MOJAVE VALLEY—VISIT FROM THE CHIEF JOSE. 67 
agreement till the arrival of the chief whom I had seen. He, it seemed, had been several 
times at Fort Yuma, and had picked up, by ear, about thirty English words, without having 
an idea of their meaning. These he rung the changes upon with great volubility, producing 
an incoherent jumble of nonsense, which made him pass, with his admiring friends, for an 
accomplished linguist. Mariano and Capitan declined to interpret, feeling a delicacy in offering 
assistance in presence of one who spoke so fluently, and our new friend, with his jabbering, 
proved a great nuisance. At length, with the help of a little pantomime, in which I have 
become expert, a system of prices was arranged, and for a small quantity of beads and manta 
I obtained one or two bushels of corn and twice as many beans, 
I discovered that the talking Indian held only a subordinate rank ; that he belonged to the 
clan of José, one of the five principal chiefs of the Mojave nation, and that we are to receive 
a visit from the great man to-morrow. The minor chiefs wear a white plume, tipped with 
crimson. I infer that rank is, to some extent, hereditary, for I observed a singularly handsome 
and well-formed boy wearing the same badge of distinction. 
I had some expectation that our visitors would object to being sent away from camp at 
sunset, but, though a little astonished at the demand, they complied without hesitation. 
Camp 42, Mojave villages, February 11.—Bright and early the Mojaves were in camp, eager 
to trade, and while the fuel was being taken in I collected a considerable amount of provision, 
Our own stock will be exhausted in about a week, and as it may be some time before the train 
will come up, it is fortunate that we are enabled to lay ina fresh supply. Beans they appear 
to have in abundance, corn in smaller quantity, a very slender stock of wheat, and a few 
pumpkins. They raise watermelons, but these are not yet in season. Fuel is not so plenty 
as it has been, but enough can be found every few miles to answer our purposes. There is 
plenty of timber growing in the valley, but the dry wood is consumed in meeting the demands 
of the large population. 
A few miles from camp we descried an immense throng of Indians standing upon an open 
meadow, and Capitan informed me that the chief José was awaiting, with his warriors, our 
approach. As there was a good wooding place near by, I determined to stop and have an 
' interview, and, landing, sent him word that I was ready to see him. In a few moments he 
marched up with dignity, his tribe following in single file, the leader bearing a dish of cooked 
beans. A kind of crier walked a dozen paces in front to disperse from around the spot where 
I was standing the women, children, and dogs. José is advanced in years, and has rather a 
noble countenance, which, in honor of the occasion, was printed perfectly black, excepting 
a red stripe from the top of his forehead, down the bridge of his nose, to his chin. There 
was, in the first place, a general smoke at my expense, followed by a long conference. I tried 
to make him comprehend that we were on a peaceful mission; that I had a great esteem for 
him personally; and that I had certain things to ask of him, viz: that he should have provisions 
brought in to be traded for; should never permit any of his tribe to come about our camp after 
sunset; should send guides to conduct Lieutenant Tipton and train up the river by the best 
route; and should at once detail an Indian to carry a package to Fort Yuma and bring a return 
package to us. In return, his people should be well paid for their provisions and services, and 
he himself for his trouble. 
My address, which differed from any speech ever yet made to a band of Indians since the 
formation of our government—inasmuch as it contained nothing about the ‘‘Great Father at 
Washington’’—was at last duly comprehended by José and by the crowd that were seated 
around. It was difficult to satisfy them about the expedition; they could not understand why 
I should come up the river with a steamboat and go directly back again, nor why it was neces- 
sary to keep up a communication with Fort Yuma. I endeavored to explain these suspicious 
circumstances, and apparently succeeded; for José said that my wishes should be gratified, and 
that he would visit camp at evening, and meanwhile make the necessary arrangements to 
