The Travels and Adventures of Monsieur Violet in California, Sonora, and Western Texas

by Frederick Marryat

  CHAPTER XI.

  At the beginning of the fall, a few months after my father's death, Iand my two comrades, Gabriel and Roche, were hunting in the rollingprairies of the South, on the eastern shores of the Buona Ventura. Oneevening we were in high spirits, having had good sport. My two friendshad entered upon a theme which they could never exhaust, one pleasantlynarrating the wonders and sights of Paris, the other describing with histrue native eloquence the beauties of his country, and repeating the oldlocal Irish legends, which appeared to me quaint and highly poetical.

  Of a sudden we were surrounded by a party of sixty Arrapahoes; ofcourse, resistance or flight was useless. Our captors, however, treatedus with honour, contenting themselves with watching us closely andpreventing our escape. They knew who we were, and though my horse,saddle, and rifle were in themselves a booty for any chief, nothing wastaken on us. I addressed the chief, whom I knew:

  "What have I done to the Morning Star of the Arrapahoes, that I shouldbe taken and watched like a sheep of the Watchinangoes?"

  The chief smiled and put his hand upon my shoulders. "The Arrapahoes,"said he, "love the young Owato Wanisha and his pale-faced brothers, forthey are great warriors, and can beat their enemies with beautiful bluefires from the heavens. The Arrapahoes know all; they are a wise people.They will take Owato Wanisha to their own tribe that he may show hisskill to them, and make them warriors. He shall be fed with the fattestand sweetest dogs. He will become a great warrior among the Arrapahoes.So wish our prophets. I obey the will of the prophets and ofthe nation."

  "But," answered I, "my Manitou will not hear me if I am a slave. ThePale-face Manitou has ears only for free warriors. He will not lend mehis fires unless space and time be my own."

  The chief interrupted me:--"Owato Wanisha is not a slave, nor can he beone. He is with his good friends, who will watch over him, light hisfire, spread their finest blankets in his tent, and fill it with thebest game of the prairie. His friends love the young chief, but he mustnot escape from them, else the evil spirit would make the youngArrapahoes drunk as a beastly Crow, and excite them in their folly tokill the Pale-faces."

  As nothing could be attempted for the present, we submitted to our fate,and were conducted by a long and dreary journey to the eastern shores ofthe Rio Colorado of the West, until at last we arrived at one of thenumerous and beautiful villages of the Arrapahoes. There we passed thewinter in a kind of honourable captivity. An attempt to escape wouldhave been the signal of our death, or, at least, of a harsh captivity.We were surrounded by vast sandy deserts, inhabited, by the Clubs(Piuses), a cruel race of people, some of them cannibals. Indeed, I mayas well here observe that most of the tribes inhabiting the Colorado aremen-eaters, even including the Arrapahoes, on certain occasions. Once wefell in with a deserted camp of Clubmen, and there we found the remainsof about twenty bodies, the bones of which had been picked withapparently as much relish as the wings of a pheasant would have been bya European epicure. This winter passed gloomily enough, and no wonder.Except a few beautiful groves, found here and there, like the oases inthe sands of the Sahara, the whole country is horribly broken andbarren. Forty miles above the Gulf of California, the Colorado ceases tobe navigable, and presents from its sources, for seven hundred miles,nothing but an uninterrupted series of noisy and tremendous cataracts,bordered on each side by a chain of perpendicular rocks, five or sixhundred feet high, while the country all around seems to have beenshaken to its very centre by violent volcanic eruptions.

  Winter at length passed away, and with the first weeks of spring wererenovated our hopes of escape. The Arrapahoes, relenting in theirvigilance, went so far as to offer us to accompany them in an expeditioneastward. To this, of course, we agreed, and entered very willingly uponthe beautiful prairies of North Sonora. Fortune favoured us; one day,the Arrapahoes, having followed a trail of Apaches and Mexicans, with anintent to surprise and destroy them, fell themselves into a snare, inwhich they were routed, and many perished.

  We made no scruples of deserting our late masters, and, spurring ourgallant steeds, we soon found that our unconscious liberators were aparty of officers bound from Monterey to Santa Fe, escorted bytwo-and-twenty Apaches and some twelve or fifteen families of Ciboleros.I knew the officers, and was very glad to have intelligence fromCalifornia. Isabella was as bright as ever, but not quite solight-hearted. Padre Marini, the missionary, had embarked for Peru, andthe whole city of Monterey was still laughing, dancing, singing, andlove-making, just as I had left them.

  The officers easily persuaded me to accompany them to Santa Fe, fromwhence I could readily return to Monterey with the next caravan.

  A word concerning the Ciboleros may not be uninteresting. Every year,large parties of Mexicans, some with mules, others with ox-carts, driveout into these prairies to procure for their families a season's supplyof buffalo beef. They hunt chiefly on horseback, with bow and arrow, orlance, and sometimes the fusil, whereby they soon load their carts andmules. They find no difficulty in curing their meat even in midsummer,by slicing it thin, and spreading or suspending it in the sun; or, if inhaste, it is slightly barbecued. During the curing operation, they oftenfollow the Indian practice of beating the slices of meat with theirfeet, which they say contributes to its preservation.

