118 THE SERl INDIANS [eth.ann.17 



owner of several ranchos aJjiicent to, and one within, the territory claimed liy the 

 Seri Indians; also by Seiior A. Alvemar-Loon of Herinosillo, a young Mexiian gen- 

 tleman educated in the United States. For Senor Enciuas the Seri Indians have the 

 highest regard, and his kindly motive in accompanying the jiarty was to lacilitate 

 friendly intercourse with the Indians; Senor Alvemar-Leon acted as Spanish- 

 English interpreter, and one of the tribe who speaks Spanish [Mashdm] acted as 

 the Seri interpreter. 



One of the subjects of inquiry of the Indians related to the alleged killing of two 

 Americans by the Seri Indians on Tiburon island during last spring at a date not 

 definitely known either to the Indians or to myself. At tirst the Indians were 

 indisposed to convey infornialiou on the subject, but after receiving presents from 

 Senor Kncinas and myself, and friendly assurances from the former, the interpreter 

 for the tribe confessed the crime and detailed the circumstances, denying, however, 

 that any of the Imlians present at the place of conference (Rancho de San Fran- 

 cisco de Costa Rica, 17 leagues west-southwest of Hermosillo and near the coast) 

 participated. 



According to the tirst account given through the Indian interpreter, tlie Indians 

 on the island saw a small vessel approach the shores of the island, and saw four men 

 land therefrom in a small boat. The spokesman among the strangers made imiuiry, 

 chielly by signs, as to whether gjime was abundant in the interior of the island, and 

 was by signs answered in the affirmative by the chief of the tribe, who displayed a 

 letter of authority from the state otHcials at Hermosillo. Then the strangers divided, 

 two remaining on the shore by the small boat, while the spokesman and another, 

 accompanied by several Indians, started toward the interior of the island. When 

 they were some distance away — the account continues — some of the Indians remain- 

 ing on shore indicated by signs a desire to borrow the rifle of one of the two men on 

 the beach, and after some parley the ritle was turned over to them ; then the Indians 

 desired also to borrow the small boat in which the party of white men had landed, 

 and after one of the two men remaining on the shore was put aboard the vessel, 

 this, too, was placed in the hands of the Indians. Thereupon several of the Indians 

 entered the small boat, carrying the white man's riHe, and rowed anmnd a head- 

 land a'short distance away. Passing this point they landed and a part of them ran 

 quickly into the interior in such direction as to intercept the course of the white 

 men. There they lay in wait until the strangers appeared, when they shot the 

 spokesman, killing him almost instantly. On this the second white man cried out 

 for help, whereupon he too was shot and wounded, and then (according to the first 

 account) ran away and concealed himself in the bushes and was seen no more. The 

 Indians who had borrowed the boat then went back to the shore, and reentered the 

 boat with the intention of returning and capturing the fine vessel of the strangers; 

 but as they approached the vessel, being at the time quite near the shore, the man 

 on board arose suddenly with a gun pointed toward them and shouted, whereupon 

 they dropped the borrowed gun and, leaping from the boat, ran away among the mes- 

 qnite bushes, all escaping unhurt. The white man on the beach then, as the account 

 rau, leaped into the boat, aud, recovering his gnn, rowed to the vessel and got aboard, 

 when the two men at once made sail and escaped down the bay. 



The foregoing account was given to Senor Encinas alone by the Indians through 

 their interpreter, and was afterward conveyed to me through Senor Alvemar-Leon. 

 Both of us recognized the incongruity with the character of the Seri Indians of 

 that part of the narrative relating to the wounding and escape of the second man, and 

 Senors Encinas and Leon and myself sought to impress the improbability of the 

 account on the interpreter. Subsequently the Indians, through their interpreter, 

 conveyed to Senor Encinas a modification of the account (after adhering to the first 

 version for twenty-four hours), which agreed in all essential respects with the first, 

 excepting the supplementary statement that some of the Indians (but neither the 

 party who accompanied the white men nor those who followed in the boat) ran after 

 the wounded man, caught him, shot him again — whereupon he again cried out — aud 



