Page:All the Year Round - Series 2 - Volume 1.djvu/528

518[May 1, 1869] sheep, horses, mules, and asses. It is estimated that the tribe possesses thirty thousand head of horses, mules, and asses. It is not rare for one individual to possess five to ten thousand sheep, or four to five hundred head of other stock. Their horses and sheep are said to be greatly superior to those reared by the Mexicans. A large portion of their stock has been acquired by marauding expeditions against the settlements of this territory. They roam over the country, between the waters of the river San Juan on the north, and those of the Gila on the south. This country is about one hundred and fifty miles wide, consisting of high table mountains, difficult of access, affording them, as yet, effectual protection against their enemies. Water is scarce, and difficult to be found by those not acquainted with the country, affording them another natural safeguard against invasion. Their numbers are variously estimated at from one to two thousand families, or about fourteen thousand souls. The Navajos, so far as I am informed, are the only nation on the continent having intercourse with white men, that are increasing in numbers. They have in their possession many prisoners, men, women, and children, taken from the settlements of this territory, whom they hold and treat as slaves."

Such was their condition in 1846; since then their history has been one long series of misfortunes. As far back as any information can be obtained about them, they have been at war with the Mexicans and white men, the system of reprisals being systematically carried out on both sides. The Mexicans of one settlement would collect together, and make a raid on a marauding band of Navajos, capturing all they could, not only in stock, but in women and children. The Indians would retaliate, not caring particularly whether it was the aggressors or some peaceful neighbours they attacked in return. This being the state of affairs, we find even as early as the autumn of the first year of possession, that General Kearney (United States army), gave orders to Colonel A. W. Doniphan, then in California, to march against the Navajos; and to Governor Bent, advising him that "full permission should be given to the citizens of New Mexico, to march in independent companies against these Indians, for the purpose of making reprisals, and for the recovery of property and prisoners." From this time until 1863 war has been unceasing with this hardy tribe. Their hand has been against every one, and every one's hand has been against them, even the pueblos left their villages and joined the whites against them; and as the enemy had actual property in corn-fields, flocks, and herds, they could not, like their wild neighbours the Apaches, who lived by the chase and marauding only, altogether escape from the hands of the military. It was cruel work, however necessary. I have spoken to many who helped to humble the Navajos. As soon as harvest time approached, they would enter their country year after year; they say that the corn-fields were splendid, but they cut them all down, and fired the district wherever they went, driving off sheep sometimes to the number of seventy thousand in a single raid, and oxen also by thousands. When there were no crops to destroy, and no apparent enemy to be found, or flocks to drive off, the military would encamp at the different springs, and try by this means to destroy the remnant of the stock; but in this, for a long time, they were unsuccessful, for the Navajo sheep, probably from force of habit, could thrive well if only watered once every third or fourth day; and thus it happened that when the troops had guarded a spring long enough, as they supposed, to prove that no Indians or flocks were in that district, and had left to go to another, the Navajos, who were quietly grazing their cattle in the secluded nooks amongst the hills hard by, came down to the spring and refreshed themselves with perfect impunity. Tear after year they boldly held out, and plunder became to them a necessity of existence, for they had no other means of support. At last, however, this never-ceasing hostility reduced the whole tribe to utter destitution, nor did they give up until they were literally starving. In 1863 the first large section of them—I believe about five thousand in number—delivered themselves up to the government. They were removed from their own country, and placed upon a large reservation on the Rio Pecos, and old Fort Sumner, which had been abandoned, was re-established in the centre of the reservation, for the purpose of carrying out the designs of the government towards them. Since then, nearly all the remainder of the tribe have delivered themselves up, and to the number of about seven thousand five hundred have been placed on the reservation. Mr. Ward is of opinion that a very small fraction indeed of this once powerful tribe are now at large in the territory north of the Rio Colorado, and in Utah territory; but since, for years