Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 24.djvu/31

 Ewing Young in Far Southwest 19 the French party with which Pattie had traveled from the copper mines was massacred in the vicinity of the mouth of Salt River, or Black River, as it was called by Pattie, which is also the name by which it is known on the early maps. This agrees with Yount's statement that the Robidoux party was massacred in that same locality. Pattie says there were thirteen in the French party. Yount speaks of it as a party of sixteen, but we have indicated how he might have been confused. Pattie tells us that the American company, of which he now became a member, numbered twirty-two, after he and his two companions had joined it. This agrees exactly with the Watson Sketch, and also with the Barrows account which says that Young set out at the head of a company of "about thirty." Pattie's "genuine American leader" can very appropriately be applied to Ewing Young. Pattie says that the American party attacked and defeated the Indians who had murdered the French party, without the loss of a single American. Mrs. Watson states that the American party with whom Yount was traveling had just such a battle in this same vicinity with a similar outcome and that Smith fired the first shot. Barrows says that "Peg-leg" Smith was a member of Ewing Young's party. According to Pattie, the American com- pany now trapped up Black (Salt) River to its source. Salt River is one of the main branches of the Gila. The Watson Sketch says that the American party trapped the Gila to its source; but since they had just descended the Gila it is probably meant that they trapped to the source of the other main branch, i. e., Salt River, otherwise known as Black River. Pattie says that they then de- scended the Gila to the Colorado and then trapped up that stream and back to New Mexico. The Watson Sketch indicates that they trapped down the Gila and along the Colorado before returning to New Mexico. Pat- tie records that upon arriving in New Mexico their furs were confiscated. Gregg says that Young's party, of