course 
 of their rugged and perilous expedition, felt their hearts quail- 
 ing under their multi]ilied hardsliips. 
 
 A hearty supper, a tranquillizing pipe, and a sound night's 
 sleep, put them all in better mood, and in the morning they 
 held a consultation as to their future movements. About four 
 miles behind, they had remarked a small ridge of mountains 
 approaching closely to the river. It was determined to scale 
 this ridge, and seek a passage into the valley wliieh must lie 
 beyond. Sh mid tliey fail in this, but one alternative re- 
 mained. To kill their horses, dry the flesh for provisions.
 
 190 ADVKyTUHl-JS OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLli:. 
 
 make boats of the hides, and, in these, commit themselves to 
 the stream, a measure hazardous in the extreme. 
 
 A short march brought them to the foot of the mountain, 
 but its steep and cragged sides ahiiost discouraged hope. The 
 only chance of scahng it was by broken masses of rock, piled 
 one upon another, which formed a succession of crags, reach- 
 ing nearly to the summit. Up these they wrought their way 
 with indescribable difficulty and peril, in a zigzag course, 
 climbing from rock to rock, and helping their horses up after 
 them ; which scrambled among the crags like mountain goats ; 
 now and then dislodging some huge stone, which, the moment 
 they had left it, would roll down the mountain, crashing and 
 rebounding with terrific din. It was some time after dai'k 
 before they reached a Idnd of platform on the summit of the 
 mountain, where they could venture to encamp. The winds, 
 which swept this naked height, had whirled all the snow into 
 the valley beneath, so that the horses found tolerable winter 
 pasturage on the dry grass which remained exposed. The 
 travellers, though hungry in the extreme, were lain to make a 
 very frugal supper; for they saw their journey was likely to 
 be prolonged much beyond the anticipated term. 
 
 In. fact, on the following day they discerned that, although 
 already at a great elevation, they were only as yet upon the 
 shoulder of the mountain. It proved to be a great sierra, or 
 ridge, of immense height, running parallel to the course of 
 the river, swelling by degrees to lofty peaks, but the outline 
 gashed by deep and precipitous ravines. This, in fact, was a 
 part of the chain of Blue Mountains, in which the first adven- 
 turers to Astoria experienced such hardships. 
 
 We will not pretend to accompany the travellers step by 
 step in this tremendous mountain scramble, into which they 
 had unconsciously betrayed themselves. Day after day did 
 their toil continue; peak after peak hod they to traverse, 
 struggling with difficulties and hardships known cnly to the 
 mountain trapper. As their course lay north, they had to 
 ascend the southern faces of the heights, where the sun had 
 melted the snow, so as to render the ascent wet and slippery, 
 and to keep both men and horses continually on the strain; 
 while on the northern sides, the snow lay in such heavy masses 
 that it was necessary to beat a track down which the horses 
 might be led. Evciy now and then, also, their way was im- 
 peded by tall and numerous pines, some of which had fallen, 
 and lay in every direction.
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. VM 
 
 In' the midst of those toils and hardshijjs, tiieir provisions 
 gave out. For three days they were without food, and so re- 
 duced that they could scarcely drag themselves along. At 
 length, one of the mules being about to give out from fatigue 
 and famine, they hastened to dispatch him. Husbanding this 
 miserable supply, they dried the llesh, and for three days sub- 
 sisted upon the nutriment extracted from the bones. As to 
 the meat, it was packed and preserved as long as they could 
 do without it, not knowing how long they might remain be- 
 wildered in these desolate I'egions. 
 
 One of the men was now dispatched ahead, to reconnoitre 
 the country, and to discover, if possible, some more pi-acti- 
 cable route. In the meantime, the rest of the party moved 
 on slowly. After a lapse of three days, the scout rejoined 
 them. He informed them that Snake River ran immediately 
 below the sierra or mountainous ridge upon which they were 
 travelling; that it was free from precipices, and was at no 
 great distance from them in a direct line; but that it would be 
 impossible for them to reach it without making a weary cir- 
 cuit. Their only course would be to cross the moimtain ridge 
 to the left. 
 
 Up this mountoin, therefore, the weary travellers directed 
 their steps; and the ascent, in their present weak and ex- 
 hausted state, was one of the severest parts of this most pain- 
 ful journey. For two days were they toiling slowly from cliff 
 to cliff, beating at every step a path through the snow for their 
 faltering horses. At length they reached the summit, where 
 the snow was blown off; but in descending on the opposite 
 side they were often plunging through deep drifts piled in the 
 hollows and ravines. 
 
 Their provisions were now exhaiif-ted, and they and their 
 horses almost ready to give out with fatigue and hunger; wlion 
 one afternoon, just as the sun was sinking behind a blue hue 
 of distant mountain, they came to the brow of a height from 
 which they beheld the smooth valley of the Immahah stretched 
 out in smihng verdure below them. 
 
 The sight inspired almost a frenzy of delight. Roused to 
 new ardor, they forgot for a time their fatigues, and hurried 
 down the mountain, dragging their jaded horses after them, 
 and sometimes compelling thi'm to slide a distance of thirty or 
 forty feet at a time. At length they 7'eached the banks of the 
 Inmiahah. The young grass was just beginnuig to sprout, and 
 the whole valley wore an aspect of softness, verdure, and re-
 
 192 ADVBNTUJiES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 pose, heightened by the contrast of the frightful region from 
 which they had just descended. To add to their joy. they ob- 
 served Indian trails along the margin of the stream, and other 
 signs, wliich gave them reason to believe that there was an en- 
 campmcni of the Lower Nez Perces in the neighborhood, as it 
 was within the accustomed range of that pacitic and hospitable 
 tribe. 
 
 The prospect of a supply of food stimulated them to ncAV 
 exertion, and they continued on as fast as the enfeebled state 
 of themselves and their steeds would permit. At length, one 
 of the men, more exhausted than the rest, threw himself upon 
 the grass, and declai-ed he could go iio further. It was in vain 
 to attempt to arouse him ; his spirit had given out, and his re- 
 pUes only showed the dogged apathy of despair. His com- 
 panions, therefore, encamped on the spot, kindled a blazing 
 fire, and searched about for roots with which to strengthen 
 and revive him. They all then made a starveling repast ; 
 but gathering roimd the fire, talked over past dangers and 
 troubles, soothed themselves with the persuasion that all were 
 now at an end, and went to sleep with the comforting hope 
 that the morrow would bring them into plentiful quarters. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 PROGRESS IN THE VALLEY— AN INDIAN CAVALIER— THE CAPTAIN 
 FALLS INTO A LETHARGY — A NEZ PERCE PATRIARCH— HOSPITA- 
 BLE TREATMENT — THE BALD HEAD — BARGAINING -VALUE OF AN 
 OLD PLAID CLOAK-- THE FAMILY HORSE — THE COST OF AN IN- 
 DIAN PRESENT. 
 
 A TRANQUIL night's rest had suffioiently restored the broken 
 down traveller to enable him to resume his wayfaring, and all 
 hands set forward on the Indian trail. With all their eager- 
 ness to arrive within reach of succor, such was their feeble and 
 emaciated condition that they advanced but slowly. Nor is it 
 a matter of surprise that they should almost have lost heart, as 
 well as strength. It was now (the 16th of February) fifty-three 
 days that they had been travelling in the midst of winter, ex- 
 posed to all kinds of privations and hardships ; and for the last 
 twenty days they had been entangled in the wild and desolate
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. ]0:3 
 
 labyrintliK of the snowy mountains ; climlnnp: and descending 
 icy precipices, and nearly starved with cold and hunger. 
 
 All the morning they continued following the Indian trail, 
 without seeing a hiunan being, and were beginning to be dis- 
 couraged when, about nof)n, they discovered a horsemen at a 
 distance. He Avas coming directly toward them; but on dis- 
 covering them, suddenly reined up his steed, came to a halt, 
 and, after reconnoitring tliem for a time with great earnest- 
 ness, seemed about to make a cautious Betrcat. They eageily 
 made signs of peace, and endeavored, with the utmost anxiety, 
 to induce him to approach. He remained for some time in 
 doubt; but at length, having satisfied himself that they were 
 not enemies, came galloping up to them. Ho was a fine, 
 haughty-looking savage, fancifully decorated, and moimted on 
 a high-mettled steed, with gaudy trappings and equij)ments. 
 It was evident that he was a warrior of some conseciuence 
 among his tribe. His whole deportment had something in it 
 of barbaric dignity; he felt perhaps his temporary superioi-ity 
 in personal array, and in the spirit of his steed, to the poor, 
 ragged, travel-worn trappers and their half-starved horses. 
 Approaching them with an air of protection, he gave them his 
 hand, and, in the Nez Perce language invited them to his 
 camp, which was only a few miles distant; where ho had plenty 
 to eat, and plenty o1' horses, and would cheerfully share his 
 good things with them. 
 
 His hospitable invitation was joyfully accepted ; he lingered 
 but a moment, to give directions by which they might find his 
 camp, and then, wheeling round, and giving the reins to his 
 mettlesome steed, Avas soon out of sight. The travellei-s fol- 
 lowed, with gladdened hearts, but at a snail's pace; for their 
 poor horses could scarcely drag one leg after the other. Caji- 
 tain Bonneville, however, experienced a sudden and sintrilar 
 change of feeling. Hitherto, the necessity of conducting his 
 party, and of providing against every emergency, had ke])t his 
 mind upon the stretch, and his whole system braced and ex- 
 cited. In no one instance had he flagged in spirit or felt dis- 
 posed to succmnb. Now, however, that all danger was over, 
 and the march of a few miles would bring them to repose and 
 abundance, his energies suddenly d(>s(M'ted him; and every 
 faculty, mental and physical, was totally relaxed. He had not 
 proceeded two miles from the point where he had had the in- 
 terview with the Nez Perce chief, when he threw himself upon 
 the earth, without the power or will to move a muscle, or exert
 
 194 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 a thought, and sank almost instantly into a prcfound and 
 dreamless sleep. His companions again came to a halt, and 
 encamped beside him, and tliere they passed the night. 
 
 The next morning Captain Bonneville awakened i'rom his 
 long and heavy sleep, much refreshed ; and they all resumed 
 their creeping progress. They had not long been on the march 
 when eight or ten of the Nez Perce tribe came galloping to 
 meet them, leading fresh horses to bear them to their camp. 
 Thus gallantly mounted, they felt now life infused into their 
 languid frames, and dashing forward, were soon at the lodges 
 of tlie Nez Pei'ces. Here they found about twelve families hv- 
 ing together, under the patriarchal sway of an ancient and 
 venerable chief. He received them with the hospitality of the 
 golden age, and with something of the same kind of fare ; for, 
 while he opened his arms to make them welcoi.ie, the only re- 
 past he set before them consisted of roots. They could have 
 wished for something more hearty and substantial; but, for 
 want of better, made a voracious meal on these humble viands. 
 The repast being over, the best pipe was lighted and sent 
 round ; and this was a most welcome luxury, having lost their 
 smoking apparatus twelve days before, among the moiuitains. 
 
 While they were thus enjoying themselves, their poor horses 
 were led to the best pastures in the neighborhood, where they 
 were turned loose to revel on the fresh sprouting grass; so that 
 they had better fare than their masters. 
 
 Captain Bonneville soon felt himself quite at home among 
 th'"'^^e quiet, inoffensive people. His long residence among their 
 cousins, the Upper Nez Perces, had made him conversant with 
 their language, modes of expression, and all their habitudes. 
 He soon found, too, that he was well knoAvn among them, by 
 report, at least, from the constant interchange of visits and 
 messages between the two branches of the tribe. They at first 
 addressed him by his name ; giving him his title of captain, 
 with a French accent ; but they soon gave him a title of their 
 own vv'hii h, as usual with Indian titles, had a peculiar signifi- 
 cation. In the case of the captain, it had somewhat of a whim- 
 sical origin. 
 
 As he sat chatting and sraoldng in the midst of them, he 
 would occasionally take off his cap. "Whenever he did so, 
 there was a sensation in the surrounding circle. The Indians 
 would half rise from their recumbent posture, and gaze upon 
 his imcovered head with their usual exclamation of astonish- 
 ment. The worthy captain was completely bald; a phenom-
 
 ADVENTURES OF C APT A IN BONNEVILLE. 195 
 
 enon very surprising in their eyes. They were at a loss to 
 know whether he had been scalped in battle, or enjoyed a nat- 
 ural immunity from that belligerent iniliction. In a littlo 
 wliilo he became known among them by an Indian name, sig- 
 nifying ' ' the bald chief. " "A sobriquet, " observes the captain, 
 "for which I can find no parallel in history since the days of 
 Charles the Bald." 
 
 Although the travellers had banqueted on roots, and been re- 
 galed with tobacco smoke, yet their stomachs craved moro 
 generous fare. In approaching the lodges of the Nez Perces 
 they had indulged in fond anticipations of venison and dried 
 salmon; and dreams of the kind still haunted their imagina- 
 tions, and could not be conjui'ed down. The keen appetites 
 of mountain trappers, quickened by a fortnight's fasting, at 
 lengtli got the better of all scruples of pride, and they fairly 
 begged some fish or flesh from the hospitable savages. The 
 latter, however, were slow to break in upon their winter store, 
 which Avas very limited ; but were ready to furnish roots in 
 abundance, which they pronounced excellent food. At length, 
 Captain Bonneville thought of a means of attaining the much- 
 coveted gi-atification. 
 
 He had about him, he says, a trusty plaid ; an old and valued 
 travelling companion and comforter; upon which the rains had 
 descended, and the snows and winds beaten, without further 
 elTect than somewhat to tarnish its primitive lustre. This oat 
 of many colors had excited the admiration, and inflamed the 
 covetousncss of both warriors and squaws to an extravagant 
 degree. An idea now occiu-red to Captain Bonneville, to con- 
 vert this rainbow garment into the savory viands so much de- 
 sired. There was a momentary struggle in his mind between 
 old associations and projected indulgence ; and his decision in 
 favor Of the latter was made, he s^iys, with a greater prompt- 
 ness perhaps, than true taste and sentiment nupht have re- 
 quired. In a few moments his plaid cloak Avas cut into 
 numerous strips. ' Of these," continues he, " Avith the newly 
 developed talent of a man-milliner, I speedily constructed 
 turbans d la Turqiie, and fanciful head-gears of divers confor- 
 mations. These, judiciously distributed among sucli of tho 
 womenkind as seemed of most conse{|uence and interest in 
 the eyes of the7)oYre.s' con.scn'pfi, brought us. in a little while, 
 abundance of dried salmon and deei's' hearts, on Avliidi avo 
 made a sumptuous supper. Another, and a more satisfactory 
 smoke, succeeded this repast, and SAveet slmnbers answering
 
 196 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVTLLE. 
 
 the peaceful invocation of our pipes, wrapped us in that deli 
 cious rest which is only won hy toil and travail.'" 
 
 As to Captain Bonne villo, he slept in the lodge of the vener 
 ahle patriarch, who had evidently conceived a most disin- 
 terested affection for him; as was shown on the following 
 morning. The travellers, invigorated by a good supper, and 
 "fresh from the bath of repose," wore about to resume their 
 journey, when this affectionate old chief took the captain 
 aside, to let him know how much he loved him. A.s a proof of 
 his regard, he had determined to give Inm a fine horse, which 
 would go farther than words, and put his good-will beyond all 
 question. So saying, he made a signal, and forthwith a beau- 
 tiful young hort-e, oi a brown color, was led, prancing and 
 snorting, to the place. Captain Bonneville was suitably affected 
 by this mark of friendship ; but his experience m what is pro- 
 vcrbiaDy called " Indian giving,'' made him aware that a part- 
 ing pledge was necessary on liis own part, to prove that Ins 
 friendship was reciprocated. He accordingly placed a hand- 
 some rifle in the hands of the venerable chief, whose benevo- 
 lent heart was evidently touched and gratified by this outward 
 and visible sign of amity. 
 
 Having now, as he thought, balanced this little account of 
 friendship, the captain was about to shift his saddle to this 
 noble gift-horse, when the affectionate patriarch plucked him 
 by the sleeve, and introduced to him a whimpering, whming, 
 leathern- skinned old squaw, that might have passed for an 
 Egyptian mummy without drying. '"This," said ho, "is my 
 wife; she is a good wife— I love her very much. — She loves the 
 horse— she loves him a great deal — she will cry very much at 
 losing him. — I do not know how I shall comfort her— and that 
 makes my heart very sore." 
 
 What could the worthy captain do to console the tender- 
 hearted old squaw and, peradventure, to save the venerable 
 patriarch from a curtain lecture ? He bethought himself of a 
 pair of ear-bobs ; it was true, the patriarch's better half was of 
 an age and appearance that seemed to put personal vanity out 
 of the question, but when is personal vanity extincfc ? The mo- 
 ment he produced the glittering ear-bobs, the whimpering and 
 whining of the sempiternal beldame was at an end. She 
 eagerly placed the precious baubles in her ears, and, though as 
 ugly as the Witch of Endor, went off with a. sideling gait, and 
 coquettish air, as though she had been a perfect Scmiramis. 
 
 The captain had now saddled his newly acquired steed, and
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. ]07 
 
 his foot was in the stirnip, when the affectionate patriarch 
 again stepped forward, and presented to hini a young Pierced- 
 nose, who had a pecuharly sulky look. "This," said the ven- 
 erable chief, "is my son; he is very good, a great horseman — 
 he always took care o'i this very fine horse— he brought him up 
 from a colt, and made him what he is. He is very fond of this 
 fine horse — he loves him like a brother — his heart will be very 
 heavy when this fine horse leaves the camp." 
 
 What coidd the captain do, to reward the youthful hope of 
 tliis venerable pair, and comfort him for the loss oi his foster- 
 brother, the horse? He bethought him of a hatchet, which 
 might be spared from his slender stores. No sooner did he 
 place the mstrument into the hands of the young hopeful, than 
 his countenance brightened up, and he went off rejoicing in his 
 hatchet to the full as much as did his respectable mother in 
 her ear-bobs. 
 
 The captain was now in the saddle, and about to start, when 
 the affectionate old patriarch stei>ped forward for the third 
 time, and, while he laid one hand gently on the mane of the 
 horse, held up the rifle in the other. "This rifle," said he. 
 "shall be my gi-eat medicine. I will hug it to my heart— I 
 will always love it, for the sake ot my good friend, the bald- 
 headed chief. But a rifle, by itself, is dumb— I cannot make it 
 speak. If I had a little powder and ball, I would take it out 
 with me, and Avould now and then shoot a deer; and when I 
 brought the meat home to my hungry family, I would say — 
 This was killed by the rifle of my friend, the bald-headed cliief, 
 to whom I gave that very fine hor.se." 
 
 There was no resisting this appeal; the captain forthwith 
 furnished the coveted supj)ly of powder and ball; but at the 
 t^AWv time put .-purs to his very fine gift-horse, and the fb'st 
 trial of his speed was to get out ol all finther manifestation of 
 friendship on the part of the affectionate old patriarch and his 
 iii;inuatiug family.
 
 198 ADVENTURES OF UArTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 NEZ PERCK CAMP— A CHIEF WITH A HARD NAME— THE BIG 
 HEARTS OF THE EAST— HOSPITABLE TREATMENT — THE INDIAN 
 GUIDES— MYSTERIOUS COUNCILS— THE LOQUACIOUS CHIEF— IN- 
 DIAN TOMB— GRAND INDIAN RECEPTION — AN INDIAN FEAST — 
 TOWN-CRIERS —HONESTY OF THE NEZ PERCES— THE CAPTAIN'S 
 ATTEMPT AT HEALING. 
 
 Following the course of the Immahah, Captain Bonneville 
 and his three companions soon reached the vicinity of Snake 
 River. Their route now lay over a succession of steep and iso- 
 lated hills, with profound valleys. On the second day after 
 taking leave of the affectionate old patriarch, as they were 
 descending into one of those deep and abrupt intervals, they 
 descried a smoke, and shortly afterward came in sight of a 
 small encampment of Nez Perces. 
 
 The Indians, when they ascertained that it was a party of 
 white men approaching, greeted them with a salute of firearms, 
 and invited them to encamp. This band was likewise under 
 the sway of a venerable chief named Yo-mus-ro-y-e-cut ; a 
 name which we shall be careful not to inflict oftener than is 
 necessary upon the reader. This ancient and hard-named 
 chieftain welcomed Captain Bonneville to his camp with the 
 same hospitality and loving kindness that he had experienced 
 from his predecessor. He told the captain he had often heard 
 of the Americans and their generous deeds, and that his buf- 
 falo brethren (the Upper Nez Perces) had always spoken of 
 them as the Big-hearted whites of the East, the very good 
 friends of the Nez Perces. 
 
 Captain Bonneville felt somewhat uneasy under the responsi- 
 bihty of this magnanimous but costly appellation; and began 
 to fear he might be involved in a second interchange of 
 pledges of friendship. He hastened, therefore, to let the old 
 chief know his poverty-stricken state, and how little there was 
 to be expected from him. 
 
 He informed hiin that he and his comrades had long resided 
 among the Upper Nez Perces, and loved them so much that
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 199 
 
 they had thrown their arms around them, and now held them 
 close to their hearts. That lie had received such good accounts 
 from the Upper Nez Perces, of their cousins, the Lower Nez 
 Perces, that he had become desirous of knowing them as 
 friends and brothers. That he and his companions had accord- 
 ingly loaded a mule with presents and set oif for the country 
 of the Lower Nez Perces; but, unfortunately, had been en- 
 trapped for many days among the snowy mountains; and 
 that the mule with all the presents had fallen into Snake 
 River, and been swept away by the rapid current. That in- 
 stead, therefore, of arriving among their friends, the Nez 
 Perces, with light hearts and full hands, they came naked, 
 hungry, and broken down ; and mstead of making them pres- 
 ents, must depend upon them even for food. "But," con- 
 cluded he, " we are going to the white men's fort on the Wal- 
 lah Wallah, and will soon return ; and then we will meet our 
 Nez Perce friends like the true Big Hearts of the East." 
 
 Whether the hint thrown out in the latter pait of the speech 
 had any effect, or whether the old chief acted from the hospita- 
 ble feelings which, according to the captain, are really inhe- 
 rent in the Nez Perce tribe, he certainly showed no disposition 
 to relax his friendshii) on learning the destitute circumstances 
 of his guests. On the contrary, he urged the captain to re- 
 main with them until the following day, when he would accom- 
 pany him on his journey, and make him acquainted with all 
 his people. In the meantime he would have a colt killed, and 
 cut up for travelling provisions. This, he carefully explained, 
 was intended not as an article of traffic, but as a gift; for he 
 saw that his guests were hungry and in need of food. 
 
 Captain Bonneville gladly assented to tliis hospitable ar- 
 rangement. The carcass of the colt was forthcoming in due 
 season, but the captain insisted that one half of it should be set 
 apart for the use of the chieftain's family. 
 
 At an early hour of the following morning the little party 
 resmned their journey, accompanied by the old chief and an 
 Indian guide. Their route was over a nigged and broken 
 country; where the hills were slippery with ice and snow. 
 Their horses, too, were so weak and jaded that they could 
 scarcely climb the steep ascents or maintain their footliold on 
 the frozen declivities. Throughout the whole of the journey, 
 the old chief and the guide were unremitting in their good of- 
 fices, and continually on the alert to select the best roads, and 
 assist them thi'ough all dilhculties. Indeed the cai)tain and
 
 200 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 his comrades had to be dependent on their Indian friends for 
 ahnost everything, for they had lost tlieir tobacco and pipes, 
 those great comforts of the trapper, and had but a few charges 
 of powder left, which it was necessary to husband for tlie pur- 
 pose of hghting their fires. 
 
 In the course of the day the old chief had several private 
 consultations with the guide, and showed evident signs of 
 being occupied with some mysterious matter of mighty im- 
 port. What it was. Captain BonneviUe could not fathom, nor 
 did he make much effort to do so. From some casual sen- 
 tences that he overheard, he perceived that it was something 
 from which the old man i:)romised himself nnich satisfaction, 
 and to which he attachec" a little vainglory, but which he 
 wished to keep a secret; so he suffered him to spin out his 
 petty plans unmolested. 
 
 In the evening when they encamped, the old chief and his 
 privy counsellor, the guide, had another mysterious colloquy, 
 after which the guide mounted his horse and departed on 
 some secret mission, while the chief resumed his scat at the 
 fire, and sat humming to himself in a pleasing but mystic rev- 
 erie. 
 
 The next morning the travellers descended into the valley of 
 the Way- lee-way, a considerable tributary of Snake River. 
 Here they met the gTiide returning from his secret errand. 
 Another private conference was held between him and the old 
 managing chief, who now seemed more inflated than ever 
 with mystery and self-importance. Numerous fresh trails, 
 and various other signs persuaded Captain Bonneville that 
 there must be a considerable village of Nez Perces in the 
 neighborhood; but as his worthy companion, the old chief, 
 said nothing on the subject, and as it appeared to be in some 
 way connected with his secret operations, he asked no ques- 
 tions, but patiently awaited the development of his naystery. 
 
 As they journeyed on they came to where two or three Indi- 
 ans were bathing in a small stream. The good old chief imme- 
 diately came to a halt, and had a long conversation with them, 
 in the course of which he repeated to them the whole history 
 which Captain Bonneville had related to him. In fact, he 
 seems to have been a very sociable, communicative old man; 
 by no means af.licted with that taciturnity generally charged 
 upon the Indians. On the contrary, he was fond of long talks 
 and long smokings, and evidently was proud of his new friend, 
 the bald-headed chief, and took a pleasure in sounding his
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 201 
 
 praises, and setting forth the power and glory of the Big 
 Hearts of the East. 
 
 Having disburdened himself of everything he had to relate 
 to his batliing friends, he left them to their aquatic disports, 
 and proceeded onwai'd with the captain and his companions. 
 As they approached the Way-lee-way, however, the commimi- 
 cativ^e old chief mot with another and a very different occasion 
 to exert his collocpiial i)owers. On the banlcs of the river stood 
 an isolated mound covered with graps. He pointed to it with 
 some emotion. " The big henrt and the strong arm," said he, 
 " lie buried beneath that sod." 
 
 It was, in fact, the grave of one of his friends; a chosen 
 warrior of the tribe; ^vllo had been slain on this spot when in 
 piireuit of a war party of Shoshokoes, who had stolen the 
 norses of the village. The enemy bone off his scalp as a 
 trophy; but his friends found his body in this lonely place, and 
 commfttcd it to the earth with ceremonials characteristic of 
 their pious and reverential feelings. They gathered i-oimd the 
 grave and mourned; the warriors were silent in their grief; 
 but the women and children bewailed their loss with loud 
 lamentations. " For three days," said the old man, "we per- 
 formed the solemn dances for the dead, and prayed the Great 
 Spirit that our brother might be happj'' in the land of brave 
 "varriors and hunters. Then we killed at his grave fifteen of 
 our best and strongest horses, to serve him when he shoidd 
 arrive at the happy hunting grounds; and having done all 
 this, we returned sorrowfully to our homes." 
 
 While the chief was still talking an Indian scout came gal- 
 loping up and, presenting him with a powder horn, wheeled 
 round, and was speedily out of sight. The eyes of the old 
 chief now brightened; and all his self-importance returned. 
 His petty mystery was about to explode. Turning to Captain 
 Bonneville, he pointed to a hill hord by, and informed him 
 that behind it was a village governed by a little chief, Avhom 
 he had notified of the approach of the bald-headed chief, and 
 a part}/ of the Big Hearts of the East, and that he was pre- 
 pared to receive them in becoming style. As, among other 
 ceremonials, ho intended to salute them with a dis(^harge of 
 firearms, he had sent the horn of gunpowder that they might 
 return the salute in a manner correspondent to his dignity. 
 
 They now proceeded on tmtil they doubled the point of the 
 hill, when the whole population of the village broke upon their 
 view, drawn out in the most imposing style, and arrayed in all
 
 202 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE 
 
 their finery. The effect of the whole was wild and fantastic, 
 yet singularly striking. In the front rank wei'e the chiefs and 
 principal warriors, glaringly painted and decorated; behind 
 them were arranged the rest of the people, men, women, and 
 children. 
 
 Captain Bonneville and lais party advanced slowly, exchang- 
 ing salutes of firearms. "When arrived within a respectful 
 distance they dismounted. The chiefs then came forward suc- 
 cessively, according to their respective characters and conse- 
 quence to offer the hand of good-fellowship ; each filing off 
 when he had shaken hands, to make way for his successor. 
 Those in the next rank followed in the same order, and so on, 
 until all had given the pledge of friendship. During all this 
 time, the chief, according to custom, took his stand beside the 
 guests. If any of his people advanced whom he judged rni- 
 worthy of the friendship or confidence of the white men, he 
 motioned them off by a wave of the hand, and they woidd sub- 
 missively walk away. When Captain Bonneville turned upon 
 him an inquiring look, he would observe, ' ' he was a bad man," 
 or something quite as concise, and there was an end of the 
 matter. 
 
 Mats, poles, and other materials were now brought, and a 
 comfortable lodge was soon erected for the strangers, where 
 they were kept constantly supplied with wood and water, and 
 other necessaries; and all their effects were placed in safe- 
 keeping. Their horses, too, were unsaddled, and tinned loose 
 to gTaze and a guard set to keep watch upon them. 
 
 All this being adjusted they were conducted to the main 
 building or council house of the \dllage, where an ample repast, 
 or rather banquet, was spread, which seemed to realize all the 
 gastronomical dreams that had tantahzed them during their 
 long starvation ; for here they beheld not merely fish and roots 
 in abundance, but the flesh of deer and elk, and the choicest 
 pieces of buffalo meat. It is needless to say how vigorously 
 they acquitted themselves on this occasion, and how unneces- 
 sary it was for their hosts to practise the usual cramming prin- 
 ciple of Indian hospitality. 
 
 When the repast was over a long talk ensued. The chief 
 showed the same curiosity evinced by his tribe generally, to 
 obtain information concerning the United States, of which 
 they knew little but what they derived through their cousins, 
 the Upper Nez Perces; as their traffic is almost exclusively 
 with the Bntish traderr; of the Hudson's Bay Company. Cap-
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 203 
 
 tain Bonneville did his bert to sot forth the merits of his 
 nation, and the iniportaiice of their friendship to the red men, 
 in which he was ably seconded by his wcrthy friend, the old 
 chief with the hard name, who did all that he could to glorify 
 the Big Hearts of the East. 
 
 The chief and all present listened with profound attention, 
 and evidently Avith great interest; nor were the important 
 facts thus set forth confined to the audience in the lodge; lor 
 sentence after sentence was loudly repeated by a crier for the 
 benefit of the whole village. 
 
 This custom of promulgating everything by criers is not 
 confined to the Nez Perces, but prevails among many other 
 tribes. It has its advantage where there are no gazettes to 
 publish the news of the day, or to report the proceedings of 
 important meetings. And in fact, reports of this kind, viva 
 voce, made in the hearing of all parties, and liable to be con- 
 tradicted or corrected on the spot, are more likely to convey 
 accurate information to the public mind than those circulated 
 through the press. The office of crier is generally filled by 
 some old man, who is good for little else. A village has gener- 
 ally several of these walking newspapers, as they are termed 
 by the whites, who go about proclaiming the news of the day, 
 giving notice of public councils, expeditions, dances, feasts, 
 %nd other ceremonials, and advertising anything lost. While 
 Captain Bonneville remained among the Nez Perces, if a glove, 
 handkerchier, or anything of similar value, was lost or mislaid, 
 it was carried by the finder to the lodge of the chief, and proc- 
 lamation was made by one of their criers, for the owner to 
 come and claim his property. 
 
 How difficult it is to get at the true character of these wan- 
 dering tribes of the v/ildcrness ! In a recent work, we have 
 had to speak of this tribe of Indians from the experience of 
 other traders who had casually been among them, and who 
 represented them as selfish, inhospitable, exorbitant in their 
 dealings and much addicted to thieving.* Captain Bonneville, 
 on the contrary, who resided much among them, and had re- 
 peated opportunities of ascertaining their real character, in- 
 variably speaks of them as kind and hos])itab1e, scrupulously 
 honest, and rentarkable above all other Indians that ho had 
 met with for a strong feeling of religion. In fact, so enthusi- 
 astic is he in their praise, that he pronounces them, all igno- 
 
 ♦ Vide Astoria, chap. lii.
 
 204 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 rant and barbarous as they are by their condition, one of the 
 purest-hearted people on the face of tlio earth. 
 
 Some cures which Captain Bonneville had erfoctcrl in simple 
 cases, among the Upper Nez Perces, had reached the ears of 
 their cousins here, and gained for him the reputation of a 
 great medicine man. He had not been long in the village, 
 therefore, before his lodge began to be the resort of the sick 
 and the infirm. The captain felt the value of the reputation 
 thus accidentally and cheaply acquired, and endeavored to 
 sustain it. As he had arrived at that age when every man is, 
 experimentally, something of a physician, he was enabled to 
 turn to advantage the httle knowledge in the healing art 
 wliich he had casually picked up; and was sufficiently suc- 
 cessful in two or three cases, to convince the simple Indians 
 that report had not exaggerated his medical talents. The only 
 patient that effectually baffled his skill, or rather discouraged 
 any attempt at relief, was an antiquated squaw with a church- 
 yard cough, and one leg in the grave ; it being shrunk and ren- 
 dered useless by a rheumatic affection. This was a case beyond 
 his mark ; however, he comforted the old woman with a promise 
 that he would endeavor to procure something to relieve her, at 
 the fort on the Wallah- Wallah, and would bring it on his 're- 
 turn ; with which assurance her husband was so weU satisfied 
 that he presented the captain with a colt, to be killed as pr<^ 
 visions for the journey; a medical fee which was thankfully 
 accepted. 
 
 While among these Indians Captain BonneviUe unexpectedly 
 found an owner for the horse which he had purchased from a 
 Root Digger at the Big Wyer. The Indian satisfactorily proved 
 that the horse had been stolen from him some time previous, 
 by some unknown thief. "However," said the considerate 
 savage, "you got him in fair trade— you are more in want of 
 horses than I am ; keep him ; he is yours — he is a good horse ; 
 use him well." 
 
 Thus, in the continual experience of acts of kindness and 
 generosity, which his destitute condition did not allow him to 
 reciprocate, Captain Bonneville passed some short time among 
 these good people, more and more impressed with the general 
 excellence of their charactei-.
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 20:J 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 SCENERY OF THE WAY-LEE- WAY— A SUBSTITUTE FOR TORACCO — 
 SUBLIME SCENERY OF SNAIvE RIVER — TEE GARRULOUS OLD 
 CHIEF AND HIS COUSIN— A NEZ PERCE MEETING — A STOLEN 
 SKIN— THE SCAPEGOAT DOG- -MYSTERIOUS CONFERENCES— THE 
 LITTLE CHIEF— HIS HOSPITALITY— THE CAPTAIN'S ACCOUNT OP 
 THE UNITED STATES— HIS HEALING SKILL. 
 
 In resuming his joumey, Captain Bonneville was conducted 
 by the same Nez Perce guide, whose knowledge o " the country 
 was important in choosing the routes and resting-places. He 
 also continued to be accompanied by the worthy old chief with 
 the hard name, who seemed bent upon doing the honors of the 
 country, and introducing him to every branch of his tribe. 
 The AV ay -lee-way, down the banks of which Captain Bonne- 
 ville and his companions were now travelling, is a considera- 
 ble stream winding through a succession of bold and beautiful 
 rcenes. Sometimes the landscape towered into bold and moun- 
 tainous heights that partook of sublimity; 'at other times it 
 stretched along the water side in fresh smilmg meadows and 
 grateful undulating vaUeys. 
 
 Frequently in their route they encountered small parties of 
 the Nez Perces, with whom they invariably stopped to shako 
 hands; and who, generally, evinced great curiosity concerning 
 them and their adventures ; a curiosit j" which never failed to 
 be thoroughly satisfied by the replies of the worthy Yo-mus- 
 ro-y-e-cut, who kindly took upon himself to be spokesman of 
 the party. 
 
 The incessant smoking of pipes incident to the long talks of 
 this excellent, but somewhat garrulous old chief, at length ex- 
 hausted all his stock of tobacco, so that he had no longer a 
 whilT with which to regale his white companions. In this 
 emergency ho cut up the stem of his pipe into fine sha\-ings, 
 which he mixed with certain herbs, and thus mnmifactured a 
 temporarj succedaneum tij enal>le him to accompany his long 
 colloquies and harangues with the customary fragrant cloud. 
 
 If the scenery of the Way-lee- way had charmed the travel- 
 lers with its mingled amenity and grandeur, that wliich broke
 
 ^06 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 \ipon tlicm on once more reaching Snake River, filled tbem 
 with admiration and astonishment. At times, the river was 
 overhung by dark and stupendous rocks, rising Hke gigantic 
 walls and battlements ; these would be rent by wide and yawn- 
 ing chasms, that seemed to speak of past convulsions of nature. 
 Sometimes the river was of a glassy smoothness and placidit}", 
 at other times it roared along in impetuous rapids and foaming 
 cascades. Here, the rocks were piled in the most fantastic 
 crags and precipices; and in another place they were suc- 
 ceeded by delightful valleys carpeted with greensward. The 
 whole of this wild and varied scenery was dominated by im- 
 mense mountains rearing their distant peaks into the clouds. 
 "The grandeur and originality of the views presented on 
 every side," says Captain Bonneville, "beggar both the pencil 
 and the pen. Nothing we had ever gazed upon in any other 
 region could for a moment compare in wUd majesty and im- 
 pressive sternness with the series of scenes which here at 
 every turn astonished our senses and filled us with awe and 
 delight." 
 
 Indeed, from all that we can gather from the journal before 
 us, and the accounts of other travellei's, who passed through 
 these regions in the memorable enterprise of Astoria, we are 
 inclined to think that Snake River must be one of the most re- 
 markable for varied and striking scenery of all the rivers of 
 this continent. From its head-waters in the Rocky Moun- 
 tains, to its junction with the Columbia, its windings are up- 
 ward of six hundred mUes through every variety of landscape. 
 Rising in a volcanic region, amid extinguished craters, and 
 mountains awful with the traces of ancient fires, it makes its 
 way through great plains of lava and sandy deserts, penetrates 
 vast sierras or mountainous chains, broken into romantic and 
 often frightful precipices, and crowned with eternal snows; 
 and at other times careers through green and smiling mead- 
 ows and wide landscapes of Itahan grace and beauty. Wild- 
 ness and subUmity, however, appear to be its prevailing char- 
 acteristics. 
 
 Captain BonneviUe and his companions had pursued their 
 journey a considerable distance down the course of Snake 
 River, when the old chief halted on the banlc, and dismounting, 
 recommended that they should turn their horses loose to graze, 
 while he summoned a cousin of his from a group of lodges on 
 the opposite side of the stream. His summons was quickly 
 aiaswered. An Indian, of an active, elastic form, leaped into a
 
 ABVENTUUES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 007 
 
 light canoe of cotton-wood, and vigorously plying the paddlo, 
 soon shot across the river. Bounding on shore, he advanced 
 with a buoyant air and irank demeanor, and gave his right 
 hand to eacli of tlie party in turn. The old chief, whose hard 
 name we forbear to repeat, now presented Captain Bonneville, 
 in form, to his cousin, whoso name, we regret to say, was no 
 less hard, being ni^thing less than Hay-she-in-cow-cow. The 
 latter evinced the usual curiosity' to know all about the stran- 
 gers, whence they came, whither they were going, the object 
 of their jouniey, and the adventures they had experienced. 
 All these, of course, were amply and eloquently set forth by 
 the communicative old chief. To all his grandiloquent account 
 of the bald-headed chief and his countrymen, the Big Hearts 
 of the East, his cousin listened with great attention, and replied 
 in the customary style of Indian Avelcome. He then desired 
 the party to await his return, and, sponging into his canoe, 
 darted across the river. In a httle while he returned, bringing 
 a most welcome supply of tobacco, and a smoll stock of pro- 
 visions for the read, declaring his intention of accompanying 
 the party. Having no horse, he mounted behind one of the 
 men, observing that he should procure a steed for himself on 
 the following day. 
 
 They all now jogged on very sociably and cheerily together. 
 Not many miles beyond, they met others of the tribe, among 
 whom was one whom Caj^tain Bonneville and his comrades 
 had known during their residence among the Upper Nez 
 Perces, and who welcomed them with open arms. In this 
 neighborhood was the home of their guide, who took leavo of 
 them with a profusion of good wishes for their safety and hap- 
 piness. That night they put up in the hut of a Nez Perce, 
 where they were visited by several warriors from the other 
 side of the river, friends of the old chief and his cousin, who 
 came to have a talk and a smoke with the white men. The 
 heart of the good old chief was overflo^ving with good-will at 
 thus being surrounded by his new and old friends, and he 
 talked with more spirit and vivacity than ever. The evening 
 passed away in i^erfect harmony and good-hnmor, and it was 
 not until a late hoiu- that the visitors took their leave and re- 
 crossed the river. 
 
 After this constant picture of worth and virtue on the pnrt 
 of the Nez Perce tribe, wo grieve to have to record a circiun- 
 stance calculated to throw a temporary shade upon the name. 
 In the course of the social and harmonious evening just men-
 
 208 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 tioned, one of the captain's men, who happened to be some- 
 thing of a virtuoso in his way, and fond of collecting cnriosi- 
 ties, produced a small skin, a great rarity in the eyes of men 
 conversant in peltries. It attracted much attention among the 
 visitors from beyond the river, who passed it from one to the 
 other, exaixiined it with looks of lively admiration, and pro- 
 nounced it a great medicine. 
 
 In the morning, when the captain and his party were about 
 to set off, the precious skin was missing. Search was made 
 for it in the hut, but it was nowhere to be found ; and it was 
 strongly suspected that it had been purloined by some of the 
 connoisseurs from the other side of the river. 
 
 The old chief and his cousin were indignant at the supposed 
 delinquency of their friends across the water, and called out 
 for them to come over and answer for their shameful conduct. 
 The others answered to the call with all the promptitude of 
 perfect innocence, and spurned at the idea of their being capa- 
 ble of such outrage upon any of the Big-hearted nation. All 
 were at a loss on whom to fix the crime of abstracting the in- 
 valuable skin, when by chance the eyes of the worthies from 
 beyond the water fell upon an unhappy cur, belonging to the 
 owner of the hut. He was a gallows-looking dog, but not more 
 so than most Indian dogs who, take them in the mass, arc little 
 better than a generation of vipers. Be that as it may, he was 
 instantly accused of having devoured the skin in question. A 
 dog accused is generally a dog condemned; and a dog con- 
 demned is generally a dog executed. So was it in the present 
 instance. The unfortunate cur was arraigned; his thievish 
 looks substantiated his guilt, and he was condemned by his 
 judges from across the river to be hanged. In vain the In- 
 dians of the hut, with whom he was a great favorite, interceded 
 in his behalf. In vain Captain Bonneville and his comrades 
 petitioned that his hf :) might be spared. His judges were inex- 
 orable. He was doubly guilty ; first, in having robbed their 
 good friends, the Big Hearts of the East ; secondly, in having 
 brought a doubt on the honor of the Nez Perce tribe. He was, 
 accordingly, swung aloft, and pelted with stones to make 
 his death more certain. The sentence of the judges being 
 thoroughly executed, a post mortem examination of the body 
 of the dog was held to establish his delinquency beyond all 
 doubt, and to leave the Nez Perces without a sliadow of suspi- 
 cion. Great interest, of course, was manifested by all present, 
 during this operation. The body of the dog was opened, the
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 209 
 
 intestines rigorously scrniinizod, but, to the horror of all con- 
 cerned, not a particle of the skin was to be found — the dog had 
 been unjustly executed. 
 
 A great clamor now ensued, but the most clamorous w-as tho 
 party from across the river, whose jealousy of their good name 
 now prompted them to the most vociferous vindications of 
 their innocence. It VN-as w ith the utmost difficulty that tho 
 captain and his comrades could calm their lively scnsihihtics, 
 by accounting for tho disappearance of the skin in a dozen 
 different ways, until all idea of its having been stolen was 
 entirel}^ out of the question. 
 
 The meeting now broke up. The warriors returned across 
 the river, the captain and his comrades proceeded on their 
 journey; but the spirits of the commimicative old chief, Yo- 
 mus-ro-y-e-cut, w^ere for a time completely dampened, and he 
 evinced great mortification at Avhat had just occurred. He 
 rode on in silence, excoi>t that now and then he would give 
 way to a burst of indignation, and exclaim, with a sliako of the 
 head and a toss of the hand toward the opposite shore — "bad 
 men, very bad men across the river ;" to each of wliich brief 
 exclamations, his woi-thy cousin, Hay-she-in-cow-cow, would 
 respond by a deep guttin-al soimd of acquiescence, ccjuivalent 
 to an amen. 
 
 After some time the countenance of the old chief again 
 cleared up, and he fell into repeated conferences, in an mider- 
 tono, with his cousin, which ended in the departure of the lat- 
 ter, who, applying the lash to his horse, dashed forward and 
 was soon out of sight. In fact, they were drawing near to the 
 village of another chief, likewise distinguished by an appella- 
 tion of some longitude, 0-push-y-e-cut, but commonly known 
 as the gi-eat chief. The cousin had been sent ahead to give 
 notice of their approach ; a herald appeared as before, bearing 
 a powder-horn, to enable them to respond to the intended sa- 
 hite. A scene ensued, on their approach to the village, similar 
 to that which had occurred at the village of the little chief. 
 The whole population appeared in the field, drawn up in lines, 
 arrayed with the customary regard to rank and dignity. Tbcn 
 came on the firing of salutes, and the shaking of hands, in 
 which last ceremonial every indiAadual, man, woman, and 
 child, participated ; for the Indians have an idea that it is as 
 indispensable an overture of friendship among the whites as 
 smoking of the pipe is among the red men. Tlie travellers 
 were next ushered to the banquet, where all the choicest vi-
 
 210 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 ands that the village could furnish, were served up in rich pro- 
 fusion. They were afterAvard ontei'tained by feats of agility 
 and horse-races ; indeed their visit to the village seemed the 
 signal for complete festivity. In the meantime, a skin lodge 
 had been spread for their accommodation, their horses and 
 baggage were taken care of, and wood and water supplied in 
 abundance. At night, therefore, they retired to their quar- 
 ters, to enjoy, as they supposed, the repose of which they 
 ♦;tood in need. No such thing, however, was in store for them. 
 A- crowd of visitors awaited their appearance, all eager for a 
 i;moke and a talk. The pipe was immediately lighted, and 
 4!onstantly replenished and kept alive until the night was far 
 advanced. As usual, the utmost eagerness was evinced by the 
 guests to learn everything within the scope of their compre- 
 hension respecting the Americans, for whom they professed 
 the most fraternal regai'd. The captain, in his replies, made 
 use of fairdliar illustrations calculated to strike their minds, 
 iind impress them with such an idea of the might of his nation 
 as would induce them to treat with kindness and respect all 
 stragglers that might fall in their path. To their inquiries as 
 to the numbers of the people of the United States, he assured 
 them that they were as countless as the blades of grass in the 
 prairies, and that, great as Snake River was, if they were all 
 encamped upon its banks they would drink it dry in a single 
 day. To these and similar statistics they listened with pro- 
 found attention and apparently implicit belief. It was, indeed, 
 a striking scene : the captain, with his hunter's dress and bald 
 head in the midst, holding forth, and his wild auditors seated 
 around like so many statues, the fire lighting up their painted 
 faces and muscular figures, all fixed and motionless, excepting 
 when the pipe was passed, a question propounded, or a start- 
 ling fact in statistics received with a movement of surprise and 
 a half-suppressed ejaculation of wonder and delight. 
 
 The fame of the captain as a healer of diseases had accom- 
 panied him to this village, and the great chief 0-push-y-e-cut 
 now entreated him to exert his skill on his daughter, who had 
 been for three days racked with pains, for -which the Pierced- 
 nose doctors could devise no alleviation. The captain found 
 her extended on a pallet of mats in excruciating pain. Her 
 father manifested the strongest paternal affection for her, and 
 assured the captain that if he would but cure her, he would 
 place the Amei-icans near his heai't. The w^orthy captain 
 needed no such inducement. His kind heart was already
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 211 
 
 touched by the sufforinps of the poor girl, and his sympatliins 
 quickened by her appearance; for she Avas but about sixteen 
 years of age, and uncommonly beautiful in form and feature. 
 The only difficulty with the captain was that he knew nothing 
 of her malady, and tliat his medical science was of a most hap- 
 hazard kind. After considering and cogitating for some time, 
 as a man is apt to do when in a maze of vague ideas, he made 
 a desperate dash at a remedy. By his directions the girl was 
 placed in a sort of rude vapor bath, much used by the Nez 
 Perces, where she was kept imtil near fainting. He then gave 
 her a dose of gunpowder dissolved in cold water, and ordered 
 her to be wrapped in buft'alo robes and put to sleep luider a 
 load of furs and blankets. The remedy succeeded; the next 
 morning she was free from pain, though extremely languid; 
 whereupon the captain prescribed for her a bowl of colt s head 
 broth, and that she should be kept for a time on simple diet. 
 
 The great cliief was unboimdod in his expressions of grati- 
 tude for the recovery of his daughter. He would fain have 
 detained the captain a long time as his guest, but the time for 
 departure had arrived. When the captain's horse was brought 
 for him to mount, the chief declared that the steed was not 
 worthy of him, and sent for one of his best horses, which he 
 presented in its stead ; declaring that it made his heart glad to 
 see his friend so well mounted. He then appointed a young 
 Nez Perce to accompany his guest to the next village, and ' ' to 
 carry his talk" concerning them; and the two parties separated 
 with mutual expressions of kindness and feelings of good-will. 
 
 The vapor bath of which we have made mention is in fre- 
 qiient use among the Nez Perce tribe, chiefly for cleanliness. 
 Their sweating-houses, as they call them, are small and close 
 lodges, and the vapor is produced by water, poured slowly upon 
 red-hot stones. 
 
 On passing the limits of D-push-y-e-cut's domains, the travel- 
 lers left the elevated table-lands, and all the wild and romantic 
 scenery which has just been described. They now traversed a 
 gently undulating country, of such fertility that it excited the 
 rapturous admiration of two of the captain's followers, a Ken- 
 tuckian and a native of Ohio. They declared that it siirpassed 
 any land that they had ever seen, and often exclaimed wliat a 
 delight it would be just to run a plough through such a rich 
 and teeming soil, and see it ojien its bountiful promise before 
 the share. 
 
 Another halt and sojourn of a night was made at the village
 
 212 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 of a chief named He-mim-cl-pilp, where similar ceremonies 
 were observed and hospitality experienced as at the preced- 
 ing villages. They now pursued a west-southwest course 
 through a beautiful and fertile region, better wooded than most 
 of the tracts through which they had passed. In their pro- 
 gress, they met with several bands of Nez Perces, by whom 
 they were invariably treated with the utmost kindness. With- 
 in seven days after leaving the domain of He-mim.-el-pilp, they 
 struck the Columbia River at Fort Wallah- Wallah, where they 
 axrived on the 4th of March, 1834. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 FORT WALLAH-WALLAH — ITS COMMANDER — LNDIANS IN ITS 
 NEIGHBORHOOD — EXERTIONS OF MR. PAMBRUNE FOR THEIR 
 IMPROVEMENT — RELIGION — CODE OF LAWS — RANGE OF THE 
 LOWER NEZ PERCES— CAMASH, AND OTHER ROOTS — ^NEZ PERCE 
 HORSES — PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE — REFUSAL OF SUP- 
 PLIES—DEPARTURE — A LAGGARD AND GLUTTON. 
 
 Fort Wallah-Wallah is a trading-post of the Hudson's 
 Bay Company, situated just above the mouth of the river of 
 the same name, and on the left bank of the Columbia. It is 
 built of drift-wood, and calculated merely for defence against 
 any attack of the natives. At the time of Captain Uonneville's 
 arrival, the whole garrison mustered but sb: or eight men: 
 and the post was under the superintendence of Mr. Pambrune, 
 an agent of the Hudson's Bay Company. 
 
 The great post and fort of the company, forming the em- 
 porium of its trade on the Pacific, is Fort Vancouver; situated 
 on the right bank of the Columbia, about sixty miles from the 
 sea, and just above the mouth of the Wallamut. To this point 
 the company removed its estabhshment from Astoria, in 1821, 
 after its coahtion with the Northwest Company. 
 
 Captain Bonneville and his comrades experienced a polite 
 reception from Mr. Pambrune, the superintendent: for, how- 
 ever hostUe the membeis of the British Company may be to 
 the enterprises of American traders, they have always mani- 
 fested great courtesy and hospitality to the traders themselves. 
 
 Fort Wallah- Wallah is surrounded b^- the tribe of the same
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPrMN BONNEVILLE. 013 
 
 name, as well as by the Skynses and the Ncz Perrcs ; Avho 
 bring to it the furs and peltries eoUected in tbeir hunting ex- 
 peditions. The Wallali-Wallahs arc a degenerate, wornout 
 tribe. The Nez Perces are tlie most numerous and tractable 
 of the three tribes just mentioned. Mr. Pambrune informed 
 Captain Bonneville that ho had been at some pains to intro- 
 duce the Christian religion, in the Roman Catholic form, 
 among them, where it had evidently taken root ; but had be- 
 come altered and modified to suit their pecuhar habits of 
 thought and motives of action ; retaining, however, the princi- 
 pal points of faith and its entire precepts of morality. The 
 same gentleman had given them a code of laws, to which they 
 conformed with scrupulous fidelity. Polygamy, which once 
 prevailed among them to a great extent, was now rarely in- 
 dulged. All the crimes denounced by the Chaistian faith met 
 with severe punishment among them. Even theft, so venial a 
 crime among the Indians, had recently been punished with 
 hanging, by sentence of a chief. 
 
 There certainly appears to be a peculiar susceptibility of 
 moral and religious improven^ent among tkis tiibe, and they 
 would seem to be one of the very, very few that have bene- 
 fited in morals and manners by an intercourse with white 
 men. The parties which visited them about twenty years 
 previously, in the expedition fitted out by Mr. Astor, com- 
 plained of their selfishness, their extortion, and their thievish 
 propensities. Tlie very reverse of those qualities prevailed 
 among them during the prolonged sojourns of Captain Bonne- 
 ville. 
 
 The Lower Nez Perces range upon the Way -lee -way, Im- 
 mahah, Yenghies, and other of the streams west of the moun- 
 tains. They hunt the beaver, elk, deer, white bear, and 
 mountain sheep. Beside the flesh of these animals, they use a 
 ninnber of roots for food ; some of which would be well worth 
 transplanting and cultivating in the Atlantic States. Among 
 these is the camash, a sweet root, about tlio form and size of 
 an onion, and said to be really delicious. The cowish, also, or 
 biscuit root, about the size of a walnut, which they reduce to a 
 very palatable Hour ; together with the jackap aisish, quako, 
 and others ; which they cook by steaming them in the ground. 
 In August and September, these Indians keep along the rivci*s, 
 where they catch and dry j^Toat quantities of salmon; Avhich, 
 while they last, are their principal food. In the winter they 
 congregate in villages formed of comfortable huts, or lodges,
 
 214 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 covered with mats. They are generally clad in deer skins, or 
 woollens, and extremely weU armed. Above all, they are 
 celebrated for owning great ninnbers of horses; which they 
 mark, and then suiter to range in droves in their most fertile 
 plains. These horses are principally of the pony breed ; but 
 remarkably stout and long-winded. They are brought in gi-eat 
 numbers to the establishments of the Hudson's Bay Company, 
 and sold for a mere trifle. 
 
 Such is the account given by Captain Bonneville of the Nez 
 Perces ; who, if not viewed by him with too pai-tial an eye, are 
 certainly among the gentlest and least barbarous people of 
 these remote wildernesses. They uavariably signified to him 
 their earnest w4sh that an American post might be established 
 among them ; and repeatedly declared that they would trade 
 with Americans in j) reference to any other people. 
 
 Captain Bonne^alle had intended to remain some time in this 
 neighborhood, to form an acquaintance with the natives and 
 to collect information, and establish connections that might be 
 advantageous m the way of trade. The delays, however, 
 which he had experienced on his journey, obliged him to 
 shorten his sojourn, and to set off as soon as possible, so as to 
 reach the rendezvous at the Portneuf at the appointed time. 
 He had seen enough to convince him that an American trade 
 might be carried on \ni\\ advantage in this quarter; and he 
 determined soon to return with a stronger party, more com- 
 pletely fitted for the purpose. 
 
 As he stood in need of some supplies for his journey, he ap- 
 plied to purchase thc»m of Mr. Pambrune ; but soon found the 
 difference between being treated as a guest, or as a rival 
 trader. The worthy superintendent, Avho had extended to 
 him all the genial rites of hospitality, now suddenly assumed 
 a ■withered up aspect and demeanor, and observed that, how- 
 ever he might feel disposed to serve him, personally, he felt 
 bound by his duty to the Hudson's Bay Company to do noth- 
 ing which should facilitate or encourage the visits of other 
 traders among the Indians in that part of the country. He 
 endeavored to dissuade Captain Bonneville from returning 
 through the Blue Mountains; assuring him it would bo ex- 
 tremely difficult and dangerous, if not impracticable, at this 
 season of the year; and advised him to accompany Mr. 
 Payette, a leader of the Hudson's Bay Company, who was 
 about to depart with a number of men, by a more circuitous, 
 but safe route, to carry supplies to the company's agent, resi-
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 2]5 
 
 dent among the Upper Nez Perces. Captain Bonneville, how- 
 evex", piqued at his having refused to furnish him with siip- 
 plies, and doubting the sincerity of his advice, determined to 
 return by the more direct route through the mountains; 
 thoixgh varying his course, in some respects, from that by 
 which ho had come, in consequence of information gathered 
 among the neighboring Indians. 
 
 Accordingly, on the Gth of March he and his three com- 
 panions, accompanied by their Nez Perce guides, set out on 
 their return. In the early part of then- course, they toudied 
 again at several of the Nez Perce villages, where they had ex- 
 perienced such kind treatment on their way down. They were 
 always welcomed with cordiality; and everything was done to 
 cheer them on their journey. 
 
 On leaving the Way-lce-way village, they were joined by a 
 Nez Pei'ce, whose society was welcomed on account of the 
 general gratitude and good-will they felt for his tribe. Ho 
 soon proved a heavy clog upon the little party, being doltish 
 and taciturn, lazy in the extreme, and a huge feeder. His 
 only proof of intellect was in shrewdly avoiding all labor, and 
 availing himself of the toil of others. When on the mai'ch, he 
 always lagged behind the rest, leaving to them the task of 
 breaking a way through all difficulties and impediments, and 
 leisurely and lazily jogging along the track, which they had 
 beaten through the snow. At the evening encampment, when 
 others were busy gathering fuel, providing for the horses, and 
 cooking the evening repast, this worthy Sancho of the wilder- 
 ness would take his seat (juietly and cosily by the fire, puffing 
 away at his pipe, and eyeing in silence, but with Avistful inten- 
 sity of gaze, the savory morsels roasting for sujiper. 
 
 When meal-time arrived, however, then came his seaf?on of 
 activity. He no longer hung back, and waited for others to 
 take the lead, but distinguished himself by a brilliancy of on- 
 set and a sustained vigor and duration of attack that com- 
 pletely sham(;d the etforts of his competitors — albeit, experi- 
 enced trenchermen of no mean prowess. Never had th(>y 
 witnessed such power of mastication and such marvellous 
 capacity of stomach as in this native and uncidtivated gas- 
 tronome. Having, by repeated and prolonged assaults, at 
 length completely gorged himself, he would wrap himself up, 
 and lie with the torpor of an anaconda, slowly digesting his 
 way on to the next rej^ast. 
 
 The gormandizing powers of this worthy were, at first, mat-
 
 216 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 tors of surprise and merriment to the travellers ; but they soon 
 became too serious for a joke, threatening devastation to the 
 fleshpots; and he was regarded askance, at his meals, as a 
 regular kill-crop, destined to waste the substance of the party. 
 Nothing but a sense of the obligations they were under to his 
 nation induced them to bear Avith such a guest; but he pro- 
 ceeded, speedily, to relieve them from the weight of these 
 obligations, by eating a receipt m full. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 THE UNIlSrVITED GUEST— FREE AND EASY MANNERS — SALUTARY 
 JOKES— A PRODIGAL SON — EXIT OF THE GLUTTON— A SUDDEN 
 CHANGE IN FORTUNE— DANGER OP A VISIT TO POOR RELATIONS 
 —PLUCKING OF A PROSPEROUS MAN — A VAGABOND TOILET— 
 A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE VERY FINE HORSE— HARD TRAVELLING 
 — THE UNINVITED GUEST AND THE PATRIARCHAL COLT— A 
 BEGGAR ON HORSEBACK— A CATASTROPHE— EXIT OF THE MERRY 
 VAGABOND. 
 
 As Captain Bonneville and his men were encamped one 
 evening among the hills near Snake River, seated before their 
 fire, enjoying a hearty supper, they were suddenly surprised 
 by the visit of an uninvited guest. He was a ragged, half- 
 naked Indian hunter, armed with bow and arrows, and had 
 the carcass of a fine buck thrown across his shoulder. Ad- 
 vancing with an alert step, and free and easy air, he threw the 
 buck on the gi'ound, and, without waiting for an invitation, 
 seated himself at their mess, helped himself without ceremony, 
 and chatted to the right and left in the liveliest and most un- 
 embaiTassed manner. No adroit and veteran dinner hunter of 
 a metropolis could have acquitted himself more knowingly. 
 The travellers Avere at first completely taken by surprise, and 
 could not but admire the facility with which this ragged cosmop- 
 olite made himself at home among them. While they stared 
 he went on, making the most of the good cheer upon which he 
 had so fortunately alighted; and w\as soon elbow deep in "pot 
 luck" and greased from the tip of his nose to the back of his 
 ears. 
 
 As the company recovered from their surprise, they began
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 2\1 
 
 t« feel annoyed at this intrusion. Their luiinvited guest, lui- 
 likc the generahty of his tribe, was somewhat dirty as well as 
 ragged and they had no rehsh for sueh a messmate. Heaping 
 up, therefore, an abundant portion ot tiie " provaut" upon a 
 piece of bark which served for a (hsh, they invited liim to con- 
 iine himself thereto, instead of foraging in the general mess. 
 
 He complied with the most accommodating spirit iimigi- 
 nablc; and went on eating and chatting, and laughing and 
 smearing himself, imtil his whole countenance shone with 
 grease and good-humor. In the course of his repast, his at- 
 tention was caught by the figure of the gastronome, who, as 
 usual, was gorging himself in dogged silence. A droll cut of 
 the eye showed either that he knew him of old, or perceived at 
 once his char.ncteristics. He immediately made him the butt 
 of his pleasantries ; and cracked off two or three good hits, 
 that caused the sluggish dolt to prick up his ears, and delighted 
 all the company. From this time, the uninvited guest was 
 taken into favor ; his jokes began to be relished ; his careless, 
 free and easy air, to be considered singularly amusing; and in 
 the end, he was pronounced by the travellers one of the mer- 
 riest comj^anions and most entertaining vagabonds they had 
 met with in the wilderness. 
 
 t5upper being over, the redoubtable Shee-wee-she-ouaiter, for 
 such was the simple name by which he announced himself, de- 
 clared his intention of keeping company with the party for a 
 day or two, if they had no objection; and by way of backing 
 liis self-invitation, presented the carcass of the buck as an 
 earnest of his hunting abilities. By this time he had so com- 
 pletely effaced the unfavornhle impression made by his firet 
 appearance, that he was made Aveleome to the ramp, and the 
 Nez Perce guide undertook to give him lodging for the night. 
 The next morning, at break of day he borroAved a gim, and 
 was off among the hills, nor was anything more seen of him 
 until a few minutes after the party had encamped for the 
 evenino;, when ho again made his appearance, in his usual 
 frank, careless manner, and threw down the carcass of another 
 noble deer, which he had borne on his back for a considerable 
 distance. 
 
 This evening he was the life of the party, and his open com- 
 miinicative disposition, free from all disguise, soon put them 
 in possession of his history. He had been a kind of prodigal 
 son in his native village ; living a loose, heedless life, and dis- 
 regarding the precei>ts and imperative commands of the cliiefs.
 
 218 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 He had, in consequence, been expelled from the village, but, in 
 nowise disheartened at this banishment had betaken himself 
 to the society of the border Indians, and had led a careless, 
 liapliazard, vagabond life, perfectly consonant to his humors; 
 heedless of the future, so long as ho had wherewithal for the 
 present; and fearing no lack of food, so long as he had the im- 
 plements of the chase, and a fair hunting ground. 
 
 Finding him very expert as a hunter, and being pleased with 
 his eccentricities and his strange and merry humor. Captain 
 Bonneville fitted him out handsomely as the Nimrod of the 
 party, who all soon became quite attached to him. One of the 
 earliest and most signal services he performed, was to exorcise 
 the insatiate kill-crop that hitherto oppressed the party. In 
 laat, the doltish Nez Perce, who had seemed so perfectly insen- 
 sible to rough treatment of every kind, by which the travellers 
 had endeavored to elbow him out of their society, could not 
 withstand the good-humored bantering, and occasionally sharp 
 "wit of She-wee-she. He evidently quailed under his jokes, and 
 sat blinki«ng like an owl in daylight, when pestered by the 
 flouts and peckings of mischievous birds. At length his place 
 was found vacant at meal-time : no one know when he went 
 olf, or whither he had gone, but he was seen no more, and the 
 vast surplus that remained when the repast was over, showed 
 what a mighty gormandizer had departed. ' 
 
 Eelieved from this incubus, the little party now went on 
 cheerily. She-wee-she kept them in fun as well as food. His 
 hunting was always successfid; he was ever ready to render 
 any assistance in the camp or on the march ; while his jokes, 
 his antics, and the very cut of his countenance, so full of 
 whim and comicality, kept every one in good-humor. 
 
 In this way they journeyed on until they arrived on the 
 banks of the Immahah, and encamped near to the Nez Perce 
 lodges. Here She-wec-she took a sudden notion to visit his 
 people, and show off the state of worldly prosperity to which 
 he had so suddenly attained. He accordingly departed in thp 
 morning, arrayed in hunter's style, ana well appointed with 
 everything befitting his vocation. The buoyancy of his gait, 
 the elasticity of his step, and the hilarity of his countenance, 
 showed that he anticipated, with chuckling satisfaction, the 
 surprise he was about to give those who had ejected him from 
 their society in rags. But what a change was there in his 
 whole appearance when he rejoined the party in the evening! 
 He came skulking into camp Hke a beaten cur, with his tail
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 219 
 
 betvvoen his legs. All his finery was gone; he was naked as 
 when lie was born, with the exception of a scanty liap that 
 answered the purpose of a fig leaf. His fellow-travellers at 
 first did not know him, but supjwsed it to be some vagrant 
 Root Digger sneaking into the camp ; but when they recognized 
 in this forlorn object their prime wag, She- woe-she, whom they 
 had seen depart in the morning in siuh high glee and high 
 feather, they coidd not contain their merriment, but hailed him 
 with loud and repeated peals of laughter. 
 
 She-wee-she was not of a spirit to be easily cast down ; he 
 soon joined in the merriment as heartily as any one, and 
 seemed to consider his reverse of fortune an excellent joke. 
 Captain Bonneville, however, thought proper to check his 
 good-humor, and demanded, with some degree of sternness, 
 the cause of his altered condition. He replied in the most 
 natural and self-complacent style imaginable, "that he had 
 been among his cousins, avIio wore very poor; they had been 
 delighted to see him ; still more delighted with his good for- 
 tune; they had taken him to their arms; admired his equip- 
 ments; one had begged for this; another for that" — in fine, 
 what with the poor devil's inherent heedlessness and the real 
 generosity of his disposition, his needy cousins had succeeded 
 in stri])i)ing him of all his clothes and accoutrements, except- 
 ing the fig leaf with which he had retiu-ned to camp. 
 
 Seeing his total want of care and foretliought. Captain Bonne- 
 ville determined to let him suffer a little, in hopes it might 
 prove a salutary lesson; and, at any rate, to make him no nioro 
 presents wliile in the neighborhood of his needy cousins. He 
 was left, therefore, to shift for himself in his naked condition; 
 which, however, did not seem to give him any concern, or to 
 abate one jot of his good-humor. In the course of his loung- 
 ing about the camp, however, he got possession of a deer-skin; 
 whereupon, cutting a slit in tlio middle, he thrust his head 
 through it, so that the two ends hung down bcfoi-e and 
 behind, something like a South American poncho, or the 
 tabardof a herald. These ends he tied together, under the 
 armpits ; and thus arrayed presented liimself once more before 
 the captain, with an air of perfect self-satisfaction, as though 
 he thought it impossible for any fault to be found with his 
 toilet. 
 
 A little further journeying brought the travellers to the petty 
 village of Nez Perrcs, governed by the worthy and affectionate 
 old patriarch who had made Captain Bonneville the costly
 
 220 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 present of a very fine horse. The old naan welcomed them 
 once more to his village with his usual cordialty, and his re- 
 spectable squaw and hopeful son, cherishing grateful recollec- 
 tions of the hatchet and ear-bobs, joined in a chorus of friendly 
 gratulation. 
 
 As the much- vaunted steed, once the joy and pride of this 
 interesting family, was now nearly knocked up by travelling, 
 and totally inadequate to the mountain scramble that lay ahead, 
 Captain Bonneville restored him to the venerable patriarch, 
 with renewed acknowledgments for the invaluable gift. Some- 
 what to his surpi-ise, he was immediately supplied with a fine 
 two years' old colt in his stead, a substitution which, he after- 
 ward learned, according to Indian custom in such cases, he 
 might have claimed as a matter of right. We do not find that 
 any after claims were made on account of this colt. This dona- 
 tion may be regarded, therefore, as a signal punctilio of Indian 
 honor ; but it will be found that the animal soon proved an un- 
 lucky acquisition to the party. 
 
 While at this village, the Nez Perce guide had held consulta- 
 tions with some of the inhabitants as to the mountain tract the 
 party were about to traverse. He now began to wear an anx- 
 ious aspect, and to indulge ua gloomy forebodings. The snow, 
 ho had been told, lay to a great depth in the passes of the 
 mountains, and difficulties would increase as he proceeded. 
 He begged Captain Bonneville, therefore, to travel very slowly, 
 so as to keep the horses in strength and spirit for the hard 
 times they would have to encounter. The captain surrendered 
 the regidation of the march entirely to his discretion, and 
 pushed on in the advance, amusing himself with hunting, so as 
 generally to kill a deer or two in the course of the day, and 
 arriving, before the rest of the party, at the spot designated 
 by the guide for the evening's encampment. 
 
 In the meantune, the others plodded on at the heels of the 
 giiide, accompanied by that merry vagabond. She-wee-she, 
 The primitive garb worn by this droll left all his nether man 
 exposed to the biting blasts of the mountains. Still his wit 
 was never frozen, nor his sunshiny temper beclouded ; and his 
 innumerable antics and practical jokes, while they quickened 
 tlie circulation of his own blood, kept his companions in high 
 good-humor. 
 
 So passed the first day after the departure from the patri- 
 arch's. The second day commenced in the same manner; the 
 captain in the advance, the rest of the party following on
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 221 
 
 slowly. She-wee-sho, for the f^'oater part of the time, trudged 
 on foot over the snow, keeping himself warm by hard exercise, 
 and all kinds of crazy capers. In the height of his fooleiy, 
 the patriarchal colt, which, unbroken to the saddle, was suf- 
 fered to follow on at large, happened to come within his reach. 
 In a moment he was on his back, snapping his fingers, and 
 yelping with delight. The colt, unused to such a burden, and 
 half wild by nature, fell to prancing and rearuig, and snort- 
 ing, and j)lunging, and kicking; and, at length, set off full 
 speed over the most dangerous grtnmd. As the route led gen- 
 erally along the steep and craggy sides on the liills, both hoi-se 
 and horseman were constantly in danger, and more than once 
 had a hairbreadth escape from deadly peril. Nothing, how- 
 ever, could daunt this madcap savage. He stuck to the colt 
 hke a plaster, up ridges, down gullies; whooping and yelling 
 with the wildest glee. Never did beggar on horseback display 
 more headlong horsemanship. His companions followed liini 
 W'ith their eyes, sometimes laughing, sometimes holding in 
 theii' breath at his va?:aries, until they saw the colt make a 
 sudden plunge or start, and pitch his unlucky rider headlong 
 over a precipice. There was a general cry of horror, and all 
 hastened to the spot. They found the poor fellow lying among 
 the rocks below, sadly bi'uised and mangled. It was almost a 
 miracle that he had escaped with Hfe. Even in this condition 
 his merry spirit was not entirely quelled, and he summoned 
 up a feeble laugh at the alarm and anxiety of those who came 
 to his relief. He w^as extricated from his rocky bed, and a 
 messenger dispatched to inform Ciiptain Bonneville of the 
 accident. The latter returned with all speed, and encamped 
 the party at the first convenient spot. Here the wounded man 
 was stretched upon buffalo skins, and the captain, who offi- 
 ciated on all occasions as doctor and surgeon to the party, pro- 
 ceeded to examine his woimds. The principal one was a long 
 and deep gash in the thigh, which reached to the bone. Call- 
 ing for a needle and thread, the captain now prepared to sew 
 up the wound, admonishing the patient to submit to the oper- 
 ation with becoming fortitude. His gayety was at an end; he 
 could no longer summon up even a forced smile; and, at the 
 first puncture of the needle flinched so piteously that the cap- 
 tain was obliged to pause, and to order him a powerful dose of 
 alcohol. This somewhat rallied up his spirit and warmed his 
 heai't; all the time of the operation, however, he kept his eyes 
 riveted on the wound, with his teeth set, and a whimsical
 
 222 ADVENTUEES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 wincing ot the countenance that occasionally gave his nose 
 something of its usual comic curl. 
 
 \\ hen the wound was fairl}' closed, the captain washed it 
 ■with rum, and administered a second dose of the same to the 
 patient, who was tucked in for the night, and advised to com- 
 pose himself to sleep. He was restless and uneasy, however ; 
 repeatedly expressing his fears that his leg would be so much 
 swollen the next day as to prevent his proceeding with the 
 party; nor could he be quieted until the captain gave a de- 
 cided opinion favorable to his wishes. 
 
 Early the next morning, a gleam of his merry humor re- 
 turned, on finding that his wounded limb retained its natural 
 proportions. On attempting to use it, however, he found him- 
 self unable to stand. He made several efforts to coax liimself 
 into a belief that he might still continue forward; but at 
 length shook his head despondingly, and said that " as he had 
 but one leg," it was all in vain to attempt a passage of the 
 mountain. 
 
 Every one grieved to part with so boon a companion, and 
 under such disastrous circumstances. He was once moi'e 
 clothed and equipped, each one making him some parting pres- 
 ent. He was then helped on a horse, which Captain Bonne- 
 ville presented to him; and after many parting expressions 
 of good-will on both sides, set off on his return to his old 
 haunts ; doubtless to be once more plucked by his affectionate 
 but needy cousins. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI, 
 
 THE DIFFICULT MOITNTAIN— A SMOKE AND CONSULTATION — THE 
 
 captain's speech — AN ICY TURNPIKE— DANGER OP A FALSE 
 
 STEP — ARRIVAL ON SNAKE RIVER — RETURN TO PORTNEUF — 
 MEETING OF COMRADES. 
 
 Continuing their journey up the course of the Immahah, 
 the ti-avellers found, as they approached the head-waters, the 
 snow increased in quantity, so as to lie two feet deep. They 
 were again obliged, therefore, to beat down a path for their 
 horses, sometimes travelling on the icy surface of the stream. 
 At length they reached the place where they intended to scale 
 the mountains; and, having broken a pathway to the foot,
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 223 
 
 were af^i'ocably surprised to find that the wind had drifted the 
 snow from off the side, so that they attained the suniniit with 
 but Httlc difficulty. Here they encami)ed, with the intention 
 of beating a track through the mountains. A short experi- 
 ment, however, obhged them to give up the attempt, the snow 
 lying in vast drifts, often higher than the horses' heads. 
 
 Captain Bonneville now took the two Indian guides, and set 
 out to reconnoitre the neighborhood. Observing a high peak 
 which overtopped the rest, he climbed it, and discovered from 
 the summit a pass about nine miles long, but so heavily piled 
 with snow that it seejiied impracticable. He now lit a pipe, 
 and, sitting down with the two guides, proceeded to hold a 
 consultation after the Indian mode. For a long while they all 
 smoked vigorously and in silence, pondering over the subject 
 matter beiore them. At length a discussion commenced, and 
 the opinion in which the two guides concurred was, that the 
 horses could not possibly cross the snows. They advised, 
 therefore, that the jiarty should proceed on foot, and they 
 should take the horses back to the village, where they would 
 be well taken care of until Captain Bonneville shoidd send for 
 them. They urged this advice with great earnestness ; declar- 
 ing that their chief would be extremely angry, and treat them 
 severely should any of the horses of his good friends, the 
 white men, be lost in crossing under their guidance ; and that, 
 therefore, it was good they should not attempt it. 
 
 Captain Bonneville sat smoking his pipe, and listening to 
 them with Indian silence and gra\'ity. When they had fin- 
 ished, he replied to them in their own style of language. 
 
 " My friends," said he, "I have seen the pass, and have list- 
 ened to your words ; you have little hearts. When troubles 
 and dangers lie in your way, you turn your backs. That is 
 not the way with my nation. When great obstacles present, 
 and threaten to keep them back, their hearts swell, rmd they 
 push forward. They love to conquer difficulties. B;it enough 
 for the present. Night is coming on; let us return to our 
 camp. " 
 
 He moved on, and they followed in silence. On reaching the 
 camp, he found the men extremely discouraged. One of their 
 number had been surveying the neighborhood, and seriously 
 assured them that the snow was at least a hundred feet deep. 
 The captain cheered them up, and diffused fresh spirit in them 
 by his example. Still lie was much perplexed how to proceed. 
 About dark there was a slight drizzling rain. An expedient
 
 224 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 now suggested itself. This was to make two light sleds, place 
 tlie packs on them, and di-ag them to the other side of the 
 iiiountaiu, thus forming a road in the wet snow, which, should 
 it afterward freeze, would be sufficiently hard to bear tho 
 horses. This plan was promptly put into execution ; the sleds 
 were constructed, the heavy baggage was drawn backward 
 and forward until the road was beaten, when they desisted 
 from their fatiguing labor. The night turned out clear and 
 cold, and by morning their road Avas incrusted with ice suffi- 
 ciently strong for their purpose. They now set out on their 
 icy turnpike, and got on well enough, excepting that now and 
 thtn a horse would shde out of the track, and immediately 
 sink up to the neck. Then came on toil and difficulty, and 
 they Avould be obliged to haul up the floundering animal with 
 ropes. One, more unlucky than the rest, after repeated falls, 
 had to be abandoned in the snow. NotAvithstanding these re- 
 peated delays, they succeeded, before the sun had acquired 
 sufficient power to thaw the snow, in getting all the rest of 
 their horses safely to the other side of the mountain. 
 
 Their difficulties and dangers, however, were not yet at an 
 end. They had now to descend, and the whole surface of the 
 snow was glazed with ice. It was necessary, therefore, to 
 wait until the warmth of the sun should melt the glassy crust 
 of sleet, and give them a foothold to the yielding snow. They 
 had a frightful warning of the danger of any movement while 
 the sieet remained. A wild young mare, in her restlessness, 
 strayed to the edge of a declivity. One slip was fatal to her; 
 she lost her balance, - careered "\\4th headlong velocity down 
 the slippery side of the mountain for more than two thousand 
 feet, and was dashed to pieces at the bottom. When the trav- 
 ellers afterward sought the carcass to cut it up for food, they 
 found it torn and mangled in the most horrible manner. 
 
 It was quite late in the evening before the party descended 
 to the ultimate skirts of the snow. Here they planted large 
 logs below them to prevent their sliding down, and encamped 
 for the night. The next day they succeeded in bringing down 
 their baggage to the encampment; then packing all up regu- 
 larly and loading their horses, they once more set out briskly 
 and cheerfully, and in the course of the following day suc- 
 ceeded in getting to a grassy region. 
 
 Here their Nez Perce guides declared that all the difficulties 
 of the mountains were at an end, and their course was plain 
 and simple, and needed no further guidance; they asked leave,
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLP:. 225 
 
 therefore, to return home. This was readily granted, >vif,h 
 many thanks and presents for their faithful services. Tlioy 
 took a long farewell smoke with their white friends, after 
 which they mounted their horses and set off, exchanging 
 many farewells and Icind wiijhes. 
 
 On the following day, Captain Bonneville completed liis 
 journey down the mountain, and encamped on the bordcre 
 of Snake River, where he found the grass in great abundance 
 and eight inches in height. In this neighborhood he saw on 
 the rocky banks of the river several prismoids of basaltes, ris- 
 ing to the height of fifty or sixty feet. 
 
 Nothing particularly worthy of note occurred during several 
 days as the party proceeded up along Snake River and across 
 its tributary streams. After crossing Gun Greek, they met 
 with various signs that white people were in the neighbor- 
 hood, and Captain Bonneville made earnest exertions to dis- 
 cover whether they were any of his own people, that he might 
 join them. He soon ascertained that they had been starved 
 out of this tract of country, and had betaken themselves to the 
 buffalo region, whither he now shaped his course. In proceed- 
 ing along Pnake River, he found smaU hordes of Shoshonies 
 lingering upon the minor streams, and living u|»on ti'out and 
 other fish, which they catch in great numbers at this season in 
 fish- traps. The greater part of the tribe, however, had pene- 
 trated the mountains to hunt the elk, deer, and ahsahta or 
 bighorn. 
 
 On the 12th of May Captain Bonneville reached the Portneuf 
 River, in the vicinity of which he had left the winter encamp- 
 ment of his company on the i)receding Christmas day. He 
 had then expected to be back by the beginning of March, but 
 circumstances had detained him upward of two months be- 
 yond the time, and the winter encampment must long ere this 
 have been broken up. Halting on the banks of the Portneuf, 
 he dispatched scouts a few miles above, to visit the old camp- 
 ing ground and search for signals of the party, or of their 
 wliereabouts, should they actually have abandoned the spot. 
 They returned without being able to ascertain anything. 
 
 Being now destitute of provisions, the travellers found it 
 necessary to make a short hunting excursion after buffalo. 
 They made caches, therefore, in an island in the river, in 
 which thej^ deposited all their baggage, and then set out on 
 their expedition. They were so fortunate as to kill a couple 
 of fine bulls, and cutting \\ ' the carcasses, determined to hus-
 
 226 '1-^ VENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 band this stock of provisions with the most miserly care, lest 
 they should again be obliged to venture into the open and 
 diingorous hunting grounds. Returning to their island on the 
 18th of May, they found that the wolves had been at the 
 caches, scratched up the contents, and scattered them in every 
 direction. They now consti-ucted a more secure one, in which 
 they depo5:itcd their heaviest articles, and then descended 
 Snake River again, and encamped just above the American 
 Falls. Here they proceeded to fortify themselves, intending 
 to remain here, and give their horses an opportunity to recruit 
 their strength with good pasturage, until it should be time to 
 set out for the annual rendezvous in Bear River valley. 
 
 On the first of June they descried four men on the other side 
 of the river, opposite to the camp, and, having attracted their 
 attention by a discharge of rifles, ascertained to their joy that 
 they were some of their own people. From these men Captain 
 Boimeville learned that the whole party which he had left in 
 the preceding month of December were encamped on Blackfoot 
 River, a tributary of Snake River, not very far above the Port- 
 neuf. Thitlier he proceeded with all possible dispatch, and m 
 a little while had the pleasure of finding himself once more 
 surrounded by his people, who greeted his return among them 
 in the heartiest manner; for his long-protracted absence had 
 convinced them that he and his three companions had been cut 
 off by some hostile tribe. 
 
 The party had suffered much during his absence. They had 
 been pinched by famine and almost starved, and had been 
 forced to repair to the caches at Salmon River. Here they feU 
 in with the Blackfeet bands, and considered themselves fortu- 
 nate in being able to retreat from the dangerous neighborhood 
 without sustaining any loss. 
 
 . Bemg thus reunited, a general treat from Captain Bonneville 
 to his men was a matter of course. Two days, therefore, were 
 ' given up to such feasting and merriment as their means and 
 situation afforded. What was wanting in good cheer was made 
 up in good- will; the free trappers in particular distingxiished 
 themselves on the occasion, and the saturnalia was enjoyed 
 with a hearty holiday sph-it, that smacked of the game flavor 
 of the wilderness.
 
 ADVEBTURKS OF CAr'l'AIi\ BO^ SEVILLE. 227 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 DEPARTURE FOR THE RENDEZVOUS — A WAR PARTY OP BLACKFEET 
 —A MOCK BUSTLE— SHAM FIRES AT NIGHT— WARLIKE PRECAU- 
 TIONS—DANGERS OF A NIGHT ATTACK - A PANIC AMONG HORSES 
 —CAUTIOUS MARCH— THE BEER SPRINGS—A MOCK CAROUSAL- 
 SKIRMISHING WITH BUFFALOES— A BUFFALO BAIT— ARRIVAL AT 
 THE RENDEZVOUS— MEETING OF VARIOUS BANDS. 
 
 After the two days of festivo indulgence, Captain Bonneville 
 broke ujd the encampment, and set out with his motley crew of 
 hired and free trappers, half-breeds, Indians, and squaws, for 
 the main rendezvous in Bear River valley. Directing his 
 course up the Tlackfoot River, he soon reached the hills among 
 which it takes its rise. Here, while on the march, he descried 
 from the brow of a lull, a war party of about sixty Blackfeet, 
 on the plain immediately beiow him. His situation was Jicril- 
 ous; for the greater part of his people were dispersed in various 
 directions. Still, to betray hesitation or fear would be to dis- 
 cover his actual weakness, and to invite attack. He assumed 
 instantly, therefore, a belligerent tone ; ordered the squaws to 
 lead the horses to a small grove of ashen trees, and unload and 
 tie them ; and caused a gi'eat bustle to be made by his scanty 
 handful; the leaders riding hither and thither and vociferating 
 with all their might, as if a numerous force were getting under 
 way for an attack. 
 
 To keep up the deception as to his force, he ordered, at night, 
 J number of extra fires to be made in his camp, and kept up a 
 vigilant watch. His men were all directed to keep themselves 
 prepared for instant action. In such cases the experienced 
 trapper sleeps in his clothes, with his rifle beside him, the shot- 
 belt and powder-flask on tlie stock; so that, in case of alarm, 
 he can lay his hand upon the whole of his equipment at once, 
 and start up. comjilotcly armed. 
 
 Captain Bonneville was also especially careful to seciu'c the 
 horses, and set a vigilant guard ui)on them; for there lies the. 
 great object and principal danger of a night attack. The grand 
 move of the lurking savnge is to cause a panic among the 
 horses. In such cases one horse I'riglitens another, imtil all aix)
 
 228 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 alarmed, and struggle to break loose. In camps where there 
 are great numbers of Indians, with their horses, a night alarm 
 of the kind is tremendous. The running of the horses that 
 have broken loose; the snorting, stamping, and rearing of 
 those which remain fast ; the howling of dogs ; the yelling of 
 Indians; the scampering of white men, and red men, with 
 their guns; the overturning of lodges and tramphng of fires by 
 the horses : the flashes of the fires, lighting up forms of men; 
 and steeds dashing through the gloom, altogether make up one 
 of the wildest scenes of confusion imaginable. 
 
 In this way, sometimes, aU the horses of a camp amounting 
 to several hundred will be frightened off in a single night. 
 
 The night passed off without any disturbance; but there was 
 no likelihood that a war party of Blackfeet, once on the track 
 of a camp where there was a chance for spoils, would fail to 
 hover round it. The captain, therefore, continued to maintain 
 the most vigilant precautions; throwing out scouts in the 
 advance, and on every rising ground. 
 
 In the course of the day he arrived at the plain of white clay, 
 already mentioned, surrounded by the mineral springs, called 
 Beer' Springs, by the trappers.* Here the men all halted to 
 have a regale. In a few moments every spring had its jovial 
 knot of hard drinkers, with tin cup in hand, indulging in a 
 mock carouse; quaffing, pledging, toasting, bandying jokes, 
 singing drinking songs and uttering peals of laughter, until it 
 seemed as if their imaginations had given potency to the bev- 
 erage, and cheated them into a fit of intoxication. Indeed, in 
 the excitement of the moment they w^ere loud and extravagant 
 in their commendations of "the mountain tap;" elevating it 
 above every beverage produced from hops or malt. It was a 
 singular and fantastic scene ; suited to a region Avhere every- 
 thing is strange and peculiar. Those groups of trappers and 
 hunters, and Indians, with their wild costumes and wilder 
 countenances ; their boisterous gayety and reckless air ; quaff- 
 
 * In a manuscript journal of Mr. Nathaniel G. Wyeth, we find the following men- 
 tirm of this \vatering;-place: 
 
 " Tliere is here a soda spring; or, I may say. fifty of them. These springs throw 
 out lime, which deposits and forms little hillocks of a yellowish-colored stone. 
 There is, also, here, a warm spring, which tlirows out water, with a Jet; which is 
 like bilge-water in taste. There are, al.so. here, peat beds, which sometimes take 
 fire, and leave, behind a deep, light ashes; in which animals sink deep. . . . I as- 
 cended a mountain, and from it could see that Bear River took a short turn 
 round Sheep Rock. There were, in tne pl.nln, many hundred mounds of yellowish 
 Stone, with a crater on the top, formed of the deposits of the impregnated water."
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 229 
 
 ing and making merry round these sparkling fountains; while 
 beside them lay their weapons, ready to be sn?tched up for in- 
 stant service. Painters are fond of representing banditti at 
 their rude and picturesque carousals; but here were gi'oups 
 still more rude and picturesque ; and it needed but a sudden 
 onset of Blackfeet, and a quick transition from a fantastic revel 
 to a furious melee, to have rendered this picture of a trapper's 
 life complete. 
 
 The beer frolic, however, passed off without any tmtoward 
 circumstance; and, unlike most drinkmg bouts, left neither 
 headache nor heartache behind. Captain Bonneville now 
 directed his course up along Bear River; amusing himself oc- 
 casionally with himting the buffalo with wbich the country 
 was covered. Sometimes when he saw a huge ball taking his 
 repose in a prairie, he would steal along a ravine, until close 
 upon him; then rouse him from his meditations Avith a pebble, 
 and take a shot at him as he started up. Such is the quick- 
 ness with which this animal springs upon his legs, that it is 
 not easy to discover the muscular process hy which it is 
 effected. The horse rises first upon his forelegs, and the 
 domestic cow upon her hinder limbs, but the buffalo bounds 
 at once from a couchant to an erect position with a celerity 
 that baffles the eye. Though from his bulk and rolling gait 
 he does not appear to nm with much swiftness ; yet it takes a 
 stanch hoi'se to overtake him, when at fidl speed on level 
 ground; and a "buffalo cow is still fleeter in her motion. 
 
 Among the Indians and half-breeds of the party were several 
 admirable horsemen and bold himters, who amused them- 
 selves with a grotesque kind of buffalo bait. Whenever they 
 foimd a huge bull in the plains, they prepared for their teas- 
 ing and barbaroiis sport. Surrounding him on horseback, 
 they would discharge their arrows at him in quick succession, 
 goading him to make an attack; which, with a dexterous 
 movt^ment of the horse, they would easily avoid. In this way 
 they hovered round him, feathering him with arrows, as ho 
 reared and plunged about, until he was bristled aU over like a 
 porcupine. When they perceived in him signs of exhaustion, 
 and he coxdd no longer be provolced to make battle, they would 
 dismoimt from their horses, approach him in the rear, and 
 seizing him by the tail, jerk him from side to side, and drag 
 him backward; until the frantic animal, gathei'ing fresh 
 strength from fury, would break from them, and rush, with 
 flashing eyes and a hoarse bellowing, upon any enemy in
 
 230 ADVENTUimS OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 sight; l)ut in n little while, his transient excitement at an end, 
 Av^ould pitch headlong on the ground and expire. The arrows 
 were then plucked forth, the tongue cut out and preserved as 
 a dainty, and the eai'cass left a banquet for the wolves. 
 
 Pursuing his course up Bear River, Captain Bonneville ar- 
 rived, on the 13th of June, at the Little Snake Lake; where he 
 encamped for four or five days, that he might examine its 
 shores and outlets. The latter he found extremely muddy, 
 .and so surrovuided by swamps and quagmires that he was 
 obliged to construct canoes of rushes with which to explore 
 them. The mouths of all the streams Avhich fall into this lake 
 from the west are marshy and inconsiderable ; but on the east 
 side- there is a beautiful beach, broken occasionally by high 
 and isolated bluffs, which advance upon the lake, and heighten 
 the character of the scenery. The water is very shallovv, but 
 abounds with trout, and other small fish. 
 
 Having finislied his survey of the lake. Captain Bonneville 
 proceeded on his journey, imtil on the banks of the Bear River, 
 some distance higher up, he come upon the pai'ty wdiich he 
 had detached a year before, to circumambulate the Great Salt 
 Lake, and ascertain its extent, and the nature of its shores. 
 They had been encamped here about twenty days ; and w^ere 
 greatly rejoiced at meeting once more with their comrades 
 from wdiom they had so long been separated. The first in- 
 quiry of Captain Bonneville was about the result of their 
 journey, and the information they had procured as to the 
 Great Salt Lake, the object of his intense curiosity and am- 
 bition. The substance of their report will be found in the fol- 
 lowing chajDter,
 
 ADVEy TURKS OF CAPTAIN DONNTJVILLE. 031 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 PLAN OF THE SALT LAKE EXPEDITION— GREAT SANDY DESERTS — 
 SUFFERINGS FROM THIRST— OGDEN'S RIVER— TRAILS AND SMOKE 
 OF LURKING SAVAGES— THEFTS AT NIGHT— A TRAPPERS RE- 
 VENGE—ALARMS OF A GUILTY CONSCIENCE — A MURDEROUS 
 VICTORY— CALIFORNIAN MOUNTAINS— PLAINS ALONG THE PACI- 
 FIC — ARRIVAL AT MONTEREY— ACCOUNT OP THE PLACE AND 
 NEIGHBORHOOD— LOWER CALIFORNIA — ITS EXTENT — THE PEN- 
 INSULA — SOIL — CLIMATE — PliODUCTION — ITS SETTLEMENT BY 
 THE JESUITS— THEIR SWAY OVER THE INDIANS— THEIR EX- 
 PULSION — RUINS OF A MISSIONARY ESTABLISHMENT — SUBLIME 
 SCENERY — UPPER CALIFORNIA— MISSIONS— THEIR POWER AND 
 POLICY— RESOURCES OF THE COUNTRY— DESIGNS OF FOREIGN 
 NATIONS. 
 
