96 Ex. Doc. No. 41. 



to the north of this hutte^ and the point of junction was below. 

 What freak of nature united their efforts in forcing the butte, is 

 difficult to say- During freshetSj it is probable the rivers now dis- 

 charge their surplus waters through these old channels. Francisco 

 informs me that the Colorado, seven days' travel up from the butte, 

 continues pretty much as we saw it. ' * 



There a canon is reached impassable for horses or canoes. The 

 country between is settled by the Coyotaros, or wolf-eaters, cocAw- 

 eans^ (dirty fellows,) Los Tontears, or fools, and the Garroteros, or 

 club Indians. These cultivate melons, beans, and maize. 



'On our return we met a Mexican, well mounted and muffled in 

 Jiis blanket. I asked him where he was going; he said, to hunt 

 horses. As he passed, I observed in each of his holsters the neck 

 of a bottle, and on his croup a fresh made sack, with other eviden- 

 ces of a preparation for a journey. Much against his taste, I in- 

 vited him to follow me to camp; several times he begged me to let 

 him go for a moment, that he would soon return. 'His anxiety to 

 be released increased my determination not to comply with his re- 

 quest. I took him to General Kearny and explained to him the 

 suspicious circumstances under which I had taken him, and that 

 his capture w^ould prove of some importance. He was immediately 

 searched, and in his wallet was found the mail from California, 



which was of course opened. 



Among the letters was one addressed to General Jose Castro, at 

 Alta, one to Antonio Castro, and others to men of note in Sonora. 

 All suspected of relating to public affairs were read, and we ascer- 

 tained from them that a counter revolution had taken place in Cal- 

 ifornia, that the Americans were expelled from Santa Barbara, 

 Puebla de los Angeles, and other places, and that Robideaux, the 

 brother of our interpreter, who had been appointed alcalde by the 

 Americans, was a prisofler in jail. They all spoke exultingly ot 

 having thrown off '^ the detestable x\nglo-Yankee yoke," and con- 

 gratulated themselves that the tri-color once more floated in Cali- 

 fornia. 



Captain Flores was named as the general and governor, pro tem-j 

 and the enthusiasm of the people described as overflowing in tne 

 cause of emancipation from the Yankee yoke. One letter g^^'^,^ 

 minute and detailed account of a victory stated to have been o - 

 tained over the Americans. It stated that 450 men landed at oan 

 Pedro, and were met, defeated, and driven back to the fort at 2>3 

 Pedro. This last was attributed by us to Mexican braggadocio, as 

 it is usual with them to represent their defeats as victories; bu 

 that there was a disturbance of a serious kind in the province, ^^^ 

 could not doubt, from the uniformity of the accounts on that head. 

 We also learned that the horses captured were in part for Genera 

 Castro. Nothing more was wanting t<^ legitimize our capture, ^^ 

 Captain Moore was directed to remount his men. 



The letters cojitained precise information, but being dated so i^ 

 back as the 15th October, left us in great doubt as to the real stat 

 of affairs in California, and the Mexicans played their parts s 

 dexterouslv^it was not in our Dower to extract the truth fromtheni* 



