144 Reminiscences of 



of Ute Indians at peace with the whites, who were en- 

 gaged in their usual life of hunting, and whose primi- 

 tive methods of life were interesting and amusing. 

 They would come over to our place frequently in large 

 groups, especially women and children and young 

 braves, and would sit on the ground for hours watching 

 our every movement, until it became so annoying that 

 we removed our camp farther off. These Utes, with 

 the exception of trifling small outbreaks, have always 

 been at peace with the people of Colorado, and are 

 now removed to a distant reservation. They never 

 indicated any disposition to enter our camp, though 

 they would get about as near as they could without 

 getting in, and the intense interest with which they 

 would watch our dressing, washing, and cooking was 

 most amusing, and when one of us shaved they would 

 pack the front of oiu" humble abode so densely as to 

 make it difficult to pass through them. Yet they 

 never molested any of our articles, or opened our closed 

 camp dtiring our absence, although we did suspect that 

 they had stolen two of our saddle-horses belonging to 

 Daland and Twing, two white mustangs designated as 

 General Grant and General Sherman. We informed the 

 chief of our suspicions, and he admitted that he feared 

 some of his young braves might have got away with 

 them, which he very much regretted. 



All of our horses were stampeded one night, and we 

 found in the morning that they were all gone from the 

 place where they had been picketed, and half a dozen 

 Ute braves volunteered to join us in search for them. 

 The Indians were very efficient in trailing, and followed 

 the horses to a burnt-over hillside, where the young 

 grass had kept them at grazing — all but General Grant 