 It was on the 24th of July, in the preoedinj? year (1833), that 
 the brigade of forty men set out from Green River valley, to 
 explore the Great Salt Lake. They were to make the complete 
 circuit of it, trapping on all the streams which should ii\\l in 
 their way, and to keep journals and make charts, calculated 
 to impart a knowledge of the lake and the surrounding coun- 
 try. All the resources of Captain Bonneville had been tasked 
 to fit out this farorite expedition. The country lying to the 
 southwest of the mountains, and ranging down to California, 
 was as yet almost unknown ; being out of the buffalo range, it 
 was un traversed by the trapper, who preferred those parts of 
 the wildei-ness where the roaming hei'ds ol" that species of ani- 
 mal gave hiin comparatively an abundant and luxurious life. 
 Still it was said that the deer, the elk, and the bighorn were to 
 be found there, so that with a little diligence and econom}', 
 there was no danger of lacking food. As a precaution, how- 
 ever, the party halted on Bear River and hunted for a few 
 days, until they had laid in a supply of dried buffalo meat and 
 venison; they then passed by the head- waters of the Cassie 
 River, and soon found themselves launched on an immense 
 sandy desert. Southwardly, on their left, they beheld the 
 Great Salt Lake spread out like a sea, but they found no 
 stream running into it. A desert extended around them, and
 
 232 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 stretched to the southwest as far as the eye could reach, rival- 
 hng the deserts of Asia and Africa in sterihty. There was 
 neither tree, nor herbage, nor spring, nor pool, nor running 
 stream — nothing but parched wastes of sand, where horse and 
 rider were in danger of perishing. 
 
 Their sufferings, at length, became so great that they aban- 
 doned their intended course, and made toward a range of 
 snowy mountains brightening in the north, where they hoped 
 to find water. After a time, they came upon a small stream 
 leading directly toward these mountains. Having quenched 
 their burning thirst, and refreshed themselves and their weary 
 hoi-ses for a time, they kept along this stream, which grad- 
 ually increased in size, being fed by numerous brooks. After 
 approaching the mountains, it took a sweep toward the south- 
 west, and the travellers still kept along it, trapping beaver as 
 they went, on the flesh of which they subsisted for the present, 
 husbanding their dried meat for future necessities. 
 
 The stream on which they had thus fallen is called by 
 some, Mary Eiver, but is more generally known as Ogdon's 
 River, from Mr. Peter Ogden, an enterprising and intrepid 
 leader of the Hudson's Bay Company who first explored it. 
 The wild and half desert region through which the travel- 
 lers were passing is wandered over hj hordes of Shoshokoes, 
 or Root Diggers, the forlorn branch of the Snake tribe. Tliey 
 are a shy people, prone to keep aloof from the stranger. The 
 travellers frequently met with their trails and saw the smoke 
 of their fires rising in various parts of the vast landscape, 
 so that they knew there were gi-eat numbers in the neigh- 
 borhood, but scarcely ever were any of them to be met with. 
 
 After a time, they began to have vexatious proofs that, if 
 the Shoshokoes were quiet by day, they were busy at night. 
 The camp was dogged by these eavesdroppers ; scarce a morn- 
 ing but various ai-ticles were missing, yet nothing could be 
 seen of the marauders. What particularly exasperated the 
 hunters, was to have their traps stolen from the streams. 
 One morning a trapper of a violent and savage character, 
 discovering that his traps had been carried off in the night, 
 took a horrid oath to kill the first Indian he should meet, 
 innocent or guilty. As he was returning with his comrades 
 to camp, he beheld two unfortunate Diggers, seated on the 
 river bank, fishing. Advancing uponthem, he levelled his rifle, 
 shot one upon the spot, and flung his bleeding body into the 
 stream. The other Indian fled, and was suffered to escape.
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 233 
 
 Such is the indiffcrenco with which acts of violence are re- 
 garded in the wilderness, and sucli the immunity an anned 
 ruffian enjoys beyond the barriers of the laws, that the only 
 punishment this desperado met with, was a rebuke from 
 the leader of the party. 
 
 The trappers now left the scene of this infamous tragedy, and 
 kept on westward down the course of the river, which Avound 
 .along with a range of mountains on the right hand and a sandy 
 but somewhat fertile plain on the left. As they proceeded, 
 they beheld columns of smoke rising, as before, in various di- 
 rections, which their guilty consciences now converted into 
 alann signals, to arouse the country and collect the scattered 
 bands for vengeance. 
 
 After a time the natives began to make their appearance, 
 and sometimes in considerable numbers, but always pacific; 
 the trappers, however, suspected them of deep-laid plans to 
 di'aw them into ambuscades; to crowd into and get possession 
 of their camp, and various other crafty and daring conspiracies 
 which, it is probable, never entered into the heads of the poor 
 savages. In fact, they are a simple, timid, inoffenGive race, 
 unpractised in warfare, and scarce provided with any weapons, 
 excepting for the chase. Their lives are passed in the great 
 sand ])lains and along the adjacent rivers ; they subsist some- 
 times on fish, at other times on roots and the seeds of a plant 
 called the cat's-tail. They are of the same kind of people that 
 Captain Bonnovillo found upon Snake River, and whom he 
 found so mild and inoffensive. 
 
 The trappers, however, had persuaded themselves that they 
 were making their w^ay through a hostile country, and that 
 implacable foes hung round their camp or beset their path, 
 w'atching for an opportunity to surprise them. At length one 
 day they came to the banks of a stream emptying into Ogden's 
 Eiver, which they were obliged to ford. Here a great number 
 of Shoshokoes were posted on the opposite bank. Persuaded 
 they were there with hostile intent, they advanced upon them, 
 levelled their rifles, and killed twenty-five of them on the spot. 
 The rest fled to a short distance, then halted and turned about 
 howling and whining hke wolves, and uttering the most pite- 
 ous wailings. The trappers chased them in every direction; 
 the poor wretches made no defence, but fled with terror; 
 neither does it appear from the accounts of the boasted victors, 
 that a woa]ion had been wielded or a weapon launrhfYl by the 
 Indians throughout the allair. We feel perfectly convinced
 
 234 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 that the poor savages had no hostile intention, but had merely 
 gathered together through motives of curiosity, as others c.^ 
 their tribe had done when Captain Bonneville and his compan- 
 ions passed along Snake Rivoi*. 
 
 The trappers continued down Ogden's River, until they as- 
 certained that it lost itself in a great swampy lake, to which 
 there was no apparent discharge. They then struck directly 
 westward, across the great chain of Calif ornian mountains ir.- 
 terv^ening between these interior plains and the shores of the 
 Pacific. 
 
 For three and twenty days they were entangled among these 
 mountains, the peaks and ridges of which are in many places 
 covered with perpetual snow. Their passes and defiles present 
 the wildest scenery, partaking of the sublime rather than the 
 beautiful, and abounding with frightful precipices. The suffer- 
 ings of the travellers among these savage mountains were ex- 
 treme; for a part of the time they were nearly starved; at 
 length they made their way through them, and came down 
 upon the j^lains of New California, a fertile region extending 
 along the coast, with magnificent forests, verdant savannas, 
 and pi-airies that looked like stately parks. Here they found 
 deer and other game in abundance, and indemnified themselves 
 for past famine. They now turned toward the south, and 
 passing numerous small bands of natives, posted upon various 
 streams, arrived at the Sj^anish village and post of Monterey. 
 
 This is a small place, containing about two hundred houses, 
 situated in latitude 37" north. It has a capacious bay, with in- 
 different anchorage. The surrounding country is extremely 
 fertile, especially in the valleys; the soil is richer the further 
 you penetrate into the interior, and the climate is described as 
 a perpetual spring. Indeed, all California, extending along the 
 Pacific Ocean from latitude 19° 30' to 43' north, is represented 
 as one of the most fertile and beautiful regions in North 
 America. 
 
 Lower California, in length about seven hundred miles, forms 
 a great peninsula, which crosses the tropics and terminates in 
 the torrid zone. It is separated from the mainland by the Gulf 
 of California, sometimes called the Vermilion Sea ; into tliis gulf 
 empties the Colorado of the West, the Seeds-ke-dee, or Green 
 River, as it is also sometimes called. The peninsula is traversed 
 1)y stern and barren mountains, and has many sandy plains, 
 where the only sign of vegetation is the cvlindrical cactus 
 grov.-mg among the clefts of the rocks. Wherever there is
 
 ADVENTURES OF C A FT A IN BONNEVILLE. 035 
 
 water, however, and vegetable mould, the ardent nature of the 
 climate quickens everytliing into astonishing iVrtility. There 
 are valleys luxuriant with the rich and beautiful productions 
 of the tropics. There the sugar-cane and indigo plant attain a 
 perfection unequalled in any other part of North America. 
 There flourish the olive, the fig, the date, the orange, the cit- 
 ron, the pomegranate, and other fruits belonging to the volup- 
 tuous climates of the south; with grapes in abundance, thrb 
 yield a generous wme. In the interior are salt plains ; silver 
 mines and scanty veins of gold are said, likewise, to exist; 
 and pearls of a beautiful water are to be fished upon the coast. 
 
 The peninsula of California was settled in 1G98, by the 
 Jesuits, who, certainly, as far as the natives were concerned, 
 have generally proved the most beneficent of colonists. In the 
 present instance, they gained and maintained a footing in the 
 country without the aid of military force, but solely by reli- 
 gious influence. They formed a treaty, and entered into the 
 most amicable relations with the natives, then numbering from 
 twenty-five to thirty thousand souls, and gained a hold upon 
 their affections, and a control over their minds, that effected 
 a complete change in their conditi(ni. They built eleven mis- 
 sionary establishments in the various valleys of the peninsula, 
 which formed rallying places for the surrounding savages, 
 where they gathered together as sheep into the fold, and sui-- 
 rendered themselves and their consciences into the hands of 
 these spiritual pastors. Nothing, we are told, coidd exceed the 
 implicit and allectionate devotion of the Indian converts to the 
 Jesuit fathers, and the Catholic faith was disseminated widely 
 through the wilderness. 
 
 The growing power and influence of the Jesuits in the New 
 World at length excited the jealousy of the Spanish govern- 
 ment, and they were banished from the colonies. The gover- 
 nor, who arrived in California to expel them, and to take 
 charge of the country, expected to find a rich and powerful 
 fraternity, with immense treasures hoarded in their missions, 
 and an army of Indians ready to defend them. On the c(^n- 
 trary, he beheld a few venera])le silver-haired priests coming 
 humbly forward to meet liim, followed by a throng of weeping, 
 but submissive natives. The heart of the governor, it is said, 
 was so touched by this unexpected sight that he shed tears, 
 but he had to execute his orders. The Jesuits were accom- 
 panied to the place of their embarkation by their simple and 
 affectionate parishioners, who took leave of them Avith tears
 
 236 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 and sobs. Many of the latter abandoned their hereditary 
 abodes, and wandered off to join their southern brethren, so 
 that but a remnant remained in the peninsula. The Francis- 
 cans immediately succeeded the Jesuits, and subsequently the 
 Dominicans; but the latter managed their affairs ill. But two 
 or the missionary establishments are at present occupied by 
 pi'iests ; the rest are all in ruins, excepting one, which remains 
 a monument of the foriner power and prosperity of the order. 
 This is a noble edifice, once the seat of the chief of the resident 
 Jesuits. It is situated in a beautiful valley, about half way 
 between the Gulf of California and the broad ocean, the penin- 
 sula being- here about sixty miles wide. The edifice is of hewn 
 stone, one story high, two hundred and ten feet in front, and 
 about fifty-five feet deep. The walls are six feet thick, and 
 sixteen feet high, with a vaulted roof of stone, about two feet 
 and a half in thickness. It is now abandoned and desolate ; 
 the beautiful vaUey is without an inhabitant — not a human 
 being resides within thirty miles of the place ! 
 
 In approaching this deserted mission-house from the south, 
 the traveller passes over the mountain of San Juan, supposed 
 to be the highest peak in the CaHfornias. From this lofty 
 eminence, avast and magnificent prospect unfolds itself; the 
 great G-ulf of Cahfornia, with the dark blue sea beyond, stud- 
 ded with islands; and in another direction, the immense lava 
 plain of San Gabriel. The splendor of the chniate gives an 
 Italian effect to the immense prospect. The sky is of a deep 
 blue color, and the sunsets are often magnificent beyond de- 
 scription. Such is a slight and imperfect sketch of this remark- 
 able peninsula. 
 
 Upper California extends from latitude 31° 10' to 42° on the 
 Pacific, and inland, to the great chain of snow^-capped moun- 
 tains which divide it from the sand plains of the interior. 
 There are about twenty-one missions in this province, most of 
 which were established about fifty years since, and are gener- 
 ally imder the care of the Franciscans. These exert a protect- 
 ing sway over about thirty-five thousand Indian converts, who 
 reside on the lands around the mission houses. Each of these 
 houses has fifteen miles square of land allotted to it, subdivided 
 into small lots, proportioned to the number of Indian con- 
 verts attached to the mission. Some are enclosed with high 
 walls: but in gent^ral they are open hamlets, composed of rows 
 of huts, built of sunburned bricks ; in some instances white- 
 washed and roofed with tiles. Many of them are far in the
 
 ADVENTURED OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 237 
 
 interior, beyond the roach of all military protecti(jn, and de- 
 pendent entirely on the good- will of the natives, which n(>ver 
 fails them. They have made considerable j)r()gi'ess in teaching 
 the Indians the useful arts. There are native tanners, shoe- 
 makers, weavers, blacksmiths, stonecutters, and other artifi- 
 cers attached to each establishment. Others are taught 
 husbandry, and the rearing of cattle and horses; while the 
 females card and spin wool, weave, and perform the other 
 duties allotted to their sex in civilized life. No social inter- 
 course is allowed between the unmarried of the opposite sexes 
 after working hours ; and at night they are locked up in sepa- 
 rate apartments, and the keys delivered to the priests. 
 
 The produce of the lands, and all the profits arising from 
 sales, are entirely at the disposal of the priests ; whatever is 
 not retjuired for the support of the missiojis goes to augment a 
 fund which is under their control. Hides and tallow constitute 
 the principal riches of the missions, and, indeed, the main 
 commerce of the country. Grain might be produced to an un- 
 limited extent at the establishments, were there a sufficient 
 market for it. Olives and grapes are also reared at the mis- 
 sions. 
 
 Horses and hoi'ned cattle abound throughout all this region; 
 the former may be purchased at from three to five dollars, but 
 they are of an inferior breed. Mules, whic;h are here of a large 
 size and oc valuable qualities, cost from seven to ten dollars. 
 
 There are several excellent ports along this coast. San 
 r>'.ego, San Barbara, Montcrej', the bay of San Francisco, and 
 the northern port of Bondago; all afford anchorage for ships 
 of the largest class. The port of San Francisco is too well 
 known to require much notice in this place. The entrance 
 from the sea is sixty-seven fathoms deep, and within, whole 
 navies might ride with perfect safety. Two large riven;, 
 which take their rise in mountains two or three Imndred miles 
 to the east, and run through a country inisurpassed for soil^ 
 and climate, empty themselves into the harbor. The country 
 around alfoi'ds admirable timber for shi]>building. In a word, 
 this favored port combines advantages which not only fit it for 
 a grand naval depot, but almost render it capable of being 
 made the dominant military post of these seas. 
 
 Such is a feeble outline of the Californian coast and country, 
 the value of which is more and more attracting the attention 
 of naval powers. The Russians have always a ship of war 
 upon this station, and have already encroached upon the Call-
 
 238 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAiy BONNEVILLE. 
 
 fornian boiindnries, by taking possession of the port of Bon- 
 dago, and fortifying it Avith several guns. Recent surveys 
 have likewise been made, both by the Russians and the Eng- 
 lish, and we have little doubt, that, at no very distant day, this 
 neglected, and, until recently, almost unknown region, wiU be 
 found to possess sources of wealth sufficient to sustain a power- 
 ful and prosperous empire. Its inhabitants themselves are but 
 little aware of its real riches; they have not enterprise suffi- 
 cient to acquaint themselves with a vast interior that lies 
 ahnost a terra incognita; nor have they the skill and industry 
 to cidtivate propei'ly the fertile tracts along the coast ; nor to 
 prosecute that foreign commerce which brings all the resourcea 
 of a country into profitable action. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 GAY LIFE AT MONTEREY - MEXICAN HORSEMEN— A EOLD DRAGOON 
 —USE OF THE LASSO — VAQUEROS— NOOSING A BEAR — FIGHT 
 BETWEEN A BULL AND A BEAR — DEPARTURE FROM MONTEREY 
 —INDIAN HORSE-STEALERS— OUTRAGES COMMITTED BY THE 
 TRAVELLERS— INDIGNATION OP CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 The wandering band of trappers were well received at Mon- 
 terey, the inhabitants "sv^ere desirous of retaining them among 
 them, and offered extrnvagant wages to such as were ac- 
 quainted with any mechanic art. When they went into the 
 country, too, they were kindly treated by the pinests at the 
 missions; v;ho are always hospitable to strangers, whatever 
 i.iay be their rank or religion. They had no lack of provisions; 
 being permitted to kill as many as they pleased of the vast 
 herds of cattle that graze the country, on condition, merely, 
 of rendering the hides to the owners. They attended bull- 
 ights and horse races ; forgot all the purposes of their expodi- 
 wion; squandered away, freely, the property that did not be 
 long to them; and, in a word, revelled in a perfect fool's 
 paradise. 
 
 What especially delighted them was the equestrian skill of 
 the Californians. The vast number and the cheapness of the 
 horses in this country makes every one a cavalier. The Mexi- 
 cans and half-breeds of California sDend the greater part of
 
 ADVF.MURES OF CAPTAIN BONNE VILLI-:. 2:30 
 
 their time in the saddle. They are fearless riders ; and their 
 daring feats upon unbroken colts and wild horses astonished 
 our trappers, though accustomed to the bold riders of the 
 prairie. 
 
 A Mexican horseman has much resemblance, in many pofnts, 
 to the equestrians of Old b'pain, and especially to the vain- 
 glorious caballero of Andalusia. A Mexican dragoon, lor 
 instance, is represented as arrayed in a round blue jacket, with 
 red culfs and collar; blue velvet breeches, unbuttoned at the 
 knees to show his white stockings; bottinas of deer skin; a 
 round-crowned Andalusian hat, and his hair cued. On the 
 pommel of his saddle he carries balanced a long musket, with 
 fox-skin round the lock. He is cased in a cuirass of double- 
 fold deer-skin, and carries a bull's hide shield; he is forked in 
 a Moorish saddle, high before and behuid; his feet are thrust 
 mto wooden box stirrups, of Moorish fashion, and a tremen- 
 dous pair of iron spurs, fastened by chains, jingle at his heels. 
 Thus equipped, and suitably mounted, he considers himself the 
 glory of Oalifornia and the terror of the universe. 
 
 The Californian horsemen seldom ride out without the lasso; 
 that is to say, a long coil of cord, with a slip noose; with which 
 they are expert, almost to a miracle. The lasso, now almost 
 entii'cly confined to Spanish America, is said to be of great 
 antiquity ; and to have come originally from the East. It was 
 used, we are told, by a pastoral people of Pei'sian descent; of 
 whom eight thousand accompanied the army of Xei'xes. By 
 the Spanish Americans it is used for a variety of purposes; 
 an<l among others for hauling wood. Without dismounting, 
 they cast the noose round a log, and thus drag it to their 
 houses. The vaqueros, or Indian cattle drivers, have also 
 learned the use of the lasso fi-om the Spaniards, and employ it 
 1 ) catch the half-wild cattle by throwing it round their horns. 
 . Tlie lasso is also of great use in furnishing the public with a 
 favorite though barbarous sport; the combat between a bear 
 and a wild bull. For this purpose, three or four horsemen 
 sally forth to some wood fre(]uented by bears, and, depositing 
 the carcass of a bullock, hide themselves in the \icinity. The 
 bears are soon attracted by the bait. As soon as one, fit for 
 their purpose, makes his appearance, they run out, and with 
 the lasso, dexterously noose him by either leg. After dragging 
 him at fidl speed until he is fatigued, they secure him more 
 effectually ; and tying him on the earCass of the bullock, draw 
 him in triimiph to the scene of action. By this time he is ex-
 
 240 ADVPJNTUimS OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 asperated to such frenzy that they are sometimes obhged to 
 throw cold water on him, to moderate his fury ; and dangerous 
 would it be for horse and rider were he, while in this paroxysm, 
 to break his bonds. 
 
 A wild bull, of the fiercest kind, which has been caught and 
 exasj^erated in the same manner, is now produced, and both 
 onimals are turned loose in the arena of a small amphitheatre. 
 The mortal fight begins instantly ; and always, at first, to the 
 disadvantage of Bruin; fatigued, as he is, by his previous 
 rough riding. Roused, at length, by the repeated goring of the 
 bull, he seizes his muzzle with his sharp claws, and chnging to 
 this most sensitive part, causes him to bellow with rage and 
 agony. In his heat and fury, the bull lolls out his tongue ; this 
 is instantly clutched by the bear ; with a desperate effort he 
 overturns his huge antagonist, and then dispatches him with- 
 out difficulty. 
 
 Beside this diversion, the travellers were likewise regaled 
 with bull fights, in the genuine style of Old Spain ; the Cali- 
 fornians being considered the best bull- fighters in the Mexican 
 dominions. 
 
 After a considerable sojourn at Monterey, spent in these 
 very edifying, but not very profitable amusements, the leader 
 of this vagabond party set out with his comrades on his return 
 journey. Instead of retracing their steps through the moun- 
 tains, they passed round their southern extremity, and, cross- 
 ing a range of low hills, found themselves in the sandy plains 
 south of Ogden's Eiver ; in traversing which, they again suf- 
 fered grievously for want of water. 
 
 In the course of their journey, they encountered a party of 
 Mexicans in pursuit of a gang of natives, who had been steal- 
 ing horses. The savages of this part of California are repre- 
 sented as extremely poor, and armed only with stone-pointed 
 arrows; it being the wise pohcy of the Spaniards not to fur- 
 nish them with firearms. As they find it difficult, with their 
 blunt shafts, to kill the wild game of the mountains, they oc- 
 casionally supply themselves with food, by entrapping the 
 Spanish horses. Driving them stealthily into fastnesses and 
 ravines, they slaughter them without difficulty, and dry their 
 flesh for provisions. Some they carry off, to trade with dis- 
 tant tribes; and in this way, the Spanish horses pass from 
 hand to hand among the Indians, until they even find their 
 way across the Rocky Mountains. 
 
 The Mexicans are continually on the alert, to intercept these
 
 ADV/:yTunr:s of CAriAix Bonneville. 041 
 
 marauders; but the Indians are apt to outwit them, and force 
 them to make long and wild expeditions in pui-suit of their 
 stolen horses. 
 
 Two of the Mexican party just mentioned joined the band 
 of trappers, and proved themselves worthy companions. In 
 the course of their journey through the country frequented by 
 the poor Root Diggers, there seems to have been an emulation 
 between them, which could inflict the greatest outrages upon 
 t'le natives. The trappers still considered them in t!ie light 
 of dangerous foes and the Mexicans, very probably, charged 
 them with the sin of horse-stealing; we have no other mode of 
 accounting for the infamous barbarities of which, according to 
 their own story, they were guilty ; hunting the poor Indians 
 like wild beasts, and killing them without mercy. The i\Iexi- 
 cans excelled at this savage sport ; chasing their unfortunate 
 victims at full speed; noosing them round the neck with 
 their lassoe:^, and then dragging them to death ! 
 
 Such are the scanty details of this most disgraceful expedi- 
 tion; at least, such are all that Captain Bonneville had the 
 patience to collect, for he was so deeply grieved by the failure 
 of his ])lans, and so indignant at the atrocities related to him, 
 that he turned, with disgust and horror, from the narrators. 
 Had he exerted a little of the Lynch law of the wilderness, and 
 hanged those dexterous horeemen in their own lassoes, it would 
 but have been a well-merited and salutary act of retributive 
 justice. The failure of this expedition was a bloAv to his pride, 
 and a still greater blow to his purse. The Great Salt Lake 
 still remained unexplored ; at the same time, the means which 
 had been furnished so liberally to fit out this favorite expedi- 
 tion, had all been squandered at Monterey; and the peltries, 
 also, which had been collected on the way. He would have 
 but scanty returns, therefore, to make this year, to his asso- 
 ciates in the United States; and there was great danger of 
 their becoming disheartened, and abandoning the enterprise.
 
 242 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 travellers' tales— INDIAN LURKERS— rROGNOSTICS OF BUCK- 
 EYE—SIGNS AND PORTENTS — THE MEDICINE WOLF — AN ALARM — 
 AN AMBUSH — THE CAPTURED PRO V ANT— TRIUMPH OF BUCKEYE 
 — ARRIVAL OF SUPPLIES — GRAND CAROUSE— ARRANGEBIENTS FOR 
 THE YEAR — JIR. WYETH AND HIS NEW-LEVIED BAND. 
 
 The horror and indifniation felt by Captain Bonneville at 
 the excesses of the Californian adventurers Avere not partici- 
 pated by his men ; on the contrary, the events of that expedi- 
 tion were favorite themes in the camp. The heroes of Mon- 
 terey bore the palm in all the gossipings among the hunters. 
 Their glowing descriptions of Spanish bear-baits and bull- 
 fights especially, were listened to with intense delight; and 
 had another expedition to California been proposed, the diffi- 
 culty would have been to restrain a general eagerness to 
 volunteer. 
 
 The captain had not long been at the rendezvous when he 
 perceived, by various signs, that Indians were lurking in the 
 neighborhood. It was evident that the Blackfoot band, which 
 he had seen when on his march, had dogged his party, and 
 were intent on mischief. He endeavored to keep his camp on 
 the alert; but it is as difficult to maintain discipline among 
 trappers at a rendezvous as among sailors when in port. 
 
 Buckeye, the Delaware Indian, was scandalized at this 
 heedlessness of the hunters when an enemy was at hand, and 
 w^as continually preaching up caution. He was a little prone 
 to play the prophet, and to deal in signs and portents, which 
 occasionally excited the merriment of his white comrades. 
 He was a great dreamer, and believed in charms and talis- 
 maiis, or medicines, and could foretell the approach of 
 strangers by the howling or barking of the small prairie wolf. 
 This animal, being driven by the larger wolves from the car- 
 casses left on the hunting grounds by the hunters, foUows the 
 trail of the fresh meat carried to the camp. Here the smell of 
 the roast and broiled, mingling with every breeze, keeps them 
 hovering about the neighborhood ; scenting every blast, turn- 
 ing up their noses like hungry hounds, and testifying their
 
 AVVEM'URES OF CAPTAIN noyyEVJLLK 243 
 
 pinching hunger by long whining hoAvls and impatient l)ar]c- 
 ings. These are interpreted by the superstitious Indians into 
 waiTiings that strangers are at hand ; and one accidental coin- 
 cidence, like the chance fulfilment of an almanac prediction, 
 is sufficient to cover a thousand failures. This little, whining, 
 feast-smelling animal is, therefore, called among Indians the 
 "medicine wolf ;" and such was one of Buckeye's infalhble 
 oracles. 
 
 One morning early, the soothsaying Delaware appeared with 
 a gloomy countenance. His mind was full of dismal presenti- 
 ments, whether from mysterious dreams, or the intimations of 
 the medicine wolf, does not appear. " Danger," he said, "was 
 lurking in their path, and there would be some fighting before 
 sunset." He was bantered for his pro})hccy, which was at- 
 tributed to his having supped too heartily, and been visited by 
 bad dreams. In the course of the morning a party of hunters 
 set out in pursuit of buffalo, taking with them a nude, to bring 
 home the meat they should procure. They had been some 
 few hours absent, when they came clattering at full speed 
 into camp, giving the war cry of Blackfeet ! Blackfeet ! Every 
 one seized his weapon, and ran to learn the cause of the alarm. 
 It appeared that the hunters, as they were returning leisurely, 
 leading their mule well laden with prime pieces of buffalo 
 meat, passed close by a small stream overhang with trees, 
 about two miles from the camp. Suddenly a party of Black- 
 feet, who lay in ambush along the thickets, sprang up with a 
 fearful yell, and discharged a volley at the hunters. The latter 
 immediately threw themselves flat on their horses, put them 
 to their speed, and never paused to look behind, until they 
 found themselves in camp. Fortunately, they had escaped 
 without a wound; but the mule, with all the "provant," had 
 fallen into the liands of the enemy. This was a loss, as well 
 as an insult, not to be borne. Every man sprang to horse, 
 and witli rifle in hand, galloi)ed off to punish the Blackfeet, 
 and rescue the buffalo beef. They came too late; the maraud- 
 ers were off, and all that they found of their mule was the 
 dents of his hoofs, as he had been conveyed off at a romid 
 trot, bearing his savory cargo to the hills, to furnish the 
 scampering savages with a banquet of roast meat at the ex- 
 pense of the white men. 
 
 The party rc'turned to camp, balked of their revenge, but 
 still more grievously balked of their supper. Bucke_ye, the 
 Delawai'c, sat smoking by his fire, perfectly composed. As
 
 244 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 the Inmtcrs related the particulars of the attack, he listened 
 in silence, with unruffled countenance, then pointing to the 
 west, "the sun has not yet set," said he: '"Buckeye did not 
 dream hke a fool !" 
 
 All present now recollected the prediction of the Indian at 
 daybreak, and were struck with what appeared to be its fulfil- 
 ment. They called to mind, also, a long catalogue of foregone 
 presentiments and predictions made at various times by the 
 Delaware, and, in their superstitious credulity, began to con- 
 sider him a veritable seer ; without thinking how natural it 
 was to predict danger, and how likely to have the prediction 
 verified in the present instance, when various signs gave evi- 
 dence of a lurking foe. 
 
 The various bands of Captain Bonneville's company had now 
 been assembled for some time at the rendezvous ; they had had 
 their fill of feasting, and frolicking, and all the species of wild 
 nnd often uncouth merry-making, which invariably take place 
 on these occasions. Their horses, as well as themselves, had 
 recovered from past famine and fatigue, and were again fit for 
 active service; and an impatience began to manifest itself 
 among the men once more to take the field, and set off on 
 Gome w^andering expedition. 
 
 At this juncture M. Cerre arrived at the rendezvous at the 
 head of a supply party, bringing goods and equipments from 
 the States. This active leader, it will be recollected, had em- 
 barked the year previously in skin -boats on the Bighorn, 
 frcightsd with the year's collection of peltries. He had met 
 with misfortunes in the course of his voyage : one of his frail 
 barks being upset, and part of the furs lost or damaged. 
 
 The arrival of the supplies gave the regular finish to the 
 annual revel. A grand outbreak of wild debauch ensued 
 among the mountaineers; drinking, dancing, swaggering, 
 gambling, quarrelling, and fighting. Alcohol, which, from, 
 its portable qualities, containing the greatest quantity of 
 fiery spirit in the smallest compass, is the only liquor carried 
 across the mountains, is the inflammatory beverage at these 
 carousals, and is dealt out to the trappers at four dollars a 
 pint. When inflamed by this fiery beverage, they cut .all 
 kinds of mad pranks and gambols, and sometimes burn all 
 their clothes in their drunken bravadoes. A camp, recovering 
 from one of these riotous revels, presents a serio-comic specta- 
 cle; black eyes, broken heads, lack-lustre visages. Many of 
 the trappers have squandered in one drunken frolic the hard-
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTMX JJO.\y/:VILLK 245 
 
 earned wages of a year ; some have run in debt, and must toil 
 on to pay tor past pleasure. All are sated with this deep 
 draught of pleasure, and eager to commence another trapping 
 campaign ; for hardship and hard work, spiced with the stim- 
 ulants of Avild adventures, and topped ott" with an annual fran- 
 tic carousal, is the lot of the restless trapper. 
 
 The captain now made his arrangements for the current 
 year. Cerre and Walker, with a number of men who had 
 been to California, were to proceed to St. Louis with the pack- 
 ages of furs collected during the past year. Another party, 
 headed by a leader named Montero, was to proceed to the 
 Crow country, trap upon its various streams, and among the 
 Black Hills, and thence to proceed to the Arkansas, where ho 
 was to go into winter quarters. 
 
 The captain marked out for himself a widely different 
 course. He intended to make another expedition, w^ith 
 twenty-three men to the lower part of the Columbia River, 
 and to proceed to the valley of the Multnomah ; after winter- 
 ing in Irhose parts, and establishing a trade with those tribes, 
 among whosa he had sojourned on his first visit, he would 
 return in the spring, cross the Rocky Mountains, and join 
 Montero and his party in the month of July, at the rendezvous 
 of the Arkansaw; where he expected to receive his annuixl sup- 
 plies from the States. 
 
 If the reader will cast his eye upon a map, he may form an 
 idea of the contempt for distance which a man acquires in this 
 vast wilderness, by noticing the extent of country comprised 
 in these projected wanderings. Just as the different parties 
 were about to set out on the 3d of JiUy, on their opposite 
 routes. Captain Bonneville received intelligence that Wyeth, 
 the indefatigable leader of the salmon-fishing enterprise, who 
 had parted witli him about a year previously on the banks of 
 the Bigliorn, to descend tliat wild river in a bull boat, was near 
 at hand, with a new levied band of hunters and trappers, and 
 was on his way once more to the banks of the Columbia. 
 
 As we take much interest in the novel enterprise of this 
 "eastern man," and are pleased with his pusliing and perse- 
 vering spirit ; and as his movements are characteristic of life 
 in the Avildemess, we will, with the reader's permission, while 
 Captain Boimeville is breaking up his camp and saddling his 
 horses, step back a year in time, and a few hundred miles in 
 distance, to the bank of the Bighorn, and launch ourselves 
 with Wyeth in his bull boat; and though his adventurous
 
 24G ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 voyage -will take us many hundreds of miles further down 
 wild and wandering rivers; yet such is the magic power of 
 the pen, that we promise to brhig the reader sale to Bear 
 Kiver valley, by the time the last horse is saddled. 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 A VOYAGE IN A BULL BOAT. 
 
 It was about the middle of August (1833) that Mr. Nathaniel 
 J. Wyeth, as the reader may recollect, launched his bull boat 
 at the foot of the rapids of the Bighorn, and departed in ad- 
 vance of the parties of Campbell and Captain Bonneville. His 
 boat was made of three buffalo skins, stretched on a light 
 frame, stitched together, and the seams paid with elk tallow 
 and ashes. It was eighteen feet long, and about five feet six 
 inches \vide, sharp at each end, with a round bottom, and drew 
 about a foot and a half of water— a depth too great for these 
 upper rivers, which abound with shallows and sand-bars. The 
 crew consisted of two half-breeds, who claimed to be white 
 men, though a mixture of the French Creole and the Shawnee 
 and Potawattomie. They claimed, moreover, to be thorough 
 mountaineers, and first-rate hunters — the common boast of 
 these vagabonds of the wilderness. Besides these, there was 
 a Nez Perce lad of eighteen years of age, a kind of servant of 
 aU work, whose great aim, like all Indian servants, was to do 
 as little work as possible; there Avas, moreover, a half-breed 
 boy, of thirteen, named Baptiste, son of a Hudson's Bay trader 
 by a Flathead beauty; who was travelUng with Wyeth to see 
 the world and complete his education. Add to these, Mr. Mil- 
 ton Sublette, who went as passenger, and we have the crew of 
 the nttle bull boat complete. 
 
 It certainly was a slight armament with which to run the 
 gauntlet through countries swarming with hostile hordes, and 
 a sliglat bark to navigate these endless rivers, tossing and 
 pitching down rapids, running on snags and bumping on sand- 
 bars; such, however, are the cockle-shells with which these 
 hardy rovers of the wilderness will attempt the wildest 
 streams ; and it is surprising what rough shocks and thumps 
 these boats will endure, and what vicissitudes they wiU live
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTATX BOyXFA'ILLE. 247 
 
 through. Their duration, however, is but limited; thcj re- 
 quire frequently to be hauled out of the water and dried, to 
 pi'cvent the hides from becoming water-soaked; and they 
 eventually rot and go to pieces. 
 
 The course of the river was a little to the north of east ; it 
 ran about five miles an hour, over a gravelly bottom. The 
 banks were generally alluvial, and thickly grown with cotton- 
 wood trees, intermingled occasionally with ash and plum trees. 
 Now and then limestone cliffs and promontories advanced 
 upon the river, making picturesque headlands. Beyond the 
 woody borders rose ranges of naked hills. 
 
 Milton Sublette was the Pelorus of this adventurous bark; 
 being somewhat experienced in this wild kind of navigation. 
 It reqiiired all his attention and skill, however, to pilot her 
 clear oi sand-bars and snags of sunken trees. There was often, 
 too, a i)erplexity of choice, where the river branched into 
 various channels, among clusters of islands : and occasionally 
 the voyagers found themselves aground and had to turn back. 
 
 It was necessary, also, to keep a wary eye upon the land, 
 for they were passing through the heart of the Crow country, 
 and were continually in reach of any ambush that might be 
 lurking on shore. The most formidable foes that they saw, 
 however, were three grizzly bears, quietly promenading along 
 the bank, who seemed to gaze at them with surprise as they 
 glided by. Herds of buffalo, also, were moving about, or 
 lying on the gi'ound, like cattle in a pasture ; excepting such 
 inhabitants as these, a perfect solitude reigned oyer the land. 
 There was no sign of human habitation ; for the Crows, as we 
 have ah-eady shown, are a wandering people, a race of hunters 
 and warriors, who live in tents and on horseback, and are con- 
 tinually on the move. 
 
 At night they landed, hauled up their boat to dry, pitched 
 their tent, and made a rousing fire. Then, as it was the first 
 evening of their voyage, they indulged in a regale, relishing 
 their buffalo beef with inspiring alcohol; after which, they 
 slept soundly, without dreaming of Crows or Blackfeet. Early 
 in the morning, they again launched the boat and committed 
 themselves to the sti-eam. 
 
 In this way they voyaged for two days without any material 
 occurrence, excepting a severe thunder storm, which com- 
 pelled them to put to shore, and wait until it was passed. On 
 the third morning they descried some persons at a distance on 
 the river bank. As they wei'o now, by calculation, at no great
 
 248 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 distance from Fort Cass, a trading post of the American Fur 
 Company, they supposed these might be some of its people. 
 A nearer approach showed them to be Indians. Descrying a 
 woman apart from the rest, they landed and accosted her. 
 She informed them that the main force of the Crow nation, 
 consisting of five bands, under their several chiefs, were but 
 about two or three miles below, on their way up along the 
 river. This was unpleasant tidings, but to retreat was impos- 
 sible, and the river afforded no hiding place. They continued 
 forward, therefore, trusting that, as Fort Cass was so near at 
 hand, the Crows might refrain from any depredations. 
 
 Floating down about two miles further, they came in sight 
 of the first band, scattered along the river bank, all well 
 mounted; some armed with guns, others with bows and ar- 
 rows, and a few with lances. They made a wildly picturesque 
 appearance, managing their horses with their accustomed dex- 
 terity and grace. Nothing can be more spirited than a band 
 of Crow cavaliers. They are a fine race of men, averaging six 
 feet in height, hthe and active, with hawks' eyes and Roman 
 noses. The latter feature is common to the Indians on the 
 east side of the Eocky Mountains ; those on the western side 
 have generally straight or fiat noses. 
 
 Wyeth would fain have slipped by this cavalcade unnoticed ; 
 but the river, at this place, was not more than ninety yards 
 across; be was perceived, therefore, and hailed by the vaga- 
 bond warriors, and, we presume, in no very choice language ; 
 for, among t^-ieir other accomphshments, the Crows are famed 
 for possessing a Billingsgate vocabidary of unrivalled opu- 
 lence, and for being by no means sparing of it whenever an 
 occasion offers. Indeed, though Indians are generally very 
 lofty, rhetorical, and figin'ative in their language at all great 
 talks, and high ceremonials, yet, if trappers and traders may 
 be believed, they are the most unsavory vagabonds in their 
 ordinaiy colloquies; they make no hesitation to call a spade a 
 spade ; and when they once undertake to call hard names, the 
 famous pot and kettle, of vituperating memory, are not to be 
 compared Avith them for scurrility of epithet. 
 
 To escape the infhctiori of any compliments of this kind, or 
 the launching, peradventure, of more dangerous missiles, 
 Wyeth landed with the best grace in his power, and ap- 
 proached the chier of the band. It was Arapooish, the quon- 
 dam friend of Rose the outlaw, and one whom we have al- 
 ready mentioned as being anxious to promote a friendly inter-
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 049 
 
 course between his tribe and the white men. He was n tall, 
 stout man, of good presence, and received the voyagers very 
 graciously. His people, too, thronged around them, and were 
 officiously attentive after the Crow fashion. One took a great 
 fancy to Baptiste the Flathead boy, and a still greater fancy 
 to a ring on his finger, which he transposed to his own with 
 surprising dexterity, and then disappeared with a quick step 
 among the crowd. 
 
 Another was no less pleased with the Nez Perce lad, and 
 nothing would do but he must exchange knives with him ; 
 drawing a new knife out of the Nez Perce's scabbard, and 
 putting an old one in its place. Another stepped up and 
 replaced this old knife with one still older, and a third helped 
 himseK to knife, scabbard and all. It was with much difii- 
 culty that Wyeth and his companions extricated themselves 
 from the clutches of these officious Crows before they were 
 entirely plucked. 
 
 Falling down the river a little further, they came in sight of 
 the second band, and sheered to the opposite side, with the 
 intention of passing them. The Crows were not to be evaded. 
 Some pointed their guns at the boat, and threatened to fire ; 
 others stripped, plunged into the stream, and came swimming 
 aci'oss. Making a virtue of necessity, Wyeth thi'cw a cord to 
 the first that came within reach, as if he wished to be drawn 
 to the shore. 
 
 In this way he was overhauled by every band, and by the 
 time he and his people came out of the busy hands of the last, 
 they were eased of most of their superfluities. Nothing, in all 
 probability, but the proximity of the American trading T»ost, 
 kept these land pirates from making a good prize of the bull 
 boat and all its contents. 
 
 These bands were in full march, equipped for war, and 
 evidently full of mischief. They were, in fact, the very bands 
 that overran the land in the autimin of 1S33; partly robbed 
 Fitzpatrick of his horses and effects; hunted and harassed 
 Captain Bonneville and his people; broke up their trapping 
 campaigns, and, in a word, drove them all out of the Crow 
 country. It has been suspected that they were set on to these 
 pranks by some of the American Fur Company, anxious to 
 defeat the plans of their rivals of the Rocky Mountain Com- 
 pany; for at this time, their'competition was at its height, and 
 the trade of the Crow coimtry was a great object of rivalry. 
 What makes this the more probable, is. that the Crows in
 
 250 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 their depredation seemed by no means bloodthirsty, but intent 
 chiefly on robbing the parties of their traps and horses, 
 thereby disabling them from prosecuting their hunting. 
 
 AVe should observe that this year, ^he Rocky Mountain 
 Company were pushing their way up the rivers, and establish- 
 ing rival posts near those of the American Company; and 
 that, at the very time of which we are speaking, Captain Sub- 
 lette was ascending the Yellowstone with a keel boat, laden 
 with supplies; so that there was every prospect of this cage j 
 rivalsliip being cari'ied to extremities. 
 
 The last band of Crow warriors had scarce disappeared in 
 the cloud of dust they had raised, when our voyagers arrived 
 at the mouth of the river, and glided into the current of the 
 Yellowstone. Turning down this stream, they made for Fort 
 Cass, which is situated on the right bank, about three miles 
 below the Bighorn. On the opposite side they beheld a party 
 of thu'ty-one savages, which they soon ascertained to be 
 Blackfeet. The width of the river enabled tliein to keep at a 
 sufficient distance, and they soon landed at Fort Cass. This 
 was a mere fortification against Indians ; being a stockade of 
 about one hundred and thirty feet square, -with two bastions 
 at the extreme corners. M'Tidloch, an agent of the American 
 Company, was stationed there with twenty men ; two boats of 
 fifteen tons burden were lying here ; but at certain seasons of 
 the year a steamboat can come up to the fort. 
 
 They had scarcely arrived, when the Blackfeet warriors 
 made their appearance on the opposite bank, displaying two 
 American flags in token of amity. They plunged into the 
 river, swam across, and were kindly received at the fort. 
 They were some of the very men who had been engaged, the 
 year previously, in the battle at Pierre's Hole, and a fierce- 
 looking set of fellows they were; tall and hawk-nosed, and 
 very much resembling the Crows. They professed to bo on an 
 amicable errand, to make peace with the Crows, and set off in. 
 all haste, before night, to overtake them. Wyeth predicted 
 that they would lose their scalps; for he had heard the Crov/s 
 denounce vengeance on them, for having murdered two of 
 their warriors who had ventured among them on the faith of 
 a treaty of peace. It is probable, however, that this pacific 
 errand was all a pretence, and that the real object of the 
 Blackfeet braves was to hang about the skirts of the Crow 
 bands, steal their horses, and take the scalps of stragglers. 
 
 At Fort Cass, Mr. Wyeth disposed of some packages of
 
 ADVKXTUUKS OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILI.E. o.")! 
 
 beaver, and a quantity of bufTalo robes. On tlie following 
 murniiig (August l^sth), ho once more launched his bidl boat, 
 and proceeded down the Yellowstone, wiiich inclined in an 
 cast-northeast direction. The river had alluvial bottoms, 
 fringed with great quantities of the sweet cotton-wood, and 
 interrupted occasionally by "bluffs" of sandstone. Tlie cur-, 
 rent occasionally brings down fragments of granite and por- 
 phyry. 
 
 In the course of the day, they saw something moving on the 
 bank among the trees, which they mistook for game of some 
 kind; and, being in want of provisions, pulled toward shoi-e. 
 They discovered, just in time, a party of Blackfeet, lurking in 
 the thickets, and sheered, with all speed, to the opposite side 
 of the river. 
 
 After a time, they came in sight of a gang of elk. Wyeth 
 was immediately for pursuing them, rifle in hand, but saw 
 evident signs of dissatisfaction in his lialf-breed hunters; who 
 considered him as trenching upon their province, and med- 
 dling with things quite above his capacity; for these veterans 
 of the wilderness are exceedingly pragmatical, on points of 
 venery and woodcraft, and tenacious of their superiority; 
 looking down w'ith infinite contempt upon all raw beginners. 
 The two worthies, theiefore, sallied forth themselves, but 
 after a time returned empty-handed. They laid the blame, 
 however, entirely on their guns; two miserable old pieces 
 with flint locks, which, with all their picking and hanuTiering, 
 were continually apt to miss fire. These great boasters of the 
 wilderness, however, are very often excee<ling bad shots, and 
 fortimate it is for them when they have old Hint guns to bear 
 the blame. 
 
 The next day they passed where a great herd of buffalo 
 were bellowing on a prairie. Again the Castor and Pollux of 
 the wilderness sallied forth, and again their flint guns were at 
 fault, and missed fire, and nothing went off but the bullalo. 
 Wyeth now found there was danger of losing his dinnin- ii he 
 depended ujion his hunters; he took rifle in hand, therefore, 
 and went forth himself. In the course of nw hour he returned 
 laden with buffalo meat, to the great mortification of the two 
 regular hunters, who were annoyed at being eclipsed by a 
 greenhorn. 
 
 AU hands now set to work to prepare the midday repast. 
 A fire was made under an immense cotton-wood tree, that 
 ovenJiadowed a beautif\d piece of meadow land; rich moreels
 
 202 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 of buffalo liiimp were soon roasting before it ; in a hearty and 
 prolonged repast, the two imsuccessful hunters gradually 
 recovered from tlieir mortification; threatened to discard their 
 old flint guns as soon as they should reach the settlements, 
 and boasted more than ever of the wonderful shots they had 
 made, when they had guns that never missed fire. 
 
 Having hauled up their boat to dry in the sun, .previous to 
 making their repast, the voyagers now set it once more afloat, 
 ji iid pnjceeded on their way. They had constructed a sail out of 
 their old tent, which they hoisted whenever the wind was favor- 
 able, and thus skimmed along down the stream. Their voy- 
 age was pleasant, notwithstanding the perils by sea and land, 
 with which they were environed. Whenever they could they 
 encamped on islands for the greater security. If on the main- 
 land, and in a dangerous neighborhood, they would shift their 
 camp after dark, leaving their fire burning, dropping down tho 
 river to some distance, and making no fire at their second en- 
 campment. Sometimes they would float all night with the 
 ciu-rent ; one keeping watch and steering v^hile the rest slept : 
 in such case, they would haul their boat on shore, at noon of 
 the following day to dry; for notwithstanding every precau- 
 tion, she was gradually getting water-soaked and rotten. 
 
 There was something pleasingly solemn and mysterious in 
 thus floating down these wild rivers at night. The purity of 
 the atmosphere in these elevated regions gave additional splen- 
 dor to the stars, and heightened the magnificence of the fir- 
 mament. The occasional rush and laving of the waters ; the 
 vague sounds from the surrounding wilderness; the dreary 
 howl, or rather whine of wolves from the plains; the low 
 gnmting and bellowing of the buffalo, and the shrill neighing 
 oi' the elk, struck the ear with an effect unknown in the day- 
 1 me. 
 
 Tho two knowing: hunters had scarcely recovered from one 
 mortification when they were fated to experience another. As 
 the boat w^as gliding swiftly round a low promontory, thinly 
 covered with trees, one of them gave the alarm of Indians. 
 The boat was instantly shoved from shore and every one 
 ciinght up his rifle. "Where are they?" cried Wyeth. 
 
 " There - there ! riding on horseback!" cried one of the 
 hunters. 
 
 "Yes; with white scarfs on!" cried the other. 
 
 Wyeth looked in the direction they pointed, but descried 
 nothing but two bald eagles, perched on a low dry branch
 
 ADVEyrURES OF CAPTAIX BONNEVILLE. 253 
 
 beyond the thickets, and sooming, from the rapid motion of 
 th3 boat, to bo moving swil'tly in an opposite direction. The 
 detection of this blunder in the two veterans, who prided 
 themselves on the suroness and quickness of their sight, pro- 
 duced a hearty laugh at their expense, and put an end to their 
 vauntings. 
 
 The Yellowstone, above the confluence of the Bighorn, is a' 
 clear stream ; its waters were now gradually growing tiirbid, 
 and assuming the yellow clay color of the Missouri. The cur- 
 rent was about four miles an hour, with occasional rapids; 
 some of them dangerous, but the voyagers passed them all 
 without accident. The banks of the river were in many places 
 precipitous wi*h strata of bituminous coal. 
 
 They now entered a region abounding with buffalo — that 
 ever- journeying animal, which moves in countless droves from 
 point to point of the vast wilderness; traversing plains, pour- 
 ing through the intricate defiles of mountains, swimming 
 rivers, ever on the nwve, guided on its boundless migrations 
 by some traditionary knowledge, like the finny tribes of the 
 ocean, which, at certain seasons, find their mysterious paths 
 across the deep and revisit the remotest shores. 
 
 These great migratory herds of buffalo have their hereditary 
 paths and highways, worn deep through the country, and 
 making for tlie surest passes of the mountains, and the most 
 practicable fords of ItIio rivers. When once a great column 
 is in full career, it goes straight forward, regardless of all 
 obstacles; those in front being impelled by t?he mo^dng mass 
 behind. At such times they will break through a camp, 
 trampling down everything in their course. 
 
 It w\as the lot of the voyagei*s, one night, to encamp at one 
 of these buffalo landing places, and exactly on the trail. They 
 had not been long asleep, when they were awakened by a great 
 bellowing, and ti-amping, and the rush, and splash, and snort- 
 ing of animals in tihe river. They had just time to ascertain 
 that a builald army was entering the river on the opposite side, 
 and making toward the landing place. With all haste they 
 moved their boat and shifted their camp, by which time the 
 head of the column had reached the shore, and came pressing 
 up the bank. 
 
 It was a singular spectacle, by the uncertain moonlight, to 
 behold this countless throng making their way across the river, 
 blowing, and bellowing, and splashing. Sometimes they pass 
 in such dense and continuous colunm as to form a temporary
 
 2o4 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 (lam ncross tlio river, the waters of which rise and rush over 
 their backs, or between their squadi-on;;. The roaring and rush 
 ing sound of one of these vast herds crossing a river, may 
 sometimes in a still night be heard for miles. 
 
 The voyagers now had game in profusion. They could kill 
 as many buffalo as they pleased, and, occasionally, were wan- 
 ton in their havoc; especially among scattered herds, that 
 came swimming near the boat. On one occasion, an old buffalo 
 bull appi'oached so near that the half-breeds must fain try to 
 noose him as they Avould a ^vild horse. The noose was success- 
 fully throAvn around his head, and secured him by the horns, 
 and they now promised themselves ample sport. The buffalo 
 made a prodigious turmoil in the water, bellowing, and blow- 
 ing, and floundering ; and they all floated down the streaiii to- 
 gether. At length he found foothold on a sandbar, and taking 
 to his heels, whirled the boat after him like a whale when har- 
 pooned ; so that the hunters were obliged to cast off their rope, 
 with which strange head-gear the venerable bull made off to 
 the prairies. 
 
 On the 2ith of August, the bull boat emerged, with its 
 adventurous crew, into the broad bosom of the mighty Mis- 
 souri. Here, about six miles above the mouth of the Yellow- 
 stone, the voyagers landed at Fort Union, the distributing post 
 of the American Fur Company in the western country. It was 
 a stockaded fortress, about two hundred and twenty feet 
 square, pleasantly situated on a high bank. Here they were 
 hospitably entertained by Mr. M'Kenzie, the superintendent, 
 and remained with him three days, enjoying the unusual 
 luxuries of bread, butter, milk, and cheese, for tiie fort was 
 well supplied with domestic cattle, though it had no garden. 
 The Ovtmosphere of these elevated regions is said to be too 
 dry for the ciilture of vegetables; yet the voyagers, in coming 
 down the Yellowstone, had met with plums, grapes, cherries, 
 and currants, and had observed ash and elm trees. Where 
 these gTow the climate cannot be incompatible with garden- 
 ing. 
 
 At Fort Union, Wyeth met with a melancholy memento of 
 one of his men. This was a powder-flask, which a clerk had 
 purchased from a Blackfoot warrior. It bore the initials of 
 poor More, the unfortunate youth murdered the year pre- 
 viously, at Jackson's Hole, by the Blackfeet, and whoso bones 
 had been subsequently found by Captain Bonneville. This 
 flask had either been passed from hand to hand of the tribe,
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTALY BOXNEVILLK o;,5 
 
 or, perhaps, had been brought to the fort by the very savage 
 who slew him. 
 
 As the bull boat was now nearly worn out, and altogether 
 unfit for the broader and more turbulent stream of the Mis- 
 souri, it was given up, and a canoe of cotton-wood, about 
 twenty feet long, fabricated by the Blackfeet, was purchased 
 to supply its place. In this Wyeth hoisted his sail, and bid- 
 ding adieu to the hospitable superintendent of Fort Union, 
 turned his prow to the ejxst, and set off down the Missouri. 
 
 Ho had not proceeded many hours, before, in the evening, he 
 came to a large keel boat at anchor. It proved to be the boat 
 of Captain William Sublette, freighted with munitions for car- 
 rying on a powerful opposition to the American Fur Company. 
 The voyagers went on board, where they were treated with 
 the hearty hospitality of the wilderness, and passed a social 
 evening, talking over past scenes and adventures, and espec- 
 ially the memorable fight at Pierre's Hole. 
 
 Here Milton Sublette determined to give up further voyag- 
 ing in the canoe, and remain witli his brother; accordingly, in 
 the morning, the fellow-voyagers took kind leave of each other, 
 and Wyeth continued on his course. There was now no one 
 on board of his boat that had ever voyaged on the Missouri ; it 
 was, however, all plain sailing down the stream, without any 
 chance of missing the way. 
 
 All day the voyagers pulled gently along, and landed in the 
 evening and supped; then re-embarking, they suffered the 
 canoe to float down with the current ; taking turns to watch 
 and sleep. The night was calm and serene; the elk kept up a 
 continual whinnying or squealing, being the commencement of 
 the season when they are in heat. In the midst of the niglit 
 the canoe struck on a sand-bar, and all hands were roused by 
 the rush and roar of the wild waters, which broke around her. 
 They were all obliged to jump overboard, and work hard to 
 get her off, wliich was accomplishiKl with much difficulty. 
 
 In the course of the following day they saw three grizzly 
 bears at different times along the bank. The Inst one Avas on 
 a point of land, and was evidently making for tlie river, to 
 swim across. The two half breed hunters were now ea!j;er to 
 repeat the manoeuvre of the noose; promising to entrap Bi'uin, 
 and have rare sport in strangling: and drowninu; him. Tiieir 
 only fear was, that he might take fright and return to land 
 before they coidd get between him and tlie shore. Holding 
 back, therefore, until he was fairly committed in the centre of
 
 256 ADVENTURES Ob' CaPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 the stream, they then pulled forward with might and main, so 
 as to cut off his retreat, and take him in the rear. One of the 
 wortliies stationed himself in the bow, with the cord and slip- 
 noose, the other, with the Ncz Perce, managed the paddles. 
 There was nothing further from the thoughts of honest Bruin, 
 however, than to beat a retreat. Just as the canoe was draw- 
 ing near, he tin-ned suddenly round and made for it, with a 
 horrible snarl and a tremendous show of teeth. The affrighted 
 hunter called to his comrades to paddle off. Scarce had they 
 turned the boat when the bear laid his enormous claws on the 
 gunwale, and attempted to get on board. The canoe Avas nearly 
 overtm-ned, and a deluge of water came pouring over the gun- 
 wale. All was clamor, terror, and confusion. Every one 
 bawled out — the bear roared and snarled — one caught up a 
 gun ; but water had i-endered it useless. Others handled their 
 paddles more effectually, and beating old Bruin about the head 
 and claws, obliged him to rehnquish his hold. They now plied 
 their paddles with might and main, the bear made the best of 
 his way to shore, and so ended the second exploit of the noose ; 
 the hunters determining to have no more naval contests with 
 grizzly bears. 
 
 The voyagers were now out of the range of Crows and Black- 
 feet ; but they were approaching the country of the Rees, or 
 Arickaras ; a tribe no less dangerous ; and who were, generally, 
 hostile to small parties. 
 
 In passing through their country, Wyeth laid by all day, 
 and drifted quietly down the river at night. In this way he 
 passed on, until he supposed himself safely through the region 
 of danger; when he resumed his voyaging in the open day. 
 On the 3d of September ho had landed, at midday, to dine; 
 and while some were making a fire, one of the hunters 
 mounted a high bank to look out for game. He had scarce ■ 
 glanced his eye round, when he perceived horses grazing on 
 the opposite side of the river. Crouching down he slunk back 
 to the camp, and reported what he had seen. On further 
 reconnoitrmg, the voyagers counted twenty-one lodges ; and, 
 from the number of horses, computed that there must be 
 nearly a hundred Indians encamped there. They now drew 
 their boat, with all speed and caution, into a thicket of water 
 willov^^s, and remained closely concealed all day. As soon as 
 the night closed in they re-embarked. The moon would rise 
 early ; so that they had but about two hours of darkness to get 
 past the camp. The night, however, was cloudy, with a blus-
 
 ADVE2iTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 2j7 
 
 tering vrind. Silently, and -with miiflled oars, they glided dowTi 
 the river, keeping close under the shore opposite to the camp; 
 "watching its various lodges and fires, and the dark forms ]iass- 
 iug to and fro between them. Suddenly, on turning a point of 
 land, they found themselves close upon a camp on their own 
 side of the river. It appeared that not more than one half of 
 the band had crossed. They were within a few yards of the 
 shore ; they saw distuictly the savages— some standing, some 
 lymg round the fire. Horses were grazing around. Some 
 lodges wei'e set up, othei's had been sent across the river. The 
 red glare of the fires upon these wild groups and harsh faces, 
 contrasted with the surrounding darkness, had a startling 
 effect, as the voyagers suddenly came upon the scene. The 
 dogs of the camp perceived them, and barked ; but the Indians, 
 fortunately, took no heed of their clamor. Wycth mstantly 
 sheered his boat out into the stream ; when, unluckily it struck 
 upon a sand-bar, and stuck fast. It was a perilous and trying 
 situation ; for he was fixed between the two camps, and within 
 rifle range of both. All hands jumped out into the water, and 
 tried to get the boat off ; but as no one dared to give the word, 
 they could not pull together, and their labor was in vain. In 
 this way they labored for a long time ; imtil Wyeth thought of 
 giving a signal for a general heave, by lifting his hat. The ex- 
 pedient succeeded. They launched tlieir canoe again into deep 
 water, and getting in, had the delight of seeing the camp fires 
 of the savages soon fading in the distance. 
 
 They continued under way the gi'eater part of the night, until 
 far bej'ond all danger from this band, when they pulled to 
 shore, and encamped. 
 
 The following day was windy, and they came near upsetting 
 their boat in Ciirrying sail. Toward evening, the wind subsid- 
 ed and a beautiful calm night succeeded. They floated along 
 with the current throughout the niglit, tiiking turns to watch 
 and steer. The deep stillness of the night v/o.'^ occasionally 
 interrupted by the neighing of the elk, the lioarse lowing of 
 the buffalo, the hooting of large owls, and the screeching of 
 the small ones, now and then the splash of a beaver, or the 
 gong-like sound of the swan. 
 
 Part of their voyage Avas extremely tempestuous; with high 
 winds, tremendous thunder, and soaking rain; and they were 
 repeatedly in extreme danger from drift-wood and sunken 
 trees. On one occasion, having continued to float at night, 
 after the moon was down, they ran under a gi-eat snag, or
 
 258 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 sunken tree, with dry branches above the water. These caught 
 the mast, while the boat swung round, broadside to the stream, 
 and began to fill with water. Nothing saved her from total 
 wreck, but cutting away the mast. She then drove down the 
 stream, but left one of the unlucky half-breeds clinging to the 
 snag, like a monkey to a pole. It was necessary to run in 
 shore, toil up, laboriously, along the eddies and to attain some 
 distance above the snag, when they launched forth again into 
 the stream, and floated down with it to his rescue. 
 
 We forbear to detail aU the circumstances and adventures of 
 upward of a month's voyage, down the windings and doublings 
 of this vast river ; in the course of which they stopped occa- 
 sionally at a post of one of the rival fur companies, or at a 
 government agency for an Indian tribe. Neither shall we 
 dwell upon the changes of chmate and productions, as the 
 voyagers swept down from north to south, across several de- 
 grees of latitude; arriving at the regions of oaks and syca- 
 mores ; of mulberry and basswood trees ; of paroquets and wild 
 turkeys. This is one of the characteristics of the iniddle and 
 lower part of the Missouri ; but still more so of the Mississippi, 
 whose rapid current traverses a sviccession of latitudes so as in 
 a few days to float the voyager almost from the frozen regions 
 to the tropics. 
 
 The voyage of Wyeth shows the regular and unobstructed 
 flow of the rivers, on the east side of the Rocky Mountains, in 
 contrast to those of the western side ; where rocks and rapids 
 continually menace and obstruct the voyager. We find him 
 in a frail bark of skins, launching himself in a stream at the 
 foot of the Rocky Mountains, and floating down from river to 
 river, as they empty themselves into each other; and so he 
 might have kept on upward of two thousand miles, until his 
 little bark should drift into the ocean. At present we shall 
 stop with him at Cantonment Leavenworth, the frontier post 
 of the United States ; where he arrived on the 27th of Septem- 
 ber. 
 
 Here his first care was to have his Nez Perce Indian, and his 
 half-breed boy, Baptiste, vaccinated. As they approached the 
 fort, they were hailed by the sentinel. The sight of a soldier 
 in fuU array, with what appeared to be a long knife glittering 
 on the end of a musket, struck Baptiste with such affright that 
 he took to his heels, bawhng for mercy at the top of his voice. 
 The Nez Perce would have followed him, had not Wyeth as- 
 sured him of his safety. When they underwent the operation
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 259 
 
 of the lancet, the doctor's wife and another lady were present ; 
 both beautiful women. They were the first white women that 
 they had seen, and tliey could not keep their eyes off of them. 
 On returning to the boat, they recounted to their companions 
 all that they had observed at the fort ; but were especially elo- 
 quent about the white squaws, who, they said, were white as 
 snow, and more beautiful than any hmnan being they had ever 
 beheld. 
 
 We shall not accompany the captain any further in his voy- 
 age; but Av ill simply state that he made liis way to Boston, 
 where he succeeded in organizing an association under the 
 name of " The Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company," 
 for his original objects of a salmon fishery and a trade in furs. 
 A brig, the May Dacres, had been dispatched for the Columbia 
 with supplies ; and he was now on his way to the same point, 
 at the head of sixty men, whom he had enhsted at St. Louis ; 
 some of whom were experienced hunters, and all more habitu- 
 ated to the life of the wilderness than his first band of " down- 
 easters. " 
 
 We will now return to Captain Bonneville and his party, 
 whom we left, making up their packs and saddling their horses, 
 in Bear River valley. 
 
 CHAPTER XLn. 
 
 DEPARTURE OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE FOR THE COLUMBIA— AD- 
 VANCE OF WYETII— EFFORTS TO KEEP THE LEAD— HUDSON'S 
 BAY PARTY — A JUNKETING — A DELECTABLE BEVERAGE— HONEY 
 AND ALCOHOL— HIGH CAROUSING — THE CANADIAN "BON VI- 
 VANT"— A CACHE— A RAPID MOVE— WYETII AND HIS PLANS— 
 HIS TRAVELLING COMPANIONS— BUFFALO HUNTING— MORE CON- 
 VIVIALITY—AN INTERRUPTION. 
 
 It was the 3d of July that Captain Bonneville set out on his 
 second visit to the banks of the Columbia, at the head of 
 twenty-three men. He travelled leisurely, to keep his hoi-ses 
 fresh, until on the 10th of July a scout brought word that 
 Wyeth, with his band, was but fifty miles in the rear, and 
 pushing forward with all speed. This caused some bustle in 
 the camp ; for it was important to get first to the buffalo ground
 
 260 ADVKyTVliES OF CAl'TMN BOAAhTlLLK 
 
 to secure provisions for the journey. As the horses were too 
 heavily laden to travel fast, a cache was digged, as promptly 
 as possible, to receive all superfluous baggage. Just as it was 
 finished, a spring burst out of the earth at the bottoui. Another 
 cache was tlaerefore digged, about two miles further on; when, 
 as they were about to bury the effects, a line of horsemen with 
 pack-horses, were seen streaking over the plain, and encamped 
 close by. 
 
 It proved to be a small band in the service of the Hudson's 
 Bay Company, under the command of a veteran Canadian; 
 one of those petty leaders, who, with a small party of men, and 
 a small supply of goods, are employed to follow up a band of 
 Indians from one himting ground to another, and buy up their 
 peltries. 
 
 Having received numerous civilities from the Hudson's Bay 
 Company, the captain sent an invitation to the officers of the 
 party to an evening regale ; and set to work to make jovial 
 preparations. As the night air in these elevated regions is apt 
 to be cold, a blazing fire was soon made, that would have done 
 credit to a Christmas dinner, instead of a midsummer banquet. 
 The parties met in high good-fellowship. There was abundance 
 of such hunters' fare as the neighborhood furnished ; and it was 
 all discussed with mountain appetites. They talked over all 
 the events of their late campaigns; but the Canadian veteran 
 had been unlucky in some of his transactions ; and his brow 
 began to grow cloudy. Captain Bonneville remarked his rising 
 spleen, and regretted that he had no juice of the grape to keep 
 it down. 
 
 A man's ^\at, however, is quick and inventive in the wilder- 
 ness; a thought suggested itself to the captain, how he might 
 brew a delectable beverage. Among his stores was a keg of 
 honey but half exhausted. This ho filled up with alcohol, and 
 stirred the fiery and mollifluous ingredients together. The 
 glorious results may readUy be imagined ; a happy compound 
 of strength and sweetness, enough to soothe the most ruffled 
 temper and unsettle the most solid understanding. 
 
 The beverage worked to a charm ; the can circulated merrily ; 
 the first deep draught washed out every care from tlie mind of 
 the veteran; the second elevated his spirit to the clouds. He 
 was, in fact, a boon companion ; as all veteran Canadian traders 
 are apt to be. He now became glorious ; talked over all his ex- 
 ploits, bis huntings, his fightings with Indian braves, his loves 
 with Indian beauties ; sang snatches of old French ditties, and
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 2G1 
 
 Canadian boat songs ; drank deeper and deeper, sang louder 
 and louder; until, having reached aclmiax of drunken gayety, 
 he gradually declined, and at length fell fast asleep upon the 
 ground. After a long nap he again raised his head, iuiLibod 
 another potation of the "sweet and strong," flashed up with 
 another slight blaze of French gayety, and again fell asleep. 
 
 The morning found him still ujion the field of action, but in 
 sad and sorrowful condition; suffering the penalties of past 
 pleasures, and calling to mind the captain's dulcet compound, 
 with many a retch and spasm. It seemed as if the honey and 
 alcohol, which had passed so glibly and smoothly over his 
 tongue, were at war within his stomach; and that he had a 
 swarm of bees within his head. In short, so helpless and woe- 
 begone was his plight, that his party proceeded on their march 
 without him ; the captain promising to bring him on in safety 
 in the after part of the day. 
 
 As soon as this party had moved off, Captain Bonneville's 
 men proceeded to construct and fill their cache; and just as it 
 was completed the party of Wyoth was descried at a distance. 
 In a moment all was activity to take the road. The horses 
 were prepared and mounted; and being lightened of a great 
 part of their burdens, were able to move with celerity. As to 
 the worthy convive of the preceding evening, he was carefully 
 gathered up from the hunter's couch on which he lay, re- 
 pentant and supine, and, being packed upon one of the horses, 
 was hurried forward with the convoy, groaning and ejaculat- 
 ing at every jolt. 
 
 In the course of the day, Wyeth, being lightly mounted, 
 rode ahead of his party, and overtook Captain Bonneville. 
 Their meeting was friendly and courteous; and they discussed, 
 sociably, their respective fortunes since they separated on the 
 banks of the Bighorn. Wyeth announced his intention of 
 establishing a small trading post at the mouth of the Port- 
 neuf, and leaving a few men there, with a quantity of goods, 
 to trade with the neighboring Indians. He was compelled, in 
 fact, to this measure, in consc(iuence of the refusal of the 
 Rocky Mountain Fur Company to take a supply of goods 
 which he had brought out for them according to contract; and 
 wliich he had no other mode of disposing of. He further in- 
 formed Captain Bonneville that the competition between the 
 Rocky Mountain and American Fur Companies which had 
 led to such nefai*ious stratagems and deadly feuds, was at nn 
 end; they having divided the country bet.veen them, allotting
 
 202 ADVENT LUES OF VAi'TAis nu^yp:viLLE. 
 
 boundaries within which each was to trade and hunt, so as 
 not to interfei-e with the other. 
 
 In company with Wyeth were travelling two men of science; 
 Mr. Nuttall, the botanist; the same who ascended the Mis- 
 souri at the time of the expedition to Astoria; and ]\Ir. Town- 
 shcnd, an ornithologist; from these gentlemen we may look 
 forward to important information concerning these interest- 
 ing regions. There were three religious missionaries, also, 
 bound to the shores of the Columbia, to spread the light ot 
 the Gospel in that far wilderness. 
 
 After i-iding for some time together, in friendly conversa- 
 tion, Wyeth returned to his party, and Captain Bonneville 
 continued to press forward, and to gain ground. At night he 
 sent off the sadly sober and moralizing chief of tlie Hudson's 
 Bay Company, urxder a proper escort, to rejoin liis people; 
 his route brandling off in a different direction. The latter 
 took a cordial leave of his host, hoping, on some future occa- 
 sion, to repay his hospitality in kind. 
 
 In the morning the captain was early on the march ; throw- 
 ing scouts out far ahead, to scour hiU and dale, in search of 
 buffalo. He had confidently expected to find game, in abun- 
 dance, on the head-waters of the Portneuf ; but on reaching 
 that region, not a track was to be seen. 
 
 At length, one of the scouts, who had made a wide sweep 
 away to the head-waters of the Blackfoot River, discovered 
 great herds quietly grazing in the adjacent meadows. He set 
 out on his return, to report his discoveries ; but night over- 
 taking him, he was kindly and hospitably entertained at the 
 camp ol: Wyeth. As soon as day dawmed he hastened to his 
 ownr camp with the welcome intelligence ; and about ten o'clock 
 of the same morning, Captain Bonneville's party w^ere in the 
 midst of the game. 
 
 The packs were scarcely off the backs of the mules, when 
 the runners, mounted on the fleetest horses, were full tilt 
 after the buffalo. Others of the men were busied erecting 
 scaffolds, and other contrivances, for jerking or drying meat-, 
 others were lighting great fires for the same purpose; soon the 
 hvmters began to make their appearance, bringing in the 
 choicest morsels of buffalo meat ; these were placed upon the 
 scaffolds, and the whole camp presented a scene of singular 
 hurry and activity. At daylight the next morning, the run- 
 ners again took the field, with similar success ; and. after an in- 
 terval of repose made their third and last chase, about twelve
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 2G3 
 
 o'clock ; for by this time, Wyeth's party was in sight. The 
 game being now driven into a valley, at some distance, Wyeth 
 was obliged to fix his camp there; but he came in the evening 
 to pay Captain Bonneville a visit. He was accompanied by 
 Captain Stewart, the amateur traveller; who had not yet sated 
 his appetite for the adventurous life of the wilderness. With 
 him, also, was a Mr. M'Kay, a half-breed; son of the vm for- 
 tunate adventurer of the same name who came out in the first 
 maritime expedition to Astoria and was blown up in the Ton- 
 quin. His sou had grown up in the employ of the British fur 
 companies ; and was a prime hunter, and a daring partisan. 
 He held, moreover, a farm in the valley of the Wallamut. 
 
 The three visitoi's, when they reached Captain Bonneville's 
 camp, were surprised to find no one in it but himself and three 
 men ; his party being dispersed in all directions, to make the 
 most of their present chance for hunting. They remonstrated 
 with him on the imprudence of remaining with so trifling a 
 guard in a region co full of danger. Captain Bonneville vuidi- 
 catcd the policy of liis conduct. He never hesitated to send 
 out all his hunters, when any important object was to be at- 
 tained ; and experience had taught him that he was most secure 
 when liis forces were thus distributed over the surrounding 
 country. He then was sure that no enemy could approach, 
 from any direction, without being discovered by liis hunters ; 
 who have a quick eye for detecting the slightest signs of the 
 proximity of Indians ; and who would instantly convey intelli- 
 gence to the camp. 
 
 The captain now set to work with his men, to prepare a suit- 
 able entertainment for his guests. It was a time of plenty in 
 the camp; of prime hunters' dainties; of bufialo humps, and 
 buffalo tvtngues; and roasted ribs, and broiled marrow-bones: 
 all these were cooked in hunters' style ; served up with a pi"o- 
 fusion known only on a plentiful hunting ground, and discussed 
 with an appetite that would astonish the punj^ gourmands of 
 the cities. But above all, and to give a bacchanalian grace to 
 this tridy masculine repast, the captain produced his mellifluous 
 keg of home-bi*ewcd nectar, which had been so potent over the 
 senses of the veteran of Hudson's Bay. Potations, pottle deep, 
 again went round ; never did beverage excite greater glee, or 
 meet \y\\\\ more rapturous commendation. The parties were 
 fast advancing to that happy state which would have insured 
 ample cause for the next day's repentance; and the bees were 
 already beginning to buzz about their ears, when a messenger
 
 264 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 came spurring to the camp with intelligence that Wyeth's peo- 
 ple had got entangled in one of those deep and frightful ravines, 
 piled with immense fragments of volcanic rock, which gash the 
 whole country about the head-waters of the Blackfoot Eiver. 
 The revel was instantly at an end ; the keg of sweet and potent 
 home-brewed was deserted ; and the guests departed with all 
 speed to aid in extricating their companions from the volcanic 
 ravine. 
 
 CHAPTER XLin. 
 
 A RAPID MARCH— A CLOUD OP DUST — WILD HORSEMEN — " HIGH 
 jinks" — HORSE-RACING AND RIFLE-SHOOTING — THE GAME OF 
 HAND— THE FISHING SEASON — MODE OF FISHING— TABLE LANDS 
 —SALMON FISHERS— THE CAPTAIN'S VISIT TO AN INDIAN LODGE 
 —THE INDIAN GIRL — THE POCKET MIRROR— SUPPER— TROUBLES 
 OF AN EVIL CONSCIENCE. 
 
 "Up and away!" is the first thought at dayMght of the In- 
 dian trader, when a rival is at hand and distance is to be gained. 
 Early in the morning, Captain Bonneville ordered the half 
 dried meat to be packed upon the horses, and leaving Wyeth 
 and his party to hunt the scattered buffalo, pushed off rapidly 
 to the east, to regain the plain of the Portneuf. His march 
 was rugged and dangerous ; through volcanic hills, broken inxo 
 cliffs and precipices; and seamed with tremendous chasms, 
 where the rocks rose hke walls. 
 
 On the second day, however, he encamped once more in the 
 plain, and as it was still early some of the men strolled out to 
 the neighboring hills. In casting their eyes round the country, 
 they perceived a great cloud of dust rising in the south, and 
 evidently approaching. Hastening back to the camp, they 
 gave the alarm. Preparations were instantly made to receive 
 an enemy ; while some of the men, throwing themselves upon 
 the " running horses" kept for hunting, galloped off to recon- 
 noitre. In a little while, they made signals from a distance 
 that all was friendly. By this time the cloud of dust had swept 
 on as ff hurried along by a blast, and a band of wild horsemen 
 came dashing at full leap into the camp, yelling and whooping 
 like so many maniacs. Their dresses, their accoutrements, 
 their mode of riding, and their uncouth clamor^ made them
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 965 
 
 seem a party of savages arrayed for war; but they proved 
 to be principally half-breeds, and white men grown savage in 
 the wilderness, wlio wei"e employed as trappers and hunters in 
 the service of the Hudson's Bay Company. 
 
 Here w^as again "high jinks" in the camp. Captain Bonne- 
 ville's men hailed these wild scamperers as congenial spirits, or 
 rather as the very game birds of their class. They entertained 
 them with the hospitality of mountaineers, feasting them at 
 every fire. At first, there were mutual details of adventures 
 and exploits, and broad joking mingled with peals of laughter. 
 Then came on boasting of the (Comparative merits of horses and 
 rifles, which soon engrossed every tongue. Thi-s naturally led 
 to racing, and shooting at a mark ; one trial qf speed and skill 
 succeeded another, shouts and acclamations rose from the \dc- 
 torious parties, fierce altercations succeeded, and a general me- 
 lee was about to take place, when suddenly the attention of the 
 quarrellers was arrested by a strange kind of Indian chant or 
 chorus, that seemed to operate upon them as a charm. Their 
 fury Avas at an end ; a tacit reconciliation succeeded, and the 
 ideas of the whole mongrel crowd— whites, half-breeds, and 
 squaws — were turned in a new direction. They all formed into 
 groups, and taking their places at the several fires, prepared 
 for one of the most exciting amusements of the Nez Perces and 
 the other tribes of the Far West. 
 
 The choral chant, in fact, which had thus acted as a chann, 
 was a kind of wild accompaniment to the favorite Indian game 
 of "Hand." This is played by tAvo parties drawn out in oppo- 
 site platoons before a blazing fire. It is in some respects like 
 the old game of passing the ring or the button, and detectmg 
 the hand which holds it. In the present game, the object hid- 
 den, or the cache as it is called by the trappers, is a small splint 
 of wood, or other diminutive article, that may be concealed in 
 I the closed hand. This is passed backward and forw^ard among 
 the party "in hand," while the party "out of hand" guess 
 where it is concealed. To heighten the excitement and confuse 
 the guessers, a number of dry poles are laid before each pla- 
 toon, upon which the members of the party "in hand "beat 
 furiously w-ith short staves, keeping time to the choral chant 
 already mentioned, which Avaxes fast and furious as the game 
 proceeds. As large bets are staked upon the game, the excite- 
 ment is prodigious. Each party in turn bursts out in fiUl cho- 
 rus, beating, and yeUing, and working themselves up into such 
 a heat that the perspiration rolls doAvn their naked shoulders,
 
 266 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 even in the cold of a winter night. The bets are doubled and 
 trebled as the game advances, the mental excitement increases 
 almost to madness, and all the worldly effects of the gamblers 
 are often hazarded upon the position of a straw. 
 
 These gambling games were kept up throughout the night ; 
 every fire glared upon a group that looked like a crew of 
 maniacs at their frantic orgies, and the scene would have been 
 kept up throughout the succeeding day, had not Captain Bonne- 
 ville interposed his authority, and, at the usual hour, issued 
 his marching orders. 
 
 Proceeding down the course of Snake Eiver, the hunters 
 regularly returned to camp in the evening laden with wild 
 geese, which were yet scarcely able to fly, and were easily 
 caught in great numbers. It was now the season of the annual 
 fish-feast, with which the Indians in these parts celebrate the 
 first appearance of the salmon in this river. These fish are 
 taken in great numbers at the numerous falls of about four feet 
 pitch. The Indians flank the shallow water just below, and 
 spear them as they attempt to pass. In wide parts of the river, 
 also, they place a sort of chevaux-de-frize, or fence, of poles in- 
 terwoven with withes, and forming an angle in the middle of 
 the current, where a small opening is left for the salmon to 
 pass. Around this opening the Indians station themselves on 
 small rafts, and ply their spears with great success. 
 
 The table lands so common in this region have a sandy soU, 
 inconsiderable in depth, and covered with sage, or more prop- 
 erly speaking, wormwood. Below this is a level stratum of 
 rock, riven occasionally by frightful chasms. The whole plain 
 rises as it approaches the river, and terminates with high and 
 broken cliffs, difficult to pass, and in many places so precipitous 
 that it is impossible, for days together, to get down to the 
 water's edge, to give drink to the horses. This obliges the 
 traveller occasionally to abandon the vicinity of the river, and 
 make a wide sweep into the interior. 
 
 It was now far in the month of July, and the party suffered 
 extremely from sultry weather and dusty travelling. The flies 
 and gnats, too, were extremely troublesome to the horses; 
 especially when keeping along the edge of the river where it 
 runs between low sand-banks. Whenever the travellers en- 
 camped in the afternoon, the horses retired to the gravelly 
 shores and remained there, without attempting to feed until 
 the cool of the evening. As to the travellers, they plunged 
 into the clear and cool current, to wash away the dust of the
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 267 
 
 road and refi-esh themselves after the heat of the day. The 
 nights were always cool and pleasant. 
 
 At one place where they encamped for some time, the river 
 was nearly five hundred yards wide, and studded with grassy 
 islands, adorned with groves of willow and cotton-wood. Hero 
 the Indians were assembled in great numbers, and had barri- 
 caded the channels between the islands, to enable them to 
 spear the salmon with greater facility. They were a timid 
 race, and seemed unaccustomed to the sight of white men. 
 Entering one of the huts. Captain Bonne\alle found the inhab- 
 itants just proceeding to cook a fine salmon. It is put into a 
 pot filled with cold water, and hung over the fire. The 
 moment the water begins to boil, the fish is considered cooked. 
 
 Taking his seat unceremoniously, and lighting his pipe, the 
 captain awaited the cooking of the fish, intending to invite 
 himself to the repast. The owner of the hut seemed to take 
 his intrusion in good part. While conversing with him the 
 captain felt something move behind him, and turning round 
 and removing a few skins and old buffalo robes, discovered a 
 young girl, about fourteen years of age, crouched beneath, who 
 directed her large black eyes full in his face, and continued to 
 gaze in mute surprise and terror. The captain endeavored to 
 dispel her fears, and drawing a bright ribbon from his pocket, 
 attempted repeatedly to tie it round her neck. She jerked 
 back at each attempt, uttering a sound very much like a snarl ; 
 nor could all the blandishments of tlie captain, albeit a pleas- 
 ant, good-looking, and somewhat gallant man, succeed in con- 
 quering the shyness of the savage little beaut}'. His attentions 
 were now turned toward the parents, whom he presented Avith 
 an awl and a little tobacco, and having thus secured their 
 good-will, continued to smoke his pipe and Avatch the salmon. 
 While thus seated near the threshold, an urchin of the family 
 approached the door, but catching a sight of the strange guest, 
 ran off screaming with terror and ensconced liimself behind 
 the long straw at the back of the hut. 
 
 Desirous to dispel entirely this timidity, and to open a trade 
 with the simple inhabitants of the hut, who, he did not doubt, 
 had furs somewhere concealed, the captain noAv drew forth 
 that grand lure in the eyes of a savage, a pocket mirror. The 
 sight of it was irresistible. After examining it for a long 
 time with wonder and admiration, they produced a musk-rat 
 skin, and offered it in exchange. The captain shook his head ; 
 but purchased the skin for a couple of buttons — superfluous
 
 268 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 trinkets ! as the -worthy lord of the hovel had neither coat nor 
 breeches on wliich to place them. 
 
 The mirror still continued the great object of desii'e, particu- 
 larly in the eyes of the old housewife, who produced a pot of 
 parched flour and a string of biscuit roots. These procured 
 her some trifle in return ; but could not command the purchase 
 of the mirror. The salmon being now completely cooked, they 
 all joined heartily in supper. A. bounteous portion was depos- 
 ited before the captain by the old woman, upon some fresh 
 gTass, which served instead of a platter; and never had he 
 tasted a salmon boiled,so completely to his fancy. 
 
 Sapper being over, the captain hghted his pipe and passed it 
 to his host, who, inhaling the smoke, puffed it through his 
 nostrils so assiduously, that in a little while his head mani- 
 fested signs of confusion and dizziness. Being satisfied, by 
 tliis time, of the kindly and companionable qualities of the 
 captain, he became easy and communicative; and at length 
 hinted something about exchanging beaver skins for horses. 
 The captain at once offered to dispose of his steed, which stood 
 fastened at the door. The bargain was soon concluded, where- 
 upon the Indian, removing a pile of bushes under which his 
 valuables were concealed, drew forth the number of skins 
 agreed upon as the price. 
 
 Shortly afterv/ard, some of the captain's people coming up, 
 he ordered another hoi"se to be saddled, and, mounting it, took 
 his departure from the hut, after distributing a few trifling 
 presents among its sunple inhabitants. During all the time of 
 his visit, the httle Indian girl had kept her large black eyes 
 fixed upon him, almost without winking, watcliing every 
 movement with awe and wonder; and as he rode off, remained 
 gazing after him, motionless as a statue. Her father, however, 
 delighted with his new acquaintance, mounted his newly pur- 
 chased horse, and followed in the train of the captain, to whom 
 he contimied to be a faithful and useful adherent during his 
 sojourn in the neighborhood. 
 
 The cowardly effects of an evil conscience were evidenced in 
 the conduct of one of the captain's men, who had been in the 
 Calrfornian expedition. During all their intercourse with the 
 harmless people of this place, he had manifested uneasiness 
 and anxiety. While his companions mingled freely and joy- 
 ously with the natives, he went about with a restless, sus- 
 picious look; scrutinizirur every painted form and face and 
 starting often at the suddeii approach of some meek and in-
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNKVILLE. 2G9 
 
 offensive savage, who regarded him with reverence as a supe- 
 rior being. Yet this was ordinai'ily a bold fellow, who never 
 flinched ironi danger, nor turned pale at the prospect of a bat- 
 tle. At length he requested permission of Captain Bonneville 
 to keep out of the way of these people entirely. Their strik- 
 ing resemblance, he said, to the people or Ogden's Eiver, made 
 him continually fear that some among them might have 
 seen hun in that expedition; and might seek an oppor- 
 tunity of revenge. Ever after this, while they remained 
 in this neighborhood, he would skulk out of the way and 
 keep aloof when any of the native inhabitants approached. 
 "Such," observes Captain Bonneville, "is the effect of self- 
 reproach, even upon the roving trapi^er in the wilderness, who 
 has little else to fear than the stings of his OAvn guilty con- 
 science." 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 OUTFIT OP A TRAPPER — RISKS TO WHICH HE IS SUBJECTED — 
 PARTNERSHIP OF TRAPPERS— ENMITY OF INDIANS — DISTANT 
 SMOKE — A COUNTRY ON FIRE — GUN CREEK — GRAND ROND— FINE] 
 PASTURES— PERPLEXITIES IN A SMOKY COUNTRY— CONFLAGRA- 
 TION OF FORESTS. 
 
 It had been the intention of Captain Bonneville, in descend- 
 ing along Snake River, to scatter his trappers upon the smaller 
 streams. In this way a range of country -is trapped hj small 
 detachments from a main body. The outfit of a trapper is 
 generally a rifle, a pound of powder, and four pounds of lead, 
 with a bullet mould, seven traps, an axe, a hatchet, a knifo 
 and awl, a camp kettle, tAvo blankets, and, where supplies are 
 plenty, seven pounds of flour. He has, generally, two or three 
 horeee, to carry himself and his baggage and peltries. j.'wo 
 trappers commonly go together, for the purposes of mutual 
 assistance and support ; a larger party could not easily escape 
 the eyes of the Indians. It is a service of peril, and even 
 more so at present than formerly, for the Indians, since they 
 have got into the habit of ti-afficking jieltries Avith the traders, 
 have learned the value of the beaver, and look upon the trap- 
 pers as poachers, Avho are filching the riches from their 
 streams, and interfering with their market. They make no
 
 270 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 hesitation, therefore, to murder the solitary trapper, and thus 
 destroy a competitor, while they possess themselves of his 
 spoils. It is with regret we add, too, that this hostility has in 
 many cases been instigated by traders, desirous of injuring 
 their rivals, but who have themselves often reaped the fruits 
 of the mischief they have sown. 
 
 When two trappers undertake any considerable stream, 
 their mode of proceeding is, to hide their horses in some lonely 
 glen, where they can graze unobserved. They then build a 
 small hut, dig out a canoe from a cotton-wood tree, and in this 
 poke along shore silently, in the evening, and set their traps. 
 These they revisit in the same silent way at daybreak. When 
 they take any beaver they bring it home, skin it, stretch the 
 skins on sticks to dry, and feast upon the flesh. The body, 
 hung u.p before the fire, turns by its own weight, and is roasted 
 in a superior style; the tail is the trapper's tidbit; it is cut ofi", 
 put on the end of a stick, and toasted, and is considered even 
 a greater dainty than the tongue or the marrow-bone of a 
 buffalo. 
 
 With all their silence and caution, however, the poor trap- 
 pers cannot always escape their hawk-eyed enemies. Their 
 trail has been discovered, perhaps, and followed up for many 
 a mile; or their smoke has been seen curhng up out of the 
 secret glen, or has been scented by the savages, whose sense of 
 smell is almost as acute as that of sight. Sometimes they are 
 pounced upon when in the act of setting their traps ; at other 
 times, they are roused from their sleep by the horrid war- 
 whoop; or, perhaps, have a bullet or an arrow whistling about 
 their ears, in the midst of one of their beaver banquets. In 
 this way they are picked off, from time to time, and nothing 
 is known of them, until, perchance, their bones are found 
 bleaching in some lonely ravine, or on the banks of some 
 nameless stream, which from that time is called after them. 
 Many of the small streams beyond the mountains thus perpet- 
 uate the names of unfortunate trappers that have been mur- 
 dered on their banks. 
 
 A knowledge of these dangers deterred Captain Bonneville, 
 in the present instance, from detaching small parties of trap- 
 pers as he had intended; for his scouts brought him word that 
 formidable bands of the Banneck Indians were lying on the 
 Boisee and Payette Rivers, at no great distance, so that they 
 would be apt to detect and cut off any stragglers. It behooved 
 him, also, to keep his party together, to guard against any
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. '21 \ 
 
 predatory attack upon the main body; he continued on his 
 way, therefore, without dividing his forces. And fortunate it 
 was that he did so; for in a Httle while he encountered one of 
 the phenomena of the western wilds that would effectually 
 have prevented his scattered people from finding each other 
 again. In a word, it was the season of setting fire to the prai- 
 ries. As he advanced he began to perceive great clouds of 
 smoke at a distance, rising by degrees, and spreading over the 
 whole face of the country. The atmosphere became dry and 
 surcharged with murky vapor, parching to the skin, and in-i- 
 tating to the eyes. When travelling among the hills, they 
 could scarcely discern objects at the distance of a few paces ; 
 indeed, the least exertion of the vision was painful. There 
 was evidently some vast conflagration in the direction toward 
 which they were proceeding; it was as yet at a great distance, 
 and during the day they could only see the smoke rising in 
 larger and denser volumes, and roUing forth in an immense 
 canopy. At night the skies were all glowing with the reflec- 
 tion of unseen fires, hanging in an immense body of lurid light 
 high above the horizon. 
 
 Having reached Gun Creek, an important stream coming 
 from the left. Captain Bonneville turned up its course, to 
 traverse the moimtains and avoid the great bend of Snake 
 River. Being now out of the range of the Bannecks, he sent 
 out his people in all directions to hunt the antelope for present 
 supplies ; keeping the dried meats for places where game might 
 be scarce. 
 
 During four days that the party were ascending Gun Creek, 
 the smoke continued to increase so rapidly that it was impossi- 
 ble to distinguish the face of the country and ascertain land- 
 marks. Fortunately, the travellers fell upon an Indian trail, 
 which led them to the head-waters of the Fourche de Glace or 
 Ice River, sometimes called the Grand Rond. Here they 
 found all the plains and valleys wrapped in one vast confla- 
 gration ; which swept over the long gi-ass in billows of flame, 
 shot up every bush and tree, rose in great columns from the 
 groves, and set up clouds of smoke that darkened the at- 
 mosphere. To avoid this sea of fire, the travellers had to 
 pursue their course close along the foot of the mountains ; but 
 the irritation from the smoke continued to be toi-menting. 
 
 The country about the head-waters of the Grand Rond 
 spreads out into broad and level prairies, extremely fertile, and 
 watered by mountain springs and rivulets. These prairies are
 
 272 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 resorted to by small bands of the Skynses, to pasture their 
 horses, as well as to banquet upon the salmon which abound in 
 the neighboring waters. They take these fish in great quanti- 
 ties and without the least difficulty ; simply taking them out of 
 the water with their hands, as they flounder and struggle in the 
 numerous long shoals of the principal streams. At the time 
 the travellers passed over these prairies, some of the narrow, 
 deep streams by which they were intersected were completely 
 choked with salmon, which they took in great numbers. The 
 wolves and bears frequent these streams at this season, to 
 avail themselves of these great fisheries. 
 
 The travellers continued, for many days, to experience great 
 difficulties and discomforts from this wide conflagration, which 
 seemed to embrace the whole wilderness. The sun was for a 
 great part of the time obscured by the smoke, and the loftiest 
 mountains were hidden from view. Blundering along in this 
 region of mist and uncertainty, they were frequently obliged 
 to make long circuits, to avoid obstacles which they could not 
 perceive until close upon them. The Indian trails were their 
 safest guides, for though they sometimes appeared to lead 
 them out of their direct course, they always conducted them 
 to the passes. 
 
