wrath of the Mexicans, who were now treating him disgracefully. He had
come to perform a duty, and could not leave without executing it. In
fact, neither himself nor his men would submit to be driven out of
the country. At the end of three days, Fremont saw that there was no
prospect of Gen. Castro's consummating his threat; and, considering
that he had sufficiently shown his willingness to fight if driven
to it, he therefore concluded to strike his camp and withdraw to the
Sacramento River. The party were not disturbed in their movements, and
on reaching this stream they followed it up until they came to Peter
Lawson's Trading Post, where Fremont intended, since he could not go
to Monterey without being too rash, to purchase the outfit for the
homeward-bound trip. The party remained at this post some ten days,
during which time some American settlers in the neighborhood came in
with the information that one thousand Indian warriors were collecting
for the avowed purpose of destroying their ranches, probably at the
instigation of the Mexicans. The exploring party, and also five white
men from the Post, proffered their services to go to the aid of their
countrymen, and shortly afterwards the whole command under Fremont
moved forward to meet and measure their strength with the savages.
The village of the Indians was in due time found, when the whites
commenced the fight by making an attack on it. The battle was for
a little while stoutly contested; but finally the red men were
completely routed. The number of the killed it was difficult to
ascertain; but Carson is of the opinion that this fight had the
tendency of fixing on the minds of this tribe the truth of their
inability to cope with white men, the convincing evidence of which was
that the battle-ground was strewn with their dead. Having more than
accomplished his chastisement of the Indians, Fremont with his party
returned to Lawson's.