Gay life at Monterey—Mexican horsemen—A bold dragoon—Use of the lasso—Vaqueros—Noosing a bear—Fight between a bull and a bear—Departure from Monterey—Indian horse stealers—Outrages committed by the travellers—Indignation of Captain Bonneville
THE WANDERING BAND of trappers was well received at Monterey, the
inhabitants were desirous of retaining them among them, and offered
extravagant wages to such as were acquainted with any mechanic art. When
they went into the country, too, they were kindly treated by the priests
at the missions; who are always hospitable to strangers, whatever may be
their rank or religion. They had no lack of provisions; being permitted
to kill as many as they pleased of the vast herds of cattle that graze
the country, on condition, merely, of rendering the hides to the owners.
They attended bull-fights and horseraces; forgot all the purposes of
their expedition; squandered away freely the property that did not
belong to them; and, in a word, revelled in a perfect fool's paradise.
What especially delighted them was the equestrian skill of the
Californians. The vast number and the cheapness of the horses in this
country makes every one a cavalier. The Mexicans and halfbreeds of
California spend the greater part of their time in the saddle. They are
fearless riders; and their daring feats upon unbroken colts and wild
horses, astonished our trappers; though accustomed to the bold riders of
the prairies.
A Mexican horseman has much resemblance, in many points, to the
equestrians of Old Spain; and especially to the vain-glorious caballero
of Andalusia. A Mexican dragoon, for instance, is represented as arrayed
in a round blue jacket, with red cuffs and collar; blue velvet breeches,
unbuttoned at the knees to show his white stockings; bottinas of deer
skin; a round-crowned Andalusian hat, and his hair cued. On the pommel
of his saddle, he carries balanced a long musket, with fox skin round
the lock. He is cased in a cuirass of double-fold deer skin, and carries
a bull's hide shield; he is forked in a Moorish saddle, high before
and behind; his feet are thrust into wooden box stirrups, of Moorish
fashion, and a tremendous pair of iron spurs, fastened by chains, jingle
at his heels. Thus equipped, and suitably mounted, he considers himself
the glory of California, and the terror of the universe.
The Californian horsemen seldom ride out without the laso [sic]; that
is to say, a long coil of cord, with a slip noose; with which they are
expert, almost to a miracle. The laso, now almost entirely confined to
Spanish America, is said to be of great antiquity; and to have come,
originally, from the East. It was used, we are told, by a pastoral
people of Persian descent; of whom eight thousand accompanied the
army of Xerxes. By the Spanish Americans, it is used for a variety of
purposes; and among others, for hauling wood. Without dismounting,
they cast the noose around a log, and thus drag it to their houses. The
vaqueros, or Indian cattle drivers, have also learned the use of the
laso from the Spaniards; and employ it to catch the half-wild cattle by
throwing it round their horns.
The laso is also of great use in furnishing the public with a favorite,
though barbarous sport; the combat between a bear and a wild bull.
For this purpose, three or four horsemen sally forth to some wood,
frequented by bears, and, depositing the carcass of a bullock, hide
themselves in the vicinity. The bears are soon attracted by the bait. As
soon as one, fit for their purpose, makes his appearance, they run out,
and with the laso, dexterously noose him by either leg. After
dragging him at full speed until he is fatigued, they secure him more
effectually; and tying him on the carcass of the bullock, draw him in
triumph to the scene of action. By this time, he is exasperated to such
frenzy, that they are sometimes obliged to throw cold water on him, to
moderate his fury; and dangerous would it be, for horse and rider, were
he, while in this paroxysm, to break his bonds.
A wild bull, of the fiercest kind, which has been caught and exasperated
in the same manner, is now produced; and both animals are turned loose
in the arena of a small amphitheatre. The mortal fight begins instantly;
and always, at first, to the disadvantage of Bruin; fatigued, as he is,
by his previous rough riding. Roused, at length, by the repeated goring
of the bull, he seizes his muzzle with his sharp claws, and clinging to
this most sensitive part, causes him to bellow with rage and agony.
In his heat and fury, the bull lolls out his tongue; this is instantly
clutched by the bear; with a desperate effort he overturns his huge
antagonist; and then dispatches him without difficulty.
Beside this diversion, the travellers were likewise regaled with
bull-fights, in the genuine style of Old Spain; the Californians being
considered the best bull-fighters in the Mexican dominions.
After a considerable sojourn at Monterey, spent in these very edifying,
but not very profitable amusements, the leader of this vagabond party
set out with his comrades, on his return journey. Instead of retracing
their steps through the mountains, they passed round their southern
extremity, and, crossing a range of low hills, found themselves in the
sandy plains south of Ogden's River; in traversing which, they again
suffered, grievously, for want of water.
In the course of their journey, they encountered a party of Mexicans in
pursuit of a gang of natives, who had been stealing horses. The savages
of this part of California are represented as extremely poor, and armed only with stone-pointed arrows; it being the wise policy of the Spaniards not to furnish them with firearms. As they find it difficult, with their blunt shafts, to kill the wild game of the mountains, they
occasionally supply themselves with food, by entrapping the Spanish
horses. Driving them stealthily into fastnesses and ravines, they
slaughter them without difficulty, and dry their flesh for provisions.
Some they carry off to trade with distant tribes; and in this way, the
Spanish horses pass from hand to hand among the Indians, until they even
find their way across the Rocky Mountains.
The Mexicans are continually on the alert, to intercept these marauders;
but the Indians are apt to outwit them, and force them to make long and
wild expeditions in pursuit of their stolen horses.
Two of the Mexican party just mentioned joined the band of trappers,
and proved themselves worthy companions. In the course of their journey
through the country frequented by the poor Root Diggers, there seems to
have been an emulation between them, which could inflict the greatest
outrages upon the natives. The trappers still considered them in the
light of dangerous foes; and the Mexicans, very probably, charged them
with the sin of horse-stealing; we have no other mode of accounting for
the infamous barbarities of which, according to their own story, they
were guilty; hunting the poor Indians like wild beasts, and killing them
without mercy. The Mexicans excelled at this savage sport; chasing their
unfortunate victims at full speed; noosing them round the neck with
their lasos, and then dragging them to death!
Such are the scanty details of this most disgraceful expedition; at
least, such are all that Captain Bonneville had the patience to collect;
for he was so deeply grieved by the failure of his plans, and so
indignant at the atrocities related to him, that he turned, with disgust
and horror, from the narrators. Had he exerted a little of the Lynch
law of the wilderness, and hanged those dexterous horsemen in their
own lasos, it would but have been a well-merited and salutary act of
retributive justice. The failure of this expedition was a blow to his
pride, and a still greater blow to his purse. The Great Salt Lake
still remained unexplored; at the same time, the means which had been
furnished so liberally to fit out this favorite expedition, had all been
squandered at Monterey; and the peltries, also, which had been collected
on the way. He would have but scanty returns, therefore, to make this
year, to his associates in the United States; and there was great danger
of their becoming disheartened, and abandoning the enterprise.