 On the 26th of August, they reached the head of the "Way- 
 lee-way River. Here, in a valley of the mountains through 
 which this head-water makes its way, they found a band of 
 the Skynses, who were extremely sociable, and appeared to be 
 well disposed, and as they spoke the Nez Perce language, an 
 intercourse was easily kept up with them. 
 
 In the pastures on the bank of this stream. Captain Bonne- 
 ville encamped for a time, for the purpose of recruiting the 
 strength of his horses. Scouts were now sent out to explore 
 the svirrounding country, and search for a convenient pass 
 through the mountains toward the Wallamut or Multnomah. 
 After an absence of twenty days they returned weary and dis- 
 couraged. They had been harassed and perplexed in rugged 
 mountain defiles, where their progress was continually im- 
 peded by rocks and precipices. Often they had been obliged 
 to travel along the edges of frightful ravines, where a false 
 step would have been fatal. In one of these passes, a horse 
 fell from the brink of a precipice, and would have been dashed 
 to pieces had he not lodged among the branches of a tree, from 
 which he was extricated with great difficulty. These, ho^^-- 
 ever, were not the worst of their difficulties and perils,, The
 
 adventurp:^ of captain BONNEVILLE. 273 
 
 great conflagration of the country, which had harassed the 
 main party in its march, was still more awful the further this 
 exploiting party proceeded. The flames which swept rapidly 
 over the light vegetation of the prairies assumed a fierce?? 
 character and took a stronger hold amid the wooded glens and 
 ravines of the mountains. Some of the deep gorges and defiles 
 sent up sheets of flame, and clouds of lurid smoke, and sparks 
 and cinders that in the night made them resemble the craters 
 of volcanoes. The groves and forests, too, which crowned the 
 cliils, shot up their towering columns of fire, and added to the 
 furnace glow of the mountains. With these stupendous sights 
 were combined the rushing blasts caused by the rarefied air, 
 which roared and howled through the narrow glens, and 
 whirled forth the smoke and flames in impetuous wreaths. 
 Ever and anon, too, was heard the crash of falling trees, some- 
 times tumbling from crags and precipices, with tremendous 
 sounds. 
 
 In the daytime, the mountains were wrapped in smoke so 
 dense and blinding, that the explorers, if by chance they sepa- 
 rated, could only find each other by shouting. Often, too, 
 they had to grope their way through the yet burning forests, 
 in constant peril from the limbs and trunks of trees, which 
 frequently fell across their path. At length they gave up the 
 attempt to find a pass as hopeless, under actual circumstances, 
 and made their way back to the camp to report their failure. 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 
 THE SKYNSES — THEIR TRAFFIC — HUNTING — FOOD — HORSES — A 
 HORSE-RACE — DEVOTIONAL FEELING OF THE SKYNSES, NEZ 
 PERCES AND FLATIIEADS — PRAYERS — EXHORTATIONS — A 
 PREACHER ON HORSEBACK— EFFECT OF RELIGION ON THE MAN- 
 NERS OF THE TRIBES— A NEW LIGHT. 
 
 During the absence of this detachment, a sociable inter- 
 course had been kept up between the main party and the 
 Skynses, who had removed into the neighborhood of the camp. 
 These people dwell about the waters of the Way-lee-way and 
 the adjacent country, and trade regularly with the Hudson's 
 Bay Companj-; general!}'- giving horses in exchange for the
 
 274 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 articles of which they stand in need. They bring beaver 
 skins, also, to the trading posts; not procured by trapping, 
 but by a course of internal traffic with the shy and ignorant 
 Shoshokoes and Too-el-icans, who keep in distant and un- 
 frequented parts of the country, and will not venture near the 
 trading houses. The Skynses hunt the dear and elk occasion- 
 ally; and depend, for a part of the year, on fishing. Their 
 main subsistence, however, is upon roots, especially the 
 kamash. This bulbous root is said to be of a delicious flavor, 
 and highly nutritious. The women dig it up in great quanti- 
 ties, steam it, and deposit it in caches for winter provisions. 
 It grows spontaneously, and absolutely covers the plains. 
 
 This tribe were comfortably clad and equipped. They had a 
 few rifles among them, and were extremely desirous of bar- 
 tering for those of Captain Bonneville's men ; offering a couple 
 of good running horses for a light rifle. Their first-rate horses, 
 however, were not to be procured from them oir any terms. 
 They almost invar-iably use ponies ; but of a breed infinitely 
 superior to any in the United States. They are fond of trying 
 their speed and bottom, and of betting upon them. 
 
 As Captain Bonneville was desirous of judging of the com- 
 parative merit of their horses, he jjurchased one of their racers, 
 and had a trial of speed between that, an American, and a 
 Shoshonie, which were supposed to be well matched. The 
 race-course was for the distance of one mile and a half out and 
 back. For the first half mile the American took the lead by a 
 few hands; but, losing his wind, soon fell far behind; leaving 
 the Shoshonie and Skynse to contend together. For a mfle 
 and a half they went head and head: but at the turn the 
 Slcynse took the lead and won the race with great ease, scarce 
 drawing a quick breath when all was over. 
 
 The Skynses, like the Nez Perces and the Flatheads, have a 
 strong devotional feeling, which has been successfully culti- 
 vated by some of the resident personages of the Hudson's Bay 
 Company. Sunday is invariably kept sacred among these 
 tribes. They will not raise their camp on that day, unless in 
 exti'eme cases of danger or hunger: neither wfll they hvmt, nor 
 fish, nor trade, nor perform any kind of labor on that day. A 
 part of it is passed in prayer and religious ceremonies. Some 
 chief, who is generally at the same time what is called a 
 "medicine nij.n,'' assembles the community. After invoking 
 blei^jdngs from the Deity, he addresses the assemblage, exhort- 
 ing thciu to good conduct ; to be diligent in providing for their
 
 ADVENTUMES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 275 
 
 families ; to abstain from lying and stealing ; to avoid quarrel- 
 ling or cheating in their play, and to be just and hospitable to 
 all strangers who may be among them. Prayers and exhorta- 
 tions are also made, early in the morning, on week days. 
 Sometimes, all this is done by the chief from horseback ; mov- 
 ing slowly about the camp, with his hat on, and uttering his 
 exhortations with a loud voice. On all occasions, the by- 
 standers Usten with profound attention; and at the end of 
 every sentence respond one word in unison, apparently equiv- 
 alent to an amen. While these prayers and exhortations are 
 going on, every employment in the camp is suspended. If an 
 Indian is riding by the place, he dismounts, holds his horse, 
 and attends with reverence until all is done. When the chief 
 has finished his prayer or exhortation, he says, " I have done;" 
 upon which there is a general exclamation in unison. 
 
 With these religious services, probably derived from the 
 white men, the tribes above-mentioned mingle some of their 
 old Indian ceremonials, such as dancing to the cadence of a 
 song or ballad, which is generally done in a large lodge pro- 
 vided for the purpose. Besides Sundays, they likcAvise observe 
 the cardinal holidays of the Roman Catholic Church. 
 
 Whoever has introduced these simple forms of reMgion 
 among these poor savages, has evidently understood their 
 characters and capacities, and effected a great melioration of 
 their manners. Of this we speak not merely from the testi- 
 monj' of Captain Bonneville, but likewise from that of Mr. 
 Wyeth, who passed some months in a travelling camp ot" the 
 Flatheads. "During the time I have been with them," says he, 
 * ' I have never known an instance of the It among them : the 
 least thing, even to a bead or pin, is brought to you, if found ; 
 and often, things that have been thrown away. Neither 
 have I known any quarrelling, nor lying. This absence of all 
 quarrelling the more surprised me, when I came to see the 
 various occasions that would have given rise to it among the 
 whites: the crowding together of from tAvelve to eighteen 
 hundred horses, which have to be driven into camp at night, 
 to be picketed, to be packed in the morning ; the gathering of 
 fuel in places where it is extremely scanty. All this, however, 
 is done without confusion or disturbance. 
 
 "They have a mild, playful, laughing disposition; and this 
 is porti'ayed in their countenances. They are polite, and un- 
 obtrusive. When one speaks, the rest pay strict attention: 
 when he is done, another assents by ' yes,' or dissents by ' no;'
 
 276 ADVICNTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 and then states his reasons, which are Hstencd to with equal 
 attention. Even the children are more peaceable than any- 
 other children. I never heard an angry word among tbem, 
 nor any quarrelling ; although there were, at least, five hundred 
 of them together, and continuaUy at play. With all this 
 quietness of spirit, they are brave when put to the test ; and 
 are an overmatch for an equal number of Blackfeet." 
 
 The foregoing observations, though gathered from Mr. 
 Wyeth as relative to the Flatheads, apply, in the main, to the 
 Skynses also. Captain Bonneville, during his sojourn with 
 the latter, took constant occasion, in conversing with their 
 principal men, to encourage them in the cultivation of moral 
 and religious habits; drawing a comparison between their 
 peaceable and comfortable course of life and that of other 
 tribes, and attributing it to their superior sense of morality 
 and religion. Ho frequently attended their religious services, 
 with his people ; always en joinmg on the latter the most rever- 
 ential deportment ; and he observed that the poor Indians were 
 always pleased to have the white men present. 
 
 The disposition of these tribes is evidently favorable to a 
 considerable degree of civilization. A few farmers settled 
 among them might lead them, Captain Bonneville thinks, to 
 till the earth and cultivate grain ; the country of the Skynses 
 and Nez Perces is admirably adapted for the raising of cattle, 
 A Christian missionary or two, and some trifling assistance 
 from government, to protect them from the predatory and 
 warhke tribes, might lay the foundation of a Christian people 
 in the midst of the great western wilderness, who would 
 " wear the Americans near their hearts." 
 
 We must not omit to observe, however, in qualification of 
 the sanctity of this Sabbath in the wilderness, that these tribes 
 who are all ardently addicted to gambling and horseracing, 
 make Sunday a peculiar day for recreations of the kind, not 
 deeming them in any wise out of season. After prayers and 
 pious ceremonials are over, there is scarce an hour in the day, 
 says Captain Bonneville, that you do not see several horses 
 racing at full speed; and in every corner of the camp are 
 groups of gamblers, ready to stake everything upon the all- 
 absorbing game of hand. The Indians, says Wyeth, appear to 
 enjoy their amusements with more zest than the whites. 
 They are great gamblers ; and in proportion to their means, 
 play bolder and bet higher than white men. 
 
 The cultivation of the religious feeling, above noted, among
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONN EVIL LK 277 
 
 the savages, has been at times a convenient policy with some 
 of the more kno^vi^g traders; who have derived great credit 
 and inllueuce among them by being considered "medicine 
 men;" that is, men gifted with mysterious knowledge. This 
 feehng is also at times played upon by religious charlatans, 
 wlio are to be found in savage as well as civilized life. One of 
 these was noted by Wyeth, during his sojourn among the 
 Flatheads. A new great man, says he, is rising in the camp, 
 who aims at power and sway. He covers his designs under 
 the ample cloak of religion; inculcating some new doctrines 
 and ceremonials among those who are more simple than him- 
 self. He has already made proselytes of one fifth of the camp; 
 beginning by working on the women, the children, and the 
 weak-minded. His followers arc all dancing on the plain, to 
 their own vocal music. The more knowing ones of the tribe 
 look on and laugh ; thinking it all too foolish to do harm ; but 
 they will soon find that women, children, and fools, form a 
 large majority of every community, and they will have, event- 
 ually, to follow the new light, or be considered among the 
 profane. As soon as a preacher or pseudo prophet of the kind 
 gets followers enough, he either takes command of the tribe, or 
 branches off aijd sets up for an independent chief and ' ' medi- 
 cine man." 
 
 CHAPTEE XLVI. 
 
 SCARCITY IN THE CAMP— REFUSAL OF SUrrLIES BY THE HUDSON'S 
 BAY CO.MPANY — CONDUCT OF THE INDIANS— A HUNGRY RETREAT 
 — JOHN day's river — THE BLUE MOUNTAINS— SALMON FISIIINQ 
 ON SNAKE RIVER— MESSENGERS FROM THE CROW COUNTRY — 
 BEAR RIVER VALLEY — IMMENSE MIGRATION OF BUFFALO — DAN- 
 GER OF BUFFALO HUNTING— A WOUNDED INDIAN — EUTAW IN- 
 DIANS—A "surround" OF ANTELOPES. 
 
 Provisions were now growing scanty in the camp, and Cap- 
 tain Bonneville foimd it necessary to seek a new neighborhood. 
 Taking leave, therefore, of his friends, the Skynses, he set off 
 to the westward, and, crossing a low range of mountains, en- 
 camped on the head-waters of the Ottolais. Being now within 
 thirty miles of Fort Wallah-Wallah, the trading post of the Hud- 
 son's Bay Company, he sent a small detachment of men thither
 
 278 ADVKNTUIIES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 to purchase corn for the subsistence of his party. The men -were 
 well received at the fort ; but all suppHes for their camp were 
 l)ereinptorily refused. Tempting offers were made them, how- 
 ever, if they would leave their present employ, and enter into 
 the sei'vice of the company ; but they were not to be seduce<i. 
 
 When Captain Bonneville saw his messengers return empty- 
 handed, he ordei^ed an instant move, for there was imminent 
 danger of famine. He pushed forward down the course of the 
 Ottolais, which runs diagonal to the Columbia, and falls into it 
 about fifty miles below the Wallah-Wallah. His route lay 
 through a beautiful undulating country, covered with horses 
 belonging to the Skynses, who sent them there for pasturage. 
 
 On reaching the Columbia, Captain Bonneville hoped to open 
 a trade with the natives, for fish and other provisions, but to 
 his surprise they kept aloof, and even hid theinselves on his 
 approach. He soon discovered that they were under the influ- 
 ence of the Hudson's Bay Company, who had forbidden them 
 to trade, or hold any communion with him. He proceeded 
 along the Columbia, but it was everywhere the same ; not an 
 article of provisions was to be obtained from the natives, and 
 he was at length obliged to kill a couple of his horses to sustain 
 his famishing people. He now came to a halt, and consulted 
 what was to be done. The broad and beautiful Columbia lay 
 before them, smooth and unruffled as a mirror ; a little more 
 journeying would take them to its lower region ; to the noble 
 valley of the Wallamut, their projected winter quarters. To 
 advance under present circumstftuces woidd be to court starva- 
 tion. The resources of the country were locked against them, 
 by the influence of a jealous and powerful monopoly. If they 
 reached the Wallamut, they could scarcely hope to obtain suf- 
 ficient supphes for the winter; if they lingered any longer in 
 the country the snows would gather upon the mountains and 
 cut off their retreat. By hastening their return, they woidd be 
 able to reach the Blue Mountains just in time to find the elk, 
 the deer, and the bighorn ; and after they had supplied them- 
 selves with provisions, they might push through the mountains 
 before they were entirely blocked up by snow. Influenced by 
 uhese considerations, Captain Bonneville reluctantly turned his 
 back a second time on the Columbia, and set off for the Blue 
 Mountains. He took his course up John Day's River, so called 
 from one of the hunters in the original Astorian enterprise. 
 As famine was at his heels, he travelled fast, and reached the 
 mountains by the 1st of October. He entered by the opening
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 279 
 
 made by John Day's River-, it was a rugged and difficult defile, 
 but he and his men had become accustomed to hard scrambles of 
 the kind. Fortunately, the September rams had extinguished 
 the fires which recently spread over these regions; and the 
 mountains, no longer wrapped in smoke, now revealed all their 
 grandeur and subhmity to the eye. 
 
 They were disappointed in their expectation of finding abun- 
 dant game in the mountains ; large bands of the natives had 
 passed tlu*ough, returning from their fishing expeditions, and 
 had driven all the game before them. It was only now and then 
 that the hunters could bring in sufficient to keep the party 
 from starvation. 
 
 To add to their distress, they mistook their route, and wan- 
 dered for ten days among high and bald hills of clay. At 
 length, after much perplexity, they made their way to the 
 banks of Snake River, following the course of which, they were 
 sure to reach their place of destination. 
 
 It was the 20th of October when they found themselves once 
 more upon this noted stream. The Shoshokoes, whom they 
 had met with in such scanty numbers on their 30urnoy down 
 the river, now absolutely thronged its banks to profit by the 
 abundance of salmon, and lay up a stock for winter provisions. 
 Scaffolds were everywhere erected, and immense quantities of 
 fish drying upon them. At this season of the year, however, 
 the salmon are extremely poor, and the travellers needed their 
 keen sauce of hunger to give them a relish. 
 
 In some places the shores were completely covered with a 
 stratum of dead salmon, exhausted in ascending the river, or 
 destroyed at the falls; the fetid odor of which tainted the 
 air. 
 
 It was not until the travellers reached the head- waters of the 
 Portneuf that they really found themselves in a region of 
 abundance. Here the buffalo were in immense herds ; and here 
 they remained for three days, slaying and cooking, and feast- 
 ing, and indemnifying themselves by an enormous carnival, 
 for a long and himgry Lent. Their horees, too, found good 
 pasturage, and enjoyed a httle rest after a severe spell of hard 
 traveUing. 
 
 During this period, two horsemen arrived at the camp, who 
 proved to be messengers sent express for supplies from ^lon- 
 tero's party ; which had been sent to beat up the Crow country 
 and the Black Hills, and to winter on the Arkansas. They re- 
 ported that all was weU with the party, but that they had not
 
 280 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 been able to accomplish the whole of their mission, and were 
 still in the Crow country, where they should remain until 
 joined by Captain Bomieville in the spring. The captain re- 
 taiaed luo mesacngers with him until the 17th of November, 
 Wiicn, having reached the caches on Bear River, and procured 
 thence the required supphes, he sent them back to their party ; 
 appointing a reiadezvous toward the last of June following, on 
 the foriis of Wind River vaUey, in the Crow country. 
 
 He now remained several days encamped near the caches, 
 and having discovered a smaU band of Shoshonies in his neigh- 
 borhood, purchased from them lodges, fm-s, and other articles 
 of winter comfort, and arranged with them to encamp together 
 during the winter. 
 
 The place designed by the captain for the wintering ground 
 was on the upper part of Bear River, some distance off. He 
 delayed approaching it as long as possible, in order to avoid 
 driving off the buffalo, which would be needed for winter pro- 
 visions. He accordingly moved forward but slowly, merely as 
 the want of game and grass obliged him to shift Ms position. 
 The weather had ah'cady become extremely cold, and the snow 
 lay to a considerable depth. To enable the horses to carry as 
 much dried meat as possible, he caused a cache to be made, in 
 which all the baggage that could be spared was deposited. 
 This done, the party continued to move slowly toward their 
 winter quarters. 
 
 They were not doomed, however, to suffer from scarcity 
 during the present winter. The people upon Snake River 
 having chased off the buffalo before the snow had become 
 deep, immense herds now came trooping over the mountains ; 
 forming dark masses on their sides, from which their deep- 
 mouthed bellowing sounded like the low peals and mutterings 
 from a gathering thunder-cloud. In effect, the cloud broke, 
 and down came the torrent thundering into the valley. It is 
 utterly impossible, according to Captain Bonneville, to convey 
 an idea of the effect produced by the sight of such countless 
 throngs of animals of such bulk and spirit, all rushing forward 
 as if swept on by a whirlwind. 
 
 The long privation which the travellers had suffered gave 
 uncommon ardor to their present hunting. One of the Indians 
 attached to the party, finding himself on horseback in the 
 midst of the buffaloes, without either rifle, or bow and arrows, 
 dashed after a fine cow that was passing close by him, and 
 plunged his knife into her side with such lucky aim as to bring
 
 ADVK^-TURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 281 
 
 her to the fri'ound. It Avas a daring deed; but hunger had 
 made hiui ahuost desperate. 
 
 The bulTaloes arc sometimes tenacious of life, and must be 
 wounded in particular parts. A ball striking the shagged 
 frontlet of a bull produces no other effect than a toss of the 
 head and greater exasperation; on the contrary, a ball strik- 
 ing the toi-ehead of a cow is fatal. Several instances occurred 
 during this great hunting bout, of bulls fighting furiously after 
 having received mortal wounds. Wyeth, also, was witness to 
 an instance of the kind while encamped with Indians. Dur- 
 ing a grand hunt of the buffalo, one of the Indians ])ressed a 
 bull so closely t-hat the animal turned suddenly on him. His 
 horce stopped short, or started back, and threw him. Before 
 he could rise the bull inished furiously upon him, and gored 
 him in the chest so that his breath came out at the aperture. 
 He was conveyed back to the camp, and his wound was 
 dressed. Givmg himself up for slain, he called round him 
 his friends, and made his wiU b%- word of mouth. It was 
 something like a death chant, and at the end of every sen- 
 tence those around responded in concord. He appeared no 
 ways intimidated by the approach of death. " I think," adds 
 Wyeth, ' ' the Indians die better than the white men ; perhaps, 
 from having less fear about the future." 
 
 The buffalo may be approached very near, if the hunter 
 keeps to the leeward; but they are quick of scent, and will 
 take the alarm and move off from a party of himters to the 
 windward, even when two miles distant. 
 
 Tlio vast herds which had poured down into the Bear River 
 valley were now snow-bound, and remamed in the neighbor- 
 hood of the camji througiiout the winter. This furnished the 
 trappers and their Indian friends a perpetual v,'arnival; so 
 that, to slay and eat seemed to be the main occupations of 
 the day. It is astonishing what loads of meat it requires to 
 cope with the appetite of a hunting camp. 
 
 The ravens and wolves soon came in for their share of the 
 good chcor. These constant attendants of the hunter gathered 
 in vast numbers as the winter advanced. They might be com- 
 pletely out of sight, but at the report of a gun, flights of ravens 
 would immediately be seen hovering in tbe air, no one knew 
 whence they came; while the sharp visages of the wolves 
 would peep down from the brow of every hill, waiting for the 
 hunter's departure to poimce ujion the carcass. 
 
 Beside the buffaloes, there were other neighbors snow-bound
 
 282 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 in the valley, whose presence did not promise to be so advan- 
 tageous. This was a band of Eutaw Indians who were en- 
 camped higher up on the river. They are a poor tribe that, in 
 a. scale of the various tribes inhabiting these regions, would 
 rank between the Shoshonies and the Shoshokoes or Root Dig- 
 gers ; though more bold and warlike than the latter. They 
 have but few rifles among them, and are generally armed with 
 bows and arrows. 
 
 As this band and the Shoshonies were at deadly feud, on ac- 
 count of old grievances, and as neitlier party stood in awe of 
 the other, it was feared some bloody scenes might ensue. Cap- 
 tain Bonneville, therefore, undertook the office of pacificator, 
 and sent to the Eutaw chiefs, inviting them to a friendly 
 smoke, in order to bring about a reconciliation. His invita- 
 tion was proudly declined ; whereupon he went to them in per- 
 son, and succeeded in effecting a suspension of hostilities until 
 the chiefs of the two tribes could meet in council. The braves 
 of the two rival camps sullenly acquiesced in the arrangement. 
 They would take theii' seats upon the hill tops, and watch their 
 quondam enemies hunting the buffalo in the plain below, and 
 evidently repine that their hands were tied up from a skir- 
 mish. The worthy captain however, succeeded in carrying 
 through his benevolent mediation. The chiefs met ; the amica- 
 ble pipe was smoked, the hatchet buried, and peace formally , 
 proclaimed. After this, both camps united and mingled in 
 social intercourse. Private quarrels, however, would occa- 
 sionally occur in hunting, about the division of the game, and 
 blows would sometimes be exchanged over the carcass of a 
 buffalo ; but the chiefs wisely took no notice of these individual 
 brawls. 
 
 One day the scouts, who had been ranging the hills, brought 
 news of several large herds of antelopes in a small valley at no 
 groat distance. This produced a sensation among the Indians, 
 for both tribes were in ragged condition, and sadly in want of 
 those shirts made of the skin of the antelope. It was deter- 
 mined to have " a surround," as the mode of hunting that ani- 
 mal is called. Everything now assumed an air of mystic so- 
 lemnity and importance. The chiefs prepared their medicines 
 or charms each according to his own method, or fancied inspi- 
 ration, generally ^^ith the compoimd of certain simples ; others 
 consulted the entrails of animals which they had sacrificed, 
 an:l thence drew favorable auguries. After much grave smok- 
 ing and deliberating it was at length proclaimed that all who
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 283 
 
 were able to lift a club, man. woman, or child, should muster 
 for " the surround. " When all had congregated, they moved 
 in rude procession to the nearest point of the valley in question, 
 and there halted. Another course of smoking and deliberating, 
 of which the Indians are so fond, took place among the chiefs. 
 Directions were then issued for the horsemen to make a circuit 
 of about seven miles, so as to encompass the herd. When this 
 was done, the whole mounted force dashed off simultaneously, 
 at full speed, shouting and yelling at the top of their voices. 
 In a short space of time the antelopes, started from their 
 hiding-i)laces, came bounding from all points into the valley. 
 The riders, now gradually contracting their circle, brought 
 them nearer and nearer to the spot where the senior chief, sur- 
 romided by the elders, male and female, were seated in super- 
 vision of the chase. The anteloiDcs, nearly exhausted with 
 fatigue and fright, and bewildered by perpetual whooping, 
 made no effort to break through the ring of the hunters, but 
 ran round in small circles, until man, woman, and child beat 
 them down with bludgeons. Such is the nature of that species 
 of antelope hunting, technically called "a surround." 
 
 CHAPTER XLVn. 
 
 A FESTIVE WINTER— CONVERSION OF THE SHOSHONTES —VISIT OF 
 TWO FREE TRAPPERS— GAYETY IN THE CAMP— A TOUCH OP 
 THE TENDER PASSION — THE RECLAIMED SQUAW— AN INDIAN FINE 
 LADY — AN ELOPEMENT — A PURSUIT — MARKET VALUE OF A BAD 
 WIFE. 
 
 Game continued to abound throughout the winter, and the 
 camp was overetocked with provisions. Beef and venison, 
 humps and haunches, buffalo tongues and marrow-bones, were 
 constantly ccoking at every fire ; and the whole atmosphere 
 was redolent with the savory fumes of roast meat. It was, in- 
 deed, a continual "feast of fat things, "and though there might 
 be a lack of "wine upon the lees," yet we have shown that a 
 substitute was occasionally to bo found in honey and alcohol. 
 
 Both the Shoshonies and the Eutaws conducted themselves 
 with great propriety. It is true, they now and then filched a 
 few trifles from their good friends, the Big Hearts, when their
 
 284 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 backs were turned; but then, they always treated them to 
 their faces with the utmost deference and respect, and good- 
 humoredly vied with the trappeis in all kinds of feats of activ- 
 ity and mirthful sports. The two tribes maintained toward 
 each other, also, a friendliness of aspect which gave Captain 
 Bonneville reason to hope that all past animosity was effectu- 
 ally buried. 
 
 The two rival bands, however, had not long been mingled in 
 this social manner, before their ancient jealousy began to 
 break out in a new form. The senior chief of the Slioshonies 
 was a thinking man, and a man of observation. He had been 
 among the Nez Perces, listened to their new code of morality 
 and religion received froiu the white men, and attended their 
 devotional exercises. He had observed the effect of ah this, in 
 elevating the tribe in the estimation of the white men ; and 
 determined, by the same means, to gain for his own tribe a 
 superiority over their ignorant rivals, the Eutaws. He accord- 
 ingly assembled his people, and promulgated among them the 
 mongrel doctrines and form of worship of the Nez Perces; 
 recommending the same to their adoption. The Slioshonies 
 were stiaick with the novelty, at least, of the measure, and 
 entered into it with spirit. They began to observe Sundays 
 and holidays, and to have their devotional dances, and chants, 
 and other ceremonials, about which the ignorant Eutaws knew 
 nothing ; while they exerted their usual competition in shoot- 
 ing and horseracing, and the renowned game of hand. 
 
 Matters were going on thus pleasantly and prosperously, in 
 this motley community of white and red men, when, one 
 morning, two stark free trappers, arrayed in the height of sav- 
 age finery, and movmted on steeds as fine and as fiery as them- 
 selves, and all jingling with hawks' bells, came galloping, with 
 whoop and halloo, into the camp. 
 
 They were fresh from the winter encampment of the Ameri- 
 can Fur Company, ui the Green River valley ; and had come 
 to pay their old comrades of Captain Bonneville's company a 
 visit. An idea may be formed from the scenes we have already 
 given of conviviality in the wilderness, of the manner in which 
 these game birds were received by those of their feat^ier in the 
 camp; what feasting, what revelhng, what boasting, what 
 bragging, what ranting and roaring, and racing and gambhng, 
 and squabbhng and fighting, ensued among these boon com- 
 panions. Captain Bonneville, it is true, maintained always a 
 certain degree of law and order in his camp, and chocked each
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 9S5 
 
 fierce excess ; but the trappers, in their seasons of idleness and 
 relaxation require a degree of hcense and indulgence, to repay 
 them for the long privations and almost incredible hardsbijis of 
 their periods of active service. 
 
 In the midst of all tliis feasting and frolicking, a freak of the 
 tender passion intervened, and wrought a comjilete change in 
 the scene. Among the Indian beauties in the camp of the 
 Eutaws and Shoshonies, the free trappere discovered two, who 
 had whilom figured as their squaws. These connections fre- 
 quently take place for a season, and sometimes continue for 
 years, if not perpetually ; but are apt to be broken when the 
 free trapper starts off, suddenly, on some distant and rough 
 expedition. 
 
 In the present instance, these wild blades were anxious to 
 regain their belles ; nor were the latter loath once more to come 
 under their protection. The free trapper combines, in the eye 
 of an Indian girl, aU that is dashing and heroic in a warrior of 
 her own race— whose gait, and garb, and bravery he emulates 
 — with all that is gallant and glorious in the white man. And 
 then the indulgence with which he treats her, the finery in 
 which he decks her out, the state in which she moves, the sway 
 eho enjoys over both liis purse and person ; instead of being 
 the drudge and slave of an Indian husband, obliged to carry 
 his pack, and build his lodge, and make his fire, and bear his 
 cross humors and dry blows. No; there is no comparison in 
 the eyes of an aspiring belle of the wilderness, between a free 
 trapper and an Indian brave. 
 
 With respect to one of the parties the matter was easily ar- 
 ranged. The beauty in question was a pert little Eutaw wench, 
 that had been taken prisoner, in some war excursion, by a 
 Shoshonie. She was readily ransomed for a few articles of 
 trifling value ; and forthwith figured about the camp in fine 
 array, "with rings on her fingers, and bells on her toes," and 
 a tossed-up coquettish air that made her the envy, admiration, 
 and abhorrence of all the leathern-dressed, hard-working 
 squaws of her acquaintance. 
 
 As to the other beauty, it was quite a different matter. She 
 had become the wife of a Shoshonie brave. It is tnie, he had 
 another wife, of older date than the one in question; who, 
 therefore, took command in his household, and treated his new 
 spouse as a slave ; but the latter was the wife of his last fancy, 
 his latest caprice ; and was precious in his eyes. All attempt 
 to bargain with him, therefore, was useless; the very proposi-
 
 286 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 tion was repulsed with anger and disdain. The spirit of the 
 trapper was roused, his pride was piqued as well as his passion. 
 He endeavored to i^revail upon his quondam mistress to elope 
 witli him. His horses were fleet, the winter nights were long 
 and dark, before daylight they would be beyond the reach of 
 pursuit ; and once at the encampment in Green River valley, 
 they might set the whole band of Shoshonies at defiance. 
 
 The Indian girl listened and longed. Her heart yearned 
 after the ease and splendor of condition of a trapper's bride, 
 and throbbed to be freed fi-om the capricious control of the 
 premier squaw ; but she dreaded the failure of the plan, and 
 the fury of a Shoshonie husband. They parted; the Indian 
 girl in tears, and the madcap trapper more mad than ever, 
 with his thwarted passion. 
 
 Their interviews had, probably, been detected, and the jeal- 
 ousy of the Shoshonie brave aroused : a clamor of angry voices 
 was heard in his lodge, with the sound of blows, and of female 
 weeping and lameating. At night, as the trapper lay tossing 
 on his paUet, a soft voice whispered at the door of his lodge. 
 His mistress stood trembling before him. She was ready to 
 follow whithersoever he should lead. 
 
 In an instant he was up and out. He had two prime horses, 
 sure and swift of foot, and of great wind. With stealthy quiet, 
 they were brought up and saddled ; and in a few moments he 
 and his prize were careering over the snow, with which the 
 whole country was covered. In the eagerness of escape, they 
 had made no provision for their journey ; days must elapse be- 
 fore they could reach their haven of safety, and mountains 
 and prairies be traversed, wrapped in aU the desolation of 
 winter. For the present, however, they thought of nothing 
 but flight ; urging their horses forward over the di-eary wastes, 
 and fancying, in the howling of every blast, they heard the 
 yeU of the pursuer. 
 
 At early dawn, the Shoshonie became aware of his loss. 
 Mounting his swiftest horse, he set oft" in hot pursuit. He soon 
 found the trafl of the fugitives, and spurred on in hopes of 
 overtaking them. The winds, however, which swept the val- 
 ley, had drifted the light snow into the prints made by the 
 horses' hoofs. In a little while he lost aU trace of them, and 
 was completely thrown out of the chase. He knew, however, 
 the situation of the camp toward which they were bound, and 
 a direct course through the mountains, by which he might 
 arrive there sooner than the fugitives. Through the most
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 287 
 
 rugged defiles, therefore, he urged his course by day and night, 
 scarce pausing until he reached the camp. It was some time 
 before the fugitives made their appearance. Six days had 
 they been traversing the wintry wilds. They came, haggard 
 with hunger and fatigue, and their horses faltering under them. 
 The first object that met their eyes on entering the camp was 
 the Shoshonie brave. He inashed, knife in hand, to plunge it 
 in the heart that had proved false to him. The trapper threw 
 himself before the cowering form of his mistress, and, exhaust- 
 ed as he was, prepared for a deadly struggle. The Shoshonie 
 paused. His habitual awe of the white man checked his arm ; 
 the trapper's friends crowded to the spot, and arrested him. 
 A parley ensued. A kind of crim. con. adjudication took place ; 
 such as frequently occurs in civilized lite. A couple of horses 
 were declared to be a fair compensation for the loss of a woman 
 who had previously lost her heart ; with this, the Shoshonie 
 brave was fain to pacify his passion. He returned to Captain 
 Bonneville's camp, somewhat crestfallen, it is true ; but parried 
 the officious condolements of his friends by obsei'vmg that two 
 good horses were very good pay for one bad wife. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVIII. 
 
 BREAKING UP OP WINTER QUARTERS — MOVE TO GREEN RIVER — 
 A TRAPPER AND HIS RIFLE— AN ARRIVAL IN CAMP— A FREE 
 TRAPPER AND HIS SQUAW IN DISTRESS— STORY OF A BLACK- 
 FOOT BELLE. 
 
 The winter was now breaking up. the snows were molted 
 from the hills, and from the lower parts of the mountains, and 
 the time for decamping had arrived. Captain Bonneville dis- 
 patched a party to the caches, who brought away all the elfocts 
 concealed there, and on the 1st of April (1835), the camp was 
 broken up, and every one on the move. The white men and 
 their aUies, the Eutaws and Shoshonies, parted with many re- 
 grets and sincere expressions of good-will; for their inter- 
 course throughout the winter had been of the most friendlj* 
 kind. 
 
 Captain Bonneville and his party passed by ITam's Fork, 
 and reached the Colorado, or Green River, without accident.
 
 288 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 on the banks of which they remained during the residue of the 
 spring. During this time, they were conscious that a band of 
 hostile Indians were hovering about their vicimty, watching 
 for an opportunity to slay or steal ; but the vigilant precau- 
 tions of Captain Bonneville baffled all their nianosuvrcs. In 
 such dangerous times, the experienced mountaineer is never 
 without his rifle even in camp. On going from lodge to lodge 
 to visit his comrades, he takes it with Mm. On seating him- 
 self in a lodge, he lays it beside him, ready to bo snatched up ; 
 when he goes out, he takes it up as regularly as a citizen would 
 his walking-staff. His rifle is his constant friend and protector. 
 
 On the 10th of June, the party were a httle to the east of 
 the Wind River Mountains, where they halted tor a time in 
 excellent pasturage, to give their horses a chance to recruit 
 their strength for a long journey ; for it was Captain Bonne- 
 viUe's intention to shape his course to the settlements ; having 
 already been detained by the complication of Ms duties, and by 
 various losses and impediments, far beyond the time specified 
 in his leave of absence. 
 
 Whfle the party was thus reposing in the neighborhood of 
 the Wind River ^Mountains, a solitary free trapper rode one 
 day into the camp, and accosted Captain Bonneville. He be- 
 longed, he said, to a party of thirty hunters, who had just 
 passed through the neighborhood, but whom he had aban- 
 doned in consequence of their iU treatment of a brother 
 trapper; whom they had cast off from their part^*, and left 
 with Ms bag and baggage, and an Indian wife into the 
 bargain, in the midst of a desolate prairie. The horseman 
 gave a piteous account of the situation of this helpless pair, 
 and sohcited the loan of horses to bring them and their effects 
 to the camp. 
 
 The captain was not a man to refuse assistance to any one 
 in distress, especially when tliere was a woman in the case ; 
 horses were immediately dispatched, with an escort, to aid the 
 imfortunate couple. The next day they made their appear- 
 ance with all their effects ; the man, a stalwart mountaineer, 
 with a peculiarly game look ; the woman, a young Blackfoot 
 beauty, arraved in the trappings and trmketry of a free 
 trapper's Lride. 
 
 Finding the woman to be quick-witted and communicative. 
 Captain Bonneville entered into conversation with her, and 
 obtained from her many particulars concerning the habits and 
 customs of her tribe; especially their wars and huntings.
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 289 
 
 They prido themselves upon being the 'best legs of the 
 mountains," and hunt the bufluilo on foot. This is done in 
 spring time, Avhen the frosts have thawed and the ground is 
 soft. The heavy butfalo then sink over their hoofs at every 
 step, and are easily overtaken by the Blackfeet. whose fleet 
 steps press lightly on the surface. It is said, however, that 
 the buffalo on the Pacific side of the Rocky Mountains are 
 fleeter and more active than on the Atlantic side : those upon 
 the plains of the Columbia can scarcely be overtaken by a 
 horse that would outstrip the same animal in the neighbor- 
 hood of the Platte, the usual hunting ground of the Blackfeet, 
 In the com'se of further conversation, Captain Bonneville 
 drew from the Indian woman her whole story ; wliich gave a 
 picture of savage life, and of the drudgery and hardships to 
 which an Indian wife is subject. 
 
 "I was the wife," said she, "of a Blackfoot Avarrior, and I 
 served him faithfully. Who was so well served as he? 
 Whose lodge was so well jjroviaed, or kept so clean? I 
 brought wood in the morning, and placed water always at 
 hand. I watched for his coming; and he found his meat 
 cooked and ready. If he rose to go forth, there was nothing 
 to delay him. I searched the thought that was in his heart, 
 to save him the trouble of speaking. When T went abroad on 
 errands for him, the chiefs £md warriors smiled upon mo, and 
 the young braves spoke soft tnings, m secret ; but my feet were 
 in the straight path, and my eyes could see nothing Init hhn. 
 
 "When he went out to hunt, or to war, who aided to equip 
 him, but I? When he retunied, I met him at the door; I took 
 his gim ; and he entered without further thought. While be 
 sat and smoked, I unloaded his horses; tied them to the 
 stakes, brought in their loads, and was quickly at his feet. If 
 his moccasins were wet I took them off and put on others 
 which were dry and warm. I dressed all the skins he had 
 taken in the chase. He could never say to me, why is it not 
 done? lie bunted the deer, the antttlo])e, and tlie buffalo, and 
 he watched for the enemy. Everything else was done by me. 
 When our people moved their camp, he mounted his horse 
 and rode away; free as though he had fallen from the skies. 
 He had nothing to do with the labor of the camp; it was I 
 that packed the horses and led them on the journey. When 
 we halted in the evening, and he sat with the other braves and 
 smoked, it was I that pitched his lodge; and when he came to 
 eat and sleep, liis supper and his bed were ready.
 
 290 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 "I served liim faithfully; and what was my reward? A 
 cloud was always on his brow, and sharp lightning on liis 
 tongue. I was his dog; and not his wife. 
 
 " Who was it that scarred and bruised me? It was he. My 
 brother saw how I was treated. His heart was big for me. 
 He begged me to leave my tyrant and fly. Where could I go'« 
 If retaken, who would protect me? My brother was not a 
 chiel:"; he could not save me froni blows and wounds, perhaps 
 death. At length I was persuaded. I followed my brother 
 from the village. He pointed away to the NezPerces, and bade 
 me go and Uve m peace r.niong them. We parted. On the third 
 day I saw the lodges of the Nez Perces before me. I paused 
 for a moment, and had no heart to go on; but my horse 
 neighed, and I took it as a good sign, and suffered him to 
 gallop forward. In a little while I was in the midst of the 
 lodges. As I sat silent on my horse, the people gathered 
 round me, and inquired whence I came. I told my story. A 
 chief now wrapped his blanket close around hun, and bade me 
 dismount. I obeyed. He took my horse to lead him away. 
 My heart grew small within me. I felt, on parting with my 
 horse, as ii my last friend was gone. I had no words, and my 
 eyes were dry. As he led off my horse a young brave stepped 
 forAvard. 'Are you a chief of the people?' cried he. 'Do we 
 listen to you in council, and follow you in battle? Behold! a 
 stranger flies to our camp from the dogs of Blackfeet, and asks 
 protection. Let shame cover your face! The stranger is a 
 woman, and alone. If she were a warrior, or had a warrior 
 by her side, your heart would not be big enough to take her 
 horse. But he is you?s. By the right of war you may claim 
 him ; but look ! '—his bow was drawn, and the arrow ready ! — 
 'you never shall cross his back ! ' The an*ow pierced the heart 
 of the horse, and he fell dead. 
 
 '' An old woman said she would be my mother. She led me 
 to her lodge; my heart was thawed by her kindness, and 
 my eyes burst forth wath tears ; like the frozen fountains in 
 springtime. She never changed; but as the days passed 
 away, was still a mother to me. The people were loud in 
 praise of the young brave, and the] chief was ashamed. I 
 lived in peace. 
 
 "A party of trappers came to the village, and one of them 
 took me for his wife. Tliis is he. I am very happy ; he treats 
 me with kindness, and I have taught him the language of my 
 people. As we were travelling this way, some of the Black'
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BOANh'VlLLK 291 
 
 feet vrK.rriors beset us. nn-i carried off the horses of the party. 
 We followed, and my husband lield a parley with theni. The 
 guns were laid down, and the pipe was lighted ; but some ot 
 the white men attempted to seize the horses by force, and 
 then a battle began. The snow was deep ; the white men sank 
 into it at every step ; but the red men, with their snow-shoes, 
 passed over the surface like birds, and drove off many of the 
 horses in sight of their owners. With those that remained we 
 resumed our journey. At length words took place between 
 the loader of the party and my husband. He took away our 
 horses, which had escaped in the battle, and turned us from 
 his camp. My husband had one good friend among the 
 trappers. That is he (pointing to the man who had asked 
 assistance for them). He is a good man. His heart is big. 
 When he came in from hunting, and found that we had been 
 driven away, he gave up all his wages, and followed us, that 
 he might speak good words for us to the white captain." 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX. 
 
 RENDEZVOUS AT WIND RIVER — CAMPAIGN OP MONTERO AND HIS 
 BRIGADE IN THE CROW COUNTRY — WARS BETWEEN THE 
 CROWS AND BLACKFEET— DEATH OF ARAPOOISH — BLACKFEET 
 LURKERS — SAGACITY OF THE HORSE — DEPENDENCE OP THE 
 HUNTER ON HIS HORSE— RETURN TO THE SETTLEMENTS. 
 
 On the 22d of June Captain Bonneville raised his camp, 
 and moved to the forks of Wind River; the appointed place of 
 rendezvous. In a few days he was joined there by the 
 brigade of Montero, which had been sent, in the preceding 
 year, to beat up the Crow country, and afterward proceed to 
 the Arkansas. Montero had followed the early part of his 
 instru(;tions ; after trapping upon some of the upper streams, 
 he proceeded to Powder River. Here he fell in with the Crow 
 villages or bands, who treated him with imusual kindness, 
 and prevailed upon liim to take up his winter quarters among 
 them. 
 
 The Crows at that time were stiiiggling almost for existence 
 with their old enemies, the Blackfeet ; who, in the past year, 
 had picked off the flower of their wai'riors in various engage-
 
 292 ADVKNTURKS OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 ments, and among the rest, Arapooish, the friend of the white 
 men. That sagacious and magnanimous chief had beheld, 
 with grief, the ravages which war was making in his tribe, 
 and that it was declining in force, and must eventually be 
 destroyed unless some signal blow could be struck to retrieve 
 its fortunes. In a pitched battle of the two tribes, he made a 
 speech to his warriors, urging them to set everything at 
 hazai'd in one furious charge ; which done, he led the v/ay into 
 the thickest of the foe. He was soon separated from his men, 
 and fell covered with wounds, but his self-devotion was not in 
 vain. The Blackf eet were defeated ; and from that time the 
 Crows plucked up fresh heart, and were frequently successful, 
 
 Montero had not been long encamped among them, when he 
 discovered that the Blackf eet were hovering about the neigh- 
 borhood. One day the hunters came galloping into the camp, 
 and proclaimed that a band of the enemy was at hand. The 
 Crows flew to arms, leaped on their horses, and dashed out in 
 squadrons in pursuit. They overtook the retreating enemy in 
 the midst of a plain. A desperate fight ensued. The Crows 
 had the advantage of numbers, and of fighting on horseback. 
 The greater part of the Blackfeet were slain ; the remnant took 
 shelter in a close thicket of willows, where the horse could not 
 enter ; whence they plied their bows vigorously. 
 
 The Crows drew off out of bow-shot, and endeavored, by 
 taunts and bravadoes, to draw the warriors out of their 
 retreat, A few of the best mounted among them rode apart 
 from the f est. One of their number then advanced alone, Avith 
 that martial air and equestrian grace for which the tribe is 
 noted. When within an arrow's flight of the thicket, he 
 loosened his rein, urged his horse to full speed, threw his body 
 on the opposite side, so as to hang by but one leg, and present 
 no mark to the foe ; in this way he swept along in front of the 
 thicket, launching his arrows from under the neck of his 
 steed. Then regaining his seat in the saddle, he wheeled 
 round and returned whooping and scoffing to his companions, 
 who received him with yells of applause. 
 
 Another and another horseman repeated this exploit; but 
 the Blackfeet were not to be taunted out of their safe shelter. 
 The victors feared to drive desperate men to extremities, so 
 they forbore to attempt the thicket. Toward night they gave 
 over the attack, and returned all-glorious with the scalps of 
 the slain. Then came on the usual feasts and triumphs ; the 
 scalp-dance of warriors round the ghastly trophies, and all
 
 ADVKNrURKS OF CAPTAIN BONNKVILLE. 293 
 
 the other fierce revehy of barbarous warfare. When the 
 braves had finished with the scalps, they were, as usual, given 
 up to the women and children, and made the objects of new 
 parades and dances. They were then treasured up as invalu- 
 able trophies and decorations by the bi'aves who had won 
 them. 
 
 It is worthy of note, that the scalp of a white man, either 
 through policy or fear, is treated with more charity than that 
 of an Indian. The warrior who won it is entitled to his 
 triumph if he demands it. In such case, the war party alone 
 dance round the scalp. It is then taken down, and the shag- 
 ged frontlet of a buffalo substituted in its place, and aban- 
 doned to the ti'iumphs and insults of the million. 
 
 To avoid being involved in these guei-illas, as well as to 
 escape from the extremely social intercourse of the Crows, 
 which began to be oppressive, Montero moved to the distance 
 of several miles from their camps, and there formed a winter 
 cantonment of huts. He no\v' maintained a vigilant watch at 
 night. Their horses, which were turned loose to graze during 
 the day, under heedful eyes, were brought in at night, and 
 shut up in strong pens, built of large logs of cotton-wood. 
 The snows, during a portion of the winter, were so deep that 
 the poor anmials could find but little sustenance. Here and 
 there a tuft of grass would peer above the snow; but they 
 were in general driven to browse the twigs and tender 
 branches of the trees. When they were turned out in the 
 morning, the first moments of freedom from the confinement 
 of the pen were spent in frisking and gambolling. Tliis done, 
 they went soberly and sadly to work, to glean their scanty 
 subsistence for the day. In the meantime the men stripped 
 the bark of the cotton-wood tree for the evening fodder. As 
 the poor horses would return toward night, with sluggish and 
 dispirited air, the moment they saw their owners .\pproaching 
 them "vvith blankets filled with cotton-wood bark, their whole 
 demeanor underwent a change. A universal neigliing and 
 capering took place; they would rush forward, smell to the 
 blankets, paw the earth, snort, whinny and prance round 
 with head and tail ei-ect, until the blankets were opened, and 
 the welcome provender spread before them. These evidences 
 of inteUigence and gladness were frequently recounted by the 
 trappers as proving the sagacity of the animal. 
 
 These veteran rovers of the mountains look upon their 
 horses as in some respects gifted with almost human intellect.
 
 204 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 An old and experienced trapper, when mounting guard upon 
 the canip in dark nights and times of peril, gives heedful 
 attention to aU the sounds and signs of the horses. No enemy- 
 enters nor approaches the camp without attracting their 
 notice, and their movements not only give a vague alarm, but 
 it is said, wiU even indicate to the knowing trapper the very 
 quarter whence the danger threatens. 
 
 In the daytime, too, while a hunter is engaged on the 
 prairie, cutting up the deer or buffalo he has slain, he denends 
 upon his faithful horse as a sentinel. The sagacious animal 
 sees and smells all round hun, and by his starting and whinny- 
 ing, gives notice of the approach of strangers. There seems to 
 be a dumb communion and fellowship, a sort of fraternal sym- 
 pathy between the hunter and his hoi'se. They mutually rely 
 upon each other for company and protection ; and nothing is 
 more difficult, it is said, than to surprise an experienced hun- 
 ter on the prairie, while his old and favorite steed is at his side. 
 
 Montero had not long removed his camp from the vicinity of 
 the Crows, and fixed himself in his new quarters, when the 
 Blackfeet marauders discovered his cantonment, and began to 
 haunt the vicinity. He kept up a vigilant watch, however, 
 and foUed every attempt of the enemy, who, at length, seemed 
 to have given up in despair, and abandoned the neighborhood. 
 The trappers relaxed their vigilance, therefore, and one night, 
 after a day of severe labor, no guards were posted, and the 
 whole camp was soon asleep. Toward midnight, however, the 
 lightest sleepers were roused by the trampling of "feoofs ; and, 
 giving the alarm, the whole party were immediately on their 
 legs and hastened to the pens. The bars were flown ; but no 
 enemy was to be seen or heard, and tlie 'norses iDeing all found 
 hard by, it was supposed the bars had been left down through 
 negligence. All were once more asleep, when, in ahout an 
 hour there was a second alarm, and it was discovered that 
 several horses were missing. The rest were mounted, and so 
 spirited a pursuit took place, that eighteen of the number 
 carried off were regained, and but three remained in pos- 
 session of the enemy. Traps for wolves, had been set about 
 the camp the preceding day. In the morning it was dis- 
 covered that a Blackfoot was entrapped by one of them, but 
 had succeeded in dragging it off. His trail was followed for a 
 long distance, which he must have hmped alone. At length 
 he appeared to have fallen in with some of his comrades, who 
 had volicved him from his painful incumbrance.
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 295 
 
 These were the leading incidents of Montero's campaign in 
 the Crow country. The united parties noAv celebrated the 4th 
 of July, m rough hunters' style, with hearty conviviality; 
 after which Captain Bonneville made his final arrangements. 
 Leaving Moutero Avith a brigade of trappers to open anotboi- 
 campaign, he put liimself at the head of the residue of lus 
 men, and set olf on his return to civilized life. We shall not 
 detail his journey along the course of the Nebraska, and so, 
 from point to point of the wilderness, until ho and his band 
 reached the frontier settlements on the 22d oC August. 
 
 Here, according to his own account, his cavalcade might 
 have boon taken for a procession of tatterdemalion savages ; 
 for the men were ragged almost to nakedness, and had con- 
 tracted a wildness of aspect during three years of wandering 
 in the wilderness. A few hoiu-s in a populous town, however, 
 produced a magical metamorphosis. Hats of the most ample 
 brim and longest nap ; coats with buttons that shone like mir- 
 rors, and pantaloons of the most ample plenitude, took place 
 of the well-worn trapper's equipnients ; and the happy wearers 
 might be seen strolling about in all directions, scattering their 
 silver like sailors just from a cruise. 
 
 The worthy captain, however, seems by no means to have 
 shared the excitement of his men, on finding himself once 
 more in the thronged resorts of civilized life, but, on the con- 
 trary, to have looked back to the wilderness with regret. 
 "Tbough the prospect," says he, "of once more tasting the 
 blessings of peaceful society, and passing days and nights 
 under the calm guardianship of the laws, was not without its 
 attractions ; yet to those of us whoso whole lives had been spent 
 m the stirring excitement and perpetiial watchfulness of ad- 
 ventures in the wilderness, the change was far from ]iromising 
 an increase of that contentment and mward satisfaction most 
 conducive to happiness. He who. like myself, has roved al- 
 most from boyhood among the children of the forest, and over 
 the un furrowed plains and rugged heights of the western 
 wastes, will not be startled to learn, that notwithstanding all 
 the fascinations of the world on this civilized side of the moim- 
 tains, I would fain make my bow to the splendors and gnyeties 
 of the metropolis, and plunge again amid the haidships and 
 perils of the wilderness." 
 
 We have only to add that the affairs of the captain have 
 been satisfactorily arranged with the War Department, and 
 that he is actually in service at Fort Gibson, on our western
 
 O06 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 
 
 frontier, where we hope he may meet with further oppor- 
 tunities of indulging his peculiar tastes, and of collecting 
 graphic and characteristic details of the great western wilds 
 and their motley inhabitants. 
 
 We here close our picturings of the Eocky Mountains and 
 their wild inhabitants, and of the wild life that prevails there ; 
 which we have been anxious to fix on record, because we are 
 aware that this singular state of things is full of mutation, 
 and must soon undergo great changes, if not entirely pass 
 away. The fur trade itself, which has given life to all this 
 portraiture, is essentially evanescent. ' Rival parties of trap- 
 pers soon exhaust the streams, especially when competition 
 renders them heedless and wasteful of the beaver. The fur- 
 bearing animals extinct, a complete change will come over the 
 scene ; the gay free trapper and his steed, decked out in wild 
 array, and tinkling Avith bells and trink^ry ; the savage war 
 chief, plumed and painted and ever on the prowl; the traders' 
 cavalcade, winding through defiles or over naked plains, with 
 the stealthy war party lurking on its trail ; the buffalo chase, 
 the hunting camp, the mad earouse in the midst of danger, 
 the night attack, the stampado, the scamper, the fierce skir- 
 mish among rocks and cliffs — all this romance of savage life, 
 which yet exists among the mountains, will then exist but in 
 frontier story, and seem Kke the fictions of chivalry or fairy 
 tale. 
 
 Some new system of things, or rather some new modifica- 
 tion, will succeed among the roving people of this vast wilder- 
 ness ; but just as opposite, perhaps, to the inhabitants of civili- 
 zation. The great Chippewyan chain of mountains, and the 
 sapdy and volcanic plains which extend on either side, are 
 represented as incapable of cultivation. The pasturage which 
 prevails there during a certain portion of the year, soon 
 Avithers under the aridity of the atmosphere, and leaves noth- 
 ing but dreary Avastes. Aa immense belt of rocky mountains 
 and A'olcanic plains, several hundred miles in Avidth, must ever 
 i-emnin an irreclaima'ble wilderness, inter\"enlng bctAveen the 
 abodes of civilization, and affording a last refuge to the 
 Indian. Here roA'ing tribes of hunters, living in tents or 
 lodg2s, and folloAA'ing the migrations of the game, may lead a 
 life or saA'age independence, where there is nothing to tempt 
 the cupidity of the Avliite man. The amalgamation of various
 
 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE. 297 
 
 tribes, and of white men of every nation, will in time produce 
 hybrid races like the mountain Tartars of the Caucasus. 
 Possessed as they are of immense droves of horses, should 
 they continue their present predatory and warlike habits, 
 they may in time become a scourge to the civilized frontiers 
 on either side of the mountains, as they are at present a ter- 
 ror to the traveller and trader. 
 
 The facts disclosed in the present work clearly manifest the 
 policy of establishing military posts and a mounted force to 
 protect our traders in their journeys across the great western 
 wilds, and of pushing the outposts into the very heart of the 
 singular wilderness we have laid open, so as to maintain some 
 degree of sway over the country, and to put an end to the kind 
 of "blackmail," levied on all occasions by the savage " chivaliy 
 of the mountains."
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 NATHANIEL J. WYETH AND THE TRADE OF THE FAR WEST. 
 
 Wk have brought Captahi Bonneville to the end of his western campaigning; yet 
 we cannot close this work without subjoining some particulars concerning the for- 
 tunes of his contemporary, Mr. Wyeth; anecdotes of whose enterprise have, occa- 
 sionally, been interwoven in the party-colored web of our narrative. Wyetb 
 effected his intention of establisViing a trading post on the Portneuf, which he 
 named Fort Hall. Here, for the fli'st time, the American flag was unfurled to the 
 breeze that sweejes the great naked wastes of the central wilderness. Leaving' 
 twelve men here, with a stock of goods, to trade with the neighboring ti'ibes, hf 
 prosecuted his jourue3' to the Columbia, where he established another post, called 
 Fort Williams, on Wappatoo Island, at the mouth of the Wallamut. This was to bt 
 the head factory of his company, whence they were to cai-ry on their fishing and 
 trapping operations, and their trade with the interior, and where they were to 
 receive and dispatch their annual ship. 
 
 The plan of Mr. Wyeth appears to have been well concerted. He had observed 
 that the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, the bands of free trappers, as well as the 
 Indians west of the mountains, depended for their supplies upon goods brought 
 from St. Louis; which, in consequence of the expenses and risks of a long land car- 
 riage, were furnished them at an immense advance on first cost. He had an idea 
 thai tliey might be much more cheaply supplied from the Pacific side. Horses 
 would cos^ much less on the borders of the Columbia than at St. Louis; the trans- 
 portation by land was much shorter, and through a countrj- much more safe from 
 the hostility of savage tribes; which, on the route from and to St. Louis, annually 
 cost the lives of many men. On this idea he grounded his plan. He combined the 
 salmon fishery with the fur trade. A fortified trading post was to be established 
 on the Columbia, to carry on a trade with the natives for salmon and peltries, and 
 to fish and trap on their own account. Once a year a ship was to come fi'om the 
 United States to bring out goods for the interior trade, and to take home the 
 salmon and furs which had been collected. Part of the goods thus brought out 
 •were to be dispatched to the mountains to supply the trapping companies and the 
 Indian tribes, in exchange for their furs, which were to be brought down to the 
 Columbia, to be sent home in the next annual ship; and thus an annual round was 
 to be kept up. The profits on the salmon, it was expected, would cover all the 
 expenses of the ship, so that the goods brought out and the furs carried home 
 would cost nothing as to freight. 
 
 His enterpri.se was prosecuted with a spirit, intelligence, and perseverance that 
 merited success. All the details that we have met with prove him to be no ordinary 
 man. He appears to have the mind to conceive and the energy to execute exten- 
 sive and striking plans. He had once more reared the American flag in the lost 
 domains of Astoria; and had he been enabled to maintain the footing he had so 
 gallantly effected, he might have regained for his country the opulent trade of the 
 Columbia, of which our statesmen have negligently suffered us to be dispossessed. 
 
 It is needless to go into a detail of the variety of accidents and cross-purposes 
 which caused the failure of his scheme. They were such as all undertakings of the 
 kind, involving combined operations by sea and land, are liable to. What ho most 
 wanted was sufficient capital to enable him to endure incipient obstacles and 
 lo.sses, and to hold on until success had time to spring up from the midsu of dis 
 astrous experiments.
 
 APPENDIX. 299 
 
 It is with extreme regrret we learn that he has recently been compelled to dispose 
 of his establishment at Wappatoo Island to the Hudson's Bay Company, who, it is 
 but justice to say, have, accoidinff to his own account, treated him throughout the 
 whole of his enterf>rise with great fairness, friendship, and liberality. That com- 
 pany, therefore, still maintains an unrivalled sway over the whole country washed 
 by the Columbia and its tributaries. It has, in fact, as far as its chartered powers 
 permit, followed out the splendid scheme contemplated by Mr. Astor when he 
 founded his establishment at the mouth of the Columbia. From their emporium of 
 Vancouver, companies are sent forth in every direction, to supply the interior 
 posts, to trade with the natives and to trap upon the various streams. These 
 thread the rivers, traverse the plains, penetrate to the heart of the mountains, 
 extend their enterprises northward to the Russian posse.ssions. and southward to 
 the conftues of California. Their yearlj- supplies are received by sea at Vancouver, 
 and thence their furs and peltries are shipped to London. They likewise maintain 
 a considerable commerce in wheat and lumber with the Pacific islands, and to the 
 north with the Russian settlements. 
 
 Though the company, by treaty, have a right to participation only in the trade of 
 these region.^, and are in fact but tenants on sufferance, yet have they quietly 
 availt'd themselves of the original oversight and subsequent supineness of the 
 American government, to establish a monojjoly of the trade of the river and its 
 dependencies, and are adroitly proceeding to fortify themselves in their usurpa- 
 tion, by securing all the strong points of the country. 
 
 Fort George, originally Astoria, which was :.'>»i''.oned on the removal of the 
 main factory to Vancouvei", was renewed in ISJO, and is now kept up as a fortified 
 post and trading house. All the places accessible to shipping have been taken pos- 
 session of. and posts recently established at them by the company. 
 
 The great capital of this association, their long established system, their heredi- 
 tary inrtueuce over the Indian tribes, their internal organization, which makes 
 everything go on with the regularity of a machine, and the low wages of their 
 people, who are mostl}- Canadians, give them great advantages over the American 
 traders; nor is it likely the latter will ever be able to maintain any footing in the 
 land imtil the question of territorial right is adjusted between the two countries. 
 The sooner that takes place the better. It is a question too serious to national 
 pride, if not to national interest, to be slurred over, and every year is adding to the 
 ditfleulties which environ it. 
 
 The fur trade, which is now the main object of enterprise west of the Rocky 
 Mountains, forms but a part of the real re.sources of the country. Beside the 
 salmon fishery of the Columbia, which is capable of being rendered a considerable 
 source of profit, the great valleys of the lower country, below the elevated volcanic 
 plateau, are calculated to give su.stenance to countless Hocks and herds, and to 
 sustain a gi'eat population t>f graziers and agriculturists. 
 
 Such, for instance, is the beautiful valley of the Wallamut, from which the estab- 
 lishment at Vancouver dr.aws most of its supplies. Here the company holds mills 
 and farms, and has provided for some of its superannuated oflicers and servants. 
 This valley, above the falls, is about fifty miles wide, and extends a great distance 
 to the south. The climate is mild, being shelti-red by lateral ranges of mountains, 
 while the soil, for richness, has been equalled to the best of the 3Iissouri lands. 
 The vnlley of the river Des Chutes is also admirably calculated for a great grazing 
 country All the best horses used by the company for the mountains are raised 
 there. The valley is of such happy temperature that grass grows there throughout 
 the year, and cattle may be left out to pasture during the winter. These valleys 
 must form the grand points of commencement of the future settlement of the 
 country; but there must be many such enfolded in the embraces of these lower 
 ranges of mountains which, though at present they lie waste and uninhnbited. and 
 to the eye of the trader and trapper present but barren wastes, would, lu the hands 
 of skilful agriculturists and husbandmen, soon a.ssume a different aspect, and teem 
 with waving crops or be covered with flocks and herds.
 
 300 APPENDIX. 
 
 Tlie resources of the country, too, while in the hands of a company restricted in 
 its trade, can be but partially called forth, but in tJae hands of Americans, enjoying 
 n direOi, trade with the East Indies, would be brouglit into quickenmg activity, and 
 iiiipht soon realize the dream of Mr. Astor, in giving rise to a flourishing commer- 
 cial empire. 
 
 WRECK OF A JAPANESE JUNK ON THE NORTHWEST COAST. 
 
 The following extract of a letter which we received lately from Mr. Wyeth may 
 be interesting as throwing some light upon the question as to the manner in which 
 America has been peopled: 
 
 "Are you aware of the fact that in the winter of 1833 a Japanese junk was 
 wrecked on the northwest coast, in the neighborhood of Queen Charlotte's Island, 
 and that all but two of the crew, then much reduced by starvation and disease, dur- 
 ing a long drift across the Pacific, were killed by tlie natives? The two fell into the 
 hands of the Hudson's Bay Company, and were sent to England. I saw them, on 
 my arrival at Vancouver, in 1834." 
 
 INSTRUCTIONS TO CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE FROM THE MAJOR-GENERAL 
 COMMANDING THE ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 Head-Quarters op the Army, ( 
 Washington, August 3, 1831. f 
 
 Sir: The leave of absence which you have asked, for the pui-pose of enabling you 
 to carry into execution your design of exploring the country to the Rocky Moun- 
 tains and beyond, with a view of ascertaining the nature and character of the 
 several tribes of Indians inhabiting those regions; the trade which might be profi- 
 tably <'arried on with them; the quality of the soil, the productions, the minerals, 
 the natui-al history, the climate, the geography and topography, as well as geology, 
 of the various parts of the country within the limits of the territories belonging to 
 the United States, between our frontier and the Pacific— has been duly considered 
 and submitted to the War- Department for approval, and has been sanctioned. 
 You are. therefore, authorized to be absent from the army until October, 1833. It 
 is understood that the government is to be at no exijense in reference to yom" pro- 
 posed expedition, it having originated with yom'self ; and all that you required was 
 the permission from the proper authority to undertake ihe enterprise. You will, 
 natifrally. in preparing youi'self for the expedition, provide suitable instruments, 
 and especially the best maps of the interior to be Sound. 
 
 It is desirable, besides what is enumerated as the object •f your enterprise, that 
 you note particularly the number of warriors that may be in each tribe or nation 
 that you may meet with; their alliances with other tribes, and their relative position 
 as to a state of peace or war, and whether their friendly or warlike dispositions 
 toward each other are recent or of long standing. You will gratify us by describ- 
 ing their manner of making war; of the mode of subsisting themselves during a 
 state of war, and a state of peace; their arms, and the effect of them; whether they 
 act on foot or on horseback; detailing the discipline and manceuvres of the war 
 parties; the power of their horses, size, and general description; in short, every 
 infoi-mation which you may conceive would be useful to the government. 
 
 You will avail yourself of every opportunity of informing us of your position and 
 progress, and, at the expiration of your leave of absence, will join j-our proper 
 station. I have the honor to be, sir. 
 
 Your ob't servant, 
 
 Alexander Macomb, 
 Major-Oeneral, commanding the Army. 
 
 Capt. B. L. E. Bonneville, 
 
 7th Reg't of Infantry, Neto York.
 
 SPANISH 
 
 VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 BT 
 
 WASHINGTON IRVING. 
 
 CHICAGO AND NEW YORK : 
 
 BELFORD, CLARKE & COMPANY, 
 
 Publishers.
 
 TROW'8 
 
 PRINTING AND BOOKBINDING COMPANY, 
 
 NEW YORK.
 
 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 COj^^TE^'TS. 
 
 PAO& 
 
 Introduction 5 
 
 CHAP. ALONZO DE OJEDA. 
 
 I. Some Account of Ojftfla— Of Juan do la Cosa— Of Amerigo Vespucci— 
 
 Prfparatioiis for the Voyaj^e ( 149!)) . 9 
 
 II. Departure from Spain — Arrival on tiie Coast of Paria — Customs of the 
 
 Natives 18 
 
 III. Coast in;? of Terra Firma— Military Expedition of Ojeda 15 
 
 IV. Discovery of the Gulf of Venezuela — Transaction.s there — Ojeda explores 
 
 the (iulf— Penetrates to JIaracaibo 17 
 
 V. Prosecution of the Voyage— Return to Spain 80 
 
 PEDRO ALONZO NINO AND CHRISTOVAL GUERRA (1499). 
 
 A. D. 1499 22 
 
 VICENTE YANEZ PINZON. 
 
 A. D. 1499 26 
 
 DIEQO DE LEPE AND RODRIGO DE BASTIDES. 
 
 A. -3. 1500 82 
 
 ALONZO DE OJEDA. Second Voyage. 
 
 A. D. 1502 35 
 
 ALONZO DE OJEDA. Tnmn Voyage. 
 
 I. Ojeda applies for a Command — Has a rival candidate in Diego de Nicuesa 
 
 — His success 41 
 
 II. Feud between the Rival Qovemora, Ojeda and Nicuesa— A Challenge — 
 
 (1509) 44 
 
 III. Exploits aufl Disasters of Ojeda on the Coast of Carthagena — Fate of the 
 
 veteran Juan de la Cosa (l.")09) 48 
 
 IV. Arrival uf Nicuesa — Veiifjeance taken on the Indians 52 
 
 V. Ojeda founds tlii' Colony of San Sebastian— Belea^ured by the Indians 66 
 
 VI. Alon/.o (le Ojeila supposed by the Savages to have a Charmed Life — Their 
 
 E.xiieriiiient to try the Fact 58 
 
 VII. Arrival of a Strange Ship at San i^ebastian 59 
 
 VIII. Factions in the Colony— .\ Convention made 61 
 
 IX. Disastrous Voyage of Ojeda in the Pirate Ship - 62 
 
 X. Toilsome March of Ojeda and his Companions through the Morasses of 
 
 ('uba 64 
 
 XI. Ojeda performs his Vow to the Virg-in 66 
 
 XII. Arrival of Ojeda at Jamaica — His Reception by Juan de Esquibel 67 
 
 XIII. Arrival of Alonzo de Ojeda at San Domingo— Conclusion of his Story 69 
 
 DIEGO DE NICUESA. 
 
 I. Nicuesa sails to the Westward— His Shipwreck and subsequent Disasters.. 72 
 
 If. Nictipsa ami his men on a desolate Island 74 
 
 III. Arrival of a Roat— Conduct of Lope de Olano 76 
 
 IV. Nicuesa rejoins his Crews 77 
 
 V. Sufferintcs of Nicuesa and his men on the Coast of the Isthmus 78 
 
 VI. Expedition of the Bachelor Enciso in search of the Seat of Government 
 
 of Ojeda (I.'IO) 81 
 
 AHI. The Bachelor hears unwelcome Tidings of his destined Jurisdiction 84 
 
 Vin. Crusade of the Bachelor Enciso against the Sepulchres of Zenu 85
 
 4 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. P-i»= 
 
 IX. The Bachelor arrives at San Seba^^tian— His Disasters there, and subse- 
 
 qui'iit E.xploits at Darieu 88 
 
 X The Bachelor Eiiciso undertakes the Jommand— His Downfall 90 
 
 XL Perplexities at the Colony— Arrival of Colmenares 91 
 
 XTI. Colmenares goes in quest of Nicuesa 92 
 
 XIII. Catastrophe of the unfortunate Nicuesa 95 
 
 VASCO NUNEZ DE BALBOA, Discoverer op the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 T. Factions at Darien— Vasco NuSez elected to the Command 99 
 
 II. Expedition to Coyba— Vasco Nunez receives the Daughter of a Cacique 
 
 as hostage 101 
 
 III. Vasco Nunez hears of a Sea beyond the Mountains 104 
 
 IV. Expedition of Vasco Nunez in quset of the Golden Temple of Dobayba. 107 
 V. Disaster on the Black River—Indian Plot against Darieu Ill 
 
 VI. Further Factions in the Colony — Arrogance of Alonzo Perez and the 
 
 Bachelor Corral 113 
 
 Wl. Vasco Nunez determines to seek the Sea beyond the Mountains (1513). 117 
 
 VIII. Expedition in que^t of the Southern Sea 118 
 
 IX. Discovery of the Pacific Ocean 121 
 
 X. Vasco Nunez luarclies to the Shores of the South Sea 134 
 
 XI. Adventures of Vasco Nunez on the Borders of the Pacific Ocean Vi7 
 
 XII. Further Ad ventm-es and Exploits of Vasco Nunez 131 
 
 XIII. Vasco Nunez sets out on his return across the Mountains— His contests 
 
 with the Savages 133 
 
 XIV. Enterprise against TubanamS., the warlike Cacique of the Mountams — 
 
 Return to Darien ... . 136 
 
 XV. Transactions in Spain— Pedrarias Davila appointed to the Command 
 of Darien— Tidings received in Spain of the Discovery of the Pacific 
 
 Ocean 139 
 
 XVI. Arrival and Grand Entry of Don Pedrarias Davila into Darien 144 
 
 XVII. Perfidious Conduct of Don Pedrarius towards Vasco NuSez 147 
 
 XVITT. Calamities of thf» Spanish Cavaliers at Darien 149 
 
 XIX. Fruitless Expedition of Pedrarias 151 
 
 XX. Second Expedition of Vasco Nunez in quest of the Golden Temple of 
 
 Dobayba 153 
 
 XXI. Letters from the King in favor of Vasco Nuiiez— Arrival of Garabito — 
 
 Arrest of Vasco Nunez (1.51 5) 155 
 
 XXII. Expedition of Morales and Pizarro to the Shores of the Pacific Ocean — 
 Their Visit to the Pearl Islands — Their disastrous Return across the 
 Mountains. 157 
 
 XXIII. Unfortunate Enterprises of the Officers of Pedrarias— Matrimonial 
 
 Compact between the Governor and Vasco Nunez 166 
 
 XXIV. Vasco Ntniez transports ships across the Mountains to the Pacific 
 
 Ocean (1.516) 166 
 
 XXV. Cruise of Vasco Nunez in the Southern Sea — Rumours from Ada 169 
 
 XXVI. Reconnoitering E.x:ijedition of Garabito— Stratagem of Pedrarias to 
 
 entrap Vasco Nuiiez 170 
 
 XXVII Vasco NuKez and the Astrologer — His return to Ada 172 
 
 XXVHI. Trial of Vasco Nunez 174 
 
 XXTX. Execution of Vasco Nunez (1517) 177 
 
 Valdivia and his Companions 180 
 
 Micer Codro, the Astrologer 189 
 
 JU.VN PONCE DE LEON. Conqueror op Porto Rico and Discoverer of Florida. 
 
 I. Reconnoitering Expedition of Juan Ponce de Leon to the Island of 
 
 Boriquen (1.50S) 191 
 
 II. Juan Ponce aspires to the Government of Porto Rico (1509) . . 193 
 
 III. Juan Ponce rules with a strong handr-Exasperation of the Indians— Their 
 
 Experiment to prove whetht'r the Spaniards were mortal 195 
 
 TV. Conspiracy of the Caciques— The Fate of Sotomayor 196 
 
 V. War of Juan Ponce with the Cacique Agneybana 199 
 
 VI. Juan Ponce de Leon hears of a wonderful Country and miraculous Foun- 
 tain 203 
 
 VIT. Cruise of Juan Ponce de Leon in search of the Fotmtain of Youth (1512). . . 205 
 VIII. Expedition of Juan Ponce against the Caribs- His Death (1514) 207 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 A "isi t to Palos 211 
 
 Manifesto of Alonzo de Ojeda 226
 
 INTRODUCTIOI^. 
 
 The first discovery of the western hemisphere has already 
 been related by the author in his History of Columbus. It is 
 proposed by liim, in the present work, to narrate the enterprises 
 of certain of the companions and disciples of the admiral, who, 
 enkindled by his zeal, and instructed by his example, saUied 
 forth separately in the vast region of adventure to which he 
 had led the way. Many of them sought merely to skirt the 
 continent which he had partially visited, and to secure the first 
 fruits of the pearl fisherios of Paria and Cubaga, or to explore 
 the coast of Veragua, which he had represented as the Aurea 
 Chersonesus of the Ancients. Others aspired to accomphsh a 
 grand discovery which he had meditated toward the close of 
 liis career. In the course of his expeditions along tlie coast of 
 Terra Firma, Columbus had repeatedly received information 
 of the existence of a vast sea to the south. He supposed it to 
 be the great Indian Ocean, the region of the Oriental spice 
 islands, and that it must communicate by a strait with the Ca- 
 ribbean Sea. His last and most disastrous voyage was made 
 for the express purpose of discovering that imaginary strait, 
 and making his way into this Southern Ocean. The illustrious 
 navigator, however, was doomed to die, as it were, upon the 
 threshold of his discoveries. It was reserved for one of his fol- 
 lowers, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, to obtain the first view of the 
 promised ocean, from the lofty mountains of Darien, some 
 years after the c^^cs of the venerable admiral had been closed 
 in death. 
 
 The expeditions herein narrated, therefore, ^ay be considered 
 as springing immediately out of the voyages of Columbus, and 
 fulfilling some of his grand designs. They may be compared 
 to the attempts of adventurous knights errant to achieve the 
 enterprise left mifinished by some illustrious predecessor. 
 Neither is this compaxison entirely f ancif uL On the contrary,
 
 6 SPA^'ISII VOYAGES OF DISCO VERT. 
 
 it is a curious fact, well worthy of notice, that the spirit of 
 chivalry entered largely into the early expeditions of the Span- 
 ish discoverers, giving them a character wholly distinct from 
 similar enterprises undertaken by other nations. It will not, 
 perhaps, be considered far sovight, if we trace the cause of tliis 
 peculiarity to the domestic history of the Spaniards dui-ing the 
 middle ages. 
 
 Eight centuries of incessant warfare with the Moorish usurp- 
 ers of the peninsula produced a deep and lasting effect upon the 
 Spanish character and manners. The war being ever close at 
 home, mingled itself with the doniestic habits and concerns of 
 tlio Spaniard. He was born a soldier. The wild and predatory 
 nature of the war, also, made him a kind of chivalrous marauder. 
 His horse and weapon were always ready for the field. His 
 delight was in roving incursions and extravagant exploits, and 
 no gain was so glorious in his eyes as the cavalgada of spoils 
 and captives, driven home in triumph from a j)lundered prov- 
 ince. Religion, which has ever held great empire in the Span- 
 ish mind, lent its aid to sanctify these roving and ravaging pro- 
 pcndties, and the Castilian cavalier, as he sacked the towns 
 and laid waste the fields of his Moslem neighbour, piously be- 
 lieved he was doing God service. 
 
 Tlic conquest of Granada put an end to the peninsula wars 
 between christian and infidel: the spirit of Spanish chivalry 
 was thus suddenly deprived of its wonted sphere of action ; but 
 it had been too long fostered and excited to be as suddenly ap- 
 peased. The youth of the nation, bred up to daring adventure 
 and heroic achievement, could not brook the tranquil and re.cni- 
 lar pursuits of common life, but panted for some new field of 
 rcanantic entei-prise. 
 
 It was at this juncture that the gi^and project of Columbus 
 was carried into effect. His treaty Avith the sovereigns was, in 
 a manner, signed with the same pen that had subscribed the 
 caj)itidation of the Moorish capital, and his first expedition may 
 almost be said to have departed from beneath the walls of Gra- 
 nada. Many of the youthful cavaliers who had fleshed their 
 swords in that memorable war, crowded the ships of the dis- 
 coverers, thinking a new career of arms was to be opened to them 
 — a kind of crusade into splendid and unknown regions of infi- 
 dels. The very weapons and armour that had been used against 
 the Moors were drawn from the arsenals to equip the discover- 
 ers, and some of the most noted of the earty commanders in the 
 new world will be found to ha^'c made their first essay in arms
 
 JNTROBUCTION. 7 
 
 under the banner of Ferdinand and iBabella, in their romantic 
 campaigns among the mountains of Andalusia. 
 
 To those circiunstanccs may, in a groat measure, be ascribed 
 that swelling chivalrous spirit which will be found continually 
 mingling, or rather warring, with the technical habits of the 
 seamen, and the sordid schemes of the mercenary adventurer; 
 in these early Spanish discoveries, chivalry had left the land 
 and launched upon tbe deep. The Spanish cavalier had em- 
 barked in the Caraval of the discoverc^r; he carried among the 
 trackless wildernesses of the new world, the same contemi:)t of 
 danger and fortitude under suffering, tlie same restless roaming 
 epirit, the same passion for inroad and ravage, and vain-glori- 
 ous exploit, and the same fervent, and often bigoted, zeal for 
 the propagation of his faith that had distinguished him during 
 his warfare with the Moors, Instances in point will be found 
 in the extravagant career of the daring Ojeda, particidarly in 
 liis adventures along the coast of Terra Firma and the wild 
 shores of Cuba. In the sad story of the ' ' imf ortunate Nicuesa ;" 
 graced as it is with occasional touches of high-bred courtesy; 
 in the singular cruise of that brave, but credulous, old cavalier, 
 Juan Ponce do Leon, who fell upon the flowery coast of Florida, 
 in his search after an imaginary fountain of youth ; and above 
 all in the chequered fortimcs of Vasco Nmlez de Balboa, whose 
 discovery of the Pacific ocean, forms one of the most beautiful 
 and striking incidents in the history of the new world, and 
 whose fate might furnish a theme of wonderful interest for a 
 poem or a drama. 
 
 The extraordinary actions and adventures of these men, 
 while they rival the exploits recorded in chivalric tale, bave 
 the additional interest of verity. They leave us in admiral ion 
 of the bold and heroic qualities inherent in the Spanish char- 
 acter, which led that nation to so high a pitch of power and 
 glory, and which are still discernible in the great mass of that 
 gallant people, by those who have an opportunity of judging 
 of them rightly. 
 
 Before concluding these prefatory remarks, the author 
 would acknowledge how much he has been indebted to the 
 third volume of the invaluable Historical collection of Don 
 Martin Fernandez de Navarrete, wherein he has exhibited his 
 usual industry, accuracy, and critical acumen. He has Uke- 
 wisc profited greatly by the second volume of Oviedo's general 
 history, which only exists in manuscript, and a copy of which 
 he found in the Columbian library of the Cathedral of Seville.
 
 S SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVER Y. 
 
 He has had some assistance also from the documents of the 
 law-case between Don Diego Columbus and the Crown, which 
 exist in the archives of the Indies ; and for an inspection of 
 wliich he is much indebted to the permission of the Spanish 
 Government and the kind attentions of Don Josef de La Hi- 
 guera Lara, the keeper of the archives. These, with the his- 
 torical works of Las Casas, Herrera, Gomera, and Peter Martyr, 
 have been his authorities for the facts contained in the follow- 
 ing work ; though he has not thought proper to refer to them 
 continually at the bottom of his page. 
 
 While his work was going through the press he received a 
 volume of Spanish Biography, written with great elegance and 
 accuracy, by Don Manuel Josef Quintana, and containing a 
 Hfe of Vasco Nuiiez de Balboa. He was gratified to find that 
 his arrangement of facts was generally corroborated by tliis 
 work ; though he was enabled to correct his dates in several 
 instances, and to make a few other emendations from the vol- 
 ume of Seilor Quintana, whose position in Spain gave kun the 
 means of attaining superior '^^lactness en these points.
 
 VOYACxES AND DISCOVERIES 
 
 OP THE 
 
 COMPANIONS OF COLUMBUS. 
 
 To declare my opinion herein, wliatsoever hath heretofore been discovered by 
 the famous truvaylcs of Sfiluriius atul Hercules, with such other whom the An- 
 tiquitie for their heroical acts honoured as gods, seemeth but Httle and obscure, if 
 it be compared to tlio victorious labors of the Spanyards. — P. Martyr, Decad. III. c. 
 4. Lock's translation 
 
 ALONZO DE OJEDA.* 
 
 HI8 FIRST VOYAGE, IN WHICH HE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY 
 AMERiaO VESPUCCIA 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 SOME ACCOUNT OF OJEDA— OF JUAN DE LA COSA— OF AMERIGO 
 VESPUCCI — PREPARATIONS FOR THE VOYAGE.— (1499.) 
 
 Those who have read the History of Columbus ■will, doubt- 
 less, remember the character and exploits of Alonzo de Ojeda; 
 as some of the readers of the foilo%ving pages, however, may 
 not have perused that work, and as it is proposed at present to 
 trace the subsequent fortunes of this youthful adventurer, a 
 brief sketch of him may not be deemed superfluous. 
 
 Alonzo de Ojoda was a native of Cuenca, in New Castile, 
 and of a respectable family. He was brought up as a page or 
 esquire, in the service of Don Luis de Cerda, Duke of Medina 
 Ceh, one of the most powerful nobles of Spain ; the same who 
 for some time patronised Columbus during Ms apphcation to 
 the Spanish com-t. I 
 
 • Ojeda is pronounced in Spanish Oheda, with a strong aspiration of the h. 
 
 t Vespucci. Vespuchy. 
 
 t Varones Ilustres, por F. Pizarro y Orellaua, p. 41. Las Casas, Hist. Ind. 1 i. c. 82.
 
 ]0 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 In those warlike days, when the peninsula was distracted by- 
 contests between the christian kingdoms, by feuds between the 
 nobles and the crown, and by the incessant and marauding 
 warfare with the Moors, the household of a Spanish nobleman 
 was a complete school of arms, where the youth of the country 
 were sent to be trained up in all kinds of hardy exercises, and 
 to be led to battle under an illustrious banner. Such was es- 
 pecially the case with the service of the Duke of Medina Ceh, 
 who possessed princely domains, whose household was a petty 
 court, who led legions of armed retainers to the field, and who 
 appeared in splendid state and with an immense retinue, more 
 as an ally of Ferdinand and Isabella, than as a subject. He 
 engaged in many of the roughest expeditions of the mem- 
 orable war of Granada, always insisting on leading his own 
 troops in person, when the service was of peculiar difficulty 
 and danger. Alonzo de Ojeda was formed to signalize himself 
 in such a school. Though small of stature, he was well made, 
 and of wonderful force and activity, ^vith. a towering spirit 
 and a daring eye that seemed to make up for deficiency of 
 height. He was a bold and gi-aceful horseman, an excellent 
 foot soldier, dexterous with every weapon, and noted for his 
 extraordinary skiU and adroitness in all feats of strength and 
 agiUty. 
 
 He must have been quite young when- he followed the duke 
 of Medina Ceh, as page, to the Moorish wars : for he was but 
 about twenty-one years of age when he accompanied Colum- 
 bus in his second voyage; he had already, however, distin- 
 guished himself by his enterprising spirit and headlong valour ; 
 and his exploits during that voyage contributed to enhance his 
 reputation. He returned to Spain with Columbus, but did not 
 accompany hhn in his third voyage, in the spring of 1498. He 
 was probably impatient of subordination, and ambitious of a 
 separate employment or command, which the influence of liis 
 connexions gave lum a great chance of obtaining. He had a 
 cousin-gennan of his own name, the reverend Padre Alonzo de 
 Ojeda, a Dominican friar, who was one of the first inquisitors 
 of Spam, and a gi-eat favourite with the CathoHc sovereigns.* 
 This father inquisitor was, moreover, an intimate friend of the 
 bishop Don Juan Rodriguez Fonseca, who had the chief man- 
 agement of the affairs of the Indies, under which general name 
 were comprehended all the coimtries discovered in the new 
 
 * Pizarro. Varones Ilustres.
 
 ALONZO DE OJEDA. 11 
 
 world. Through the good offices of his cousin inquisitor, there- 
 fore, Ojeda had been introduced to the notice of the bishop, 
 %vho took him into hLs especial favour and patronage. Men- 
 tion has ah-eady been made, in the History of Columbus, of a 
 present made by the bishop to Ojeda of a small Flemish paint- 
 ing of the Holy Virgin. Tlais the young adventurer carried 
 about with him as a protecting rehc, invoking it at all times of 
 peril, whether by sea or land ; and to the special care of the 
 Vii'gin ho attributed the remarkable circumstance that he had 
 never been wounded in any of the innumerable brawls and 
 battles into which he was continually betrayed by his rash and 
 fiery temperament. 
 
 While Ojeda was lingering about the court, letters were 
 received from Columbus, giving an account of the events of 
 bis third voyage, especially of his discovery of the coast of 
 Paria, whicli he described as abounding with drugs and spices, 
 with gold and silver, and precious stones, and, above all, with 
 oriental pearls, and which he supposed to be the borders of 
 that vast and unknown region of the East, wherein, according 
 to certain learned theorists, was situated the terrestrial para- 
 dise. Specimens of tbe pearls, procured in considerable quan- 
 tities from the natives, accompanied his epistle, togetJier Avith 
 charts descriptive of his route. These tidingo caiLsed a great 
 sensation among the maritime adventurers of Spain; but no 
 one was more excited by them than Alonzo de Ojeda, who, 
 from his intimacy with the bishop, had full access to the 
 charts and cori-espondence of Columbus. He immediately 
 conceived the project of making a voyage in the route thus 
 marked out by the admiral, and of seizing vqion the first fruits 
 of discovery which he had left ungathered. His scheme met 
 with ready encouragement from Fonseca, who, {\s has hereto- 
 fore been shown, was an implacable enemy to Columbus, and 
 wiUing to promote any measure that might injure or molest 
 him. The bishop accordingly granted a commission to Ojeda, 
 authorizing him to fit out an armament and proceed on a 
 voyage of discovery, with the proviso merely that he should 
 not visit any territories appertainiaig to Portugal, or any of 
 the lands discovered in the name of Spain proA^ous to the year 
 1495. The latter pai-t of this provision appears to have been 
 craftily worded by the bishop, so as to leave the coast of Paria 
 and its peai-l fisheries open to Ojeda, they having been recently 
 discovered by Columbus in 1 lOS. 
 
 The commission was signed by Fonseca alone, in virtue of
 
 12 SPAMSn VOYAGES OF DISCO VEEY. 
 
 general powers vested in him for such purposes, but the signa- 
 ture of the sovereigns did not appear on the instrument, and 
 it is doubtful whether their sanction was sought on the occa- 
 sion. He knew that Columbus had recently remonstrated 
 against a royal mandate issued in 1495, permitting voyages of 
 discovery, by private adventurers, and that the sovereigns 
 had in consequence revoked their mandate wherever it might 
 bo deemed prejudicial to the stipulated privileges of the 
 admiral. =*• It is probable, therefore, that the bishop avoided 
 raising any question that might impede the enterprise ; being 
 confident of the ultimate approbation of Ferdinand, who 
 would be well pleased to have his dominions in the new world 
 extended by the discoveries of private adventurers, under- 
 taken at their own expense. It was stipulated in this, as well 
 as in subsequent licenses for private expeditions, that a certain 
 proportion of the profits, generally •" fourth or fifth, should be 
 reserved for the crown. 
 
 Having thus obtained permission to make the voyage, the 
 next consideration with Ojeda Wv. .j to find the means. He was 
 a young adventurer, a mere soldier of fortmie, and destitute of 
 wealth; but he had a high reputation for courage and enter- 
 prise, and with these, it was thought, would soon make his 
 way to the richest parts of the newly discovered lands, and 
 have the wealth of the Indies at his disposal. He had no diffi- 
 culty, therefore, in finding monied associates among the rich 
 merchants of Seville, who, in that a;;^ of discovery, were ever 
 ready to stake their property upon the schemes of roving navi- 
 gators. With such assistance he soon equipped a squadron of 
 four vessels at Port St. Mary, opposite Cadiz. Among the 
 seamer who engaged with him were several who had just 
 returned from accompanying Columbus in his voyage to this 
 very coast of Paria. The principal associate of Ojeda, and one 
 on whom he placed great rehance, was Juan de la Cosa ; who 
 accoinpanied him as first mate, or, as it was termed, chief pilot. 
 This was a bold Biscayan, who may be regarded as a disciple 
 of Columbus, with whom he had sailed in his second voyage, 
 when he coasted Cuba and Jamaica, and he had since accom- 
 panied Rodrigo de Bastides. in an expedition along the coast of 
 Terra Firma. The hardy veteran was looked up to by his con- 
 temporaries as an oracle of the seas, and was pronounced one 
 of the most able mariners of the day; he may be excused, 
 
 ♦ Navarrete, t. ii. Document, cxiii.
 
 ALONZO DE OJEDA. 13 
 
 therefore, if in his harmless vanity he considered himself on a 
 par even with Columbus.* 
 
 Another conspicuous associate of Ojeda, in this voyage, "was 
 Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine merchant, induced by broken 
 fortunes and a rambling disposition to seek adventures in tbo 
 new world. Whether he had any pecuniary interest in the 
 expedition, and in what capacity he sailed, does not appear. 
 His importance has entirely arisen from subsequent circum- 
 stances ; from his having written and published a narrative of 
 his voyages, and from his name having eventually been given 
 to the new world. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 DEPARTURE FROM SPAIN— ARRIVAL ON THE COAST OF PARIA — 
 CUSTOMS OF THE NATIONS. 
 
 Ojeda sailed from Port St. Mary on the 20th of May, 1499, 
 and, having touched for supplies at the Canaries, took a depar- 
 ture from Gomara, pursuing the route of Columbus, in his 
 third voyage, being guided by the chart lie had sent home, at 
 well as by the mariners who had accompanied him on that 
 occasion. At the end of twenty-four days he reached the 
 continent of the new world, about two hundred leagues far- 
 ther south than the part discovered by Columbus, being, as it 
 is supposed, the coast of Surinam.! 
 
 From hence he ran along the coast of the Gulf of Paria, 
 passing the mouths of many rivers, but especially those of the 
 Esquivo and the Oronoko. These, to the astonishment of 
 the Spaniards, unaccustomed as yet to the mighty rivers of 
 the new world, poured forth such a prodigious volume of 
 water, as to freshen the sea for a great extent. They beheld 
 none of the natives until they arrived at the Island of Trini- 
 dad, on which island they met with traces of the recent visit 
 of Columbus. 
 
 Vespucci, in his letters, gives a long description of the people 
 of this island and of the coast of Paria, who were of the Carib 
 race, tall, well-made and vigorous, and expert with the bow, 
 the lance, and the buckler. His description, in general, resem- 
 
 ♦Navarette. CoUec. Viag., t. iii., p. 4. tNavarrete, t. iii., p. ^11.
 
 14 spajYTsii voyages of discovert. 
 
 hies those which have frequently been given of the Aboriginals 
 of the new world ; there are two or three particulars, however, 
 worthy of citation. 
 
 They appeared, he said, to believe in no religious creed, to 
 have no place of worship, and to make no prayers or sac- 
 rifices; but, he adds, from the voluptuousness of their lives, 
 they might be considered Epicureans.* Their habitations 
 were built in the shape of bells ; of the trunks of trees, thatched 
 with palm leaves, and were proof against wind and weather. 
 They appeared to be in common, and some of them were of 
 such magnitude as to contain six hundred persons: in one 
 place there were eight principal houses capable of sheltering 
 nearly ten thousand inhabitants. Every seven or eigiit years 
 the natives were obliged to change their residence, from the 
 maladies engendered by the heat of the climate in their 
 crowded habitations. 
 
