Chapter VII: Introduction (6)

We sailed on up the river five miles to the north. With the intention of setting up a cross the said Reverend Father Fray Ramon went ashore here with a corporal and four soldiers and went to hunt a place suitable for placing it. I stayed in the boat, but in a little while I was told that some heathen Indians had been descried. I immediately ordered them to be followed to see if a few could not be caught and brought back without hurting them. However, soon a second message was returned to me that the heathen were coming in considerable numbers to attack us. I quickly landed, leaving four soldiers in charge of the boats. I, with the rest, went toward them [the Indians] and reached the point where the corporal and soldiers were who had gone with Father Ramon. They were awaiting the Indians, who were approaching under arms. As soon as we had all reassembled, we advanced on them, but they had not the courage to attack us or even to maintain the position they were holding, because immediately they retreated to find shelter in a thicket at their rear. As for ourselves, we halted because we were held up by the deep water in a slough that intersects with the river itself. The heathen did not cease to hurl their insults. Then I sent the interpreters to approach a little closer but so that the heathen would not be offended and fire at them, having previously instructed the interpreters what they should say.

Seeing that nothing could be accomplished [in this manner], I resolved to go closer myself and, with Sergeant Soto, I left the rest of the troops in the position they occupied with instructions that if we were attacked, they were to advance. We went toward the Indians, I and Soto, and, carried on the shoulders of the Christian Indians, we got within fifty paces of them. Although I wanted to get closer, the deep water at that point prevented us. Nevertheless, I continued talking to them through interpreters, saying that it was my intention not to do them harm unless they did something first. They apologized but did not lay down their arms.

Thus I stayed for an hour. After a lot of yelling and insults we decided that we would wait for them in their village and that they would not abandon it. It was found to be a matter of two miles by boat from where we had left them to the place where their village was situated. I quickly went back and embarked. Having gone upstream, we reached the parallel of the village, which was situated about four hundred paces northwest of the bank, and did not encounter its inhabitants, for they had all run away. Nor could we reach it on account of the great amount of water in the intervening space, for the river was flowing at a very high level. I sent some Indians but they brought back only a decrepit old man, who had hidden himself because he could not follow the others in their flight. He was given a present and sent off.

I wanted much to stay here until the following day but the irritation shown by the Reverend Father Fray Narciso Duran, who wanted to turn around, determined me to accede to his wishes and retreat, although with inward misgivings. The Reverend Father Fray Ramon Abella improved the time by constructing a cross, which he blessed with solemnity and which we worshiped with much devotion. This place was given the name of San Bernardino, whose day our Holy Mother Church was celebrating. At five o'clock in the afternoon of this day we turned around and took a southerly direction downstream. The boats traveled with great speed with the current. We stopped to camp for the night without having noticed anything of particular interest.

This river, as measured in its narrowest part, is 200 varas wide and 7, 8, and 10 brazas deep.

On the following day, the 21st, we started out on the same route downstream. A few isolated villages were encountered, their inhabitants gone, which the soldiers reconnoitred. I did not see them, nor did I want to go ashore, but in the village where the two old women who had been baptized were left, the soldiers were told that it had been abandoned by the natives, after they had destroyed the houses. Such is the fear that fills the breasts of these unfortunate heathen. At ten-thirty o'clock in the morning we left the main stream of the Sacramento, which makes a turn here and runs to the northwest, and took a branch which here cuts off from the big river and runs southward. After having sailed along this branch for five miles, we suddenly came upon a village of the heathen, situated on the east bank of the branch, or slough. All the Indians ran away, hiding themselves in the brush and tule swamps. It was possible to gather up only a few women and children of both sexes and nine buck Indians. This was with much effort, for the troops had to wade through the water at places up to their waist, and passage was entirely prevented by the mud. The reverend fathers occupied themselves by baptizing some feeble old women and another woman, who was seen to be seriously ill. As soon as the reverend fathers had finished I made a short speech to the Indians and left them in their village. We continued sailing until six o'clock in the afternoon when we stopped at the confluence of this slough and the River San Joaquin. The latter comes down from the southeast and joins the River of the Holy Sacrament so as to form the bays of the Tulpunes, Ompines, and Chupucanes. From here the two rivers, in one body, discharge through the Strait of the Karquines so as to empty into the Bay of San Francisco.

