Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 18.djvu/135



Hall Jackson Kelley HI

Giredot, conversant in the Spanish language, and serving me as an interpreter, stated the case to the magistrate, and the robber was ordered to turn back and pursue me no further. In the morning the Padre, whom I believed to be an honest man and disposed to deal justly with me, proposed to buy the gun, offering me for it a large and powerful tooking horse, apparently without a blemish. His price was fifty dollars; mine the same. An exchange was at once made, and I pro- ceeded on my way.

"The new steed proved to be but partly domesticated — wild and difficult to manage. About noon, meeting three armed men on horseback, whom I supposed to be robbers, I dis- mounted, holding my gun in the right hand and the bridle reins in the left. They passed on the off side, and pricked the animal with a sword, causing him to jump; and he escaped, leaving me with a distocated little finger. Making a circuit of a few rods, he set his head towards the place of his former master, taking along with him a valise mailed back of the saddle, containing a small amount of money, some jewelry and valuable papers. I was now in trouble, and feared I should not easily get out of it. I was alone — my two friends had gone ahead, and neither Foster nor Frederick, having charge of the mules, and unacquainted with the roads, were suitable persons to hunt for the horse. Looking about, I saw at no great dis- tance an Indian standing in front of his habitation. I called to him and offered him a dollar (three or four were in my pocket) to find and bring back the runaway animal. He was at once upon the track, and in two hours returned with the horse, but without the valuables. He reported that the valise was hanging on one side of the animal with one end cut open, emptied of its contents. I proceeded on several leagues to a large town, where I stopped for a day to give rest to the lame and wearied animals. My friends, G. and K., were overtaken at this place, and rode in company with me, as they had pre- viously done, one or two hours in the morning, and then took their final leave of me. I again, however, met them on my