 Their riches consisted in beads and ornaments made from 
 the bones of fishes; in small white and green stones strung 
 like rosai'ies, with which they adorned their persons, and in 
 the beautiful plumes of various colom-s for which the tropical 
 birds are noted. 
 
 The Spaniards smiled at their simplicity in attaching an 
 extraordinary value to such worthless trifles; wMle the sav- 
 ages, in all probability, were equally surprised at beholding 
 the strangers so eager after gold, and pearls and precious 
 stones, which to themselves were objects of indifference. 
 
 Their m^anner of treating the dead was similar to that ob- 
 served among the natives of some of the islands. Having 
 deposited the corpse in a cavern or sepulchre, they placed a jar 
 of water and a few eatables at its head, and then abandoned 
 it without moan or lamentation. In some parts of the coast, 
 when a person was considered near his end, his nearest rela- 
 tives bore him to the woods and laid him in a hammock sus- 
 pended to the trees. They then danced round him until 
 evening, when, having left within his reach sufficient meat 
 and drink to sustain him for four days, they repaired to their 
 habitations. If he recovered and returned home, he was re- 
 ceived with much ceremony and rejoicing; if he died of liis 
 malady or of famine, nothing more was thought of him. 
 
 Their mode of treating a fever is also worthy of mention. 
 In the height of the malady they plunged the patient in a bath 
 
 * Viages de Vespucci. Navarrete, t. iii., p. 211.
 
 ALOyZO 1)K OJKDA. 15 
 
 of the coldest watei', after which they obliged him to make 
 many evokitions round a great lire, until he wiis in a violent 
 heat, when they put hiai to bod, that he might sleep : a treat- 
 ment, adds Amerigo Vespucci, by which we saw many cured. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 COASTING OF TERRA FIRMA — MILITARY EXPEDITION OF OJEDA. 
 
 After touchmg at various parts of Trinidad and the Gulf 
 of Paria, Ojoda passed through the strait of the Boca del 
 Drago, or Dragon's Mouth, which Columbus had found so 
 formidable, and then steei'od his course along the coast of 
 Terra Fii'ma, landing occasionally until he arrived at Curiana, 
 or the Gulf of Pearls. From hence he stood to the opposite 
 island of Margarita, previously discovered by Columbus, and 
 since renowned for its pearl fishery. This, as well as several 
 adjacent islands, he visited and explored; after which he re- 
 turned to the main land, and touched at Ciuuana and Mara- 
 capana, where he found the rivers infested with aUigators re- 
 sembling the crocodiles of the Nile. 
 
 Finding a convenient harbour at Maracapana he unloaded 
 and careened his vessels there, and built a small brigantine. 
 The natives came to him in great numbers, bringing abundance 
 of venison, fish, and cassava bread, and aiding the seamen in 
 their labours. Their hospitahty was not certainly disinter- 
 ested, for they sought to gain the protection of the Spaniards, 
 whom they reverenced as superhuman beings. When they 
 thought they had sufficiently secured their favour, they repre- 
 sented to Ojeda that their coast was subject to invasion from 
 a distant island, the inhabitants of which were cannibals, and 
 carried their people into captivity, to be devoured at their 
 unnatural banquets. They besought Ojeda, therefore, to 
 avenge them upon these ferocious enemies. 
 
 The request was gratifying to the fighting propensities of 
 Alonzo de Ojeda, and to his love of adventure, and was readily 
 gi*anted. Taking seven of the natives on board of his vessels, 
 therefore, as guides, he set sail in quest of the cannibals. 
 After sailing for seven days he came to a chain of islands,
 
 10 S PANTS IF VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 some of which were peopled, others uninhabited, and which 
 are supposed to have been the Carribee islands. One of these 
 Avas pointed out by his guides as the habitation of their foes. 
 On running near the shore he beheld it thronged with savage 
 warriors, decorated with coronets of gaudy plumes, their 
 bodies painted with a variety of colours. They were armed 
 with bows and arrows, with darts, lances, and bucklers, and 
 seemed prepared to defend their island from invasion. 
 
 This show of war was calcidated to rouse the inartial spirit 
 of Ojeda. He brought his sliips to anchor, ordered out his 
 boats, and provided each with a paterero or small cannon. 
 Beside the oarsmen, each boat contained a number of soldiers, 
 Avh» were told to crouch out of sight in the bottom. The 
 boats then pulled in steadily for the shore. As they ap- 
 proached, the Indians let fly a cloud of arrows, but without 
 much effect. Seeing the boats continue to advance, the sav- 
 ages threw themselves into the sea, and brandished their lances 
 to prevent their landing. Upon this, the soldiers sprang up in 
 the boats and discharged the patereroes. At the sound and 
 smoke of these unknown weapons the savages abandoned the 
 water in affright, while Ojeda and his men leaped on shore 
 and pursued them. The Carib warriors rallied on the banks, 
 and fought for a long time with that courage peculiar to their 
 race, but were at length driven to the woods, at the edge of the 
 sword, leaving many killed and wounded on the field of battle. 
 
 On the following day the savages were seen on the shore in 
 still greater numbers, armed and painted, and decorated with 
 war plumes, and sounding defiance with their conchs and 
 drums. Ojeda again landed fifty-seven men, whom he sep- 
 arated into four companies, and ordered them to charge the 
 enemy from different directions. The Caribs fought for a 
 time hand to hand, displaying great dexterity m covering 
 themselves with their buclders, but were at length entu'ely 
 routed and driven, with great slaughter, to the forests. The 
 Spaniards had but one man killed and twenty-one wounded in 
 these combats, — such superior advantage did their armour 
 give them over the naked savages. Having plundered and set 
 fire to the houses, they returned triumphantly to tiieir ships, 
 with a number of Carib captives, and made sail for the main 
 land. Ojeda bestowed a part of the spoil upon the seven 
 Indians who had accompanied him as guides, and sent them 
 exulting to their homes, to relate to their countrymen the 
 signal vengeance that had been wreaked upon their foes. He
 
 ALONZO BE OJEDA. 17 
 
 then anchored in a bay. where he remained for twenty days, 
 until his men had recovered from their wounds.* 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 DISCOVERT OF THE GULF OF VENEZUELA— TRANSACTIONS TEtERE 
 — OJEDA EXPLORES THE GULF — PENETRATES TO MARACAIBO, 
 
 His crew bcinp; refreshed, and the wounded sufficiently re- 
 covered, Ojeda made sail, and touched at the island of Curazao, 
 which, according to the accounts of Vespucci, was inhabited by 
 a race of giants, ' ' every woman appearing a Penthesilea, and 
 every man an Antaeus, "t As Vespucciw as a scholar, and as he 
 supposed himself exploring the regions of the extreme East, the 
 ancient realm of fable, it is probable his imagination deceived 
 him, and construed the formidable accounts given by the In- 
 di"'."^". of their cannibal neighbours of the islands, into some- 
 thiiiji' according with his recollections of classic fable. Certain 
 it is, that the reports of subsequent voyagers proved the in- 
 habitants of the island to be of the ordinary size. 
 
 Proceeding along the coast, he arrived at a vast deep gulf, 
 resembling a tranquil lake ; entering which, he beheld on the 
 eastern side a village, the construction of which struck him 
 with surprise. It consisted of twenty large houses, shaped hke 
 bells, and built on piles driven into the bottom of the lake, 
 which, in this part, was limpid and of but little depth. Each 
 house was provided with a drawbridge, and with canoes, by 
 which the communication was carried on. From those resem- 
 blances to the Italian city, Ojeda gave to the bay the name of 
 the Gulf of Venice : and it is called at the present day Vene- 
 zuela, or Little Venice : the Indian name was Coquibacoa. 
 
 When the inhabitants beheld the ships standing into the 
 bay, looking like wonderful and unknoAvn apparitions from the 
 deep, they fled with terror to their houses, and raised the 
 drawbridges. The Spaniards remained for a time gazing with 
 
 * There is some discrepance in the early accounts of this battle, as to the time 
 and place of its occurrence. The author has collated the narratives of Vespucci, 
 Las Casas, Ht'rrera, and Peter .Martyr, and the evidence fjivcn in the law-suit of 
 Diego Columbus, and has endeavoured as much as possible to recouciie them. 
 
 + Vespucci.— Letter to Lorenzo de Pier Francisco de Medicis.
 
 j8 s^A^vs^ voyages of discovery. 
 
 admiration at this amphibious \-illago, when a squadron cf 
 canoes entered the harbour from the sea. On beholding the 
 ships they paused in mute amazement, and on the Spaniards 
 attempting to approach them, paddled swiftly to shore, and 
 plunged into the forest. They soon returned with sixteen 
 young girls, whom they conveyed in their canoes to the ships, 
 distributing four on board of each, either as peace-offerings or 
 as tokens of amity and confidence. The best of understanding 
 now seemed to be established ; and the inhabitants of the vil- 
 lage came swarming about the ships in their canoes, and others 
 swimming in great numbers from the shores. 
 
 The friendship of the savages, however, was all delusive. On 
 a sudden, several old women at the doors of the houses uttered 
 loud shrieks, tearing their liair in fury. It appeared to be a 
 signal for hostility. The sixteen nymphs plunged into the sea 
 and made for shore; the Indians in the canoes caught up 
 their bows and discharged a flight of arrows, and even those 
 v/ho were swimming brandished darts and lances, which they 
 had hitherto concealed beneath the water. 
 
 Ojeda was for a moment surprised at seeing war thus start- 
 ing up on every side, and the very sea bristling with weapons. 
 Manning his boats, he immediately charged among the thick- 
 est of the enemy, shattered and sunk several of theu- canoes, 
 idlled twenty Indians and wounded many more, and spread 
 such a panic among them, that most of the survivors flung 
 themselves into the sea and swam to shore. Three of them 
 were taken prisoners, and two or the fugitive girls, and were 
 conveyed on board of the ships, where the men were put in 
 irons. One of them, however, and the two girls, succeeded in 
 dexterously escaping the same night. 
 
 Ojeda had but five men wounded in the affray, all of whom 
 recovered. He visited the houses, but found them abandoned 
 and destitute of booty ; notwithstanding the unprovoked hos- 
 tihty of the inhabitants, he spared the buildings, that he might 
 not cause useless irritation along the coast. 
 
 Continuing to explore this gulf, Ojeda penetrated to a port 
 or harbour, to which he gave the name of St. Bartholomew, 
 but which is supposed to be the same at present known by the 
 original Indian name of ]\Iaracaibo. Here, in compliance with 
 the entreaties of the natives, he sent a detachment of twenty- 
 seven Spaniards on a visit to the interior. For nine days they 
 wore conducted from town to town, and feasted and almost 
 idolized by the Indians, who regai'ded them as angehc beings,
 
 ALONZO DE OJEDA. 19 
 
 performing their national dances and games, and chaunting 
 their traditional ballads for their entertainment. 
 
 The natives of this part were distinguished for the symme- 
 try of their forms ; the females in particular appeared to the 
 Spaniards to surpass all others that they had yet beheld in the 
 new world for grace and beauty ; neither did the men evince, 
 in the least degree, that jealousy wliich prevailed in other 
 parts of the coast ; but, on the contrary, permitted the most 
 frank and intimate intei'course with their wives and daughtera. 
 
 By the time the Spaniards set out on their return to the ship, 
 the whole country was aroused, pouring forth its population, 
 male and female, to do them honour. Some bore them in lit- 
 ters or hammocks, that they might not be fati.gued Avith the 
 journey, and happy wa» the Indian who had tlie honour of 
 bearing a Spaniard on his shoulders across a river. Othere 
 loaded themselves with the presents that had been bestowed on 
 their guests, consisting of rich plumes, weapons of various 
 kinds, and tropical birds and animals. In this way they re- 
 turned in triumphant procession to the ships, the woods and 
 shores i«3S0unding with their songs and shouts. 
 
 Many of the Indians crowded mto the boats that took 
 the detachment to the ships; others put off in canoes, or 
 swam from shore, so that in a httle while the vessels were 
 thronged with upwai'ds of a thousand wondering natives. 
 Wliile gazing and marvelling at the strange objects around 
 them, Ojeda ordered the cannon to be discharged, at tlie soimd 
 of which, says Vespucci, the Indians " plunged into the water, 
 like so many frogs from a bank." Perceiving, hov.-ever, that 
 it was done in harmless mirth, they returned on board, and 
 passed the rest of the day in great festivity. The Spaniards 
 brought away with them several of the beautiful and hospitable 
 females from tliis place, one of whom, named by them Isabel, 
 was much prized by Ojeda, and accompanied him in a subse- 
 quent voyage.* 
 
 *Navarett«, t. iii., p 8. Idem, pp. 107, 108. 
 
 It is wortliy of iianiciiKar mention tliat Ojeda. in his report of his voyage to the 
 Soveroi'^ns. informed them of his havinp: met with Enfrlish voyagers in the vicinity 
 of Coquibacoa, and that the Spani>h government attached such importance to his 
 information as to take measures to prevent any intrusion into those parts by the 
 English. It is singular that no record should exist of this early and extensive ex- 
 pedition of English navigators. If it was undertaken in the service of the Crown, 
 some document might Vie found concerning it among the arcliives of rlie reigc of 
 Henry VII. Thu English had .already discovered the i-ontinent of North America. 
 This had been done in MOT, by John Cabot, a Venetian, accompanied by his son
 
 20 SPANISH VOYAGES OJh DISCOVERY. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 PROSECUTION OF THE VOYAGE— RETURN TO SPAIN. 
 
 Leaving the friendly port of Coquibacoa, Ojeda continued 
 along the western shores of the gulf of Venezuela, and standing 
 out to sea, and doubling Cape Maracaibo, he pursued his 
 coasting voyage from port to port, and promontory to promon- 
 tory, of this unknown continent, until he reached that long 
 stretching headland called Cape de la Vela. There, the state 
 of his vessels, and perhaps the disappointment of his hopes at 
 not meeting with abundant sources of immediate wealth, 
 induced him to abandon aU further voyaging along the coast, 
 and, changing his course, he stood across the Caribbean Sea for 
 Hispaniola. The tenor of his commission forbade his visiting 
 that idand; but Ojeda was not a man to stand upon trifles 
 when his interest or inclination prompted the contrary. He 
 trusted to excuse the infraction of his orders by the alleged 
 necessity of touching at the island to caulk and refit his ves- 
 sels, and to procure provisions. His true object, however, is 
 supposed to have been to cut dyewood, which abounds in the 
 western part of Hispaniola. 
 
 He accordingly anchored at Yaquimo in September, and 
 landed with a large party of his men. Columbus at that time 
 held command of the island, and, hearing of this unlicensed 
 intrusion, despatched Francesco Eoldan, the quondam rebel, 
 to call Ojeda to account. The contest of stratagem and man- 
 agement that took place between these two adroit and daring 
 adventurers has already been detailed m the History of Colum- 
 bus. Roldan was eventually successful, and Ojeda, being 
 obliged to leave Hispaniola, resumed his rambling voyage, vis- 
 iting various islands, from whence he carried off numbers of 
 the natives. He at length arrived at Cadiz, in June, 1500, 
 with his ships crowded with captives, whom he sold as slaves. 
 
 Sebastian, who was born in Bristol. They sailed under a Hcense of Henry VII.. who 
 was to have a fifth of the profits of the voyage. On the 24th June they dis- 
 covered Newfoundland, and afterwards coasted the continent quite to Florida, 
 bringing back to England a valuable cargo and several of the natives. This was the 
 firxt dixcovery nf the mainland of Anwrica. The success of this expedition may- 
 have prompted the one which Ojeda encountered in the neighbourhood of Coqui- 
 b^oa.
 
 ALONZO BE OJEDA. 21 
 
 So meagre, however, was the result of this expedition, that we 
 are told, when all the expenses were deducted, but live hun- 
 dred ducats remained to be divided between fifty-five adven- 
 turers. What made this result the m(n-e mortifying was, that 
 a petty armament which had sailed sometime after that of 
 Ojeda, had returned two months before him, rich with the 
 spoils of the New World. A brief account of this latter expe- 
 dition is necessary to connect this series of minor discoveries.
 
 22 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 PEDRO ALONZO NINO* AND CHRISTOVAL 
 GUERRA.-(1499.) 
 
 The permission granted by Bishop Fonseca to Alonzo de 
 Ojeda, to undertake a private expedition to the New World, 
 roused the emulation of others of the followers of Coliinibus. 
 Among these was Pedro Alonzo Nino, a hardy seaman, native 
 of Moguer in the vicinity of Palos, who had sailed with Colum- 
 bus, as a pilot, in his first voyage, and also in his cruisings 
 along the coasts of Cuba and Paria.f He soon obtained from 
 the bishop a similar Hcense |;o that given to Ojeda, and, Hke 
 the latter, sought for some monied confederate among the 
 rich merchants of Seville. One of these, named Luis Guerra, 
 offered to fit out a caravel for the expedition ; but on condition 
 that his brother, Christoval Gueria, should have the command. 
 The poverty of Niiio compelled him to assent to the stipula- 
 tions of the man of wealth, and he sailed as subaltern in his 
 own enterprise; but his nautical skill and knowledge soon 
 gained hun the ascendancy, he became virtually the captain, 
 and ultimately enjoyed the whole credit of the voyage. 
 
 The bark of these two adventurers was but of fifty tons bur- 
 then, and the crew thirty-three souls all told. With tliis slen- 
 der armament they undertook to traverse unknown and dan- 
 gerous seas, and to explore the barbarous shores of that vast 
 continent recently discovered by Columbus;— such was the 
 danng spirit of the Spanish voyagers of those days. 
 
 It was about the beginning of June, 1499, and but a few days 
 after the departure of Ojeda, that they put to sea. They 
 sailed from the little port of Palos, the original cradle of Amer- 
 ican discovery, whose brave and skilful mariners long contin- 
 ued foremost in all enterprises to the New World. Being 
 guided by the chart of Columbus, they followed his route, and 
 
 * Pronounced Ninyo. The 5i in Spanish is always pronounced as if followed by 
 the letter y. 
 •t Testimony of Bastides in the law-suit of Diego Columbus.
 
 PEDRO ALONZO NiMO AND CHIUSTOVAL G UKRRA. 23 
 
 reached the southern continent, a little beyond Paria, about 
 fifteen days after the same coast had been visited by Ojeda. 
 
 They then proceeded to the gulf of Paria, where they landed 
 to cut dye-wood, and were amicably entertained by the 
 natives. Shortlj' after, sallying from the gulf by tlie Boca del 
 Drago, they encountered eighteen canoe,s of Caribs, the pii-ate- 
 rovers of these seas and the terror of the iDordering lands. 
 This savage armada, instead of being daunted as usual by the 
 sight of a European ship with swelling sails, resembling some 
 winged monster of the deep, considered it only as an object of 
 phmder or hostility, and assailed it with showers of arrows. 
 The sudden burst of ai-tilleiy, however, from the sides of the 
 caravel and the havoc made among the Caribs by this scorning 
 thunder, struck them with dismay and thej' fled in all direc- 
 tions. The Spaniards succeeded in capturing one of the canoes, 
 with one of the warriors who had manned it. In the bottom 
 of the canoe lay an Indian prisoner bound hand and foot. On 
 being liberated, he infonned the Spaniards by signs that these 
 Caribs had been on a marauding expedition along the neigh- 
 bouring coasts, shutting themselves up at night in a stockade 
 which they carried with them, and issuing forth by day to 
 plunder the villages and to make captives. He had been 
 one of seven prisoners. His companions had been devoured 
 before his eyes at the cannibal banquets of these savages, and 
 he had been awaiting the same miserable fate. Honest Nino 
 and his confederates were so indignant at this recital, that, 
 receiving it as established fact, they performed what they con- 
 sidered an act of equitable justice, by abandoning the Carib to 
 the discretion of his late captive. The latter fell upon the 
 defenceless warrior with fist and foot and cudgel ; nor did his 
 rage subside even after the breath had been mauled out of his 
 victim, but, tearing the gi-im head from the body, he placed it 
 on a pole as a trophy of his vengeance. 
 
 Nino and his fellow-adventurers now steered for the island 
 of Margarita, where they obtained a considerable quantity of 
 pearls by barter. They afterwards skirted the opposite coast 
 of Cumana, trading cautiously and shrewdly from port to port, 
 sometimes remaining on board of their little bark, and obliging 
 the savages to come off to them, when the latter appeared too 
 numerous, at other times venturing on shore, and even into 
 the interior. They were invariably treated with amity by the 
 natives, who were perfectly naked, exceptmg that they were 
 adorned with necklaces and bracelets of pearls. These they
 
 24 SPAmSH VOYAUEti UF DISCOVERY. 
 
 sometimes gave freely to the Spaniards, at other times they 
 exchanged them ior glass beads and other trinkets, and 
 smiled at the folly of the strangers in making such silly bar- 
 gains/" 
 
 The Spaniards were struck with the gi'andeur and density 
 of the forests along this coast, for in these regions of heat 
 and moisture, vegetation appears in its utmost magnificence. 
 They heard also the cries and roarings of wild and unknown 
 animals in the woodlands, wliich, however, appeared not to be 
 very dangerous, as the Indians went about the forest armed 
 solely with bows and arrows. From meeting with deer and 
 rabbits, they were convinced that that was a part of Terra 
 Firma, not having found any animals of the kind on the 
 islands, t 
 
 Niao and Guerra were so well pleased with the hospitaUty 
 of the natives of Cumana, and with the profitable traflBc for 
 pearls, by which they obtained many of great size and beauty, 
 that they remained upwards of three months on the coast. 
 
 They then proceeded westward to a covmtry called Cauchieto, 
 trading as usual for pearls, and for the inferior kind of gold 
 called guanin. At length they arrived at a place where there 
 was a kind of fortress protecting a number of houses and 
 gardens situated on a river, the whole forming to the eyes of 
 the Spaniards one of the most delicious abodes imaginable. 
 They were about to land and enjoy the pleasures of this 
 fancied i^aradise, when they beheld upwards of a thousand 
 Indians, armed with bows and arrows and war-clubs, prepar- 
 ing to give them a warm reception; having been probably 
 incensed by the recent visit of Ojeda. As Nino and Guerra 
 had not the fightmg propensities of Ojeda, and were in quest 
 of profit rather than renown, having, moreover, in aU proba- 
 bility, the fear of the rich merchant of Seville before their 
 eyes, they prudently abstained from landing, and, abandoning 
 this hostile coast, returned forthwith to Cumana to resimie 
 their trade foi' pearls. They soon amassed a great number, 
 many of wliich were equal in size and beauty to the most cele- 
 brated of the East, though they had been injured in boring 
 from a Avant of proper implements. 
 
 Satisfied with their success they now set sail for Spain, and 
 piloted their Httle bark safely to Bayonne in GaUicia, where 
 they anchored about the middle of April, 1500, nearly two 
 
 * LasCasas. Hist. Ind., lib. i. c. 171. t Navarrete, t. iii. p. 14.
 
 PEDRO ALONZO NiMo AND CHUISTOVAL GUERRA. 95 
 
 months before the arrival of Ojeda and his associates, La Cosa 
 and Vespucci.* 
 
 The most successful voyagers to the Now World were doomed 
 to trouble from thcii* very success. The am]i)le amount of 
 pearls paid to the treasury, as the royal portion of the profits 
 of this expedition, drew suspicion instead of favour upon the 
 two adventurers. They were accused of having concealed a 
 great part of the pearls collected by them, thus defrauding 
 their companions and the crown. Pedro Alonzo Niilo was 
 actually thrown into prison on this accusation, but, nothing 
 being proved against him, was eventually set free, and enjoyed 
 the enviable reputation of having perfoi*med the richest 
 voyage that had yet been made to the New World, f 
 
 * Peter Martyr. Other liistorians give a different date for their arrival. Herrera 
 says Feb. C. 
 t Navarrete. Collect, t. iii. p. 11. Herrera, d. i. 1. iv. c. v. /
 
 26 SPAmSH VOYAGES OF DISCO VEEY. 
 
 VICENTE YANEZ PmZON.-(1499). 
 
 Among the maritime adventurers of renown who were 
 roused to action by the hcenses granted for private expeditions 
 of discovery, Ave find conspicuous the name of Vicente Yanez 
 Pinzon, of Palos, one of the tliree brave brothers who aided 
 Cohimbus in his first voyage and risked hfe and fortune with 
 him in his doubtful and perilous enterprise. 
 
 Of Martin Alonzo Pinzon, the eldest and most important of 
 these three brothers, jjariicular mention has been made in the 
 History of Columbus, and of the unfortunate error in conduct 
 which severed him from the admiral, brought on liim the dis- 
 pleasure of the sovereigns, and probably contributed to his 
 premature and melancholy death. 
 
 Whatever cloud of disgrace may have overshadowed his 
 family, it was but temporary. The death of Martin Alonzo, 
 as usual, atoned for his faults, and his good deeds lived after 
 him. The merits and services of himseK and his brothers 
 were acknowledged, and the survivors of the family were 
 restored to royal confidence. A feeling of jealous hostility 
 prevented them from taking a part in the subsequent voyages 
 of Columbus ; but the moment the door was thrown open for 
 individual enterprise, they pressed forward for permission to 
 engage in it at their own risk and expense— and it was readily 
 granted. In fact, their supposed hostility to Columbus was 
 one of the surest recommendations they could have to the 
 favour of the Bishop Fonseca, by whom, the license was issued 
 for their expedition. 
 
 Vicente Yanez Pinzon was the leader of tliis new enterprise, 
 and he was accompanied by two nephews named Arias Perez 
 and Diego Fernandez, sons of his late brother, Martin Alonzo 
 Pinzon. Several of his sailors had sailed with Columbus in 
 his recent voyage to Paria, as had also liis three principal 
 pilots, Juan Quintero, Juan de Umbria, and Juan de Jerez. 
 Thus these minor voyages seemed all to emanate from the
 
 VICENTE TA^EZ PINZON. 27 
 
 great expeditions of Columbus, and to aim at realizing the 
 ideas and speculations contained in the papers transmitted by 
 him to Spain. 
 
 The armament consisted of four caravels, and was fitted out 
 at the port of Palos. The funds of Vicente Yaiiez were com- 
 pletely exhausted before he had fitted out his little v^quadron ; 
 he was obliged, therefore, to purchase on credit the sea-stores 
 and articles of traffic necessary for the enterprise. The mer- 
 chants of Palos seemed to have known how to profit by the 
 careless nature of sailors and the sanguine spirit of dis- 
 coverers. In their bargains they charged honest Pinzon 
 eighty and a hundred per cent, above the market value of 
 their merchandise, and in the hurry and urgency of the 
 moment he was obliged to submit to the imposition.* 
 
 The squadron put to sea in the beginning of December, 1499, 
 and, after passing the Canary and Cape de Verde Islands, stood 
 to the south-west. Having sailed about seven hundred leagues, 
 they crossed the equator and lost sight of the north star. 
 They had scarcely passed the equinoctial line when they 
 encountered a terrible tempest, which had well-nigh swallowed 
 up their slender barks. The storm passed away and the 
 firmament was again serene ; but the mariners remained tossing 
 about in confusion, dismayed by the turbulence of the waves 
 and the strange aspect of the heavens. They looked in vain to 
 the south for some polar star by which to shape their course, 
 and fancied that some swelling prominence of the globe con- 
 cealed it from their view. They knew nothing as yet of the 
 firmament of tliat hemisphere, nor of that beautiful constella- 
 tion, the southern cross, but expected to find a guiding star at 
 the opposite pole, similar to the cynosure of the north. 
 
 Pinzt)n, however, who was of an intrepid spirit, pursued his 
 course resolutely to the west, and after sailing about two hun- 
 dred and forty leagues, and being in the eighth degree of 
 southern latitude, he beheld land afar off on the 2Sth of 
 January, to which he gave the name of Sania Maria de la 
 Consolacion, from the sight of it having consoled him in the 
 midst of doubts and perplexities. It is now called Cape St. 
 Augustine, and forms the most prominent part of the immense 
 empire of Brazil. 
 
 The sea was turbid and discoloured as in rivers, and on 
 
 * Navarrete, vol. lii. See Doc. No. 7, where Vincente Yafiez Pinzon petitiong for 
 
 redress.
 
 28 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 sounding they had sixteen fathoms of water, Pinzon landed, 
 accompanied by a notary and witnesses, and took formal pos- 
 session of the territory for the Castilian crown ; no one appear- 
 ed to dispute his pretensions, but he observed the print of 
 footsteps on the beacli which seemed of gigantic size. 
 
 At night there were fires hghted upon a neighbouring part 
 of the coast, which induced Pmzon on the following morning 
 to send forty men well armed to the spot. A band of Indians, 
 of about equal number, sallied forth to encounter them, armed 
 with bows and arrows, and seemingly of extraordinary stature. 
 A still greater number were seen in the distance hastening to 
 the support of their companions. The Indians arrayed them- 
 selves for combat, and the two parties remained for a short 
 time eyeing each other with mutual curiosity and distrust. 
 The Spaniards now displayed looking-glasses, beads, and other 
 trinkets, and jingled strings of hawks' bells, in general so capti- 
 vating to an Indian ear ; but the haughty savages treated aU 
 their overtures with contempt, regarding these offerings care- 
 lessly for a short time, and then stalking off with stoic gravity. 
 They were ferocious of feature, and apparently warlike in dis- 
 position, and are supposed to have been a wandering race of 
 unusual size, who roamed about in the night, and were of the 
 most fierce, untractable nature. By nightfall there was not an 
 Indian to be seen in the neighbourhood. 
 
 Discovu*aged hj the inhospitable character of the coast, Pin- 
 zon made sail and stood to the north-west, until he came to the 
 mouth of a river too shallow to receive his ships. Here he 
 sent his boats on shore with a number of men well armed. 
 They landed on the river banks, and beheld a multitude of 
 naked Indians on a neighbouring hill. A single Spaniard armed 
 simply with sword and buckler was sent to invite them to 
 friendly intercourse. He approached them with signs of amity, 
 and threw to thein a hawk's bell. They replied to him with 
 similar signs, and threw to him a small gilded wand. The 
 soldier stooped to pick it up, when suddenly a troop of sav- 
 ages rushed down to seize him ; he threw himself immediately 
 upon the defensive, with sword and target, and though but a 
 small man, and far from robust, he handled his weapons with 
 such dexterity and fierceness, that he kept the savages at bay, 
 making a clear circle round him, and wounding several who 
 attempted to break it. His unlooked-for prowess surprised 
 and confounded his assailants, and gave time for his comrades 
 to come to his assistance. The Indians then made a general
 
 VICENTE TA^EZ PINZOK 29 
 
 assault, Avith such a gnlling discharge of darts and arrows that 
 almost immediately eight or ten Spaniards were slain, and 
 many more wounded. The latter were compelled to retreat to 
 their hoats disputing overy inch of ground. The Indians pur- 
 sued them even into the water, surroimding the boats and 
 seizing hold of the oars. The Spaniards made a desperate 
 defence, thrusting many through with their lances, and cutting 
 down and ripping up others with their swords ; but such was 
 the ferocity of the survivors, that they persisted in their at- 
 tack imtil they overpowered the crew of one of the boats, and 
 bore it off in triumph. With this they retired from the com- 
 bat, and the Spaniards returned, defeated and disheartened, to 
 their ships, having met with the roughest reception that the 
 Europeans had yet experienced in the New World. 
 
 Pinzon now stood forty leagues to the north-west, until he 
 arrived in the neighbourhood of the equinoctial line. Here 
 he found the water of the sea so fresh that he was enabled to 
 replenish his casks with it. Astonished at so singular a phe- 
 nomenon he stood in for the land, and arrived among a ninnber 
 ol: fresh and verdant islands, inhabited by a gentle and hospi- 
 table race of people, gaily painted, who came off to the ships 
 with the most frank and fearless confidence. Pinzon soon 
 found that these islands lay in the mouth of an immense river, 
 more than thirty leagues in breadth, the water of which entered 
 upwards of forty leagues into the- sea before losing its sweet- 
 ness. It was, in fact, the renowned Mnranou, since known as 
 the Orellana and the Amazon. While lying in the mouth of 
 this river there was a sudden swelUng of the stream, which, 
 being opposed by the current of the sea, and straitened by the 
 narrow channels of the islands, rose more than five fathoms, 
 with moiuatain waves, and a tremendous noise, threatening 
 the destruction of the ships. Pinzon extricated his little 
 squadron with gi-eat difficulty from this perilous situation, 
 and finding there was but little gold or any thing else of value 
 to be found among the simple natives, he requited their hospi- 
 tality, in the mode too common among the early discoverers, 
 by carrj'ing off thirty-six of them cajjtive. 
 
 Having regained the sight of the polar star, Pinzon pursued 
 his course along the coast, passing the mouths of the Oronoko, 
 and entering the Gidf of Paria, where he landed and cut Bra- 
 zil-wood. Sallying forth by the Boca del Drago, he reached' 
 the island of Hispaniola about the 23d of Jtnie, from wlience 
 he sailed for the Bahamas. Here, in the month of July, while
 
 30 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 at anchor, there came such a tremendous hurricane that two 
 of the caravels were swallowed up with all their crews in the 
 sight of their tei'rified companions ; a third parted her cables 
 and was driven out to sea, while the fourth was so furiously- 
 beaten by the tempest that the crew threw themselves into 
 the boats and made for shore. Here they found a few naked 
 Indians, who offered them no molestation; but, fearing that 
 they might spread the tidings of a handful of shipwrecked 
 Spaniards being upon the coast, and thus bring the savages of 
 the neighbouring islands upon them, a council of war was held 
 whether it would not be a wise precaution to put these Indians 
 to death. Fortunately for the latter, the vessel which had 
 been driven from her anchors returned and put an end to the 
 alarm, and to the council of war. The other caravel also rode 
 out the storm uninjured, and the sea subsiding, the Spaniards 
 returned on board, and made the best of their way to the 
 Island of Hispaniola. Having repaired the damages sustained 
 in the gale, they again made sail for Spain, and caine to anchor 
 in the river before Palos about the end of September. 
 
 Thus ended one of the most chequered u,nd disastrous voy- 
 ages that had yet been made to the New World. Yanez Pinzon 
 had lost two of his ships, and many of his men ; what made 
 the loss of the latter more grievous was that they had been en- 
 listed from among liis neighbours, his friends, and relatives. 
 In fact, the expeditions to the New World must have realized 
 the terrors and apprehensions of the people of Palos by filling 
 that httle community with widows and orphans. When the 
 rich merchants, who had sold goods to Pinzon, at a hundred 
 per cent, advance, beheld him return in this sorry condition, 
 with two shattered barks and a handful of poor tattered, 
 weather-beaten seamen, they began to tremble for their 
 money. No sooner, therefore, had he and his nephews de- 
 parted to Granada, to give an account of their discoveries to 
 the sovereigns, than the merchants seized upon their caravels 
 and cargoes, and began to sell them to repay themselves. Hon- 
 est Pinzon immediately addressed a petition to the govern- 
 ment, stating the imposition that had been practised upon 
 him, and the danger he was in of imprisonment and utter ruin, 
 should his creditors be allowed to sacrifice his goods at a pub- 
 lic sale. He petitioned that they might bo compelled to return 
 the property thus seized, and that he might be enabled to sell 
 three hundred and fifty quintals of Brazil-wood, which he had 
 brought back with him, and which would be sufficient to
 
 VICENTE YA^'EZ PINZOK 31 
 
 satisfy the demands of his creditors. The sovereigns granted 
 his prayer. They issued an order to the civil authorities of 
 Palos to interfere in the matter, with all possible promptness 
 and brevity, allowing no vexatious delay, and administering 
 justice so impartially that neither of the parties should have 
 cause to complain. 
 
 Pinzon escaped from the fangs of his creditors, but, of 
 course, must have suffered in purse from the expenses of the 
 law ; which, in Spain, is apt to bury even a successful client 
 under an overwhelming mountain of documents and writings. 
 We infer this in respect to Pinzon from a royal order issued in 
 the following year allowing him to export a (juantity of grain, 
 in consideration of the heavy losses he had sustained in his 
 voyage of discov^ery. He did but share the usual lot of the 
 Spanish discoverers, whose golden anticipations too frequently 
 ended in penury; but he is distinguished from among the 
 crowd of them by being the first European who crossed the 
 Equinoctial line, on the western ocean, and by discovering 
 the gi-eat kingdom of Brazil.* 
 
 * On the 5th of September, 1501, a royal permission was given to Vicente Yanez 
 Pinzon to colonize and govern tlie lands he had discovered, beginning a little north 
 of the river Amazon, and extending to Cape St. Augustine. The object of the gov- 
 ernment in this permission wa.s to establish an outpost and a resolute commander 
 on this southern frontier, that slioukl check any intrusions the Portugese might 
 make in consequence of the accidental discovery of a part of the coast of Brazil by 
 Pedro Alvarez Cabral. in 1.500. The subsequent ariangement of a partition line be- 
 tween the two countries prevented the necessity of this precaution, and it does not 
 appear that Vicente Yanez Pinzon made any second voyage to those parts. 
 
 In l.'iOO he undert'.)ok an e.Kpedition in company with Juan Diaz de Solis, a native 
 of Lebrija. the object of which was to endeavour to find the strait or passage sup- 
 pose<l by Columbus to lead from the Atlantic to a southern ocean. It was neces- 
 sarily without success, as was also another voyage made by them, for the same 
 purpose, in 1.51)8. As no such passage exists, no blame could attach to those able 
 navigators for being foiled in the object of their search. 
 
 In consequence of the distinguished merits and services of the Pinzon family they 
 were raised, by the emperor Charles V., to the dignity of a Hidalguia, or nobility, 
 without any express title, and a coat of arms was grunted them, on which were 
 emblazoned three caravels, with a hand at the stern pointing to an island covered 
 with savages. This coat of arms is still maintained by the family, who have added 
 to it the motto granted to Columbus, merely substitatiug the name of Pinzon for 
 that of the Admiral, 
 
 A Castile y a Leon, 
 Nuevo Mundo dio Pinzon.
 
 32 SPAmSH VOYAGES OF DISCO VEEY. 
 
 DIEGO DE LEPE AND RODRIGO DE BASTIDES. 
 
 (1500.) 
 
 Notwithstanding the hardships and disasters that had beset 
 the voyages to the New World, and the penury in which their 
 golden anticipations had too frequently tei-minated, adventur- 
 ers continued to press forward, excited by fresh reports of 
 newly-discovered regions, each of which, in its turn was repre- 
 sented as the real land of promise. Scarcely had Vicente 
 Yaiiez Pinzon departed on the voyage recently narrated, when 
 his townsman, Diego de Lepe, likewise set sail with two 
 vessels from the busy little port of Palos on a like expedition. 
 No particulars of importance are known of tliis voyage, 
 excepting that Lepe doubled Cape St. Augustine, and beheld 
 the southern continent stretching far to the southwest. On re- 
 turning to Spain he drew a chart of the coast for the bishop 
 Fonseca, and enjoyed the reputation, for upAvards of ten years 
 afterwards, of having extended his discoveries further south 
 than any other voyager. 
 
 Another contemporary adventurer to the New World was 
 Rodrigo de Bastides, a wealthy notary of Triana, the suburb of 
 Seville inhabited by the maritime part of its population. Be- 
 ing sanctioned by the sovereigns, to \5^honi he engaged to 
 yield a fourth of his profits, he fitted out two caravels in Octo- 
 ber, 1500, to go in quest of gold and pearls. 
 
 Prudently distrusting his own judgment in nautical matters, 
 this adventurous notary associated with him the veteran pilot 
 Juan de la Cosa, the same hardy Biscayan who had sailed 
 with Columbus and Ojeda. A general outlme of their voyage 
 has already been given in the life of Columbus ; it extended the 
 discoveries of the coast of Terra Firma from Cape de la Vela, 
 where Ojeda had left off, quite to the port of Nombre de Dios. 
 
 Bastides distinguished himself from the mass of discoverers 
 by his kind treatment of the natives, and Juan de la Cosa by 
 his sound discretion and his able seamanship. Their voyage
 
 DIEGO DE LEPE AND RODIUGO DE BASTIDES. 33 
 
 had been extremely successful, and they had collected, by 
 barter, a great amount of gold and pearls, when their prosper- 
 ous career was checked by an unlooked-for evil. Their vessels, 
 to their surprise, became Icakj^ in every part, and they discov- 
 ered, to their dismay, tliat the bottoms were i^ierced in innum- 
 erable places by the broma, or worm which abomids in the 
 waters of the torrid zone, but of which they, as yet, had 
 scarcely any knowledge. It was with great difficulty they 
 could keep afloat until they reached a small islet on the coast 
 of Ilispaniola. Here they repaired their ships as well as they 
 were able, and again put to sea to return to Cadiz. A succes- 
 sion of gales drove them back to port ; the ravages of tho 
 worms continued ; the leaks broke out afresh ; they landed the 
 most portable and precious part of their wealthy cargoes, and 
 the vessels foundered with the remainder. Bastides lost, 
 moreover, the arms and ammunition saved from the wreck, 
 being obliged to destroy them lest they should faK into tho 
 hands of the Indians. 
 
 Distributing his men, into three bands, two oF them headed 
 by La Cosa and himself, they set off for San Domingo by three 
 several routes, as the country was not able to furnish provis- 
 ions for so large a body. Each band was provided with a 
 coffer stored with trinkets and other articles of Indian traffic, 
 with which to buy provisions on the road. 
 
 Francisco de Bobadilla, the wrong-headed oppressor and 
 superscder of Columbus, was at that time governor of San Do- 
 mingo. The report reached him that a crew of adventurers had 
 landed on the island, and v/ere marcliing through the coimtry 
 in three bands, each provided with a coffer of gold, and carry- 
 ing on illicit trade with the natives. Tho moment Bastides 
 made his appearance, therefore, he was seized and throv/n into 
 prison, and an investigation commenced. In his defence he 
 maintained that his taily traffic with the natives was for tho 
 purpose of procuring pj-ovisions for his followers, or guides for 
 his joiirncy. It was determined, however, to send him to 
 Spain for trial, with the v/rittcn testimony and the other docu- 
 ments of his examination. 
 
 He was accordingly conveyed in the same fleet in which Bo- 
 babilla embarked for Spain, and which experienced such an 
 awful shipwreck in the sight of Columbus. The ship Rodrigo 
 Bastides was one of the few that outlived the tempest: it 
 arrived safe at Cadiz in September, 1502. Bastides was ulti- 
 mately acquitted of the charges advanced against him. So
 
 34 SPANISII VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 lucrative had been his voyage, that, notwithstanding the losses 
 sustained by the foundering of his vessels, he was enabled 
 to pay a large sum to the crown as a fourth of his profits, 
 and to retain a gi'cat amount for himself. In reward of his 
 services and discoveries the sovereigns granted him an annual 
 revenue for life, to arise from the proceeds of the province of 
 Uraba, which ho had discovered. An equal pension was hke- 
 wise assigned to the hardy Juan de la Cosa, to residt from the 
 same territory, of which he was appointed Alguazil Mayor.* 
 Such was the economical generosity of King Ferdinand, Avho 
 rewarded the past toils of his adventurous discoverers out 
 of the expected produce of their future labours. 
 
 * Navarrete. Collec. t. iii.
 
 SECOND VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. 35 
 
 SECOND VOYAGE OF ALOXZO DE OJEDA 
 
 (1502.) 
 
 The first voyage of Alonzo de Ojeda to the coast of Paria, 
 and its meagre termination in June, 1500, has been related. 
 He gained nothing in wealth by that expedition, but he added 
 to his celebrity as a bold and skilful adventurer. His youthful 
 fire, his sanguine and swelling spirit, and the wonderful stories 
 that were told of his activity and prowess, made him extremely 
 popular, so that his patron, the bishop Fonseca, found it an 
 easy matter to secure for him the royal favour. In considera- 
 tion of his past services and of othei's expected from him, a 
 grant was made to him of six leagues of laud on the southern 
 part of Hispaniola, and the govermnent of the province of 
 Coquibacoa which he had discovered. He was, furthermore, 
 authorized to fit out any number of ships, not exceeding ten, 
 at his own expense, and to prosecute the discovery of the 
 coast of Terra Finna. He was not to touch or traffic on the 
 pearl coast of Paria ; extending as far as a bay in the vicinity 
 of the island of Margarita. Beyond this he had a right to 
 trade in all kinds of merchandise, whether of pearls, jewels, 
 metals, or precious stones ; paying one-fifth of the profits to 
 the crown, and abstaining from making slaves of the Indians 
 without a special license from the sovereigns. He was to col- 
 onize Coquibacoa, and, as a recompense, was to enjoy one-half 
 of the proceeds of liis territory, provided the half did not 
 exceed 300,000 maravedies: all beyond that amoimt was to go 
 to the crown. 
 
 A principal reason, however, for granting this government 
 and those privileges to Ojeda, wiis that, in his pre^aous voyage, 
 he had met with English adventurers on a voyage of discovery 
 in the neighbourhood of Coquibacoa, at which the jealousy of 
 the sovertugns had taken the alarm. They were anxious, 
 therefore, to establish a resolute and ' fightmg commander like 
 Ojeda upon this outpost, and they instinicted liim to set up the
 
 36 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 arms of Castile and Leon in every place he visited, as a signal 
 of discovery and possession, and to put a stop to the intrusions 
 of theEnghsh.* 
 
 With this commission in his pocket, and the government of 
 an Indian territory in the perspective, Ojeda soon foimd asso- 
 ciates to aid him in fitting out an armament. These were 
 Juan de Vergara, a servant of a rich canon of the cathedral of 
 Seville, and Garcia de Campos, commonly called Ocampo. 
 They made a contract of partnership to last for two years, 
 according to Avhich the expenses and profits of the expedition, 
 and of the government of Coquibacoa, were to be shared 
 equally between them. The purses of the confederates were 
 not ample enough to afford ten ships, but they fitted out four. 
 1st, The Santa Maria de la Antigua, commanded by Garcia del 
 Campo; 2d, The Santa Maria de la Granada, commanded by 
 Juan de Vergara ; 3d, The Caravel Magdalena, commanded by 
 Pedro de Ojeda, nephew to Alonzo; and 4th, The Caravel 
 Santa Ana, commanded by Hernando de Guevara. The 
 whole was under the command of Alonzo de Ojeda. The 
 expedition set sail in 1502, touched at the Canaries, according 
 to custom, to take in provisions, and then proceeded westward 
 for the shores of the New World. 
 
 After traversing the Gulf of Paria, and before reaching the 
 Island of Margarita, the Caravel Santa Ana, commanded by 
 Hernando de Guevara, was separated from them, and for sev- 
 eral days the ships were mutu-aUy seeking each other, in these 
 silent and trackless seas. After they were all reunited they 
 found their provisions growing scanty ; they landed therefore 
 at a part of the coast called Cumana by the natives, but to 
 which, from its beauty and fertility, Ojefla gave the name of 
 Valfermoso. While foraging here for their immediate sup- 
 plies, the idea occurred to Ojeda that he should want fui-niture 
 and utensils of all kinds for his proposed colony, and that it 
 would be better to pillage them from a country where he was 
 a mere transient visitor, than to "wrest them from his neigh- 
 bours in the territory where he was to set up his government. 
 His companions were struck with the policy, if not the justice, 
 of this idea, and they all set to work to carry it into execution. 
 Dispersing themselves, therefore, in ambush in various direc- 
 tions, they at a concerted signal rushed forth from their con- 
 cealment, and set upon l^he natives. Ojeda had issued orders 
 
 * Navarrete, t. iii., document x.
 
 SISCOM) VOYAGE OB' ALONZO DK OJEDA. 37 
 
 to do as little injury and damap:o as possible, and on no ac- 
 count to destroy the habitations of the Indians. His followers, 
 however, in their great zeal, transcended his orders. Seven or 
 eight Indians were killed and many wounded in the skirmish 
 which took place, and a number of their cabins were wrapped 
 in flames. A great quantity of hammocks, of cotton, and of 
 utensils of various kinds, fell into the hands of the conquerors ; 
 they also captured several female Indians, some of whom were 
 ransomed with the kind of gold called guanin; some were 
 retained by Vergara for himself and his friend Ocampo ; others 
 were distributed among the crews ; the rest, probably the old 
 and ugly, were set at libei*ty. As to Ojeda, he reserved noth- 
 ing for himself of the spoil excepting a single hammock. 
 
 The ransom paid by the poor Indians for some of their effects 
 and some of their women, yielded the Spaniards a trifling 
 quantity of gold, but they found the place destitute of pro- 
 visions, and Ojeda was obliged to despatch Vergara in a cara- 
 vel to the island of Jamaica to forage for supplies, with 
 instructions to rejoin liim at Maracaibo or Cape de la Vela. 
 
 Ojeda at length arrived at Coquibacoa, at the port destined 
 for his seat of government. He found the country, however, 
 so poor and sterile, that he proceeded along the coast to a bay 
 which he named Santa Ciniz, but which is supposed to be the 
 same at present called Bahia Honda, where he found a Span- 
 iard who had been left in the province of Citarma by Bastides 
 in his late voyage about thirteen months before, and had re- 
 mained ever since among the Indians, so that he had acquired 
 their language. 
 
 Ojeda determined to form his settlement at this place; but 
 the natives seemed disposed to defend their territory, for, the 
 moment a party landed to procure water, they were assailed 
 by a galling shower of arrows, and driven back to the ships. 
 Upon this Ojeda landed with all his force, and struck such 
 terror into the Indians, that they came fonvard with signs of 
 amity, and brought a considerable quantity of gold as a peace- 
 offering, which was gi'aciously accepted. 
 
 Ojeda, with the concurrence of his associates, now set to 
 work to establish a settlement, cutting doAvn trees, and com- 
 mencing a fortress. They had scarce begun, when they were 
 attacked by a neighbouring cacique, but Ojeda sallied forth 
 upon him witli such intrepidity and effect as not merely to de- 
 feat, but to drive him from the neighbourhood. He then pro- 
 ceeded quietly to finish his fortress, which was defended by
 
 38 SPAmSII VOYAGES OF DISCO VERY. 
 
 lombards, and contained the magazine of provisions and the 
 treasure amassed in the expedition. The provisions were 
 dealt out twice a day, under the inspection of proper officers; 
 the treasure gained by barter, by ransom, or by phmder, was 
 deposited in a strong box secured by two locks, one key being 
 kept by the royal supervisor, the other by Ocampo. 
 
 In the mean time provisions became scarce. The Indians 
 never appeared in the neighbourhood of the fortress, except to 
 harass it with repeated though ineffectual assaults. Vergara 
 did not appear with the expected supphes from Jamaica, and a 
 caravel was despatched in search of him. The people, worn 
 out with labour and privations of various kinds, and dis- 
 gusted with the situation of a settlement, which was in a poor 
 and unhealthy country, grew discontented and factious. They 
 began to fear that they should lose the means of departing, as 
 their vessels were in danger of being destroyed by the broma 
 or worms. Ojeda led them forth repeatedly upon foraging 
 parties about the adjacent country, and collected some pro- 
 visions and booty in the Indian villages. The provisions he 
 deposited in the magazine, part of the spoils he divided among 
 his followers, and the gold he locked up in the strong box, the 
 keys of which he took possession of, to the great displeasure of 
 the supervisor and his associate Ocampo. The murmurs of the 
 people grew loud as their sufferings 'increased. They insinu- 
 ated that Ojeda had no authority over this part of the coast, 
 having passed the boundaries of his government, and formed 
 his settlement in the country discovered by Bastides. By the 
 lime Vergara arrived from Jamaica, the factions of this potty 
 colony had risen to an alarming height. Ocampo had a per- 
 i3onal enmity to the governor ai'ising probably from some feud 
 about the strong box; being a particular friend of Vergara, he 
 held a pi-ivate conference with him, and laid a plan to entrap 
 the doughty Ojeda. In pursuance of tliis the latter was in- 
 vited on board of the caravel of Vergara to see the provisions 
 he had brought from Jamaica, but no sooner was he on board 
 than they charged him with having transgressed the limits of 
 his governnaent, with having provoked the hostility of the 
 Indians, and needlessly sacrificed the lives of his followers, 
 and above all, with having taking possession of the strong box, 
 in contempt of the authority of the royal supervisor, and with 
 the intention of appropriating to himself aU the gains of the 
 enterprise ; they informed him, therefore, of theu' intention to 
 convey him a prisoner to Hispaniola, to answer to the Gov-
 
 SECOND VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. 89 
 
 emor for his offences. Ojeda finding himself thus entrapped, 
 proposed to V(;rgara and Ocampo that they should return to 
 Spam with such of the crews as chose to accompany them, 
 leaving him with the remainder to prosecute his enterprise. 
 The two recreant partners at first consented, for they were 
 disgusted with the enterprise, which offered httle profit and 
 severe hardships. They agreed to leave Ojeda the smallest of 
 the caravels, ^vith a thii'd of the provisions and of their gains, 
 and to build a row boat for him. They actually began to 
 labour upon the boat. Before ten days had elapsed, however, 
 they repented of the arrangement, the ship-carpenters were 
 ill, there were no caulkers, and moreover, they recollected that 
 as Ojeda, according to their representations, was a defaulter to 
 the crown, they would be liable as his sureties, should they re- 
 turn to Spain without him. They concluded, therefore, that 
 the wisest plan was to give him nothing, but to carry him off 
 prisoner. 
 
 When Ojeda learned the determination of his wary partners, 
 he attempted to make his escape and get off to St. Domingo, 
 but he was seized, thrown in irons, and conveyed on board of 
 the caravel. The two partners then set sail from Santa Cniz, 
 bearing off the whole commimity, its captive governor, and the 
 litigated strong box. 
 
 They put to sea about the beginning of September, and 
 arrived at the western part of the island of Hispaniola. While 
 at ftnchor within a stone's throw of the land, Ojeda, con- 
 fiTlent in his strength and skill as a swimmer, let himself 
 qiiietly slide down the side of the ship into the w\ater during 
 the night, and attempted to swim for the shore. His arms 
 were free, but his feet were shackled, and the weight of his 
 irons threatened to sink him. He was obliged to shout for 
 help ; a boat was sent from the vessel to his relief, and the un- 
 fortunate governor was brought back half drowned to his un- 
 relenting partners.* 
 
 The latter now landed and delivered their prisoner into the 
 hands of Gallcgo, the commander of the place, to be put at the 
 disposal of the governor of the island. In the mean time the 
 strong box, which appears to have been at the bottom of all 
 these feuds, remained in the possession of Vergara and Ocam- 
 po, who, Ojeda says, took from it whatever they thought 
 proper, without regard to the royal dues or the consent of the 
 
 ♦ Hist. Gcii. cle Yiages. Ilerrera, Hist. Ind.
 
 40 SPAMSII VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 royal supervisor. They were all together, prisoner and ac- 
 cusers, in the city of San Domingo, about the end of Septem- 
 ber 1502, Avhen the chief judge of the island, after hearing 
 both parties, gave a verdict against Ojeda that stripped him 
 of aU his effects, and brought him into debt to the crown for 
 the royal proportion of the profits of the voyage. Ojeda ap- 
 pealed to the sovereign, and, after some time, was honour- 
 ably acquitted, by the royal council, from all the charges, and 
 a mandate was issued in 1503, ordering a restitution of his 
 property. It appears, however, that the costs of justice, 
 or rather of the law, consumed his share of the treasure of 
 the strong box, and that a royal order was necessary to libe- 
 rate him from the hands of the governor; so that, like too 
 many other htigants, he finally emerged from the labyrinths 
 of the law a triiimphant client but a ruined man.
 
 THIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO BE OJEDA. 41 
 
 THIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 OJEDA APPLIES FOR A COMMAND— HAS A RIVAL CANDIDATE IN 
 DIEGO DE NICUESA— HIS SUCCESS. 
 
 For several years after his ruinous, though successful law- 
 suit, we lose all traces of Alonzo de Ojeda, excepting that we 
 are told he made another voyage to the vicinity of Coquibacoa, 
 in 1505. No record remains of this expedition, which seems to 
 have been equally unprofitable with the preceding, for wo find 
 him, in 1508, in the island of Hispaniola, as poor in purse, 
 though as proud in spirit, as ever. In fact, however fortune 
 might have favoured him, lie had a heedless, squandering dis- 
 position that would always have ke]it him poor. 
 
 About this time the cupidity of King Ferdinand was greatly 
 excited by the accounts which had been given by Columbus, of 
 the gold mines of Veragua, in which the admiral fancied he 
 had discovered the Aiu-ea Chei-sonesus of the ancients, from 
 whence King Solomon procured the gold used in building the 
 temple of Jerusalem. Subsequent voyagore had corroborated 
 the opinion of Columbus as to the general riches of tbe coast 
 of Terra Firma; King Ferdinand resolved, tlierefore, to found 
 regular colonies along that coast and to place the whole under 
 some capable commander. A project of the kind had been 
 conceived by Columbus, when he discovered that I'ogion in the 
 course of his last voyage, and the reader may remember the 
 disasters experienced by his brother Don Bartholomew and 
 himself, in endeavouring to estabUsh a colony on the hostile 
 shores of Vera.gua. The admiral being dead, the ]>erson who 
 should naturally have presented himself to the mind of the 
 sovereign for this particular service was Don BarthoU)mew, 
 but the Avary and selfish monarch knew the Adelantado to be 
 as lofty in his terms as his late brother, and preferred to accom- 
 plish his purposes by cheaper agents. He was unwilling, also,
 
 42 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 to increase the consequence of a family, whose vast, but just, 
 claims were already a cause of repining to his sordid and jeal- 
 ous spirit. He looked round, therefore, among the crowd of 
 adventurers, who had sprung up in the school of Columbus, 
 for some indi\'idual who might bo ready to serve him on more 
 accommodating terms. Among those, considered by their 
 friends as most fitted for this purpose, was Alonzo de Ojeda, for 
 his roving voyages and daring exploits had made him famous 
 among the voyagers ; and it was thought that an application 
 on his part would be attended with success, for he was known 
 to possess a staunch friend at court in the Bishop Fonseca. 
 Unfortunately he was too far distant to urge liis suit to the 
 bishop, and what was worse, he was destitute of money. At 
 this juncture tliere happened to be at Hispaniola the veteran 
 navigator and pilot, Juan de la Cosa, who was a kind of Nestor 
 in all nautica.1 affairs.* The hardy Biscayan had sailed with 
 Ojeda, and had conceived a great opinion of the courage and 
 talents of the youthfLd adventurer. He had contrived, also, to 
 fill his purse in the course of his cruising, and now, in the gen- 
 erous spirit of a sailor, offered to aid Ojeda. with it in the 
 prosecution of his wishes. 
 
 His offer was gladly accepted ; it was agreed that Juan de la 
 Cosa should depart for Spain, to promote the appointment of 
 Ojeda to the command of Terra Firma, and, in case of success, 
 should fit out, with his own funds, the necessary armament. 
 
 La Cosa departed on his embassy ; he called on the Bishop 
 Fonseca, who, as had been expected, entered warmly into the 
 views of his favourite, Ojeda, and recommended Mm to the 
 ambitious and bigot king, as a man well fitted to promote his 
 empire in the wilderness, and to dispense the blessings of Chris- 
 tianity among the savages. 
 
 The recommendation of the bishop was usually effectual in 
 the affairs of the New World, and the opinion of the veteran 
 de la Cosa had great weight even with the sovereign ; but a 
 
 * Peter Martyr gives the following weighty testimony to the knowledge and skill 
 of this excellent seaman: — " Of the Spaniards, as many as thought themselves to 
 have any knowledge of what pertained to measure the land and sea, drew cardes 
 (cliarts) on parchment as concerning these navigations. Of all others they most 
 esteem them which Juan de la Cosa. the companion of Ojeda, and another pilot, 
 called Andres Morales, had set forth, and this as well for the great experience 
 ■whieli both had, {io ivhom these tracks irere as well known us the chambers of their 
 own houses,) as also that they were thought to be cunninger in that part of cos- 
 mography which teacheth the description and measuring of the sea."— P. Martyr, 
 Decad. ii. c. 10.
 
 TniED VOYAGE OF ALONZO BE OJEDA. 43 
 
 rival candidate to Ojoda had presented himself, and one who 
 had the advantage oi higher connexif )ns and greater pecuniary 
 nicans. This was Diego dc Nicuesa, an accomplished courtier 
 of nohle birtli, wlio had filled the post of grand carver to Don 
 Enrique Enriqucz, uncle of the king. Nature, education, and 
 habit seemed to have combini'd to form Nicuesa as a complete 
 rival of Ojeda. Like him he was small of stature, but remark- 
 able for symmetry and compactness of form and for bodily 
 Btrcngth and activity ; like hin^ he was master at all kinds of 
 weapons, and skilled, not merely in feats of agility but in those 
 gi-aceful and chivah-ous exercises, which the Spanish cavaliers 
 of those days had inherited from the Moors ; being noted for 
 his vigour and address in the jousts or tilting matches after the 
 Moresco fasliion. Ojeda himseir could not surpass him in feats 
 of horsemanship, and particular mention is made of a favourite 
 mare, a\ hich he could make caper and carricol in strict cadence 
 to the sound of a viol ; beside all this, he was versed in the 
 legendary ballads or romnnces of his country, and was renowned 
 as a capital perfoi-mcr on the guitar! Such were the qualifica- 
 tions of this candidate for a command in the wilderness, as 
 enmnerated by the reverend Bishop Las Casas. It is probable, 
 however, that he had given evidence of qualities more adapted 
 to the desired post ; having already been out to Hispaniola in 
 the military tram of the late Governor Ovando. 
 
 Where merits were so singularly balanced as those of Ojeda 
 and Nicuesa, it might have beeii difficult to decide; King Ferdi- 
 nand avoided the dilemma by favoiiring both of the candidates ; 
 iiot indeed by furnishing thom with ships and money, but by 
 granting i)atents and dignities which cost nothing, and might 
 bring rich returns. 
 
 Ho divided that part of the continent which lies along the 
 Isthmus of Darien into two provinces, the boundary line run- 
 ning through the Gulf of Uraba. The eastern part, extending 
 to Cape de la Vela, was called New Andalusia, the government 
 of it given to Ojeda. The other, to the west, including Veragua, 
 and reaching to Cape Gracias a Dies, was assigned to Nicuesa. 
 The island of Jamaica was given to the two governors in com- 
 mon, as a place from whence to draw supplies of provisions. 
 Each of the governors was to erect two fortresses in his dis- 
 trict, and to enjoy for ten years the profits of all the mines he 
 should discover, paying to the crown one-tenth part the first 
 year, one-ninth the second, one-eighth the third, one-seventh 
 the fourth, and one-fifth part in each of the remaining years.
 
 44 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 Juan de la Cosa, who had been indefatigable in promoting 
 the suit of Ojeda, Avas appointed his lieutenant in the govern- 
 ment, with the post of Alguazil Mayor of the province. He 
 immediately freighted a ship and two brigantines, in which he 
 embarked -with about two hundred men. It was a slender 
 armament, but the jiurse of the honest voyager was not very 
 deep, and that of Ojeda was emi)ty. Nicuesa, having ampler 
 means, armed four lai'ge vessels and two brigantines, furnished 
 them with abundant munitions and supplies, both for the voy- 
 age and the projected colony, enlisted a much greater force, 
 and set sail in gay and vaunting style, for the golden shores of 
 Veragua, the Aurea Chersoncsus of his imagination. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 FEUr BETAVEEN THE RIVAL GOVERNORS, OJEDA AND NICUESA — 
 A CHALLENGE. — (1509.) 
 
 The two rival armaments arrived at San Domingo about the 
 same time. Nicuesa had experienced what was doubtless con- 
 sidered a pleasant little turn of fortune by the way. Touching 
 at Santa Cruz, one of the Carribee islands, he had succeeded in 
 capturing a hundred of the natives, whom he had borne off in 
 his slups to be sold as slaves at Hispaniola. This was deemed 
 justifiable in those days, even by the most scrupulous divines, 
 from the belief that the Caribs were all anthropophagi, or 
 man-eaters ; fortunately the opinion of mankind, in this more 
 enlightened age, makes but little difference in atrocity between 
 the cannibal and the kidnapper. 
 
 Alonzo de Ojeda welcomed with joy the ai'rival of his nau- 
 tical friend and future lieiitenant in the government, the 
 worthy Juan de la Cosa ; still he could not but feel some mor- 
 tification at the inferiority of his armament to that of his rival 
 Nicuesa, whose stately ships rode proudly at anchor in the 
 harbour of San Domingo. He felt, too, that his means were 
 inadequate to the establishment of his intended colony. 
 Ojeda, however, was not long ao a loss for pecuniary assist- 
 ance. Like many free-spirited men, who are careless and 
 squandering of their own purses, he had a facility at com- 
 manding the purses of his neighbours. Among the motley 
 population of San Domingo there was a lawyer of some abih-
 
 THIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO BE OJEBA. 45 
 
 ties, the Bachelor Martin Fernandez de Enciso, who had made 
 two tlioiisand castillanos by his pleading;* for it woidd apjiear 
 that the spirit of litigation was one of the first fruits of civilized 
 life ti-aiisplanted to the New World, and flourished sux-prismgly 
 among the Spanish colonists. 
 
 Alonzo de Ojeda became acquainted with the Bachelor, and 
 finding him to be of a restless and speculative character, soon 
 succeeded in inspiring him with a contempt for the dull but 
 secure and profitable routine of his office in San Domingo, and 
 imbuing him with his own passion for adventure. Above all, 
 he dazzled him witli the offer to make liim Alcalde Mayor, or 
 chief .judge of the provincial government he was about to 
 establish in the wilderness. 
 
 In an evil hour the aspiring Bachelor yielded to the tempta- 
 tion, and agreed to invest all his money in the enterprise. It 
 was agreed that Ojeda should depart with the armament which 
 had arrived from Spain, while the Bachelor should remain at 
 Hispaniola to beat up for recruits and provide supplies ; with 
 these he was to embark in a ship purchased by himself, and 
 proceed to join his high-mottled friend at the seat of his in- 
 tended colony. Two rival governors, so well matched as 
 Ojeda and Nicucsa, and both possessed of swelling spirits, pent 
 up in small but active bodies, could not remain long in a little 
 place like San Domingo without some collision. The island of 
 Jamaica, which had been assigned to them in common, fur- 
 nished the first ground of contention ; the province of Darien 
 furnished another, each pretending to include it within the 
 limits ctf his jurisdiction. Their disputes on these points ran 
 so high that tlie whole place resounded with tiiem. In talk- 
 ing, however, Nicuesa had the advantage; having been 
 brought up in the court, he was more polished and ceremoni- 
 ous, had greater self-command, and probably perplexed his 
 rival governor in argument. Ojeda was no great casuist, but 
 he was an excellent swordsman, and always ready to fight his 
 way through any question of right or dignity which he could 
 not clearly argue with the tongue ; so he proposed to settle the 
 dispute by single combat. Nicuesa, though equally brave, 
 was more a man of the world, and saw the folly of such arbit- 
 rament. Secretly smiling at the heat of his antagonist, he 
 proposed, as a preliminary to the duel, and to furnish some- 
 thing worth fighting for, that each should deposit five thou- 
 
 * Equivalent to lO.GSO dollars of the present day.
 
 46 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 sand castillanos, to be the prize of the victor. This, as he 
 foi-esaw, was a, temporary check upon the fiery valour of his 
 I'ival, who did not possess a pistole in his treasury, but prob- 
 ably was too proud to confess it. 
 
 It is not likely, however, that the impetuous spirit of Ojeda 
 would long have remained in check, had not the discreet Juan 
 de la Casa interposed to calm it. It is interesting to notice the 
 great ascendency possessed by this veteran navigator over his 
 fiery associate. Juan de la Cosa was a man whose strong 
 natural good sense had been quickened by long and hard 
 experience; whose courage was above all question, but tem- 
 pered by time and trial. He seems to have been personally 
 attached to Ojeda, as veterans who have outlived the rash im- 
 pulse of youthful valour are apt to love the fiery quality in 
 their younger associates. So long as he accompanied Ojeda in 
 his enterprises, he stood by him as a Mentor in council, and a 
 devoted partisan in danger. 
 
 In the present instance the interference of this veteran of the 
 seas had the most salutary effect ; he prevented the impending 
 duel of the rival governors, and persuaded them to agree that 
 the river Darien should be the boundary line between their 
 respective jurisdictions. 
 
 The dispute relative to Jamaica was settled by the Admiral 
 Don Diego Columbus himself. He had already felt aggrieved 
 by the distribution of these governments by the king, without 
 his consent or even knowdedge, being contrary to the privileges 
 which he inherited from his father, the discoverer. It was in 
 vain to contend, however, Avhen the matter was beyond his 
 reach and involved in technical disputes. But as to the island 
 of Jamaica, it in a manner lay at his own door, and he could 
 not brook its being made a matter of gift to these brawling 
 governors. Without waiting the slow and uncertain course of 
 making remonstrances to the king, he took the affair, as a 
 matter of plain light, into his own hands and ordered a brave 
 officer, Juan de Esquibel, the same who had subjugated the 
 province of Higuey, to take possession of that island, with 
 seventy men, and to hold it svibject to his command. 
 
 Ojeda did not hear of this arrangement until ho was on the 
 point of embarking to make sa,il. In the heat of the moment 
 he loudly defied the power of the admiral, and swore that if he 
 e"\'er found Juan de Escpiibel on the island of Jamaica he would 
 strike off" his head. The populace present heard this menace, 
 and had too thorough an idea of the fiery and daring character
 
 TUIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO DK OJ/CDA. 47 
 
 of Ojoda to doubt that he would carry it into effect. Notwith- 
 standing hif; bravado, however, Juan de Esquibel proceeded 
 according to his orders to take possession of the island of 
 Jamaica. 
 
 The squadron of Nicuesa lingered for some time after the 
 saihng of his rival. His courteous and engaq-ing manners, 
 aided by the rumour of great riches in the province of Vera- 
 gua, where ho intended to found his colony, had draAvn numer- 
 ous volunteers to his standard, insomuch that he had to pur- 
 chase another ship to convey them. 
 
 Nicuesa was more of the courtier and the covalicr than the 
 man of business, and had no skill in managing his pecuniary 
 affairs. He had expended his funds with a free and lavish 
 hand, and involved himself in debts which he had not the im- 
 mediate means of paying. Many of his creditors knew that 
 his expedition was regarded with an evil eye by the Admiral, 
 Don Diego Columbus; to gain favour with the latter, therefore, 
 they threw all kinds of impediments in the way of Niciie.-a. 
 Nevei" WPS an unfortunate gentleman more harassed and dis- 
 tracted hj duns and demands, one plur'-irg at his skii'ts as 
 soon as the other was satisfied. He suc( ceded, however, in 
 getting all his forces embarked. He had seven himdred men, 
 well chosen and well armed, together with six horses. He 
 chose Lope de Olano to be his captain-general, a seemingly 
 impolitic appointment, as this Olano had been concerned ^\ith 
 the notorious Roldan in his rebellion against Colunibus. 
 
 The squadron sailed out of the harbour and jiut to sea, ex- 
 cepting one ship, which, with anchor a-trip and sails imfurled, 
 waited to receive Nicuesa, who was detained on shore imtil 
 the last moment by the perplexities which had been ai'tfuUy 
 multiplied around him. 
 
 Just as he was on the point of stepping into liis boat he 
 was arrested by the harpies of the law, and carried beffire the 
 Alcalde Mayor to answer a demand for five hundred ducats, 
 which he was ordered to pay on the spot, or prepare to go to 
 prison. 
 
 This was a thunderstroke to the importunate cavalier. In 
 vain he represented his utter incapacity to furnish such a siun 
 at the moment; in vain he represented the ruin that would 
 accrue to himself and the vast injmyto the public sei'vice, 
 should lie be prevented from joining his expedition. The Al- 
 calde Mayor was inflexible, and Nicuesa was reduced to de- 
 spair, xit this critical moment relief came from a most unex-
 
 48 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 pected quarter. The heart of a public notary was melted by 
 his distress ! He stepped forward in court and declared that 
 rather tlian see so gallant a gentleman i-educed to extremity 
 he liiraself would pay down the money. Nicuesa gazed at him 
 with astonishment, and could scarcely believe his senses, but 
 when he saw him actually pay off the debt, and found himself 
 suddenly released from this dreadful embarrassment, he em- 
 braced his dehverer with tears of gratitude, and hastened with 
 all speed to embark, lest some other legal spell should be laid 
 upon his person. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 EXPLOITS AND DISASTERS OF OJEDA ON THE COAST OF CARTHA- 
 GENA— FATE OF THE VETERAN JUAN DE LA COSA. — (1509.) 
 
 It was on the 10th of November, 1509, that Alonzo de Ojeda, 
 set sail from San Domingo with two ships, two brigantines, 
 and three hundred men. He took with him also twelve brood 
 mares. Among the remarkable adventurers who embarked 
 with him was Francisco Pizarro, who was afterwards re- 
 nowned as the conqueror of Peru.* Hernando Cortez had like- 
 wise intended to sail in the expedition, but was prevented by 
 an inflammation in one of his knees. 
 
 The voyage was speedy and prosperous, and they arrived late 
 in the autumn in the harbour of Carthagera. The veteran 
 Juan de la Cosa was well acquainted with this place, having 
 sailed as pilot with Eodrigo de Bastides, at the time he discov- 
 ered it in 1501. He warned Alonzo de Ojeda to be upon his 
 guard, as the natives were a brave and warlike race, of Carib 
 
 * Francisco Pizarro was a native of Truxillo in Estremadura. He was the ille- 
 gitimate fruit of an amour between Gonsalvo Pizarro, a veteran captain of in- 
 fantry, and a damsel in low life. His childhood was passed in grovelling occu- 
 pations incident to the humble condition of his mother, and he is said to have 
 been a swineherd. When he had sufficiently increased in years and stature he en- 
 listed as a soldier. His first campaigns mny have been against the Moors in the 
 war of Granada. He certainly served in Italy under the banner of the Great Cap- 
 tain. Gonsalvo of Cordova. His roving spirit then induced him to join the bands 
 of adventurers to the New World. He was of ferocious courage, and, when en- 
 gaged in any enterprise, possessed an obstinate perseverance that was neither to 
 be deterred by danger, weakened by fatigue and hardship, or cheeked by repeated 
 disappointment. After having conquered tlie great kingdom of Peru, he was as- 
 sassinated, at an advanced age, in 1541, defending himself bravely to the last.
 
 THIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. 49 
 
 origin, far diffcront from tho soft and frcntlo inhabitants of the 
 islands. They wielded great swords of pahn-wood, defended 
 themselves with osier targets, and dipped their arrows in the 
 subtle poison. The women, as well as the men, mingled in bat- 
 tle, being expert in drawing the bow and throwing a species of 
 lance called the azagay. The warning was well timed, for tho 
 Indians of these parts had been irritated by the misconduct of 
 previous adventiu*ers, and flew to arms on the first appearance 
 of the ships. 
 
 Juan de la Cosa now feared for tho safety of the enterprise 
 in which he had person, fortune, and official dignity at stake. 
 He earnestly advised Ojeda to abandon this dangerous neigh- 
 bom-hood, and to commence a settlement in the guh of Uraba, 
 where the people were less ferocious, and did not use poisoned 
 weapons. Ojeda was too proud of spirit to alter his plans 
 through fear of a naked foe. It is thought, too, that he had 
 no objection to a skirmish, being desirous of a pretext to make 
 slaves to be sent to Hispaniola in discharge of the debts he 
 had left unpaid.* He landed, therefore, with a considerable 
 part of his force, and a number of friars, who had been sent 
 out to convert the Indians. His faithful lieutenant, being un- 
 able to keep him out of danger, stood by to second him. 
 
 Ojeda advanced towards the savages, and ordered the friars 
 to read aloud a certain formula which had recently been di- 
 gested by profound jurists and divines in Spain. It began in 
 stately form. "I, Alonzo do Ojeda, servant of the most high 
 and mighty sovereigns of Castile and Leon, conquerors of bar- 
 barous nations, their messenger and captain, do notify unto 
 you, and make you know, in the best way I can, that God our 
 Lord, one and eternal, created tho heaven and the earth, and 
 one man and one woman, from whom you and we, and all the 
 people of the earth proceeded, and are descendants, as well as 
 those who shall come hereafter." Tho formula then went on 
 to declare the fundamental principles of the Catholic Faith : 
 the supreme power given to St. Peter over the world and all 
 the human race, and exercised by his representative the pope ; 
 the donation made by a late pope of all this part of the world 
 and all its inhabitants, to the Catholic sovereigns of Castile; 
 and the ready obedience which had already been paid by many 
 of its lands and islands and people to the agents and represent- 
 atives of those sovereigns. It called upon those savages pres- 
 
 ♦Las Casas. Hist. Ind. 1. ii. c. 57, MS
 
 no SPANISH VOYAGES OF nrSCOVERY. 
 
 ent, therefore, to do the same, to acknowledge the truth of the 
 Christian doctrines, the supremacy of the pope, and the sov- 
 ereignty of the Cathohc King, but, in case of refusal, it de- 
 nounced upon them all the horrors of war, the desolation of 
 their dwellings, the seizure of their property, and the slavery 
 of their wives and children. Such was the extraordmary doc- 
 ument, which, from this time forward, was read by the Span- 
 ish discoverers to tlie wondering: savages of any newly-found 
 country, as a prelude to sanctify the violence about to be in- 
 flicted on them.* 
 
 When the friars had read this pious manifesto, Ojeda made 
 signs of amity to the natives, and held up glittering presents ; 
 they had already suffered, however, from the cruelties of the 
 white men, and were not to be won by kindness. On the con- 
 trary, they brandished their weapons, sounded their conchs, 
 and prepared to make battle. 
 
 Juan de la Cosa saw the rising choler of Ojeda, and knew his 
 fiery impatience. He again entreated him to abandon these 
 hostile shores, and reminded him of the venomous weapons of 
 the enemy. It was all in vain: Ojeda confided blindly in the 
 protection of the Virgin. Putting up, as usual, a short prayer 
 to his patroness, he drew his weapon, braced his buckler, and 
 charged furiously upon the savages. Juan de la Cosa followed 
 as heartily as if the battle had been of his own seeking. The 
 Indians were soon routed, a number killed, and several taken 
 prisoners; on their persons were found plates of gold, but of an 
 inferior quality. Flushed by this triumph, Ojeda took several 
 of the prisoners as guides, and pursued the flying enemy four 
 leagues into the interior. He was followed, as usual, by his 
 faithful heutenant, the veteran La Cosa, continually remon- 
 strating against his useless temerity, but hardily seconding 
 him in the most hare-brained perils. Plaving penetrated far 
 into the forest, they came to a strong-hold of the enemy, where 
 a numerous force was ready to receive them, armed with clubs, 
 lances, arrows, and bucklers. Ojeda led his men to the charge 
 with the old Castihan war cry, "Santiago !" The savages soon 
 took to flight. Eight of their bravest warriors threw them- 
 selves into a cabin, and plied their bows and arrows so vigor- 
 ously, that the Spaniards were kept at bay. Ojeda cried shame 
 upon his followers to be daunted by eight naked men. Stung 
 
 * The readtir will flud the complete form of this curious manifesto in the ap- 
 peodLs.
 
 THIIW VOYAGE OF ALO.NZO DE OJEBA. 51 
 
 by this reproach, an old Castilian soldier rushed through a 
 shower of arrows, and forced the door of the cabin, but re- 
 ceived 0. shaft through the heart, and fell dead on the thresli- 
 old. Ojeda, furious at the sight, ordered fire to be set to the 
 combustible edifice ; in a moment it was in a blaze, and the 
 eight warriors perished in the flames. 
 
 Seventy Indians Avere made captive and sent to the ships, 
 and Ojeda, regardless of the remonstrances of Juan de la Cosa, 
 continued his rash jjui-suit of the fugitives through the f()rest. 
 In the dusk of the evening they arrived at a village called 
 Yurbaco ; the inhabitants of which had fled to the mountains 
 with their vaves and children and principal effects. The Span- 
 iards, imagining that the Indians were completely terrified and 
 dispersed, now roved in quest of booty among the deserted 
 houses, wliich stood distant from each other, buried among the 
 trees. While they were thus scattered, troops of savages 
 mshed forth, with furious yells, from all parts of the forest. 
 The Spaniards endeavoured to gather together and support 
 each other, but every little party was surrounded by a host of 
 foes. They fought with desperate bravery, but for once their 
 valour and their iron armour were of no avail ; they were over- 
 whelmed by numbers, and sank beneath war-clubs and poi- 
 soned arrows. 
 
 Ojeda on the first alarm collected a few soldiers and en- 
 sconced himself within a small enclosure, surrounded by pali- 
 sades. Here he was closely besieged and galled by flights of 
 arrows. He threw himself on his knees, covered himself with 
 his buckler, and, being small and active, managed to protect 
 himself from the deadly shower, but all his companions were 
 slain by his side, some of them perishing in frightful agonies. 
 At this fcarfid moment the veteran La Cosa, having heard of 
 the peril of his commander, arrived, with a few^ followers, to 
 his assistance. Stationing himself at the gate of the palisades, 
 the brave Biscayan kept the savages at bay until most of his 
 men were slain and he himself was severely wounded. Just 
 then Ojeda sprang forth hke a tiger into the midst of the 
 enemy, dealing his blows on every side. La Cosa would have 
 seconded him, but Avas crippled by his Avounds. He took refuge 
 Avith the remnant of his men in an Indian cabin ; the straAA^ roof 
 of which he aided them to throw off, lest the enemy should set 
 it on fire. Here he defended himself until all his comrades, 
 but one, Avero destroyed. The subtle poison of his Avounds at 
 length overpoAvcrcd him, and he sank to the ground. Feeling
 
 52 SPANLSn VOYAGES OF DISCO VEEY. 
 
 death at hand, ho called to his only sui-vivinp: companion. 
 ''Brother, "said he, "since God hath protected thee from harm, 
 sally forth and fly, and if ever thou shouldst see Alonzo de 
 Ojeda, teU him of my fate !" 
 
 Tlius fell the hardy Juan de la Cosa, faithful and devoted to 
 the very last ; nor can we refrain from pausing to pay a pass- 
 ing trihute to his memory. He was acknowledged by his con- 
 temporaries to be one of the ablest of those gallant Spanish 
 navigators who first explored the way to the New World. But 
 it is by the honest and kindly qualities of his heart that his 
 memory is most endeared to us ; it is, above all, by that loyalty 
 in friendsliip displayed in this his last and fatal expedition. 
 Warmed by his attachment for a more youthful and a hot- 
 headed adventurer, we see this wary veteran of the seas for- 
 getting his usual prudence and the lessons of his experience, 
 and embarking, heart and hand, purse and person, in the wild 
 enterprises of his favourite. We behold him watching over 
 him as a parent, remonstrating with him as a counsellor, but 
 fighting by him as a partisan ; following Mm, without hesita- 
 tion, into known and needless danger, to certain death itself, 
 and showing no other solicitude in his dying moments but to 
 be remembered by his friend. 
 
 The histories of these Spanish discoveries abound in noble 
 and generous traits of character, but few have charmed us 
 more than this instance of loyalty to the last gasp, in the 
 death of the staunch Juan de la Cosa. The Spaniard who es- 
 caped to tell the story of his end was the only survivor of 
 seventy that had followed Ojeda in this rash and headlong 
 inroad. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 ARRIVAL OF NICUESA— VENGEANCE VAKEN ON THE INDIANS. 
 
 While these disastrous occurrences happened on shore, 
 great alarm began to be felt on board of the ships. Days had 
 elapsed since the party had adventured so rashly into the wil- 
 derness ; yet nothing had been seen or heard of them, and the 
 forest spread a mystery over their fate. Some of the Spaniards 
 ventured a httle distance into the woods, but were deterred by 
 the distant shouts and yells of the savages, and the noise of
 
 TniRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO BE OJEDA. 53 
 
 their conclis and drums. Armed detachments then coasted 
 the shore in boats, landing occasionally, cHmbing the rocks and 
 promontories, firing signal-gims, and sounding tnmipets. It 
 was all in vain ; they heard nothing but the echoes of their 
 own noises, or perhaps the wild whoop of an Indian fi-om the 
 bosom of the forest. At length, when they were about to give 
 up the search in despair, they came to a great thicket of man- 
 gi-ove trees on the margin of the sea. These trees grow within 
 the water, but their roots rise, and are intertwined, above the 
 surface. In this entangled and almost impervious grove, they 
 caught a glimpse of a man in Spanish attire. They entered, 
 and, to their astonishment, found it to be Alonzo de Ojeda. 
 He was lying on the matted roots of the mangroves, his buck- 
 ler on his shoulder, and his sword in his hand ; but so wasted 
 with hunger and fatigue that he could not speak. They bore 
 him to the fii'm land ; made a fire on the shore to warm him, 
 for he was chilled with the damp and cold of his hiding-place, 
 and when he was a little revived they gave liim food and wine. 
 In this way he gradually recovered strength to tell Ms doleful 
 story.* 
 
 He had succeeded in cutting his way through the host of 
 savages, and attaining the woody skirts of the mountains ; but 
 wlicn he found hmisclf alone, and that all his brave men had 
 been cut off, he was ready to yield up in despair. Bitterly did 
 he reproach himself for having disregarded the advice of the 
 veteran La Cosa, and deeply did he deplore the loss of that 
 loyal follower, who had fallen a victim to his devotion. He 
 scarce knew which way to bend his course, but continued on, 
 in the darkness of the night and of the forest, until out of hear- 
 ing of the yells of triumph uttered by the savages over the 
 bodies of his men. When the day broke, he sought the rudest 
 parts of the mountains, and hid himself until the night ; then 
 struggling forward among rocks, and precipices, and matted 
 forests, he made his way to the sea-side, but was too much ex- 
 hausted to reach the ships. Indeed it was wonderful that one 
 
 ♦ The picttKe here piven is so miifh hke romance, that the author quotes his 
 authority at length : — " Lleparon adonde havia. junto al apua dc la mar. unos Man- 
 glares, que son arboles, que sienipre nacen. i orecen i permanecen dontro del apua 
 de la mar, con prandes raices. asidas. i enmarafiadas unas con ofras, i alii metido, 
 i escondido hallaroii fi. Alonzo de Ojeda. con su espada en la mano. i la rodela en 
 las espaldas. i en ella sobre trecientas sefiales de flech.izos. Estabo descaido de 
 hambre, que no podia hechar de si la habla; i si no fuera tan robusto, auuque chico 
 de cuerpo, fuera muerto." 
 
 Las Casas. 1. ii. c. 68. MS. Herrara, Hist. Ind. D. i. 1. vii. c. xv.
 
 54 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 so small of frame should have been able to endiire such grea± 
 hardships; but he was of admirable strength and hardihood. 
 His followers considered his escape from death as little loss 
 than miraculous, and he hims'^lf regarded it as another proof 
 of the special protection of the Virgin ; for, though he had, as 
 usual, received no wound, yet it is said his buckler bore the 
 dints of upwards of three hundred arrows.* 
 
 While the Spaniards were yet on the shore, administering 
 to the recovery of their commander, thev beheld a squadron 
 of ships standing towards the harbour of Carthagena, and 
 soon perceived them to be the ships of Nicuesa. Ojeda was 
 troubled in mind at the sight, recollecting his late intem- 
 perate defiance of that cavalier; and, reflecting that, should 
 he seek him in enmity, he was in no situation to main- 
 tain his challenge or defend himself. He ordered his men, 
 therefore, to return on board the ships and leave him alone on 
 the shore, and not to reveal the place of his retreat while 
 Nicuesa should remain in the harbour. 
 
 As the squadron entered the harboiu*, the boats sallied forth 
 to meet it. The first inquiry of Nicuesa was concerning Ojeda. 
 The followers of the latter replied, mournfully, that their com- 
 mander had gone on a warlike expedition into the country, 
 but days had elapsed without his return, so that they feared 
 some misfortune had befallen him. They entreated Nicuesa, 
 therefore, to give his word, as a cavalier, that should Ojeda 
 really be in distress, he would not take advantage of his mis- 
 fortunes to revenge himself for their late disputes. 
 
 Nicuesa, who was a gentlema,n of noble and generous spirit, 
 blushed with indignation at such a request. " Seek your com- 
 mander instantly," said he; "bring him to me if he be alive; 
 and I pledge myself not merely to forget the past, but to aid 
 him as if he were a brother, f 
 
 Wlien they met, Nicuesa received his late foe with open 
 arms. "It is not," said he, "for Hidalgos, like men of vulgar 
 souls, to remember past differences when they behold one an- 
 other in distress. Henceforth, let aU that has occurred be- 
 tween us be forgotten. Command me as a brother. Myself 
 and my men are at your orders, to foUow you wherever you 
 please, until the deaths of Juan de la Cosa and his comrades 
 are revenged." 
 
 The spirits of Ojeda were once more lifted up by this gallant 
 
 + Las Ca.sas, ubi sup. + Ibid.
 
 THIRD VOYAGL: of ALOyZO JJJ'J OJEDA. ^j^ 
 
 and generous offer. The two governors, no longer rivals, 
 landed four hundred of tlieir men and several horses, and set 
 off with all speed for the fatal village. They approached it 
 in the night, and, dividing their forces into two parties, gave 
 orders that not an Indian should be taken aUve. 
 
 The village was bui-ied in deep sleep, but the woods were 
 filled with large parrots, wliich, being awakened, naadc a pro- 
 digious clamour. The Indians, however, thinking the Span-, 
 iards all destroyed, paid no attention to these noises. It was 
 hot until their houses were assailed, and wrapped in flames, 
 that they took the alarm. They rushed forth, some with arms, 
 some weaponless, but were received at their doors by the exas- 
 perated Spaniards, and either slain on the spot, or driven back 
 hito the fire. Women fled wildly forth with children in their 
 arms, but at sight of the Spaniards glittering in steel, and of 
 the horses, which they supposed ravenous monsters, they ran 
 back, shrieking with horror, into their burning habitations. 
 Gi'eat was the cai-nage, for no quarter was slitfwn to age or sex. 
 Many perished by the fire, and many by the sword. 
 
 When they had fully glutted their vengeance, the Spaniards 
 ranged about for booty. While thus employed, they found the 
 body of the unfortunate Juan de la Cosa. It was tied to a tree, 
 but swoln and discoloured in a hideous manner by the poison 
 of the arrows ^vith which he had been slain. This dismal 
 spectacle had such an effect upon the common men, that not 
 one would remain in that place during the night. Having 
 sacked the village, therefore, they left it a smoking ruin, and 
 returned in triumph to their ships. The spoil in gold and other 
 articles of value must have been great, for the share of Nicuesa 
 and his men amounted to the value of seven thousand castU- 
 lanos.* The two governors, now faithful confederates, parted 
 with many expressions of friendship, and with mutual admira- 
 tion of each other's prowess, and Nicuesa continued his voyage 
 for the coast of Veragua. 
 
 * Equivalent to 37,281 dollars of the present day.
 
 66 m'Amsu votagi^s of discovert. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 OJEDA FOUNDS THE COLONY OF SAN SEBASTIAN — BELEAGUERED 
 BY THE INDIANS. 
 
 Ojeda now adopted, though tardily, the advice of his un- 
 fortunate heutenant, Juan de la Cosa, and, giving up all 
 thoughts of colonising this disastrous part of the coast, steered 
 his course for the Gulf of Uraba. He sought for some time the 
 river Darien, famed among the Indians as abounding in gold, 
 but not finding it, landed in various places, seeking a favour- 
 able site for his intended colony. His people were disheart- 
 ened by the disasters they had already undergone, and the 
 appearance of surrounding objects was not calculated to reas- 
 sure them. The country, though fertile and covered with rich 
 and beautiful vegetation, was in their eyes a land of cannibals 
 and monsters. They began to dread the strength as well as 
 fierceness of the savages, who could transfix a man with their 
 arrows even when covered with armour, and whose shafts 
 were tipped with deadly poison. They heard the bowlings of 
 tigers, panthers, and, as they thought, lions in the forests, and 
 encountered large and venomous serpents among the rocks and 
 thickets. As they were passing along the banks of a river, 
 one of their horses was seized by the leg by an enormous 
 alligator, and dragged beneath the waves.* 
 
 At length Ojeda fixed upon a place for his town on a height 
 at the east side of the Gulf. Here, landing all that could be 
 spared from the ships, he began with all diligence to erect 
 houses, giving this embryo capital of his province the name of 
 San Sebastian, in honour of that sainted martyr, who was slain 
 by arrows ; hoping he might protect the inhabitants from the 
 empoisoned shafts of the savages. As a further protection he 
 erected a large wooden fortress, and surroimded the place with 
 a stockade. Feeling, however, the inadequacy of his handful 
 of men to contend with the hostile tribes around him, he de- 
 spatched a ship to Hispaniola, with a letter to the Bachelor, 
 Martin Fernandez de Enciso, his Alcalde Mayor, informing him 
 of his having established his seat of government, and urging 
 him to lose no time in joining him with all the recruits, arms, 
 
 * Herrera, Hist. Ind, D. i. 1. vii. c. xvi.
 
 THIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. 57 
 
 and provisions he could command. By the same ship he trans- 
 mitted to San Domingo all the captives and gold he had col- 
 lected. 
 
 His capital being placed in a posture of defence, Ojeda now 
 thought of making a jirogress through his wild territory, and 
 set out, accordingly, with an armed band, to pay a friendly 
 visit to a neighbouring cacique, reputed as possessing great 
 treasures of gold. The natives, however, had hy this time 
 learnt the nature of these friendly visits, and were pre^jared to 
 resist them. Scarcely had the Spaniards entered into the de- 
 files of the Rurroimding forest when they were assaUed by 
 flights of arrows from the close coverts of the thickets. Some 
 were shot dead on the spot; others, less fortunate, expired 
 raving with the torments of the poison ; the survivors, filled 
 with horror at the sight, and losing all presence of mind, re- 
 treated in confusion to the fortress. 
 
 It was some time before Ojeda could again persuade his men 
 to take the field, so gi'eat was theii* dread of the poisoned 
 weapons of the Indians. At length their provisions began to 
 fail, and they were compelled to forage among the villages in 
 search, not of gold, but of food. 
 
 In one of their expeditions they were surprised by an am- 
 buscade of savages in a gorge of the moimtains, and attacked 
 with such fury and effect, that they were completely routed 
 and pursued with yells and howhngs to the very gates of St. 
 Sebastian. Many died in excruciating agony of their wounds, 
 and others recovered with extreme difficulty. Those who w^re 
 well no longer dared to venture forth in search of food ; for the 
 whole forest teemed with lurking foes. They devoured such 
 herbs and roots as they could find without regard to their 
 quality. The humors of their bodies became corrupted, and 
 various diseases, combined with the ravages of famine, daily 
 thinned their numbers. The sentinel who feebly mounted 
 guard at night was often found dead at his post in the morn- 
 ing. Some stretched themselves on the ground and expired of 
 m'^i-e famine and debility ; nor was death any longer regarded 
 as ?.n evil, but rather as a welcome relief from a life of horror 
 and despair.
 