On the 22nd the Reverend Father Fray Narciso decided to ascend the San Joaquin River in order to visit a rancheria called Pasasimes. Together with Sergeant Soto I obtained information concerning the situation of this village and the condition of the Indians living in it, with the purpose of going in another direction in case there was no fear of an attack by the heathen. The said Soto told me that in the region in which this village is situated there was no cause for apprehension, that the Indians of this village went often to Mission San Jose and that they were very docile. Nevertheless I gave the necessary orders and instructions for him, with seven soldiers, to accompany the Reverend Father Duran while I with the corporal and four soldiers separated from them with the idea of returning to the southwest and northwest of the Island of the Quenemsias, where the runaway Christians of San Jose were hiding.

We in the two boats then set out together but after having sailed four miles the launch "Josefina" took a southerly course up the San Joaquin while I kept on to the northwest. I soon put about to the north, taking a channel which, according to the Indian pilot, was an arm of the river which connected with the Sacramento. We sailed up this channel and at five miles descried a crowd of Indians in the tules at the edge of the river. Immediately I had all the Indian sailors jump ashore to see if they could catch a few [of the natives], whom they quickly reported to be the Christian fugitives. We could not get out of the boat because everywhere was a swamp. The sailors pursued them a good stretch but, since the fugitives had a great advantage, they [the sailors] could not catch anyone. However, they captured good booty, because the Christian fugitives, in order better to escape, abandoned everything. The sailors, very happy with the putian (which is what they call pillage in their language), reembarked and we continued our voyage.

Going on upstream we observed that the river narrowed a great deal, so much indeed that when I tried to turn around, we found ourselves in such a narrow spot, with the current so rapid and strong, that I resolved to go back, even with great effort, as soon as I could. But we had to sail once more for about seven miles to the north. Then, taking a northwesterly direction through another slough which we encountered, we sailed about ten miles, at the end of which we turned north and entered the main stream of the Sacramento River. At seven o'clock in the evening we halted for the night on the same island.[38]

At six o'clock in the morning of the following day, the 23rd, we started out to the north and at five miles bore east, following the bend of the river. We sailed on about seven miles and stopped around eleven o'clock on account of the excessive heat and because we wanted to cut a pole to provide a mast for the boat and replace the mainmast which broke off on the 15th. All this island is covered with an abundance of wood and we were entirely without any.

Since all the island was found to be flooded owing to the very high water in the river, I sent the Indian sailors with an axe to cut a tree while I and the soldiers were eating lunch. They got so far away from us that they unexpectedly ran onto the Christian fugitives from San Jose and attacked them. As soon as word of this reached me, while we were eating, I and the five men immediately broke off our meal, but although we pushed about a quarter of a league through the swamp, we could get no farther forward on account of the deep water. Thereupon I ordered the Indian who had brought the message to tell the sailors that they should make their retreat and that we would wait for them on the spot to see if the runaway Indians pursued them. Soon they arrived, telling the story that they had got away and crossed a branch of the river by swimming. Each side shot a few arrows at the other but no damage was done except to one San Jose Christian, who was wounded in the leg. We embarked and continued upstream in pursuit of the fugitive Indians. We found the village but it was without inhabitants. Although we landed and traveled through the thickets, which are extremely dense, it was very difficult to catch any of them unless by surprise. So at about five o'clock we went back on board the boat and sailed some five miles to the northwest, where we stopped with the intention of cutting a tree. But since we could not find one suitable for the mast of the launch, at eight o'clock in the evening I decided to go back. Having sailed all night, at six o'clock in the morning of the 24th, we anchored in the bay of the Chupucanes, there to await and join the launch "Josefina" and pass through Carquinez Strait.[39]

She arrived at six o'clock in the afternoon of this day. Here we remained until the following day, the 25th, when Mass was celebrated at nine o'clock in the morning. At ten-thirty o'clock we set sail and navigated until four o'clock in the afternoon. With the aid of the high tide we anchored off Point San Pablo. The launch "Josefina" did not stop but kept on to the Island of Los Angeles, five miles north of the Presidio. At eight o'clock in the evening we departed from Point San Pablo and at ten o'clock rejoined the launch "Josefina." At twelve o'clock the latter started to cross to the Port. I waited until one o'clock in the morning, at which time we made the crossing to the port and anchored without incident at two o'clock in the morning of the 26th at the wharf. The launch "Josefina" went by another course and arrived safely shortly after we did.

This is in substance all that I can give your Excellency as official information. I still entertain regret that I have not been able to secure more exact information, as I had wished, for the reasons which I outlined at the beginning.

May God preserve many years the life of your Excellency.

