EXPLORATION IN UPPER CALIFORNIA IN 1860. 423 
at all favorable to the further continuance of my trip. ‘Ike’ was exceedingly 
inquisitive, and was as thorough in his surveillance as would have been a custom- 
house officer; he declined affording me any assistance, and by pointing in the 
direction whence we came, intimated that discretion on our side would be the 
better part of valor. Accordingly, I directed my course towards the south side 
of the valley, and came across some white cattle-herders. I endeavored to 
find Butte creek, marked on Lieutenant Williamson’s map, but could not, though 
‘ T should have been in its immediate vicinity. I was informed by the herders 
and some friendly Lil-lac Indians that no creek or river leaves the valley, the 
stream forming a lake and sinking. Distance to-day 20 miles. 
The country passed over to-day was well watered and timbered, and indicated 
fine agricultural capabilities. As the tide of emigration flows to this section of 
the country, so will it rise in wealth and importance, and the only drawback at 
present is the presence of the hostile Indians. During a conversation held with 
the herders above mentioned, I learned that the Indians had recently killed sey- 
eral head of cattle, and had manifested a desire to annoy the whites to such an 
extent that they would be obliged to leave the country. The Indians are very 
jealous, and consider every emigration of whites into their country as an encroach- 
ment upon their rights. 
May 21.—To-day I was quite successful in collecting specimens, and as the 
fruit of my labor I can enumerate several varieties of water-fowl eggs, nests, &c., 
but I regret that our engagement with the Indians (spoken of hereafter) de- 
prived me of most of them. The “brown curlew” (Numenius longirostris) was 
very abundant here; but from the several collected, I have been able to preserve 
but one nest, containing three eggs.. When found, all the nests contained four 
eggs, and as nicely arranged as if placed by hand. Large numbers of “mud 
hens,”’ or coots, (Fulica americana,) were seen; in fact, they were the most 
abundant bird breeding; they lay from nine to eleven eggs; some of them I 
saved; they build their nests of tules, and select the edge of the tule course, 
and by breaking them down and building on them, their nests have the appear- 
ance of floating baskets. The friendly Indians, who are living with the herders, 
promised to assist me on the following day, and with their aid I anticipated great 
success. : 
May 22.—The three Indians who yesterday promised me their assistance 
disappointed me, and assigned as a reason for refusing to accompany me, that 
the Indians of Ike’s band having recently stolen cattle from the whites, they 
feared a general fight. ‘The herders also said that the Indians had stolen sev- 
eral head of cattle, and that Ike’s band were the perpetrators of the theft, and 
asked me if I would accompany them in visiting the chief and talk with him; 
if they could exact a promise of good faith on his part for the future, they were 
willing to overlook the past, and also make him some presents of cattle. Ac- 
cordingly we went to Ike’s camp, stated our object, and expressed a desire to 
live at peace with him, and endeavored to impress upon him the idea that he 
had acted wrongly in stealing cattle; that such acts would exasperate the white 
men, who would come in great numbers and kill his whole tribe. Ike listened 
very stoically, and replied that he had killed both men and cattle, and it was 
his intention to do so again; he said the country belonged to the Indians; that 
the whites had no business there, and that he would drive them off. Finding 
that we could not come to pacific terms with Ike, we determined to return to the 
herders’ camp, there to consult as to the course to be pursued, and I to prepare 
for the continuance of my trip; but we had not gone more than three hundred 
yards when the Indians fired on us; they numbered thirty or forty, we but four, 
including one friendly Indian; we were obliged, therefore, to seek shelter in the 
timber; but so hotly did they pursue us that we had but time to make good our 
retreat to a deserted cabin some six miles distant, which we barricaded as best 
we could, and made “loop holes,” through which to discharge our pieces. Thus 
