JOHN C\ FREMONT. 239 



and that they were the rightful possessors. They 

 added that unless they received "a great deal of 

 red cloth, blankets, knives, and powder," they 

 would massacre the whole company. Colonel Fre- 

 mont was not intimidated by these threats. He was 

 well acquainted with the character of these Indians, 

 and refused to comply with their demands, although 

 they were all well armed with rifles, bows, and ar- 

 rows. He directed one of his men to take out his 

 Colt's revolver, containing six barrels, to tell the 

 Indians that the white man could shoot as often as 

 he pleased without reloading, and then to discharge 

 his weapon a number of times rapidly in succession. 

 He did so ; and the savages, unable to explain the 

 mysterious phenomenon, at once acknowledged the 

 superior effectiveness of the white man's arms, pro- 

 fessed friendship, changed their tone to one of sup- 

 plication, begged what articles they could obtain 

 from the generosity of the strangers, and then 

 quietly withdrew. 



As time and their journey advanced, the suffer 

 ings of the expedition became more intense. For 

 several months, as they traversed the snowy and 

 rugged solitudes of the mountains, they subsisted 

 on horseflesh. Their custom was, when an animal 

 gave out, to shoot him down, immediately to divide 

 the carcass into twenty-two parts ar.d distribute 