San Francisco, May 26, 1817 Luis Arguello
(rubric)

VII. MINOR RAIDS AND FORAYS, 1810-1820

Apart from the records of major expeditions given in the previous chapters a few scattered items from the Bancroft Library documents are worth presenting. The first six below refer to various informal forays and raids and give an idea of the character of these in the period near 1820. The last two are excerpts from recollections of early Spanish and Mexican pioneers as recounted to Hubert Howe Bancroft's assistants in 1877 or 1878. The historical accuracy of these last is low, since they refer to events which occurred sixty-five years before the telling. Nevertheless, the personal flavor is worth preserving, including the unabashed boastfulness. No detailed comment is required.

_Fr. Juan Cabot to Captain de la Guerra_
San Miguel, May 23, 1818
(De la Guerra Docs., VII: 88-89)

In the village of Telame there are at present thirty-three
Christians from several missions; as a rule, this is the place of
refuge ... from the direction of Santa Barbara there is no access
because everything is surrounded by water, but by way of Bubal there
is access.

Before getting to Telame there are five villages, among them
Quiuamine, where they killed the Christian of San Buenaventura.
The Santa Barbara soldiers could stop them from escaping by water.
In Yulumne there are some [fugitives] also.

If the other villages are treated in a friendly manner, without
our giving any indication of our intentions, and the first blow
is struck, I doubt if there will be any more trouble.

Regarding Telame, he says that he was there twice in different
years. The first year he did not see the people "because they were
almost entirely dispersed and debilitated from starvation." The
second time the people were there. The village is situated opposite
the mission, a league from the Sierra Nevada, in an immense oak
forest--many Indians, docile and friendly, who do not admit
fugitives to their village. A little farther toward Santa Barbara
is Choimoc, of the same type and character, but not as large. "None
of these villages has a fixed position, but the variation is less
than half a league."

_[Governor] to Captain Luis Arguello_
Rancho de Real Hacienda, September 14, 1819
(Cal. Arch., St. Pap., Sacramento, II: 241-242)

He says that the time has come to make the expedition at San Jose.
The primary object is to recover the fugitives from that mission and
chastise the heathen Indians who are sheltering them, as well as
to take away from them the horses which, according to what Father
Narciso Duran has told him, are in their possession. He considers
that Sergeant Jose Sanchez is competent to lead the expedition,
but only because he [Arguello] feels himself indisposed. For this
purpose he is sending forty men who have arrived from San Blas. He
[Arguello] will instruct them day and night in the operation of
their weapons.

_[Governor] to Captain Luis Arguello_
Rancho Rey, October 13, 1819
(Cal. Arch., St. Pap., Sacramento, II: 243-244)

He thinks the expedition must have started to the outskirts of
San Jose for the purpose of recapturing the horses from the wild
Indians, and he has given orders that Lieutenant Estudillo, with
Sergeant Pico and thirty men, set out to make a campaign.

_[Governor] to Captain Luis Arguello_
Monterey, November 3, 1819
(Cal. Arch., St. Pap., Sacramento, II: 244)

He will bring to the attention of the viceroy the success of the
campaign made against the village of the Muquelenis.

_Father Juan Martinez to Governor Sola_
San Miguel, November 6, 1820
(Archbishop's Arch., IV (1): 174)

Says that it is necessary, in compliance with his duty, to go to the
villages of the Valley, Bubal, Telame, and Notonto, to confess and
instruct....

He asks that he be furnished a guard for the trip so that it may be
successful, both going and coming.

_Father Esteban Tapis to Governor Sola_
San Juan Bautista, January 22, 1821
(Archbishop's Arch., IV (1): 199)

Last night, to his pleasure, he was visited by thirty-three heathen
recently arrived from the Tulare Valley in search of baptism. Seven
of them were married to seven female converts. Three brought their
women who are heathen. Thirteen are single young persons or adults
from nine to forty years of age. Six are infants.

They are from the villages of Hualquem, or Hualquemne, Notvolitch,
Huohual, and Quisats.

_Jose Canuto Boronda, "Notas Historicas sobre California," 1878_

The first campaign on which I went was to Kings River, which comes
from the slopes of the mountains and enters Tulare Lake; from there
it goes to the junction with the San Joaquin River.

At that place there were several Indian villages which had given
shelter to fugitive Christian Indians from the missions. They
brought out the Christian Indians they had with them and promised
in the future to shelter no more runaways. The custom was, if they
defaulted on that promise or committed acts of hostility, to fall
upon them with military power and capture them all, taking them by
force to the missions in order to baptize them. [Pp. 2-3.]...

