46

FREMONT'S EXPEDITION.

and the illustrious Don José, preferring a race to a fight, was riding express, with all his braves, towards the lower country.

CAPTAIN FREMONT, of the United States Topographical Engineers, had entered California, with his party, just before our arrival, depending upon the resources of the country for subsistence and recruits,-his little band being sorely exhausted by their wearisome journey across the most rugged part of the continent. As far as I could understand, the duty of this topographical party was to explore the route to the Pacific, on the line connecting the head-waters of the Gila with the Rio Grande del Norte. The able and accomplished leader of this expedition had already completed the reconnaisance of the route, through the immense unknown region of country lying in the vicinity of the Great Salt Lake, vaguely known under the name of the Great American Desert. Among civilized nations, scientific expeditions are always treated with courtesy and hospitality, even if they are in a country actually at war with their own. As far back as the reign of Louis XIV., that monarch imprisoned the officers who seized the builders of the Eddystone lighthouse, saying that he was at war with England, and not with mankind. But, in the present instance, our government did not rely upon custom, but obtained positive assurances from the Mexican government that the exploring party should receive good treatment. But, notwithstanding these pledges of hospitality, and the universal usage of civilized nations, General Castro, in perfect consistency with the treacherous character of his government, and in a spirit of ignorant and arrogant assumption, fulminated a proclamation denouncing Fremont as an invader of the sacred soil of the republic, and characterizing his party as robbers and cut-throats. This was followed, upon Fremont's advance to Monterey, by another paper volley, in the usual vainglorious and bombastic style of such Mexican productions, calling together the people in arms to defend their glorious country,

VALOROUS FEAT OF CASTRO.

47

polluted by a foreign and unholy invader. This proclamation contained the usual flourishes in which these heroes indulge, in common with the Chinese, and wound up with the stereotyped but unreverenced names, "Dios y Libertad." The Americans residing in the country, with a zeal which did them honor, volunteered to defend their countrymen; and numbers would have poured into Fremont's camp had the gallant captain encouraged them to do so. Knowing, however, as I imagine, his own party quite competent to compete with any force that Castro could bring against him, and fearing perhaps to compromise his countrymen who would have suffered in person and property, had Castro, by any unexpected circumstance, proved successful-Fremont quietly entrenched his little band in a well-selected position, every approach to which was commanded by their rifles and calmly awaited the terrible onset of the truculent Castro. Don José summoned to the field a force of two hundred men; and, with a six-pounder or two, advanced towards the hill from which floated the starry flag, beneath whose folds common men are transformed into heroes. And never did it wave over a more resolute band of gallant hearts than on this memorable occasion, when a few hardy trappers, adventurous young men, and Delaware Indiansever the faithful allies of ourselves and our forefathers— stood ready, in the midst of a remote and hostile country, to meet all odds which might be brought against them. But Don José was rather in the humor of that renowned king of France, who,

-"with twenty thousand men,

Marched up the hill, and then-marched down again."

He vapored, he curvetted, he pranced, he made all manner of demonstrations and manoeuvres, which he doubtless thought no small beer of, in the hope of "striking terror," after the manner of his Chinese prototypes. But he finally concluded to break up his forces and withdraw, without

48

GILLESPIE'S EXPEDITION.

venturing to approach within rifle-range, or to commit an outrage upon that flag which he could not have assailed without diminishing his own importance, and endangering the crockery in the undefended towns under his command.