 58 i^FANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 ALONZO DE OJEDA SUPPOSED BY THE SAVAGES TO HAVE A 
 CHARMED LIFE— THEIR EXPERIMENT TO TRY THE FACT. 
 
 In tho mean time the Indians continued to harass the garri- 
 son, lying in wait to surprise the foraging parties, cutting oif 
 all stragglers, and sometimes approaching the walls in open 
 dcliance. On such occasions Ojeda sallied forth at the head of 
 his men, and, from his great agility, was the first to overtake 
 the retreating foe. He slew more of their warriors with his single 
 arm than aU his followers together. Though often exposed to 
 showers of arrows, none had ever wounded him, and the In- 
 dians began to think he had a charmed life. Perhai^s they had 
 heard from fugitive prisoners the idea entertained by him- 
 self and his followers of his being under supernatural protec- 
 tion. Determined to ascertain the fact, they placed four of 
 theu' naost dexterous archers in ambush with orders to single 
 him out. A number of them advanced towards the fort 
 sounding their conchs and drums and uttering yells of defiance. 
 As they expected, the impetuous Ojeda sallied forth immedi- 
 ately at the head of his men. The Indians fled towards the am- 
 buscade, drawing him in furious pursuit. The archers waited 
 until he was full in front, and then launched their deadly 
 shafts. Three struck Ms buckler and glanced harmlessly off, 
 but the fourth pierced his thigh. Satisfied that he was 
 wounded beyond the possibility of cure, the savages retreated 
 with shouts of triumph. 
 
 Ojeda was borne back to the fortress in great anguish of 
 body and despondency of spirit. For the first time in his life 
 he had lost blood in battle. The charm in which he had liith- 
 erto confided was broken ; or rather, the Holy Virgin appeared 
 to have withdrawn her protection. He had the horrible death 
 of liis followers before his eyes, who had perished of their 
 wounds in raving frenzy. 
 
 One of the symptoms of the poison was to shoot a thrilling 
 chill through the wounded part ; from this cii'cumstance, per- 
 haps, a remedy suggested itself to the imagination of Ojeda, 
 which few but himself could have had the courage to undergo. 
 He caused two plates of iron to be made red hot, and ordered a 
 surgeon to aj^ply them to each orifice of the wound. The sur^ 
 geon shuddered and refused, saying he would not be the mur-
 
 THIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. 59 
 
 derer of his general.* Upon this Ojeda made a solemn vow 
 that he would hang him unless he obeyed. To avoid the gal- 
 lows, the surgeon apphed the glowing plates. Ojeda refused 
 to be tied down, or that any one should hold liim dm-ing this 
 frightful operation. He endured it without shrinking or 
 uttering a murmur, although it so inflamed his whole system, 
 that they had to wrap liiin in sheets steeped in vinegar to allay 
 the burning heat which roged throughout his body ; and we 
 are assured that a barrel uf vinegar was exhausted for the pur- 
 pose. The desperate remedy succeeded : the cold poison, says 
 Bishop Las Casas, was consumed by the vivid fire.f How far 
 the venerable historian is correct in his postulate, surgeons 
 may decide; but many incredulous persons Avill be apt to 
 account for the cure by surmising that the arrow was not en- 
 venomed. 
 
 CHiiPTER Vn. 
 
 ARRIVAL OF A STRANGE SHIP AT SAN SEBASTIAN. 
 
 Aloxzo DE Ojeda, though pronounced out of danger, was 
 still disabled by his wound, and his helpless situation com- 
 pleted the despair of his companions; for, while he was in 
 health and vigour, liis buoj-ant and mercurial spirit, his active, 
 restless, and enterprising habits, imparted animation, if not 
 confidence, to every one around him. The onlj' hope of relief 
 was from the sea, and that was nearly extinct, when, one day, 
 to the imspeakable joy of the Spaniards, a sail appeared on the 
 horizon. It made for the port and droj^ped anchor at the foot 
 of the height of San Sebastian, and there was no longer a doubt 
 that it was the promised succour from San Domingo. 
 
 The ship came indeed from the island of Hispaniola, but it 
 had not been fitted out by the Bachelor Enciso. The com- 
 mander's name was Bernardino de Talavera. Tliis man was 
 one of the loose, heedless adventurers who abounded in San 
 Domingo. His carelessness and extravagance had involved 
 him in debt, and he was threatened with a prison. In the 
 height of his difficulties the sliip arrived which Ojeda had 
 
 * Charlevoix, ut sup,, p. 293. 
 
 tLas Cascis, Hist. Ind. lib. ii. c. 59, MS.
 
 60 SPA^''ISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 sent to San Domingo, freighted with slaves and gold, an 
 earnest of the riches to be found at San Sebastian. Bernar- 
 dino de Talavera mimodiately conceived the project of giving 
 his creditors the slip and escaping to this new settlement. He 
 understood that Ojeda was in need of recruits, and felt as 
 sui'cd that, from his own recldess conduct in money-matters, 
 he would sympathize with any one harassed by debt. He 
 drew into his schemes a number of desperate debtors hke 
 himself, nor was he scrupulous about filling his ranks with 
 recruits whose legal embarrassments arose from more criminal 
 causes. Never did a more vagabond crew engage in a project 
 of colonization. 
 
 How to provide themselves with a vessel was now the ques- 
 tion. They had neither money nor credit ; but then they had 
 cunning and courage, and were troubled by no sciiiples of con- 
 science; thus qualified, a knave will often succeed better for a 
 time than an honest man ; it is in the long run that he fails, as 
 will be illustrated in the case of Talavera and his hopeful asso- 
 ciates. WhUe casting about for means to escape to San Sebas- 
 tian they heard of a vessel belonging, to certain Genoese, which 
 was at Cape Tiburon, at the western extremity of the island, 
 taldng in a cargo of bacon and casava bread for San Domingo. 
 Nothing could have happened more opportunely : here was a 
 ship amply stored with provisions, and ready to their hand ; 
 they had nothing to do but seize it and embark. 
 
 The gang, accordingly, seventy in number, made their way 
 separately and secretly to Cape Tiburon, where, assembhng at 
 an appointed time and place, they boarded the vessel, over- 
 powered the crew, weighed anchor, and set sail. They were 
 heedless, hap-hazard mariners, and knew little of the manage- 
 ment of a vessel ; the historian Charlevoix thinks, therefore, 
 that it was a special providence that guided them to San Sebas- 
 tian, Whether or not the good father is right in his opinion, 
 it is certain that the arrival of the ship rescued the garrison 
 from the very brink of destruction.* 
 
 Talavera and his gang, though they had come hghtly by 
 their prize, were not disposed to part ^vith it as frankly, but 
 demanded to be paid down in gold for the provisions furnished 
 to the starving colonists. Ojeda agi'eed to their terms, and 
 taking the supplies into his possession, dealt them out spar- 
 ingly to his companions. Several of his hungry followers were 
 
 * Hist. S. Domingo, lib. iv.
 
 THIRD VOYAGE 0? ALONZO DE OJEDA. 61 
 
 dissatisfied with their portions, and even accused Ojeda of un- 
 fairness in reserving an undue share for himself. Perhaps 
 there may have been sc^me ground for this charge, arising, not 
 from any selfishness in the character of Ojeda, but from one of 
 those superstitious fancies with which his mind was tinged ; for 
 we are told that, for many years, he had been haunted by a 
 presentunent that he should eventually die of himger.* 
 
 This lurldng horror of the mind may have made him depart 
 from his usual free and lavish spirit in dohng out these provi- 
 dential supplies, and may have induced him to set by an extra 
 portion for himself, as a precaution against liis anticipated fate ; 
 certain it is that great clamours rose among his people, some 
 of whom threatened to return in the pirate vessel to Hispa- 
 niola. He succeeded, however, in pacifying them for the pres- 
 ent, by representing the necessity of husbandmg their supplies, 
 and by assuring them that the Bachelor Enciso coidd not fail 
 soon to arrive, when there would be provisions in abundance. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 PACTIONS IN THE COLONY— A CONVENTION MADE. 
 
 Days and days elapsed, but no relief arrived at San Sebac- 
 tian. The Spaniards kept a ceaseless watch upon the sea, but 
 the promised ship failed to appear. With all the husbandry 
 of Ojeda the stock of provisions was nearly consumed ; famine 
 again prevailed, and several of the garrison perished through 
 theii* various sufferings and their lack of sufficient nourish- 
 ment. The survivors now became factious in their misery, and 
 a plot was formed among them to seize upon one of the vessels 
 
 I in the harbour and make sail for Hispaniola. 
 
 ' Ojeda discovered their intentions, and was reduced to great 
 perplexity. He saw that to remain here without relief from 
 abroad was certam destruction, yet he clung to his desperate 
 enterprise. It was his only chance for fortune or command ; 
 for should this settlement be broken up he might try in vain, 
 with his exhausted means and broken credit, to obtain another 
 post or to set on foot another expedition. Ruin in fact would 
 overwhelm him, should he return without success. 
 
 * Herrera, Decad. 1. 1 viii. c. 3.
 
 62 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 Ho exerted laimself, therefore, to the utmost to pacify his 
 men ; representing the folly of abandoning a place where they 
 had established a foothold, and where they only needed a rein- 
 forcement to enable them to control the surrounding country, 
 and to make themselves masters of its riches. Finding they 
 siill demurred, he offered, now that he was suflSciently recov- 
 ered from his wound, to go himself to San Domingo in quest of 
 reinforcements ana suppUes. 
 
 This offer had the desired effect. Such confidence had the 
 people in the energy, abHity, and influence of Ojeda, that they 
 felt assured of relief should he seek it in person. They made a 
 kind of convention with him, therefore, in wloich it was agreed 
 that they should remain quietly at Sebastian's for the space of 
 fifty days. At the end of this time, in case no tidings had been 
 received of Ojeda, they were to be at liberty to abandon the 
 settlement and return in the brigantines to Hispaniola. In the 
 mean time Francisco Pizarro was to command the colony as 
 Lieutenant of Ojeda, until the arrival of his Alcalde Mayor, 
 the Bachelor Enciso. This convention being made, Ojeda em- 
 barked in the ship of Bernardino de Talavera. That cut-purse 
 of the ocean and his loose-handed crew were effectually cured 
 of their ambitioif to colonize. Disappointed in the hope of find- 
 ing abundant wealth at San Sebastian's, and dismayed at the 
 perils and horrors of the surrounding wilderness, they pre- 
 ferred returning to Hispaniola, even at the risk of chains and 
 dungeons. Doubtless they thought that the influence of Ojeda 
 would be sufficient to obtain their pardon, especially as their 
 timely succour had been the salvation of the colony. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 DISASTROUS VOYAGE OF OJEDA IN THE PIRATE SHIP. 
 
 Ojeda had scarce put to sea in the ship of these freebooters, 
 when a fierce qiiarrel arose between him and Talavera. Ac- 
 customed to take the lead among his companions, still feeling 
 himself governor, and naturally of a domineering spirit, Ojeda, 
 on coming on board, had assumed the command as a matter of 
 course. Talavera, who claimed dominion over the ship, by 
 the right, no doubt, of trover and conversion, or, in other 
 words, of downright piracy, resisted this usurpation.
 
 rriirj) votaqe of alonzo de ojeda. c3 
 
 Ojeda, as usual, would speedily have settled the question by 
 the sword, but lie had tlu' whole vagabond crew against him, 
 who overpowered him Aviih numbers and threw him in irons. 
 Still his swelling spirit Avas unsubdued. He reviled Talavera 
 and his gang as recreants, traitors, pirates, and offered to 
 fight the whole of them successively, provided they would 
 give him a clear deck, and come on two at a time. Notwith- 
 standing his diminutive size, they had too high an idea of his 
 prowess, and had heard too much of his exploits, to accept his 
 challenge ; so they kept him raging in his chains while they 
 pursued their voyage. 
 
 They had not proceeded far, however, when a violent storm 
 arose. Talavera and his crew knew little of na\agation, and 
 were totally ignorant of those seas. The raging of the ele- 
 ments, the baffling Avinds and currents, and the danger of 
 unknown rocks and shoals filled them with confusion and 
 alarm. They knew not whither they were driving before the 
 storm, or where to seek for shelter. In this hour of perU they 
 called to mind that Ojeda was a sailor as well as soldier, and 
 that he had repeatedly navigated these seas. Making a truce, 
 therefore, for the common safety, they took off his irons, on 
 condition that he would pilot the vessel during the remainder 
 of her voyage. 
 
 Ojeda acquitted himself vni\\ his accustomed spirit and 
 intrepidity ; but the vessel had been already swept so far to 
 the westward that all his skill was ineffectual in endeavouring 
 to work up to Ilispaniola against storms and adverse currents. 
 Borne away by the gulf stream, and tempest-tost for many 
 days, until the shattered vessel was almost in a foundering 
 condition, he saw no alternative but to run it on shore on the 
 southern coast of Cuba. 
 
 Here then the crew of freebooters landed from their prize in 
 more desperate plight than when they first took possession of 
 it. Tliey were on a wild and unfrequented coast, their vessel 
 lay a wreck upon the sands, and their only chance was to 
 travel on foot to the eastern extremity of the island, and seek 
 some means of crossing to Hispaniola, where, after their toils, 
 they might perhaps only ariive to be thrown into a dungeon. 
 Such, however, is the yearning of civilized men after the 
 haunts of cultivated society, that they set out, at every 
 risk, upon their long and painful journey.
 
 64 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCO VEEY. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 TOILSOME MARCH OF OJEDA AND HIS COMPANIONS THROUGH THE 
 MORASSES OF CUBA, 
 
 Notwithstanding the recent services of Ojeda, the crew of 
 Talavera still regarded him '\\^ith hostility; but, if they had 
 felt the value of his skill and. courage at sea, they were no 
 less sensible of their importance on shore, and he soon ac- 
 quired that ascendency over them which belongs to a master- 
 spirit in time of trouble. 
 
 Cuba was as yet uncolonized. It was a place of refuge to 
 the unhappy natives of Hayti, who fled hither from the 
 whips and chains of their European task-masters. The for- 
 ests abounded with these wretched fugitives, who often 
 opposed themselves to the shipwrecked party, supposing 
 them to be sent by their late masters to drag them back 
 to captivity. 
 
 Ojeda easily repulsed these attacks; but found that these 
 fugitives had likewise inspired the villagers Avith hostility 
 to all European strangers. Seeing that his companions 
 were too feeble and disheartened to fight their way through 
 the populous parts of the island, or to climb the rugged 
 mountains of the interior, he avoided all towns and villages, 
 and led them through the close forests and broad green 
 sp.vannahs which extended between the mountains and the 
 sea. 
 
 He had only made choice of evils. The forests gradually 
 retired from the coast. The savannahs, where the Spaniards 
 at first had to contend merely with long rank grass and creep- 
 ing vines, soon ended in salt marshes, where the oozy bottom 
 yielded no firm foot-hold, and the mud and Avater reached 
 to their knees. Still they pressed forward, continually hop- 
 ing in a httle while to arrive at a firmer soil, and flattering 
 themselves they beheld fresh meadow land before them, but 
 continually deceived. The farther they proceeded, the deeper 
 grew the mire, until, after they had been eight days on this 
 dismal journey they foimd themselves in the centre of a vast 
 morass where the water reached to their gu'dles. Though 
 thus almost drowned, they were tormented with incessant 
 thirst, for aU the water around them was as briny as the
 
 THIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. (35 
 
 ocean. They suffered too the cravings of extreme hunger, 
 having but a scanty supply of cassava bread and cheese, 
 and a few potatoes and other roots, which they devoured 
 raw. When they wished to sleep they had to climb among 
 the twisted roots of mnngrovo trees, wliich grew in clusters 
 in the waters. Still the dreary marsh widened and deepened. 
 In many places they had to cross rivei-s and inlets; where 
 some, who could not s"\\dm, were drowned, and others Avere 
 smothered in the mire. 
 
 Their situation became wild and desperate. Their cassava 
 bread was spoiled by the water, and their stock of roots 
 nearly exhausted. The interminable morass still extended 
 before them, while, to return, after the distance they had 
 come, was hopeless. Ojeda alone kept up a resolute spirit, 
 and cheered and urged theni forward. Ke had the little 
 Flemish painting of the Madonna, which had been given 
 him by the Bishop Fonseca, carefully stored among the pro- 
 visions in his knapsack. Whenever he stopped to repose 
 among the roots of the mangrove trees, Jie took out this 
 picture, placed it among the branches, and kneeling, prayed 
 devoutly to the Virgin for protection. This he did repeatedly 
 in the course of the day, and prevailed upon Ms companions to 
 follow his example. Nay, more, at a moment of great de- 
 spondency lie made a solemn vow to his pati'oness, that if she 
 conducted him alive thrcuigh this peril, he would erect a chapel 
 in the first Indian village he should arrive at ; and leave her 
 picture there to remain an object of adoration to the Gentiles.* 
 
 This frightful morass extended for the distance of thirty 
 leagues, and was so deep and difficult, so entangled by roots 
 and creeping vines, so cut up by creeks and rivers, and so 
 beset by quagmires, that they were thirty days in traversing 
 it. Out of the mmiber of seventy men that set out from the 
 ship but thirty-five remained. "Certain it is," observes the 
 venerable Las Casas, "the sufferings of the Spaniards in the 
 New World, in search of wealth, have been more cruel and 
 severe than ever nation in the world endin-ed ; but those expe- 
 rienced by Ojeda and his men have surpassed all others." 
 
 They were at length so overcome by hunger an<l fatigue, 
 that some lay down and yielded up the ghost, and others seat- 
 ing themselves among the mangrove trees, waited in despair 
 for death to put an end to their miseries. Ojeda, with a few of 
 
 * Las Casas, Hist. Ind. 1. ii. c 60, MS.
 
 66 SPAMS II VOYAGES OF V ISC OVERT. 
 
 the lightest and most vigorous, continued to struggle forward, 
 and, to their unutterable joy, at length arrived to where the 
 land was firm and dry. They soon descried a foot-path, and, 
 following it, arrived at an Indian village, commanded by a 
 cacique called Cueybas. No sooner did they reach the village 
 than they sank to the earth exhausted. 
 
 The Indians gathered round and gazed at them with wonder ; 
 but when they learnt their story, they exhibited a humanity 
 that would have done honour to the most professing Chris- 
 tians. They bore them to their dwellings, set meat and drink 
 before them, and vied with each other in discharging the 
 oflQces of the kindest humanity. Finding that a nmnber of 
 their companions were still in the morass, the cacique sent a 
 large party of Indians with provisions for their relief, with 
 orders to bring on their shoulders such as were too feeble to 
 walk. " The Indians," says the Bishop Las Casas, "did more 
 than they were ordered ; for so they always do, when they are 
 not exasperated by ill treatment. The Spaniards were brought 
 to the village, succoured, cherished, consoled, and almost wor- 
 shipped as if they had been angels." 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 OJEDA PERFORMS HIS VOW TO THE VIRGIN. 
 
 Being recovered from his sufferings, Alonzo de Ojeda pre- 
 pared to perform his vow concerning the picture of the Virgin, 
 though sorely must it have grieved him to part with a relique 
 to which he attributed liis deliverance from so many perils. 
 He built a little hermitage or oratory in the village, and fur- 
 nished it with an altar, above which he placed the picture. He 
 then summoned the benevolent cacique, and explained to him 
 as well as his limited knowledge of the language, or the aid of 
 interpreters would permit, the main points of the Catholic 
 faith, and especially the history of the Virgin, whom he repre- 
 sented as the mother of the Deity that reigned in the skies, and 
 the great advocate for mortal man. 
 
 The worthy caciqvie listened to him with mute attention, and 
 though he might not clearly comprehend the doctrine, yet he 
 conceived a profound veneration for the picture. The senti- 
 ment was shared by his subjects. They kept the httle oratory
 
 THIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. 07 
 
 always swept clean, and decorated it with cotton hangings, 
 laboured by their own hands, and with various votive offer- 
 ings. They composed couplets or areytos in honour of the Vu-- 
 gin, which they sang to the accompaniment of mde musical 
 instruments, dancing to the sound under the groves wliich 
 surrounded the hermitage. 
 
 A further anecdote concerning this relique may not be unac- 
 ceptable. The venerable Las Casas, who records these facts, 
 informs us that he arrived at the village of Cuoybas sometime 
 after the departure of Ojeda. He found the oratory preserved 
 with the most religious care, as a sacred place, and the picture 
 of the Virgin regarded with fond adoration. The poor Indians 
 crowded to attend mass, which he performed at the altar ; they 
 listened attentively to his paternal instructions, and at his 
 request brought their children to be baptized. The good Las 
 Casas, having heard much of this famous relique of Ojeda, was 
 desirous of obtaining possession of it, and offered to give the 
 cacique in exchange an image of the Virgin which he had 
 brought with him. The chieftain made an evasive answer, 
 and seemed much troubled in mind. The next morning he did 
 not make his appearance. 
 
 Las Casas went to the oratory to perform mass, but found 
 the altar stripped of its precious rehque. On inquiring, he 
 learnt that in the night the cacique had fled to the woods, 
 bearing off with him his beloved picture of the Virgin. It was 
 in vain that Las Casas sent messengers after him, assuring him 
 that he should not be deprived of the rehque, but on the con- 
 trary, that the image should likewise be presented to him. 
 The cacique refused to venture from the fastnesses of the for- 
 est, nor did he return to his village and replace tlie picture in 
 the oratory until after the departure of the Spaniards.* 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 ARRIVAL OF OJEDA AT JA3IAICA— HIS RECEPTION BY JUAN DE 
 
 ESQUIBEL. 
 
 When the Spaniards were completely restored to health and 
 strength, they resumed their journey. The cacique sent a 
 large body of his subjects to carry their provisions and knap- 
 
 * Las Casas, Hist. Ind., c. 61, MS.— Herrera, Hist. Ind. d. i. 1. ix. c. xv.
 
 68 sPAmsii roYAOJ]:s of disco febt. 
 
 sacks, and to guide them across a desert tract of country to the 
 province of Macaca, where Christopher Columbus had been 
 hospitably entertained on his voyage along this coast. They 
 experienced equal kindness from its cacique and his people, for 
 such seems to have been almost invariably the case with the 
 natives of these islands, before they had held much inter- 
 course with the Europeans. 
 
 The province of Macaca was situated at Cape de la Cruz, the 
 nearest point to the island of Jamaica. Here Ojeda learnt that 
 there were Spaniards settled on that island, being in fact the 
 party commanded by the very Juan de Esquibel whose head he 
 had threatened to strike off, when departing in swelling style 
 from San Domingo. It seemed to be the fortune of Ojeda to 
 have his bravadoes visited on his head in times of trouble and 
 humiliation. He found himself compelled to apply for succour 
 to the very man he had so vain-gloriously menaced. This was 
 no time, however, to stand on points of pride ; he procured a 
 canoe and Indians from the cacique of Macaca, and one Pedro 
 de Ordas undertook the perilous voyage of twenty leagues in 
 the frail bark, and arrived safe at Jamaica. 
 
 No sooner did Esquibel receive the message of Ojeda, than, 
 forgetting past menaces, he instantly despatched a caravel to 
 bring to him the unfortunate discoverer and his companions. 
 He received him with the utmost kindness, lodged liim in his 
 own house, and treated him in all things wdth the most delicate 
 attention. He was a gentleman who had seen prosperous days, 
 but had fallen into adversity and been buffeted about the 
 world, and had learnt how to respect the feelings of a proud 
 spirit in distress. Ojeda had the warm, touchy heart to feel 
 such conduct; he remained several days with Esquibel in 
 frank communion, and when he sailed for San Domingo they 
 parted the best of friends. 
 
 And here we cannot but remark the singular difference in 
 character and conduct of these Spanish adventurers when deal- 
 ing with each other, or with the imhappy natives. Nothing 
 could be more cliivalrous, urbane, and charitable; nothing 
 more pregnant with noble sacrifices of passion and interest, 
 with magnanimous instances of forgiveness of injuries and 
 noble contests of generosity, than the transactions of the dis- 
 coverers with each other ; iDut the moment they turned to treat 
 with the Indians, even with brave and high-minded caciques, 
 they were vindictive, blood-thirsty, and implacable. The very 
 Juan de Esquibel, who could requite the recent hostility of
 
 THIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. 69 
 
 Ojeda with such humanity and friendship, was the same who, 
 under the government of Ovando, laid desolate the province of 
 Higuey in Hispaniola, and inflicted atrocious cruelties upon 
 its inhabitants. 
 
 When xUonzo de Ojeda set sail for San Domingo, Bernardino 
 de Talavera and his rabble adherents remained at Jamaica. 
 They feai-ed to be brought to account for their piratical exploit 
 in steahng the Genoese vessel, and that in consequence of their 
 recent violence to Ojeda, they would find in him an accuser 
 rather than an advocate. Tlie latter, however, in the opinion 
 of Las Casas, who knew him well, was not a man to make ac- 
 cusations. With all his faults he did not harbour malice. He 
 was quick and fiery, it is true, and his sword was too apt to 
 leap from its scabbard on the least provocation ; but after the 
 first flash all was over, and, if he cooled upon an injury, he 
 never sought for vengeance. 
 
 CHAPTER Xm. 
 
 ARRIVAL OF ALONZO DE OJEDA AT SAN DOMINGO— CONCLUSION 
 OF HIS STORY. 
 
 On arriving at San Domingo the first inquiry of Alonzo de 
 Ojeda was after the Bachelor Enciso. He was told that ho had 
 departed long before, with abundant suppHes for the colony, 
 and that nothing had been heard of him since his departure. 
 Ojeda waited for a time, in hopes of hearing, by some retiim 
 ship, of the safe arrival of the Bachelor at San Sebastian. No 
 tidings, however, arrived, and he began to fear that he had 
 been lost in those storms which had beset himself on his return 
 voyage. 
 
 Anxious for the relief of his settlement, and fearing that, by 
 delay, his whole scheme of colonization would bo defeated, he 
 now endeavoured to set on foot another armament, and to en- 
 list a new set of adventurers. His efforts, however, were all 
 ineffectual. The disasters of his colony were known, and his 
 own circumstances were considered desperate. He was doomed 
 to experience the fate that too often attends sanguine and bril- 
 liant projectors. The world is dazzled bj' them for a time, and 
 hails them as heroes while successful ; but misfortune dissipates
 
 70 SPAmSII VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 the charm, and they become stigmatized with the appellation 
 of adventurers. When Ojeda figured in San Domingo as the 
 conqueror of Coanabo, as the commander of a squadron, as the 
 governor of a province, his prowess and exploits were the 
 theme of every tongue. When he set sail, in vaunting style, 
 for his seat of government, setting the viceroy at defiance, 
 and threatening the life of Esquibel, every one thought that 
 fortune was at his beck, and he was about to accomplish won- 
 ders. A few months had elapsed, and he walked the streets of 
 San Domingo a needy man, shipwrecked in hope and fortune. 
 His former friends, dreading some new demand upon their 
 purses, looked coldly on him; his schemes, once so extolled, 
 were now pronounced wild and chimerical, and he was sub- 
 jected to all kmds of shghts and humiliations in the very place 
 wliich had been the scene of his greatest vain-glory. 
 
 While Ojeda was thus lingering at San Domingo, the Admi- 
 ral, Don Diego Columbus, sent a party of soldiers to Jamaica 
 to arrest Talavera and Ms pirate crew. They were brought in 
 chains to San Domingo, thrown into dungeons, and tried for 
 the robbery of the Genoese vessel. Their crime was too notori- 
 ous to adixdt of doubt, and being convicted, Talavera and sev- 
 eral of his principal accomplices were hanged. Such was the 
 end of their frightful journey by sea and land. Never had 
 vagabonds travelled farther or toiled harder to arrive at a gal- 
 lows! 
 
 In the course of the trial Ojeda had naturally been summoned 
 as a witness, and his testimony must have tended greatly to 
 the conviction of the culprits. This drew upon him the ven- 
 geance of the surviving comrades of Talavera, who still lurked 
 about San Domingo. As he was returning home one night at 
 a late hour he was waylaid and set upon by a number of these 
 miscreants. He displayed his usual spirit. Setting his back 
 against a wall, and drawing his sword, he defended himself ad 
 mirably against the whole gang ; nor was he content with beat- 
 ing them off, but pursued them for some distance through the 
 streets; and having thus put tbem to utter rout, returned tran- 
 quil and unharmed to his lodgings. 
 
 This is the last achievement recorded of the gallant, but reck- 
 less, Ojeda; for here his bustling career terminated, and he 
 sank into the obscurity that gathers round a iiiined man. His 
 health was broken by the various hardships he had sustained, 
 and by the lurking effects of the woimd received at San Sebas- 
 tian, which had beeia but imperfectly cured. Poverty and ne-
 
 TUIRD VOYAGE OF ALONZO BE OJEDA. 71 
 
 gleet, and the corroding sickness of the heart, contributed, no 
 less than the maladies of the body, to quench that sanguine 
 and fiery temper, which had hitherto been the secret of his 
 success, and to render him the mere. wreck of his former self; 
 for there is no ruin so hopeless and complete as that of a tower- 
 ing spirit humiliated and broken down. He appears to have 
 lingered some time at San Domingo. Gomara, in his history 
 of the Indies, affirms that he turned monk, and entered in the 
 convent at San Francisco, where he died. Such a change 
 would not have been surprising in a man who, in his wildest 
 career, mingled the bigot with the soldier ; nor was it unusual 
 with military adventurers in those days, after passing their 
 youth in the bustle and licentiousness of the camp, to end their 
 days in the quiet and mortification of the cloister. Las Casas, 
 however, who was at San Domingo at the time, makes no men- 
 tion of the fact, as he certainly would have done had it taken 
 place. He confirms, however, all that has been said of the 
 striking reverse in his character and circumstances; and he 
 adds an affecting picture of his last moments, wliich may serve 
 as a wholesome comment on his life. He died so poor, that he 
 did not leave money enough to provide for his interment ; and 
 so broken in spirit, that, with his last breath, he entreated his 
 body might be buried in the monastery of San Francisco, just 
 at the portal, in humble expiation of his past pride, "that every 
 one icho entered might tread upon his grave.''''* 
 
 Such was the fate of Alonzo de Ojeda, — and who does not 
 forget his errors and his faults at the threshold of his humble 
 and imtimely gi*ave ! He was one of the most fearless and 
 aspiring of that band of "Ocean chivalry" that followed the 
 footsteps of Columbus. His story presents a lively picture of 
 the daring enterprises, the extravagant exploits, the thousand 
 accidents, by flood and field, that chequered the life of a 
 Spanish cavaher in that roving and romantic age. 
 
 "Never," says Charlevoix, "was man more suited for a 
 coup-de-main, or to achieve and suffer great things under the 
 direction of another : none had a heart more lofty, or ambition 
 more aspiring ; none ever took loss heed of fortune, or showed 
 greater firmness of soul, or found more resources in his own 
 coiu-age; but none was less calculated to be commander-in- 
 chief of a great enterprise. Good management and good for- 
 tune for ever failed him."t 
 
 ♦ Las Casas, ubi sup. t Charlevoix, Hist. S. Doming.
 
 73 JSPANISH VOYAGES OF DUSCOVERT. 
 
 THE VOYAGE OF DIEGO DE NICUESA. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 NICUESA SAILS TO THE WESTWARD— HIS SHIPWRECK AND SUB- 
 SEQUENT DISASTERS. 
 
 We have now to recount the fortunes experien:?ed by the 
 gallant and generous Diego de Nicuesa, after his parting from 
 Alonzo de Ojeda at Carthagena. On resuming his voyage he 
 embarked in a caravel, that he might be able to coast the land 
 and reconnoitre ; he ordered that the two brigan tines, one of 
 wliich was commanded by his lieutenant. Lope de Olano, 
 should keep near to him, while the large vessels, which drew 
 more water, should stand further out to sea. The squadron 
 arrived upon the coast of Veragua, in stormy weather, and, as 
 Nicuesa could not find any safe harbour, and was apprehensive 
 of rocks and shoals, he stood out to sea at the approach of 
 night, supposmg that Lope de Olano would follow him with 
 the brigantines according to his orders. The night was bois- 
 terous, the caravel was much tossed and driven about, and 
 when the morning dawned, not one of the squadron was in 
 sight. 
 
 Nicuesa feared some accident had befallen the brigantines ; 
 he stood for the land and coasted along it in search of them 
 until he came to a large river, into which he entered and came 
 to anchor. He had not been here long when the stream sud- 
 denly subsided, having merely been swoln by the rains. 
 Before he had time to extricate himself the caravel grounded, 
 and at length fell over on one side. The current rushing like 
 a torrent strained the feeble bark to such a degree, that her 
 seams yawned, and she appeared ready to go to pieces. In 
 this moment of peril a hardy seamen threw himself into the 
 water to carry the end of a rope on shore as a moans of saving 
 the crew. He was swept away by the furious cin^rent and 
 perished in sight of his companions. Undismayed by his fate,
 
 THE VOYAGE OF DIEOO DE NICUESA. 73 
 
 another brave seaman plunged into the waves and succeeded 
 in reaching the shore. He then fastened one end of a rope 
 firmly to a tree, and, the other being secured on board of the 
 caravel, Nicuesa and his crew passed one by one along it, and 
 reached the shore in safety. 
 
 Scarcely had they landed when the caravel went to pieces, 
 and with it j^erished their provisions, clothing; and all other 
 necessaries. Nothing remained to them but the boat of the 
 caravel, which was accidentally cast on shore. Here then they 
 wore, in helpless plight, on a remote and savage coast, without 
 food, without arms, and almost naked. What had become of 
 the rest of the squjidron they knew not. Some feai-ed that 
 the brigantines had been wrecked ; others called to mind that 
 Lope de Olano had been one of the loose lawless men confeder- 
 ated with Francisco Roldan in his rebellion against Columbus, 
 and, judging him from the school in which he had served, 
 hinted their apprehensions that he had deserted with the brig- 
 antines. Nicuesa partook of their suspicions, and was anxious 
 and sad at heart. He concealed his uneasiness, however, and 
 endeavoured to cheer up his companions, proposing that they 
 should proceed westward on foot in search of Veragua, the seat 
 of his intended government, observing, that if the ships had 
 survived the tempest, they would probably repair to that 
 place. They accordingly set off along the sea shore, for the 
 thickness of the forest prevented their traversing the interior. 
 Four of the hardiest sailors put to sea in the boat, and kept 
 abreast of them, to help them across the bays and rivers. 
 
 Their sufferings were extreme. Most of them were destitute 
 of shoes, and many almost naked. They had to clamber over 
 sharp and rugged rocks, and to struggle through dense forests 
 beset with thorns and brambles. Often they had to wade 
 across rank fens and morasses and drowned lands, or to trav- 
 erse deep and rapid streams. 
 
 Their food consisted of herbs and roots and shellfish gath- 
 ered along the shore. Had they even met with Indians they 
 would have dreaded, in their unarmed state, to apply to them 
 for provisions, lest they should take revenge for the outrages 
 committed along this coast by other Europeans. 
 
 To render their sufferings more intolerable, they were in 
 doubt whether, in the storms which preceded their shipwreck, 
 they had not been driven past Veragua. in which case each 
 step would take them so much the farther from their desii'ed 
 haven.
 
 74 SyANISE VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 Still tliey laboured feebly forward, encouraged by the words 
 and the example of Nicuesa, who cheerfully partook of the 
 toils and hardships of the meanest of his men. 
 
 They had slept one night at the foot of impending rocks, and 
 were about to resume their weary march in the morning, 
 when they were espied by some Indians from a neighbouring 
 height. Among the followers of Nicuesa was a favourite page, 
 whose tattered finery and white hat caught the qmck eyes of 
 the savages. One of them immediately singled him out, and 
 taking a deadly aim, let fly an arrow that laid him expiring at 
 the feet of his master. While the generous cavaher mourned 
 over his slaughtered page, consternation prevailed among his 
 companions, each fearing for his own life. The Indians, how- 
 ever, did not foUow up this casual act of hostility, but suffered 
 the Spaniards to pursue their painful journey unmolested. 
 
 Arriving one day at the point of a great bay that ran far 
 inland, they were conveyed, a few at a time, in the boat to 
 what appeared to be the opposite point. Being all landed, and 
 resuming their march, they found to their surprise that they 
 were on an island, separated from the main land by a great 
 arm of the sea. The sailors who managed the boat were too 
 weary to take them to the opposite shore; they remained 
 therefore all night upon the island. 
 
 In the morning they prepared to depart, but, to their con- 
 sternation, the boat with the four mariners had disappeared. 
 They ran anxiously from point to point, uttering shouts and 
 cries, in hopes the boat migJit be in some inlet; they clam- 
 bered the rocks and strained their eyes over the sea. It was 
 all in vain. No boat was to be seen ; no voice responded to 
 their call ; it was too evident the four mariners had either per- 
 ished or had deserted them. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 NICUESA AND HIS MEN ON A DESOLATE ISLAND. 
 
 The situation of Nicuesa and his men was dreary and des- 
 perate in the extreme. They were on a desolate island border- 
 ing upon a swampy coast, in a remote and lonely sea, where 
 commerce never spread a sail. Their companions in the other 
 ships, if still aHve and true to them, had doubtless given them
 
 THE V07A0E OF DIEGO DE NICUESA. 75 
 
 up for lost ; and many y^ars might elapse before the casual 
 bark of a discoverer might venture along these shores. Long 
 before that time their fate would be sealed, and their bones 
 bleaching on the sands -would alone tell their story. 
 
 In this hopeless state many abandoned themselves to frantic 
 grief, wandering about the island, wrmging their hands and 
 uttering groans and lamentations ; others called upon God for 
 succour, and many sat down in silent and sullen despair. 
 
 The cravings of hunger and thirst at length roused them to 
 exertion. They found no food but a few shell-fish scattered 
 along the shore, and coarse herbs and roots, some of them of 
 an unwholesome quality. The island had neither springs nor 
 streams of fresh water, and they were fain to slake their thirst 
 at the brackish pools of the marshes. 
 
 Nicuesa endeavoured to animate his men with new hopes. 
 He employed them in constructing a raft of drift-wood and 
 branches of trees, for the purpose of crossing the arm of the 
 sea that separated them from the main land. It was a difficult 
 task, for they were destitute of tools, and when the raft was 
 finished they had no oars with which to manage it. Some of 
 the most expert swimmers undertook to propel it, but they 
 were too much enfeebled by their suffeiings. On their first 
 essay the currents which sweep that coast bore the raft out to 
 sea, and they swam back with diflSculty to the island. Having 
 no other chance of escape, and no other means of exercising 
 and keeping up the spirits of his followers, Nicuesa repeatedly 
 ordered new rafts to be constructed, but the result was always 
 the same, and the men at length either grew too feeble to work 
 or renounced the attempt in despair. 
 
 Thus, day after day and week after week elapsed without 
 any mitigation of suffering or any prospect of relief. Every 
 day some one or other sank under his miseries, a victim not so 
 much to hunger and thirst as to grief and despondency. His 
 death was envied by his wretched survivors, many of whom 
 were reduced to such debility that they had to crawl on hands 
 and knees in search of the herbs and sheU-fish which formed 
 their scanty food.
 
 76 SPAJVISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 ARRIVAL OF A BOAT— CONDUCT OF LOPE DE OLANO. 
 
 When the unfortunate Spaniards, without hope of succour, 
 began to consider death as a desirable end to their miseries, 
 they were roused to new life one day by beholding a sail gleam- 
 ing on the horizon. Their exultation was checked, however, 
 by the reflection how man^ chances there were against its 
 approaching this wild and desolate island. Watching it with 
 anxious eyes they put up prayers to God to conduct it to their 
 relief, and at length, to their gi^eat joy, they perceived that it 
 was steering directly for the island. On a nearer approach it 
 proved to be one of the brigantines that had been commanded 
 by Lope de Olano. It came to anchor: a boat put off, and 
 among the crew were the four sailors who had disappeared so 
 mysteriously from the island. 
 
 These men accounted in a satisfactory manner for their de- 
 sertion. They had been persuaded that the ships were in some 
 harbour to the eastward, and that they were daily leaving them 
 farther behind. Disheartened at the constant, and, in their 
 opinion, fruitless toil which fell to their share in the struggle 
 westward, they resolved to take their own counsel, without 
 risking the opposition of Nicuesa. In the dead of the night, 
 therefore, when their companions on the island were asleep, 
 they had silently cast off their boat, and retraced their coui-se 
 along the coast. After several days' toil they found the brig- 
 antines under the coromand of Lope de Olano, in the river of 
 Belen, the scene of the disasters of Columbus in his fourth 
 voyage. 
 
 The conduct of Lope de Olano was regarded with suspicion 
 by his contemporaries, and is still subject to doubt. He is 
 supposed to have deserted Nicuesa designedly, intending to 
 usurp the command of the expedition, ilen, however, were 
 prone to judge harshly of him from his having been concerned 
 in the treason and rebelHon of Francisco Eoldan. On the 
 stormy night when Nicuesa stood out to sea to avoid the dan- 
 gers of the shore, Olano took shelter under the lee of an island. 
 Seeing nothing of the caravel of his commander in the morn- 
 ing, he made no effort to seek for it, but proceeded with the 
 ^ngantines to the river Chagres, where he found the ships at
 
 THE VOYAGE OF DIEGO DE XICUESA. 77 
 
 anchor. Tlicy had landed all their cargo, being almost in a 
 sinldng condition from tho ravages of the ■worms. Olano per- 
 suaded the crews that Nicuesa had perished in the late storm, 
 and, being his heutenant, he assumed the command. Whether 
 he had been perfidious or not in his motives, his command was 
 but a succession of disasters. He sailed from Chagi-es for the 
 river of Belen, where the ships were found so damaged that 
 they had to be broken to pieces. ]\Iost of the p(!ople construct- 
 ed wretched cabins on tho shore, where, during a sudden 
 storm, they were almost washed away by the swelling of the 
 river, or swallowed up in the shifting sands. Several of his 
 men were drowned in an expedition in quest of gold, and he 
 liimself merely escaped by superior swimming. Their provi- 
 sions were exhausted, they suffered from hunger and from va- 
 rious maladies, and many perished in extreme niiserj-. All 
 were clamorous to abandon the coast, and Olano set about con- 
 structing a caravel, out of the wreck of the sliij^s, for the pur- 
 pose, as ho said, of retiu'ning to Hispaniola, though many 
 suspected it was still his intention to persist in tho enterprise. 
 Such was the state in wliich the four seamen had found Olano 
 and liis party ; most of them hving in misei'able cabins and 
 destitute of the necessaries of life. 
 
 The tidings that Nicuesa was still alive put an end to the 
 sway of Olano. Whether he had acted with truth or perfidy, 
 he now manifested a zeal to relieve his commander, and imme- 
 diately despatched a brigantine in quest of bun, which, guided 
 by tho four seamen, arrived at the island in the way that has 
 been mentioned. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 NICUESA REJOINS HIS CREWS. 
 
 When the crew of the brigantine and the companions of 
 Nicuesa met, they embraced each other vrith tears, for the 
 hearts, even of the rough marinei'S, were subdued by the sor- 
 rows they had undergone ; and men are rendered kind to each 
 other by a community of suffering. The brigantine had 
 brought a quantity of p;ilm nuts, and of such other articles of 
 food as they had been able to procure along tho coast. These 
 the famished Spaniards devoured with such voracity that 
 Nicuesa was obHged to interfere, l«^ef iViav should injure them-
 
 78 SPAmsn voyages of discovert/ 
 
 selves. Nor was the supply of fresh water less grateful to 
 their parched and fevered palates. 
 
 When sufficiently revived, they all abandoned the desolate 
 island, and set sail for the river Belen, exulting as joyfully a,s 
 if their troubles were at an end, and they were bound to a 
 haven of delight, instead of merely changing the scene of 
 sulfering and encountering a new variety of horrors. 
 
 In the mean time Lope de Olano had been diligently prepar- 
 ing for the approaching interview with his commander, by 
 persuading his fellow officers to intercede in his behalf, and to 
 place his late conduct in the most favourable light. He had 
 need of their intercessions. Nicuesa arrived, burning with 
 indignation. He ordered him to be instantly seized and pun- 
 ished as a traitor ; attributing to his desertion the ruin of the 
 enterprise and the sufferings and death of so many of his brave 
 followers. The fellow captains of Olano spoke in his favous ; 
 but Nicuesa turned indignantly upon them: "You do well," 
 cried he, "to supplicate mercy for him; you, who, yourselves, 
 have need of pardon! You have participated in his crime; 
 why else have you suffered so long a time to elapse without 
 compelling him to send one of the vessels in search of me?" 
 
 The captains now vindicated themselves by assurances of 
 their beUef in his having foundered at sea. They reitei'ated 
 their supplications for mercy to Olano; drawing the most 
 affecting pictures of their past and present sufferings, and 
 urging the impolicy of increasing the horrors of their situation 
 by acts of severity. Nicuesa at length was prevailed upon to 
 spare his victim ; resolving to send him, by the first opportun- 
 ity, a prisoner to Spain. It appeared, in truth, no time to add 
 to the daily blows of fate that were thinning the number of 
 his followers. Of the gallant armament of seven hundred 
 resolute and effective men that had sailed with him from 
 San Domingo, four hundred had already perished by various 
 miseries ; and of the survivors, many could scarcely be said to 
 live. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 SUFFERINGS OF NICUESA AND HIS MEN ON THE COAST OF THE 
 
 ISTHMUS. 
 
 The first care of Nicuesa, on resuming the general command, 
 was to take rr^oaaiiT-es for the relief of his people, w^""^ -t^o^.^
 
 TUB VOYAGE OF DIEGO BE NIGUESA. 79 
 
 perishing with famine and disease. All those who were in 
 health, or who had strength cufficiont to bear the least fatigue, 
 were sent on foi'aging parties among the fields and villages of 
 the natives. It was a service of extreme peril ; for tlie Indians 
 cf this part of the coast were fierce and warlike, and were the 
 same who had proved so formidable to Columbus and his 
 brother when they attempted to found a settlement in this 
 neighbourhood. 
 
 Many of the Spaniards were slain in these expeditions. Even 
 if they succeeded in collecting provisions, the toil of bringing 
 them to the harbour was woi'se to men m their enfeebled con- 
 dition than the task of fighting for them ; for they were obhged 
 to transport them on their backs, and, thus heavily laden, to 
 scramble over I'ugged rocks, through almost impervious 
 forests, and across dismal swamps. 
 
 Harassed by these perils and fatigues, they broke forth into 
 nmrmurs against their commander, accusing him, not merely 
 of indiit'erence to their sufierings, but of wantonly imposing 
 severe and unnecessary tasks upon them out of revenge for 
 their having neglected him. 
 
 The genial temper of Nicuesa had, in fact, been soured by 
 disappointment ; and a series of harassing cares and evils had 
 rendered him irritable and impatient ; but he was a cavaher of 
 a generous and honourable nature, and does not appear to have 
 enforced any sei-viees that were not indispensable to the com- 
 mon safety. In fact, the famine had increased to such a 
 degree, that, we are told, thirt.y Spaniards, having on one 
 occasion found the dead body of an Indian in a state of decay, 
 they were driven by hunger to make a meal of it, and were so 
 infected by the horrible repast, that not one of them survived.* 
 
 Disheartened by these miseries, Nicuesa determined to aban- 
 don a place which seemed destined to be the grave of Span- 
 iards. Embarking the greater part of his men in the two 
 briifantines and the- caravel which had been built by Olano, he 
 set sail eastward in search of some more favourable situation 
 for his settlement. A number of the men remamed behind to 
 await the ripening of some maize and vegetables which they 
 had sown. These he left under the command of Alonzo Nunez, 
 whom he nominated his Alcalde Mayor. 
 
 "When Nicuesa had coasted about four leagues to the east, a 
 Genoese sailor, who had been with Columbus in his last voy- 
 
 • Herrera, Hist. lud. D. i. and viii. c. 2.
 
 80 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. . 
 
 ago, informed him that there was a fine harbour somewhere 
 in that neighbourhood, which had pleased the old admiral so 
 higlily that he had given it the name of Puerto Bello. He 
 added that they might know the harbour by an anchor, half 
 buried in the sand, which Colmubus had left there; near to 
 which was a foimtain of remarkably cool and sweet water 
 springing up at the foot of a large tree. Nicuesa ordered 
 search to be made along the coast, and at length they found 
 tlie anchor, the fountain, and the tree. It was the same har- 
 bour which bears the name of Portobello at the present day. 
 A number of the crew were sent on shore in search of provi- 
 sions, but were assailed by the Indians ; and, being too weak 
 to wield their weai^ons with their usual prowess, were driven 
 back to the vessels with the loss of several slain or wounded. 
 
 Dejected at these continual misfortunes, Nicuesa continued 
 his voyage seven leagues farther, until he came to the harbour 
 to which Columbus had given the name of Puerto de Bastimi- 
 entos, or Port of Provisions. It presented an advantageous 
 situation for a fortress, and was surrounded by a finiitful coun- 
 try. Nicuesa resolved to make it his abiding place. "Here," 
 said he, "let us stop, en el nombre deDiosT (in the name of 
 God.) His followers, with the superstitious feeling with 
 which men in adversity are prone to interpret every thing 
 into omens, persuaded themselves that there was favourable 
 augury in his words, and caUed the harbour "Nombre de 
 Dios," which name it afterwards retained. 
 
 Nicuesa now landed, and, drawing his sword, took solemn 
 possession in the name of the Catholic sovereigns. He im^ 
 mediately began to erect a fortress to protect his people 
 against the attacks of the savages. As this was a case of exi- 
 gency, he exacted the labour of every one capable of exertion. 
 The Spaniards, thus equally distressed by famine and tod, for- 
 got their favourable omen, cursed the place as fated to be their 
 grave, and called down imprecations on the head of their com- 
 mander, who compelled them to labour when ready to sink 
 with hunger and debility. Those murmured no less who were 
 sent in quest of food, which was only to be gained by fatigue 
 and bloodshed; for, whatever they collected, they had to 
 transport from great distances, and they were frequently 
 waylaid and assaulted by the Indians. 
 
 When he could spare men for the purpose, Nicuesa de- 
 spatched the caravel for those whom he had left at the river 
 Belen. Many of them had perished, and the survivors had
 
 TUE VOYAGE OF DIEGO DE NICUESA. 81 
 
 been reduced to such famine at times as to eat all kinds of 
 reptiles, until a part of an alligator was a banquet to them. 
 On nuistoring all his forces when thus united, Nicuesa found 
 that but one hundred emaciated and dejected wretches re- 
 mauied. 
 
 He despatched the caravel to Hispaniola, to bring a quan- 
 tity of bacon which he had ordered to have prepared there, 
 but it never returned. He ordered Gonzalo de Badajos, at the 
 head of twenty men, to scour the country for provisions; but 
 the Indians had ceased to cultivate ; they could do with little 
 food, and could subsist on the roots and wild fruits of the forest. 
 The Spaniards, therefore, found deserted villages and barren 
 fields, but lurking enemies at every defile. So deplorably 
 were they reduced by their sufferings, that at length there 
 were not left a sufficient number in health and strength to 
 mount guard at night; and the fortress remained without 
 sentinels. Such was the desperate situation of this once gay 
 and gallant cavalier, and of his brilliant armament, which but 
 a few months before had saUied from San Domingo, flushed 
 with the consciousness of power and the assurance that they 
 had the means of compeUing the favours of fortune. 
 
 It is necessary to leave them for a while, and turn our atten- 
 tion to other events which will idtimately be found to bear 
 upon their destinies. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 EXPEDITION OF THE BACHELOR ENCISO IN SEARCH OP THE SEAT 
 OF GOVERNMENT OF OJEDA. — (1510.) 
 
 In calling to mind the narrative of the last expedition of 
 Alonzo de Ojeda, the reader will doubtless remember the 
 Bachelor Martin Fernandez de Enciso, who was inspired by 
 that adventurous cavalier with an ill-staiTcd passion for 
 colonizing, and freighted a vessel at San Domingo with rein- 
 forcements and supplies for the settlement at San Sebastian. 
 
 When the Bachelor was on the eve of sailing, a number of 
 the loose hangers-on of the colony, and men encumbered with 
 debt, concerted to join his ship from the coast and the out- 
 ports. Their creditors, however, getting notice of their inten- 
 tion, kept a close watch upon every one that went on board
 
 83 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 while' in the harbour, and obtained an armed vessel from the 
 Admiral Don Diego Columbus, to escort the enterprising Bach- 
 elor clear of the island. One man, however, contrived to 
 elude these precautions, and as he afterwards rose to great 
 unportance, it is proper to notice him particularly. His name 
 was Vasco Nuiiez de Balboa. He was a native of Xeres de los 
 Caballeros, and of a noble though impoverished family. He 
 had been brought up in the service of Don Puerto Carrero, 
 Lord of Moguer, and he afterwards enlisted among the adven- 
 turers who accompanied Rodrigo de Bastides in his voyage of 
 discovery. Peter Martyr, in his Latin decades, speaks of him 
 by the appellation of "egregius digladiator," wliich has been 
 interpreted by some as a skilful swordsman, by others as an 
 adroit fencing master. He intimates, also, that he was a mere 
 soldier of fortune, of loose prodigal habits, and the circum- 
 stances under wliich he is first introduced to us justify this 
 character. He had fixed himself for a tune in Hispaniola, and 
 undertaken to cultivate a farm at the town of Salvatierra, on 
 the sea coast, but in a httle time had completely involved him- 
 self in debt. The expedition of Enciso presented him with an 
 opportunity of escaping from his embarrassments, and of in- 
 dulging his adventurous habits. To elude the vigilance of his 
 creditors and of the armed escort, he concealed himself in a 
 cask, which was conveyed from his farm on the sea coast on 
 board of the vessel, as if containing provisions for the voyage. 
 When the vessel was fairly out at sea, and abandoned by the 
 escort, Vasco Nufiez emerged like an apparition from his cask, 
 to the great surprise of Enciso, who had been totally ignorant 
 of the stratagem. The Bachelor was indignant at being thus 
 outwitted, even though he gained a recruit by the deception ; 
 and in the first ebullition of his wrath gave the fugitive debtor 
 a very rough reception, threatening to put him on shore on 
 the first uninhabited island they should encounter. Vasco 
 Nufiez, however, succeeded in pacifying him, "for God," says 
 the venerable Las Casas, ' ' reserved him for greater things. " It 
 is probable the Bachelor beheld in him a man well fitted for 
 his expedition, for Vasco Nuiiez was in the prime and vigour 
 of his days, tall and muscular, seasoned to hardships, and of 
 intrepid spirit. 
 
 Arriving at the main land, they touched at the fatal harbour 
 of Carthagena, the scene of the sanguinary conflicts of Ojeda 
 and Nicuesa with the natives, and of the death of the brave Juan 
 de la Cosa. Enciso was ignorant of those events, having had
 
 THE VOYAGE OF DIEGO BE NICUESA. 83 
 
 no ti<lings from those adventurers since their departure from 
 San Domingo ; without any hesitation, therefore, he landed a 
 number of his men to repair his boat, which was damaged, 
 and to procure water. While the men were working upon the 
 boat, a multitude of Indians gathered at a distance, well 
 armed, and with menacing aspect, sounding their shells and 
 brandishing their weapons. The experience they had had of 
 the tremendous powers of the sti-angers, however, rendered 
 them cautious of attacking, and for three days they hovered 
 in this manner about the Spaniards, the latter being obliged to 
 keep continually on the alert. At length two of the Spaniards 
 ventured one day from the main body to fill a water cask from 
 the adjacent river. Scarcely had they reached the margin of 
 the stream, when eleven savages sprang from the thickets and 
 surrounded them, bending their bows and pointing their 
 arrows. In tliis way they stood for a moment or two in fear- 
 ful suspense, the Indians refraining from discharging their 
 shafts, but keeping them constantly pointed at their breasts. 
 One of the Spaniards attempted to escape to his comrades, 
 who were repairing the boat, but the other called him back, 
 and understanding something of the Indinn tongue, addressed 
 a few amicable words to the savages. The latter, astonished 
 at being spoken to in their ov/n language, now relaxed a little 
 from their fierceness, and demanded of the strangers who they 
 were, who were their leaders, and what they sought upon their 
 shores. The Spaniard replied that they were harmless people 
 who came from other lands, and merely touched there through 
 necessity, and he wondered that they should meet them with 
 such hostility ; he at the same time warned them to beware, 
 as there would come many of his countrymen well armed, and 
 would wreak terrible vengeance upon them for any mischief 
 they might do. Wliile they were thus i')arleying, the Bacliolor 
 Enciso, hearing that two of his men were surrounded by tlio 
 savages, sallied instantly from his ship, and hnstened with an 
 armed force to their rescue. As he approached, however, the 
 Spaniard who had held the parley made him a signal that the 
 natives were pacific. In fact, the latter had supposed that 
 this was a new invasion of Ojeda and Nicuesa, and had thus 
 arrayed themselves, if not to take vengeance for past out- 
 rages, at least to defend their houses from a second desolation. 
 When they were convinced, however, that these were a totally 
 dilforent band of strangers, and without hostile intentions, 
 their animosity was at an end ; they tlu'cw by their weapons
 
 84 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCO VERY. 
 
 and came forward with the most confiding frankness. During 
 the whole time that the Spaniards remained there, they 
 treated them with the greatest friendsliip, supplying them 
 with bread made from maize, with salted fish, and with the 
 fermented and spirituous beverages common along that coast. 
 Such was the magnanimous conduct of men who were con- 
 sidered among the most ferocious and warlike of these savage 
 nations; and who but recently had beheld their shores in- 
 vaded, their villages ravaged and bm-nt, and their friends and 
 relations butchered, without regard to age or sex, by the 
 countrymen of these very strangers. When we recall the 
 bloody and indiscriminate vengeance wreaked upon this people 
 by Ojeda and his fohowers for their justifiable resistance of 
 invasion, and compare it with their placable and considerate 
 spirit when an opportunity for revenge presented itself, we 
 confess we feel a momentary doubt whether the arbitrary ap- 
 pellation of savage is always apphed to the right party. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE BACHELOR HEARS UNWELCOME TIDINGS OF HIS DESTINED 
 JURISDICTION. 
 
 Not long after the arrival of Enciso at this eventful harbour 
 he was surprised by the circumstance of a brigantine entering 
 and coming to anchor. To encounter an European sail in these 
 almost unknown seas, was always a singular and striking oc- 
 currence, but the astonishment of the Bachelor was mingled 
 with alarm when, on boarding the brigantine, he found that it 
 was manned by a number of the men who had embarked with 
 Ojeda. His first idea was, that they had mutinied against their 
 commander, and deserted with the vessel. The feelings of the 
 magistrate were aroused within him by the suspicion, and he 
 determined to take his first step as Alcalde Mayor, by seizing 
 them and inflicting on them the severity of the law. He al- 
 tered his tone, however, on conversing with their resolute 
 cormnander. This was no other than Francisco Pizarro, 
 whom Ojeda had left as his locum tenens at San Sebastian, 
 and who showed the Bachelor his letter patent, signed by that 
 unfortunate governor. In fact, the little brigantine contained 
 the sad remnant of the once vaunted colony. After the de-
 
 THE VOYAGE OF DTKGO DK NICUESA. 8/5 
 
 r>arture of Ojeda in the pirate ship, liis followers, whom ho 
 had left beliind under the command of PizaiTO, continued in 
 the fortress until the stipulated term of fifty days had expired. 
 Rot^eiving no succour, and hearing no tidings of Ojeda, they 
 then determined to embark and sail for Hispaniola ; but here 
 an unt hough t-of difficulty pi-esented itself: they were seventy 
 in number, and the two brigantines wliich had been left with 
 '.them were incapable of taking so many. Tliey came to the 
 ?f orlom agreement, therefore, to i-emain until famine, sickness, 
 and the poisoned aiTOws of the Indians should reduce their 
 number to the capacity of the brigantines. A brief space of 
 time was sufficient for the purpose. They then pi-epai-od for 
 the voyage. Four mares, which had been kept alive as ter- 
 rors to the Indians, were killed and salted for sea-stores. Then 
 taking: whatever other ai'ticles of provision remained, thoj^ cm- 
 bai'ked and made sail. One brigantine was commanded by 
 Pizarro, the other by one Valenzuela. 
 
 They had not proceeded far when, in a storm, a sea struck 
 the cimzy vessel of Valenzuela "vWth such violence as to cause 
 it to founder with all its crew. The other brigantine was so 
 near that the marinei"s witnessed the stixjggles of their di-own- 
 ing comjianions and heard their cries. Some of the sailors, 
 with the common disposition to the marvellous, declared that 
 they had beheld a great whale, or some other monster of the 
 deep, strike the vessel \vith its tail, and either stave in its sides 
 or shatter the inidder, so as to cause the shipwi-eck.* The sur- 
 vi\nng brigfuitine then made the best of its way to the harbour 
 of Carthagena, to seek provisions. 
 
 Such was the disastrous account rendered to the Bachelor by 
 Pizarro, of his destined jurisdiction. Enciso, however, was of 
 a confident mind and sangiiine temperament, and ti-usted to 
 restore all things to order and prosperity on his an'ivaL 
 
 CHAPTER Vin. 
 
 CRUSADE OF THE BACHELOU ENCISO AGAINST THE SEPULCHRES 
 
 OF ZENU. 
 
 The P>achelor Enciso, as has been shown, was a man of the 
 sword as well as of the robe ; having doubtless imbibed a pas- 
 
 * Herrera, Hist. Ind. d. i. 1. vii. c. Id
 
 86 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 sion for military exploit from his intimacy with tho discov- 
 erers. Accordingly, while at Carthagcna, ho was visited by 
 an impulse of the kind, and undertook an enterprise that 
 would have been worthy of his friend Ojeda. He had been 
 told by the Indians that about twenty -five leagues to the west 
 lay a province called Zenu, the mountains of which abounded 
 with the finest gold. This was washed down by torrents during 
 the rainy season, in such quantities that the natives stretched 
 nets across the rivers to catch the largest particles ; some of 
 which were said to be as large as eggs. 
 
 The idea of taking gold in nets captivated the imagination of 
 the Bachelor, and liis cupidity was still more excited by further 
 accounts of this wealthy province. He was told that Zenu Avas 
 the general place of sepulture of the Indian tribes through- 
 out the country, whither they brought their dead, and buried 
 them, according to their custom, decorated with their most 
 precious ornaments. 
 
 It appeared to hini a matter of course, therefore, that there 
 must be an immense accumulation of liches in the Indian 
 tombs, from the golden ornaments that had been buried with 
 the dead through a long series of generations. Fired with the 
 thought, he determined to make a foray into this province, 
 and to sack the sepulchres ! Neither did he feel any compunc- 
 tion at the idea of plundering the dead, considering the de- 
 ceased as pagans and infidels, -who had forfeited even the 
 sanctuary of the gi-ave, by having been buried according to 
 the rites and ceremonies of their idolatrous religion. 
 
 Enciso, accordingly, made sail from Carthagena and landed 
 with his forces on the coast of Zenu. Here he was promptly 
 opposed by two caciques, at the head, of a large band of war- 
 riors. The Bachelor, though he had thus put on the soldier, 
 retained sufficient of the spirit of his former calling not to enter 
 into quarrel without taking care to have the law on his side • 
 he proceeded i-t^gularly, therefore, according to the legal fovr 
 recently enjoined by the crown. He caused to be read ai' 
 interpreted to the caciques the same formula used by Oj'^rl 
 expounding the nature of the Deity, the supremacy of the r\or( 
 and the right of the Catholic sovereigns to all these lands, b- 
 virtue of a grant from his holiness. The caciques listened to 
 the whole very attentively and witho'at interruption, accord- 
 ing to the laws of Indian courtesy. They then replied that, as 
 to the assertion that there was but one God, the sovereign of 
 heaven and earth, it ceemed to them good, and that such must;
 
 THE VOYAGE OF DIEGO BE NICUESA. 87 
 
 be the case ; but as to the doctrine that the pope was regent of 
 the world in place of God, and that he had made a grant of 
 their country to the Spanish king, they ohsei'ved that the pope 
 must have been drunk to give away what was not his, and tlio 
 king mast have been somewhat mad to ask at his hands what 
 belonged to others. They added, that they were lords of those 
 lands and needed no other sovereign, and if this king should 
 come to take possession, they would cut off his head and put it 
 on a pole ; that being their mode of dealing with their enemies. 
 — As an illustration of this custom they pointed out to Enciso 
 the very imcomfortable spectacle of a row of grizzly heads im- 
 paled in the neighbourhood. 
 
 Nothing daunted either by the reply or the illustration, the 
 Bachelor menaced them with Avar and slavery as the conse- 
 quences of their refusal to believe and submit. They replied 
 by threatening to put his head upon a pole as a representative 
 of his sovereign. The Bachelor, having furnished them with 
 the law, now proceeded to the commentary. He attacked the 
 Indians, routed them, and took one of the caciques prisoner, 
 but in the skii*mish two of his men were shghtly wounded "with 
 poisoned arrows, and died raving with torment.* 
 
 It does not appear, however, that his crusade against the se- 
 pulchres was attended with any lucrative advantage. Perhaps 
 the experience he had received of the hostility of the natives, 
 and of the fatal effects of their poisoned arrows, prevented his 
 penetrating into the land with his scanty force. Certain it is, 
 the reputed wealth of Zenu, and the tale of its fishery for gold 
 with nets, remained unascertained and uncontradicted, and 
 Avere the cause oi subsequent and disastrous enterprises. The 
 Bachelor contented himself Avith his \nctory, and returning to 
 his ships, prepared to continue his A'oyage for the seat of gov- 
 Oi'nment established by Ojeda in the Gulf of Uraba. 
 
 *The nbovf anecdote is related by the Bachelor Enciso himself, in a geographical 
 work entitled Suma de Geot/raphia, which he published in Seville, in 1519. As the 
 reply of the poor savages contains something of natural logic we give a part of it 
 as reported by the Bachelor. " Respotuiieron me: que en lo que dezia que no avia 
 siim im dios y que este governaba el cielo y la lierra y que erasenor de tivilo que Ics 
 purecia y (pie asi debia ser: pero que en lo (jue dezia que el i)ai)a era senorde todo 
 el imiverso en lugar de dios y que el avia fecho nierced de aquella tieri-a al rev de 
 Castilla; di.xeron qiie el papa debiera estar borachoquondo lo hizo pues daba lo que 
 no era suyo, y que el rey que pedia y to.uttvit tui merced debia ser alguu loco puea 
 pedialo que era de otros," etc.
 
 88 SPA^^ISII VOYAGES OF DISCO VEBT. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE BACHELOR ARRIVES AT SAN • SEBASTIAN— HIS DISASTERS 
 THERE, AND SUBSEQUENT EXPLOITS AT DARIEN. 
 
 It was not without extreme difficulty, and the peremptory 
 exercise of his authority as Alcalde ]\Iayor, that Enciso pre- 
 vailed upon the crew of Pizarro to return with him to the fated 
 shores of San Sebastian. He at length arrived in sight of the 
 long-wished-for seat of his anticipated power and authority; 
 but here he was doomed hke his principal, Ojeda, to meet with 
 nothing but misfortune. On entering the harbour his vessel 
 struck on a rock on the eastern point. The rapid currents and 
 tumultuous waves rent it to pieces; the crew escaped with 
 great difficulty to the brigantine of Pizai-ro ; a little flour, cheese, 
 and biscuit, and a small part of the arms were saved, but the 
 horses, mares, swine, and all other colonial supplies were swept 
 away, and the unfortunate Bachelor beheld the proceeds of 
 several years of prosperous litigation swallowed up in an in- 
 stant. 
 
 His dream of place and dignity seemed equally on the point 
 of vanishing, for, on landing, he found the fortress and its 
 adjacent houses mere heaps of ruins, having been destroyed 
 with fire by the Indians. 
 
 For a few days the Spaniards maintained themselves with 
 palm nuts, and with the flesh of a kind of wild swine, of which 
 they met with several herds. These supplies failing, the Bache- 
 lor sallied forth with a hundred men to forage the country. 
 They were waylaid by three Indians, who discharged all the 
 arrows in their quivers with incredible rapidity, wounded 
 several Spaniards, and then fled with a swictness that defied 
 pursuit. The Spaniards returned to the harbour in dismay. 
 All their dread of the lurking savages and their poisoned wea- 
 pons revived, and they insisted upon abandoning a place marked 
 out for disaster. 
 
 The Bachelor Enciso was himself disheartened at the situation 
 of this boasted capital of San Sebastian ; — but whif her could he 
 go where the same misfortunes might not attend him? In this 
 moment of doubt and despondency^, Vasco Nuilez, the same 
 absconding debtor wlio had been smuggled on board in the 
 cask, stepped forward to give counsel. He informed the
 
 THE VOYAGE OF DIEOO DE NICUESA. SO 
 
 Bachelor that several years previously he had sailed along that 
 coast with Kodrigo de Bastidcs. They had explored the whole 
 gulf oi" Uraba ; and he avoU remembered an Indian village situ- 
 ated on the western side, on the banks of a river which the 
 natives called Darien. The country around was fertile and 
 abundant, and was said to possess mines of gold ; and the na- 
 tives, though a warlike race, never made use of poisoned 
 weapons. He offered to guide the Bachelor to this place, wliere 
 they might get a supply of provisions, and even found their 
 colony. 
 
 The Spaniards hailed the words of Vasco Nunez as if reveal- 
 ing a land of promise. The Bachelor adopted his ad^ace, and, 
 guided by him, set sail for the village, determined to eject the 
 inhabitants and take possession of it as the seat of government. 
 Arrived at the river, he laiidcd, put his men in martial array, and 
 marched along the banks. The place was governed by a bravo 
 cacique named Zemaco. When he heard of the approach of the 
 Spaniards, he sent off the women and children to a place of 
 safety, and posting himself with five hundred of liis wariiors on 
 a height, prepared to give the intruders a warm rece])tion. The 
 Bachelor was a discoverer at all points, pious, daiing, and 
 rapacious. On beholding this martial array he recommended 
 himself and his followers to God, making a vow in their name 
 to " Our Lady of Antigua," whose image is adored with great 
 devotion in Seville, that the first church and town which they 
 built should be dedicated to her, and that they would make a 
 pilgrmiage to Seville to offer the spoils of the heathen at her 
 shrine. Having thus endeavoured to propitiate the favoia* of 
 Heaven, and to retain the H(.)ly Virgin in his cause, he next 
 proceeded to secure the fidelity of his followers. Doubting 
 that they might have some hu'king dread of poisoned arrows, 
 ho exacted from them all an oath that they would not turn 
 their backs upon the foe, whatever might happen. Never did 
 warrior enter into battle with more preliminary fonns and 
 covenants than the Bachelor Enciso. All these points being 
 arranged, he assumed the soldier, and attacked the enemy with 
 such valour, that though they made at first a show of fiinx-e 
 resistance, they were soon put to flight, and many of them 
 slain. The Bachelor entered the villnge in triumph, took pos- 
 session of it by uncpjestionable right of conquest, and plundered 
 all the hamlets and houses of the surrounding country ; collect- 
 ing great quantities of food and cotton, with bracelets, anklets, 
 plates, and other ornaments of gold, to the value of ten thou-
 
 90 SPAJVISII VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 sand castellanos.* His heart was wonderfully elated by his 
 victory and his booty ; liis followers, also, after so many hard- 
 sliips and disasters, gave themselves up to joy at this turn of 
 good fortune, and it was unanimously agreed that the seat of 
 government should be established in this village ; to which, in 
 fulfilment of his vow, Enciso gave the name of Santa Maria de 
 la Antigua del Darien. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE BACHELOR ENCISO UNDERTAKES THE COMMAND— HIS DOWN- 
 FALL. 
 
 The Bachelor Enciso now entered upon the exercise of his 
 civil functions as Alcalde Mayor, and Lieutenant of the absent 
 governor, Ojeda. His first edict was stern and peremptory; 
 he forbade aU traflScking with the natives for gold, on private 
 account, under pain of death. This was in conformity to royal 
 command ; but it was little palatable to men who had engaged 
 in the enterprise in the hopes of enjoying free trade, lawless 
 liberty, and golden gains. They murmured among themselves, 
 and insinuated that Enciso intended to reserve aU the profit 
 to himself. 
 
 Vasco Nuiiez was the first to take advantage of the general 
 discontent. He had risen to consequence among his feUow- 
 adventurers, from having guided them to this place, and from 
 his own intrinsic qualities, being hardy, bold, and intelKgent, 
 and possessmg the random spirit and open-handed generosity 
 common to a soldier of fortune, and calculated to dazzle and 
 delight the multitude. 
 
 He bore no good will to the Bachelor, recollecting his threat 
 of landing him on an uninhabited island, when he escaped in 
 a cask from San Dommgo. He sought, therefore, to make a 
 party against him, and to unseat him from his command. He 
 attacked him in his own way, with legal weapons, questioning 
 the legitimacy of his pretensions. The boimdary line, he ob- 
 served, which separated the jurisdictions of Ojeda and Nicuesa, 
 ran through the centre of the gulf of Uraba. The village of 
 Darien lay on the western side, which had been allotted to 
 
 * Equivalent to a present sum of 53.209 dollai-s.
 
 THE VOYAGE OF DIEGO DE NICUESA. 01 
 
 Nicuesa. Enciso, therefore, as Alcalde Mayor and Lieutenant 
 ol" Ojcda, could have uo jurisdiction here, and his assumed 
 authority was a sheer usurpation. 
 
 The iSiJaniards, already incensed at the fiscal regulations of 
 lilnciso, were easily convinced ; so with one accord they refused 
 rJ. I'giance to him; and the luifortunate Bachelor found the 
 Vhair of authority to which ho had so fondly and anxiously 
 aspired, suddenly wrested fi-om under him, hefore he had well 
 time to take his seat. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 PEEPLEXITIES AT THE COLONY — ARRIVAL OF C0L3IENARES. 
 
 To depose the Bachelor had been an easy matter, for most 
 men are ready to assist in pulling down ; but to choose a suc- 
 cessor was a task of far more difficulty. The people at first 
 agreed to elect mere civil magistrates, and accordingly 
 appointed Vasco Nunez and one Zamudio as alcaldes, together 
 with a cavalier of some merit of the name of Valdivia, as 
 rcgidor. They soon, however, became dissatisfied with this 
 ai'rangement, and it was generally considered advisable to vest 
 the authoi-ity in one pereon. Who this person should be, was 
 now the question. Some proposed Nicucsa, as they were 
 within his province ; othere were strenuous for Vasco Nuficz. 
 A vic)lent dispute ensued, which was carried on with such heat 
 and o]>stinacy. that many, anxious for a quiet life, declared it 
 would be better to reinstate Enciso until the pleasure of the 
 king should be known. 
 
 In tlie height of these factious altercations the S])nniards 
 were aroused one day by the thundering of cannon irom the 
 opposite side of the gulf, and beheld colunuis of smoke rising 
 from the hills. Astonished at these signals of civilized man on 
 these wild shores, they rej)lied in the same manner, and in a 
 short time two ships were seen standing across the gulf. They 
 proved to be an armaiHent commanded by one Rodrigo de 
 Colmenares, and were in search of Nicucsa ^\•ith supi»lies. 
 They had met with the usual luck of adventurers on tliis dis- 
 astrous coast, storms at sea and savage foes on shore, and 
 many of their number had fallen by poisoned arrows. Col- 
 menares had touched at San Sebastian to learn tidings of
 
 92 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 Nicuesa; but, finding the fortress in ruins, had made signals, 
 in hopes of being heard by the Spaniards, should they be yet 
 lingering in the neighbourhood. 
 
 The arrival of Colmenares caused a temporary suspension 
 of the feuds of the colonists. He distributed provisions among 
 them and gained their hearts. Then, representing the legiti- 
 mate right of Nicuesa to the command of all that part of the 
 coast as a governor appointed by the king, he persuaded the 
 greater part of the people to acknowledge his authority. It 
 was generally agreed, therefore, that he should cruise along 
 the coast in search of Nicuesa, and that Diego de Albitez, and 
 an active member of the law, called the Bachelor Corral, 
 should accompany him as ambassadors, to invite that cavalier 
 to come and assume the government of Darien. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 C0L3IENAEES GOES IN QUEST OF NIOCTESA. 
 
 RoDRiGO DE Colmenares proceeded along the coast to the 
 westward, looking into every bay and harbour, but for a long 
 time without success. At length one day he discovered a brig- 
 antine at a small island in the sea. On making up to it, he 
 found that it was part of the armament of Nicuesa, and had 
 been sent out by him to forage for provisions. By this vessel 
 he was piloted to the port of Nombre de Dios, the nominal 
 capital of the unfortunate governor, but which was so sur- 
 rounded and overshadowed by forests, that he might have 
 passed by without noticing it. 
 
 The arrival of Colmenares was welcomed with transports 
 and tears of joy. It was scarcely possible for him to recognize 
 the once buoyant and brilliant Nicuesa in the squalid and de- 
 jected man before him. He was hving in the most abject 
 misery. Of aU his once gaUant and powerful band of fol- 
 lowers, biit sixty men remained, and those so feeble, yellow, 
 emaciated, and woe-begone, that it was piteous to behold 
 them.* 
 
 * The harbour of Nombre de Dios continued for along time to present traces of 
 the sufferings of the Spaniards. We are told by Herrera, that several years after 
 the time here mentioned, a band of eighty Spanish soldiers, commanded bj' Gon- 
 zalode Badajos, arrived at the harbour with an intention of penetrating into the 
 jnterior. They found there the ruined fort of Nicuesa, together with skulls and
 
 THE VOYAGE OF DIEGO DE MCUESA. 93 
 
 Colmenares distributed food among them, and told them 
 that he ]:iad oome to convey them tf) a plenteous country, and 
 one rich in gold. When Nicuesa heard of the settlement at 
 Darien, and that the inhabitants had sent for him to come and 
 govern them, he was as a man suddenly revived from deatli. 
 All tne spirit and munificence of the cavalier again awakened 
 in him. He gave a kind of banquet that very day to Colme- 
 nares and the ambassadors, from the provisions brought in the 
 ship. He presided at his table with his former hilarity, and 
 displayed a feat of his ancient office as royal carver, by hold- 
 ing up a fowl in the air and dissecting it with wonderful 
 adroitness. 
 
 Well would it have been for Nicuesa haft the sudden buoy- 
 ancy of his feehngs carried him no further, but adversity had 
 not taught him prudence. In conversing with the envoys 
 about the colony of Darien, he already assumed the tone of 
 governor, and began to disclose the kind of policy with which 
 he intended to rule. When he heard that great quantities of 
 gold had been collected and retained by private individuals, 
 his ire was kindled. He vowed to make them refimd it, and 
 even talked of punishing them for trespassing upon the privi- 
 leges and monopolies of the crown. This was the very error 
 that had unseated the Bachelor Enciso from his government, 
 and it was a strong measure for one to threaten who as yet was 
 governor but in expectation. The menace was not lost upon 
 the watchful ambassadors Diego do Albitez and the Bachelor 
 Corral. They were put still more on the alert by a conversa- 
 tion wliich they held that very evening with Lope de Olano, 
 who was still detained a prisoner for his desertion, but who 
 found means to commune with the envoys, and to prejudice 
 them against his unsuspecting commander. "Take warning," 
 said he, "by my treatment. I sent relief to Nicuesa and 
 rescued him from death when starving on a desert island. 
 Behold my recompense. He repays me with imprisonment 
 and chains. Such is the gratitude the people of Darien may 
 look for at his hands !" 
 
 The subtle Bachelor Corral and his fellow envoy laid these 
 mattei'S to heart, and took their measures accordingly. They 
 
 bones, and crosses erected on heaps of stones, dismal mementos of liis followers 
 who had perished of hunger; the sight of whicli struck such horror and dismay into 
 the hearts of the soldiers tliat they would have abandoned their enterprise, had not 
 their intrepid captain immfdiatelj' sent away the ships, and thus deprived them 01 
 the means of retreating.— iZerrera, d. xi. 1. i.
 
 94 BPANISII VOTAGEH OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 hurried their departure before Nicuesa, and setting all sail on 
 their caravel, hastened back to Darien. The moment they 
 arrived they STunmoned a meeting of the principal inhabitants. 
 " A blessed change we have made," said they, "in summoning 
 this Diego de Nicuesa to the command ! We have called in tha 
 stork to take the rule, who will not rest satisfied until he has 
 devoured us." They then related, with the usual exaggeration, 
 the unguarded threats that had fallen from Nicuesa, and 
 instanced his treatment of Olano as a proof of a tyrannous and 
 ungrateful disposition. 
 
 The words of the subtle Bachelor Corral and his associate 
 produced a violent agitation among the people, especially 
 among those who had amassed treasures which Avould have to 
 be refunded. Nicuesa, too, by a transaction which almost de- 
 stroys sympathy in his favour, gave time for their passions to 
 ferment. On his way to Darien he stopped for several days 
 among a group of small islands, for the purpose of capturing 
 Indians to be sold as slaves. While committing these outrages 
 against humanity, he sent forwai'd Juan de Cayzedo in a boat 
 to announce his coming. His messenger had a private pique 
 against him, and played him false. He assured the people of 
 Darien that all they had been told by their envoys concerning 
 the tyranny and ingratitude of Nicuesa was true. That he 
 treated his followers with wanton severity ; that he took from 
 them all they won in battle, saying, that the spoils wore his 
 rightful property ; and that it was his intention to treat the 
 people of Darien in the same mamier. ' ' What folly is it in 
 you, "added he, "being your own masters, and in such free 
 condition, to send for a tyrant to rule over you!" 
 
 The people of Darien were convinced by this concurring tes- 
 timony, and confounded by the overwhelming evil thej^ had 
 thus invoked upon their heads. They had deposed Enciso for 
 his severity, and they had thrown themselves into the power 
 of one who threatened to be ten times more severe ! Vasco 
 Nunez de Balboa observed their perplexity and consternation. 
 He drew them one by one apart, and conversed with them in 
 private. "You are cast down in heart," said he, "and so you 
 might well be, were the evil beyond all cure. But do not 
 despair ; there is an effectual relief, and you hold it in your 
 hands. Tf you have conmaitted an error in inviting Nicuesa to 
 Darien, it is easily remedied by not receiving liim when he 
 comes !" The obviousness and simplicity of the remedy struck 
 every mind, and it was unanimously adopted.
 
 THE. VOYAGE OF DIEGO DE NICUESA 95 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 CATASTROPHE OF THE UNFORTUNATE NICUESA. 
 
 Wnn^ this hostile plot was maturing at Darien, the unsus- 
 pecting Nicuesa pursued his voyage leisurely and serenely, and 
 arrived in safety at the mouth of the river. On approaching 
 the shore he beheld a multitude, headed by Vasco Nuiiez, 
 waiting, as he supposed to receive him with all due honour. 
 He was about to land, when the pubhc procurator, or attorney, 
 called to him with a loud voice, warning him not to disembark, 
 but advising him to return with all speed to his govermnent at 
 Nombre de Dios. 
 
 Nicuesa remained for a moment as if thunder-struck by so 
 unlooked-for a salutation. When he recovered his self-posses- 
 sion he reminded them that he had come at their own request ; 
 he entreated, therefore, that he might be allowed to land and 
 have an explanation, after which he would be ready to act as 
 they thought proper. His entreaties were vain: they only 
 provoked insolent replies, and threats of violence should he 
 venture to put foot on shore. Night coming on, therefore, he 
 was obliged to stand out to sea, but returned the next morn- 
 ing, hoping to find this capricious people in a different mood. 
 
 There did, indeed, appear to be a favourable change, for he 
 was now invited to land. It was a mere stratagem to get him 
 in their power, for no sooner did he set foot on shore than the 
 multitude rushed forward to seize him. Among his many 
 bodUy endowments, Nicuesa was noted for swiftness of foot. 
 He now trusted to it for safety, and, throwing off the dignity 
 of governor, fled for his life along the shore, pursued by the 
 rabble. He soon distanced his pursuers and took refuge in the 
 woods. 
 
 Vasco Nmiez de Balboa, who was himself a man of birth, 
 seeing this high-bred cavalier reduced to such extremity, and 
 at the mercy of a violent rabble, repented of what he had done. 
 He had not anticipated such popular fury, and endeavoured, 
 though too late, to allay the tempest he had raised. He suc- 
 ceeded ha preventing the people from pursuing Nicuesa into tho 
 forest, and then endeavoured to mollify the vindictive rage of 
 his fellow Alcalde, Zamudio, whose hostility was quickened by 
 the dread of losing his office, should the new governor be re 
 ceived ; and who was supported in his boisterous conduct by
 
 96 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 the natural love of the multitude for what are called " strong 
 measures." Nicuesa now held a parley with the populace, 
 through the mediation of Vasco Nunez. He begged that, if 
 they would not acknowledge him as governor, they would at 
 least admit him as a companion. Tliis they refused, saying, 
 that if they admitted him in one capacity, he would end by at- 
 taining to the other. He then implored, that if he could be 
 admitted on no other terms, they would treat him as a prisoner, 
 and put him in irons, for he would rather die among them than 
 return to Nombre de Dios, to perish of famine, or by the arrows 
 of the Indians. 
 
 It was in vain that A'^asco Nunez exerted his eloquence to 
 obtain some grace for this unhappy cavalier. His voice was 
 drowned by the vociferations of the multitude. Among these 
 was a noisy swaggering fellow named Francisco Benitez, a 
 great talker and jester, who took a vulgar triumph in the dis- 
 tresses of a cavalier, and answered every plea in his behalf 
 with scoffs and jeers. He was an adherent of the Alcalde Za- 
 mudio, and under his patronage felt emboldened to bluster. 
 His voice was even uppermost in the general clamour, iintil, to 
 the expostulations of Vasco Nuilez, ho replied by merely bawl- 
 ing -with great vociferation, "No, no, no! — we will receive no 
 such a fellow among us as Nicuesa !" The patience of Vasco 
 Nuiiez was exhausted ; he availed himself of his authority as 
 Alcade, and suddenly, before his fellow magistrate could inter- 
 fere, ordered the brawling ruffian to be rewarded with a hun- 
 dred lashes, which were taled out roundly to him upon the 
 shoulders.* 
 
 Seeing that the fury of the populace was not to be pacified, 
 he sent word to Nicuesa to retire to his brigantine, and not to 
 venture on shore until advised hj him to do so. The counsel 
 was fruitless. Nicuesa, above deceit himself, suspected it not 
 in others. He retired to his brigantine, it is true, but suffered 
 himself to be inveigled on shore by a deputation professing to 
 come on the part of the public, with offers to reinstate him as 
 governor. He had scarcely landed when he was set upon by 
 an armed band, headed by the base-minded Zamudio, who 
 seized him and compelled him, by menaces of death, to swear 
 that he would immediately depart, and make no delay in 
 any place until he had presented himself before the king and 
 council in Castile. 
 
 Las Casas, Hist. Ind. 1. ii c. 68.
 
 THE VOYAGI-: OF DIEGO BE MCUESA. 97 
 
 It was in vain tba^' Xicuesa reniindod them that he was gov- 
 ernor of that territory and representative of the Icing, and 
 that they were guilty of treason in thus opposing hini ; it was 
 in vain that he appealed to their humanity, or protested be- 
 fore God against their cruelty and persecution. The people 
 were in that state of tumult when they are apt to add cruelty 
 to injustice. Not content with expelling the discarded gov- 
 ernor from their shores, they allotted liim the worst vessel in 
 the harbour ; an old crazy brigantine totally unfit to encoun- 
 ter the perils and labours of the sea. 
 
 Seventeen followers embarked with him ; some being of his 
 household and attached to his person; the rest were volun- 
 teoi-s who accompanied him out of respect and sympathy. 
 The frail bark set sail on the first of March, 1511, and steered 
 across the Caribbean sea for the island of Hispaniola, but was 
 never seen or heard of more ! 
 
 Various attempts have been made to penetrate the mystery 
 that covers the fate of the brigantine and its crew, A rumour 
 prevailed some years afterwards that several Spaniards, wan- 
 dering along the shore of Cuba, found the following inscription 
 cai'ved on a tree : 
 
 Aqui fenecift el desdicado Nionefwi. 
 (Here perished the unfortunate Nicuesa.) 
 
 Hence it was inferred that he and his followere had landed 
 there, and been massacred by the Indians. Las Casas, how- 
 ever, discredits this story. He accompamed the first Span- 
 iards who took possession of Cuba, and heard nothing of the 
 fact, as he most probably would have done had it really oc- 
 curred. He imagines, rather, that the crazy bark was swal- 
 lowed up by the storms and currents of the Caribbean sea, 
 or that the crow perished with himger and tlnrst, having 
 been but scantily supplied with provisions. The good old bishop 
 adds, with the superstitious feeling prevalent in that age, that 
 a short time before Nicuesa sailed from Spain on liis expedi- 
 tion, an astrologer wanied him not to depart on the day he had 
 appointed, or under a certain sign; the cavalier replied, how- 
 ever, that he had less confidence in the stare than in God who 
 made them. "I recollect, moreover," adds Las Casas, ''that 
 about this tunc a comet was seen over this island of Hispaniola, 
 which, it I do not forget, was in the shape of a sword ; and it 
 was said that a monk warned several of those about to embark
 
 98 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 with Nicuesa, to avoid that captain, for the heavens foretold 
 he was destined to be lost. The same, however, " he concludes, 
 "might be said of Alonzo de Ojeda, who sailed at the same 
 time, yet returned to San Domingo and died in his bed." * 
 
 ♦ Las Casas, ut sup, c. 63.
 
 VASCO NUS'EZ DE BALBOA. 99 
 
 VASCO nuxp:z de balboa, 
 
 DISCOVERER OF THE RACIFIC OCEAN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 FACTIONS AT DARIEN— VASCO NUNEZ ELECTED TO THE COMMAND. 
 
 We have traced the disastrous fortunes of Alonzo de Ojoda 
 and Diego de Nicucsa ; we have now to record the story of 
 Vasco Isuiiez -ie Balboa, an adventurer equally daring, far 
 more renowned, and not less unfortunate, who, in a manner, 
 rose upon their ruins. 
 
 "When the bark disappeared from view which bore the ill- 
 starred Nicuesa from the shores of Darien, the community 
 relapsed into factions, as to who should have the nile. The 
 Bachelor Enciso insisted upon his claims as paramount, but he 
 met with a powerful opponent in Vasco Nunez, who had be- 
 come a great favourite with the people, from his frank and 
 fearless character, and his winning affability. In fact, he was 
 peculiarly calculated to manage the fiery and factious, yet 
 generous and susceptible natm-e of his countrymen; for the 
 Spaniards, though proud and resentful, and imjiatient of indig- 
 nity or restraint, are easily dazzled by valour, and won by 
 courtesy and kindness. Vasco Nuiiez had the external re- 
 quisite's also to captivate the multitude. He was now about 
 thirty-five years of age; tall, avcU formed, and vigorous, Avith 
 reddisli hair, and an open prepossessing countenance. His 
 oflice of Alcalde, while it clothed him with influence and im- 
 portance, tempered those irregmar and dissolute habits ho 
 might have mdulged while a more soldier of fortune; and his 
 superior talent soon gave aim a complete ascendancy over his 
 official colleague Zamudio. He was thus enabled to set on foot 
 a vigorous opposition to Enciso. Still he proceeded according 
 to the forms of law, and summoned the Be. chelor to trial, on
 
 100 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 the charge of usurping the powers of Alcalde Mayor, on the 
 mere appointment of Alonzo de Ojeda, whose jurisdiction did 
 not extend to this province. 
 
 Enciso was an able lawyer, and pleaded his cause skilfully; 
 but his claims were, in fact, fallacious, and, had they not been 
 so, he had to deal with men who cared little for law, who had 
 been irritated by Ms legal exactions, and who were disposed to 
 be governed by a man of the sword rather than of the robe. 
 Ho v/as readily found gaiilty, therefore, and thrown into 
 prison, and all his property was confiscated. This was a vio- 
 lent verdict, and rashly executed ; but justice seemed to grow 
 fierce and wild when transplanted to the wilderness of the new 
 world. Still there is no place where wrong can be committed 
 with impunity ; the oppression of the Bachelor Enciso, though 
 exercised under the forms of law, and in a region remote from 
 the pale of civilized life, redounded to the eventual injury of 
 Vasco Nuiiez, and contributed to blast the fruits of that ambi- 
 tion it was intended to promote. 
 
 The fortimcs of the enterprising Bachelor had indeed run 
 strangely counter to the prospects with which he had embarked 
 at San Domingo; he had become a culprit at the bar instead of 
 a judge upon the bench ; and now was left to ruminate in a 
 prison on the failure of his late attempt at general command. 
 His friends, however, interceded vfarmly in his behalf, and at 
 length obtained his release from confinement, and permission 
 for him to return to Spain. Vasco Nuiiez foresaw that the 
 lawyer would be apt to plead his cause more effectually at the 
 court of Castile than he had done before the partial and pre- 
 judiced tribunal of Darien. He prevailed upon his fellow 
 Alcalde Zamudio, therefore, who was implicated with him in 
 the late transactions, to return to Spain in the same vessel 
 with the Bachelor, so as to be on the spot to answer his 
 «hai"ges, and to give a favourable report of the case. He was 
 also instructed to set forth the services of Vasco Nunez, both 
 in guiding the colonists to this place, and in managing the 
 affairs of the settlement ; and to dwell with emphasis on the 
 symptom.s of great riches in the surrounding country. 
 
 The Bachelor and the Alcalde embarked in a small caravel ; 
 and, as it was to toucli at Hispaniola, Vasco Nuiiez sent his 
 confidential friend, the Eegidor Valdivia, to that island to ob- 
 tain provisions and recruits. He secretly put into his hands a 
 round sum. of gold as a present to Miguel de Pasamonte, the 
 royal treasurer of Hi^paniola, whom he Lne\7 to have great
 
 VASCO yuS'EZ DE BALBOA. 101 
 
 credit Avitli the king, and to be invested with extensive powers, 
 ci'tiving at the sain« time his protection in the new world and 
 his influence at court. 
 
 Having talceu these shrewd precautions, Vasco Nuiiez saw 
 the caravel depart without dismay, though bearing to Spain 
 his most dangerous enemy; he consoled himself, moreover, 
 Avith the reflection that it likewise bore off his fellow Alcalde, 
 Zamudio, and thus left him in sole command of the colony. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 EXPEDITION TO COYBA— VASCO NUNEZ RECEIVES THE DAUGHTER 
 OF A CACIQUE AS HOSTAGE. 
 
 Vasco Nunez now exerted himself to prove his capacity for 
 the government to which he had aspired ; and as he knew that 
 no proof was more convincing to King Ferdinand than ample 
 remittances, and that gold covered all sins in the new world, 
 his first object was to discover those parts of the country which 
 most abounded in the precious metals. Hearing exaggerated 
 reports of the riches of a province about thirty leagues distant, 
 called Coyba, he sent Francisco Pizarro with six men to ex- 
 plore it. 
 
