68 MOJAVE VALLEY—ESTABLISHMENT OF TREATY. 
provide a messenger. I invited him to go with me on the steamboat; but he declined, and his 
friends appeared to think that he had done a prudent thing. 
All of this occupied some time, and involved a great deal of gesticulation and intricate 
pantomime, which, even with interpreters, I find it convenient to have recourse to. Oral 
communication, under existing circumstances, is a complicated process. I have to deliver my 
message to Mr. Bielawski,who puts it into indifferent Spanish for the benefit of Mariano, whose 
knowledge of that language is slight; when Mariano has caught the idea he imparts it in the 
Yuma tongue, with which he is not altogether conversant, to Capitan, who, in turn, puts it into 
the Mojave vernacular. What changes my remarks have undergone during these different 
stages I shall never know; but I observe that they are sometimes received by the Mojaves 
with an astonishment and bewilderment that the original sense does not at all warrant. 
A shoal upon which the steamer grounded towards evening prevented us from going into 
camp till dark, and I had to tell José and his followers that they must go away and return in 
the morning. I gave the chief a pair of blankets, which, in compliance with what seems to be 
an imperative law, he at once tore into strips and distributed to those about him; then he told 
them, in a florid speech, that they must respect our property and treat us as friends; and the 
crowd started for their homes. One or two stragglers, unable to resist the temptation, caught 
up some little articles that were lying exposed and tried to run off with them; supposing that, 
in the dusk, they could do so unobserved. They were detected in the act, and, dropping their 
plunder, made a precipitate retreat. José appeared to regret the occurrence, and looked a 
little sheepish at this practical result of his oratory; but some of the tribe were disposed to 
brave it out, and for a few moments it looked as though our amicable relations were to be dis- 
solved. Capitan, who had witnessed the occurrence, came forward and made them a speech. 
He has a great reputation both as a warrior and orator, and was listened to with profound 
attention and respect. His gestures were so expressive, and the tones of his voice so modu- 
lated, that I could follow without difficulty his meaning. In glowing terms he represented the 
impropriety of their conduct, and assured them that he was identified with our party and 
would espouse our cause in the event of a quarrel. His remarks produced a strong impres- 
sion, and the result was that José made a formal apology, and assured us that the would-be 
plunderers were not Mojaves, but some visitors to the valley from a tribe beyond the mountains; 
of which statement I assured him I did not believe a word. They all left camp, but with 
serious faces, leaving Mariano and Capitan quite concerned at the turn affairs had taken. 
The position of a Mojave chief is one of honor and dignity, but carries little authority with 
it unless his views happen to coincide with those of a majority of the tribe. There are some 
turbulent spirits who are disposed to hostilities; and should they commit any overt act, the 
majority might disapprove, and yet, from unwillingness to give up or punish the offenders, find 
themselves obliged to sustain their action. 
When Lieutenant Whipple passed through this valley one of the five chiefs, whose name 
was Cairook, and a sub-chief called Ireteba, joined him as a guide, and accompanied him 
through the country west of the Colorado as far as the Mormon road that leads to Los Angelos. 
They were noble specimens of their race, and rendered the party invaluable service. I have 
been making inquiry after them with the hope of meeting them again, and learn that Cairook 
still lives and retains his authority. The name of Ireteba the Indians do not recognize, and it 
is probable that some mistake was made about his appellation. 
Camp 41, head of Mojave valley, February 17.—José and his tribe returned on the following 
morning, and seemed anxious that the indiscretion of the preceding night should be forgotten. 
They brought in a good deal of provision, and a runner presented himself to take the Fort 
Yuma letters. These were prepared and handed to him, and he 
He made no stipulation about the payment, but was much gratified at receiving in advance a 
ed blanket and a piece of cotton. I gave José—letting him clearly understand that it was in 
