The Arkansas advocate., 1835-05-08

a ut9iioi oi iGu ijSpiSf-sS'iiie oi them ttke this, on the eastern side of the mountains- thus exposing themselves to the Pawnees and Cumanches, who, of course use them roughly. The former tribe broke up the settlement i'll this valley about fifteen years ago, and the experiment has never been re-
 peated, though this valley, and that of the
 Gallinas. are great temptations to the Span
 Iards. The sole inhabitants of the Old Village now, are rattlesnakes, of which we
 killed some two CT three dozen about the
 old mud houses. The third day brought us by roundabout course, to the junction
 of the creeks Demora and Sepellote, about fifty miles from San Miguel, and on the Missouri wagon road. Buffalo are ire quently found in the winter not far from
 here, namely. at the springs called Los 0jos de Santa Clara, ,'-The Eyes of Saint
 Clara distant days journey heyond.-
 While at the Old Village, the night before,
 a consolation had been held, to determine
 what course we should pursue. Lewis ad-
 vised to cross 10 the main fork of the Can-
 adian branch of the Arkansas, or, as 1t Is commonly called, Little Red River, and
 then following his trail, 10 go on to the
 Hashita, trap 1t, and then to the heads of
 Red River. But, acting under a wrong
 impression and a radical mistake, this ad-
 vice was rejected. It was supposed by all of us, that Red River and all it's main bran-
 ches headed into tie mountains, and tthiiat ii
 1t was only necessary to keep under the mountains, and We should necessarily find beaver. twas determined, then, to obtain
 an old Cumanche, who had been converted,
 and was married Tn San Miguel, as cur guide, and to go directly to the rivers which
 we supposed lay not far to the southeast
 of us, and contained beaver. According ly, on arriving, the next day, at the wagon
 road, 1t was agreed that the party should go down the Gallinas day or two, and
 cross over to the Pecos, where was to find them. For at the time we supposed that the Gallinass creek ran into Red River,
 while, on the contrary, 1t runs into the Pe- cos. While they, therefore, followed the
 course of the GallinaS, l, in company with three of our Mexicans, went into San Mig
 uel 10 bring out the Gumanche.
 The country is rolling prairie for part of the way between the Defnora and San Miguel. About noon we reached the Gal- ] llnas, where we rested and fed GUT mules. Ne then struck into the hills, crossed the ] little creek called the Tecolofe, {0wb and slept at night at the 0io de Bernal, within
 seven miles of San Miguel. where we ar rived tue next morning. That day and the
 next We spent there, waiting the return Of
 a messenger from Taos, and purchasing a
 horse; and on the third day, late in the morning, we left again the village of Saint
 Michael. Various prophecies were utter ed, all boding i'll to us. The Cumanehes
 were described as diablos and infetes, aud
 the women in particular seemed 10 take a great interest in our well-being. In fact. while we were at the Old Village of the
 Denora, there came in some dozen Mexi-
 cans who had gone from Taos to Red Riv-
 CT, having hard bread and other 'notions,'
 10 trade with the Cumanches. The Indians
 wisely concluded that 1t was better to get
 1t all for nothing, than to give ia return their buffalo robes and horses; and they accord i lngiy took violent possession of the mules
 and horses of the luckless pedlars, drove
 them of, and kept their hard bread in spite of their bows and arrows. Besides this, a new story had come in, that man had been shot by the Caiawas, about four davs' jour- ney out of San Miguel, and found by some 1 of the Pueblos. Accompanied by many
 good wishes, prayers and benedictions,
 however, we left the village on the twelfth,
 and, reached that night little village be-
 low, on the Pecos, (whose course we fol- lowed) where we slept. The next morHz ing we bought t sileep, and started again.
 At noon we heard that our party was about fifteen miles distant, down the river. We were then at the last settlement, about forty
 miles from San Miguel. Beyond, there
 are some deserted ranches, as they are call
 ed-that is, sheep-pens and shepherd huts.
 At night we reached the party, and right
 glad was to be delivered from the peril of
 riding about in dangerous country, accom- panied only by four Mexicans (for an old
 man who had been sent from Taos to bear
 a letter to the Cumanche went out with us) and an old faithless Indian, of a tribe 10
 which white man Is like smoke in the
 nostrils. A lone American has no mercy from them, and little aid from the Mexicans
 who smay chance to be with him. Not long ago one Frcnchman went out from Taos, Ill company with hundred and fifty
 Mexieans, and was by them given up to
 half their number of Ciimanches, to be
 murdered. It was even said that the Span iards danced round his scalp in company
 with the Indians. One of these fellows
 was with me, and another one was with the