T26 
The Colorado River 
the branches, but when the tide went out the boats were all 
high and dry. At last the day dawned bright and fair, enabl¬ 
ing them to see what had happened, and when the tide once 
more returned, they got the canoes out of the trap. 
They now proceeded with the ebb tide, stopping with the 
beginning of the flood, constantly on the lookout for the 
Spanish settlements, and not till the 28th, when they saw before 
them such a commotion of waters that their small craft would 
be instantly engulfed, and wide sandy stretches, perfectly bar¬ 
ren, all round, did they realise what a mistake they had made. 
“ The fierce billows,” says Pattie, ‘‘shut us in from below,the river 
current from above, and murderous savages on either hand on the 
shore. We had a rich cargo of furs, a little independence for each 
one of us could we have disposed of them among the Spanish people 
whom we expected to have found here. There were no such set¬ 
tlements. Every side on which we looked offered an array of 
danger, famine, or death. In this predicament what were furs to us. ” 
In order to escape they worked their way back up the river as far 
as they could by rowing, poling, and towing, but on February 
lOth they met a great rise which put a stop to progress. They 
now abandoned the canoes, buried the furs in deep pits, and 
headed for the coast settlements of California. After many vicis¬ 
situdes, which I am unable to relate here, they finally arrived, 
completely worn out, at the Spanish mission of St. Catherine. 
Now they believed their troubles were over, and that after 
recuperating they could go back, bring in their furs, dispose of 
them handsomely, and reap the reward of all their privation 
and toil. Not so, however. Indeed, the worst of their trials 
was now to come. Before they comprehended the intention the 
Spanish official had seized their rifles and the men were locked 
up with only the commonest fare to relieve their suffering. 
Cruelty followed cruelty, but they believed it was the mistake 
of the minor officers, and appealed to the general in charge at 
San Diego, expecting an order from him for release. Instead 
of this they were marched under guard to San Diego, where 
each was confined in a separate room, frustrating their plan to 
recapture their arms and fight their way out. Pattie’s father 
