FEARFUL STATE OF THE COUNTRY. 135 



journey I had had intercourse with men of all parties, 

 and was spoken to freely, and sometimes confidentially. 

 Heretofore, in all the wars and revolutions the whites 

 had the controlling influence, but at this time the In- 

 dians were the dominant power. Roused from the 

 sloth of ages, and with muskets in their hands, their 

 gentleness was changed into ferocity ; and even among 

 the adherents of the Carrera party there was a fearful 

 apprehension of a war of castes, and a strong desire, on 

 the part of those who could get away, to leave the coun- 

 try. I was consulted by men having houses and large 

 landed estates, but who could only command two or 

 three thousand dollars in money, as to their ability to 

 live on that sum in the United States ; and individuals 

 holding high offices under the Central party told me 

 that they had their passports from Mexico, and were 

 ready at any moment to fly. There seemed ground for 

 the apprehension that the hour of retributive justice was 

 nigh, and that a spirit was awakened among the Indians 

 to make a bloody offering to the spirits of their fathers, 

 and recover their inheritance. Carrera was the pivot 

 on which this turned. He was talked of as El rey de 

 los Indios, the King of the Indians. He had relieved 

 them from all taxes, and, as they said, supported his 

 army by levying contributions upon the whites. His 

 power by a word to cause the massacre of every white 

 inhabitant, no one doubted. Their security was, as I 

 conceived, that, in the constant action of his short 

 career, he had not had time to form any plans for ex- 

 tended dominion, and knew nothing of the immense 

 country from Texas to Cape Horn, occupied by a race 

 sympathizing in hostility to the whites. He was a fa- 

 natic, and, to a certain extent, under the dominion of 

 the priests ; and his own acuteness told him that he 



