422 CONQUEST OF CALIFORNIA. 
intended return to the United States, by the way of 
Oregon, would be a matter of impossibility, as Governor 
Castro had stirred up the Indians against him, particu¬ 
larly the Hamath tribe, who killed and wounded several 
of his men in a night attack. Two days after, they had 
another fight with the same tribe, and burnt one of their 
villages. It was at this time that Fremont saved Car¬ 
son’s life, as an Indian was about killing him. Colonel 
Fremont now saw that if he persevered in his route, he 
would have to fight almost every mile of his way, besides 
marching over mountains on which the snow was still 
falling ; and, although he and his men were suffering from 
cold, fatigue and famine, he remained for some days 
deliberating upon the proper course to pursue. Gover¬ 
nor Castro was known to be assembling troops on the 
north bank of San Francisco bay, for the avowed 
purpose of attacking him and the American settlers in 
California. With all the facts before him, he came to 
the determination to turn upon his pursuers, and fight 
them at all odds, hoping thus to overturn the existing 
Government, and secure the safety of his own men and 
the American settlers. General Castro and his patriots 
learned his determination when he struck the first blow, 
by surprising, on the 14th of June, an officer and four¬ 
teen men, who were taking a drove of two hundred 
horses to the Californian camp. The men were released, 
the horses retained. At day-break, on the 5th, the military 
rendezvous and intended head-quarters w T as surprised 
by the gallant little band, who captured nine pieces of 
brass cannon, two hundred and fifty muskets, and other 
arms and ammunition ; a general, a colonel, a captain 
and other officers. The gallant colonel detailed fourteen 
of his little party as a garrison for this post, and marched 
to the Rio de los Americanos, to obtain aid from the 
American settlers. An express came after him, with 
information that a large force was approaching Sonoura, 
