108 



LIEUTENANT MICHLER's REPORT 



fall upon and kill tlieir guests ; or, taking advantage of tlie absence of the warriors from 

 their villages, massacre the remaining men, old women, and small children, and carry off 

 as prisoners the more youthful women and larger children. They look upon this kind of 



warfare as right and honorable. They follow their war expeditions on footj possessing only 

 a few horses. 



Their hunting as well as war weapons are bows and arrows, clubs and knives, I have not 

 seen a rifle or gun of any kind among them. The bow is made of willow; the arrows are of 

 reed, part of the shaft of arrow-wood— the point tipped with a head of hard stone, either 

 jasper or agate, small, but neatly and sharply edged ; they are winged with the gay feath- 

 ers of the various birds of this country. Their clubs are of mezc^uite wood, three or four 



feet long. 



Mai 



<Jhe 



as an 



covered them moving their families • pressing them too hard, they turned upon his command, 

 and, in defiance of powder and ball, attacked it with clubs at the very bayonet's point and 

 forced the soldiers to retire. 



An instance of the stratagem and bad faith practised by these different tribes upon eacb other, 

 TTas told me by the officers at the post. The Cocopas planned the massacre of all the captains 

 of the Cuchanos in 1851, to accomplish which they intended inviting them to a feast and slaying 

 them. The plan was overheard and told the Cuchanos ; the latter fell upon the former the 

 same night, killing several men,' and carrying off women and cbildren. To repay them, the 

 ■Cocopas made a visit to the Cuchanos to recover their prisoners, and again invited the latter to 

 a feast, who unsuspectingly accepted ; during their absence, the Cocopas fell upon their villages 

 •and reciprocated the treatment they had prevfously received. Macedon, the principal chief of 

 "^- '^-ichanos, was killed on this occasion j he was much beloved by his tribe, and is spoken of 



mtelligent and high-minded Indian ; his death is said to have occasioned much grief. 

 This was the time of the outbreak of Antonio Garras, who had leagued all the tribes of Indians 

 of South California against the whites, intending by a simultaneous and well-concerted attack, 

 .0 annihilate the Americans and drive them from the country. He w^s afterwards taken and 

 shot by the military at San Diego, where his grave is pointed out to the passer-by. 



On several occasions, the officers commanding at Fort Yuma have been instrumental in se- 

 curing peace ; but the Indians being naturally suspicious of each other, it does not continue 



ohin. t ^'' T^" ^''''''^ '^'"^ ""^^'^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^P^d on the Colorado. The Cu- 



chanos were anxious for, and had often sent down their women to propose one. Owing to the 



throull th '"t'^'T '""^ ''' *"'^^^ '^'' '' *^^ --^ --^^ -f proceeding. At last, 

 th ugh the mfluence of lajor Thomas, a day was appointed for both parties to meet at th^ 



M Lof"""'' 'r ';' ''°'' «Plendid-looking young Indian, and brother to the murdered 

 « wleTa . 7 '": ""^ *^ '^^^^ ^P *^^ ^-°P- ^^-^- ^-^ of them and 

 "thrCola "1 r .' '^' ^*""'^^*- ''''''> ''^''^' ^<^yo*«^ -d Colorado, represent- 

 peL and,!^^^^^^^ T^' T '""^'^^^ °^^°' ^'^^ «^'^ ^-* ^-^ -^^- - ^-^^^t^ ^ab' llo-en- 



fnT;o Lv r 1 '""' T ''' '"* ^' *'^ ^^^^^^^«- ^11 -^^^ ^Veeol^es ; and ;hen assent- 

 Ind passiL' und th "T .•''"'' '° ^^^'^ ^''^^ '""'^ — --^ -^^^ tie principal chief, 



^pon, the Major asked each oIp f • *^' ^''^' '^ '^' ""'^'^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^reed 



to e.;iain its pLI't 7. t ", ' "^' '' ^"^^ ™^^^*^ ^- ^^-^- before having time 



P am Its purport Jep.ta jumped up, and, with very energetic language and appropriate 



long. 