The bad faith of the Mexican authorities, and perhaps the want of a friendly feeling on the part of the people of the country, partially defeated the object of the expedition, and Captain Fremont shortly after took the road to Oregon. About the same time, (May, 1846,) Lieut. Gillespie, United States marines, was landed from the United States sloopof-war which had brought him from the coast of Mexico, he having crossed that country with despatches for Fremont, and, finding he had left, instantly started in pursuit of him. He left Sutter's fort on the Sacramento, travelling north, and expecting to overtake Captain Fremont's party before they got clear of the valley of that river. They followed the trail, however, until they got beyond that section of country, and arrived in the country of the Klamet Lakes, inhabited by roving bands of Indians of that name, who are great thieves and very hostile to the whites. They met, however, with attention and kindness from a party of these Indians whom they encountered fishing in a river for salmon, who even assisted them to cross over with their animals, although the little party, consisting of only six persons, was completely at the mercy of these savages. This apparent forbearance, however, only shows the deep wile of the Indian character; for they acted on the principle of the spider, who allows his victim to become well entangled in his web ere he strikes the fatal blow. About a day or two after they had crossed the river, finding it almost a hopeless case to pursue the trail of Fremont, so rapidly did he travel, and their horses being almost "used up," Gillespie encamped with four men, and sent the remaining man, an intrepid and skilful mountaineer-Joe Neal, by name-on the best horse of the party, to overtake Fremont, if possible. This he succeeded in doing, at an

A CHARGE AT NIGHT.

49

immense risk, having been obliged to charge through a party of Indians who obstructed his passage. With the bridle in his teeth, and firing his rifle and pistols to "port" and “starboard” amongst them, and receiving in return a volley of arrows, which luckily did him no injury, he gallantly made good his way, and finally reached Fremont's camp in such a state of exhaustion that he fell from his horse, and had barely strength to say that Gillespie was in danger, and to describe the situation of his camp. Taking with him his seven brave Delawares and two Canadians, Fremont instantly started on the back trail, leaving the rest of the camp in its bivouac. He arrived at Gillespie's station just at dusk, and after having supped and sat until a late hour by the camp fire, the whole party fell sound asleep. Their slumbers, however, were not of long duration, for they were suddenly aroused by the loud warwhoop of a party of Indians, who were charging the very centre of their camp. If a man ever requires the "four o'clock in the morning" courage, of which Lord Byron speaks, it is on occasions like this, when suddenly aroused from sound slumber, in the dead of night, he is called upon to confront a dimly-seen and skulking savage foe, whose force he cannot estimate. But courage was the last thing lacking in the gallant party led by Fremont and Gillespie. Kit Carson and the Delawares bravely sent back the warwhoop, and the enemy was repulsed with loss. Their chief alone continued to fight, and he did it after the most approved rules of war adopted by these Indians-yelling aloud, dancing from side to side to elude the aim of the hostile rifles, and discharging his sharp arrows with the rapidity of thought. At length he also was brought down, and proved to be the same chief who had helped Gillespie to ford the river. The arms and accoutrements of the little party had excited the cupidity of the Indians, who dogged the trail, expecting an easy conquest. The almost providential accession of force to the way-worn little band was

50

CASTRO'S THREAT.

unknown to the savages, who found in the end that they had reckoned without their host. After inflicting summary chastisement on the village of these marauders, Fremont returned to Sutter's Fort.

On hearing of Fremont's unexpected return, the valorous Castro became again greatly excited. Proceeding to the Pueblo San José and occupying the barracks, he called together as large a posse as he could raise, and pompously gave out that he intended to march at once up the Sacramento Valley, and clear it of all suspicious characters. He declared, with a great show of sincerity, that he should attack the fort which, (he said,) ever since its establishment by Captain Sutter, had been the rendezvous of seditious. and revolutionary foreigners-that he would raze the fort to the ground, and thus destroy the stronghold from which the legitimate government had been threatened; and finally, that he would either exterminate or drive out all foreigners who refused to become strictly Mexican citizens. How faithfully these magnificent threats were carried into effect, is somewhat notorious, even out of California.

In order to be near the probable scene of action, and to afford" aid and comfort " to Captain Fremont's party, which they much needed, our ship sailed from Monterey on the first of June, and keeping close in with the land on our way up the coast, we entered, on the third, between the huge basaltic cliffs forming the portals of the magnificent bay of San Francisco, and anchored at Sansalito.

look out Alcatraz, When you

In approaching the entrance to this harbor, for a white rock fronting its entrance, called if you are coming from the southward. have it in a line with the fort on the southern point of the entrance, you have the best mark for crossing the bar in six fathoms water. If coming from the north, the same fort on a line with Yerba Buena Island leads in, in four fathoms; and the entrance should not be attempted either to the northward or southward of these lines, as there is