228 IITAH INDUNS. 



inculcation of good morals in the minds of their children ; and, in portraying 



the pernicious effects of evil-doing, frequently admonish them in a quaint 

 and expressive manner, — "If you do thus and so, you will become as bad 

 as a Spaniard /" — This seems to constitute, in their opinion. t]ie grand cli- 

 max of everything vile and degrading. 



They are represented as humane and brave, and strictly honest and up- 

 right in their dealings. Their women too are chaste and virtuous, and in 

 this respect present a very favorable contrast to their fairer and more beau- 

 Uful sisters of Spanish extraction. 



A small party from a trading establishment on the waters of Green river, 

 who had visited Taos for the procurement of a fresh supply of goods, were 

 about to return, and I availed myself of the occasion to make one of their 

 number. 



On the 7th of October we v/ere under way. Our party consisted of three 

 Frenchmen and five Spaniards, under the direction of a man named Roubi- 

 deau, formerly from St. Louis, Mo. Some eight pack-nuiles, ]aden at the 

 rate of two hundred and fifty pounds each, conveyed a quantity of goods ;*— 

 these headed by a guide followed in Indian file, and the remainder of the 

 company mounted on horseback brought up the rear. 



Crossing the del Norte, we soon after struck into a large trail bearing 

 a westerly course ; following wJiicli, on the 1 3th inst. we crossed the main 

 ridge of the Rocky Mountains by a feasible pass at the southern extremity 

 of the Sierra de Anahuac range, and found ourselves upon the waters of 

 the Pacific. 



Six days subsequent, we reached Roubideau's Fort, at the forks of the 

 Uintah, having passed several large streams in our course, as well as the 

 two principal branches which unite to form the Colorado. This being the 

 point of destination, our journey here came to a temporary close. 



The intermediate country, from Taos to the Uintah, is generally very 

 rough and diversified with rich valleys, beautiful plateaux, (tierras iemplaf 

 das,) arid prairies, sterile plains, (llanos,) and denuded mountains. 



We usually found a sufficiency of timber upon the streams, as well as 

 among the hills, where frequent groves of pinion, cedar, and pine lent an 

 agreeable diversity to the scene. Game appeared in great abundance 

 nearly the whole route, — especially antelope and deer. 



The prevailing rock consisted of several specimens of sandstone, pudding- 

 stone, and granite, with limestone, (fossiUferous, bituminous and argilla- 

 ceous,) and basalt. 



This territory is owned by the Utahs and Navijo Indians. 



The former of these tribes includes four or five divisions, and inhabits tlio 

 country laying betv/een the Rio del Norte, the Great Salt Lake, and the 

 vast desert to the soutliward of it. These different fractions are known as 

 the Taos, Pa-uta|i, Digger, and Lake Utahs, numbering in all a popula- 

 tion of fifteen thousand or more, and exliibiting many peculiarities of 

 character and habits distinct from each other. 



The Taos Utahs are a brave and warlike peo})le, located upon the del 

 Norte a short distance to the northwest of Taos. These subsist principally 

 by hunting, but raise large numbers of horses. They are generally treach- 



