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86 A FIGHT WITH THE GROS VENTRES. 



a band of Gros Ventres. The united com- 

 panies had just encamped on the Cimarron, 

 near the site of the burial catastrophe which 

 occurred the preceding year. A party of about 

 a hundred and twenty Lidians soon after 

 approached them on foot; but as the Ameri- 

 cans were but Httle disposed to admit friendly 

 intercourse between them, they passed into 

 the camp of the Mexican commander, who 

 received them amicably — a circumstance not 

 altogether agreeable to the traders. As the In- 

 dians seemed disposed to remain till morning, 

 CoL Vizcarra promised that they should be 

 disarmed for the night; but the cunning 

 wretches made some excuse to delay the sur- 

 render of their weapons, until the opportuni- 

 ty being favorable, for a coup de main, they 

 sprang to their feet, raised a fearful yell, and 

 fired upon the unsuspecting party. Their aim 

 seems chiefly to have been to take the hfe of 

 the Mexican colonel ; and it is said that a Taos 

 Indian who formed one of the Mexican es- 

 cort, seemg a gun levelled at his commander, 

 sprang forward and received the ball in his 

 own body, from the effects of which he in- 

 stantly expired ! The Indians were pursued 

 for several miles into the hUls, and a consid- 

 erable number killed and wounded. Of the 

 Americans not one received the sUghtest in- 

 jury ; but of the Mexican dragoons, a captain 

 and two or three privates were killed. 



