FEMALE CAPTIVES. 43 
were so anxious to gratify their curiosity, and 
so very soon began to give such striking mani- 
festations of their pilfering propensities, that, 
at the request of the chiefs, we carried some 
goods at a little distance, where a trade was 
opened in hopes of attracting their attention. 
One woman, I observed, still lingered among 
the wagons, who, from certain peculiarities of 
features, struck me very forcibly as not being 
an Indian. In accordance with this impres- 
sion I addressed her in Spanish, and was soon 
confirmed in all my suspicions. She w 
from the scaealeancod of Matamoros, ee 
had been married toa Comanche since her 
captivity. She did not entertain the least de- 
sire of returning to her own people. 
Si instances of voluntary captivity 
have frequently occurred. Dr. Sibley, in a 
communication to the War Department, in 
1805, relates an affecting case, which shows 
how a sensitive female will often prefer re- 
maining with her masters, rather than encoun- 
ter the horrible ordeal of ill-natured remarks to 
which she would inevitably be exposed on be- 
ing restored to civilized life. ‘The Comanches, 
some twenty years previous, having kid- 
napped the of the Governor-Gene- 
ral of Chihuahua, the latter transmitted $1000 
to a trader to procure her ransom. This was 
soon effected, but to the astonishment of all 
concerned, the unfortunate girl refused to 
leave the Indians. She sent word to her fa- 
ther, that they had disfigured her by tattoo- 
ings that she was married and perhaps en- 
