coffee with us. Joe White had come into this part of the country with
Captain Sutter, whom he spoke very highly of, and of whose early
efforts to form a settlement he gave us an account. Their party was the
very first of the white settlers in the wilderness. They live some time
in a camp formed of the tented wagons they had brought with them, until
they could run up a few rough shanties, and some protecting outworks.
During the time they were constructing these, and indeed for some
months afterwards, they were dreadfully harassed by the Indians, who
made onslaughts on their cattle, carried away, killed, and eat both
horses and oxen. The Indians are by no means particular. One night,
after the party had been lulled into a sense of security by the
apparent friendly disposition of the Indians, who occasionally came
into their camp, and no watch was being kept, upwards of a score of
horses and mules were driven off; the loss of which Sutter's people
knew nothing of until they woke up in the morning, and found the ropes
all cut. They started off at once on the trail, and soon found that it
led to an Indian rancheria, about eight miles up the Sacramento. This
rancheria was, they believed, the refuge of the "Ingin varmints," as
Joe While styled them, from whose depredations they were constantly
suffering. Captain Sutter determined to take signal revenge. They
returned to the Fort that day, but next morning started off in a strong
party, each man armed with his never-failing rifle and big bowie-knife,
and taking with them a howitzer which the Captain had brought with him
over the Rocky Mountains. The Indians must, however, have had
information by their scouts of the expedition; for, when the party
reached the rancheria, they found it deserted--not even a solitary
squaw left among the huddled-up collection of huts. Determined not to
be foiled, the party set to work to demolish the village. The
construction of the Indian houses rendered this an easy task, but, to
complete it, fire was requisite. No sooner had the smoke risen from the