Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 24.djvu/24

12 drawn bows, clubs, and spears. Smith, one of the trappers, fired his rifle; an Indian fell, and Smith, regardless of danger, secured his scalp and holding it at arm's length bade defiance to the Indians. Shot after shot followed and it was not long before the enemy fled, leaving their dead. Not a single trapper was hurt." That this is an account of the activities of Young's party about which Barrows narrates, is evidenced by the fact that both accounts refer to "Peg-leg" Smith as being in the party. But Yount makes no reference to the party's being defeated and driven back to New Mexico and of its being reorganized and enlarged from sixteen members to thirty-two before reaching the place of the massacre of the Robidoux party and the battle with the Maricopas. But, from the fact that he does give the number in the company first as sixteen and later as thirty-two, it would seem that there has been an omission somewhere.

The outcome of the expedition is told by Gregg as an anecdote on the first administration of Armijo, who succeeded Narbona as governor of New Mexico in May, 1827. Gregg says: "A law was then in existence which had been enacted by the General Congress prohibiting foreigners from trapping beaver in the Mexican territory, under penalty of confiscation, etc., but as there were no native trappers in New Mexico, Governor Baca and his successor (Narbona) thought it expedient to extend licenses to foreigners, in the name of citizens, upon condition of their taking a certain proportion of Mexicans to learn the art of trapping. In pursuance of this disposition, Governor Narbona extended a license to one Ewing Young, who was accompanied by a Mr. Sublette, brother of Captain Wm. Sublette, and almost equally celebrated for his mountain adventures. Previous to the return of this party from their trapping expedition, Armijo had succeeded Narbona in office and they were informed that it was his intention to seize their furs. To prevent this, they deposited them at a neighboring