Colonial Expeditions to the Interior of California Central Valley, 1800-1820Cook, Sherburne Friend
History
Colonial Expeditions to the Interior of California Central Valley, 1800-1820
Cook, Sherburne Friend
California -- Discovery and exploration; California -- History -- To 1846 -- Sources; Central Valley (Calif.)
We went westward and crossed the river. At this point Corporal Arroyo
was sent to follow up the tracks which he had relinquished the previous
day, and the place was specified where we were to meet. He took with him
four soldiers and two cowboys, who were to go to San Luis Gonzaga for
provisions. He also had orders that, if he found the trail going in that
direction, he should turn it over to Manuel Butron and that the latter
should continue on to the place mentioned and send back a sack of
pinole, which we had left in storage there, and two belonging to the
Father. At about seven o'clock in the evening Arroyo returned with the
information that he had turned over the trail to the said Butron. In
the morning three soldiers were incapacitated, Atenacio Mendoza, José
Soberanes, and José Espinoza, the first with a head-ache, the second
with a stomach-ache, and the third with a bad foot due to a fall from a
horse. Today six deer were caught, which were supplied to the troops.
During the night, which we spent on the arroyo San José, it rained on
us. No other incident.
_26th day._ Early this morning soldiers Gabriel Espinoza and José
Arellanes were sick but those who were ill yesterday had recovered.
Three deer were taken. At about seven o'clock in the evening the party
arrived with the provisions. There was a fanega [of pinole] and it was
distributed among the troops. Butron reported that he followed the
tracks of the horses as far as the summit [of the coast range].
At about eight o'clock in the evening, soldier Joaquin Juarez being
the sentinel in the camp and Arroyo corporal of the guard, one of the
heathen Indian prisoners broke the rope with which he was tied and ran
away. Corporal [_sic_] Juarez yelled that the prisoner had escaped. The
troops converged upon the spot, a little tule swamp opposite us, but
were not able to find him. For this offense the corporal and the soldier
were placed under arrest among the horses until further orders. No other
incident.
_27th day._ It was decided to attack the village of Malim. Leaving
fifteen soldiers, two corporals, and ten cowboys with the horses we set
out in the rain at one o'clock in the afternoon. We pursued a northerly
course. Arriving at the San Joaquin River we entered the village
Cheneche and found it without inhabitants. We kept on down the river
and at about three leagues we came upon foot tracks at the edge of a
thicket. A corporal with four soldiers went to examine the place and in
the middle [of the thicket] they found a blind old man and an old woman.
They [the soldiers] returned to report and were ordered to bring them
[the Indians] back for questioning; but they could not find the latter.
Here we passed the night with considerable discomfort on account of the
rain which had fallen on us during the afternoon. No other news.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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