When I was a recruit we went on a campaign to the village of Tachi.
While there, I saw one of our Indian auxiliaries from San Miguel
seize an old Indian woman with completely white hair. The Indian was
going to kill her when I stopped him. But the Indian had already
fired an arrow at close range, which perforated her skin on one side
but did not enter her body. The arrows were raining around me and I
had to pay attention to warding them off. When I was able to turn
around again, I saw that an Indian had covered up the poor old woman
with firewood and had ignited it so as to burn her alive. I ran
to her and with my spear had begun to remove the burning sticks
when an arrow split the crown of my hat. Sergeant Espinosa, our
Commander, yelled to me to leave the old woman and look after my
own safety--but I pulled the fire away from the unfortunate Indian
woman--although Father Juan Cabot himself said to me that this was
no occasion suitable for a show of charity and neglect of my own
interest. The Indians jumped into the lake and crossed into the
swamps where it was not possible for us to follow them. These and
other Indians used to have underground chambers from which they shot
arrows. In some places everything would seem smooth and even, but on
going across the top, horse and all would go to the bottom. These
falls were extremely dangerous because the Indians would finish off
the horse before he could get up. [Pp. 13-15.]

_Inocente Garcia, "Hechos Historicos de California," 1878_

After a few months I was selected to go on a campaign with five
other men--Antasio Mendoza, Manuel Butron, Jose de las Llagas
Garcia, Damaso Soto, and Ramon Martinez--under the orders of
Sergeant Jose Dolores Pico.[1] We accompanied Father Arroyo de la
Cuesta to the other side of Santa Rita to the villages of Jayaya
and Tape (Mission San Juan Bautista) in search of young girls
[monjas] whom the chiefs of these villages had offered us [i.e.,
for baptism].

Father Arroyo had arranged with chief Jayaya that we should come
and get the girls--I already knew a little of the language of that
place. Sergeant Pico took thirty armed Indians from the mission to
go with us. We traveled to Jayaya and Tape, in which there were
numerous Indians. Chief Tape had gone to La Soledad, and Father
Arroyo was under the impression that he had returned to his village.
Consequently the Indians did not know of the arrangements made at
the mission and on our arrival we met the warriors armed and ready
to fight us. The sergeant ordered our Indian auxiliaries to march
straight on the village. I saw clearly that the enemy were going to
overwhelm us with arrows if we did not proceed carefully, and said
so to my comrades. The guide who was directing us said to the Father
that the only approach was a thousand yards higher up. We went that
way in order to protect our auxiliaries, who were already fighting.
Two of our Indians were already dead, but we did not know it, when
the auxiliaries began to run with the enemy after them.

The situation was bad, and confused, for we could not give way a
step so as not to abandon our missionary. I said to Damaso Soto,
who was with me ahead of the others, that he should take out his
shield, for the Indians had been putting me under heavy fire, while
I covered him with mine. While Soto was getting out his shield, an
arrow went through it from the back, and he started running to join
the others who were with the Father. I found myself alone. So I made
my adversaries think that I was going to shoot them with my musket,
although I only pointed it at them. When they ducked, I began to
retreat, moving backward little by little until I knew I was far
enough away. Then I jumped on my horse and ran to join the others.

There I saw that Father Arroyo was talking to the Indians in their
language and that they were paying no heed to him. Arrows were
hailing around the Father and the soldiers and one struck the knee
of my horse. I jumped to the ground and cried: "In the name of the
King, everybody fire!" That I said because the Sergeant had warned
us not to fire. The Father, the Sergeant, and Damaso Soto began
to run. I and the rest of my companions stayed fighting the enemy
until we managed to bring down their chief, who was all adorned
with feathers. This caused them to cease attacking us. Already the
Indians had gained possession of the spare horses, the provisions,
etc. Then I said to Manuel Butron that, since he was the senior man,
he should assume command and we would all obey him, so as to aid our
Indians to recover the horses from the enemy, etc. We succeeded in
this, saving everything and recapturing our two [dead] auxiliaries
and five live ones who were hidden in the arroyo of Santa Rita where
the tules were high.

We loaded the two dead men and went to catch up with Father Arroyo,
the Sergeant, and Damaso Soto. They were about three leagues away
on the slope of the hills at the place they call Banos del Padre
Arroyo. The Father asked us to go to La Soledad, where the Governor
was, and send the dead to San Juan. [Pp. 10-13.]

NOTES