 The cacique Zemaco, the native lord of Darien, who cher- 
 ished a bitter hostility against the European intnjders, and 
 hovered with his warriors about the settlement, received no- 
 tice of this detachment, from hie spies, and planted himself in 
 ambush to waylay and destroy it. The Spaniards had scarcely 
 proceeded three leagues along the course of the river when a 
 host of savages burst upon them from the surrounding thiek- 
 ets, uttering frightful yells, and discharging showers of stones 
 and arrows. Pizarro and his men, though sorely bruised nnd 
 wounded, rushed into the thickest of the foe, slew many, 
 wounded more, and put the rest to flight; but. fearing another 
 assault, they made a precipitate retreat, leaving one of their 
 companions, Francisco Hernan, disabled on the field. They 
 arrived at the settlement crippled and bleeding; but when 
 Vasco Nuiiez heard the particulars of the action, his anger 
 was roused against Pizarro, and he ordered him, though 
 wounded, to return immediately and recover the disable^
 
 102 SPANISH VOYAO/£S OF DISCO VEEY. 
 
 man. "Lot it not be said, for shame," said he, "that Span- 
 iards fled before savages, and left a comrade in their hands !" 
 Pizarro felt the rebuke, returned to the scene of combat and 
 brought off Francisco Hernan in safety. 
 
 ■ Nothing having been heard of Nicuesa since his departure, 
 Vasco Nunez despatched two brigantines for those followers of 
 that unfortunate adventvu-er who had remained at Nombre do 
 Dios. They were overjoyed at being rescued from then- for- 
 lorn situation, and conveyed to a settlement where there was 
 some prospect of comfortable subsistence. The brigantines, in 
 coasting the shores of the Isthmus, picked up two Spaniards, 
 clad in painted skins and looking as wild as the native In- 
 dians. Tliese men, to escape some punishment, had fled from 
 the ship of Nicuesa about a year and a half before, and had 
 taken refuge with Careta, the cacique of Coyba. The savage 
 chieftain had treated them with hospitable Idndness; their 
 first return for which, now that they foimd themselves safe 
 among their countrymen, was to advise the latter to invade 
 the cacique in his dwelling, where they assured them they 
 would find immense booty. Finding their suggestion listened 
 to, one of them proceeded to Darien, to serve as a guide to any 
 expedition that might be set on foot ; the other returned to the 
 cacique, to assist in betraying him. 
 
 Vasco Nuiiez was elated by the intelligence received through 
 these vagabonds of the wilderness. He chose a hundred and 
 thu"ty well armed and resolute men, and set off for Coyba, the 
 dominions of Careta. The cacique received the Spaniards in his 
 mansion with the accustomed hospitality of a savage, setting 
 before them meat and drink, and whatever his house afforded ; 
 butlwhen Vasco Nuiiez asked for a large supply of provisions 
 for the colony, he declared that he had none to spare, his 
 people having been prevented from cultivating the soil by a 
 war which he was waging with the neighbouring cacique of 
 Ponca. The Spanish traitor, Avho had remained to betraj^ his 
 benefactor, now took Vasco Nunez aside, and assured him that 
 the cacique had an abundant hoard of provisions in secret ; he 
 advised him, however, to seem to believe his words, and to 
 make a pretended departure for Darien with his troops, but to 
 return in the night and take the village by surprise. Vasco 
 Ninlez adopted the advice of the traitor. He took a cordial leave 
 of Careta, and set off for the settlement. In the dead of the 
 night, however, when the savages were buried in deep sleep, 
 Vasco Nuiiez led his men into the midst of the village, and,
 
 VASCO ^UKEZ DK BALBOA. 103 
 
 before the inhabitants could rouse them selves to resistance, 
 made captives of Careta, his wives, and children, and many of 
 his people. He discovered also the hoard of provisions, with 
 which he loaded two brip:antines, and returned with his booty 
 and his captives to Daricn. 
 
 When the unfortunate caciciue beheld liis family in chains, 
 and in the hands of strangers, his heart was wrung with 
 despair; " What have I done to thee," said he to Vasco Nunez, 
 "that thou shouldst treat me thus cruelly? None of thy 
 people ever came to my land that wei-e not fed and sheltered 
 and treated with loving-kindness. When thou camest to my 
 dwelling, did I meet thee with a javelin in my hand? Did I 
 not set meat and drink before thee and welcome thee as a 
 brother? Set me free, therefore, with my family and people, 
 and we will remain thy friends. We will supply thee with 
 provisions, aud reveal to thee the riches of the land. Dost thou 
 doubt my faith? Behold my daughter, I give her to thee as a 
 pledge of friendship. Take her for thy wife, and be assured of 
 the fidelity of her family and her peojile !" 
 
 Vasco Nunez felt the force of these words and knew the im- 
 portance of forming a strong alliance among the natives. The 
 captive maid, also, as she stood trembling and dejected before 
 him, found great favour in his eyes, for she was young and 
 beautiful. He granted, therefore, the prayer of the cacique, 
 and accepted his daughter, engaging, moreover, to aid the 
 father against his enemies, on condition of his furnisliing pro- 
 visions to the colony. 
 
 Careta remained three days at Darien, during which time he 
 was treated with the utmost kinduess. Vasco Nuficz took him 
 on board of his ships and showed him every part of them. He 
 displayed before him also the war-horses, with their armour 
 and rich capai'isons, and astonished him witli the thunder of 
 artillery. I^est he should be too much daunted by these wai-- 
 like spectacles, he caused the musicians to perform a harmoni- 
 ous concert on their instruments, at which the cacique Avas lost 
 in admiration. Thus having impressed him with a wonderful 
 idea of the power and endowments of his new allies, he loaded 
 him with presents and permitted him to depart.* 
 
 Careta returned joyfully to bis territories, and his daughter 
 rem.nined with Vasco Nunez, willingly, for his sake, giving up 
 her family and native home. They were never married, but 
 
 * r. Martyr, D. 3, c. vi.
 
 104 SPA^VSU VOYAGES OF DISCO VERY. 
 
 she considered herself his wife, as she really was, according to 
 the usages of her own country, and ho treated her with fond- 
 ness, allowing her gradually to acquire great influence over 
 him. To his affection for this damsel his ultimate ruin is in 
 some measure to be ascribed. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 VASCO NUNEZ HEARS OF A SEA BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 Vasco Nunez kept his word with the father of his Indian 
 beauty. Taking with him eighty men and his companion-in- 
 arms, Rodrigo Enriquez de Colmenares, he repaired by sea to 
 Coyba, the province of the cacique. Here landing, he invaded 
 the territories of Ponca, the great adversary of Careta, and 
 obliged him to take refuge in the mountains. He then ravaged 
 his lands and sacked his villages, in which he found consider- 
 able booty. Returning to Coyba, where he was joyfully enter- 
 tained by Careta, he next made a friendly visit to the adjacent 
 province of Comagre, wliich was under the sway of a cacique 
 of the same name, who had 3, COO fighting men at his command. 
 
 This province was situated at the foot of a lofty mountain in 
 a beautiful plain twelve leagues in extent. On the approach of 
 Vasco Nunez, the cacique came forth to meet him attended by 
 seven sons, all fine young men, the offspring of his various 
 wives. He was followed by his principal chiefs and warriors, 
 and by a multitude of his people. The Spaniards were con- 
 ducted with great ceremony to the village, where quarters were 
 assigned them, and they were furnished with abundance of 
 provisions, and men and women were appomted to attend upon 
 them. 
 
 The dwelling of the cacique surpassed any they had yet seen 
 for magnitude and for the skill and solidity of the architecture. 
 It was one hundred and fifty paces in length, and eighty in 
 breadth, founded upon great logs surrounded with a stone 
 wall; while the upper part was of wood-work, curiously inter- 
 woven and wrought with such beauty, as to fill the Spaniards 
 with surprise and admiration. It contained many commodious 
 apartments. There were store-rooms also; one filled with 
 bread, with venison, and other provisions; another with 
 various spirituous beverages which the Indians made from
 
 VASCO NUS'KZ I)J: BALBOA. ;|05 
 
 maize, from a species of the palm, and from roots of different 
 kinds. Tlicre was also a great hall in a retired and secret part 
 of the building, wherein Comagre preserved the bodies of liis 
 ancestors and relatives. These had been dried bj' the fire, so as 
 to free them from corruption, and afterwards wrapped in man- 
 tles of cotton riclily wrought and interwoven Avith pearls and 
 jewels of gold, and with certain stones held precious by the 
 natives. They were then hung about the hall with cords of 
 C(.)tton, and regarded with great reverence, if not a species of 
 religious devotion. 
 
 Among the sons of the cacique, the eldest was of a lofty and 
 generous spirit, and distinguished above the rest by liis supe- 
 rior intelligence and sagacity. Perceiving, says old Peter 
 [Martyr, that the Spaniards were a "wandering kind of men, 
 living only by shifts and spoil, " he sought to gain favour for 
 himself and family by gratifying their avarice. He gave 
 Vasco Nunez and Colmenares, therefore, 4,000 ounces of gold, 
 wrought into various ornaments, together with sixty slaves, 
 being captives that he had taken in the ware. Vasco Nunez 
 ordered one-fifth of the gold to be weighed out and set apart 
 for the crown, and the rest to be shared among his fol- 
 lowers. 
 
 The division of the gold took place in the porch of thq dwell- 
 ing of Comagre, in the presence oT the youthful cacique who 
 had made the gift. As the Spaniards were weighing it out, a 
 violent quarrel arose among them as to the size and value of 
 the pieces which fell to their respective shares. The high- 
 minded savage was disgusted at this sordid brawl among 
 l)eings whom he had regarded with such reverence. In the 
 fn-st impulse of his disdain, he struck the scales with his fist 
 and scattered the glittering gold about the porch. Before the 
 P>paniards could recover from their astonishment at this sud- 
 den act, he thus addressed them, "Why should you quarrel 
 for such a trifle? If this gold is indeed so precious in your 
 eyes that for it alone you abandon your homes, invade the 
 peaceful land of others, and expose yoiirselves to such suffer- 
 ings and perils, I will tell you of a region where you may 
 gratify your wishes to the utmost. Behold those lofty moun- 
 tains," continued ho, pointing to the south. "Beyond these 
 lies a mighty sea, which may be di.scerned from their summit. 
 It is navigated by people who have vessels almost as large as 
 yours, and furnished, like them, with sails and oars. All the 
 streams which flow down the southern sid^ of those mountains
 
 105 SPANISH VOTAGJtS OF DISCOVERY 
 
 into that sea abound in gold, and the kings who. reign upon its 
 borders eat and drink out of golden vessels. Crold, in fact, is 
 as plentiful and common among those people of the south as 
 iron is among you Spaniards." 
 
 Struck with this intelligence, Vasco Nunez inquired eagerly 
 as to the means of penetrating to this sea and to the opulent 
 regions on its shores. "The task," replied the prince, "is 
 difficult and dangerous. You must pass through the territo- 
 ries of many powerful caciques, who will oppose you with hosts 
 of wairiors. Some parts of the mountains are infested by 
 fierce and cruel cannibals — a wandering, lawless race; but, 
 above all, you will have to encounter the great cacique, Tuba- 
 nama, whose territories are at the distance of six days' jour- 
 ney, and more rich in gold than any other province; this 
 cacique will be sure to come forth against you Avith a miglity 
 force. To accomplish your enterprise, therefore, will require 
 at least a thousand men armed like those who follow you." 
 
 The youthful cacique gave him further information on the 
 subject, collected from various captives whom he had taken in 
 battle, and from one of his own nation, who had been for a 
 long time in captivitj' to Tubanama, the powerful cacique of 
 the golden realm. The prince, moreover, offered to prove the 
 sincerity of his words by accompanying Vasco Nuiiez in any 
 expedition to those parts at the head o- his father's warriors. 
 
 Such was the first intimation received by Vasco Nunez of the 
 Pacific Ocean and its golden realms, and it had an immediate 
 effect upon his whole character and conduct. This hitherto 
 wandering and desperate man had now an enterprise opened 
 to his ambition, which, if accomplished, would elevate him to 
 fame and fortune, and entitle him to rank among the great 
 captains and discoverers of the earth. Henceforth the discov- 
 ery of the sea beyond the mountains was the great object of 
 his thoughts, and his whole spirit seemed roused and ernoblcd 
 by the idea. 
 
 He hastened his return to Darien, to make the necessary 
 preparations for this splendid enterprise. Before departing 
 from the province of Comagre he baptized that cacique by the 
 name of Don Carlos, and performed the same ceremony upon 
 his sons and several of his subjects ; — thus singularly did ava- 
 rice and religion go hand in hand in the conduct of the Spanish 
 discoverers. 
 
 Scarcely had Vasco Nunez returned to Darien when the 
 Kogidor Valdi\ia arrived there from Hispaniola, but with no
 
 VASCO NUS'EZ DE BALBOA. 107 
 
 more provisions than could be brought in his small caravel. 
 These were soon consumed, and the genei'al scarcity continued. 
 It was heightened also by a violent tempest of thunder, light- 
 ning, and rain, which brought such torrents from the moun- 
 tains that the river swelled and overflowed its bahlcs, laying 
 waste all the adjacent fields that had been cultivated. In tliis 
 extremity Vixsco Nunez despatched Valdivia a second time to 
 Hispaniola for provisions. Aniniated also by the loftier views 
 of his present ambition, he Avrote to Don Diego Columbus, who 
 governed at San Domingo, informing him of the intelligence 
 he had received of a groat sea and opulent realms beyond the 
 mountains, and entreating him to use his influence with the 
 king that one thousand men might be immediately fiu-nished 
 him for the prosecution of so grand a discovery. He sent him 
 also the amount of fifteen thousand crowns in gold, to be re- 
 mitted to the king as the royal fifths of what had already been 
 collected under his jurisdiction. Many of Ids followers, also, 
 forwarded sums of gold to be remitted to their creditors in 
 Spain. In the mean time, Vasco Nunez prayed the admiral to 
 yield him prompt succour to enable him to keep his footing in 
 the land, representing the difficulty he had in maintaining, 
 with a mere handful of men, so vast a coimtry in a state of 
 Bubjection. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 EXPEDITION OF VASCO NUNEZ IN QUEST OF THE GOLDEN TEMPLE 
 OF DOBAYBA.— (1512.) 
 
 While Vasco Nunez awaited the result of this mission of 
 Valdivia, his active disposition prompted him to luideituko 
 foraging excursions into the surroimding country. 
 
 Among various rumours of golden realms in the interior of 
 this unknown land, was one concerning a province called Do- 
 bayba, situated about forty leagues distant, on the banks of a 
 great river which emptied itself, by several mouths, into a 
 corner of the Gulf of Uraba. 
 
 This province derived its name, according to Inclian tradi- 
 tion^ from a mighty female of the olden time, the mother of 
 the god who created the sun and moon and all good things. 
 She h-M\ power over the elements. Pending thimdtn- and Hght-
 
 108 SPAmsn VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 ning to lay waste the lands of those who displeased her, but 
 showering down fertility and abundance upon the lands of her 
 faithful worshippers. Others described her as having been an 
 Indian princess who once reigned amongst the mountains of 
 Dobayba, and was renowned throughout the land for her 
 supernatural power and wisdom. After her death, divine 
 honours were paid her, and a great temple was erected for her 
 Avorship. Hither the natives repaired from far and near, on a 
 kind of pilgrimage, bearing offerings of theii* most valuable 
 effects. Tlie caciques who iiiled over distant territories, also 
 sent golden tributes, at certain times of the year, to be de- 
 posited in this temple, and slaves to be sacrificed at its shrine. 
 At one time, it was added, this worship fell into disuse, the 
 pilgrimages were discontinued, and the caciques neglected to 
 send their tributes ; whereupon the deity, as a punishment, in- 
 flicted a drought upon the country. The springs and fountains 
 failed, the rivers were dried up ; the inhabitants of the moun- 
 tains were obliged to descend into the plains, where they digged 
 pits and wells, but these likcAvise failing, a great part of the 
 nations perished with tliirst. The remainder hastened to pro- 
 pitiate the deity by tributes and sacrifices, and thus succeeded 
 in averting her displeasure. In consequence of offerings of 
 the kind, made for generations from all parts of the country, 
 the temple was said to be filled with treasure, and its walls to 
 be covered with golden gifts.* In addition to the tale of this 
 temple, the Indians gave marvellous accounts of the general 
 wealth of this province, declaring that it abounded with mines 
 of gold, the veins of which reached from the dwelhng of the 
 cacique to the borders of his dominions. 
 
 To penetrate to this territory, and above all to secure the 
 treasures of the golden temple, was an enterprise suited to the 
 ■ adventurous spirit of the Spaniards. Vasco Nuiiez chose one 
 hundred and seventy of his hardiest men for the purpose. 
 Embarking them in two brigantines and a number of canoes, 
 he set sail from Darien, and, after standing about nine leagues 
 to the east, came to the mouth of the Eio Grande de San Juan, 
 or the Great River of St. John, also called the Atrato, which is 
 since ascertained to be one of the branches of the river Darien. 
 Here he detached Rodrigo Enriquez de Colmenares with onCr 
 third of his forces to explore the stream, while he himself pro- 
 ceeded with the residue to another branch of the river, which 
 t — — — . — —^ — . 
 
 * p. Martyr, decad. 3, c. vi. Idem. d. 7, c. r.
 
 VASCO NUl^TEZ T)K BALBOA. 100 
 
 he was told flowed from the province of Dobayba, and which 
 he ascended, flushed Avith sanguine expectations.* 
 
 His old enemy, Zeuiaco, the cacique of Darien, however, had 
 discovered the object of his expedition, and had taken measures 
 to disappoint it: repairing to the province of Dobayba, he had 
 prevailed upon its cacique to retire at the approach of the 
 Spaniards, leaving his country deserted. 
 
 Vasco Nunez found a village situated in a marshy neighbour- 
 hood, on the banks of the river, and mistook it for the residence 
 of the cacique : it was silent and abandoned. There was not an 
 Indian to be met with from whom ho could obtain aiiy infor- 
 mation about the country, or who could guide him to the golden 
 temple. He was disappointed, also, in liis hopes of obtaining a 
 supply of provisions, but he found weapons of various kinds 
 hanging in the deserted houses, and gathered jewels and pieces 
 of gold to the value of seven thousand castellanos. L'iscour- 
 aged by the savage look of the surrounding wilderness, wh'-^h 
 was perplexed by deep morasses, and having no guides to a'd 
 him in exploring it, he put all the booty he had collected into 
 two large canoes, and made his way back to the Gulf of U'-aba. 
 Here he was assailed by a violent tempest, which nearly 
 wrecked his two brigantines, and obliged him to throw a great 
 part of their cargoes overboard. TLe two canoes ''<^>ntainin^ 
 the booty were swaUowed up by the raging sea, and all their 
 crows perished. 
 
 Thus baffled and tempest-tost, Vasco Nuiiez at length suc- 
 ceeded in getting into what was termed o':e Giand River, 
 which he ascended, and rejoined Cohnenares and his detach- 
 ment. They now extended their excursions up a stream which 
 emptied into the Grand River, and wliich, u-om the dark hue 
 of its waters, they called Rio Negro, or the i:)lack River. They 
 also explored certain other tributary streams branching rrom 
 it, though not without occasional skirmishes with the natives. 
 
 * In recording this expedition, the author has followed the old Spanish narratives, 
 written when the face of the country was but little known, and lie was much per- 
 plexed to reconcile the accounts given of nunierous streams with the rivers laid 
 down on modern maps. By a clear and judicious explanation, given in tlie recent 
 work of Don Manuel Josef Quintana, it appears tliat the different streams exi)lored 
 by Vasco Nufiez and Cohnenares were all branches of one grand liver, which, ilo- 
 sconding from the mountains of the interior, winds about in crystal streams among 
 the plains and morasses bordering the bottom of the ?r^at ^ulf of Darien. and dis- 
 charges itself by various mouths into the gulf. In fact, the stream which ran by 
 the infant city of Santa Maria de la Antigua was but one cf its branches, a fact en< 
 tlrely unknown to Vasco Nufiez and his cornpan.ons.
 
 110 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT, 
 
 Ascending one of these minor rivers with a part of his men, 
 Vasco Nunez came to the territories of a cacique named Abi- 
 beyba, who reigned over a region of marshes and shallow Jakes. 
 The habitations of the natives were built amidst the branches 
 of immense and lofty trees. They were large enough to con- 
 tain whole family connexions, and were constructed partly of 
 wood, partly of a kind of wicker work, combining strength and 
 pliabihty, and yielding uninjured to the motion of the branches 
 when agitated by the wind. The inliabitants ascended to 
 them with great agility by light ladders, formed of great reeds 
 spHfc through the middle, for the reeds on this coast grow to 
 the thickness of a man's body. These ladiers they drew up 
 after them at night, or in case of attack. These habitations 
 were well stocked with provisions; but the fermented bever- 
 ages, of which these people had always a supply, were buried 
 in vessels in the earth at the foot of the tree, lest they should 
 be rendered turbid by the rocking of the houses. Close by, 
 also, were the canoes with which they navigated the rivers and 
 ponds of their marshy coimtry and followed their main occu- 
 pation of fishing. 
 
 On the approach of the Spaniards, the Indians took refuge in 
 their tree-built castles and drew up the ladders. The former 
 called upon them to descend and to fear nothing. Upon this 
 the cacique replied, entreating that he might not be molested, 
 seeing he had done them no injury. They threatened, unless 
 he came down, to fell th'^ trees or to set fire to them, and burn 
 him and his wives and children. The cacique was disposed to 
 consent, but was prevented by the entreaties of his people. 
 Upon this the Spaniards prepared to hew down the trees, but 
 were assailed by showers of stones. They covered themselves, 
 however, with their bucklers, assailed the trees vigorously 
 with their hatchets, and soon compelled the inhabitants to ca- 
 pitulate. The cacique descended with his wife and two of hiSf 
 children. The first demand of the Spaniards was for gold. 
 He assured them he had none ; for, having no need of it, he had 
 never made it an object of his search. Being importuned, 
 however, he assured them that if he were permitted to repair 
 to certain mountains at a distance, he would in a few days re- 
 turn and bring them what they desired. They permitted him 
 to depart, retaining his wife and children as hostages, but they 
 saw no more of the cacique. After remaining here a few days 
 and regaling on the provisions which they found in abundance, 
 they continued their foraging expeditions, often opposed by
 
 VASCO NUNEZ BE BALBOA. HI 
 
 the bold and warlike natives, and suffering occasional loss, but 
 intlictiug great havoc on their opjjosers. 
 
 Having thus overrun a considerable extent of country, and 
 no grand object presenting to lure him on to further enterprise, 
 Vasco Nunez at length returned to Darien witli the spoils and 
 captives ho had taken, leaving Bartolojne Hurtado with thirty 
 men in an Indian village on the Kio Negro, or Black l^iver, to 
 hold the countr}- in subjection. Thus terminated the lirst expe- 
 dition in quest of the golden temple Dobayba, which for some 
 time contiuued to be a favourite object of enterprise among the 
 adventurera of Darien. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 DISASTER ON THE BLACK RIVER— INDIAN PLOT AGAINST DARIEN. 
 
 Bartolome Hurtado being left to his own discretion on the 
 banks of the Black River, occupied himself occasionally in 
 hunting the scattered natives wbo straggled about the sur- 
 rounding forests. Having in this way picked up twenty-four 
 captives, he put them on board of a large canoe, like so much 
 live stock, to be transported to Darien and sold as slaves. 
 Twenty of his followers who were infirm, either from wounds 
 or the diseases of the climate, embarked also in the canoe, so 
 that onl}' ten men remained Avith Hurtado. 
 
 The great cnnoe thus heavily freighted, descended the 
 Black River slowly, between banks overhung with forests. 
 Zemaco, the indefatigable cacique of Darien. was on the Avatch, 
 and waylaid the ark with four ranoos filled with warrioi-s 
 armed with war clubs, and lances hardened in the firo. The 
 Spaniards being sick, could make but feeble resistance ; somc! 
 were massacred, others leaped into the river and wei-e 
 drowned. Two only escaped, by clinging to two tnmks of 
 trees that were floating down the river and covering them- 
 selves with the branches. Reaching the shore in safety, they 
 returned to Bartolome Hurtado with the tragical tidings of the 
 death of his followers. Hvu-tado was so disheartened by the 
 news, and so dismayed at his own helpless situation, in the 
 midst of a hostile country, that he resolved to abandon the 
 fatal shores of the Black River and return to Darien. He was 
 quickened in this resolution by receiving intimation of a con-
 
 112 SPANISB rOYAGIi:S OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 spiracy forming among the natives. The implacable Zemaco 
 had draAvn four other caciques into a secret plan to assemble 
 their vassals and make a sudden attack upon Darien. Hurtado 
 hastened with the remnant of his followers to carry tidings to 
 the settlement of this conspiracy. Many of the inhabitants 
 were alarmed at his intelligence ; others treated it as a false 
 rumour of the Indians, and no preparations were made against 
 what might be a mere imaginary danger. 
 
 Fortunately for the Spaniards, among the female captives 
 owned by Vasco Nuiiez was an Indian damsel named Fulvia, 
 to whom, in consequence of her beauty, he had shown great 
 favour, and who had become strongly attached to him. She 
 had a brother among the warriors of Zemaco, who often visited 
 her in secret. In one of his visits he informed her that on a 
 certain night the settlement would be attacked and every 
 Spaniard destroyed. He charged her, therefore, to hide her- 
 self that night in a certain place until he should come to her 
 aid, lest she should be slain in the confusion of the massacre. 
 
 When her brother was gone a violent struggle took place in 
 the bosom of the Indian girl, bet'sveen her feeling for her 
 family and her people and her affection for Vasco Nunez. The 
 latter at length prevailed, and she revealed all that had been 
 told to her. Vasco Nunez prevailed upon her to send for her 
 brother under pretence of aiding her to escape. Having him 
 in his power, he extorted from him all that he knew uf tne de- 
 signs of thft enemy. His confessions showed what imminent 
 danger had been lurking round Vasco Nunez in his most un- 
 suspecting moments. The prisoner informed him that he nad 
 been one of forty Indians sent some time before by the cacique 
 Zemaco to Vasco Nunez, in seeming friendship, co be omployed 
 by hun in cultivating the fields adjacent to the 3ettlement. 
 They had secret orders, however, to take an opportunity when 
 Vasco Nuilez should come foi'th to inspect their work, to set 
 upon him in an unguarded moment and destroy him. For- 
 tunately, Vasco Nuiiez always visited the fields mounted on 
 his war horse and armed with lance and target. The Indians 
 were therefore so awed by his martial appearance, and by the 
 terrible animal he bestrode, that they dared not attack him. 
 
 Foiled ill this and other attempts of the kind, Zemaco re- 
 sorted to the conspiracy with the neighbouring caciques with 
 ■which the settlement was menaced. 
 
 Five caciques had joined in the confederacy; they had 
 prepared a hundred canoes, had amassed provisions for an
 
 VASCO ]SU:^EZ BE BALBOA. 113 
 
 army, and had concerted to assemble five thousand picked 
 ■warriors at a certain time and place; with these they \vcro to 
 make an attack on the settlement by land and water in the 
 midiUe of the night and to slaughter every Spaniard. 
 
 Having learnt where the confederate chiefs w-ere to be found, 
 and where they had deposited their provisions, Vasco Nunez 
 chose seventy of his best men, well-armed, and made a circuit ' 
 by land, wliile Colmenares, Avith sixty men, sallied forth 
 secretly in f<jur canoes guided by the Indian prisoner. In this 
 way they surprised the general of the Indian army and several 
 of the principal confederates, and got possession of aU their 
 provisions, though they failed to capture the formidable Ze- 
 maco. The Indian general was shot to death with arrows, and 
 the leaders of the conspiracy were hanged in presence of their 
 captive followers. The defeat of this deep-laid plan and the 
 punishment of its devisers, spread terror throughout the neigh- 
 bouring provinces and prevented any further attempt at hos- 
 tiliti;>;:;. Vasco Nuiiez, however, caused a strong fortress of 
 wood to be immediately erected to guard against any future 
 assaults of t^e savages. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 FURTHER FACTIONS IN T. , COLONY— ARROGANCE OF AI.ONZO 
 PERl^7 AND THE BACHELOR CORRAL.— (1512.) 
 
 A coNSiDEHAUi.^ time had now elapsed since the departure of 
 Valdivia for Hispaniolu, yet no tidings had been received from 
 him. Many began to fear that some disaster had befallen him ; 
 while others insinuated that it was possible both he and Za- 
 nmdio might have neglected the objects of their mission, and, 
 having appropriated to their own iise the gold with which they 
 had been entnisted, might have abandoned the colony to its 
 fate. 
 
 Vasco Nunez himself was harassed by these surmises, and 
 by the dread lest the Bachelor Enciso should succeed in preju- 
 dicing the mind of his sovereign against him. Impatient of 
 this state of anxious suspense, he determined to repair to 
 Spain to connmmicate in person all that he had heard concern- 
 ing the Southern Sea, and to ask for the troops necessary for 
 its discovery.
 
 114 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCO VERY. 
 
 Every one, however, both friend and foe, exclaimed against 
 such a measure, representing his presence as indispensable to 
 the safety of the colony, from his great talents as a commander 
 and the fear entertained of him by the Indians. 
 
 After much debate and contention, it was at length agreed 
 that Juan de Cayzedo and Rodrigo Enriquez de Colmenares 
 should go in his place, instructed to make all necessary repre- 
 sentations to the king. Letters were written also containing 
 the most extravagant accounts of the riches of the country, 
 partly dictated by the sanguine hopes of the writers, and 
 partly by the fables of the natives. The rumoured wealth of 
 the province of Dobayba and the treasures of its golden temple 
 were not forgotten ; and an Indian was taken to Spain by the 
 commissioners, a native of the province of Zenu, where gold 
 was said to be gathered in nets stretched across the mountain 
 streams. To give more weight to all these stories, every one 
 contributed some portion of gold from his private hoard to be 
 present'^d to the king in addition to the amount arising from 
 his fifths. 
 
 But little time elapsed after the departure of,, the commis- 
 sioners when new dissensions broke out in the colony. It was 
 hardly to be expected that a fortuitous assemblage of adven- 
 turers could remain long tranquil during a time of suffering 
 imder rulers of questionable authority. Vasco Nunez, it is 
 true, had risen by his courage and abilities ; but he had risen 
 from among their ranks; he was, in a manner, of their own 
 creation ; and they had not become sufficiently accustomed to 
 him as a governor to forget that he was recently but a mere 
 soldier of fortune and an absconding debtor. 
 
 Their factious discontent, however, was directed at first 
 afrainst a favourite of Vasco Ninicz, rather than against him- 
 i elf. He had invested Bartolome Hurtado, the commander of 
 ihe Black River, with considerable authority in the colony, 
 and the latter gave great offence by his oppressive conduct. 
 Hurtado had particularly aggi-ieved by his arrogance one 
 Alonzo Perez de la Rua, a touchy cavaher, jealous of his 
 honour, who seems to have peculiarly possessed the sensitive 
 punctilio of a Spaniard. Firing at some indig-nity, whether 
 real or fancied, Alonzo Perez threw himself into the ranks of 
 the disaffected, and was immediately chosen as their leader. 
 Thus backed by a faction, he clamoured loudly for the punish- 
 ment of Hiu-tado; and, finding his demands unattended to, 
 threw out threats of deposing Vasco Nunez. The latter no
 
 VAsco yuS'EZ dp: balboa. h.-) 
 
 sooner heard of these menaces, than, with his usual spirit and 
 promptness, he seized upoia the testy Alonzo Perez and threw 
 hfm in prison to digest his indignities and cool his passions at 
 leisure. 
 
 The conspirators flew to arms to liberate their loader. The 
 friends of Vasco Nunez were equally on the alert. The two 
 jjartics drew out in battle array in the public square, and a 
 sanguinary conflict was on the point of taking place. Fortu- 
 nately there were some cool heads left in the colony. These 
 interfered at the critical moment, representing to the angiy 
 adversaries tliat if they fought among themselves, and dimin- 
 ished then* already scanty numbers, even the conquerors must 
 eventually fall a prey to the Indians. 
 
 Their remonstrances had effect. A parley ensued, and, after 
 much noisy debate, a kind of compromise was made. Alonzo 
 Perez was liberated, and the mutineere dispei-sed quietly to 
 their homos. The next day, however, they were again in 
 arms, and seized upon Bartolome llurtado; but after a little 
 •while wore prevailed upon to set liim free. Their factious 
 vjews seemed turned to a liigher object. They broke forth 
 into loud murmurs against Vasco Nunez, complaining that he 
 had not made a fair division of the gold and slaves taken in 
 the late expeditions, and threatening to arrest him and bring 
 him to account. Above all, they clamoured for an immediate 
 distribution of ten thousand castellanos in gold, which yet re- 
 mained unshared. 
 
 Vasco Nuilez understood too well the riotous nature of the 
 people under him, and his own precarious hold on their obe- 
 dience, to attempt to cope with them in this moment of turbu- 
 lence. He shrewdly determined, therefore, to withdraw from 
 the sight of the multitude, and to leave them to divide the 
 spoil among themselves, trusting to their own strife for liis 
 security. That very night he sallied forth into the country, 
 under pretence of going on a himting expedition. 
 
 The next morning the nmtineers found themselves in pos- 
 session of the field. Alonzo Perez, the pragmatical ringleader, 
 immediately assumed the command, seconded by the Bachelor 
 Corral. Their first measure was to seize upon the ten thou- 
 sand castellanos, and to divide them among the multitude, by 
 way of seciu'ing their own popularity. The event proved the 
 sagacity and forethought of Vasco Nm~icz. Scarcely had these 
 hot-headed intermeddle 'rs entered upon the partition of the 
 gold, than a furious strife arose. Every one was dissatisfied
 
 116 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 with his share, considering his merits entitled to peculiar rec- 
 ompense. Every attempt to appease the rabble only auj?- 
 mented their violence, and in their rage they swore that Vasco 
 Nuilez had always shown more judgment and discrimination 
 in his distributions to men of merit. 
 
 The adherents of the latter now ventured to lift up their 
 voices; "Vasco Nuiiez," said they, "won the gold by his en- 
 terprise and valour, and would have shared it with the brave 
 and the deserving ; but these men have seized upon it by fac- 
 tious means, and would squander it upon their minions." The 
 multitude, who, in fact, admired the soldier-like qualities of 
 Vasco Nuiiez, displayed one of the customary reverses of pop- 
 ular feeling. The touchy Alonzo Perez, his coadjutor the 
 Bachelor Corral, and several other of the ringleaders were 
 seized, thrown in irons, and confined in the fortress; and 
 Vasco Nuiiez was recalled with loud acclamations to the settle- 
 ment. 
 
 How long this pseudo commander might have been able to 
 manage the unsteady populace it is impossible to say, but just 
 at this juncture two ships arrived from Hispaniola, freighted 
 with supplies, and bringing a reinforcement of one hundred 
 and fifty men. They brought also a commission to Vasco 
 Nuiiez, signed by Miguel de Pasamonte, the royal treasurer of 
 Hispaniola, to whom he had sent a private present of gold, 
 constituting him captain-general of the colony. It is doubtful 
 whether Pasamonte possessed the power to confer such a com- 
 mission, though it is affirmed that the king had clothed him 
 with it, as a kind of check upon the authority of the admiral 
 Don Diego Columbus, then Governor of Hispaniola, of whose 
 extensive sway in the new world the monarch was secretly 
 jealous. At any rate the treasurer appears to have acted in 
 full confidence of the ultimate approbation of his sovereign. 
 
 Vasco Nuiiez was rejoiced at receiving a commission which 
 clothed him with at least the semblance of royal sanction. 
 Feeling more assured in his situation, and being naturally of a 
 generous and forgi\ang temper, he was easily prevailed upon, 
 in his moment of exultation, to release and pardor? Alonzo 
 Perez, the Bachelor Corral, and the other ringleac^-^rs of the 
 late commoiions, and for a time the feuds and factions of this 
 petty community were lulled to repose.
 
 VASCO NU^EZ DK BALBOA. \Yl 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 VASCO NUSfEZ DETERMINES TO SEEK THE SEA BEYOND THE 
 MOUNTAINS. — (ISl.'J.) 
 
 The temporary triumph of Vasco Nuilez was soon overcast 
 bj' tidings received from Spain. His late colleague, the Al(?alde 
 Zamudio, Avrote him word that the Bachelor Enciso had car- 
 ried his complaints to the foot of the throne, and succeeded in 
 rousing the indignation of the king, and had obtained a sen- 
 tence in his favour, condemning Vasco Nunez in costs and 
 damages. Zamudio informed him in addition, that he would 
 be immediately summoned to repair to Spain, and answer in 
 person the criminal charges advanced against him on account 
 of the harsh treatment and probable death of the unfortunate 
 Nicuesa. 
 
 Vasco Nunez was at first stiinned b.y this intelligence, which 
 seemed at one blow to annihilate all his hopes and fortunes. 
 He was a man, hoAvever, of prompt decision and intrepid 
 spirit. The information received from Spain was private and 
 informal, no order had yet arrived from the king, he was still 
 master of his actions, and had control over the colony. One 
 brilliant achievement might atone for all the past, and fix him 
 in the favour of the monarch. Such an achievement was 
 within his reach — the discovery of the southern sea. It is true, 
 a thousand soldiers had been required for the cx])edition, but 
 were he to wait for their arrival from Spain, his day of grace 
 would be past. It was a desperate thing to undertake the task 
 with the handful of men at his commond, but the circum- 
 stances of the case were desperate. Fame, fortune, life itself, 
 depended upon the successful and the prompt execution of the 
 enterprise. To linger was to be lost. 
 
 Vasco Nuiiez looked round upon the crew of daring and 
 reckless adventurers that formed the colony, and chose one 
 hundred and ninety of the most resolute and vigorous, and of 
 those most devoted to his person. Tliese he ai-mcd with swords, 
 targets, cross-bows, and arquebusscs. He did not conceal 
 from them the peril of the enter]irise into which he was about 
 to lead them ; but the spirit of these Spanish adventurers was 
 always roused by the idea of perilous and extravagant exploit. 
 To aid his slender forces, he took with him a number of blood-
 
 118 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 hoimcis, which had been found to be terrific alHes in Indian 
 warfare. 
 
 The Spanish writers make particular mention of one of those 
 animals, named Leoncico, which was a constant companion, 
 and, as it were, body-guard of Vasco Nunez, and describe him 
 as minutely as they would a favourite warrior. He was of a 
 middle size.. but immensely strong: of a dull yellow or reddish 
 colour, Avith a black muzzle, and his body was scarred all over 
 with wounds received in innumerable battles with the Indians. 
 Vasco Nuiiez always took him on his expeditions, and some- 
 times lent hun to others, receiving for his services the same 
 share of booty allotted to an armed man. In this way he 
 gained by him, in the course of his campaigns, upwards of a 
 thousand crowns. The Indians, it is said, had conceived such 
 terror of this animal, that the very sight of him was sufficient 
 to put a host of them to flight.* 
 
 In addition to these forces, Vasco Nufiez took with him a 
 number of the Indians of Darien, whom he had won to him by 
 kindness, and whose services were important, from their 
 knowledge of the wilderness, and of the habits and resources 
 of savage life. Such was the motley armament that set forth 
 from the little colony of Darien, under the guidance of a dar- 
 ing, if not desperate commander, in quest of the great Pacific 
 Ocean. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 EXPEDITION IN QUEST OF THE SOUTHERN SEA, 
 
 It was on the first of September that Vasco Nunez embarked 
 with his followers in a brigantine and nine large canoes or 
 pirogues, followed by the cheers and good wishes of those who 
 remained at the settlement. Standing to the north-westward, 
 he arrived without accident at Coyba, the domimons of the 
 cacique Careta, whose daughter he had received as a f)ledge of 
 amity. That Indian beauty had acquired a great influence 
 over Vasco Nufiez, and appears to have cemented his friend- 
 ship with her father and her people. He was received by the 
 cacique with open arms, and furnished with guides and war- 
 riors to aid him ia liis enterprise. 
 
 * Oviedo, Hist. Indies, p. 2, c. 3, MS.
 
 VAsao yuS/znz ui-: balboa. 119 
 
 Vasco Nunez left about half of his men at Coyba to guard 
 the brigantine and canoes, while Ik; should penetrate the wil- 
 dei'ness with the residue. The importance (^f this present ex- 
 pedition, not merely as affecting his own fortunes, but as it 
 were unfolding a miglity secret of nature, seems to have im- 
 pressed itself upon his spii'it, and to have given corresponding 
 solemnity to liis conduct. Before setting out upon his march, 
 he caused mass to be performed, and offered up prayere to God 
 for the success of his perilous undertaking. 
 
 It was on the sixth of September that he struck off for the 
 mountains. The march was difficult and toilsome in the ex- 
 treme. The Spaniards, encumbered with the weight of their 
 armour and weapons, and oppressed by the heat of a tropical 
 chmate, were obliged to climb rocky precipices, and to struggle 
 through close and tangled forests. Their Indian alUes aided 
 them by carrymg their ammunition and provisions, and by 
 guiding them to the most practicable paths. 
 
 On the eighth of September they arrived at the village of 
 Ponca, the ancient enemy of Careta. The village was lifeless 
 and abandoned; the cacique and his people had fled to the 
 fastnesses of the mountains. The Spaniards remained here 
 several days to recruit the health of some of their number who 
 had fallen ill. It was necessary also to procure guides ac- 
 quainted with the mountain wilderness they were approaching. 
 The retreat of Ponca was at length discovered, and he was pre- 
 vailed upon, though reluctantly, to come to Vasco Nunez. The 
 latter had a peculiar facihty in winning the confidence and 
 friendship of the natives. The caci(pie was soon so captivated 
 by his kindness, that he revealed to him in secret all he knew 
 of the natural riches of the country. He assured him of the 
 truth of what had been told him about a great pechry or sea 
 beyond the moimtains, and gave him several ornaments inge- 
 niously wrought of fine gold, which had been brought from 
 the countries upon its borders. He told him, moreover, that 
 when he had attained the summit of a lofty ridge, to which he 
 pointed, and which seemed to rise up to the skies, he would 
 behold that sea spread out far below him. 
 
 Animated by the accounts, Vasco Nufiez procured fresh 
 guides from the cacique, and prepared to ascend the moun- 
 tains. Numbers of his men having fallen ill from fatigue and 
 the heat of the climate, he ordered them to return slowly to 
 Coyba, taking with him none but such as were in robust and 
 vigorous health.
 
 120 iSPAIflSII VOYAGES OF DISCO VEEY. 
 
 On the 20th of September, he again set forward through a 
 broken rocky country, covered with a matted forest, and inter- 
 sected by deep and turbulent streams, mamy of which it was 
 necessary to cross upon rafts. 
 
 So toilsome was the journey, that in four days they did not 
 advance above ten leagues, and in the mean time they suffered 
 excessively from hunger. At the end of this time they arrived 
 at the province of a warlike cacique, named Quaraqua, who 
 was at war with Ponca. 
 
 Hearing that a band of strangers were entering his terri- 
 tories, guided by the subjects of his inveterate foe, the cacique 
 took the field with a large number of warriors, some armed 
 with bows and arrows, others with long' spears, or with double- 
 handed maces of palm- wood, almost as heavy and hard as iron. 
 Seeing the incoiisideyable i:nimber of the Spaniards, they set 
 upon them: with furious yells, thinking to overcome them in 
 an instant. The first discharge of fire-arms, however, struck 
 them with dismay. They thought they were contending with 
 demons who vomited forth thunder and lightning, especially 
 when tliey saw their companions fall bleeding and dead beside 
 them, without receiving any apparent blow. They took to 
 headlong flight, and were hotly pursued by the Spaniards and 
 their bloodhounds. Some were transfixed with lances, others 
 hewn down with swords, and many were torn to pieces by the 
 dogs, so that Quaraqua and six hundred of his warriors were 
 left dead upon the field. 
 
 A brother of the cacique and several chiefs were taken pris- 
 oners. They were clad in robes ot white cotton. Either from 
 their effeminate dress, or from the accusations of their ene- 
 mies, the Spaniards were induced to consider them guilty of 
 unnatural crimes, and, in their abhorrence and disgust, gave 
 them to be torn to pieces by the bloodhounds.* 
 
 It is also affirmed, that among the prisoners were several ne- 
 groes, who had been slaves to the«cacique. The Spaniards, we 
 are told, were informed by the other captives, that these black 
 men came from a region at no great distance, where there was 
 a people of that colour Avith whom they were frequently at 
 war. "These," adds the Spanish writer, "were the first ne- 
 groes ever found in the New World, and I beheve no others 
 have since been discovered. ''f 
 
 * Herrera, Hist. Ind. d. 1, 1. x. c. 1. 
 
 t Peter Martyr, in his third Decade, makes mention of these negroes in the fol-
 
 VASCO NUJ^MZ dp: BALBOA. 121 
 
 After this sanguinary triunii)h, the Spaniards marched to 
 the village of Quaraqua, where tliey found considerable booty 
 in gold and jewels. Of this Vasco Nunez reserved one-fifth for 
 the crown, and shared the rest liberally among his followers. 
 The village was at the foot of the last moimtain that remained 
 for them to climb ; several of the Spaniards, however, were so 
 disabled by the wounds they had received in battle, or so ex- 
 hausted by the fatigue and hunger they had endured, that they 
 were unable to proceed. They were obliged, therefore, reluc- 
 tantly to remain in the village, within si^'ht of the mountain- 
 top that commanded the long-sought prospect, \fesco Nunez 
 selected fresh guides from among his prisoners, who were na- 
 tives of the province, and sent back the subjects of Ponca. Of 
 the band of Spaniards who had set out with him in this enter- 
 prise, sixiy-naven alone remained in sufficient health and 
 spirits for this last effort. These he ordered to retire early to 
 repose, that they might be ready to set off at the cool and fresh 
 hour of day-break, so as to reach the summit of the mountain 
 before the noon-tide heat. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 DISCOVERY OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
 
 The day had scarcely dawned, when Vasco Nunez and his 
 followers set forth from the Indian village and began to climb 
 the height. It was a severe and rugged toil for men so way- 
 worn, but they were filled with new ardour at the idea of the 
 triumphant scene that was so soon to repay them for all their 
 hai'dships. 
 
 About ten o'clock in the morning they emerged from the 
 thick forests through which they had hitherto struggled, and 
 arrived at a lofty and airy region of the mountain. The bald 
 
 lowing: words: — " About two days' journey distant from Quaraqua is a repion in- 
 habited only by black IMooi-s, excecilinp flt^rce and cruel. It is supposed tliat in 
 time past certain black Moors sailed thither out of Ethiopia, to rob, and tliat by 
 shipwreck, or some other chance, they were driven to these nioiuilaiiis." As Mar- 
 tyr lived and wrote at the time, lie of course related the mere rumour of the day, 
 which all subsequent accounts have disproved. The other liistorians who men- 
 tioned tlie circtimstance, have probaVily repented it from him. It must have risen 
 from some misrepieseiitatlou, and is not entitled tocredil.
 
 122 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 summifc alono remained to be ascended, and their p:uides 
 pointed to a moderate eminence from which they said the 
 southern sea was visible. 
 
 Upon this Vasco Nunez commanded his followers to halt, 
 and that no man should stir from his place. Then, with a 
 palpitating heart, he ascended alone the bare mountain-top. 
 On reaching the summit the long-decired prospect burst upon 
 his view. It was as if a new world were unfolded to him, 
 separated from all hitherto known by this mighty barrier of 
 mountains. Below him extended a vast chaos of rock and 
 forest, and green savannahs and wandering streams, while at 
 a distance the waters of the promised ocean glittered in the 
 morning sun. 
 
 At this glorious prospect Vasco Nunez sank upon his knees, 
 and poured out thanks to God for being the first European to 
 whom it was given to make that great discovery. He then 
 called his people to ascend: "Behold, my friends," said he, 
 ' ' that glorious sight which we have so much desired. Let us 
 give thanks to God that he has granted us this great honour 
 and advantage. Let us pray to liim that he will guide and aid 
 us to conquer the sea and land which we have discovered, and 
 in which Christian has never entered to preach the holy doc- 
 trine of the Evangelists. As to yourselves, be as you have 
 hitherto been, faithful and true to me, and by the favour of 
 Christ you will become the richest Spaniards that have ever 
 come to the Indies; you will render the greatest services to 
 your king that ever vassal rendered to his lord ; and you will 
 have the eternal giory and advantage of all that is here dis- 
 covered, conquered, and converted to our holy Catholic faith." 
 
 The Spaniards aii3wered this speech by embracing Vasco 
 Nunez and proraismg to follow hiin to death. Among them 
 was a priest, named Andres de Vara, who lifted up his voice 
 and chanted Te Deum laudamus — the usual anthem of Spanish 
 discoverers. The people, kneeling down, joined in the strain 
 with pious enthusiasm and tears of joy ; and never did a more 
 sincere oblation rise to tlie Deity from a sanctified altar than 
 from that wild mountain summit. It was indeed one of the 
 most sublime discoveries that had yet been made in the New 
 World, and must have opened a boundless field of conjecture 
 to the wondering Spaniards. The unagination delights to pic- 
 ture forth the splendid confusion of their thoughts. Was this 
 the gx-eat Indian Ocean, studded with precious islands, abound- 
 ing in gold, in gems, and spices, and bordered by the gorgeous
 
 VASCO I^UNEZ DR BALBOA. 123 
 
 cities and -svenltJiy marts of tlie Kast? Or was it somo lon(>ly 
 sea locked up in the embraces of savage uncultivated conti- 
 nents, and never travei'sed by a bark, excepting the light 
 pirogue of the Indian? The latter could hardly be the case, 
 for the natives had told the Spaniards of golden realms, and 
 popiUous and powerful and luxurious nations upon its shores. 
 Perhaps it might be bordered by various peoi)lc, civilized in 
 fact, but differing from Europe in their civilization ; who might 
 have pecuUar laws and customs and arts and sciences; who 
 might form, as it were, a world of their own, interconmiuning 
 by this mighty sea, and carrying on commerce between their 
 own islands and continents ; but who might exist in total igiao- 
 rancc and independence of the other hemisphere. 
 
 Such may natui-ally have been the ideas suggested by the 
 sight of this unknown ocean. It was the prevalent belief of 
 the Spaniards, however, that they were the first Christians 
 who had made the discover}'. Vasco Nunez, therefore, called 
 upon all present to witness that he took possession of that sea, 
 its islands, and surrounding lands, in the name of the sov- 
 ereigns of Castile, and the notary of the expedition made a 
 testimonial of the same, to wliich all present, to the number of 
 sixty -seven men, signed their names. He then caused a fair 
 and tall tree to be cut down and wrought into a cross, which 
 was elevated on the spot from whence he had at first beheld 
 the sea. A mound of stones was likewise piled up to serve as 
 a monument, and the names of the Ca.stilian sovei-oigns were 
 carved on the neighbouring ti*ees. The Indians beheld all these 
 ceremonials and rejoicings in silent wonder, and, while they 
 aided to erect the cross and pile up the mound of stones, 
 marvelled exceedingly at the meaning of these moniunents, 
 little thinking that they marked ihe subjugation of tlieir land. 
 
 The memorable event here recorded took place on the SOtli 
 of September. 1513; so that the Spaniards had been twenty 
 days performing the journey from the province of Careta to 
 the feimniiit of the moimtain, a distance which at present, it is 
 said, docs not re(iuire more than six days' travel. Indeed the 
 isthmus in this neighboiu-hood is not more than eighteen 
 leagues in breadth in its widest part, and in some places 
 merely seven ; but it consists of a ridge of extremely high and 
 rugged mountains. When the discoverers traversed it. they 
 had no route but the Indian paths, and often had to force their 
 way amidst all kinds of obstacles, both from the savage 
 country and its savage inhabitants lu fact the dDtails of
 
 124 SPAmSR VOYAGES OF DISCO VEET. 
 
 this narrative sufficiently account for the slowness of theif 
 progress, and present an array of difficulties and perils which, 
 as has been well observed, none but those " men of iron" could 
 have subdued and overcome.* 
 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 VASCO NUNEZ MARCHES TO THE SHORES OF THE SOUTH SEA. 
 
 Having taken possession of the Pacific Ocean and all its 
 realms from the sunnnit of the mountain, Vasco Nunez now 
 descended with his httle band to seek the regions of reputed 
 wealth upon its shores. He had not proceeded far when he 
 came to the province of a warlike cacique, named Chiapes, 
 who, issuing forth at the head of his warriors, looked with 
 scorn upon the scanty number of ctraggling Spaniards, and 
 forbade them to set foot within his territories. Vasco Nuiiez 
 depended for safety upon his power of striking terror into the 
 ignorant sa^^ages. Ordering his arquebusiers to the front, he 
 poured a volley into the enemy, and then let loose the blood- 
 hounds. The flash and noise of the fire-arms, and the sul- 
 phurous smoke which was carried by the vnnd among the 
 Indians, overwhelmed them with dismay. Some fell down in 
 a panic as though they had been struck by thunderbolts, the 
 rest betook themselves to headlong flight. 
 
 Vasco Nuiiez commanded liis men to refrain from needless 
 slaughter. He made many prisoners, and on arriving at the 
 village, sent some of them in search of their cacique, accom- 
 panied by several of his Indian guides. The latter informed 
 Cliiapes of the supernatural power of the Spaniards, assuring 
 him that they exterminated with thunder and lightning all 
 who dared to oppose them, but loaded all such as submitted 
 to them with benefits. They advised him, therefore, to throw 
 himself upon their mercy and seek their friendship. 
 
 The cacique listened to their advice, and came trembling to 
 the Spaniards, bringing with him five hundred pounds weight 
 of wrought gold as a peace offering, for he had already learnt 
 the value they set upon that metal. Vasco Nuiiez received 
 
 ♦ Vidas dc Espanoles Cfilebres. por Don JTanuel Josef Quintana. Tom. ii. p. 40.
 
 VASCO NUS'KZ BE BALBOA. ]25 
 
 him with great kindness, and graciovisly accepted his gold, 
 for which he gave him heads, liawks' hells, and looking-glasses, 
 making him, in his own conceit, the richest potentate on that 
 side oi' the mountains. 
 
 Friendship heing thus established between them, Vasco 
 Nunez remained at the village for a few days, sending back 
 tlie guides who had accompanied him from (^uaraqua, and 
 ordering his people, whom he had left at that place, to rejoin 
 him. In the mean time he sent out three scouting parties, of 
 twelve men each, under Francisco Pizarro, Juan de Escary, 
 and Alonzo Martin de Don Benito, to explore the surrounding 
 country and discover the best route tt") the sea. Alonzo Martin 
 w^as the most successful. After two days' journey he came to 
 a beach, where he found two large canoes lying high and dry, 
 without any water being in sight. While the Spaniards were 
 regarding these canoes, and wondering why they should be so 
 far on land, the tide, which rises to a great height on that 
 coast, came rapidly in and set them afloat ; upon this, Alonzo 
 Martin stopped into one of them, and called his companions to 
 bear witness that he was the first European that embarked upon 
 that sea ; his example was followed by one Bias de Etienza, who 
 called them likewise to testify that ho was the second.* 
 
 We mention minute particulars of the kind as being charac- 
 teristic of these extraordinary enterprises, and of the extra- 
 ordinary people who undertook them. The humblest of these 
 Spanish adventurers seemed actviated by a sweUing and 
 ambitious spirit, that rose superior at times to mere sordid 
 considerations, and aspired to share the glory of these great 
 discoveries. The scouting party having thus explored a direct 
 route to the sea coast, returned to report their success to their 
 commander. 
 
 Vasco Nunez being rejoined by liis men from Quaraqua, now 
 I left the greater part of his foUowei-s to repose and recover from 
 their sickness and fatigues in the village of Chiapes, and, 
 taking with him twenty-six Spaniards, well armed, he set oui. 
 on the twenty-ninth of September, for the sea coast, accom- 
 panied by the cacique and a number of his warriore. The 
 thick forest which covered the mountains descend d to the 
 very margin of the sea, surrounding and overshadowing the 
 wide and beautiful bays that penetrated far into the land. 
 The wdiole coast, as far as the eye could reach, was perfectly 
 
 * Herrera, Hist. Ind. d. i. 1. x. c. 2.
 
 126 SPANISH VOYAGKS OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 wild, the sea without a sail, and both seemed never to have 
 been under the dominion of civihzed man. 
 
 Vasco JN'uilez arrived on the borders of one of those vast 
 bays, to which he gave the name of Saint Michael, it being 
 discovered on that saint's day. The tide was out, the water 
 was above half a league distant, and the intervening beach 
 was covered with mud ; he seated himself, therefore, under the 
 shade of the forest trees until the tide should rise. After a 
 while the Avater came rushing in with great impetuosity, and 
 soon reached nearly to the place where the Spaniards were 
 reposing. Upon this, Vasco Nmlez rose and took a banner, on 
 which were painted the Virgin and child, and under them the 
 arms of Castile and Leon; then drawmg his sword and throw- 
 ing his buckler on his shoulder, he marched into the sea until 
 the water reached above his knees, and waving liis banner ex- 
 claimed, with a loud voice, "Long live the high and mighty 
 monarchs, Don Ferdinand and Donna Juanna, sovereigns of 
 Castile, of Leon, and of Arragon, in whose name, and for the 
 royal crown of Castile, I take real, and corporal, and actual 
 possession of these seas, and lands, and coasts, and ports, and 
 islands of the South, and all thereunto annexed; and of the 
 kingdoms and provinces which do or may appertain to them 
 in whatever manner, or by whatever right or title, ancient or 
 modern, in times past, present, or to come, without any con- 
 tradiction ; and if other prince or captain, christian or infidel, 
 or of any law, sect, or condition whatsoever, shall pretend any 
 right to these lands and seas, I am readj"- and prepared to 
 maintain and defend them in the name of the Castilian sov- 
 ereigns, present and future, whose is the empire and dominion 
 over these Indias, islands, and terra firma, northern and 
 southern, with all their seas, both at the arctic and antarctic 
 poles, on either side of the equinoxial line, whether within or 
 Avithout the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, both now and in 
 all times, as long as the world endures, and until the final day 
 of judgment of all mankind." 
 
 This sweUing declaration and defiance being uttered with a 
 loud voice, and no one appearing to dispute his pretensions, 
 Vasco Nunez called upon his companions to bear witness of the 
 fact of his having didy taken possession. They all declared 
 thcniseives ready to defend his claim to the uttermost, as be- 
 came true and loyal vassals to the Castilian sovereigns ; and 
 the notary having drawn up a document for the occasion, they 
 all subscribed it with their names.
 
 VASCO NUNEZ DE BALBOA. 127 
 
 Tliis done, they advanced to the margin of the sea, and 
 stooping down tasted its waters. When they found, that, 
 though severed by intervening mountains and continents, they 
 were salt Uke the seas of the north, they felt assured that 
 they had indeed discovered an ocean, and again returned 
 thanks to God. 
 
 Having conchided all these ceremonies, Vasco Nunez drew a 
 dagger from his girdle and cut a cross on a tree wliich grew 
 within the water, and made two other crosses on two adjacent 
 trees in honour of the Three Persons of the Trinity, and in 
 token of possession. His followers likewise cut crosses on 
 many of the trees of the adjacent forest, and lopped off 
 branches with their swords to bear away as trophies. * 
 
 Such was the singular medley of cliivalrons and religious 
 ceremonial Avitli which these Spanish adventurers took pos- 
 session of the vast Pacific Ocean, and all its lands — a scene 
 strongly characteristic of the nation and the age. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 ADVENTURES OP VASCO NUNEZ ON THE BORDERS OF THE PACIFIC 
 
 OCEAN. 
 
 While he made the village of Chiapes his headquarters, 
 Vasco Nufiea foraged the adjacent country and obtained a 
 considerable quantity of gold from the natives. Encouraged 
 by his success, he undertook to explore by sea the borders of a 
 neighbouring gulf of gi'eat extent, which penetrated far into 
 the land. The cacique Chiapes warned him of the danger of 
 venturing to sea in the stormy season, which comjirises the 
 months of October, November, and December, assuring him 
 that he had beheld many canoes swallowed up in the mighty 
 waves and whirlpools, which at siich times render the gulf 
 almost unnavigablc. 
 
 These remonstrances were ima vailing: Vasco Nunez ex- 
 pressed a confident belief that God would protect him, seeing 
 that his voyage was to redound to the propagation of the faith, 
 
 * Many of the foregoing particulars are from the unpublished volume of Oviedo's 
 
 History of the ludias.
 
 128 SPAmSU VOYAGES OF DLSCOVERY. 
 
 and the augmentation of the power of the Castilian monarchs 
 over the infidels ; and in truth this bigoted rehance on the im- 
 mediate protection of heaven seems to have been in a great 
 measure the cause of the extravagant daring of the Spaniards 
 in their expeditions in those days, whether against Moors or 
 Indians. 
 
 Seeing his representations of no effect, Chiapes volunteered 
 to take part in this perilous cruise, lest he should appear want- 
 ing in coui-age, or in good-will to his guest. Accompanied 
 by the cacique, therefore, Vasco Nuiiez embarked on the 17th 
 of October with sixty of his men in nine canoes, managed by 
 Indians, leaving the residue of his followers to recruit their 
 health and strength in the village of Chiapes. 
 
 Scarcely, however, had they put forth on the broad bosom 
 of the gulf when the wisdom of the cacique's advice was made 
 apparent. The wind began to blow freshly, raising a heavy 
 and tumultuous sea, which broke in roaring and foaming 
 surges on the rocks and reefs, and among the numerous islets 
 with which the gxdf was studded. The light canoes were 
 deeply laden with men imskilled in their management. It was 
 frightful to those in one canoe to behold their companions, one 
 instant tossed on high on the breaking crest of a wave, the 
 next plunging out of sight, as if swallowed in a watery abyss, 
 The Indians themselves, though almost amphibious in their 
 habits, showed signs of consternation ; for amidst these rocks 
 and breakers even the skill of the expert swimmer would be 
 of little avail. At length the Indians succeeded in tying the 
 canoes in pairs, side by side, to prevent their being overturned, 
 and in this way they kept afloat, until towards evening they 
 were enabled to reach a small island. Here they landed, and 
 fastening the canoes to the rocks, or to small trees that grew 
 upon the shore, they sought an elevated dry place, and 
 stretched themselves to take repose. They had but escaped 
 from one danger to encounter another. Having been for a 
 long time accustomed to the sea on the northern side of the 
 isthmus, where there is little, if any, rise or fall of the tide, 
 they had neglected to take any precaution against such an oc- 
 currence. In a httle while they were awakened from their 
 sleep by the rapid rising of the water. They shifted their sit- 
 uation to a higher gi'ound, but the waters continued to gain 
 upon them, the breakers rushing and roaring and foaming 
 upon the beach like so many monsters of the deep seeking for 
 their prey. Nothing, it is said, can be more dismal and ap-
 
 VASCO NUNEZ DE BALBOA. 129 
 
 palling than the sullen hollowing of the sea among the islands 
 of that gulf at the rising 'and falling of the tide. By degi'ees, 
 rock after rock, and c^ne sand bank after another disappeared, 
 until the sea covered the whole island, and rose almost to the 
 girdles of the Spaniards. Their situation was now agoni^iing. 
 A little more and the waters would overwhelm them; or, even 
 as it was, the least surge might break over them and sweep 
 them fi'om their unsteady footing. Fortunately the wind had 
 lulled, and the sea, having risen above the rocks which had 
 fretted it. was cahn. The tide had reached its height and 
 began to subside, and after a time they heard the retiring 
 ■waves beating against the rocks below them. 
 
 When the day dawned they sought their canoes ; but here a 
 sad spectacle met theu' eyes. Some were broken to ])ieces, 
 others yawning open in many parts. The clothing and food 
 left in them had been waslied away, and replaced by sand and 
 water. The Spaniards gazed on the scene in mute despair; 
 they Avere faint and weary, and needed food and repose, but 
 famine and labour awaited them, even if they should escape 
 with their Hves. Vasco Nuiiez, however, rallied their sjDirits, 
 and set them an example by iiis own cheerful exertions. Obey- 
 ing his directions, they set to work to i-epair, in the best man- 
 ner they were able, the damages of the canoes. Such as were 
 not too much shattered they bound and braced up with their 
 girdles, Avith slips of the bark of trees, or with the tough long 
 stalks of certain sea-weeds. They then peeled off the bark 
 from the small sea plants, pounded it between stones, and mixed 
 it with grass, and vvith this endeavoured to caulk tlie seams 
 and stop the leaks that remained. When they re-emborked, 
 their numbers weighed down the canoes almost to the water's 
 edge, and as they rose and sank with the swelling waves there 
 ■WHS danger of their being swallowed up. All day they labom-ed 
 with the sea, suffering excessively from the pangs Of himger 
 and thirst, and at nightfall they landed in a comer of the gulf, 
 near the abode of a cacique named Tiimaco. Leaving a part of 
 his men to guard the canoes, Vasco Nunez set out wnth the 
 residue for the Indian toAvn. He arrived there about midnight, 
 but the inhabitants were on the alert to defend their haliita- 
 tions. The fire-arms and dogs soon put them to flight, and the 
 Spaniards pursuing them with their swords, drove them howl- 
 ing into the Avoods. In the village were found provisions in 
 abundance, beside a considerable amount of gold and a great 
 quantity of pearls, many of them of a large size. In the house
 
 130 SrANISlI VOYAOES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 of tlie cacique were several huge shells of mother-of-pearl, and 
 four pearl oysters quite fresh, which "showed that there was a 
 pearl fishery in the neighbourhood. Eager to learn the sources 
 of this wealth, Vasco Nunez sent several of the Indians of 
 Chiapes in search of the cacique, who traced him to a wild re- 
 treat among the rocks. By their persuasions Tiimaco sent his 
 son, a fine young savage, as a mediator. The latter returned 
 to his father loaded with presents, and extolling the benignity 
 of these superhuman beings, who had shown themselves so ter- 
 rible in battle. By these means, and hy a mutual exchange of 
 presents, a friendly intercourse was soon established. Among 
 other things the cacique gave Vasco Nuiiez jewels of gold 
 weighing six hundred and fourteen crowns, and two hundred 
 pearls of great size and beauty, excepting that they were some- 
 what discoloured in consequence of the oysters having been 
 opened by fire. 
 
 The cacique seeing the value which the Spaniards set upon 
 the pearls, sent a number of his men to fish for them at a place 
 about ten miles distant. Certain of the Indians were trained 
 from their youth to this purpose, so as to become expert divers, 
 and to acquire the power of remaining a long time beneath the 
 water. The largest pearls are generally found in the deepest 
 waters, sometimes in three and four fathoms, and are only 
 sought in calm weather; the smaller sort are found at the 
 depth of two and three feet, and the oysters containing them 
 are often driven in quantities on the beach during violent 
 storms. 
 
 The party of pearl divers sent by the cacique consisted of 
 thirty Indians, with whom Vasco Nuiiez sent six Spaniards as 
 eye-witnesses. The sea, however, was so furious at that 
 stormy season that the divers dared not ventui-e into the deep 
 water. Such a number of the shell-fish, however, had been 
 driven on shore, that they collected enough to yield pearls to 
 the value of twelve marks of gold. They were small, but ex- 
 ceedingly beautifid, being newly taken and uninjured by fire. 
 A nvimber of these shell-fish and their pearls were selected to 
 be sent to Spain as specimens. 
 
 In reply to the inquiries of Vasco Nuiiez, the cacique informed 
 him that the coast which he saw stretching to the Avest con- 
 tinued onwards without end, and that far to the south there 
 was a country abounding in gold, where the inhabitants made 
 use of certain quadrupeds to carry burthens. He moulded a 
 figure of clay to represent these animals, which some of the
 
 VASCO 2iU^EZ DE BALBOA. Hji 
 
 Spaniards supposed to be a deer, others a camel, others a tapir, 
 for as yet they knew nothing of the lama, the native beast of 
 burthen of South America. This was the second intimation 
 received by Vasco Nunez of the great empire of Peru ; and, 
 while it confirmed all that had been told him by the son of 
 C'omagi-e, it filled him witli glowing anticipations of the glori- 
 ous triumphs that awaited him. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 FURTHER ADVENTURES AND EXPLOITS OF VASCO NUNEZ ON THE 
 BORDERS OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
 
 Lest any ceremonial should be wanting to secure this grand 
 discovery to the crown of Spain, Vasco Nunez determined to 
 saUy from the gulf and take possession of the main land be- 
 yond. The cacique Tumaco furnished him with a canoe of 
 state, formed from the l!rimk of an enoiTQous tree, and managed 
 by a great number of Indians. The handles of the paddles 
 were inlaid with small pearls, a circumstance Avhich Vasco 
 Nuiiez caused his companions to testify before the notary, that 
 it might be reported to the sovereigns as a proof of the wealth 
 of this newly discovered sea. * 
 
 Departing in the canoe on the 29th of October, he was pUoted 
 cautiously by the Indians along the borders of the giilf, over 
 drowned lands where the sea was fringed by inundated forests 
 and as still as a pool. Arrived at the point of the gulf, Vasco 
 Nuiiez landed on a smooth sandy beach, laved by the waters 
 of the broad ocean, and, with buckler on arm, sword in hand, 
 and banner displayed, again marched into the sea and took 
 possession of it, with like ceremonials to those observed in the 
 Gulf of St. :Michaers. 
 
 The Indians now pointed to a lino of land rising above the 
 horizon about four or five leagues distant, which they described 
 as being a great island, the principal one of an archipelago. 
 The whole group abounded with pearls, but those taken on the 
 coasts of this island were represented as being of immense size, 
 many of them as large as a man's eye, and found in shell-fish as 
 
 • Ovledo, Hist. Gen. p. 2, MS.
 
 132 SPANJSir VOYAGIiJS OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 big as bucklere. This island and the surrounding cluster of 
 small ones, they added, were under the dominion of a tyranni- 
 cal and i^uissant cacique, who often, during the calm seasons, 
 made descents upon the main land with fleets of canoes, plun- 
 dering and desolatmg the coasts, and carrying the people into 
 captivity. 
 
 Vasco Nmlez gazed with an eager and wistful eye at this 
 land of riches, and would have immediately undertaken an ex- 
 pedition to it, had not the Indians represented the danger of 
 venturing on such a voyage in that tempestuous season in their 
 frail canoes. His own recent experience convinced him of the 
 wisdom of their remonstrances. He postponed his visit, there- 
 fore, to a future occasion, when, he assured his allies, he would 
 avenge them upon this tyrant invader, and dehver their coasts 
 from his maraudings. In the mean time he gave to this island 
 the name of Isla Rica, and the little archipelago surrounding it 
 the general appellation of the Pearl Islands. 
 
 On the third of November Vasco Nuiiez departed from the 
 provi.ice of Tumaco, to visit other parts of the coast. He em- 
 barked with his men in the canoes, accompanied by Chiapes 
 and his Indians, and guided by the son of Tumaco, who had 
 become strongly attached to the Spaniards. The young man 
 pUoted them along an arm of the sea, wide in some places, but 
 in others obstructed by groves of mangrove trees, which grew 
 witliin the water and interlaced their branches from shore to 
 shore, so that at times the Spaniards were obHged to cut a pas- 
 sage with their swords. 
 
 At length they entered a great and turbulent river, which 
 they ascended with difficulty, and early the next morning 
 surprised a village on its banks, making the cacique Teao- 
 chan prisoner ; who purchased their favour and kind treatment 
 by a quantity of gold and pearls, and an abundant supply of 
 provisions. As it was the intention of Vasco Nunez to aban- 
 don the shores of the Southern Ocean at this place, and to 
 strike across the mountains for Darien, he took leave of 
 Chiapes and of the youthful son of Tumaco, who were to re- 
 turn to their houses in the canoes. He sent at the same time 
 a message to his men, whom he had left in the village of 
 Chiapes, appointing a place in the mountains where they were 
 to rejoin him on his way back to Darien. 
 
 The talent of Vasco Nunez for conciliating and winning the 
 good-AviU of the savages is often mentioned, and to such a de- 
 gree had he exerted it in the present instance, that the two
 
 VASCO NVI^EZ BE BALBOA. ]33 
 
 chieftains shed tears at parting. Their conduct had a favour- 
 able effect upon the cacique Tcaochan ; he entertained Vasco 
 Nunez with the most devoted hospitality during three days 
 that he remained in his village ; when about to depart he fur- 
 nished him with a stock of provisions sufficient for several 
 days, as his route would lay over rocky and sterile mountains. 
 He sent also a numerous band of his subjects to carry the bur- 
 thens of the Spaniards. These he placed under the command 
 of his sou, whom he ordered never to separate from the stran- 
 gers, nor to permit any of his men to return without the con- 
 sent of Vasco Nunez. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 VASOO ntjSez sets out on his return across the mountains 
 
 — HIS CONTESTS WITH THE SAVAGES. 
 
 Turning their backs upon the Southern Sea, the Spaniards 
 now began painfully to clamber the rugged mountains on their 
 return to Darien. 
 
 In the early part of their route an unlooked-for suffering 
 awaited them : there was neither brook nor fountain nor stand- 
 ing pool. The burning heat, which produced intolerable thirst, 
 had dried up all the mountain torrents, and they were tanta- 
 lized by the sight of naked and dusty channels where water 
 had once flowed in abundance. Their sufferings at length in- 
 creased to such a height that many threw themselves levered 
 and panting upon the earth, and were ready to give up the 
 ghost. The Indians, howcvej-, encouraged them to proceed, 
 by hopes of speedy rehef, and after a while, turning aside 
 from the direct course, led them into a deep and nan-ow glen, 
 refreshed and cooled by a fountain which bubbled out of a cleft 
 of the rocks. 
 
 While refreshing themselves at the fountain, and reposing in 
 the Kttle valley, they learnt from their guides that they were 
 in the ten-itories of a powerful chief named Pon^^ra, famous 
 for his riches. The Spaniards had already heard of the golden 
 stores of this Croesus of the mountains, and being now re- 
 freshed and invigorated, pressed forward with eagerness for 
 his village.
 
 134 SPANISH TOY AGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 The cacique and most of his people fled at their approach, 
 but they found an earnest of his wealth in the deserted houses, 
 amounting to the value of three thousand crowns in gold. 
 Their avarice thus whetted, they despatched Indians in search 
 of Poncra, who found him trembling in his secret retreat, and 
 partly by threats, partly by promises, prevailed upon him and 
 three of his principal subjects to come to Vasco Nunez. He 
 was a savage, it is said, so hateful of aspect, so misshapen in 
 body and deformed in all liis members, that he was hideous to 
 behold. The Spaniards endeavoured by gentle means to draw 
 from him information of the places from whence he had pro- 
 cured his gold. He jDrofessed utter ignorance in the matter, 
 declaring that the' gold found in liis village had been gathered 
 by his predecessors in tunes long past, and that as he hunself 
 set no value on the metal, he had never troubled himscLE to 
 seek it. The Spaniards resorted to menaces, and even, it is 
 said, to tortures, to compel him to betray his reputed treasures, 
 but with no better success. Disappointed in their expecta- 
 tions, and enraged at his supposed obstmacy, they listened too 
 readily to charges advanced against him by certain caciques 
 of the neighbouiiiood, who represented him as a monster of 
 cruelty, and as guilty of crimes repugnant to nature ;* where- 
 upon, in the heat of the moment, they gave him and his three 
 coiupanions, who were said to be equally guilty, to be torn in 
 pieces by the dogs. — A rash and cruel sentence, given on the 
 evidence of avowed enemies ; and which, however it may be 
 palliated by the alleged horror and disgust of the Spaniards at 
 the imputed crimes of the cacique, bears too much the stamp 
 of haste and passion, and remains a foul blot on the character 
 of Vasco Nuiiez. 
 
 The Spaniards remained for thirty days reposing in the vil- 
 lage of the unfortunate Poncra, during which time they were 
 rejoined by their companions, who had been left behind at the 
 village of Chiapes. They were accompanied by a cacique of 
 the mountains, who had lodged and fed them, and made them, 
 presents of the value of two thousand crowns in gold. This 
 hospitable savage approached Vasco Nuiiez with a serene 
 countenance, and taking him by the hand, "Behold," said he, 
 " most valiant and powerful chief, I bring thee thy companions 
 safe and well, as they entered under my roof. May he who 
 made the thunder and lightning, and who gives us the fruits 
 
 * p. Martyr, d. iii. c. 2.
 
 VAisCO NUS'EZ DE BALBOA. 135 
 
 of the earth, preserve thee and thine in safety !" So saying, 
 he raised his eyes to the sun, as if he worshipped that as his 
 deity and the dispenser of all temporal blessings.* 
 
 Departing from this village, and being still accompanied by 
 the Indians of Teaochan, the Spaniards now bent their course 
 along the banks of the river Comagre, which descends the 
 northern side of the Isthmus, and flows through the territories 
 of the cacique of the same name. This wild stream, which 
 in the course of ages had worn a channel through the deep 
 clefts and ravines of the mountains, was bordered by preci- 
 pices, or overhung by shagged forests; they soon abandoned 
 it, therefore, and wandered on without any path, but guided 
 by the Indians. They had to climb terrible precipices, and to 
 descend into deep valleys, darkened by thick forests and beset 
 by treacherous morasses, where, but for their guides, they 
 might have been smothered in the mire. 
 
 In the course of this rugged journey they suffered excessive- 
 ly in consequence of their own avarice. They had been warned 
 of the sterility of the country they were about to traverse, and 
 of the necessity of providing amply for the journey. When they 
 came to lade the Indians, however, who bore their burdens, 
 their only thought was how to convey the most treasiu'o ; and 
 they gi'udged even a slender supply of pro\asions, as taking up 
 the place of an equal weight of gold. The consequences were 
 soon felt. The Indians could carry but small burthens, and at 
 the same time assisted to consume the scanty stock of food 
 which formed part of their load. Scarcity and famine ensued, 
 and relief was rarely to be procured, for the villages on this 
 elevated part of the mountains were scattered and poor, and 
 nearly destitute of provisions. They held no connnunication 
 with each other ; each contenting itself with the scanty prod- 
 uce of its own fields and forest. Some were entirely deserted ; 
 at other places, the inhabitants, forced from their retreats, 
 implored pardon, and declared they had hidden themselves 
 through shame, not ha\ing the means of properly entertaining 
 such celestial visitors. They brought peace-offerings of gold, 
 but no provisions. For once the Spaniards found that even 
 their darling gold could fail to cheer their drooping spirits. 
 Their sufferings from hunger became intense, and many of 
 their Indian companions sank down and perished by the way. 
 At length they reached a village where they were enabled to 
 
 * Herrera, d. i. 1. x. c. 4.
 
 136 SPANJSII VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 obtain supplies, and where they remained thirty days, to re- 
 cruit their wasted strength. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 ENTERPRISE AGAINST TUBANAMA, THE WARLIKE CACIQUE OF THE 
 MOUNTAINS — RETURN TO DARIEN. 
 
 The Spaniards had now to pass through the territories of 
 Tubanama, the most potent and warhke cacique of the moun- 
 tains. This was the same chieftain of whom a formidable 
 character had been given by the young Indian prince, who 
 first informed Vasco Nunez of the southern sea. He had erro- 
 neously represented the dominions of Tubanama as lying be- 
 yond the mountains ; and, when he dwelt upon the quantities 
 of gold to be found in them, had magnified the dangers that 
 would attend any attempt to pass their borders. The name of 
 this redoubtable cacique was, in fact, a terror throughout the 
 country ; and, when Vasco Nunez looked roimd upon his hand- 
 ful of pale and emaciated followers, he doubted whether even 
 the superiority of their weapons and their military skill would 
 enable them to cope with Tubanama and his armies in open 
 contest. He resolved, therefore, to venture upon a perilous 
 stratagem. When he made it known to his men, every one 
 pressed forward to engage in it. Choosing seventy of the most 
 vigorous, he ordered the rest to maintain their post in the vil- 
 lage. 
 
 As soon as night had fallen, he departed silently and secretly 
 with his chosen band and made his way with such rapidity 
 through the labyrinths of the forests and the defiles of the 
 mountains that he arrived in the neighbourhood of the resi- 
 dence of Tubanama by the following evening, though at the 
 distance of two regular days' journey. 
 
 There, waiting until midnight, he assailed the village sud- 
 denly and with success, so as to surprise and capture the 
 cacique and his whole family, in which were eighty females. 
 When Tubanama found himself a prisoner in the hands of the 
 Spaniards, he lost all presence of mind and wept bitterly. The 
 Indian allies of Vasco Nunez, beholding their once-dreaded 
 enemy thus fallen and captive, now urged that he should be
 
 VASCO NUStEZ VE BALBOA. 137 
 
 put to death, accn""ing him of various crimes and cruelties. 
 Vasco Nunez pretended to listen to their prayers, and gave 
 orders that his captive should be tied hand and foot and given 
 to the dogs. The cacique approached him trembling, and laid 
 his hand upon the pommel of his sword. "Who can pretend," 
 said he, " to strive with one who bears this weapon, which can 
 cleave a man asunder with a blow t Ever since thy fame has 
 reached among these mountains have I reverenced thy valour. 
 Spare my life and thou shalt have all the gold I can procure. " 
 
 Vasco Nuiiez, whose anger was assumed, was readily paci- 
 fied. As soon as the day dawned the cacique gave him arm- 
 lets and other jewels of gold to the value of three thousand 
 crowns, and sent messengers throughout his dominions order- 
 ing his subjects to aid in paying his ransom. The poor In- 
 dians, with their accustomed loyalty, hastened in crowds, 
 bringing their golden ornaments, until, in the course of three 
 days, they had produced an amount equal to six thousand 
 crowns. This done, Vasco Nuiiez set the cacique at liberty, 
 bestowing on him several European trinkets, with which he 
 considered himself richer than he had been with all his gold. 
 Nothing would draw from him, however, the disclosure of the 
 mines from whence tliis treasure was procured. He declared 
 that it came from the ten*itories of his neighbours, where gold 
 and pearls were to be found in abundance ; but that his lands 
 produced nothing of the kind. Vasco Nunez doubted his sin- 
 cerity, and secretly caused the brooks and rivers in his domin- 
 ions to be searched, where gold was found in such quantities, 
 that he determined at a future time to found two settlements 
 in the neighbourhood. 
 
 On parting with Tubanama, the cacique sent his son with the 
 Spaniards to learn their language and religion. It is said, also, 
 that the Spaniards carried off his eighty women ; but of this par- 
 ticular fact, Oviedo, who writes -with the papers of Vasco Nuiiez 
 before him, says nothing. Ho affirms generally, however, that 
 the Spaniards, throughout this expedition, were not scrupulous 
 in their dealings with the wives and daughters of the Indians; 
 and adds that in this their commander set them the example.* 
 
 Having returned to the village, where he had left the greater 
 part of his men, Vasco Nunez resumed his homeward march. 
 His people were feeble and exhausted and several of them sick, 
 60 that some had to be carried and others led by the arms. He 
 
 ♦Oviedo, Hist. Gen. Part n. c. 4, MS.
 
 138 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 himself was part of the time afflicted by a fever, and had to be 
 borne in a hammock on the shoulders of the Indians. 
 
 Proceeding thus slowly and toilfiilly, they at length arrived 
 on the northern sea-coast, at the territories of their ally, Co- 
 magre. The old cacique was dead and had been succeeded by 
 his son, the same intelligent youth who had first given infor- 
 mation of the southern sea and the kingdom of Peru. The 
 young chief, who had embraced Christianity, received them 
 with great hospitality, making them presents of gold. Vasco 
 Nunez gave him trinkets in return and a shirt and a soldier's 
 cloak ; with which, says Peter Martyr, he thought himself half 
 a god among his naked countrymen. After having reposed for 
 a few days, Vasco Nuiiez proceeded to Ponca, where he heard 
 that a ship and caravel had arrived at Darien from Hispaniola 
 with reinforcements and supphes. Hastening, therefore, to 
 Coyba, the territories of his ally, Careta, he embarked on the 
 18th of January, 1514, with twenty of his men, in the brigan- 
 tine which he had left there, and arrived at Santa Maria de la 
 Antigua in the river of Darien on the following day. All the 
 inhabitants came forth to receive him ; and, when they heard 
 the news of the great southern sea, and of his returning from 
 its shores laden with pearls and gold, there were no bounds to 
 their joy. He immediately despatched the ship and caravel to 
 Coyba for the companions he had left behind, who brought 
 with them the remaining booty, consisting of gold and pearls, 
 mantles, hammocks, and other articles of cotton, and a great 
 number of captives of both sexes. A fifth of the spoil was set 
 apart for the crown ; the rest was shared, in just proportions, 
 among those wlio had been in the expedition and those who 
 had remained at Darien. All were contented with their allot- 
 ment, and elated with the prospect of stUl gi-eater gain from 
 future enterprises. 
 
 Thus ended one of the most remarkable expeditions of the 
 early discoverers. The intrepidity of Vasco Nuiiez in pene- 
 trating with a handful of men far into the interior of a wild 
 and mountainous country, peopled by warlike tribes : his skill 
 in managing his band of rough adventurers, stimulating their 
 valour, enforcing their obedience, and attaching their affec- 
 tions, show him to have possessed great qualities as a general. 
 We are told that he was always foremost in peril and the last 
 to quit the field. He shared the toUs and dangers of the mean- 
 est of his followers, treating them with frank affability ; watch- 
 ing, fighting, fasting, and labouring with them; visiting and
 
 VASCO NVSEZ DE BALBOA. 139 
 
 consoling such as were sick or infirm, and dividing all his 
 gains with iairness and liberality. He was chargeable at times 
 with acts of bloodshed and injustice, but it is probable that 
 these were often called for as measures of safety and precau- 
 tion ; he certainly offended less against humanity than most of 
 the early discoverers; and the unbounded amity and confi- 
 dence reposed in him by the natives, when they became inti- 
 mately acquainted ^vith his character, speak strongly in 
 favour of his kind treatment of them. 
 
 The character of Vasco Nunez had, in fact, risen with his 
 cii'cumstances, and now assumed a nobleness and grandeur 
 from the discovery he had made, and the important charge it 
 had devolved ujion him. He no longer felt himself a mere 
 soldier of fortune, at the head of a band of adventurers, but a 
 gi'eat commander conducting an immortal enterprise, "Be- 
 hold," says old Peter Martyr, "Vasco Nufiez de Balboa, at 
 once transformed from a rash royster to a politic and discreet 
 captain:" and thus it is that men are often made by their for- 
 tunes; that is to SEiY, their latent quahties are brought out, 
 and shaped and strengthened by events, and by the necessity 
 of every exertion to cope with the greatness of then- destiny. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 TRANSACTIONS IN SPAIN — PEDRARIAS DAVILA APPOINTED TO THE 
 COMMAND OF DARIEN— TIDINGS RECEIVED IN SPAIN OF THE 
 DISCOVERY OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
 
 Vasco Nunez de Balboa now flattered himself that he had 
 made a discovery calculated to silence all his enemies at court, 
 and to elevate him to the highest favour -w-ith his sovereign. 
 He wrote letters to the king, giving a detail of his expedition, 
 and setting forth all that ho had seen or heard of this Southern 
 Sea, and of the rich coimtries upon its borders. Beside the 
 royal fifths of the profits of the expedition, he prepared a 
 present for the sovereign, in the name of himself and his com- 
 panions, consisting of the largest and most precious pearls 
 they had collected. As a trusty and intelligent envoy to bear 
 these tidings, ho chose Pedro de Arbolancha, an old and tried 
 friend, who had accompanied him in his toils and dangers, 
 and was well acquainted with all liis transactions.
 
 140 S^A^'^ISII VOYAGKS OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 The fate of Vasco Nunez furnishes a striking instance ho^v* 
 prosperity and advereity, how even hfe and death hang bal* 
 anced upon a point of time, and are aflPectcd by the improve* 
 ment or neglect of moments. Unfortunately, the ship which 
 was to convey the messenger to Spain lingered in port until 
 the beginning of March ; a delay which had a fatal influence 
 on the fortunes of Vasco Nuiiez. It is necessary here to cast 
 an eye back upon the events which had taken place in Spain 
 while he was employed m his conquests and discoveries. 
 
 The Bachelor Enciso had arrived in Castile full of his wrongs 
 and indignities. He had friends at court, who aided liim in 
 gaining a ready hearing, and he lost not a moment in availing 
 himself of it. He declaimed eloquently upon the alleged usur- 
 pation of Vasco Nuiiez, and represented him as governing the 
 colony by force and fraud. It was in vain that the Alcalde 
 Zamudio, the ancient colleague and the envoy of Vasco Nunez, 
 attempted to speak in his defence ; he was unable to cope with 
 the facts and arguments of the Bachelor, who was a pleader 
 by profession, and now pleaded his own cause. The king de- 
 termined to send a new governor to Darien with power to in- 
 quire into and remedy all abuses. For this oflBce he chose 
 Don Pedro Arias Davila, commonly called Pedrarias.* He 
 was a native of Segovia, who had been brought up in the royal 
 household, .and iiad distinguished himself as a brave soldier, 
 both m the war in Granada and at the taking of Oran and 
 Bugia in Africa. He possessed those personal accomplish- 
 ments which captivate the soldiery, and was called el Golan, 
 for his gallant array and courtly demeanour, and el Justador, 
 or the Tilter, for his dexterity in jousts and tournaments. 
 These, it must be admitted, were not the qualifications most 
 adapted for the government of rude and factious colonies in a 
 wilderness; but he had an all-powerfid friend in the Bishop 
 Fonseca. The Bishop was as thoroughgoing in patronage as 
 in pereecution. He assured the king that Pedrarias had un- 
 derstanding equal to his valour; that he was as capable of 
 managing the affau's of peace as of war, and that, having been 
 brought up in the royal household, his loyalty might be im- 
 pHcitly relied on. 
 
 Scarcely had Don Pedrarias been appointed, when Cayzedo 
 and Colmenares arrived on their mission from Darien, to 
 communicate the intelligence received from the son of the 
 
 * By the Eiiglisli historians he has generally been called Davila.
 
 VASCO NUS^KZ DPJ BALBOA. 141 
 
 cacique Comagre, of the Southern Sea beyond the mountains, 
 and to ask one thousand men to enable Vasco Nuiiez to make 
 the discovery. 
 
 The avarice and ambition of Ferdinand were inflamed by 
 the tidings. Ke rewarded the bearers of the intelligence, and, 
 after consulting with Bishop Fonseca, resolved to despatch 
 immediately a powerful armada, with twelve hundred men, 
 under the command of Pedrarias, to accomplish the entei-prise. 
 
 Just about this time the famous Gonsalvo Hernandez de 
 Cordova, commonly called the Great Captain, was preparing 
 to return to Naples, where the allies of Spain had experienced 
 a signal defeat, and had craved the assistance of this renowned 
 general to retrieve their fortunes. The chivalry of Spain 
 thronged to enlist under the banner of Gonsalvo. The Span- 
 ish nol)les, with their accustomed prodigality, sold or mort- 
 gaged their estates to buy gorgeous armour, silks, brocades, 
 and other articles of martial pomp and luxury, that they 
 might figure, with becoming magnificence, in the campaigns 
 of Italy. The armament was on the point of sailing for 
 Naples with this host of proud and gallant spirits, Avhen the 
 jealous mind of Ferdinand took offence at the enthusiasm thus 
 shown towards his general, and he abniptly countermanded 
 the expedition. The Spanish cavaliere were overAvhelmed 
 with disappointment at having their dreams of glorj^ thus 
 suddenly dispelled; when, as if to console them, the enterprise 
 of Pedrarias was set on foot, and opened a different career of 
 adventure. The very idea of an xniknown sea and splendid 
 empire, where never European ship had sailed or foot had 
 trodden, broke upon the imagination with the vague wonders 
 of an Arabian tale. Even the coimtries already known, in the 
 vicinity of the settlement of Darien, were described in the 
 usual tei-ms of exaggeration. Gold was said to lie on the 
 surface of the ground, or to be gathered with nets out of 
 the brooks and rivers; insomuch that the region hitherto 
 called Terra Firma now received the pompous and delusive 
 appellation of Castilla del Oro, or Golden Castile. 
 
 Excited by these reports, many of the youthful cavaliers, 
 who had prepared for the Italian campaign, now offered 
 themselves as volunteers to Don Pedrarias. He accepted 
 their ser\'ices, and appointed Seville as the place of assem- 
 blage. The streets of that ancient city soon swarmed with 
 young and noble cavaliers splendidly arraj^ed, full of spirits, 
 and eager for the saihng of the Indian armada. Pedrarias,
 
 l4^ SPAAISir VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 on liis arrival at Seville, made a general review of bis forces, 
 and was embarrassed to find tbat the number amounted to 
 three thousand. He had been hmited in his first armament 
 to twelve hundred; on representing the nature of the case, 
 however, the number was extended to fifteen hundred; but 
 through influence, entreaty, and stratagem, upwards of two 
 thousand eventually embarked.* Happy did he think him- 
 self who could in any manner, and by any means, get ad- 
 mitted on board of the squadron. Nor was tliis eagerness 
 for the enterprise confined merely to yoimg and buoyant 
 and ambitious adventurers; we are told that there were 
 many covetous old men, who offered to go at their own 
 expense, without seeking any pay from the king. Thus 
 every eye was turned with desire to tliis squadron of mod- 
 ern Argonauts, as it lay anchored on the bosom of the 
 Guadalquiver. 
 
 The pay and appointments of Don Pedrarias Davila were 
 on the most liberal scale, and no expense was spared in fit- 
 ting out the armament ; for the objects of the expedition were 
 both colonization and conquest. Artillery and powder were 
 procured from Malaga. Beside the usual weapons, such as 
 muskets, cross-bows, swords, pikes, lances, and Neapolitan 
 targets, there was armour devised of quilted cotton, as being 
 light and better adapted to the climate, and sufficiently proof 
 against the weapons of the Indians; and wooden bucklers 
 from the Canary Islands, to ward off the poisoned arrows of 
 the Caribs. 
 
 Santa Maria de la Antigua was, by royal ordinance, elevated 
 into the metropolitan city of Golden Castile, and a Franciscan 
 friar, named Juan de Quevedo, Avas appointed as bishop, with 
 powers to decide in aU cases of conscience. A number of 
 friars were nominated to accompany him, and he was pro- 
 vided with the necessary furniture and vessels for a chapel. 
 
 Among the various regulations made for the good of the 
 infant colony, it was ordained that no lawyers should be 
 admitted there, it ha^ang been found at Hispaniola and else- 
 where, that they were detrimental to the welfare of the settle- 
 ments, by fomenting disputes and litigations. The judicial 
 affairs were to be entirely confided to the Licentiate Caspar 
 de Espinosa, who was to officiate as Alcalde Mayor or chief 
 judge. 
 
