The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1856-06-27

timber. The Indians live in the small valleys.
The girls were treated cruelty by these Indians.
They were overtasked, and when they could
not understand what was said 10 them, they
were beaten There was no timber nor run
ming stream The only fuel 10 be had was scat
tered sage bushes, and when it rained the wa
ter would collect in the holes Of the rocks, and
these two little girls were compelled to pack
all the wood and water from long distance
upon their backs They felt themselves 10 be
slaves. The Indians told them they should new
pr se- their friends again and concealed them
as much as possible There was no snow, but
they suffered from cold in the winter.
The Mohaves and Apaches We're friends and
sometimes visited each other. 1t was during
one OF these visits that the AIohaves learned OF
the captives and offered to purchase them. The
4 pach-s consented and received in exchange a
/ few pounds of beads, two horses, and two bian-
! kets They were ten days travelling, E'like hor-
ses'' as she describes it, to the Mohave villages,
/ barefoot and over rough mountainous country,
each day stopping short time at noon to rest.
She thinks they travelled $50 miles in north
west direction. On this journey they eat moth
ing ontil the fourth day, when they received a
/ pIrce OF meat about as large as her hand, and
this kept them alive. There were no roots nor
berries, and they dared not ask the Indians for
I food. The Indians would kill such game as
cane in their way, but they did not offer II to
! their captives She describes them as being too
4 lazy to exert themselves 10 procure food. and
onlP killing such game as chance brought to
/ th-u. Her days thus far had been dark, and
she was almost ready TO despair. Not an act OF
/ kindness, nor word of sympathy or hope bad
been addressed to her by her caPtoTs, who trea-
ted her and her sister as slaves.
/ Arrived among the Mohavrs, the chief, whom
/ she calls EsPenesoy, took them into his own
! family. and they we're treated in every respect
as his own children. Two blankets were given
10 them for covering food was divided with
/ them they were not obliged to labor, but did
pretty much as they pleased. Lands We're al
/ loted to them, and they we're furnished with
/ seeds, and raised their own corn, m~lons and
j beans as the Indians did
There is little or no rain at the Colorado, and
/ the Mohavss depend upon the overflow Of the
river for the irrigation necessary to geflnInate
anG ripeu their hafvests. Sometimes there IS
no overflow of the river, and much suffering
follows. The Indians are too indolent to plan;
more than will suffice for their actual neceSSl-
tIya. Three years ago there was no overflow,
and famine was the consequence, IN which
many persisted. II was in this famine that Oh
i've suffered her greatest grief. Her little SIS
ter, Mary Ann, had endured all her captivity
with her. They supposed that they were alone
of their family; they had suffered together the
crueliieS Of the savagrs; but they had not been
separated. They could symPathlSe and cheer
each other in their dreariness, and sometimes
they would whisper together faint hope OF tu-
tnre redemption. But now came the trial.
The child wasted away by degrees-she knew
/ that she was to die, and talked calmly OF death
to Olive She had no disease, bot there was no
food-and she wasted miserably IN the famine
that desalated the tribe. Olive herself was
near pershing, but tue strength OF hFr consI-
tuition saved her life. She speaks olthe Chief $
wife in teruS of warmest gratitude. mother
could not have expressed more kind hearted
sympathy than did this good woman, whose
gentle treatment saved her life. This woman
had laid up seed corn 10 plant, and which ven
the dying groans of her own people could not
make her bring out. When she saw Olives dis
tress, she ground this corn between stones, made
a Cruel and fed it to her, not resrrying any even
to herself.
The Mohaves always told her she could &c
to the white settlements when she pleased, but
they dared not go with her, fearing they might
be punished for having kept a white woman Sc
long among them, nor did they dare TO let II b.
known that she was among them. She couij
not 90 alone, for she did not know the way
and she despaired Of ever again seeing hel
friends. Hope almost died within her. fo
three long years she mourned her captivity
though we'll treated sh- was restrained, for sh'
knew not how 10 extricate herself Wha
we're her sensations, during all this time, mus
be imagined for she is not, as yet, able 10 eX
press her thoughts in language.
Before the arrival of the Indian mesSengr
charged to release her, she heard OF his drpar
r ture from the Fort, by an Indian runner he
joy was very great, but she forced hersrlfto aP
pear Indifferent, lest the Indians should still r.
strain her. She had little confidence in thrl
sincerity, WHEN they gave her permission t
leave them, because they refused to 70 with her
and they knew she could not 90 alone.
At length, Francisco, the Yuma, arrived will
the reouisition from Col Burke for her deliv
cry. The packet was examined by the ludi
, ans, but no one understood it. il was put init
/ her bands to explain. II was written 10 bold
) round hand, the letters being third OF an incl
, long. Ii was the first word of EngliSh she ha
STfH Tor nVF long, weary years, ana silF Couf
r not restrain her emotion. The cold chill OF In
dian reserve seemed TO melt away, aud she say
, before her mind the old home scenes; and hap
py voices seemed TO welcome her return. Sh
readily deciphered the meaning of that rescrlPt
and communicated il TO the assembled Indians
? Accompanying it were six pounds OF whit
beads, four blankets, and some other trlnkrts, t
a be given in exchange. These We're accepted
and the Chief told her she was at liberty TO de
part for her friends Many of the Indians