270 HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA. 



of them were quite naked, and the men and boys 

 especially, looked more like ourang-outangs than 

 human beings. 



" In flank and rear rode the war party, which had 

 left the Cuiloma Valley two days previous. Every 

 man's rifle lay across the pommel of his saddle, and 

 dangling at both sides hung several reeking scalps. 

 Among them was a dashing young mountaineer named 

 John Koss, who had two scalps for his share, and 

 sticking in his sash was the red-sheathed bowie knife, 

 which the writer had sold him a few days previous for 

 an ounce of gold dust. Used previously to sever the 

 rinds of pork, or shovel in rice and frijoles, it had now 

 been ' wool gathering' or collecting wigs for old Green- 

 wood's fancy stores. 



"'Well done, boys," shouted Grover, 'you have 

 given it to them this time ; now, what's the news ?* 

 In reply to this inquiry, we learned that the captured 

 Indian had led them the night before according to 

 promise, to their rancheria, on Weber's Creek, where 

 some of them showing fight and others attempting 

 escape, they were fired upon and some twenty to thirty 

 were killed. Their chief fought until shot the third 

 time, rising each time to his knees and discharging 

 his arrows, Ross finally killing, cutting off his head 

 and scalping him. Their rancheria was then searched 

 and burned ; the Indians delivering up the papers of 

 the Oregon men, obtained at the time of their murder, 

 and confessing that they had afterwards burned their 

 bodies to ashes on the mountains. 



" The subsequent facts were related to the writer 

 by his highly esteemed friend, Mr. Donald Grant, a 

 native of bonnie Scotland, who was one of our party 

 to the mines, and an eye witness to the scene ; not 