 * Oviedo, 1. ii., c. T, MS.
 
 VASCO NUStEZ DE BALBOA. 143 
 
 Don Pedrarias had intended to leave his wife in Spain. Her 
 nanio was Doua Isabella de Bobadilla; she was niece to the 
 JIaivhioness de Moya, a great favourite of tlie late Queen 
 Isabella, who had been instrumental in persuading her royal 
 mistress to patronize Columbus.* Her niece partook of her 
 high and generous natui-e. She refused to remain behind in 
 selfisli security', but declared that she would accompany hor 
 husband in every peril, whether by sea or land. This solf- 
 devotion is the more remarkable when it is considered that 
 she was past the romantic period of youth ; and that she had a 
 family of four sons and four daughtei^s, whom she left behind 
 her in Spain. 
 
 Don Pedrarias was instnicted to use great indulgence 
 towards the people of Darien, who had been the followei*s of 
 Nicucsa, and to remit the royal tithe of all the gold they might 
 have collected previous to his arrival. Towards Vasco Nunez 
 de Balboa alone the royal countenance was stern and severe. 
 Pedrarias was to depose him from his assumed authority, and 
 to call him to strict account before the Alcalde IMayor, Gaspar 
 de Espinosa, for his treatment of the Bachelor Enciso. 
 
 The splendid fleet, consisting of fifteen sail, weighed anchor 
 at St. Lucar on the 12th of April, 1514, and swept proudly out 
 of the Guadalquiver, thronged with the chivalrous adventurers 
 for Golden Castile. But a short time had elapsed after its 
 departure, when Pedro Arbolancho arrived with the tardy 
 missions of Vasco Nuiiez. Had he arrived a few daj^s sooner, 
 how different might have been the fortunes of his friend ! 
 
 He was immediately admitted to the roj'al presence, where 
 he announced the adventurous and successful expedition of 
 Vasco Nuiiez, and laid before the king the pearls and golden 
 ornaments Avliich he had brought as the first fruits of the dis- 
 covery. King Ferdinand listened with charmed attention to 
 this tale of vmknown seas and wealthy realms added to his 
 empire. It filled, in fact, the imaginations of the most sage 
 and learned with golden dreams, and anticipations of un- 
 bounded riches. Old Peter Martyr, who received letters 
 from his friends in Darien, and communicated by word of 
 mouth with those who came from thence, writes to Leo the 
 Tenth in exulting terms of this event. "Spain," says he, 
 
 * This was the same Marchioness de Moya, who diiriiip: the war of G'-anaria, 
 while the court and royal army were encamped before Malaga, w.is mistaken for 
 the queen by a Moorish fanatic, and Lad nearly fallen beneath bia dagger.
 
 144 *S7MiV7.s7/ VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 "will hereafter be able to satisfy with pearls the greedy- 
 appetite of such as in wanton pleasures are like unto Cleo- 
 patra and ^sopus ; so that henceforth we shall neither envy 
 nor reverence the nice fruitfulness of Trapoban or the Red 
 Sea. The Spaniards will not need hereafter to mine and dig 
 far into the earth, nor to cut asunder mountains in quest of 
 gold, but will find it plentifully, in a manner, on the upper 
 crust of the earth, or in the sands of rivers dried up by the 
 heats of summer. Certainly the reverend antiquity obtained 
 not so great a benefit of nature, nor even aspu'ed to the know- 
 ledge thereof, since never man before, from the known world, 
 penetrated to these unknown regions." * 
 
 The tidings of this discovery at once made all Spain resound 
 with the praises of Vasco Nuiiez ; and from being considered a 
 lawless and desperate adventurer, he was lauded to the skies 
 as a worthy successor to Columbus. The king repented of 
 the harshness of his late measures towards him, and ordered 
 the Bishop Fonseca to devise some mode of rewarding his 
 transcendent services. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 ARRIVAL AND GRAND ENTRY OF DON PEDRARIAS DAVILA INTO 
 
 DARIEN. 
 
 While honours and rewards were preparing in Europe for 
 Vasco Nuiiez, that indefatigable commander, inspired by his 
 fortunes, with redoubled zeal and loftier ambition, was exercis- 
 ing the paternal forethought and discretion of a patriotic 
 governor over the country subjected to his rule. His most 
 strenuous exertions were directed to bring the neighbourhood 
 of Darien into such a state of cultivation as might render the 
 settlement independent of Europe for supplies. The town was 
 situated on the banks of a river, and contained upwards of 
 two hundred houses and cabins. Its population amounted to 
 five hundred and fifteen Europeans, all men, and fifteen hun- 
 dred Indians, male and female. Orchards and gardens had 
 been laid out, where European as well as native fi-uits and 
 vegetables were cultivated, and already gave promise of future 
 
 ♦p. Martyr, decad. 3, chap. iii. Lok's translation.
 
 VASCO NUSEZ be BALBOA. 145 
 
 abundance. Vasco Nunez devised all kinds of means to keep 
 up the spirits of his people. On hoUdays they had their 
 favourite national sports and games, and particularly tilting 
 matches, of which chivalrous amusement the Spaniards in 
 those days were extravagantly fond. Sometimes he gratified 
 their restless and roving habits by sending them on expedi- 
 tions to various parts of the country, to acquire a knowledge 
 of its resources, and to strengthen his sway over the natives. 
 He was so successful in securing the amity or exciting the awe 
 of the Indian tribes, that a Spaniard might go singly about 
 the land in perfect safety; while his own followers were 
 zealous in their devotion to him, both from admiration of his 
 past exploits and from hopes of soon being led by him to new 
 discoveries and conquests. Peter Martyr, in his letter to Leo 
 the Tenth, speaks in high terms of these "old soldiers of 
 Darien," the remnants of those well-tried adventurers who had 
 followed the fortunes of Ojeda, Nicuesa, and Vasco Nunez. 
 "They were hardened," says he, "to abide all soi-rows, and 
 were exceedingly tolerant of labour, heat, hunger, and watch- 
 ing, insomuch that they merrily make their boast that they 
 have obsei-ved a longer and sharper Lent than ever your 
 Holiness enjoined, since, for the space of four years, their food 
 has been herbs and fruits, with now and then fish, and very 
 seldom flesh."* 
 
 Such were the hardy and well-seasoned veterans that were 
 under the sway of Vasco Nunez ; and the colony gave signs of 
 rising in prosperity under his active and fostering manage- 
 ment, Avhen in the month of June the fleet of Don Pedrarias 
 Davila arrived in the Gulf of Uraba. 
 
 The Spanish cavaliers who accompanied the new governor 
 were eager to get on shore, and to behold the antic-ii">ated 
 wonders of the land; but Pedrarias, knowing the resolute 
 character of Vasco Nunez, and the devotion of his folloAvers, 
 apprehended some difficulty in getting possession of the colony. 
 Anchoring, therefore, about a league and a half from the settle- 
 ment, he sent a messenger on shore to announce his arrival. 
 The envoy, having heard so much in Spain of the prowess and 
 exploits of Vasco Nunez and the riches of Golden Castile, 
 expected, no doubt, to find a blustering warrior, maintaining 
 barbaric state in the governmrnt which he had usurped. 
 Great was his astonishment, therefore, to find this redoubta- 
 
 *P. Martyr, decad. 3, c. iii. Lok"s translation.
 
 146 SPANISII VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 ble hero a plain, unassuming man, clad in a cotton frock and 
 drawers, and hempen sandals, directing and aiding the labour 
 of several Indians who were thatching a cottage in which he 
 resided. 
 
 The messenger approached him respectfully, and announced 
 the arrival of Don Pedrarias Davila as governor of the country. 
 
 Whatever Vasco Nunez may have felt at this intelhgence, 
 he suppressed Ms emotions, and answered the messenger with 
 great discretion : ' ' Tell Don Pedrarias Davila, " said he, ' ' that 
 he is welcome, that I congratulate him on his safe arrival, and 
 am ready, with all who are here, to obey his orders." 
 
 The little community of rough and daring adventurers was 
 immediately in an uproar when they found a new governor 
 had arrived. Some of the most zealous adherents of Vasco 
 Nunez were disposed to sally forth, sword in hand, and repel 
 the intruder ; but they wore restrained by their more consider- 
 ate chieftain, who prepared to receive the new governor with 
 all due submission. 
 
 Pedrarias disembarked on the thirtieth of June, accom- 
 panied by his heroic wife. Dona Isabella ; who, according to old 
 Peter Martyr, had sustained the roarings and rages of the 
 ocean with no less stout courage than either her husband or 
 even the mariners who had been brought up among the surges 
 of the sea. 
 
 Pedrarias set out for the embryo city at the head of two 
 thousand men, all weU armed. He led his wife by the hand, 
 and on the other side of him was the bishop of Darien in his 
 robes ; while a brilliant train of youthful cavaliers, in ghttermg 
 armour and brocade, formed a kind of body-guard. 
 
 All this pomp and splendour formed a striking contrast with 
 the humble state of Vasco Nunez, who came forth unarmed, 
 in simple attire, accompanied by his councillors and a handful 
 of tlie "old soldiers oP Darien," scari-ed and battered, and 
 grown half wild in Indian warfare, but without weapons, and 
 in garments much the worse for wear. 
 
 Vasco Nunez saluted Don Pedrarias Davila with profound 
 reverence, and promised him implicit obedience, both in his 
 own name and in the name of the community. Having en- 
 tered the town, he conducted his distinguished guests to his 
 straw-thatched habitation, where he had caused a repast to be 
 prepared of such cheer as his means afforded, consisting of 
 roots and fruits, maize and casava bread, with no other bever- 
 age than water from the river ; a sorry palace and a meagre
 
 VASCO NU^^KZ DE UMBO A. 147 
 
 banquet in the eyes of the gay cavaUers, who had anticipated 
 far other things from the usurper of Golden Castile. Vasco 
 Nunez, however, acquitted himself in liis humble wigwam 
 with the courtesy and hospitality of a prince, and showed that 
 the dignity of an entertainment depends more upon the giver 
 than the feast. In the meantime a plentiful supply of European 
 provisions was landed from the fleet, and a temporary abund- 
 ance was diffused through the colony. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 PERFIDIOUS CONDUCT OF DON PEDRARIAS TOWARDS VASCO 
 NUNEZ. 
 
 On the day after his entrance into Darien, Don Pedrarias 
 held a private conference with Vasco Nunez in presence of the 
 historian Oviedo, who had come out from Spain as the public 
 notary of the colony. The governor commenced bj' assurinc: 
 him that he was instructed by the king to treat him Avith gi-eat 
 favour and distinction, to consult him about the affairs of the 
 colony, and to apply to him for information relative to the 
 surrounding country. At the same time he professed the most 
 amicable feelings on his own part, and an intention to be 
 guided by his counsels in all public measures. 
 
 Vasco Nmlez was of a frank, confiding nature, and was so 
 captivated by this unexpected courtesy and kinclnoss, that he 
 threw off all caution and reserve, and opened his whole soul to 
 the politic courtier. Pedrarias availed himself of this com- 
 municative mood to draw from him a min\ite and able state- 
 ment in writing, detailing the circumstances of the colony, and 
 the information collected respecting various parts of the comi- 
 try ; the route by which he had traversed the mountains ; his 
 discovery of the Routh Sea; the situation and reputed wealth 
 of the Pearl Islands ; the rivers and ravines most productive of 
 gold ; together A\-ith the names and territories of the various 
 caciques ^\^th whom he had made treaties. 
 
 When Pedrarias had thits beguiled the unsuspecting soldier 
 of all the information necessary for his purposes, he dropped 
 the mask, and within a few days proclaimed a judicial scrutiny 
 into the conduct of Vasco Nuiiez and his officei-s. It was to
 
 148 SrANISII VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 be conducted by the Licentiate Gaspar de Espinosa, who had 
 come out as Alcalde Mayor, or chief judge. The Licentiate was 
 an inexperienced lawyer, having but recently left the univer- 
 sity of Salamanca. He appears to have been somewhat flexi- 
 ble in his opinions, and prone to be guided or governed by 
 others. At the outset of his career he was much under the 
 influence of Quevedo, the Bishop of Darien. Now, as Vasco 
 Nuiiez knew the importance of this prelate in the colony, he 
 had taken care to secure him to his interests by paying him 
 the most profound deference and respect, and by giving him a 
 share in his agricidtural enterprises and his schemes of traffic. 
 In fact, the good bishop looked upon him as one eminently cal- 
 culated to promote his temporal prosperity, to which he was 
 by no means insensible. Under the influence of the prelate, 
 therefore, the Alcalde commenced his investigation in the most 
 favourable manner. He went largely into an examination 
 of the discoveries of Vasco Nuiiez, and of the nature and 
 extent of his various services. The governor was alarmed at 
 the course which the inquiry was taking. If thus conducted, 
 it would but serve to illustrate the merits and elevate the repu- 
 tation of the man whom it was his interest and intent to ruin. 
 To counteract it he immediately set on foot a secret and invid- 
 ious course of interrogatories of the followers of Nicuesa and 
 Ojeda, to draw from them testimony which might support the 
 charge against Vasco Nuiiez of usurpation and tyrannical abuse 
 of power. The bishop and the Alcalde received information of 
 this inquisition, carried on thus secretly, and without their 
 sanction . They remonstrated warmly again st it, as an infringe- 
 ment of their rights, being coadjutors in the government ; and 
 they spurned the testimony of the followers of Ojeda and 
 Nicuesa, as being dictated and discoloured by ancient enmity. 
 Vasco Nuiiez was, therefore, acquitted by them of the crimi- 
 nal charges made against him, though he remained involved in 
 difficulties from the suits brought against him by individuals, 
 for losses and damages occasioned by his measures. 
 
 Pedrarias was incensed at this acquittal, and insisted upon 
 the guilt of Vasco Nuiiez, which he pretended to have estab- 
 lished to his conviction by his secret investigations ; and he 
 even determined to send him in chains to Spain, to be tried for 
 the death of Nicuesa, and for other imputed offences. 
 
 It was not the inchnation or the interest of the bishop that 
 Vasco Nuiiez should leave the colony ; he therefore managed 
 to awaken the jealous apprehensions of the governor as to the
 
 VASCO NU:StKZ DE BALBOA. 149 
 
 effect of his proposed measure. He intimated that the arrival 
 of Vasco Nunez iii Spain would be signalized by triumph 
 rather tlian disgrace. By that time his grand discoveries 
 ■would be blazoned to the world, and would atone for all his 
 faidts. He would be received with enthusiasm by the nation, 
 with favour by the king, and woidd probably be sent back to 
 the colony clothed with new dignity and power. 
 
 Pedrarias was placed in a perplexing ddemma by these sug- 
 gestions; his violent proceedings against Vasco Nunez were 
 also in some measure restrained by the influence of his wife, 
 Dona Isabel de Bobadilla, who felt a great respect and sympathy 
 for the discoverer. In his perplexity, the ■nily governor 
 adopted a middle course. He resolved to detain Vasco Nunez 
 at Darien under a cloud of imputation, wliich woidd gradually 
 impair his popularity ; while his patience and means woiUd be 
 silently consumed by protracted and expensive litigation. In 
 the mean time, however, the property which had been secjues- 
 trated was restored to him. 
 
 While Pedrarias treated Vasco Nuiiez with this severity, he 
 failed not to avail himself of the plans of that able cominander. 
 The firet of these was to establish a hue of posts across the 
 mountains between Darien and the South Sea. It was his 
 eager desire to execute this before any order should arrive 
 from the king in favour of liis predecessor, in order that he 
 might have the crcniit of having colonized the coast, and Vasco 
 Nuiiez merely that of having discovered and visited it.* 
 Before he could complete these arrangements, however, 
 unlooked-for calamities fell upon the settlement, that for a 
 time interrupted every project, and made every one tm-n his 
 thoughts merely to las o\yn seciu-ity. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 CALAMITIES OF THE SPANISH CAVALIERS AT DARIEN. 
 
 The toAvn of Darien was situated in a deep vaUej- surrounded 
 by lofty hills, which, wliile they kcjtt off the breezes so grate- 
 ful in a sultry chmate, reflected and concentrated the rays of 
 the sun, insomuch that at noontide the heat was insupportable ; 
 
 ♦ Oviedo, Hist. Ind., p. 2, c. 8.
 
 150 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 the river which passed it was shallow, with a muddy channel 
 and bordered by marshes ; overhanging forests added to tJic 
 general huinidity, and the very soil on which the town was 
 built was of such a nature, that on digging to the depth of a 
 foot there would ooze forth brackish water.* 
 
 It is not matter of surprise that a situation of this kind, in a 
 tropical climate, should be fatal to the health of Europeans. 
 Many of those w^ho had recently arrived were swept off 
 speedily; Pedrarias himself fell sick and was removed, with 
 most of his people, to a healthier spot on the river Corobari ; 
 the malady, however, continued to increase. The provisions 
 which had been brought out in the ships had been partly dam- 
 aged by the sea, the residue grew scanty, and the people were 
 put upon short allowance ; the debility thus produced increased 
 the ravages of the disease ; at length the provisions were ex- 
 hausted and the horrors of absolute famine ensued. 
 
 Every one was more or less affected by these calamities; 
 even the veterans of the colony quailed beneath them ; but to 
 none were they ixiore fatal than to the crowd of youthful cava- 
 liers who had once ghttered so gaily about the streets of 
 Seville, and had come out to the new world elated with the 
 most sanguine expectations. From the very moment of their 
 landing they had been disheartened at the savage scenes 
 aromad them, and disgusted with the squalid life they were 
 doomed to lead. They shrunk with disdain from the labours 
 with which alone- wealth was to be procured in this land of 
 gold and pearls, and were impatient of the humble exertions 
 necessary for the maintenance of existence. As the famine 
 increased, their case became desperate ; for they were unable 
 to help themselves, and their rank and dignity commanded 
 neither deference nor aid at a time when common misery 
 made every one selfish. Many of them, who had mortgaged 
 estates in Spain to fit themselves out sumptuously for their 
 Italian campaign, now perished for lack of food. Some would 
 be seen bartering a robe of crimson silk, or some garment ol 
 rich brocade, for a pound of Indian bread or European biscuit ; 
 others sought to satisfy the cravings of hunger with the herbs 
 and roots of the field, and one of the principal cavaliers abso- 
 lutely expired of hxmger in the public streets. 
 
 In this wretched way, and in the short space of one month, 
 periahed seven hundred of the little army of youthfid and 
 
 * p. Martyr, decad. 8, c. vi.
 
 VASCO NUKEZ 1)E BALBOA. lol 
 
 buoyant spirits who had embarked with Pcdi-arias. The 
 bodies of some remained for a day or two without sci)ulture, 
 their friends not having sufficient strength to buiy them. 
 Unable to remedy the evil, Pedrarias gave permission lor his 
 men to flee from it. A ship-load of starving adventurers 
 departed for Cuba, Avhere some of them joined the standard of 
 Diego Velasquez, who -wxis colonizing that island; othoi-s made 
 their way back to Spain, where they arrived broken in health, 
 in spirits, and in fortune. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 FRUITLESS EXPEDITION OF PEDRAPvIAS. 
 
 The departure of so many hungry mouths was some tem- 
 porary rehef to the colony; and Pedrarias, having recovered 
 from his malady, bestirred himself to send expeditions in vari- 
 ous directions for the purpose of foraging the country and 
 collecting the ti'easui'e. 
 
 These expeditions, however, were entrusted to his own 
 favourites ajid partisans; while Vasco Niulez, the man most 
 competent to carry them into effect, remained idle and neg- 
 lected. A judicial inquiry, tardily carried on, overehadoAved 
 him, and though it substantiated nothing, served to embarrass 
 his actions, to cool his friends, and to give him the air of a 
 public delinquent. Indeed, to the other evils of the colony was 
 now added that of excessive litigation, arising out of the dis- 
 putes concerning the government of Vasco Nin~iez, and which 
 increased to such a degree, that according to the report of the 
 Alcalde Espinosa, if the law-suits shoidd be divided among the 
 people, at least forty would f;dl to each man's share.* This 
 too was in a colony into which the government had com- 
 manded that no lawyer should be admitted. 
 
 Wearied and irritated by the check which had been given to 
 his favourite enterprises, and confident of the ultimate appro- 
 bation of the king, Vasco Nunez now determined to take his 
 fortunes in his own hands, and to prosecute in secret his grand 
 I)roject of exploring the regions beyond the mountains. For 
 
 * Herrera, detad. 2, 1. i. c. 1.
 
 152 SPANItiJI VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 this purpose he privately despatched one Andres Garabito to 
 Cuba to enUst men, and to make the requisite provisions for an 
 expedition across the isthmus, from Nombre de Dios, and for 
 the founding a colony on the shores of the Southern Ocean, 
 from whence he proposed to extend his discoveries by sea and 
 land. 
 
 While Vasco Nunez awaited the return of Garabito, be had 
 the mortification of beholding various of his colonizing plans 
 pursued and marred by Pedrarias. Among other enterprises, 
 the governor despatched his lieutenant-general, Juan de 
 Ayora, at the head of four hundred men, to visit the provinces 
 of those caciques with whom Vasco Nunez had sojoiu*ned and 
 made treaties on his expedition to the Southern Sea. Ayora 
 partook of the rash and donaineering spirit of Pedrarias, and 
 hai'assed and devastated the countries which be pretended to 
 explore. He was received with amity and confidence by vari- 
 ous caciques who had f oi'med treaties with Vasco Nuiiez ; but 
 he repaid their hospitality with the basest ingratitude, seizing 
 upon their property, taking from them their wives and 
 daughters, and often torturing them to make them reveal their 
 hidden or supposed treasures. Among those treated with this 
 perfidy, we grieve to enumerate the youthful cacique who first 
 gave Vasco Nunez information of the sea beyond the moun- 
 tains. 
 
 The enormities of Ayora and of other captains of Pedrarias 
 produced the usual effect ; the natives were roused to desper- 
 ate resistance; caciques who had been faithful friends, were 
 converted into furious enemies, and the expedition ended in 
 disappointment and disaster. 
 
 The adherents of Vasco Nunez did not fail to contrast these 
 disastrous enterprises with those which had been conducted 
 with so much glory and advantage by their favourite com- 
 mander ; and their sneers and reproaches had such an effect 
 ui^on the jealous and irritable disposition of Pedrarias, that ho 
 detcKiiined to en ploy their idol in a service that would be 
 likely to be attended with defeat and to impair Ms popularity. 
 None seemed more fitting for the purpose than an expedition 
 to Dotayba, where ho had once already attempted in vain to 
 penetrate, and where so many of his followers had fallen vic- 
 tims to the stratagems and assaults of the natives.
 
 VASCO NUI^EZ DE BALBOA. 153 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 SECOND EXPEDITION OP VASCO NUNEZ IN QUEST OF THE GOLD 
 TEMPLE OF DOBAYBA. 
 
 The rich mines of Dobayba and the treasures of its golden 
 temple had continued to form a favourite theme with the 
 Spanish adventurers. It was ascertained that Vasco Nufiez 
 had stopped short of the wealthy region on his former expedi- 
 tion, and had mistaken a frontier village for the residence of 
 the cacique. The enterprise of the temple was therefore still 
 to be achieved ; and it was solicited by several of the cavaliers 
 in the train of Pedrarias with all the chivalrous ardour of that 
 romantic age. Indeed, common report had invested the enter- 
 pi'ise with difficulties and danger sufficient to stimulate the am- 
 bition of tjhe keenest seeker of adventure. The savages who 
 inhabited that part of the country were courageous and adroit. 
 They fought by water as well as by land, forming ambuscades 
 with their canoes in the bays and i-ivers. The coiintry was 
 intersected by dreary fens and morasses, infested by all kinds 
 of reptiles. Clouds of gnats and musquitoes filled the air; 
 there were larg3 bats also, supposed to have the baneful prop- 
 erties of the vampire; iilligators lurked in the watei"s, and the 
 gloomy recesses of the fens were said to be the dens of dra- 
 gons I * 
 
 Besides these objects of terror, both true and fabulous, the 
 old historian, PeU^r Martyr, -makes mention of another mon- 
 strous animal sjrid to infest this gcjlden region, and which 
 deserves to be cited, as showing the imaginary dangers with 
 which the active minds of the discoverers peopled the unex- 
 plored wilderness around them. 
 
 According to the tales of the Indians, there had occurred 
 shortly before the arrival of the Spaniards a violent tempest, 
 or leather hurricane, in the neighbourhood of Dobayba, which 
 demolished houses, tore up trees by the roots, and laid waste 
 whole forests. When the tempest had sul)sided, and tlie af- 
 frighted inhabitants ventured to look abroad, thoy found tliat 
 two monstrous animals had been brought into the country by 
 the hurricane. According to their accounts, tlioy were not 
 
 * p. Martyr.
 
 ]5-i SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 unlike the ancient harpies, and one being smaller than the 
 other was suj^posed to be its young. They had the faces of 
 women, with the claws and wings of eagles, and were of such, 
 prodigious size that the very boughs of the trees on which they 
 alighted broke beneath them. They would swoop down and 
 carry off a man as a hawk would bear off a cMcken, fljing 
 with him to the tops of the mountains, where they would tear 
 him in pieces and devour him. For some time they were the 
 scourge and terror of the land, until the Indians succeeded in 
 killing the old one by stratagem, and hanging her on their long 
 spears, bore her through all the towns to assuage the alarm of 
 the inhabitants. The younger harpy, says the Indian tradi- 
 tion, was never seen afterwards.* 
 
 Such were some of the perils, true and fabulous, with which, 
 the land of Dobayba was said to abound ; and, in fact, the very 
 Indians had such a dread of its dark and dismal morasses, 
 that in their journeyings they carefully avoided them, prefer- 
 ring the circuitous and rugged paths of the mountains. 
 
 Several of the youthful cavaliers, as has been observed, were 
 stimulated, rather than deterred, by these dangers, and con- 
 tended for the honour of the expedition ; but Pedrarias selected 
 his rival for the task, hoping, as has been hinted, that it would 
 involve him in disgrace. Vasco Nufiez promptly accepted the 
 enterprise, for his pride was concerned in its success. Two 
 himdred resolute men were given to him for the purpose ; but 
 his satisfaction was diminished when he found that Luis Car- 
 rillo, an officer of Pedrarias, who had failed in a perilous 
 enterprise, was associated with him in the command. 
 
 Few particulars remain to us of the evoats of this affair. 
 They embarked in a fleet of canoes, and, tr^'ersing the gulf, 
 arrived at the river which flowed down froin the region of 
 Dobayba. They were not destined, however, to achieve the 
 enterprise of the golden temple. As they were proceeding 
 rather confidently and unguardedly up the river, they were 
 suddenly surprised and surrounded by an immense swarm of 
 canoes, filled with armed savages, which darted out from lurk- 
 ing places along the shores. Some of the Indians assailed them 
 with lances, others with clouds of arrows, while some, plung- 
 ing into the water, endeavoured to overturn their canoes. In 
 this way one-half of the Spaniards were killed or drowned. 
 Among the number fell Luis CarriUo, pierced through the 
 
 * p. Martyr, decad. V, c. lO.
 
 VASCO NU^EZ DE BALBOA. 155 
 
 breast by an Indian lance. Vasco Nuiiez himself was wound- 
 ed, and had great difficulty in escaping to the shore with the 
 'esiduc of his forces. 
 
 The Indians pursued him and kept up a skinnishing attack, 
 but he beat them off until the night, when he silently aban- 
 doned the shore of the river, and directed his retreat towards 
 Darien. It is easier to imagine than to describe the toils and 
 dangers and horrors which beset him and the remnant of his 
 men, as they traversed rugged momitains or struggled through 
 these feai-ful morasses, of which they had heard such terrific 
 tales. At length they succeeded in reaching the settlement of 
 Darien. 
 
 The partisans of Pedrarias exulted in seeing Vasco Nuiiez 
 returned thus foiled and wounded, and taunted his adherents 
 with their previous boastings. The latter, however, laid all 
 the blame upon the unfortunate Carrillo. "Vasco Nuiiez," 
 said the}', " had always absolute command in his former enter- 
 prises, but in this he has been embarrassed by an associate. 
 Had the expedition been confided to him alone, the event had 
 been far different." 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 LETTERS FROM THE KING IN FAVOUR OF VASCO NUS'EZ — ARRIVAL 
 OF GARABITO— ARREST OF VASCO NUNEZ.— (1515.) 
 
 About this tim« despatches arrived from Spain that promised 
 to give a new turn to the fortunes of Vasco Nunez and to the 
 general affairs of the colony. They were written after the 
 tidings of the discovery of the South Sea, and the subjugation 
 of so many important provinces of the Isthmus. In a letter 
 addressed to Vasco Nunez, the king expressed his high sense 
 of his merits and services, and constituted him Adelantado 
 of the South Sea, and Governor of the pro\'inces of Panama 
 and Coyba, though subordinate to the general command of Pe- 
 drarias. A letter was hke\vi.se written by the king to Pe- 
 drarias, informing him of this appointment, and ordering him 
 to consult Vasco Nunez on all public affairs of importance. 
 This was a humibating blow to the pride and consequence of 
 Pedrarias, but he lioped to parry it. In the mean time, as all 
 letters from Spain were first delivered into his hands, he with-
 
 156 SPAXISII VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 held that intended for Vasco Nunez, until he should deter- 
 mine what course of conduct to adopt. The latter, however, 
 heard of the circumstance, as did his friend the Bishop of 
 Darien. The prelate made loud complaints of this interrup- 
 tion of the royal correspondence, which he denounced, even 
 from the pulpit, as an outrage upon the rights of the subject, 
 and an act of disobedience to the sovereign. 
 
 Upon this the governor called a council of his pubHc officers ; 
 and, after impai'ting the contents of his letter, requested their 
 opinion as to the jn-opriety of investing Vasco Nmlez with 
 the dignities thus granted to him. The Alcalde Mayor, Espi- 
 nosa, had left the party of the bishop, and was now devoted to 
 the governor. He insisted, vehemently, that the offices ought 
 in no wise to be given to Vasco Nunez, until the king should 
 be informed of the result of the inquest which was still going 
 on agamst him. In tliis he was warmly supported by the 
 treasurer and the accountant. The bishop replied, mdig- 
 nantly, that it was presumptuous and disloyal in them to 
 dispute the commands of the king, and to interfere with the 
 rewards conscientiously given by him to a meritorious subject. 
 In this way, he added, they were defeating, by their pas- 
 sions, the grateful intentions of their sovereign. The governor 
 was overawed by the honest warmth of the bishop, and pro- 
 fessed to accord with him in opinion. The council lasted until 
 midnight ; and it was finally agreed that the titles and digni- 
 ties shoiild be conferred on Vasco Nunez on the following 
 day.* 
 
 Pedrarias and his officers reflected, however, that if the 
 jurisdiction impUed by those titles were absolutely vested in 
 Vasco Nuiiez, the government of Darien and Castilla del Oro 
 would virtually be reduced to a triffing matter ; they resolved, 
 therefore, to adopt a middle course; to grant him the empty 
 titles, but to make him give security not to enter upon the 
 actual government of the territories m question, until Pe- 
 drarias should give him permission. The bishop and Vasco 
 Nunez assented to tliis arrangement ; satisfied, for the present, 
 with securing the titles, and trusting to the course of events to 
 get dominion over the territories. t 
 
 * Oviedo, p!»rt 2, c. 9, MS. Oviedo, the historian, was present at this consultation, 
 and says that he wrote down tlie opinions given on the occasion, which the parties 
 signed with their proper iiands. 
 
 t Oviedo, part S, c. 9, MS.
 
 VASCO NUS'EZ DE BALBOA. If,? 
 
 The new honours of Vasco Nunez were now promulgated to 
 the world, and he was every where addressed by the title of 
 Adelantado. His old friends lifted up their heads with exulta- 
 tion, and new adherents flocked to his standard. Parties be- 
 gan to form for him and for Pedrarias, for it was deemed un- 
 possible they could continue long in harmony. 
 
 The jealousy of the governor was excited by these circum- 
 stances ; and he regarded the newly created Adelantado as a 
 dangerous rival and an insidious foe. Just at this critical junc- 
 ture, Andres Garabito, the agent of Vasco Nuilez, arrived on 
 the coast in a vessel which he had procured at Cuba, and had 
 freighted with arms and ammunition, and seventy resolute 
 men, for the secret expedition to the shores of the Pacific 
 Ocean. He anchored six leagues from the harbour, and sent 
 word privately to Vasco Nune>5 of his arrival. 
 
 Information was immediately carried to Pedrarias, that a 
 mysterious vessel, fidl of armed men, was hovering on the 
 coast, and holding secret communication with his rival. The 
 suspicious temper of the governor immediately took the alarm. 
 He fancied some treasonable plot against his authority; his 
 passions mingled with his feara ; and, in the first burst of his 
 fury, he ordered that Vasco Nunez should be seized and con- 
 fined in a wooden cage. The Bishop of Darien interposed in 
 time to prevent an indignity which it might have been im- 
 possible to expiate. He prevailed upon the passionate gover- 
 nor, not merely to retract tlue order respecting the cage, but to 
 examine the whole matter with coolness and deliberation. The 
 result proved that his suspicions had been erroneous ; and that 
 the armament had been set on foot -wdthoiit any treasonable in- 
 tent. Vasco Nunez was therefore set at liberty, after having 
 agreed to certain precautionary conditions; but he I'emained 
 « ast down in spirit and impoverished in fortune, by the har- 
 assing measures of Pedrarias. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 EXPEDITION OF MORALES AND PIZARRO TO THE SHORES OF THE 
 PACIFIC OCEAN— THEIR VISIT TO THE PEARL ISLANDS— THEIR 
 DISASTROUS RETURN ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 The Bishop of Darien, encouraged by the success of his in- 
 tercession, endeavoured to persuade the governor to go still
 
 158 SPANISH VOrAGJi\S OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 further, and to permit the departure of Vasco Nunez on his ex- 
 pedition to the South Sea. The jealousy of Pedrarias, how- 
 ever, was too strong to permit him to listen to such counsel. 
 He was aware of the importance of the expedition, and was 
 anxious that the Pearl Islands should he explored, which 
 promised such abundant treasures ; but he feared to increase 
 the popularity of Vasco Nuilez, by adding such an enterprise 
 to the number of his achievements. Pedrarias, therefore, set 
 on foot an expedition, consisting of sixty men, but gave the 
 command to one of his own relations, named Gaspar Morales. 
 The latter was accompanied by Francisco Pizarro, who had 
 already been to those parts in the train of Vasco Nuilez, and 
 who soon rose to importance in the present enterprise by his 
 fierce courage and domineering genius. 
 
 A brief notice of the principal incidents of this expedition is 
 all that is necessary for the present narration. 
 
 Morales and Pizarro traversed the mountains of the isth- 
 mus by a shorter and more expeditious route than that which 
 had been taken by Vasco Nunez, and arrived on the shores of 
 the South Sea at the territories of a cacique named Tutibra, by 
 whom they were amicably entertained. Their great object 
 was to visit the Pearl Islands : the cacique, however, had but 
 four canoes, which were insufficient to contain their whole 
 party. One-half of their number, therefore, remained at the 
 village of Tutibra, under the command of a captain named 
 Peilalosa ; the residue embarked in the canoes with Morales 
 and Pizarro. After a stormy and perilous voyage, they landed 
 on one of the smaller islands, where they had some skirmish- 
 ing with the natives, and thence made their way to the princi- 
 pal island of the Archipelago, to which, from the report of its 
 great pearl fishery, Vasco Nunez had given the name of Isla 
 Pica. 
 
 The cacique of this island had long been the terror of the 
 neighbouring coasts, invading the main land with fleets of 
 canoes, and carrying off: the inhabitants into captivity. His 
 reception of the Spaniards was worthy of his fame. Four 
 times did he sally forth to defend his territory, and as often 
 was he repulsed \vith great slaughter. His warriors were over- 
 whelmed with terror at the fire-arms of the Spaniards, and 
 at their ferocious bloodhounds. Finding all resistance un- 
 availing, the cacique was at length compelled to sue for peace. 
 His prayers being granted, he received the conquerors into 
 hib habitation, which was well built, and of immense size.
 
 VASCO NU^EZ BE BALBOA. 159 
 
 Here he brought them, as a peace-offering, a basket curiously 
 wrought, and filled with pearls of great beauty. Among these 
 were two of extraordinary size and value. One weighed 
 twenty-five carats ; the other was of the size of a Muscadine 
 pear, weighing upAvards of three drachms, and of oriental col- 
 our and lustre. The cacique considered himself more than re- 
 paid by a present of hatchets, beads, and hawks'-bells: and, on 
 the Spaniards smiling at his joy, observed, "These things I 
 can turn to useful purpose, but of what value are those pearls 
 to me?" 
 
 Finding, however, that these baubles were precious in the 
 eyes of the Spaniards, he took Morales and Pizarro to the sum- 
 mit of a wooden tower, commanding an mibounded prospect. 
 "Behold, before you," said he, "the infinite sea, which ex- 
 tends even beyon*! the sun beams. As to these islands which 
 lie to the right and left, they are all subject to my sway. 
 They possess but little gold, but the deep places of the sea 
 around them are full of pearls. Continue to be my friends, 
 and you shall have as many as you desire ; for I value your 
 friendship more than pearls, and, as far as in me lies, will 
 never forfeit it." 
 
 He then pointed to the main laiid, where it stretched to- 
 wards the east, mountain beyond mountain, until the summit 
 of the last faded in the distance, and was scared}^ seen above 
 the watery horizon. In that direction, he said, there lay a 
 vast country of inexhaustible riches, inhabited by a mighty 
 nation. He went on to repeat the vague but wonderful ru- 
 mours which the Spaniards had frecpiently heard about the 
 great kingdom of Peru. Pizarro listened greedily to his words, 
 and Avhile his eye followed the finger of the cacique, as it 
 ranged along the lino of shadowy coast, his daring mind kin- 
 dled with the thought of seeking this golden empire beyond 
 the waters.* 
 
 Before leaving the island, the two captnins impressed the 
 cacique with so great an idea of the power of the king of Cas- 
 tile, that he agreed to become his vassal, and to render him an 
 annual ti'ibute of one hundred pounds weight of pearls. 
 
 The party haAing returned in safety to the mainland, though 
 to a dittei-ent i)lae(? from that where they had embarked, Ga.s- 
 par Morales sent Ms relation, Bernardo Morales, with ten men 
 
 ♦ Ilerrera, d. 2, 1. i. c. iv. P. Martyr, d. 3, c. x.
 
 160 SPAmsn VOYAGES OF DISCO VERY 
 
 in quest of Peiialosa and his companions, who had remained in 
 the viUage of Tutibra. 
 
 Unfortunately for the Spaniards, during the absence of the 
 commanders, this Penalosa had so exasperated the natives by 
 tiis misconduct, that a conspii-acy had been formed by the 
 caciques along the coast to massacre the whole of the strangers, 
 when the party should return from the islands. 
 
 Bernardo Morales and his companions, on their way in 
 quest of Peiialosa, put up for the night in the village of a 
 cacique named Chuchama, who was one of the conspu-ators. 
 They were entertained with pretended hospitahty. In the 
 dead of the night, however, the house in which they were 
 Bleeping was wrapped in flames, and most of them were de- 
 stroyed. Chuchama then prepared with his confederates to 
 attack the main body of the Spaniards who remained with 
 Morales and Pizarro. 
 
 Fortunately for the latter, there was among the Indians who 
 had accompanied them to the islands a cacique named Chi- 
 ruca, who was in secret correspondence with the conspirators. 
 Some circumstances in his conduct excited their suspicions; 
 they put him to the torture and drew from him a relation of 
 the massacre of their companions, and of the attack with 
 which they were menaced. 
 
 Llorales and Pizarro were at first appalled by the over- 
 whelming danger which surrounded them. Concealing their 
 agitation, however, they compelled Chiruca to send a message 
 to each of the confederate caciques, inviting him to a secret 
 conference, under pretence of giving him important informa- 
 tion. The caciques came at the summons: they were thus 
 taken one by one to the number of eighteen, and put in chains. 
 Just at this juncture Peiialosa arrived with thirty men who 
 had remained with him at Tutibra. Their arrival was haUed 
 with joy by their comrades, who had given them up for lost. 
 Encouraged by this imexpected reinforcement, the Spaniards 
 now attacked by surprise the main body of confederate In- 
 dians, who, being ignorant of the discovery of their plot, and 
 capture of their caciques, were awaiting the return of the lat- 
 ter in a state of negligent security. 
 
 Pizarro led the van, and set upon the enemy at daybrealt 
 with the old Spanish war-cry of Santiago ! It was a slaughtei- 
 rather than a battle, for the Indians were unprepared for re- 
 sistance. Before sunrise, seven hundred lay dead upon the 
 field. Returning from the massacre, the commanders doomed
 
 VASCO NUFEZ DE BALBOA. 101 
 
 the caciques who wero in chains to be torn in pieces by the 
 bloodhounds ; nor was even Cliii"uca spared from this sangui- 
 nary sentence. Notwithstanding this bloody revenge, the 
 vindictive spirit of the commanders was still unappcasod, and 
 they set off to surprise the village of a cacique named Bini, 
 who dwelt on the eastern side of the Gulf of St. Michael. Ho 
 was famed for valour and for cruelty ; his dwelling was sur- 
 roimded by the weapons and other trophies of those whom he 
 had vanquished ; and he was said never to give quarter. 
 
 The Spaniards assailed his village before daybreak with fire 
 and sword, and made dreadful havoc. Biru escaped from his 
 burning habitation, rallied his people, kept up a galling fight 
 throughout the greater part of that day, and handled the 
 Spaniards so roughly, that, when he drew ofl: at night, they 
 did not venture to j^ursue him, but returned right gladly from 
 his territory. According to some of the Spanish writers, the 
 kingdom of Peru derived its name from this warlike cacique, 
 through a blunder of the early discoverers; tlie assertion, 
 however, is believed to be erroneous. 
 
 The Spanish had pushed their bloody revenge to an extreme, 
 and were now doomed to suffer from the recoil. In the fury 
 of their passion^^, they had forgotten that they were but a 
 handfid of nien surrounded by savage nations. Returning 
 wearied and disheartened ft'om the battle with Biru, they were 
 waylaid and assaulted by a host of Indians led on by the son 
 of Chiruca. A javelin from liis hand pierced one of the 
 Spaniards through the breast and come out between the 
 shoulders; several others were wounded, and the remainder 
 were harassed by a galling fire kept up from among rocks 
 and bushes. 
 
 Dismayed at the implacable vengeance they had aroused, the 
 Spaniards hastened to abandon these hostile shores and make 
 the best of their way back to Darien. The Indians, however, 
 wore not to be appeased by the mei"e departure of the in- 
 truders. They followed them porseveringly for seven days, 
 hanging on their skirts, and harassing them by continual 
 alarnis. ^Morales and Pizarro, seeing the obstinacy of their 
 pursuit, endenvoiu-el to gain a march upon theni by strata- 
 gem. Making large fires as usual one night about the place 
 of their encampment, they left them burning to deceive the 
 enemy while they made a rapid retreat. Among their num- 
 ber was one poor fellow named Velasquez, who was so griev- 
 ously wounded that he could not walk. Unable to accompanj/
 
 162 SPAJVISII VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 his countrymen in their flight, and dreading to fall int,i the 
 merciless hands of the savages, he determined to hang him- 
 self, nor could the prayers and even tears of his comrades dis- 
 suade him from his purpose. 
 
 The stratagem of the Spaniards, however, was unavailing. 
 Their retreat was perceived, and at daybreak, to their dismay, 
 they found themselves surrounded by three squadrons of sav- 
 ages. Unable, in their haggard state, to make head against 
 so many foes, they remained drawn up all day on the defen- 
 sive, some watching while others reposed. At night they ht 
 their fires and again attempted to make a secret retreat. The 
 Indians, however, were as usual on their traces, and wounded 
 several with arrows. Thus pressed and goaded, the Spaniards 
 became desperate, and fought like madmen, rushing upon the 
 very darts of the enemy. 
 
 Morales now resorted to an inhuman and fruitless expedient 
 to retard his pursuers. He caused several Indian prisoners to 
 be slain, hoping that their friends would stop to lament over 
 them ; but the sight of their mangled bodies only increased the 
 fury of the savages and the obstinacy of their pursuit. 
 
 For nine days were the Sj^aniards hunted ua this manner 
 about the woods and mountains, the swamps and fens, wander- 
 ing they knew not whither, and returning upon their steps, 
 until, to their dismay, they found themselves in the very place 
 where, several days previously, they had been surrounded by 
 the three squadrons. 
 
 Many now began to despair of ever escaping -svith life from 
 this trackless wilderness, thus teeming with deadly foes. It 
 was with difficulty their commanders could rally their spirits, 
 and encourage them to persevere. Entering a thick forest 
 they were again assailed by a band of Indians, but despair and 
 fury gave them strength : they fought like wild beasts rather 
 than like men, and routed the foe with dreadful carnage. 
 They had hoped to gain a breathing time by this victory, but a 
 new distress attended them. They got entangled in one of 
 those deep and dismal marshes wliich abound on those coasts, 
 and in which the wanderer is often drowned or suffocated. 
 For a whole day they toiled through brake and bramble, and 
 miry fen, with the water reaching to their girdles. At length 
 they extricated themselves from the swamp, and arrived at 
 the sea shore. The tide was out, but was about to return, and 
 on this coast it rises rapidly to a greats height. Fearing to be 
 overwhelmed by the rising surf, they hastened to climb a rock
 
 VASCO NU^EZ I)K BALBOA. 1G3 
 
 out of reach of the swv^lHng waters. IToro they threw them- 
 selves on the earth, pantinpj with fatig^ie and abandoned to 
 despair. A savage wilderness filled with still more savage 
 foes, was on one side, on the other the roaring sea. How were 
 they to extricate themselves from these surrounding perils? 
 While reflecting on their desperate situation, they heard the 
 voices of Indians. On looking cautiously round, they beheld 
 four canoes entering a neighbouring creek. A party was im- 
 mediately despatched who came upon the savages by surprise, 
 drove them into the woods, and seized upon the canoes. In 
 these frail barks the Spaniards escapei from their perilous 
 neighbourhood, and, traversing the Gulf of St. Mchael, landed 
 in a less hostile part, from whence they set out a second time 
 across the moimtains. 
 
 It is needless to recount the other hardships they endured, 
 and their further conflicts with the Indians ; suffice it to say, 
 after a series of almost incredible sufferings and disasters, 
 they at length arrived in a battered and emaciated condition 
 at Darien. Throughout all their toils and troubles, however, 
 they had managed to preserve a part of the treasure they had 
 gained in the islands ; especially the pearls given them by the 
 cacique of Isla Rica. These were objects of universal admira- 
 tion. One of them was put up at auction, and bought by 
 Pedrarias, and was afterwards presented by his wife Doiia 
 Isabella de Bobadilla to the Empress, who, in returji, gave her 
 four thousand ducats.* 
 
 Such was the cupidity of the colonists, that the sight of 
 these pearls and the reputed wealth of the islands of the 
 Southern Sea, and the kingdoms on its borders, made far 
 greater impression on the pubhc mind, than the tale told by 
 the adventurers of all the horrors they had passed ; and every 
 one Avas eager to seek these wealthy regions beyond the 
 mountains. 
 
 ♦ Herrera, Hist. Ind. d. 2, I. i. c. 4.
 
 164 SPANISH VO YA GES OF DISCO VER T. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 UNFORTUNATE ENTERPRISES OF THE OFFICERS OF PEDRARIAS — 
 MATRIMONIAL COMPACT BETWEEN THE GOVERNOR AND VASCO 
 NUNEZ. 
 
 In narrating the preceding expedition of Morales and Pi- 
 zarro, we have been tempted into what may almost be deemed 
 an episode, though it serves to place in a proper light the lurk- 
 ing diflQculties and dangers which beset the expeditions of 
 Vasco Nuiiez to the same regions, and his superior prudence 
 and management in avoiding them. It is not the object of 
 this narrative, however, to record the general events of the 
 colony under the administi'ation of Don Pedrarias Davila. 
 "We refrain, therefore, from detaUing various expeditions set on 
 foot by him to explore and subjugate the surrounding country ; 
 and which, being ignorantly or rashly conducted, too often 
 ended in misfortune and disgrace. One of these was to the 
 province of Zenu, where gold was supposed to be taken in the 
 rivers in nets ; and where the Bachelor Enciso once undertook 
 to invade the sepulchres. A captain named Francisco Be- 
 cerra penetrated into this country at the head of one hundred 
 and eighty men, well armed and equipped, and provided with 
 three pieces of artillery ; but neither the commander nor any 
 of his men returned. An Indian boy who accompanied them 
 was the only one who escaped, and told the dismal tale of their 
 having fallen victims to the assaults and stratagems and 
 poisoned arrows of the Indians. 
 
 Another band was defeated by Tubanama, the ferocious ca- 
 cique of the mountains, who bore as banners the bloody shirts 
 of the Spaniards he had slain in former battles. In fine, the 
 colony became so weakened by these repeated losses, and the 
 savages so emboldened by success, that the latter beleaguered 
 it with their forces, harassed it by assaults and ambuscades, 
 and reduced it to great extremity. Such was the alarm in 
 Darien, says the Bishop Las Casas, that the people feared to 
 be burnt in their houses. They kept a watchful eye upon the 
 mountains, the plains, and the very branches of the trees. 
 Their imaginations were infected by their fears. If they 
 looked toward the land, the long, waving grass of the savan- 
 nahs appeared to them to be moving hosts of Indians. If they 
 looked towards the sea, they fancied they beheld fleets of
 
 VAS'CO NU^EZ DE BALBOA. 165 
 
 canoes in the distance. Pedrarias endeavoured to prevent all 
 rumours from abroad that might increase this fevered state of 
 alarm; at the same time he ordered the smelting-house to be 
 closed, which was never done but in time of war. This was 
 done at the suggestion of the Bishop, who caused prayers to 
 be put up, and fasts proclaimed, to avert the mipending 
 calamities. 
 
 While Pedrarias was harassed and perplexed by these com- 
 plicated evils, he was haunted by continual apprehensions of 
 the ultimate ascendency of Vasco Nunez. He knew him to be 
 beloved by the people, and befriended by the Bishop ; and he 
 had received proofs that his services were highly appreciated 
 by the king. He knew also that representations had been sent 
 home by him and his partisans, of the evils and abuses of the 
 colony under the present rule, and of the necessity of a more 
 active and efficient governor. He dreaded lest those represen- 
 tations should ultimately succeed; that he should be under- 
 mined in the royal favour, and Vasco Nunez be elevated upon 
 his ruins. 
 
 The politic bishop perceived the uneasy state of the gover- 
 nor's mind, and endeavoured, by means of his apprehensions, 
 to effect that reconcihation which he had sought in vain to 
 produce through more generous motives. He i-epresented to 
 him that his treatment of Vasco Nunez was odious in the eyes 
 of the people, and must eventually draw on him the displea- 
 sure of his sovereign. "But why persist," added he, "in 
 driving a man to become your deadliest enemy, whom you 
 may grapple to your side as your firmest friend? You have 
 several daughters — give him one in marriage ; you will then 
 have for a son-in-law a man of merit and popularitj'', who is a 
 hidalgo by birth, and a favourite of the king. You are ad- 
 vanced in life and infirm; he is in the prime and vigour of his 
 days, and possessed of great activity. You can makf^ him 
 your lieutenant ; and wl(ilo you rejiosr; from your toils, he can 
 carry on the affairs of the folony with spirit and enterprise; 
 and all his achievements will redound to the advancement of 
 your family and the splendour of your administration." 
 
 The governor and his lady were won by the eloquence of 
 the bishop and readily listened to his suggestions; and Vasco 
 Nunez was but ton happy to effect a reconciliation on such 
 flatterinp: terms. Written articles were accordingly drawn up 
 and exchanged, contracting a marriage between him and the 
 eldest daughter of Pedrarias. The young lady was then in
 
 166 SPAJVISIT VOTAGES OF DISCO YERY. 
 
 Spain, but was to be sent for, and the nuptials were to be cele- 
 brated on her arrival at Darien. 
 
 Having thus fulfilled his office of peace-maker, and settled, 
 as he supposed, all feuds and jealousies on the sure and per- 
 manent foundation of family alliance, the worthy bishop de- 
 parted shortly afterwards for Spain. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 VASCO NUNEZ TRANSPORTS SHIPS ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS TO 
 THE PxVCIFIC OCEAN. — (1516.) 
 
 Behold Vasco Nunez once more in the high career of pros- 
 perity ! His most implacable enemy had suddenly been con- 
 verted into his dearest friend ; for the governor, now that he 
 looked upon him as bis son-in-law, loaded him with favours. 
 Above all, he authorized him to buill brigantines and make all 
 the necessary preparations for his long-desired expedition to 
 explore the Southern Ocean. The place appointed for these 
 purposes was the port of Careta, situated to the west of 
 Darien ; from whence there was supposed to be the most con- 
 venient roujbe across the mountains. A town called Ada had 
 been founded at this port; and the fortress was already 
 erected, of which Lope de Olano was Alcalde; Vasco Nuiiez 
 was now empowered to continue the building of the town. 
 Two hundred men were placed under his command to aid him 
 in carrying his plans into execution, and a suna of money was 
 advanced to him out of the royal treasury. His supply of 
 funds, however, was not sufficient ; but he received assistance 
 from a private source. There was a notary at Darien, named 
 Hernando de ArgueUo, a man of some consequence in the com- 
 munity, and who had been one of the most furious opponents 
 of the unfortunate Nicuesa. He had amassed considerable 
 property, and now embarked a great part of it in the proposed 
 enterprise, on condition, no doubt, of sharing largely in its 
 anticipated profits. 
 
 On arriving at Ada, Vasco Nuiiez set to work to prepare 
 the materials of four brigantines that were to be launched into 
 the South Sea. The timber was felled on the Atlantic sea- 
 board; and was then, with the anchors and rigging, trans-
 
 VASCO NUNEZ BE BALBOA. 107 
 
 ported across the lofty ridge of mountains to the opposite 
 shores of the isthmus. Several Spaniards, thirty Negroes, and 
 a great number of Indians were employed for the purpose. 
 They had no other roads but Indian paths, straggling through 
 almost impervious forests, across torrents, and up rugged 
 defiles, broken by rocks and precipices. In this way they 
 toiled like ants up the mountains, with their ponderous bur- 
 thens, under the scorching rays of a tropical sun. Many of 
 the poor Indians sank by the way and perished under this stu- 
 pendous task. The Spaniards and Negroes, being of hardier 
 constitutions, were better able to cope with the incredible 
 hardships to w^hich they were subjected. On the summit of 
 the mountains a house had been provided for their temporary 
 repose. After remaining here a httle time to refresh them- 
 selves and gain new strength, they renewed their labours, 
 descending the opposite side of the mountains until they 
 reached the navigable part of a river, which they called the 
 Balsas, and which flowed into the Pacific. 
 
 Much time and tix)uble and manj" lives were expended on 
 this arduous undertaking, before they had transported to the 
 river sufficient tunber for two brigantines; while the timber 
 for the other two, and the rigging and munitions for the whole, 
 yet remained to be brought. To add to their difficulties, they 
 had scarcely begun to work upon the timber before they dis- 
 covered that it was totally useless, being subject to the ravagec 
 of the worms from having been cut in the vicinity of salt 
 water. They were obliged, therefore, to begin anew, and fell 
 trees on the border of the river. 
 
 Vasco Nuiiez maintained his patience and perseverance, and 
 displayed admirable management under tbese delays and diffi- 
 culties. Their supply of food being scanty, ho divided his 
 people, Spaniards, Negroes, and Indians, into three bands ; one 
 was to cut and saw the wood, another to bring the rigging and 
 iron-work from Ada, which was twenty-two leagues distant ; 
 and the third to forage the neighbouring country for pro- 
 visions. 
 
 Scarcely was the timber felled and shaped for use when the 
 rains set in, and the river SAvelled and overflowed its banks so 
 suddenly, that the workmen barely escaped with their lives 
 by clambering into the trees; wliilo the wood on which they 
 had been working was either buried in sand or slime, or swept 
 away by the raging torrent. Famine was soon added to their 
 other distresses. The foraging party was absent and did not
 
 168 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 return with food ; and the swelhng of the river cut them ofE 
 from that part of the country fi-om whence they obtained their 
 suppUes. They were reduced, therefore, to such scarcity, as to 
 be fain to assuage their hunger with such roots as they could 
 gather in the forests. 
 
 In this extremity the Indians bethought themselves of one 
 of their rude and simple expedients. Plunging into the river 
 they fastened a number of logs together with withes, and con- 
 nected them with the opposite bank so as to make a floating 
 bridge. On tliis a party of the Spaniards crossed with gi-eat 
 difficulty and peril, from the violence of the current, and the 
 flexibility of the bridge, which often sank beneath them until 
 the water rose above their girdles. On being safely landed, 
 they foraged the neighbourhood, and procured a supply of pro- 
 visions sufficient for the present emergency. 
 
 When the river subsided the workmen again resumed their 
 labours; a number of recruits arrived from Ada, bringing 
 various supplies, and the business of the enterprise was pressed 
 with redoubled ardour, until, at length, after a series of in- 
 credible toils and hardships, Vasco Nunez had the satisfaction 
 to behold two of his brigantines floating on the river Balsas. 
 As soon as they could be equipped for sea, he embarked in 
 them with as many Spaniards as they could carry ; and, issu- 
 ing forth from the river, launched triumphantly on the great 
 ocean he had discovei'ed. 
 
 "We can readily imagine the exultation of this intrepid ad- 
 venturer, and how amply he was repaid for all his sufferings 
 when he first spread a sail upon that untra versed ocean and 
 felt that the range of an unknown world was open to him. 
 
 There are points in the history of these Spanish discoveries 
 of the western hemisphere that make us pause with wonder 
 and admiration at the daring spirit of the men who conducted 
 them and the appalling difficulties surmounted by their cour- 
 age and perseverance. We know few instances, however, 
 more striking than this piecemeal transportation across the 
 mountains of Darien of the first European ships that ploughed 
 the waves of the Pacific ; and we can readily excuse the boast 
 of the old Castilian writers when they exclaim ' ' that none but 
 Spaniards could ever have conceived or persisted in such an 
 undertaking, and no commander in the new world but Vasco 
 Nufiez could have conducted it to a successful issue." * 
 
 * Herrera, d. 3, 1. ii. c. 11.
 
 VASCO NUNEZ DE BALBOA. 1G9 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 CRUISE OF VASCO NUNEZ IN THE SOUTHERN SEA— RUMOURS FROM 
 
 ACLA, 
 
 The first cruise of Yasco Nunez was to the group of Pearl 
 islands, on the principal one of which he disembarked the 
 gi-eater part of his crews, and despatched the brigantines to the 
 main land to bring off the remainder. It was his intention to 
 construct the other two vessels of his proposed squadron at this 
 island. During the absence of the brigantines he ranged tlio 
 island with his men to collect provisions and to establish a 
 complete sway over the natives. On the return of his vessels, 
 and while preparations were making for the building of the 
 others, he embarked with a hundred men and departed on a 
 reconnoitering cruise to the eastAvard towards the region 
 pointed out by tlie Indians as abounding in riches. 
 
 Having passed about twenty leagues beyond the Gulf of San 
 Miguel, the mariners were filled with apprehension at behold- 
 ing a great number of whales, which resembled a reef of rocks 
 stretching far into the sea and lashed by breakers. In an un- 
 known ocean like this every unusual object is apt to inspu-e 
 alarm. The seamen feared to approach these fancied dangers 
 in the dark; Vasco Nufiez anchored, therefore, for the night 
 under a point of land, intending to continue in the same direc- 
 tion on the following day. When the morning dawned, how- 
 ever, the wind had changed and was contrary; whereupon he 
 altered his course and thus abandoned a cruise, which, if per- 
 severed Id, might have terminated in the discovery of Peru! 
 Steering for the main land, he anchored on that part of the 
 coast governed by the cacique Chuchama, who had massacred 
 Bernardo Morales and his companions when reposing in his 
 village. Here landing with his men, Vasco Nmlez came sud- 
 denly upon the dwelling of the cacique. The Indians sallied 
 forth to defend their homes, but were routed with great Idss; 
 and ample vengeance was taken upon them for their outrage 
 upon the laws of hospitality. Having thus avenged the d(>ath 
 of his countrymen, Vasco Nunez re-embarked and returned to 
 Isla Rica. 
 
 Ho now applied himself diligently to complete the building 
 of his brigantines, despatching men to Ada to bring the neees-
 
 170 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 sary stores and rigging across the mountains. While thus 
 occupied, a rumour reached him that a new governor named 
 Lope de Sosa was coming out from Spain to supersede Pedra- 
 rias. Vasco Nunez was troubled at these tidings. A new gov- 
 ernor would be likely to adopt new measures, or to have new 
 favourites. He feared, therefore, that some order might come 
 to suspend or embarrass his expedition, or that the command 
 of it might be given to another. In his perplexity he held a 
 consultation with several of his confidential officers. 
 
 After some debate, it was agreed among them that a trusliy 
 and intelligent person should be sent as a scout to Ada un- 
 der pretence of procuring munitions for the ships. Should 
 he find Pedrarias in quiet possession of the government, he 
 was to account to him for the delay of the expedition ; to re- 
 quest that the time allotted to it might be extended, and to 
 request reinforcements and supplies. Should he find, however, 
 that a new governor was actually arrived, he was to return 
 immediately with the tidings. In such case it was resolved to 
 put to sea before any contrary orders could arrive, trusting 
 eventually to excuse themselves on the plea of zeal and good 
 intentions. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 RECONNOITERING EXPEDITION OF GARABITO — STRATAGEM OP 
 PEDRARIAS TO ENTRAP VASCO NUNEZ. 
 
 The person entrusted with the reconnoitering expedition to 
 Ada was Andres Garabito, in whose fidelity and discretion 
 Vasco Nuiiex had implicit confidence. His confidence was 
 destined to be fatally deceived. According to the assertions of 
 contemporaries, this Garabito cherisiied a secret and vindic- 
 tive enmity against his commander, arising from a simple but 
 a natural cause. Vasco Nufez had continued to have a fond- 
 ness for the Indian damsel, daughter of the cacique Careta, 
 whom he had received from her father as a pledge of amity. 
 Some dispute arose concerning her on one occasion between 
 him and Garabito, in the course of which he expressed himself 
 in severe and gahing language. Garabito was deeply morti- 
 .fied at some of his expressions, and, being of a malignant 
 spirit, determined on a dastardly revenge. He wrote pri-
 
 VASCO NU^KZ BE BALBOA. 171 
 
 vately to Podrarias, assiirinp: liim that Vasco Nunez had no 
 intention of soleninizmg his marriage witli his daughter, being 
 completely under the influenee of an Indian paramour; that 
 he made use of the friendsliip of Pedrarias nierely to further 
 his own selfish views, intending, as soon as his ships were 
 ready, to throw off all allegiance, and to put to sea as an inde- 
 pendent conunander. 
 
 Tliis mischievous letter Garabito had written immediately 
 after the last departure of Vasco Nunez from Ada. Its effects 
 upon the proud and jealous spirit of the governor may easUy 
 be conceived. All his former suspicions were inunediately re- 
 vived. They acquired strength during a long interval that 
 elapsed without tidings being received from the expedition. 
 There were designing and prejudiced persons at hand %vho per- 
 ceived and quickened these jealous feehngs of the governor. 
 Among these was the Bachelor Corral, who cherished a deep 
 grudge against Vasco Nunez for having once thrown him into 
 prison for his factious conduct; and Alonzo de la Puente, the 
 royal treasurer, whom Vasco Nunez had affronted by demand- 
 ing the re-payment of a loan. Such was the tempest that was 
 gradually gathering in the factious little colony of Darien. 
 
 The subsequent conduct of Garabito gives much confirma- 
 tion tO the charge of perfidy that has been advanced against 
 liim. When he arrived at Ada he found that Pedrarias re- 
 mained in possession of the government; for his intended 
 successor had died in the very harbour. The conduct and 
 conversation of Garabito wa>s such as to arouse suspicions; he 
 was arrested, and his papei-s and lettei's were sent to Pedra- 
 rias. When examined ho readily suffered himself to bo 
 wrought upon by threats of punishment and promises of 
 pardon, and revealed all that he knew, and declared still more 
 that he suspected and surmised, of the plans and intentions of 
 Vasco Nunez. 
 
 The arrest of Garabito, and the seizure of his letters, pro- 
 duced a great agitation at Darien. It was considered a revival 
 of the ancient animosity between the governor and Vasco 
 Nunez, and the friends of the latter trembled for his safety. 
 
 Hernando de Arguello, especially, was in great alarm. He 
 had embarked the most of his fortune in the expedition, and 
 the failure of it would be ruinous to him. He wrote to Vasco 
 Nunez, informing him of the critical posture of affairs, and 
 urging him to put to sea without delay. He wo\ild be pro- 
 tected at all events, he said, by the Jeronimite Fathers at 8au
 
 172 SPAmSH VOYAGES OF DISCO VEET. 
 
 Domingo, who were at that tune all-powerful in the new 
 world, and who regarded his expedition as calculated to pro- 
 mote the glory of God as well as the doininion of the king. * 
 This letter fell uato the hands of Pedrarias, and convinced him 
 of the existence of a dangerous plot against his authority. He 
 immediately ordered Arguello to be arrested ; and now devised 
 means to get Vasco Nunez within his power. While the latter 
 remained on the shores of the South Sea with Ms brigantines 
 and his band of hearty and devoted followers, Pedrarias knew 
 that it would be in vain to attempt to take him by force. 
 Dissembling his suspicions and intentions, therefore, he wrote 
 to him in the most amicable terms, requesting him to repair 
 immediately to Ada, as he wished to hold a conference Avith 
 him about the impending expedition. Fearing, however, that 
 Vasco Nunez might suspect Ms motives and refuse to comply, 
 he, at the same tune, ordered Francisco Pizarro to muster all 
 the amied force he could collect, and to seek and arrest his 
 late patron and commander wherever he might be found. 
 
 So great was the terror inspired by the arrest of ArgueUo, 
 and by the general violence of Pedrarias, that, though Vasco 
 Nuiiez was a favourite with the great mass of the people, no 
 one ventured to warn him of the danger that attended his 
 return to Ada. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 VASCO NUNEZ AND THE ASTROLOGER— HIS RETURN TO ACLA. 
 
 The old Spanish writers who have treated of the fortunes of 
 ■Vasco Nuiiez, record an anecdote which is worthy of being 
 cited, as characteristic of the people and the age. Among the 
 motley crowd of adventurers lured across the ocean by the 
 reputed wealth and wonders of the new world, was an Italian 
 
 * In consequence of the eloquent representations made to the Spanish Govern- 
 ment by the venerable Las Casas, of the cruel wrongs and oppressions practised 
 upon ;he Indians in the colonies, the Cardinal Ximenes, in 1516, sent out three 
 Jeronimite Fnars, chosen for their zeal and abilities, clothed with full powers to 
 inquire into and remedi- all abuses, and to take all proper measures for the good 
 government, religious instiuction, and effectual protection of the natives. The 
 exercise of their powers at San Domingo made a great sensation in the new world, 
 and, f jr a time, had a beneficial effect in checking the oppressive and licentious 
 Conduct of tlio '-oionists.
 
 VASCO NUStEZ BE BALBOA. 173 
 
 astrologer, a native of Venice, named Micer Codro. At the 
 time that Vasco Nuiiez held supreme sway at Darien, this 
 reader of the stars had cast his horoscope, and pretended to 
 foretell his destiny. Pointing one night to a certain star, he 
 assured him that in the year in which he shoidd behold that 
 star in a part of the heavens which he designated, his life 
 would be in imminent jeopardy ; but should he survive this 
 year of peril, he would become the richest and most renowned 
 captain throughout the Indies. 
 
 Several years, it is added, had elapsed since this prediction 
 was made ; yet, that it still dwelt in the mind of Vasco Nunez, 
 was evident from the following circumstance. While waiting 
 the return of his messenger, Garabito, he was on the shore of 
 Isla Rica one serene evenin.^;, in company with some of his 
 officers, when, regarding the heavens, he beheld the fated star 
 exactly in that part of the firmament which had been pointed 
 out by the Italian astrologer. Turning to his companions, 
 with a smile, "Behold," said he, "the wisdom of those, who 
 believe in sooth-saj^ei's, and, above all, in such an astrologer as 
 Micer Codro ! According to his prophecy, I should now be in 
 imminent peril of my life; yet, here I am, within reach of all 
 my wishes ; sound in health, with four brigantines and three 
 hundred men at my command, and on the point of exploring 
 this great southern ocean." 
 
 At this fated jimcture, say the chroniclers, arrived the 
 hypocritical letter of Pedrarias, inviting him to an interview 
 at Ada! The discreet reader will decide for himself what 
 credit to give to this anecdote, or rather what allowance to 
 make for the little traits of coincidence gratuitously added to 
 the original fact by writers who delight in the marvellous. 
 The tenor of this letter awakened no suspicion in the breast of 
 Vasco Nunez, who reposed entire confidence in the amity of 
 the governor as his intended father-in-law, and appears to 
 have been unconscious of any thing in his own conduct that 
 could warrant hostility. Lea\ing his sliips in command of 
 Francisco Companon, lie departed immediately to meet the 
 governor at Ada, unattended by any armed force. 
 
 The messengers wlio had brought the letter maintained at 
 first a cautious silence as to the events which had trans]iired 
 at Darien. They were gradually won, however, by the frank 
 and genial manners of Vasco Nufiez, and grieved to see so gal- 
 lant a soldier hurrying into the snare. Having crossed the 
 mountains and drawn near to Ada, their kind feelings got the
 
 174 SPAKISn VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 better of their caution, and they revealed the ti-ue nature of 
 their errand, and the hostile intentions of Pedrarias. Vasco 
 Nunez was struck with astonishment at the recital ; but, being 
 Unconscious, it is said, of any evil intention, he could scarcely 
 credit this sudden hostility in a man who had but recently 
 promised him his daughter in marriage. He imaguied the 
 whole to be some groundless jealousy which his own appear- 
 ance would dispel, and accordingly continued on his journey. 
 He had not proceeded far, however, when he was met by a 
 band of armed men, led by Francisco Pizarro. The latter 
 stepped forward to arrest his ancient commander. Vasco 
 Nunez paused for a moment, and regarded him with a look 
 of reproachful astonishment. "How is this, Francisco?" ex- 
 claimed he. "Is this the way you have been accustomed to 
 receive me?" Offering no further remonstrance, he suffered 
 himself quietly to be taken prisoner by his former adherent, 
 and conducted in chains to Ada. Here he was thrown into 
 prison, and Bartolome Hurtado, once his favourite oflBcer, was 
 sent to take command of his squadron. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 TRIAL OF VASCO NUNEZ. 
 
 Don Pedrarias concealed his exultation at the success of the 
 stratagem by which he had ensnared his generous and con- 
 fiding rival. He even visited hun in prison, and pretended 
 deep concern at being obliged to treat him with this tem- 
 porary rigour, attributing it entirely to certain accusations 
 lodged against him by the Treasurer Alonzo de la Puente, 
 which his official situation compelled him to notice and inves- 
 tigate. 
 
 " Be not afflicted, however, my son!" said the hypocrite, "an 
 investigation will, doubtless, not merely estabhsh your inno- 
 cence, but serve to render your zeal and loyalty towards your 
 sovereign still more conspicuous." 
 
 WMle Pedrarias assiuned this sootliing tone towards his 
 prisoner, he urged the Alcalde Mayor Espinosa to proceed 
 against him with the utmost rigour of the law. 
 
 The charge brought against him of a treasonable conspiracy
 
 VASCO NUS'EZ BE BALBOA. 175 
 
 to cast off all allegiance to the ci-own, and to assume an inde- 
 pendent sway on the borders of the Southern Sea, was princi- 
 pally supported by tlie confessions of Andres Garabito. The 
 evidence is also cited of a soldier, who stood sentmel one night 
 'near the quarters of Vasco Nunez on Isla Kica, and who, being 
 driven to take shelter from tlie rain under the eaves of 
 the house, overheard a conversation betweon that command- 
 er and certain of liis officers, wherein they agreed to put to 
 sea with the squadron on their own account, and to set the 
 governor at defiance. This testimony, according to Las Casas, 
 arose from a misconstruction on the part of the sentinel, who 
 only heard a portion of their conversation, relating to their in- 
 tention of sailing without waiting for orders, incase a new gov- 
 ernor should arrive to supersede Pedrarias. 
 
 The governor in the mean time informed himself from day to 
 day and hour to hour of the progress of the trial, and, consid- 
 ering the evidence sufficiently strong to warrant his personal 
 hostihty, he now paid another visit to his prisoner, and, throw- 
 ing off all affectation of kindness, upbraided him in the most 
 passionate manner. 
 
 "Hitherto," said he, "I have treated you as a son, because I 
 thought you loyal to your king, and to me as his representa- 
 tive ; but as I find you have meditated rebellion against the 
 crown of Castile, I cast you off from my affections, and shall 
 henceforth treat you as an enemy. " 
 
 Vasco Nunez indignantly repelled the charge, and appealed 
 to the confiding frankness of his conduct as a proof of inno- 
 cence. "Had I been conscious of my guUt," said he, "what 
 could have induced me to come here and put myself into your 
 hands? Had I meditated rebellion, what prevented me from 
 carrying it into effect? I had four ships ready to weigh anchor, 
 three hmidred brave men at my command, and an open sea 
 before me. What had I to do but to spread sail and press for-^ 
 ward? There was no doubt of finding a land, whether rich or 
 poor, sufficient for me and mine, far beyond the reach of yoiu* 
 control. In the innocence of my heart, nowever, I came here 
 promptly, at your mere request, and my reward is slander, in- 
 dignity, and chains I" 
 
 The noble ;nid ingenuous appeal of Vasco Nuiiez had no effect 
 on the prejudiced feelings of the governor ; on the contrar.y , he 
 was but the more exasperated against his prisoner, and ordered 
 that his irons should be doubled. 
 
 The trial was now urged by Mm with increased eagerness.
 
 176 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 Lest the present accusation should not be sufficient to effect 
 the ruin of his victim, the old inquest into his conduct as 
 governor, which had remained suspended for many years, was 
 revived, and he was charged anew with the wrongs inflicted 
 on the Bachelor Enciso, and with the death of the unfortunate" 
 Nicuesa. 
 
 Notwithstanding all these charges, the trial went on slowly, 
 with frequent delays ; for the Alcalde Mayor, Gaspar de Espi- 
 nosa, soeius to have had but little relish for the task assigned 
 him, and to have needed frequent spurring from the eager and 
 passionate governor. He probably considered the accused as 
 technically guilty, though innocent of all intentional rebellion, 
 but was ordered to decide according to the strict letter or the 
 law. He therefore at length gave a reluctant verdict against 
 Vasco Nuilez, but recommended him to mercy, on account of 
 his great services, or entreated that, at least, he might be per- 
 mitted to appeal. "No !" said the unrelenting Pedrarias. " If 
 he has merited death, let Mm suffer death !" He accordingly 
 condemned him to be beheaded. The same sentence was 
 passed upon several of his officers who were implicated in his 
 alleged conspiracy ; among these was Hernando de Ai'guello, 
 who had written the letter to Vasco Nuniiez, informing him of 
 the arrest of his messenger, and advising him to put to sea, 
 without heeding the hostility of Pedrarias. As to the perfidi- 
 ous informer Garabito, he was pardoned and set at liberty. 
 
 In considering this case, as far as we are enabled, from the 
 imperfect testimony that remains on record, we are inclined to 
 think it one where passion and self-interest interfered with the 
 pure administration of justice. Pedrarias had always consid- 
 ered Vasco Nunez as a dangerous rival, and, though his jeal- 
 ousy had been for some time lulled by looking on him as an 
 intended son-in-law, it was revived by the suggestion that ho 
 intended to evade his alliance, and to dispute his authority. 
 His exasperated feehngs hurried him too far to retreat, and, 
 having loaded his prisoner with chains and indignities, his 
 death became indispensable to his own security. 
 
 For our own part, we have little doubt that it was the fixed 
 intention of Vasco Nuiiez, after he had once succeeded in 
 the arduous undertaking of transporting his ships across the 
 mountains, to suffer no capricious order from Pedrarias, or 
 any other governor, to defeat the enterprise which he had so 
 long meditated, and for which he had so laboriouslj^ prepared. 
 It is probable he may have expressed such general determina^
 
 VASCO NUS'EZ DE BALBOA. 177 
 
 tion in the hearing of Garabito and of others of his companions. 
 We can find ample excuse for such a resolution in his con- 
 sciousness of his own deserts; his experience of past hindrances 
 to his expedition, arisinp; from the jealousy of others; his feel- 
 ing of some degi-ee of authority, from his office of Adelantado ; 
 and his knowledge of the favourable disposition and kind 
 intentions of his sovereign towards Mm. We acquit liim 
 entirely of the senseless idea of rebelling against the crown; 
 and suggest these considerations in palliation of any meditated 
 disobedience of Pedrarias, should such a charge be supposed to 
 have been substantiated. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 EXECUTION OP VASCO NUNEZ.— (1517.) 
 
 It was a day of gloom and horror at Ada, when Yasco Nunez 
 aiifl his companions were led forth to execution. The populace 
 ■were moved to tears at the unhappy fate of a man whoso gal- 
 lant deeds had excited their admiration, and whose generous 
 qualities had won their hearts. Most of them regarded him as 
 the victim of a jealous tyrant ; and even those who thought 
 him guilty, saw something brave and brilliant in the very crime 
 imputed to him. Such, however, wan the general dread inspin^d 
 by the severe measures of Pedrarias, that no one dared to lift 
 up his voice, either in murmur or remonstrance. 
 
 The public crier walked before Vasco Nuiiez, proclaiming, 
 "This is the punishment inflicted by command of the king and 
 his Ueutenant, Don Pedrai-ias Davila, on this man, as a traitor 
 and an usurper of the territories of the crown." 
 
 When Vasco Nunez heard these words, he exclaimed indig- 
 nantly, "It is false! never did such a crime enter my mind. I 
 have ever ^ei-ved my king with truth and loyalty, and sought 
 to augment his dominions." 
 
 These words were of no avail in his extremity, but they were 
 fully believed by the populace. 
 
 The execution took place in the public square of Ada ; and 
 we are assured by the historian, Oviodo, who was in the colony 
 at the time, that the cruel Pedrarias was a secret witness of 
 the bloody spectacle, which he contemplated from between tho
 
 178 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. \ 
 
 reeds of the wall of a house, about twelve paces from the scaf- 
 fold!* 
 
 Vasco Nufiez was the first to suffer death. Having confessed 
 himself and partaken of the sacrament, he ascended the scaffold 
 with a firm step and a calm and manly demeanour ; and lay- 
 ing his head upon the block, it was severed in an instant from 
 his body. Three of his officers, Valderrabano, Botello, and 
 Hernan Mufios, were in like manner brought one by one to the 
 block, and the day had nearly expired before the last of them 
 was executed. 
 
 One victim still remained. It was Heman de Arguello, who 
 had been condemned as an accomphce, for having written the 
 intercepted letter. 
 
 The populace could no longer restrain their feelings. They 
 had not dared to intercede for Vasco Nuiiez, knowing the im- 
 placable enmity of Pedrarias ; but they now sought the gover- 
 nor, and throwing themselves at his feet, entreated that this 
 man might be spared, as he had taken no active part in the 
 alleged treason. The dayhght, they said, was at an end, audit 
 seemed as if God had hastened the night, to prevent the execu- 
 tion. 
 
 The stem heart of Pedrarias was not to be touched. " No," 
 said he, "I would sooner die myself than spare one of them." 
 The unfortunate Arguello was led to the block. The brief 
 tropical twilight was past, and in the gathering gloom of the 
 night the operations on the scaffold could not be distinguished. 
 The multitude stood listening in breathless silence, until the 
 stroke of the executioner told that all was accomphshed. They 
 then dispersed to their homes with hearts filled with grief and 
 bitterness, and a night of lamentation succeeded to tliis day of 
 horrors. 
 
 The vengeance of Pedrarias was not satisfisd with the death 
 of his victim ; he confiscated his property and dishonoured his 
 remains, causing his head to be placed upon a pole and exposed 
 for several days in the public square.! 
 
 Thus perished, in his forty-second year, in the •prime and 
 vigoiu' of his days and the full career of his glory, one of the 
 most illustrious and deserving of the Spanish discoverers— a 
 victim to the basest and most perfidious envy. 
 
 How vain are our most confident hopes, our brightest tri- 
 umphs! When Vasco Nunez from the mountains of Darien 
 
 * Oviedo, Hist. Ind. p. 2, c. 9, MS. t Oviedo, ubi sup.
 
 VASCO NUNEZ BE BALBOA. 179 
 
 beheld the Southern Ocean revealed to his gaze, he considered 
 its unknown realms at his dL'^posal. When he had launched 
 his ships upon its waters, and his sails were in a manner flai>- 
 ping in the wind, to bear hini in quest of the wealthy empire of 
 Peru, he scotfed at the prediction of the astrologer, and defied 
 the influence of the stars. Behold him interrupted at the very- 
 moment of his departure; betrayed into the hands of his most 
 invidious Soe ; the very enterprise that was to have crowned 
 him with glory wrested into a crime; and himself hurried to a 
 bloody and ignominious grave, at the foot, as jfb were, of the 
 mountain from whence he had made his discovery ! His fate, 
 like that of his renowned predecessor, Columbus, proves that 
 it is sometimes dangerous even to discern too greatly I
 
 180 SPAmi^H VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 THE FORTUNES OF VALDIVIA AND HIS COM- 
 PANIONS. 
 
 It was in the year 1513 that Valdivia, the regidor of Darien, 
 was sent to Hispaniola by Vasco Nuaez de Balboa for rein- 
 forcements and supplies for the colony. He set sail in a cara- 
 vel, and pursued his voyage prosperously until he arrived in 
 sight of the Island of Jamaica. Here he was encountered by 
 one of the violent hurricanes which sweep those latitudes, and 
 driven on the shoals and sunken rocks called the Vipers, since 
 infamous for many a shipwreck. His vessel soon went to 
 pieces, and Valdivia and his crew, consisting of twenty men, 
 escaped with difficulty in the boat, without having time to 
 secure a supply either of water or provisions. Having no sails, 
 and their oars being scarcely fit for iise, they were driven 
 about for thirteen days, at the mercy of the currents of those 
 unknown seas. During this time their sufferings from hunger 
 and thirst were indescribable. Seven of their number perished, 
 and the rest were nearly famished, when they were stranded 
 on the eastern coast of Yucatan, in a province called Maya. 
 Here they were set upon by the natives, who broke their boat 
 in pieces, and carried them, off captive to the cacique of the 
 province, by whose orders they were mewed up in a kind of 
 pen. 
 
 At first their situation appeared tolerable enough considering 
 the horrors from which they had escaped. They were closely 
 confined, it is true, but they had plenty to eat and drink, and 
 soon began to recover flesh and vigour. In a little while, how- 
 ever, their enjo^inent of this good cheer met with a sudden 
 check, for the unfortunate Valdivia, and four of his companions, 
 were smgled out by the cacique, on account of their improved 
 condition, to be offered up to his idols. The natives of this 
 coast in fact were cannibals, devouring the flesh of their enemies 
 and of such strangers as fell into their hands. The wretched 
 Valdivia and his feUow victims, therefore, were sacrificed in
 
 THE FORTUyES OF VALDIVTA. Jj^i 
 
 the bloody temple of the idol, and their limbs afterwards served 
 up nt a gi-aiid feast held by the cacique and his subjects. 
 
 The horroi' of the sur\'lvors may be more readily imagined 
 than described. Tlieir hearts died within them when tliey 
 heard the yeUs and bowlings of the savages over then- viclimS; 
 and the still more horrible revelry of their cannibal orgies. 
 They turned with loathing from the food set so abundantly be- 
 fore them, at the idea that it was but intended to fatten them 
 for a future banquet. 
 
 Recovering from the first stupor of alarm, their despair lent 
 them additional force. They succeeded in breaking, m the 
 night, from the kind of cage in which they were confined, and 
 lied to the depths of the forest. Here they wandered about 
 forlorn, exposed to all the dangers and miseries of the wilder- 
 ness; famishing with hunger, yet dreading to approach the 
 haunts of men. At length their sufferings drove them forth 
 from the woods into another part of the country, where they 
 were again taken captive. The cacique of this province, how- 
 ever, was an enemy to the one from whom they had escaped, 
 and of less cruel propensities. He spared their lives, and con- 
 tented himself with malcing them slaves, exacting from them 
 the severest labour. They had to cut and draAv wood, to pro- 
 cure water from a distance, and to carry enormous burthens. 
 The cacique died soon after their capture, and was succeeded 
 by another called Taxniar. He was a chief of some talent and 
 sagacity, but he continued the same rigorous treatment of the 
 captives. By degrees they sank beneath the hardships of their 
 lot, until only two were left; one of them, a sturdy sailor 
 named Gonzalo Guerrero, the other a kind of clerical adven- 
 turer, named Jcronimo de Aguilar. The sailor had the good 
 luck to be transferred to the service of the cacique of the neigh- 
 bouring pi'ovince of Chatemal, by whom he was treated with 
 kindness. Being a thorough son of the ocean, seasoned to all 
 weathers, and ready for any chance or change, he soon accom- 
 modated himself to his new situation, followed the cacique to 
 the war.-^, rose by bis hardibood and ])rowess to be a distin- 
 guished warrior, and succeeded in gaining the heart and hand 
 of an Indian princess. 
 
 The other survivor, Jeronimo de Aguilar, was of a different 
 complexion. He was a native of Ecija in Andalusia, and had 
 been brought up to the church and regularly ordained, and 
 shortly afterwards had sailed in one of the expeditions to San 
 Domingo, from whence he had passed to Darieu.
 
 182 SPAJyiSII VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 He proceeded in a different mode from that adopted by his 
 comrade the sailor in his dealings with the Indians, and in one 
 more suited to his opposite calling. Instead of playing the hero 
 among the men and the gallant among the women, he recol- 
 lected his priestly obligations to Immility and chastity. Ac- 
 cordingly, he made himself a model of meekness and obedi- 
 ence to the cacique and his warriors, while he closed his eyes 
 to the charms of the infidel women. Nay, in the latter re- 
 spect, he reinforced his clerical vows by a solemn promise to 
 God to resist all temptations of the flesh so he might be deliv- 
 ered out of the hands of these Gentries. 
 
 Such were the opposite measvires of the sailor and the saint, 
 and they appear to have been equally successful. Aguilar, by 
 his meek obedience to every order, however arbitraiy and 
 capricious, gradually won the good-wiU of the cacique and his 
 familj'^. Taxmar, however, subjected him to many trials be- 
 fore he admitted him to his entire confidence. One day when 
 the Indians, painted and decorated in warUke style, Avere 
 shooting at a mark, a warrior, who had for some time fijced 
 his eyes on Aguilar, approached suddenly and seized him by 
 the ann. " Thou seest," said he, " the certainty of these arch- 
 ers ; if they aim at the eye, they hit the eye — if at the mouth, 
 they hit the mouth — what wouldst thou think if thou wert to 
 be placed instead of the mark and they were to shoot at and 
 miss thee?" 
 
 Aguilar secretly trembled lest he should be the victim of 
 some cruel caprice of the kind. Dissembling his fears, how- 
 ever, he replied with gi-eat submission, " I am yoiu* slave and 
 you may do with me as you please, but you are too wise to 
 destroy a slave who is so useful and obedient." His answer 
 pleased the cacique, who had seci'etly sent this warrior to try 
 his humility. 
 
 Another trial of the worthy Joronimo was less stern and 
 fearful indeed, but equally pei'plcxing. The cacique had re- 
 marked liis unexampled discretion with respect to the sex, but 
 doubted his sincerity. After laying many petty temptations 
 in his way, which Jeronimo resisted with the self-denial of a 
 saint, he at length determined to subject Mm to a fiery ordoal. 
 He accordingly sent him on a fishing expedition accompanied 
 by a buxom damsel of fourteen yeai-s of age ; they were to pass 
 the night by the sea-side, so as to be ready to fish at the first 
 dawn of day, and were allcAvcd but one hammock to sleep in. 
 It Avas an embarrassing predicament- not apparently to the
 
 77//-; FORTUNKS OF VAI.DIVIA. J88 
 
 Indian beauty, but certainly to the scrupulous Jeronimo. He 
 remembered, however, his double vow, and, suspending his 
 hauimock to two tree^, resigned it to his companion; while, 
 lighting a lire on the sea-shore, he stretched himself before it 
 on the sand. It was, as ho acknowledged, a night of fearful 
 trial, for his sandy couch was cold and cheerless, the hammock 
 warm and tempting; and the infidel damsel had been in- 
 structed to assail him with all manner of blandishments and 
 reproaches. His resolution, however, though often shaken, 
 was never overcome ; and the morning dawned upon him stiU 
 faithful to his vow. 
 
 The fishing over, he returned to the residence of the cacique, 
 •where his companion, being closely questioned, made known 
 the triumph of his self-deniixl before all the people. From that 
 time forAvard he was held in great respect ; the cacique espe- 
 cially treated him with imlimited confidence, entrusting to him 
 the care not merely of his house, but of his wives during liis 
 occasional absence. 
 
 Aguilar now felt ambitious of rising to greater consequence 
 among the savages, but this he knew was only to be done by 
 deeds of arms. He had the example of the sturdy seaman, 
 Gonzalo Guerrero, before his eyes, who had become a gi-eat 
 captain in the province in which he resided. He entreated 
 Taxmar, therefore, to entrust him with bow and arrows, buck- 
 ler and war-club, and to enroll him among his warriors. The 
 cacique complied. Aguilar soon made himself expert at his 
 new weapons, signalized himself repeatedly in battle, and, 
 from his superior knowledge of the arts of war, rendered Tax- 
 mar such essential service, as to excite the jealousy of some of 
 the neighbouring caciques. One of them remonstrated with 
 Taxmar for employing a warrior who was of a different religion, 
 and insisted that Aguilar should be sacrificed to their gods. 
 "No," replied Taxmar, "I will not make so base a return 
 for such signal services; surely the gods of Aguilar must be 
 good, since they aid him so effectually in maintaining a just 
 cause." 
 
 The cacique Avas so incensed at this reply that he assembled 
 his warriors and marched to make war upon Taxmar. Many 
 of the counsellors of the latter urged him to give up the 
 stranger who was the cause of this hostility. Taxmar, how- 
 ever, rejected their coimsel with disdain and prepared for bat- 
 tle. Aguilar assured him that his faith in the Christian's God 
 would be rewarded with victory ; he, in fact, concerted a pUuq
 
 184 SPANJSII VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 of battle which was adopted. Concealing himself with a 
 chosen band of warriors among thickets and herbage, he suf- 
 fered the enemy to pass by in making their attack. Taxmar 
 and his host pretended to give way at the first onset. The foe 
 rushed heedlessly in pursuit ; whereupon Aguilar and his am- 
 buscade assaidted them in the rear. Taxmar tm^ned upon 
 them in front; they were thrown in confusion, routed with 
 great slaughter, and many of their chiefs taken prisoners. 
 This victory gave Taxmar the sway over the land, and 
 strengthened Aguilar more than ever in his good graces. 
 
 Several years had elapsed in this manner, when, in 1517, 
 intelligence was brought to the province of the arrival on the 
 neighbouring coast of gi-eat vessels of wonderfid construction, 
 filled with white and bearded men, who fought with thunder 
 and lightning. It was, in fact, the squadron of Francisco 
 Hernandez de Cordova, then on a voyage of discovery. The 
 tidings of this strange invasion spread consternation through 
 the country, heightened, if we may credit the old Spanish 
 writers, by a prophecy current among the savages of these 
 parts, and uttered in former times by a priest named Chilam 
 Cambal, who foretold that a white and bearded people would 
 come from the region of the rising sun, Avho would overturn 
 their idols and subjugate the land. 
 
 The heart of Jeronimo de Aguilar beat quick with hope when 
 he heard of European ships at hand ; he was distant from the 
 coast, however, and perceived that he was too closely watched 
 by the Indians to have any chance of escape. Dissembling his 
 feelings, therefore, he affected to hear of the ships with per- 
 fect indifference, and to have no desire to join "^-he strangers. 
 The ships disappeared from the coast, and he remained dis- 
 consolate at heart, but was regarded with increased confidence 
 by the natives. 
 
 His hopes were again revived in the course of a year or two 
 by the arrival on the coast of other ships, which were those 
 commanded by Juan de Grijalva, who coasted Yucatan in 
 1518; Aguilar, however, was again prevented by the jealous 
 watchfulness of the Indians from attempting his escape, and 
 when this squadron left the coast he considered aU chance of 
 dehverance at an end. 
 
 Seven years had gone by since his capture, and he had given 
 up all hopes of being restored to his country and friends, Avhen, 
 in 1519, there arrived one day at the village three Indians, 
 Tiatives of the small island of Cozimiel, which lies a few
 
 THE FORTUNES OF VALDIVIA. 185 
 
 leagues in the sea, opposite the eastern coast of Yucatan. 
 They brou;^ht tidinj^ of another \asit of white bearded men 
 to their shores, and one of them dehvered a letter to Agiiilar, 
 which, being entirely naked, he had concealed it in the long 
 tresses of his hair which were bound round his head. 
 
 Aguilar received the letter with wonder and delight, and 
 read it in presence of the cacique and his warriors. It proved 
 to be from Hernando Cortez, who was at that time on his 
 great expedition, which ended in the conquest of Mexico. He 
 had been obliged by stress of weather to anchor at the island 
 of Cozumel, where he learned from the natives that several 
 white men were detained in captivity among the Indians on 
 the nei;i;hbouring coast of Yucatan. Finding it impossible to 
 approach the mainland with his ships, he prevailed upon three 
 of the islanders, by means of gifts and promises, to venture 
 upon an embassy among their cannibal neighbours, and to 
 convey a letter to the captive wliitc men. Two of the smallest 
 caravels of the e'J■^adron were sent under the command of 
 Diego do Orda:;, ' vho was ordered to land the three messengers 
 at the point of Cotoche, and to wait there eight days for their 
 return. 
 
 The letter brought by these envoys informed the Christian 
 captives of the force and destination of the squadi'on of Cortez, 
 and of liis having sent the caravels to wait for them at the 
 point of Cotoche, with a ransom for their deliverance, inviting 
 them to hasten and join him at Cozumel. 
 
