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.)
_28th day._ The morning of this day we continued in the same direction.
At about half a league we came upon the village of Cheneches,[12] where
two old women were found. It was clear that the other inhabitants had
gone on ahead of us, slipping into the thickets and swamps. In any case,
we were able to find no one. After about two leagues we arrived at the
junction of Mariposa Creek and the river. The guide whom we took with
us, who was from that village, had previously told us that he was
familiar with the village of Malim, but when he got there he said he did
not know where it was; but he did know that this was his country and we
were hunting for his village. I ordered him given ten lashes. While
this was being done, the soldiers spied some heathen who were coming
up Mariposa Creek. By scattering out in various directions the troops
succeeded in catching two Christians from Santa Cruz and three heathen.
The latter were to take us to the village but previously we encountered
one of their little ranchos. The inhabitants all fled to the swamps
without our being able to seize a single one. The village was located
at a distance of three leagues west. However, after we had passed it by
about a quarter of a league, they [the Indians] said it was behind us.
On arriving [at the village] we found by our trail that we had missed it
by no more than a gunshot. From this it was obvious that the captives
had acted with malice, giving opportunity to the others [their
countrymen] to escape. Here two horses and a very few tracks were
discovered. (According to the signs observed this village does not have
many horses, yet the region where it is known that the heathen have done
terrible damage is from Tappee, inclusive, to Cheneches. We found in
those places more than 500 dead animals.)[13] From here we retired to
Arroyo de Santa Rita where Corporal Juarez was sent with six soldiers
to join the other troops who were escorting the horses and proceed
the following day to San Luis Gonzaga.[14] Here it rained. No other
incident.
_29th day._ We set out for San Luis Gonzaga, arriving about two o'clock
in the afternoon. Corporal Juarez got there about five o'clock, having
killed and left behind fourteen worn-out horses from among those picked
up in the swamps. The sick soldiers continued to recover. No other news.
_30th day._ We set out from this place at about six o'clock in the
morning and arrived at Ausaymas at about five in the afternoon, leaving
in the vicinity seventy-eight used-up animals. Most of these had been
recovered from the Tulares and were killed. The others were brought to
this place with some difficulty at eight o'clock in the evening. Nothing
else of importance occurred.
_1st day of December._ We stayed in the place previously mentioned in
order to rest the horses. Nothing else of importance.
_2nd day._ We arrived at Mission San Juan with ten soldiers ill with
stomach ailments. No other news.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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