 The transport of Aguilar on first reading the letter was mod- 
 erated when he reflected on the obstacles that might prevent 
 him from profiting by this chance of deliverance. He had 
 made himself too useful to the cacique to hope that he would 
 readily give him his liberty, and he knew the jealous and irri- 
 table natiu'c of the savages too well not to fear that even an 
 application for leave to depart might draw iipon him the 
 severest treatment. He endeavoured, therefore, to operate 
 upon the caeiquo through his apprehensions. To this end he 
 inf(irmod him that the piece of paper which he held in his 
 hand brought him a full account of the mighty armament that 
 had arrived on the coast. He described the number of the 
 ships and various particulars concerning the squadron, all 
 which were amply corroborated by the testimony of the mes- 
 sengers. The cacique and his warriors were astonished at this 
 strange mode of conveying intelligence from a distance, and 
 regarded the letter as something mysterious and supernatural.
 
 186 .SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCO VERT. 
 
 Aguilar went on to relate the tremendous and superhuman 
 powers of the people in these ships, who, armed with thunder 
 and lightning, wreaked destruction on all who displeased 
 them, while they dispensed inestimable gifts and benefits on 
 such as proved themselves their friends. He at the same time 
 spread before the cacique various presents brought by the 
 messengers, as specimens of the blessings to be expected from 
 the friendship of the strangers. The intimation was effectual. 
 The cacique was filled with awe at the recital of the terrific 
 powers of the white men, and his eyes were dazzled by the 
 glittering trinkets displayed before hun. He entreated Aguilar, 
 therefore, to act as Ms ambassador and mediator, and to 
 secure him the amity of the strangers. 
 
 Aguilar saw with transport the prospect of a speedy deliver- 
 ance. In this moment of exultation, he bethought hinaself of 
 the only surviving comrade of his past fortunes, Gonzalo 
 Guerrero, and, sending the letter of Cortez to him, invited 
 him to accompany him in his escape. The sturdy seaman 
 was at this time a great chieftain in Ms province, and Ms 
 Indian bride had borne him a nimierous progeny. His heart, 
 however, yearned after his native country, and he might have 
 been tempted to leave Ms honours and dignities, his infidel 
 wife and lialf -savage offspring behind him, but an insuperable, 
 though somewhat ludicrous, obstacle presented itself to Ms 
 wishes. Having long since given over aU expectation of a 
 return to civilized life, he had conformed to the customs of 
 the country, and had adopted the external signs and decora- 
 tions that marked Mm as a warrior and a man of rank. His 
 face and hands were indelibly painted or tattooed ; Ms ears 
 and lips were slit to .admit h«ge Indian ornaments, and Ms 
 nose was drawn down almost to his mouth by a massy rmg of 
 gold, and a dangling jewel. 
 
 Thus curiously garbled and disfigured, the honest seaman 
 felt, that however he might be admired in Yucatan, he should 
 be apt to have the rabble at his heels in Spain. He made up 
 Ms mind, therefore, to remain a great man among the sav- 
 ages, rather than run the risk of being shown as a man- 
 monster at home. 
 
 Finding that he declined accompanying him, Jeronuno de 
 Aguilar set off for the point of Cotoche, escorted by three 
 Indians. The time he had lost in waiting for Guerrero had 
 nearly proved fatal to Ms hopes, for when he arrived at the 
 point the caravels sent by Cortez had departed, though sev-
 
 THE FORTUNES OF VAUUV/A. 1S7 
 
 eral crosses of reeds set up in different places gave tokens of 
 the recent presence of Christians. 
 
 The only hope that remained, was that the squadron of 
 Coi'tez niij^ht yet Hn.^er at the opposite island of Coziunel; hut 
 how was he to get there ^ While wandering disconsolately along 
 the shore, he found a canoe, half buried in sand and water, 
 and with one side in a state of decay ; with the assistance of 
 the Indians he cleaned it, and set it afloat, and on looking 
 further he found the stave of a hogshead which might serve 
 for a paddle. It was a frail embarkation in which to cross an 
 arm of the sea, seveiv leagues wide, but there was no alter- 
 native. Prevailing on the Indians to acconi])any him, he 
 launched foilh in the canoe and coasted the main land until 
 he came to the iiarrowest part of the strait, wiiere it Avas but 
 four leagnies across; here he stood directly for Cozumel, con- 
 tending, as well as he was able, with a strong current, and at 
 length succeeded in reaching the island. 
 
 He had scarce landed Avhen a party of Spaniards, who had 
 been lying in wait, inished forth from their conceahncnt. sword 
 in hand. The three Indians woidd have fled, but Aguilar re- 
 assured them, and, calling out to the Spaniards in their own 
 language, assured them that he was a Christian. Then throw- 
 ing himself ujion his knees, and raising his eyes, streaming 
 with tears, to heaven, he gave thanks to God for havmg re- 
 stored him to his countrymen. 
 
 The Spaniards gazed at him with astonishment: from his 
 language he was evidently a Castilian, but to all appearance 
 he was an Indian. He was perfectly naked; wore his hair 
 braided round his head in the manner of the country, and his 
 complexion was burnt by the sim to a tawny colour. He had 
 a bow m his hand, a quiver at his shoulder, and a net-work 
 pouch at his side in which he carried his provisions. 
 
 The Spaniards proved to be a reconnoiterin.::?: party, sent out 
 by Cortez to Avatch the approach of the canoe, which had been 
 descried coming from Yucatan. Cortez had given xip all hopes 
 of being joined by the captives, the caravel having waited the 
 allotted time at Cotoche, and returned without news of them. 
 He had, in fact, made sail to pro'^ocuto his voyage, but fortu- 
 nately one of his ships had sprung a leak, which had obliged 
 him to return to the island. 
 
 When Jei'ouimo de Aguilar and his companions arrived in 
 presence of Cortez, who was surrounded by his officers, they 
 made a profouTid rov(^r(^nce, squatted on the gn^md. laid their
 
 188 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCO FEE T. 
 
 bows and arrows beside tbem, and touching their right hands, 
 wet with spittle, on the ground, rubbed them about the region 
 of the heart, such being their sign of the most devoted sub- 
 mission. 
 
 Cortez greeted Aguilar with a hearty welcome, and raising 
 him from the earth, took from his own person a large yellow 
 mantle lined with crimson, and threw it over his shoulders. 
 The latter, however, had for so long a time gone entirely 
 naked, that even this scanty covering was at first almost in- 
 supportable, and he had become so accustomed to the diet of 
 the natives, that he found it difficult to reconcile his stomach 
 to the meat and drink set before him. 
 
 When he had sufficiently recovered from the agitation of his 
 arrival among Christians, Cortez drew from him the particu- 
 lars of his story, and found that he was related to one of his 
 own friends, the licentiate Marcos de AguUar. He treated 
 him, therefore, with additional kindness and respect, and re- 
 tained him about his pei'son to aid him as an interpreter in his 
 great Mexican expedition. 
 
 The happiness of Jeronimo de Aguilar at once more being 
 restored to his countrymen, Avas doomed to suffer some alloy 
 from the disasters that had happened in his family. Peter 
 Martyr records a touching anecdote of the elfect that had been 
 produced upon his mother by the tidings of his misfortune. A 
 vague report had reached her in Spain that her son had fallen 
 into the hands of cannibals. All the horrible tales that circu- 
 lated in Spain concerning the treatment of these savages to 
 their prisoners, rushed to her imagination, and she went dis- 
 tracted. Whenever she beheld roasted meat, or flesh upon the 
 spit, she would fill the house with her outcries. ' ' Oh, wretched 
 mother! oh, most miserable of women!" would she exclaim, 
 " behold the limbs of my murdered son." * 
 
 It is to be hoped that the tidings of his deliverance had a 
 favourable effect upon her intellect, and that she lived to re- 
 joice at his after-fortunes. He served Hernando Cortez with 
 great courage and ability throughout his Mexican conquests, 
 acting sometimes as a soldier, sometimes as interpreter and 
 ambassador to the Indians, and, in reward of his fidelity and 
 services, was appointed regidor, or civil governor of the city 
 of Mexico. 
 
 * p. Martyr, decad. 4, c. 6.
 
 MICER CODJiO, THE AUTROLOGEli. 1S9 
 
 MICER CODRO, THE ASTROLOGER. 
 
 The fate of the Italian astrologer, Micer Codro, who pre- 
 dicted the end of Vasco Nuiiez, is related by the historian 
 Oviedo, with some particulars that border upon the marvel- 
 ous. It appears that after the death of his patron, he con- 
 tinued for several years rambhng about the New World in the 
 train of the Spanish discoverers ; but intent upon stvidying the 
 secrets of its natural history, rather than searching after its 
 treasures. 
 
 In the course of his wanderings he was once coasting the 
 shores of the Southern ocean in a ship commanded by one 
 Geronimo de Valcnzuela, from whom he received such cruel 
 treatment as to cause his death, though what the nature of the 
 treatment was, we are not precisely informed. 
 
 Finding his end approaching, the unfortunate astrologer ad- 
 dressed Valenzucla in the most solemn manner: "Captain," 
 said he, "you have caused my death by your cruelty; I now 
 summon you to appear with me, within a year, before the 
 judgment seat of God !" 
 
 The captain made a light and scoffing answer, and treated 
 his summons vnXh contempt. 
 
 Tliey were then off the coast of Veragua, near the verdant 
 islands of Zebaco, which lie at the entrance of the Gulf of 
 Paria. The poor astrologer gazed wistfully with his dying 
 eyes upon the green and shady groves, and onti-eated the pilot 
 or mate of the caravel to land him on one of the islands, that 
 he might die in peace. "Micer Codro," replied tlie pilot, "those 
 are not islands, but points of land ; there are no islands here- 
 about." 
 
 "There are, indeed," replied the astrologer, "two good and 
 pleasant islands, well watered, and near to the coast, and 
 within them is a great bay with a harbor. Land me. I pray 
 you, upon one of these islands, that I may have comfort in my 
 dying hour."
 
 190 iyPAj\LSI/ VOYAGERS OF VISCOVEUY. 
 
 The pilot, whose rough nature had been touched with pity 
 for the condition of the unfo7-tunate astrologer, listened to his 
 prayer, and conveyed him to the shore, where he found the 
 opinion he had given of the character of the coast to be cor- 
 rect. He laid him on the herbage in the shade, where the poor 
 wanderer soon expired. The pilot then dug a grave at the foot 
 of a tree, where he buried him with all possible decency, and 
 carved a cross on the bark to mark the grave. 
 
 Some time afterwards, Oviedo. the historian, was on the 
 island with this very pilot, who showed him the cross on the 
 tree, and gave his honest testimony to the good character and 
 worthy conduct of Micer Codro. Oviedo, as he regarded the 
 nameless grave, passed the eulogium of a scholar upon the 
 poor astrologer : " He died," says he, "like Pliny, in the dis- 
 charge of his duties, travelling about the world to explore the 
 secrets of nature. " According to his account, the prediction 
 of Micer Codro held good with respect to Valenzuela, as it had 
 in the case of Vasco Nunez. The captain died within the term 
 in which he liad summoned him to appear before the tribunal 
 of God.* 
 
 * Vide Oviedo, Hist. Gen. 1. xxxuc. c. 2
 
 JUAN PONCK DK LEON. V.)\ 
 
 JUAN PONCE DE LEON 
 
 CONQUEROR OF PORTO RICO AND DISCOVERER OF FLORIDA. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 RECONNOITERING EXPEDITION OF JUAN PONCE DE LEON TO THE 
 ISLAND OF BORIQUEN. — (1508.) 
 
 Many years had elapsed since the discovery and coloniza- 
 tion of Hayti, yet its nei.a:hbouring island of Boriquen. or, as 
 the Spaniards called it, St. Juan, (siiice named Porto Rico,) re- 
 mained unexplored. It was beautiful to the eye as beheld 
 from the sea, ha^ang lofty mountains clothed with forest trees 
 of prodigious size and magnificent foliage. There were broad 
 fertile valleys also, always fresh and green ; for the frequent 
 showers and abundant streams in these latitudes, and the ab- 
 sence«of all wintry frost, produce a perpetual verdure. Vai-ious 
 ships had occasionally touched at the island, but their crews 
 had never penetrated into the interior. It was evident, how- 
 ever, from the number of handets and scattered houses, and 
 the smoke rising in all directions from among the trees, that it 
 was well peopled. The inliabitants still continued to enjoy 
 their life of indolence and freedom, unmolested by the ills that 
 overwhelmed the neighbouring island of Hayti. The time had 
 arrived, however, when they were to share the common lot of 
 their fellow savages, and to sink beneath the yoke of the white 
 man. 
 
 At the time when Nicholas de Ovando, Governor of Hispani- 
 ola. undertook to lay waste th(^ gi*eat province of Higuoy, 
 which lay at the eastern end of Hayti, he sent, as commander 
 of part of the troops, a veteran soldier named Juan Ponce de 
 Leon. He was a native of Leon, in Spain, and in his boyhood 
 had been page to Pedro Nunez de Guzman, Senor of Toral.* 
 
 ♦Iticas, (iart'iliiso ilt" la Vc^a, Hist. Florida, t. iv. c. 37.
 
 192 SPAyiSII VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 From an early age he had been schooled to war, and had served 
 in the various campaigns against the Moors of Granada. He 
 accompanied Columbus in his second voyage in 1493, and was 
 afterwards, it is said, one of the partisans of Francisco Roldan, 
 in his rebellion against the admiral. Having distinguished him- 
 self in various battles with the Indians, and acquired a name 
 for sagacity as well as valour, he received a connnand subor- 
 dinate to Juan de Esquibel, in the campaign against Higuey, 
 and seconded his chief so valiantly in that sanguinary expedi- 
 tion, that after the subjugation of the province he was ap- 
 pointed to the command of it, as lieutenant of the Governor of 
 Hispaniola. 
 
 Juan Ponce de Leon had all the impatience of quiet life and 
 the passion for exploit of a veteran campaigner. He had not 
 been long in the tranquil command of his province of Higuey, 
 before he began to cast a ■wistful eye towards the green moun- 
 tains of Boriquen. They were directly opposite, and but 
 twelve or fourteen leagues distant, so as to be distinctly seen 
 in the transparent atmosphere of the tropics. The Indians of 
 the two islands frequently visited each other, and in this way 
 Juan Ponce received the usual intelHgence that the mountains 
 ne had eyed so wistfully abounded with gold. He readily ob- 
 tained permission from Governor Ovando to make an expedi- 
 tion to this island, and embarked in the year 1508 in a caravel, 
 with a few Spaniards and several Indian interpreters and 
 guides. 
 
 After an easy voyage he landed on the woody shores of the 
 island, near to the residence of the principal cacique, Aguey- 
 bana. He found the chieftain seated in patriarchal style under 
 the shade of his native groves and surrounded by his family, 
 consisting of his mother, step-father, brother, and sister, who 
 vied with each other in paying homage to the strangers. Juan 
 Ponce, in fact, was received into the bosom of the family, and 
 the cacique exchanged names with him, which is the Indian 
 pledge of perpetual amity. Juan Ponce also gave Christian 
 names to the mother and step-father of the cacique, and would 
 fain have baptized them, but they declined the ceremony, 
 though they always took a pride in the names thus given 
 them. 
 
 In his zeal to gratify his guests the cacique took them to vari- 
 ous parts of the island. They found the interior to correspond 
 with the external appearance. It was wild and mountainous, 
 but magnificently wooded, with deep rich valleys fertilized by
 
 JUAX rONCE DK LKoy. ]93 
 
 limpid streams. Juan Ponce requested the cacique to reveal 
 to him the riches oi" the island. The simple Indian showed him 
 his most productive fields of Yuca, the groves Lidon with the 
 most delicioiis fruit, the sweetest and purest fountains, and the 
 coolest runs of water. 
 
 Ponce de Leon heeded hut little these real blessings, and de- 
 manded whether the island produced no gold. Upon this, the 
 cacique conducted him to two rivers, the Manatuabon and the 
 Zebuco, where the very pebbles seemed richly veined with gold, 
 and large grains shone among the sand through the limpid 
 water. Some of the largest of these were gathered by the In- 
 dians and given to the Spaniards. The quantity thus procured 
 confirmed the hopes of Juan Ponce ; and leaving several of his 
 companions in the liouso of the hospitable cacique, he returned 
 to Hayti to report the success of his expedition. Ho presented 
 the specunens of gold to the Governor Ovando, who assayed 
 them in a crucible. The ore was not so fine as that of Hispani- 
 ola, but as it was supposed to exist in gi-eatcr quantities, the 
 Governor deternained on the subjugation of the island, and con- 
 fided the enterpi'ise to Juan Ponce de Leon. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 JUAN PONCE ASPraES TO THE GOVERNMENT OF PORTO RICO. — 
 
 (1509.) 
 
 The natives of Boriquen were more warlike than those of 
 Hispaniola; being accustomed to the use of arms from the ne- 
 cessity of repelling the frequent invasions of the Caribs. It 
 ■was supposed, therefore, that the conquest of their island 
 would be attended with some difficulty, and Juan Ponce de 
 Leon made another, as it were a preparatory visit, to make 
 himself acquainted with the country, and with tlie nature and 
 resources of the inhabitants. He found the companions, whom 
 he had left there on his fowner visit, in good health and spirits, 
 and fiill of gi-atitude towards the cacique Agueybana, who had 
 treated tht>m with undiminislied hospitality. There appeared 
 to be no need of violence to win the island from such simple- 
 hearted and confiding people. Juan Ponce flattered himself 
 with the hopes of being appointed to its government by Ovando,
 
 194 SPANISTf VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 and of bringing- it peaceably into subjection. After remaining 
 some time on the island, he returned to San Domingo to seek 
 the desii'ed appointment, but, to his surprise, found the whole 
 face of affairs had changed during his absence. 
 
 His patron, the Governor Ovando, had been recalled to 
 Spain, and Don Diego Columbus, son of the renowned discov- 
 erer, appointed in his place to the command at San Domingo. 
 To add to the perplexities of Juan Ponce, a cavalier had already 
 arrived from Spain, empowered by the king to form a settle- 
 ment and build a forti-ess on the island of Porto Rico. His 
 name was Christoval de Sotomayor; he was brother to the 
 Count of Camina, and had been secretary to Philip I., sur- 
 named the Handsome, king of Castile, and father of Charles V, 
 
 Don Diego Columbus was higlily displeased with the act of 
 the king in granting these powers to Sotomayor, as it had been 
 done without his knowledge and consent, and of course in dis- 
 regard of his prerogative as viceroy, to be consulted as to all 
 ai^pointments made within his jurisdiction. He refused, thei'e- 
 fore, to put Sotomayor in possession of the island. He paid as 
 little respect to the claims of Juan Ponce de Leon, whom he 
 regarded with an ungracious eye as a favourite of his prede^ 
 cessor Ovando. To settle the matter effectually, he exerted 
 what he considered his official and hereditary privilege, and 
 chose officers to suit himself, appointing one Juan Ceron to the 
 govermnent of Porto Rico, and Miguel Diaz to serve as his 
 lieutenant.* 
 
 Juan Ponce de Leon and his rival candidate, Christoval de 
 Sotomayor, bore their disappointment with a good grace. 
 Though the command was denied them, they still hoped to im- 
 prove their fortunes in the island, and accordingly joined the 
 crowd of adventurers that accompanied the newly appointed 
 governor. 
 
 New changes soon took place in consequence of the jealousies 
 and misunderstandings between King Ferdinand and the admi- 
 ral as to points of privilege. The former still seemed disposed to 
 mamtain the right of making appointments without consulting 
 Don Diego, and exerted it in the present instance ; for, when 
 Ovando, on his return to Spain, made favourable representation 
 of the merits of Juan Ponce de Leon, and set forth liis services 
 
 * If the reader has perused the history of Columbus, he may remember the ro- 
 mantic adventure of this Miguel Diaz with a female cacique, which led to the dis- 
 covery of the gold mines of Hayna, and the foimding of the city of San Domingo.
 
 JUAN PONCE BE LEON. 195 
 
 in exploring Porto Rico, the king appointed him governor of 
 that island, and signified specifically that Don Diego Columbus 
 should not presume to displace him. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 JUAN PONCE RULES WITH A STRONG HAND — EXASPERATION OP 
 THE INDIANS — THEIR EXPERIMENT TO PROVE WHETHER THE 
 SPANIARDS WERE MORTAL. 
 
 Juan Ponce de Leon assumed the command of the island 
 of Boriquen in the year 1509. Being a fiery, high-handed old 
 soldier, his first step was to quarrel with Juan Ceron and 
 Miguel Diaz, the ex-governor and his lieutenant, and to send 
 them prisoners to Spain.* 
 
 He was far more favourable to liis late competitor, Christoval 
 de Sotomayor. Finding him to be a cavalier of noble blood 
 and high connexions, yet void of pretension, and of most ac- 
 commodating temper, he offered to make him his lieutenant, 
 and to give him the post of Alcalde Mayor, an offer which Avas 
 very thankfull;^ accepted. 
 
 The pride of rank, however, which foUoAvs a man even into 
 the wilderness, soon interfered with the quiet of Sotomayor ; 
 he was ridiculed for descending so much below his birth and 
 dignity, as to accept a subaltern situation to a simple gentleman 
 in the island which he had originally aspired to govern. He 
 could not withstand these sneers, but resigned his appointment, 
 and remained in the island as a private individual ; establishing 
 himself in a village where ne had a large repartimiento or allot- 
 ment of Indians assigned to him by a grant from the king. 
 
 Juan Ponce fixed his seat of government in a town called 
 Caparra, which he founded on the northern side of the island, 
 about a league from the sea, in a neighbourhood supposed to 
 abound in gold. It was in front of the ])ort called Rico, which 
 subsequently gave its name to the island. The road to the 
 toAvn was up a moimtain, through a dense forest, and so rugged 
 and miry that it was the bane of man and beast. It cost more 
 to convey provisions and merchandise up this league of moun- 
 tain than it had to bring them from Spain. 
 
 ♦ Herrera, dccad. 1, 1. vil. c. 13.
 
 196 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 Juan Ponce, being firmly seated in his government, began to 
 carve and portion out the island, to found towns, and to dis- 
 tribute the natives into repartimientos, for the purpose of 
 exacting their labour. 
 
 The poor Indians soon found the difference between the 
 Spaniards as guests, and the Spaniards as masters. They were 
 driven to despaii* by the heavy tasks imposed upon them ; for 
 to their free spirits and indolent habits, restraint and labour 
 were worse than death. Many of the most hardy and daring 
 proposed a general insurrection, and a massacre of their oppres- 
 sors ; the great mass, however, were deterred by the belief that 
 the Spaniards were supernatural beings and could not be killed. 
 
 A shrewd and sceptical cacique named Brayoan determined 
 to put their immortality to the test. Hearing that a young 
 Spaniard named Salzedo was passing through his lands, he 
 sent a party of Ms subjects to escort him, giving them secret 
 instructions how they were to act. On coming to a river they 
 took Salzedo on their shoulders to carry him across, but when 
 in the midst of the stream, they let him fall, and, throAving 
 themselves upon him, pressed him under water untU he was 
 droAvned. Then dragging his body to the shore, and still doubt- 
 ing his being dead, they wept and howled over him, making a 
 thousand apologies for having fallen upon him, and kept him 
 so long beneath the surface. 
 
 The cacique Brayoan came to examine the body and pro- 
 nounced it lifeless ; but the Indians, still fearing it might pos- 
 sess lurking immortality and ultimately revive, kept watch 
 over it for three days, until it showed incontestable signs of 
 putrefaction. 
 
 Being now convinced that the strangers were mortal men 
 like themselves, they readily entered into a general conspiracy 
 to destroy them.* 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 CONSPIRACY OF THE CACIQUES— THE FATE OF SOTOMAYOR. 
 
 The prime mover of the conspiracy among the notives was 
 Agueybana, brother and successor to the hospitable cacique of 
 
 * Herrera, decad. 1, 1. viii. c. 13.
 
 JUAN PONCE DE LEON. 197 
 
 the same name, who had first welcomed the Spaniards to the 
 island, and who had fortunately closed his eyes in peace, be- 
 fore his native groves were made the scones of violence and 
 oppression. The present cacique had fallen within the repar- 
 tiniiento of Don Clu-istoval de Sotomayor, and, though treated 
 by that cavalier with kindness, could never reconcile his 
 proiid spirit to the yoke of vassalage. 
 
 Aguej'bana held secret councils with his confederate ca- 
 ciques, in wliich they concerted a plan of operations. As the 
 Spaniards were scattered about in different places, it was 
 agreed that, at a certain time, each cacique should dispatch 
 those Avithin his province In arranging the massacre of 
 those wit>hin his own domains, Agueybana assigned to one of 
 his inferior caciques the task of surprising the village of Soto- 
 mayor, giving him 3.000 warriors for the purpose. He was to 
 assail the village in the dead of the night, to set fire to the 
 houses, and to slaughter all the inhabitants. He proudly, 
 however, rosei-ved to himself the honour of killing Don Chris- 
 toval with his own hand. 
 
 Don Christoval had an unsuspected friend in the very midst 
 of his enemies. Being a cavalier of gallant appearance and 
 amiable and courteous manners, he had won the affections of 
 an Indian ]irincess, the sister of the cacique Agueybana. She 
 had overheard enough of the war-council of her brother and 
 his warriors to learn that Sotomayor was in danger. The life 
 of her lover was more precious in her eyes than the safety of 
 her brother and her tribe; hastening, therefore, to hun, she 
 told him all that she know or feared, and warned him to be 
 upon his guard. Sotomayor aitpears to have been of the most 
 easy and incautious nature, void of all evil and deceit himself, 
 and slow to suspect any thing of the kind in others. He con- 
 sidered the apprehension of the princess as dictated by her 
 fond anxiety, and neglected to profit by her warning. 
 
 He received, however, about the same time, information 
 from a different quarter, tending to the same point. A Span- 
 iard, versed in the language and customs of the natives, had 
 observed a number gathering together one evening, ]iainted 
 and decorated as if for battle. Suspecting some lurking mis- 
 chief, he stripped and painted himself in their manner, and, 
 favoured by the obscurity of the night, succeeded in mingling 
 among them undiscovered. They were assembled round a fii-e 
 performing one of their mystic war-dances, to the chant of an 
 Areyto or legendary ballad. The strophes and responses
 
 198 SPAJVISII VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 treated of revenge and slaughter, and repeatedly mentioned 
 the death of Sotoinayor. 
 
 The Spaniard withdrew unperceived, and hastened to ap- 
 prise Don Cliristoval of his danger. The latter still made light 
 of these repeated warnings; revolving them, however, in his 
 mind in the stillness of the night, he began to feel some un- 
 easiness, and determined to repair in the morning to Juan 
 Ponce de Leon, in his strong-hold at Caparra. With his fated 
 heedlessness, or temerity, however, he applied to Agueybana 
 for Indians to carry his baggage, and departed slightly armed, 
 and accompanied by but three Spaniards, although he had to 
 pass through close and lonely forests, where he would be at 
 the mercy of any treacherous or lurking foe. 
 
 The cacique watched the departure of his intended victim 
 and set out shortly afterwards, dogging his steps at a distance 
 through the forest, accompanied by a few chosen warriors. 
 Agiieybana and his party had not proceeded far when they 
 mot a Spaniard named Juan Gonzalez, who spoke the Indian 
 language. They immediately assailed him and wounded him 
 in several places. He tln-ew himself at the feet of the cacique, 
 imploring liis Jife in the most abject terms. The chief spared 
 iiim for the moment, being eager to make sure of Don Cliristo- 
 val. He overtook that incautious cavalier in the veiy heart of 
 the woodland, and stealing silently upon him, burst forth sud- 
 denly with his warriors from the covert of the thickets, giv- 
 ipg the fatal war whoop. Before Sotomayor could put himself 
 upon his guard a blow from the war club of the cacique felled 
 him to the earth, when ho was quickly despatched by repeated 
 blows. The four Spaniards who accompanied him shared his 
 fate, being assailed, not merely by the warriors who had come 
 in pursuit of them, but by their o^vn Indian guides. 
 
 When Agueybana had glutted his vengeance on this unfor- 
 tunate cavaher, he returned in quest of Juan Gonzalez. The 
 latter, however, had recovered sufficiently from his wounds to 
 leave the place where he had been assailed, and, dreading the 
 return of the savages, had chmbed into a tree and concealed 
 himself among the branches. From thence, with trembling 
 anxiety he watched his pursuers as they searched aU the sur- 
 rounding forest for him. Fortunately they did not think of 
 looking up into the trees, but, after beating the bushes for 
 some time, gave up the search. Though he saw them depart, 
 yet he did not venture from his concealment until the night 
 had closed; he then descended from the tree and made the
 
 JUAN PONCE DE LEON. 199 
 
 best of hi z way to the residence of certain Spaniards, where 
 his wounds were dressed. When this was done he waited not 
 to take repose, but repaired by a circuitous route to Caparra, 
 and informed Juan Ponce de Leon of the danger he supposed 
 to be still impending over Sotomayor, for he knew not that 
 the enemy had accomplished his death. Juan Ponce inmaedi- 
 ately sent out forty men to his relief. They came to the scene 
 of massacre, where they foimd the body of the unfortunate 
 cavalier, partly buried, but with the feet out of the earth. 
 
 In the mean time the savages had accomplished the destinic- 
 tion of the village of Sotomayor. They approached it unper- 
 ceived, through the surrounding forest, and entering it in the 
 dead of thft night, set %'e to the straw-thatched houses, and at- 
 tacked the Spaniards as they endeavoured to escape from the 
 flames. 
 
 Several were slain at the onset, but a brave Spaniard, named 
 Diego de Salazar, raUicd his countrymen, inspirited them to 
 beat off the enemy, and succeeded in conducting the greater 
 pa^"t of them, though sorely mangled and harjissed, to the 
 strong-hold of the Governor at Caparra. Scarcely had these 
 i'ugitives gained the fortress, when others came hurrymg in 
 from all quarters, bringing sunilar tales of conflagi'ation and 
 massacre. For once a general insurrection, so often planned 
 in savage life, against the domination of the white men, was 
 croAvned with success. All the villages founded by the Span- 
 iards had been surprised, about a hundred of their inhabit- 
 ants destroj^ed, and the sui'vivors driven to take refuge in a 
 beleaguered fortress. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 WAR OF JTJAN PONCE WITH THE CACIQUE AQUEYBANA. 
 
 Juan Ponce de Leon might now almost bo considered a gov- 
 ernor without territories, and a general without soldiers. IILs 
 villages were smoking ruins, and his wliole lorce did not 
 amoimt to a hundred men, several of whom were disabled by 
 their wounds. He had an able and implacable foe in Aguey- 
 bana, who took the lead of all the ritlicr caciques, and evrn 
 sent envoys to the Caribs of the neighbouring islands, entreat- 
 ing them to forget all ancient animosities, and to make com-
 
 200 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 mon cause against these strangers — the deadly enemies of the 
 whole Indian race. In the mean time the whole of this wild 
 island was in rebellion, and the forests around the fortress of 
 Caparra rang with the whoops and yells of the savages, the 
 blasts of their war conchs, and the stormy roarmg of their 
 drums. 
 
 Juan Ponce was a staunch and wary old soldier, and not 
 easily daunted. He remained grimly ensconced within his 
 fortress, from whence he despatched messengers in all haste 
 to Hispaniola, imploring immediate assistance. In the mean 
 time he tasked his wits to divert the enemy and to keep them 
 at bay. He divided his little force into three bodies of about 
 thirty men each, under the coimnand of Diego Salazar, Miguel 
 do Toro, and Luis de Anasco, and sent them out alternately to 
 make sudden surprises and assaults, to form ambuscades, and 
 to practice the other stratagems of partisan warfare, which he 
 had learnt in early life in his campaigns against the Moors of 
 Granada. 
 
 One of his most efficient warriors was a dog named Berezillo, 
 renowned for courage, strength and sagacity. It is said that 
 he could distiaguish those of the Indians who were allies, from 
 those who were enemies of the Spaniards. To the former he 
 was docile and friendly, to the latter fierce and implacable. 
 He was the terror of the natives, who were unaccustomed to 
 powerful and ferocious animals, and did more ser^ace in this 
 wild warfare than could have been rendered by several 
 soldiers. His prowess was so highly appreciated that his 
 master received for him the pay -allowance, and share of booty, 
 assigned to a cross-bow man, which was the highest stipend 
 given.* 
 
 At length the stout old cavalier Juan Ponce was reinforced 
 in his strong-hold by troops from Hispaniola, whereupon he 
 sallied forth boldly to take revenge upon those who had thus 
 hold him in a kind of durance. His foe Agueybana was at 
 that time encamped in his own territories with more than five 
 thousand warriors, but in a negligent, unwatchfnl state, for 
 he knew nothing of the reinforcements of the Spaniards, and 
 
 *Thi.s famous dog was killed some years afterwards by a poisoned arrow, as he 
 was swimming in the sea in pursuit of a Carib Indian. He left, however, a num- 
 erous progeny and a great name behind him; and his meritc and exploits were 
 long a favourite theme nmong the Spnni.'^h colonis's. He was father to the 
 renowned Leoncico, the faithful dog of Vasco Nufiez, which resembled him ia 
 looks and e^iualled him in prowess.
 
 JUAN PONCE BE lEON. 2<»1 
 
 supposed Juan Ponce shut up with his handful of men in 
 Caparra. The old soldier, therefore, took him completely 
 by surprise, and routed him with great slaughter. Indeed, it 
 is said the Indians Aver<^ struck with a kind of panic when 
 they saw the Spaniards as numerous as ever, notwitlistand- 
 ing the number they had massacred. Tlieir belief in their 
 immortality revived ; they fancied that those whom they had 
 slain had returned to life, and they despaired of victory over 
 beings who could thus arise with renovated vigour from the 
 grave. 
 
 Various petty actions and skirmishes afterwards took place, 
 in which the Indians were defeated. Agueybana, however, 
 disdained ihis petty warfare, and stirred up his ccnxntrymen to 
 assemble their forces, and by one grand assault to decide the 
 fate of themselves and their island. Juan Ponce received 
 secret tidings of their intent, and of the place where they were 
 assembhng. He had at that time barely eighty men at his 
 disposal, but then they Avore cased in steel and proof against 
 the weapons of the savages. Without stopping to reflect, the 
 high-mettled old cavalier put himself at their head and led 
 them through the forest in quest of the foe. 
 
 It was nearly sunset when he came in sight of the Indian 
 camp, and the multitude of warriors assembled there made 
 him pause, and almost repent of his temerity. He was as 
 shrewd, however, as he was hardy and resolute. Ordering 
 some of his men in the advance to skirmish with the enemy, 
 he hastily threw up a slight fortification with tlio assistance of 
 the rest. When it was finished he witlidrew his forces into it 
 and ordered them to keep merely on the defensive. The 
 Indians made repeated attacks, but were as often repulsed 
 with loss. Some of the Spaniards, impatient of this covert 
 warfare, would sally forth in open field with pike and cross- 
 bow, but were called back -within the fortification by their 
 wary commander. 
 
 The cacique Aguej^bana was enraged at finding his host of 
 warriors thus baffled and kept at bay by a mere handful of 
 Spaniards. He beheld the night closing in, and feared that in 
 the darkness the enemy would escape. Summoning liis 
 choicest warriors round him, therefore, he led the way in a 
 general assault, when, as he approached the fortress, he re- 
 ceived a mortal wound from an arquebus and fell dead upon 
 the spot. 
 
 The Spaniards were not aware at fh-st of the importance of
 
 202 SFAJVISU VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 the chief whom they had slain. They soon surmised it, how- 
 ever, from the confusion that ensued among the enemy, who 
 bore off the body with great lamentations, and made no 
 fiu'ther attack. 
 
 The wary Juan Ponce took advantage of the evident distress 
 of the foe, to draw off his small forces in the night, hapi)y to 
 get out of the terrible jeopardy into which a rash confidence 
 had betrayed him. Some of his fiery-spirited officers would 
 have kept the field in spite of the overwhelming force of the 
 enemy. ''No, no," said the shrewd veteran; "it is better to 
 protract the war than to risk all upon a single battle." 
 
 While Juan Ponce de Leon was fighting hard to maintain 
 his sway over the island, his transient dignity was overturned 
 by another power, against which the prowess of the old 
 soldier was of no avail. King Ferdinand had repented of the 
 step he had ill-advisedly taken, in superceding the governor 
 and lieutenant governor, appointed by Don Diego Columbus. 
 He became conviijced, though rather* tardily, that it was an 
 infringement of the rights of the admii-al, and that poMcy, as 
 well as justice, required hun to retract it. When Juan Ceron 
 and Miguel Diaz, therefore, came prisoners to Spain, he 
 received them graciously, conferred many favors on them to 
 atone for their rough ejectment from office, and finally, after 
 some time, sent them back, empowered to resume the com- 
 mand of the island. They were ordered, however, on no 
 account to manifest rancour or ill-will against Juan Ponce de 
 Leon, or to interfere with any property he might hold, either 
 in houses, lands or Indians; but on the contrary, to cultivate 
 the most friendly understanding with him. The king also 
 wrote to the hardy veteran explaining to him, that this resti- 
 tution of Ceron and Diaz had been determined upon in council, 
 as a mere act of justice due to them, but was not intended as 
 a censure upon his conduct, and that means should be sought 
 to indemnify him for the loss of his command. 
 
 By the time the governor and bin lieutenant reached the 
 island, Juan Ponce had completed its subjugation. The death 
 of the island champion, the brave Agueybana, had in fact been 
 a death blow to the natives, and shows how much in savage 
 warfare, depends upon a single chieftain. They never made 
 head of war afterwards ; but, dispersing among their forests 
 and mountains, fell graduaUy under the power of the Span- 
 iards. Their subsequent fate was like that of their neighbours 
 of Hayti. They were employed in the labour of the mines,
 
 JUAN PONCE DE LEON. 203 
 
 and in other nide toils so repuj^nant to their nature that they 
 sanlc beneath them, and, in a Hltle while, almost all the 
 aboriginals disappeared fi-oni the island. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 JUAN PONCE DE LEON HEARS OF A WONDERFUL COUNTRY AND 
 MIRACULOUS FOUNTAIN. 
 
 JuAN PoNCE DE Leon resig:ned the command of Porto Rico 
 with tolerable pcrace. The loss of one wild island and wild 
 government was of little moment, when there was a new 
 world to be shared out, where a bold soldier Uke himself, with 
 sword and buckler, might readily cai-ve out new fortunes for 
 liimself . Beside, he had now amassed wealth to assist him in 
 his plans, and, like many of the early discoverers, his brain 
 was teeming with the most romantic enterprises. He had 
 conceived the idea that there was yet a third world to be dis- 
 covered, and he hoped to be the first to reach its shores, and 
 thus to secure a renown equal to that of Columbus. 
 
 While cogitating these things, and considering which way 
 he should strike forth in the unexplored regions around him, 
 he met with some old Indians who gave him tidings of a 
 country which promised, not merely to satisfy the cravings of 
 his ambition, but to realize the fondest dreams of the poets. 
 They assured him that, far to the north, there existed a land 
 abounding in gold and in ail manner of delights; but, above 
 all, possessing a river of such wonderful virtue that whoever 
 bathed in it woidd be restored to youth ! They added, that in 
 times past, before the arrival of the Spaniards, a large party 
 of the natives of Cuba had departed northward in searcli of 
 this happy land and this river of life, and, having never 
 returned, it was concluded that they were flourishing in 
 renovated youth, detained by the pleasures of that enchanting 
 country. 
 
 Here was the dream of the alchymist realized ! one had but 
 to find this gifted land and revel in the enjoyment of bound- 
 less riches and perennial youth! nay, some of the ancient 
 Indians declared tliat it was not necessary to go so far in quest 
 of these rejuvenating waters, for that, in a certain island of
 
 204 SPAmSH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 the Bahama group, called Bimini, which lay far out in the 
 ocean, there was a fountain possessing the same marvellous 
 and inestimable quaUties. 
 
 Juan Ponce de Leon listened to these tales with fond credu- 
 lity. He was advancing in life, and the ordinary term of exis- 
 tence seemed insuflScient for his mighty plans. Could he but 
 plunge into this marvellous foimtain or gifted river, and come 
 out with his battered, war-worn body restored to the strength 
 and freshness and suppleness of youth, and his head still retain- 
 mg the wisdom and knowledge of age, Avliat enterprises might 
 he not accomphsh ia the additional course of vigorous years 
 insured to him ! 
 
 It may seem incredible, at the present day, that a man of 
 years and experience coidd yield any faith to a story which 
 resembles the wild fiction of an Ai-abian tale ; but the wonders 
 and novelties breaking upon the world in that age of discovery 
 almost reahzed the illusions of fable, and the unaginations of 
 the Spanish voyagers had become so heated that they were 
 capable of any stretch of credulity. 
 
 So fully persuaded was the worthy old cavalier of the exist- 
 ence of the region described to him, that he fitted out three 
 ships at his own exnense to prosecute the discovery, nor had 
 he any difficulty in finding adventurers in abundance ready to 
 cruise with him in quest of this fairy -land.* 
 
 * It was not the credvilous minds of voyag'ers and adventurers alone that were 
 heated by these Indian traditions and romantic fables. Men of learning and 
 eminence were likewise beguiled by them: witness the following extract from the 
 second decade of Peter Martyr, addressed to Leo X., then Bishop of Rome: 
 
 '■ Among the islands on the north side of Hispaniola there is one about 325 leagues 
 distant, as they say which have searched the same, in the which is a continuai 
 spring of running water, of such marvellous virtue that the water thereof being 
 drunk, perhaps with some diet, maketh olde men young again. And here I must 
 make protestation to your holiness not to think this to be said lightly or rashly, for 
 they have so spread this rumour for a truth throughout all the court, that not only 
 all the people, but also many of them whom wisdom or fortune hath divided from 
 the common sort, think it to be true: but, if you will ask my opinion herein, I will 
 answer that I will not attribute so great power to nature, but that God hath no 
 lesse reserved this prerogative to himself than to search the hearts of men." &c. — 
 P. Martyr, D. 2. c. 10, Lok's translation.
 
 JUAN PONCE DR LEON. 205 
 
 CHAPTER Vn. 
 
 CRUISE OP JUAN PONCE DE LEON IN SEARCH OF THE FOUNTAIN 
 OF YOUTH.— 1512. 
 
 It was on the third of March, 1512, that Juan Ponce sailed 
 with his three ships from the Port of St. Gennain in the 
 island of Porto Rico. He kept for some distance along the 
 coast of Hispaniola, and then, stretching away to the north- 
 ward, made for the Bahama islands, and soon fell in with tho 
 first of the group. He was favoured Avith propitious weather 
 and tranquil seas, and glided smoothly with wind and current 
 along that verdant archipelago, visiting one island after 
 another, until, on the fourteenth of the month, he arrived at 
 Guanahani, or St. Salvador's, where Christopher Columbus 
 had first put his ioot on the shores of the new woild. His 
 in(|uiries lor the island of Bimini were all in vain, and as to 
 the fountain of youth, he may have drank of every fountain 
 and river, and toke of the archipelago, even to the salt pools 
 of Turks island, without being a whit the younger. 
 
 Still he was not discouraged ; but, having repaii-ed his ships, 
 he again put to sea and shaped liis course to the north-west. 
 On Sunday, the 27th of March, he came in sight of what he 
 supposed to be an island, but was prevented fi-om landing by 
 adverse weather. He continued hovering about it for several 
 days, buffeted by the elements, until, in the night of tho 
 second of April, he succeeded in coming to anchor under the 
 land in thirty degrees eight mimites of latitude. The whole 
 countiy was in the fresh bloom of spring; the trees were gay 
 with blossoms, and the fields covered with flowers; from 
 Avhich circumstance, as well as from having discovered it on 
 Palm Sunday, (Pascua Florida,) he gave it the name of 
 Flonda, which it retains to the present day. The Indian name 
 of the country was Cautio.* 
 
 Juan Ponce landed, and took possession of the country in 
 the name of the Cnstilian Sovereigns. He afterwards con- 
 tinued for several weeks ranging the coasts of this flowery 
 land, and struggling against the giilf-stream and the various 
 currents which sweep it. He doubled Cape Canaveral, and 
 recomaoitered the southern and eastern shores without suspect- 
 
 '^■■'~ ' " ■ -■• -■ ■-■ ■■■ -'■ — — ■ ■■ ■ ' -I — ..— - — ■ 1^ 
 
 r Ilorrera^ Hist. lad. d. 1. I, Ix. c. 10.
 
 ^#00 SPAmSH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 ing that this was a part of Terra Firma. In all his attempts to 
 explore the country, he met with resolute and implacable 
 hostility on the part of the natives, who appeared to be a fierce 
 and warlike race. He was disappointed also in his hopes of 
 finding gold, nor did any of the rivers or fountains wliich he 
 examined possess the rejuvenating virtue. Convinced, there- 
 fore, that this was not the promised land of Indian tradition, 
 he turned his prow homeward on the 14th of June, with the 
 intention in the way of making one more attempt to find the 
 island of Bimini. 
 
 In the outset of his return he discovered a group of islets 
 abounding with sea-fowl and marine animals. On one of them 
 his sailors, in the course of a single night, caught one hundred 
 and seventy turtles, and might have taken many more, had 
 they been so inclmed. They likewise took fourteen sea wolves, 
 and killed a vast quantity of pelicans and other bh-ds. To this 
 group Juan Ponce gave the name of the Toiiiugas, or turtles, 
 which they stiU retain. 
 
 Proceeding in his cruise, he touched at another group of 
 islets near the Lucayos, to which he gave the name of La Vieja, 
 or the Old Woman group, because he found no inhabitant 
 there but one old Indian woman.* This ancient sybil he took 
 on board his ship to give him information about tne labyrinth 
 of islands into which he was entering, and perhaps he could not 
 have had a more suitable guide in the eccentric quest he was 
 making. Notwithstanding her pilotage, however, he was ex- 
 ceedingly baffled and perplexed in liis return voyage among 
 the Bahama islands, for he was forcing his way as it were 
 against the course of nature, and encountering the currents 
 which sweep westward along these islands, and the trade- wind 
 which accompanies them. For a long tune he struggled with 
 all kinds of difficulties and dangers ; and was obliged to re- 
 main upwards of a month in one of the islands to repair the 
 damages which his ship had suffered in a storm. 
 
 Disheartened at length by the perils and trials with which 
 nature seemed to have beset the approach to Bimini, as to 
 some fairy island in romance, he gave up the quest in person, 
 and sent in his place a trusty captain, Juan Perez de Ortubia, 
 who departed in one of the other ships, guided by the ex- 
 perienced old woman of the isles, and by another Indian. As 
 to Juan Ponce, he made the best of his way back to Porto 
 
 * Herrera, d. 1,1. ix.
 
 JUAN PONt'h' JJ/'J I.RON. 207 
 
 Rico, where he arrived infinitely poorer in purse and wrinkled 
 in brow, by this cruise after inexhaustible riches and perpetual 
 y(juth. 
 
 Ho had not been long in port when his trusty envoy, Juan 
 Perez, likewise arrived. Guided by the sage old woman, he 
 had succeeded in finding the long-sought-for Bimini. He de- 
 scribed it as being large, verdant, and covered with beautiful 
 groves. There were crystal springs and limpid streams in 
 abundance, which kept the island in perpetual verdure, but 
 none that could restore to an old man the vernal gi'eenness of 
 his youth. 
 
 Thus ended the romantic expedition of Juan Ponce de Leon. 
 Like many other pui-suits of a chimera, it terminated in the 
 acquisition of a substantial good. Though ho had failed in 
 finding the fairy fountain of youth, he had discovered in place 
 of it the important country of Florida.* 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 EXPEDITION OF JUAN PONCE AGAINST THE CARIBS — HIS DEATH. — 
 
 (1514.) 
 
 Juan Ponce de Leon now repaired to Spain to make a re- 
 port of his voyage to King Ferdinand. The hardy old cava- 
 lier experienced much raillery from the witlings of the court 
 on accoimt of his visionary voyage, though many wise men 
 had been as crerlulous as himself at the outset. The king, 
 however, received him with great favour, and conferred on 
 him the title of Adelantado of Bimini and Florida, which last 
 was as yet considered an island. Permission was also granted 
 him to recruit men either in Spain or in the colonies for a set- 
 
 ♦The belief of the existence. In Florida, of a river like that Bonght by Juan Ponce, 
 was long' prpvnli>nt amonp the Tnfiians of Cuba, and the caoir)iies wore anxious to 
 discover it. That a party of the natives of Cuba once went in search of it. and re- 
 mained there, appears to be a fact, as thi-i'- descendants were afterwards to be 
 traced amonc ttie people of Florida. Las Oasas says, that even in his days, many 
 persisted in seekintr this mvstery. and some fhonpht that the river was no other 
 than that called the .Jordan, at the point of St Helena: without considwrinp that 
 the name was given to it by the Spaniards in the year 1520, when they discovered 
 the land of Chicora.
 
 208 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 tlcmcnt in Florida ; but he deferred entering on his command 
 for the present, being probably discouraged and impoverished 
 by the losses in his last expedition, or finding a difficulty in 
 enUsting adventurers. At length another enterprise present- 
 ed itself. The caribs had by this time become a terror to the 
 Spanish inliabitants of many of the islands, making descents 
 iipon the coasts and carrying olf captives, who it was supposed 
 "vvere doomed to be devoured by these cannibals. Ho fre- 
 quent wore their invasions of the island of Porto Eico, that 
 it was feared they would ultimately oblige the Spaniards to 
 abandon it. 
 
 At length King Ferdinand, in 1514, ordered that three ships, 
 well armed and manned, should be fitted out in Seville, des- 
 tined to scour the islands of the Caribs, and to free the seas 
 from those cannibal marauders. The command of the Armada 
 was g;iven to Juan Ponce de Leon, from his knowledge in In- 
 dian warfare, and his varied and rough experience which had 
 mingled m him the soldier with the sailor. He was instructed 
 in the first place to assail the Caribs of those islands most con- 
 tiguous and dangerous to Porto Eico, and then to make war 
 on those of the coast of Terra Firma, in the neighboiu'hood of 
 Carthagena. He was afterwards to take the captaincy of 
 Porto Eico, and to attend to the repartimientos or distribu- 
 tions of the Indians in conjunction with a person to be ap- 
 pointed by Diego Columbus. 
 
 The enterprise suited the soldier-like spirit of Juan Ponce de 
 Leon, and the gallant old cavalier set sail full of confidence in 
 January, 1515, and steered direct for the Caribbees, with a de- 
 termination to give a wholesome castigation to the whole sav- 
 age archipelago. Arriving at the island of Guadaloupe, he 
 cast anchor, and sent men on shore for wood and water, and 
 women to wash the clothing of the crews, with a party of sol- 
 diers to mount guard. 
 
 Juan Ponce had not been as Avary as usual, or he had to deal 
 with savages unusually adroit in warfare. While the people 
 were scattered carelessly on shore, the Caribs rushed forth 
 from an ambuscade, killed the greater part of the men, and 
 carried off the women to the mountains. 
 
 This blow at the very outset of his vaunted expedition sank 
 deep into the heart of Juan Ponce, and put an end to all his 
 military excitement. Humbled and mortified, he set sail for 
 the island of Porto Eico, where he relinquished all further 
 prosecution of the enterprise, under pretext of ill health, and
 
 JUAN PONCE 1)K LEON. 209 
 
 gave the comrannd of the squadron to a captain named Zufiiga; 
 but it is surmised that his malady was not so much of the flesli 
 as of the spirit. He remained in Porto Rico as governor: hut, 
 havini.' j^i-own testy and irritable through vexations and disap- 
 pointments, he gave great offence, and caused much contention 
 on the island by positive and strong-handed measures, in re- 
 spect to the distribution of the Indians. 
 
 He continued for several yoars in that island, in a state of 
 fTov'ling repose, imtil tlie brilliant exploits of Hernando Cortez, 
 •wujch threatened to eclipse the achievements of all the veteran 
 d^icoverers, roused liis dormant spirit. 
 
 Jealous of being cast in the shade in his old day s, he deter- 
 mined to sail}' forth on one more expedition. He had heard 
 that Florida, which he had discovered, and which he had 
 hitherto considered a mere island, was part of Terra Firma, 
 possessing vast and unlcnown regions m its bosom. If so, a 
 grand field of enterprise lay before him, wherein he might 
 make discoveries and conquests to rival, if not surpass, the , 
 far-famed conquest of Mexico. 
 
 Accordingly, in the year 1521 he fitted out two ships at the 
 island of Porto Rico, and embarked almost the vrhole of his 
 property in the undertaking. His voyage was toilsome and 
 tempestuous, but at length he arrived at the wished-for land. 
 He made a descent upon the coast with a great part of his 
 men, but the Indians sallied forth with unusual valour to de- 
 fend their shores. A bloody battle ensued, several of the 
 Spaniards were slain, and Juan Ponce was wounded hy an 
 arrow, in the thigh. He was borne on board his ship, and 
 finding him.self disabled for further action, set sail for Cuba, 
 where he arrived ill in body and dejected in heart. 
 
 He was of an age when there is no longer i>rompt and health- 
 ful reaction either mental or corporeal. The irritations of 
 humiliated pride and disappointed hope, exasperated the fever 
 of liis wound, and he died soon after his arrival at the island. 
 " Thus fate," says one of the quaint old Spanish writers, " de- 
 lights to reverse the schemes of man. Tlie discovery that 
 Juan Ponce flattered himself was to lead to a means of per- 
 petuating his life, had the ultimate effect of hastening his 
 death." 
 
 It may be said, however, that he has at least attained the 
 shadow of his desire, since, though disappointed in extending 
 the natural term of his existence, his discovery has ensured a 
 lasting duration to his name.
 
 210 SPAmSII VOYAGES OF DISCO VEET. 
 
 The following epitaph was inscribed upon his tomb, which 
 does justice to the warrior qualities of the stout old cavalier: 
 
 Mole sub hac fortis reqiiiescat ossa Leonis, 
 Qui vicit factis nomina magna suis. 
 
 It has thus been paraphrased in Spanish by the Licentiate 
 Juan de Castellanos. 
 
 Aqueste lugar estrecho 
 Es sepulchro del varon, 
 Que en el nombre fue Leon, 
 Y mucho mas en el hecho. 
 
 " In this sepulchre rest the bones of a man, who was a lioa 
 by name, and still more by nature."
 
 APPENDIX. 211 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 A VISIT TO PALOS. 
 
 [The followliif? narrative was actually commenced, by the author of this work, as 
 a letter to a friend, but unexpectedly swelled to its present size. He has been in- 
 duced to insert it here from the idea that many will feel the same curiosity to 
 know something of the present state of Palos and its inhabitante that led him to 
 make the journey.] 
 
 Seville, 1828. 
 
 Since I last wrote to you I have made, what I may term, an 
 American Pilgrimage, to visit the little port of Palos in 
 Andalusia, where Columbus fitted out his ships, and whence 
 he sailed for the discovery of the Now World. Need I tell you 
 how deeph' interesting and gratifying it has been to me? I 
 had long meditated this excursion as a kind of pious, and. if I 
 may say, filial duty of an American, and my intention was 
 quickened when I learnt that many of the edifices mentioned 
 in the history of Columbus still remained in nearly the same 
 state in which they existed at the time of his sojourn at Palos, 
 and that the descendants of the intrepid Pinzons, who aided 
 him with ships and money, and sailed with him in the great 
 vo3'age of discovery, still flourished in the neighbourhood. 
 
 The very evening before my departure from Seville on the 
 excursion, I heard that there was a young gentleman of the 
 Pinzon family studying law in the city. I got introduced to 
 him, and found him of most prepossessing appearance and 
 manners. He gave me a letter of introduction to his father, 
 Don Juan Fernandez Pinzon, resident of Moguer, and the pre- 
 sent head of the family. 
 
 As it was in the middle of August, and the weather in- 
 tensely hot. I hired a calesa for the journey. This is a two- 
 wheeled carriage, resembling a cabriolet; but of the most 
 primitive and rude construction; the harness is profusely 
 ornamented with brass, and the horse's head decorated with
 
 212 SrANISir VOYAGES OF I) [SCO VERY. 
 
 tufts and tassels and dangling bob.T of scarlet and 3-ellow 
 worsted. I had, for calasero, a tall, long-legged AndaUisian, 
 in short jacket, little round-crowned hat, breeches decorated 
 with buttons from the hip to the knees, and a pair of russet 
 leather bottinas or spatter-dashes. He was an active fellow, 
 though uncommonly taciturn for an Andalusian, and strode 
 along beside his horse, rousing hun occasionally to grea ^^ 
 speed by a loud malediction or a hearty thwack of his cudgel. 
 
 In this style I set off late in the day to avoid the noon-tide 
 heat, and after ascending the lofty range of hills that borders 
 the great valley of the Guadalquivir, and having a rough ride 
 among their heights, I descended about twilight into one of 
 those vast, silent, melancholy plains, frequent iii Spain, where 
 I beheld no other signs of life than a roaming flock of bustards, 
 and a distant herd of cattle, guarded by a sohtary herdsman, 
 who, with a long pike planted in the earth, stood motionless in 
 the midst of the dreary landscape, resembling an Arab of the 
 desert. The night had somewhat advanced when we stopp i 
 to repose for a few hours at a solitary venta or inn, if it might 
 so be called, being nothing more than a vast low-roofed stable, 
 divided into several compartments for the reception of the 
 troops of mules and arrieros (or carriers) who carry on the 
 internal trade of Spain. Accommodation for the traveller 
 there was none — not even for a traveller so easily accom- 
 modated as myself. The landlord had no food to give me, and 
 as to a bed, he had none but a horse cloth, on which his only 
 child, a boy of eight years old, lay naked on the earthen floor. 
 Indeed the heat of the weath(;r and the fumes from the stables 
 made the interior of the hovel insupportable, so I was fain to 
 bivouac on my cloak on the pavement at the door of the venta, 
 where on waking after two or three hours of sound sleep, I 
 found a contrabandista (or smuggler) snoring beside me, with 
 his blunderbuss on his arm. 
 
 I resumed my journey before break of day, and had made 
 several leagues by ten o'clock, when we stopped to breakfast 
 and to pass the sultry hours of midday m a large village, from 
 whence we departed about four o'clock, and, after passing 
 through the same kind of solitary country, arrived just after 
 sunset at Moguer. This little city (for at present it is a city) is 
 situated about a league from Palos, of which place it has gra- 
 dually absorbed aU the respectable inhabitants, and, among 
 the number, the whole family of the Pinzons. 
 
 So remote is this little place from the stir and bustle of
 
 APPKNDIX. 213 
 
 travel, and so destitute of tlie show and vain-glory of this 
 world, that my calcsa, as it rattltxi and jingled along the nar- 
 row and ill-paved streets, caused a great sensation; the chil- 
 dren shouttMl and scampered along by its side, admiring its 
 splendid trappings of brass and worsted, and gating with rev- 
 erc^nce at the important stranger who came in so gorgeous an 
 ''-*<,uipage. 
 
 I drove up to the principal posada, the landlord of whicii 
 was at the door. He was one of the very civilest men in the 
 world, and disposed to do every thing in his power to make 
 me comfortable ; there was only one difficulty, he had neither 
 bed nor bedroom in his house. In fact, it was a mere venta 
 for muleteers, who are accustomed to sleep on the ground with 
 their mule-cloths for beds and pack-saddles for pillows. It 
 was a hard case, but there was no better posada in the place. 
 Few people travel for pleasure or curiosity in these out-of-the- 
 '"-ay parts of Spain, and those of any note are generally re- 
 ' .^ived into private houses. I had travelled suflicreutly m 
 Spain to find out that a bed, after all, is not an article of indis- 
 pensable! necessity, and was about to bespeak some quiet 
 corner where I might spread my cloak, Avhen, fortunately, tlie 
 liuidlord's Avife came forth. She could not have a more oblig- 
 ing disposition than her husband, but then — God bless the 
 women!— they always know how to carry their good wishes 
 into effect. In a little while a small room about ten feet 
 square, that had formed a thoroughfare between the stiibles 
 and a kind of shop or bar-T'ooni, was cleared of a variety of 
 lumber, and I was assured that a bod should be put up there 
 for me. From the consultations I saw my hostt^ss holding 
 with some of her neighbour gossips, I fancied the bed was to 
 be a kind of piecemeal contribution among them for the credit 
 of the house. 
 
 As soon as I could change my dress, I commenced the histori- 
 cal researches, which were the object of my journey, and 
 incjuired for the abode of Don Juan Fernandez Pinzon. ]\Iy 
 obliging landloi-d liimself volunteercid to conduct me thither, 
 and I set off full of animation at the thi)Uf;hts of meeting Avith 
 the lineal rejiresentative of one of the coadjutors of Columbus. 
 
 A short walk brought us to the houso, which was most re- 
 spectable in its appearance, indicating easy if not affluent cir- 
 cumstances. The door, as is customary in Spanish villages 
 during dimmer, stood wide open. We entered with the usual 
 salutation, or rather summons, "Ave Maria!" A trim Anda-
 
 214 SPAmSII VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 lusian handmaid answered to the call, and, on our inqniring 
 for the master of the house, led the way across a little patio or 
 court in the centre of the edifice, cooled by a fountain sur- 
 roimded by shrubs and flowers, to a back court or terrace, like- 
 wise set out with flowers, where Don Juan Fernandez was 
 seated with his family enjoying the serene evening in the open 
 air. 
 
 I was much pleased with his appearance. He was a ven- 
 erable old gentleman, tall and somewhat thin, with fair com- 
 plexion and gray hair. He received me with great urbanity, 
 and, on reading the letter from his son, appeared struck with 
 surprise to find I had come quite to Moguer merely to visit 
 the scene of the embarkation of Columbus ; and still more so on 
 my telling him that one of my leading objects of curiosity was 
 his own family connexion ; for it would seem that the worthy 
 cavalier had troubled his head but little about the enterprises 
 of his ancestors. 
 
 I now took my seat in the domestic circle and soon felt 
 myself quite at home, for there is generally a frankness in 
 the hospitality of Spaniards that soon puts a stranger at liis 
 ease beneath their roof. The wife of Don Fernandez was 
 extremely amiable and affable, possessing much of that nat- 
 ural aptness for which the Spanish women are remarkable. 
 In the course of conversation with them, I learnt that Don 
 Juan Fernandez, who is seventy-two years of age, is the eldest 
 of five brothers, all of whom are married, have numerous off- 
 spring, and lived in Moguer and its vicinity in nearly the 
 same condition and rank of life as at the time of the dis- 
 covery. This agreed with what I had previously heard re- 
 specting the famines of the discoverers. Of Columbus no 
 lineal and direct descendant exists; his was an exotic stock 
 that never took deep and lasting root in the country ; but the 
 race of the Pinzons continues to thrive and multiply in its 
 native soil. 
 
 While I was yet conversing a gentleman entered, who wr.s 
 introduced to me as Don Luis Fernandez Pinzon, the young- 
 est of the brothers. He appeared to be between fi fty and sixty 
 years of age, somewhat robust, with fair complexion and gray 
 hair, and a frank and manly deportment. He is the only one 
 of the pi-esent generation that has followed the ancient pro- 
 fession of the family ; having served with great applause as an 
 officer of the royal navy, from which he retu-ed on his mar- 
 riage about tv/cnt^-'tv.'o years since. He is the one also who
 
 APPEyDix. 215 
 
 takes the greatest interest and pride in the historical honours 
 of his house, carefully prescrvinf? all the lej^onds and docu- 
 ments of the acliievonionts and distinctions of his family, a 
 manuscript vohnno of which he lent nie for my insi)C(;ti(»n. 
 
 Don Juan now expressed a wish that during my residence 
 in Moguer I wduld make his house my home. I endeavoured 
 to excuse myself, alleging that the good people at the pcsjida 
 had been at such extraordinary trouble in preparing quarters 
 for me that I did not hke to disappoint them. The worthy old 
 gentleman mi<lertook to arrange all this, and, while supper 
 was preparing, we walked together to the posada. I found 
 that my obliging host and hostess had indeed exerted them- 
 selves to an uncommon degree. An old ricketty table had 
 been spread out in a corner of the little room as a bedstead, on 
 top of which was propped up a grand cama de liixo, or state 
 bed, which appeared to be the admiration of the house. I 
 could not for the soul of me appear to undervalue what the 
 poor people had prepared with such hearty good-will and con- 
 sidered such a triutnph of art and luxury ; so I again entreated 
 Don Juan to dispense with my sleeping at his house, prouusing 
 most faithfully to make my meaLs there while I should stay at 
 Moguer, and, as the old gentleman understood my motives for 
 declining his invitation and felt a good-humoured sympathy in 
 then ., we readily arranged the matter. I returned, therefore, 
 with Don Juan to his house and supped with his family. Dur- 
 ing the repast a plan was agreed upon for my visit to Palos 
 and to the convent La Rabida, in which Don Juan volunteered 
 to accompany me and be my guide, and the following day was 
 allotted to the expedition. We were to breakfast at a hacienda 
 or country-seat which he possessed in the vicinity of Palos in 
 the midst of his vineyards, and were to dine there on our re- 
 turn from the convent. These arrangements being m; -ie, wo 
 parted for the night ; I returned to the posada highly gratified 
 with my visit, and slept soundly in the extraordinary bed, 
 wiiich, I may almost saj^, had been invented for my accommo- 
 dation. 
 
 On the following mommg, bright and early, Don Junn Fer- 
 nandez and myself set off \n the calesa for Palos. I fdt ap- 
 prehensive at lii'st, that the kind-hearted old gentleman, in his 
 anxiety to oblige, had left his bed at too early an hour, and 
 was exposing himself to fatigues unsuited to his age. lie 
 laughed at the idea, and assured me that he was an early riser, 
 and accustomed to all kinds of exercise on horse and foot,
 
 216 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 being a keen sportsman, and frequently passing days tog-ether 
 
 among the mountains on shooting expeditions, taking with 
 him servants, horses, and provisions, and hving in a tent. He 
 appeared, in fact, to be of an active habit, and to possess a 
 youthful vivacity of spii-it. His cheerful disposition rendered 
 our morning drive extremely agreeable; his urbanity was 
 shown to every one whom we met on the road ; even the com- 
 mon peasant was saluted by liim with the appellation of cdbal- 
 lero, a mark of respect ever gratifying to the poor but proud 
 Spaniard, when yielded by a superior. 
 
 As the tide was out we drove along the fiat grounds border- 
 ing the Tinto. The river was on our right, Avhile on our left 
 was a range of hills, jutting out into promontories, one beyond 
 the other, aad covered with vineyards and lig trees. The 
 weather was serene, the air was soft and balmy, and the land- 
 scape of that gentle kind calculated to put one in a quiet 
 and happy humour. We passed close by the skirts of Palos, 
 and drove to the hacienda, which is situated at some little dis- 
 tance from the village, between it and the river. The house is 
 a low stone building, well white-washed, and of great length; 
 one end being fitted up as a summer residence, with saloons, 
 bed -rooms, and a domestic chapel ; and the other as a bodega or 
 magazine for the reception of the wine produced on the estate. 
 
 The house stands on a hill, amidst vineyards, which are sup- 
 posed to cover a part of the site of the ancient town of Palos, 
 no w shrunk to a miserable village. Beyond these vineyards, 
 on the crest of a distant hill, are seen the white w^aUs of the 
 convent of La Rabida rising above a dark wood of pine trees. 
 
 Below the hacienda flows the river Tinto, on which Colum- 
 bus embarked. It is divided by a Ioav tongue of land, or rather 
 the sand-bar of Saltes, from the river Odiel, with which it soon 
 minglQ its waters, and flows on to the ocean. Beside this 
 sand-bar, where the channel of the river runs deep, the squad- 
 ron of Columbus was anchored, and from hence he made sail 
 on the morning of liis departure. 
 
 The soft breeze that was blowing scarcely ruffled the surface 
 of this beautiful river ; two or three picturesque barks, called 
 my sticks, with long latme sails, were gliding down it. A little 
 aid of the imagination might suffice to picture them as the 
 light caravels of Columbus, sallying forth on their eventful 
 expedition, Avhile the distant bells of the town of Huelva, 
 which were ringing melodiously, might be supposed as cheer- 
 ing the voyagers with a farewell peal.
 
 APPENDIX. 217 
 
 I cannot express to you what were my feelings on treading 
 the shore whicli had once hoen animated by the bi/stlo of 
 departure, and whose sands had beeii printed by the last foot- 
 step Of C'ohnnbus. The solenm and sulihme nature of the 
 event that had followed, together with the fate and fortunes of 
 those concerned in it, filled the mind with vague yet melan- 
 choly ideas. It was hke viewing the silent and empty stage of 
 some great drama, when all the actore had departed. The 
 very asjwct of the landscape, so trancpiilly beautiful, had an 
 effect upon me, and o.'< r paced the deserted shore by the side of 
 a descendant of one of the chscnverers, I felt my heart swelling 
 with emotions and my eyes filling with teal's. 
 
 What surprised me was to find no semblance of a seaport ; 
 there was neither wharf nor landing-place — nothing but a 
 naked river bank, with th^ hulk of a ferry-boat, which I was 
 told carried passengers to Huelva. lying high and dry on the 
 sands, deserted by the tide. Palos, though it has doubtless 
 dwindled away from its former size, can never have been 
 important as to extent and nonnlation. If it possessed ware- 
 houses on the beach, thej' have disappeared. It is at present a 
 mere village of the poorest kind, and lies nearly a quarter of a 
 mile from the river, in a holl<nv among hills. It contains a 
 few hundred inhabitants, who subsist principallj- by labouring 
 in the fields and vineyards. Its race of merchants and marin- 
 ere are extinct. There are no vessels belonging to the place, 
 nor any show of traflSc, exceptme: at the season of finiit and 
 wine, Avhen a few mystic "ks and other litrht barks ancliorin the 
 river to c<illect the ]iroduce of the neicrhbourJiood. The people 
 are totally ignorant, and it is ]U"obaMe that the gronter part of 
 them scarce know even the name of America. Such is the 
 place from whence Siilhed forth the enterprise for the discovery 
 of the w^estern world I 
 
 We were now summoned to breakfast in a little saloon of the 
 hacienda. The table was covered with natural luxuries pro- 
 duced upon the spot — fine piu-ple and muscatel prrapes from 
 the adjacent vineyard, delicious melons from the garden, and 
 generous -wines made on the estate. The repast was hei;xi>tened 
 by the penial mannei*s of my hospita])le host, who a]iiK\ared to 
 possess the most enviable cheerfulness of spirit and simplicity 
 of heart. 
 
 After breakfast we set off in the calesa to visit the convent 
 of La Rabida, Avhich is about half a league distant. Tlie road, 
 for a part of the way, lay through the vineyards, and was deep
 
 218 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCO VERT. 
 
 and sandy. The calasero had been at his wits' end to cone si ve 
 virhat motive a stranger like myself, apparently travelling for 
 mere amusement, could have in coming so far to see so miser- 
 able a place as Palos, which he set down as one of the very 
 poorest places in the whole world ; but this additional toil and 
 struggle through deep sand to visit the old Convent of La 
 Eabida, completed his confusion— " Hombre!" exclaimed he, 
 " es una ruina ! no hay mas que dos frailes !" — " Zounds ! why; 
 it's a ruin! there are only two friars there!" Don Juan 
 laughed, and told him that I had come all the way from Seville 
 precisely to see that old ruin and those two friars. The cala- 
 sero made the Spaniard's last reply when he is perplexed — he 
 shrugged his shoulders and crossed himself. 
 
 After ascending a hill and passing through the skirts of a 
 straggling pine wood, we arrived in front of the convent. It 
 stands in a bleak and solitary situation, on the brow of a rocky 
 height or promontory, overlooking to the west a wide range of 
 sea and land, bounded by the frontier mountains of Portugal, 
 about eight leagues distant. The convent is shut out from a 
 view of the vineyard of Palos by the gloomy forest of pines 
 which I have mentioned, which cover the promontory to the 
 east, and darken the whole landscape in that direction. 
 
 There is nothing remarkable in the architectui-e of the con- 
 vent ; part of it is Gothic, but the edifice, having been fre- 
 quently repaired, and being white-washed, according to a uni- 
 versal custoin in Andalusia, inherited from, the Moors, it has 
 not that venerable aspect which might be expected from its 
 antiquity. 
 
 We alighted at the gate where Columbus, when a poor 
 pedestrian, a stranger in the land, asked bread and water for 
 his child ! As long as the convent stands, this must be a spot 
 calculated to awaken the most thrilling interest. The gate 
 remains apparently in nearly the same state as at the time of 
 his visit, but there is no longer a porter at hand to administer 
 to the wants of the wayfarer. The door stood wide open, and 
 admitted us into a small court-yard. From thence we passed 
 through a Gothic portal into the chapel, without seeing a 
 human being. We then traversed two interior cloisters, 
 equally vacant and silent, and bearing a look of neglect and 
 dilapidation. From an open window we had a peep at what 
 had once been a garden, but that had also gone to ruin ; the 
 walls were broken and thrown down; a few shrubs, and a 
 scattered fig-tree or two, were all the traces of cultivation that
 
 APPENDIX. 0]9 
 
 remained. We passed through the long dormitories, but the 
 cells wore shut up and abandoned; we saw no living thing 
 except a solitary cat stealing across a distant corridor, which 
 fled in a panic at the uniisuiil sight of strangers. At length, 
 after patrolling nearly the whole of the empty building to the 
 echo of our own footsteps, we came to where the door of a cell, 
 being partly open, gave us the sight of a monk within, seated 
 at a table writing. He rose and received us with much civil- 
 ity, and conducted us to the superior, who was reading in au 
 adjacent cell. They were both rather young men, and, 
 together with a no\itiate and a laj'^-brother, who officiated as 
 cook, formed the whole communit}^ of the convent. 
 
 Don Juan Fernandez communicated to them the object of 
 my visit, and my desire also to mspect the archives of the 
 convent to find if there was any record of the sojourn of 
 Columbus. They informed us that the archives had been 
 entirely destroyed by the French. The j'ounger monk, how- 
 ever, who had iDsrused them, had a vague recollection of 
 various particulars concerning the transactions of Columbus 
 at Palos, his visit to the convent, and the sailing of his 
 expedition. From all that he cited, however, it appeared to 
 me that all the information on the subject contained in the 
 archives, had been extracted from Horrera and other well 
 known authors. The monk was talkative and eloquent, and 
 soon diverged from the subject of Columbus, to one which 
 he considered of infinitely greater importance; — the mirac- 
 ulous image of the Virgm possessed by their convent, and 
 known by the name of "Our Lady of La Rabida." lie gave 
 us a history of the wonderful Avay in which the image bad 
 been found buried in the eai-th, where it hpd lain hidden for 
 ages, since the time of the conquest of Spain by the floors; 
 the disputes between the convent and different places in the 
 neighbourhood for the possession of it; the marvellous pro- 
 tection it extended to the adjacent country, especially in 
 preventing all madness, either in man or dog, for this malady 
 was anciently so prevalent in this place as to gain it the 
 appellation of La Rabia, by which it was originally called; a 
 name which, thanks to the beneficent influence of the Virgin, 
 it no longer merited or retained. Such are the legends and 
 reliques with which every convent in Spain is enriched which 
 are zealously cried up by the monks, and devoutly credited by 
 the populace. 
 
 Twice a year on the festival of our Lady of La Eabida, and
 
 220 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 on that of the patron sa:int of the order, the soHtude and 
 silence of the convent are interrupted by the intinision of a 
 swanning multitude, composed of the inhabitants of Moguer, 
 of Huelva, and the neighbouring plains and mountains. The 
 open esplanade in front of the edifice resembles a fair, the 
 adjacent forest teems with the motley throng, and the image 
 of our Lady of La Eabida is borne forth in triumphant 
 procession. 
 
 While the friar was thus dilating upon the merits and 
 renown of the image, I amused myself with those day dreams, 
 or conjurings of the imagination to which I am a little given. 
 As the internal arrangements of convents are apt to be the 
 same from age to age, I pictured to myself this chamber as the 
 same inhabited by the guardian, Juan Perez de Marchena, at 
 the time of the visit of Columbus. Why might not the old 
 and ponderous table before me be the veiy one on which he 
 displayed his conjectural maps, and expounded his theory of 
 a western route to India? It required but another stretch of 
 the imagination to assemble the little conclave around the 
 table; Juan Perez the friar, Garci Fernandez the physician, 
 and Martin Alonzo Pinzon, the bold navigator, all listening 
 with rapt attention to Columbus, or to the tale of some old 
 seaman of Palos, about islands seen in the westei'n parts of 
 the ocean. 
 
 The friars, as far as their poor means and scanty knowledge 
 extended, were disposed to do every thing to promote the 
 object of my visit. They showed us aU parts of the convent, 
 which, however, has little to boast of, excepting the historical 
 associations connected with it. The library was reduced to a 
 few volumes, chiefly on ecclesiastical subjects, piled promiscu- 
 ously in the corner of a vaulted chamber, and covered with 
 dust. The chamber itself was curious, being the most ancient 
 part of the edifice, and supposed to have formed part of a 
 temple in the time of the Romans. 
 
 We ascended to the roof of the convent to enjoy the 
 extensive prospect it commands. Immediately below the 
 promontory on which it is situated, runs a narrow but 
 tolerably deep river, called the Domingo Rubio, which empties 
 itself into the Tinto. It is the opinion of Don Luis Fernandez 
 Pinzon, that the ships of Columbus were careened and fitted 
 out in this river, as it affords better shelter than the Tinto, 
 and its shores are not so shallow. A lonely bark of a fisher- 
 man was lying in this stream, and not far off, on a sandy
 
 APPENDIX. 221 
 
 point, were the niins of an ancient ■watchtower. From the 
 roof of the convent, all the windings of the Odiel and the 
 Tinto were to be seen, and their junction into the main 
 stream, by which Columbus sallied forth to sea. In fact, the 
 convent serves as a landmark, being, from its lofty and 
 solitary situation, visible for a considerable distance to vessels 
 coming on the coast. On the opposite side I looked down 
 upt-xi the lonely road, through the wood of pine trees, by 
 which the zealous guardian of the convent, Fray Juan Perez, 
 departed at midnight on his mule, when he sought the camp 
 of Ferdinand and Isabella in the Vega of Granada, to plead 
 the project of Cohunbus before the queen. 
 
 Having finished our inspection of the convent, we prepared 
 to depart, and were accomi:)anied to the outward portal by the 
 two fria-o. Our calasero brought his rattling and ricketty 
 vehicle for us to mount ; at sight of which one of the monks 
 exclaimed, with a smile, "Santa Maria I only to think! A 
 calesa before the gate of the convent of La Rabida!" And, 
 indeed, so solitary and remote is this ancient edifice, and so 
 simple is the mode of living of the people in this bye corner of 
 Spain, that the appearance of even a sorry calesa might well 
 cause astonishment. It is only sin.gidar that in such a bye- 
 corner the scheme of Columbus should have found intelligent 
 listeners and coadjutors, after it had been discarded, almost 
 with scoffing and contempt, from learned universities and 
 splendid courts. 
 
 On our way back to the hacienda, we met Don Rafael, a 
 younger son of Don Juan Fernandez, a fine young man about 
 twenty-one years of age, and who, liis father informed me, 
 was at present studj-ing French and mathematics. He was 
 well mounted on a spirited graj' horse, and dressed in the 
 Andalusian style, with the little round hat and jacket. He 
 sat his horse gracefully, and managed him well. I was 
 pleased with the frank and easy terms on which Don Juan 
 appeared to live with his cliildren. This I was inclined to 
 think his favourite son, as I imderstood he was tlie only one 
 that partook of the old gentleman's fondness for the chase, 
 and that accompanied him in his himting excursions. 
 
 A dinner had been prepared for us at the hacienda, by the 
 wife of the capitaz, or overseer, who, with her husband, 
 seemed to be well pleased with this visit from Don Junn, and 
 to be confident of receiving a pleasant answer from the good- 
 humoured old gentleman whenever they addressed him. The
 
 222 SPAKISR VOYAGES OF DISCOVERT. 
 
 dinner -was served up at out t^^^o o'clock, find was a most 
 agreeable meal. The fruijS ani wines were from the estate, 
 and we: 3 excellent; •'he rest of the provisions were from 
 Moguer, for the djr.cent vi lage of Palos is too poor to 
 furnish anything. A gentle breeze from the sea played 
 through the hall, and tempered the summer heat. Indeed I 
 do not hnow when I have seen a more enviable spot than this 
 country retreat of the Pinzons. Its situation on a breezy hiU, 
 at no great distance from the sea, and in a southern climate, 
 produces a happy temperature, neither hot in suinmer nor 
 cold in winter. It commands a beautiful prospect, and is 
 siu-rounied by natural luxuries. T!ie country abounds with 
 ^ame, the adjacent river affords abundant sport in fishing, 
 both by day and night, and delightful excursions for those 
 fond of sailing. During the busy seasons of rural life, and 
 especially at the joyous period of vintage, the family pass 
 some time here, accompanied by numerous guests, at which 
 times, Don Juan assured me, there was no lack of amuse- 
 nxents, both by land and water. 
 
 When we had dined, and taken the siesta, or afternoon nap, 
 according to the Spanish custom in summer-time, Ave set out 
 on our return to Moguer, visiting the village of Palos in the 
 way. Don Gabriel had been sent in advance to procure the 
 keys of the village church, and to apprise the curate of our 
 wish to inspect the archives. The village consists principally 
 of two streets of low white-washed houses. Many of the 
 inhabitants have very dark complexions, betraying a mixture 
 of African blood. 
 
 On entering the village, we repaired to the lowly mansion 
 of the curate. I had hoped to find him some such personage 
 as the curate in Don Quixote, possessed of shrewdness and 
 information in his limited splnore, and that I might gain some 
 anecdotes from him concerning his parish, its worthies, its 
 antiquities, and its historical events. Perhaps I might have 
 done so at any other time, but, unfortunately, the curate was 
 something of a sportsman, and had heard of some game 
 among the neighbouring hills. "We met him just salljing 
 forth from his house, and, I must con Tecs, his appearance was 
 picturesque. He was a short, broad, sturdy little man, and 
 had doffed his cassock and broad clerical beaver for a short 
 jacket and a little I'ound Andalusian hat ; he had his gun in 
 hand, and v/as on the point of mounting a donkey which had 
 been led forth by an ancient withered handmaid. Fearful of
 
 APPENDIX. 003 
 
 being detained from his foray, he accosted my companion the 
 moment he came in sight. "God preserve you, Senor Don 
 Juan! I have received your message, and have but one 
 answer to make. The archives have all been destroyed. We 
 have no trace of any thing you seek for — nothing— nothing. 
 Don Rafael has the keys of the church. You can examine it 
 at your leisure. — Adios, caballero!" With these words the 
 galliard little curate mounted his donkey, thumped his ribs 
 with the butt end of his gim, and trotted off to the hills. 
 
 In our way to the church we passed by the ruins of what 
 had once been a fair and spacious dwelling, greatly superior 
 to the other houses of the village. This, Don Juan informed 
 me, was an old family possession, but since they had removed 
 from Palos it had fallen to decay for want of a tenant. It was 
 probably the family residence of !Martin Alonzo or Vicente 
 Yafiez Pinzon, in the time of Columbus. 
 
 We now arrived at the church of St. George, in the porch of 
 which Columbus first proclaimed to the inhabitants of Palos 
 the order of the sovereigns, that they should furnish him with 
 ships for his great voyage of discoverj^. This edifice has 
 lately been thorougldy repaired, and, being of solid mason- 
 work, promises to stand foi" ages, a monument of the discover- 
 ers. It stands outside of the village, on the brow of a hill, 
 looking along a little valley toward the river. The remains of 
 a ]\Ioorish ai-ch prove it to ha^e been a mosque in former 
 times; just above it, on the crest of the hill, is the ruin of a 
 Moorish castle. 
 
 I paused in the porch and endeavoured to recall the 
 interesting scene that had taken place there, when Columbus, 
 accompanied by the zealous friar, Juan Perez, caused the 
 public notary to read the royal order in presence of the 
 astonished alcaldes, regidors, and alguazils; but it is difficidt 
 to conceive the consternation that must have been struck int' 
 so remote a little comnuinity, by tins sudden apparition of ai 
 entire stranger among them, bearing a connnand that they 
 should put their persons and ships at his disposal, and sail 
 with him away into the unknown wilderness of the ocean. 
 
 The interior of the church has nothing remarkable, except- 
 ing a wooden image of St. George vanquishing the Dragon, 
 which is erected over the high altar, and is tlie admiration of 
 the good people of Palos, who l)ear it about the streets in 
 grand procession on the anniveisary of the saint. This group 
 existed in the time of Cohunbus, and now flourishes in
 
 224 SPANISH VOYAGES OF DISCO VEEY. 
 
 renovated youth and splendour, having been newly painted 
 and gilded, and the countenance of the saint rendered i)ecu- 
 liarly blooming and lustrous. 
 
 Having finished the examination of the church, we resumed 
 our seats in the calesa and returned to Moguer. One thing 
 only remained to fulfil the object of my pilgrimage. This was 
 to visit the chapel of the Convent of Santa Clara. When 
 Columbus was in danger of being lost in a temiiest on his way 
 hon. from his great voyage of discovery, he made a vow, 
 that should he be spared, he would watch and pray one whole 
 night in tliis chapel; a vow which he doubtless fulfilled 
 immediately after his arrival. 
 
 My kind *nd attentive friend, Don Juan, conducted me to 
 the convent. It is the wealthiest m Moguer, and belongs to a 
 sisterhood of Franciscan nuns. The chapel is large, and 
 ornamented with some degree of richness, particularly the 
 part about the high altar, which is embellished by magnificent 
 monuments of the brave family of the Puerto Carre ros, the 
 ancient lords of Moguer, and renowned in Moorish warfare. 
 The alabaster effigies of distinguished warriors of that house, 
 and of their wives and sisters, lie side by side, with folded 
 hands, on tombs immediately before the altar, while others 
 recline in deep niches on either side. The night had closed in 
 by the time I entered the church, which made the scene more 
 impressive. A few votive lamps shed a dim light about the 
 interior ; their beams were feebly reflected by the gilded work 
 of the high altar, and the frames of the surrounding paintings, 
 ' and rested upon the marble figures of the warriors and dames 
 lying in the monumental repose of ages. The solemn pile 
 must have presented much the same appearance when the 
 pious discoverer performed his vigil, kneeling before this very 
 altar, and praying and watching throughout the night, and 
 pouring forth heart-felt praises for having been spared to ac- 
 complish his sublime discoveiy. 
 
 I had now completed the main purpose of my journey, 
 havin;? visited the various places connected with the story of 
 Columbus. It was highly gratifying to find some of them so 
 little changed, though so great a space of time had intervened ; 
 but in this quiet nook of Spain, so far removed from the main 
 thoroughfares, the lapse of time produces but few violent 
 revolutions. Nothing, hoAvever. had siu'prised and gratified 
 me more than the continued stability of the Pinzon family. 
 On the morning after my excursion to Palos, chance gave mo
 
 APPENDIX. 2?;") 
 
 an opportunity of seeing something of the interior of most of 
 theii- JlOU!^oholds. Having a curiosity to visit the remains of a 
 Moorish castle, once the citadel of iloguer, Don Fernandez 
 undertook to show me a tower which servcnl as a magazine of 
 "vviue to one of the Pinzon family. In seeking for the key we 
 were sent from house to house of nearly the whole connexion. 
 All appeai'cd to be h\ang in that golden mean equiilly removed 
 from the wants and superfluities of life, and all to bo happily 
 interwoven by kind and cordial habits of intimacy. We 
 found the femtiles of the family generally seated in the patios, 
 or ceutniJ courts of their dwellings, beneath the shade of 
 aAvnings and among shi-ubs and flowers. Here the Andalusian 
 ladies are accustomed to jiass their mornings at work, sur- 
 roimded hy their handmaids, ip. the primitive, or rather, 
 oriental style. In the porches of some of the houses I ob- 
 served the coat of arms, granted to the family by Charles V., 
 hung up like a picture in a frame. Over the door of Don Luis, 
 the naval ofiicer, it was carved on an escutcheon of stone, and 
 coloured. I had gathered naany particulars of the family also 
 from convei'sation with Don Juan, and from the family legend 
 lent me by Don Luis. From all that I could learn, it would 
 ap]ioar that the lapse of nearly three centuries and a half has 
 made but little change in the condition of the Pinzons. From 
 generation to generation they have retained the same fair- 
 standing and reputable name throughout the neighbourhood, 
 filling offices of public trust and dignity, and possessing great 
 influence over their fellow-citizens by their good sense and 
 good conduct. How rare is it to see such an instance of 
 stability of fortune in this fluctuating world, and how truly 
 honourable is this hereditary respectability, which has been 
 secured by no titles or entails, but peipetuated }nerely by the 
 innate worth of the race! I declare to you that the most 
 illustrious descents of mere titled rank coiUd never command the 
 sincere respect and cordial regard with which I contemplated 
 this staunch and enduring family, which for tlu-ee centuries 
 and a half has stood merely upon its virtues. 
 
 As I was to set off on my return to Seville before two 
 o'clock, I partook of a farewell repast at the house of Don 
 Juan, between twelve and one, and then took leave of his 
 household with sincere regret. The good old gentleman, with 
 the coiirtesy, or rather the cordiahty of a tiiie Spaniard, 
 accom]ianied me to the posada to see me off. I had dispensed 
 but little money in the posada — thanks to the hospitality of
 
 226 s^A^'IS^ voyages of discovery. 
 
 the Pinzons— yet the Spanish pride of my host and hostess 
 seemed pleased that I had prefen-ed their humble chamber, 
 and the scanty bed they had pro\adcd me, to the spacious 
 mansion of Don Juan ; and when I expressed my thanks for 
 their kiadness and attention, and regaled mine host with a 
 few choice cigars, the heart of the poor man was overcome. 
 He seized me by both hands and gave me a parting bene- 
 diction, and then ran after the calasero to enjoin him to take 
 particular care of me during my journey. 
 
 Taking a hearty leave of my excellent friend Don Juan, who 
 had been unremitting in his attentions to me to the last 
 moment, I now set off on my wayfaring, gratified to the 
 utmost with my visit, and full of kind and grateful feelings 
 towards Moguer and its hospitable inhabitants. 
 
 MANIFESTO OF ALONZO DE OJEDA. 
 
 [The following ctirious formula, composed hy learned divines in Spain, was first 
 read aloud by the friars in the train of Alonzo de Ojeda as a prelude to his 
 attack on the savages of Carthagena; and was subsequently adopted b.v the 
 Spanish discoverers in general, in their invasions of the Indian countries.] 
 
 I, Alonzo de Ojeda, servant of the high and mighty kings 
 of Castile and Leon, civilizers of barbarous nations, their 
 messenger and captain, notify and make known to you, in the 
 best way I can, that God our Lord, one and eternal, created 
 the heavens and the earth, and one man and one woman, from 
 whom you, and we, and all the people of the earth were and 
 are descendants, pj-ocreated, and all those Avho shall come 
 after us; but the vast number of generations which have 
 proceeded frora ti^em, in the course of more than five thous- 
 and years that have elapsed since the creation of the world, 
 made it necessary that some of the human race should disperse 
 in one direction and some in another, and that they should 
 divide themselves into many kingdoms and provinces, as they 
 could not sustain and preserve themselves in one alone. All 
 these people were given in charge, by God our Lord, to one 
 person, named St. Peter, who was thus made lord and 
 superior of all the people of the earth, and head of the whole 
 human lineage, whom all should obey, wherever they might 
 live, and whatever might be their law, sect or belief ; he gave
 
 APPF.^'DIX. 227 
 
 him also the whole world for his sersace and jurisdiction, and 
 though he desired that ho shoidd estahhsh his chair in Rome, 
 as a place most convenient for governing the wf rid, yet he 
 permitted that ho might estabUsh his chair ui any other part 
 of the world, and judge and govern iill the nations, Christians, 
 Moors, Jews, Gentiles, and whatever other sect or behef might* 
 b^. This person was denominated Pope, that is to Siiy, 
 admirable, supreme, father and guardian, because he is lather 
 and governor of all mankind. This holy father was obeyed 
 and honoured as lord, king, and superior of the miiverse by 
 those who lived m his time, and, in Hke manner, have been 
 obeyed and honoured by all those who have been ek'cted to 
 the Pontificate, and thus it has continued unto the present 
 day, and will contmue untd the end of the world. 
 
 One of these Pontiffs of whom I have spoken, as lord of tlie 
 world, made a donation of these islands and continents, of the 
 ocean, sea, and all .that they contain, to the Catholic kings of 
 Cabtile, who at that time were Ferdinand and Isabella of 
 glorious memory, and to their successors, our sovereigns, 
 according to the tenor of certain papers drawn up for the 
 purpose, (which you may sje if you desire.) Thus his maje^-ty 
 is king and sovereign of these islands and continents by virtue 
 of the said donation; and as king and sovereign, certain 
 islands, and almost all to whom this has been notified, luivo 
 received his majesty, and have obeyed and served and do 
 actually serve him. And, moreover, like good subjects, and 
 with good-will, and without any resistence or delay, the 
 raomont they were informt^d of the foregoing, they obeyed all 
 the religious men sent among them to preach and teach our 
 Holy Faith; and these of their free and choorfid will, without 
 any condition or reward, became Chri.stians, and continue so 
 to be. And his majesty received them kindly and bonig- 
 nantly, and ordered that they should be treated like his other 
 subjects and vassals: you also are requii-fd and obliged to do 
 the same. Therefore, in the best manner I can. I pray and 
 entreat you, that you consider well what I have said, and that 
 you take whatever time is rea.sonable to imderstard and 
 deliberate upon it, and that you recognise the chiux-h for 
 sovereign and superior of the universal world, and the 
 supreme Poitiff, called Pope, in her name, and his majesty in 
 his place, as superior and sovereign king of the islands and 
 Terra Firma, by virtue of the said donation ; and that you 
 consent tliat these religious fathere declare and preach to you
 
 228 SPA2il^II VOYAGL'S OF DISCOVERY. 
 
 the foregoing ; and if you shall so do, you wUl do well ; and 
 will do that to which you are bounden and obliged ; and his 
 majesty, and I in his name, will receive you with all due love 
 and charity, and will leave you, your wives and children, free 
 from servitude, that you may freely do with these and with 
 yourselves whatever you please, and think proper, as have 
 done the inhabitants of the other islands. And besides this, 
 his majesty will give you many privileges and exemptions, 
 and grant you many favours. If you do not do this, or 
 wickedly and intentionally delay to do so, I certify to you, 
 that by the aid of God, I will powerfully invade and make 
 war upon you in all parts and modes that I can, and will 
 subdue you to the yoke and obedience of the church and of 
 his majesty, and I wiU take your wives and children and 
 make slaves of them, and sell them as such, and dispose of 
 them as his majesty may coixunand; and I will take your 
 effects and wUl do you all the harm and injury in my power, 
 as vassals who will not obey or receive their sovereign and 
 who resist and oppose him. And I protest that the deaths and 
 disasters which may in this manner be occasioned, wiU be the 
 fault of yourselves and not of his majesty, nor of me, nor of 
 these cavaliers who accompany me. And of what I here teU 
 you and require of you, I call upon the notary here present to 
 give me hirf signed testimonial.
 
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