  Here the extraordinary purity of the atmosphere of these regions isremarkably exemplified. A line is stretched from corner to corner alongthe side of the waggon body, and strung with slices of beef, whichremain from day to day till they are sufficiently cured to be packed up.This is done without salt, and yet the meat rarely putrefies.

  The optic deception of the rarefied and transparent atmosphere of theseelevated plains is truly remarkable. One might almost fancy oneselflooking through a spy-glass; for objects often appear at scarceone-fourth of their real distance--frequently much magnified, and moreespecially much elevated. I have often seen flocks of antelopes mistakenfor droves of elks or wild horses, and when at a great distance, evenfor horsemen; whereby frequent alarms are occasioned. A herd ofbuffaloes upon a distant plain often appear so elevated in height, thatthey would be mistaken by the inexperienced for a large grove of trees.

  But the most curious, and at the same time the most tormentingphenomenon occasioned by optical deception, is the "mirage," or, ascommonly called by the Mexican travellers, "the lying waters." Even theexperienced prairie hunter is often deceived by these, upon the aridplains, where the pool of water is in such request. The thirstywayfarer, after jogging for hours under a burning sky, at length espiesa pond--yes, it must be water--it looks too natural for him to bemistaken. He quickens his pace, enjoying in anticipation the pleasuresof a refreshing draught; but, as he approaches, it recedes or entirelydisappears; and standing upon its apparent site, he is ready to doubthis own vision, when he finds but a parched sand under his feet. It isnot until he has been thus a dozen times deceived, that he is willing torelinquish the pursuit, and then, perhaps, when he really does see apond, he will pass it unexamined, from fear of another disappointment.

  The philosophy of these false ponds I have never seen satisfactorilyexplained. They have usually been attributed to a refraction, by which asection of the bordering sky is thrown below the horizon; but I amconvinced that they are the effect of reflection. It seems that a gas(emanating probably from the heated earth and its vegetable matter)floats upon the elevated flats, and is of sufficient density, whenviewed obliquely, to reflect the objects beyond it; thus the opposingsky being reflected in the pond of gas, gives the appearance of water.

  As a proof that it is the effect of reflection, I have often observedthe distant knolls and trees which were situated near the horizon beyondthe mirage, distinctly inverted in the "pond." Now, were the mirage theresult of refraction, these would appear on it erect, only cast belowthe surface. Many are the singular atmospheric phenomena observable uponthe plains, and they would afford a field of interesting researches forthe curious natural philosopher.

  We had a pleasant journey, although
sometimes pressed pretty hard byhunger. However, Gabriel, Roche, and I were too happy to complain. Wehad just escaped from a bitter and long slavery, besides which, we wereheartily tired of the lean and tough dogs of the Arrapahoes, which arethe only food of that tribe during the winter. The Apaches, who hadheard of our exploits, showed us great respect; but what still morecaptivated their good graces, was the Irishman's skill in playing thefiddle. It so happened that a Mexican officer having, during the lastfall, been recalled from Monterey to Santa Fe, had left his violin. Itwas a very fine instrument, an old Italian piece of workmanship, andworth, I am convinced, a great deal of money.

  At the request of the owner, one of the present officers had takencharge of the violin and packed it up, together with his trunks, in oneof the Cibolero's waggons. We soon became aware of the circumstance, andwhen we could not get anything to eat, music became our consolation.Tired as we were, we would all of us, "at least the Pale-faces," dancemerrily for hours together, after we had halted, till poor Roche,exhausted, could no longer move his fingers.

  We were at last relieved of our obligatory fast, and enabled to lookwith contempt upon the humble prickly pears, which for many a long dayhad been our only food. Daily now we came across herds of fat buffaloes,and great was our sport in pursuing the huge lord of the prairies. Oneof them, by-the-bye, gored my horse to death, and would likely have putan end to my adventures, had it not been for the certain aim of Gabriel.I had foolishly substituted my bow and arrows for the rifle, that Imight show my skill to my companions. My vanity cost me dear; for thoughthe bull was a fine one, and had seven arrows driven through his neck, Ilost one of the best horses of the West, and my right leg wasconsiderably hurt.

  Having been informed that there was a large city or commonwealth ofprairie dogs directly in our route, I started on ahead with my twocompanions, to visit these republicans. We had a double object in view:first, a desire to examine one of the republics about which prairietravellers have said so much; and, secondly, to obtain something to eat,as the flesh of these animals was said to be excellent.

  Our road for six or seven miles wound up the sides of a gently ascendingmountain. On arriving at the summit, we found a beautiful table-landspread out, reaching for miles in every direction before us. The soilappeared to be uncommonly rich, and was covered with a luxurious growthof musqueet trees. The grass was of the curly musquito species, thesweetest and most nutritious of all the different kinds of that grass,and the dogs never locate their towns or cities except where it grows inabundance, as it is their only food.

  We had proceeded but a short distance after reaching this beautifulprairie, before we came upon the outskirts of the commonwealth. A fewscattered dogs were seen scampering in, and, by their short and sharpyelps, giving a general alarm to the whole community.

  The first cry of danger from the outskirts was soon taken up in thecentre of the city, and now nothing was to be seen in any direction buta dashing and a scampering of the mercurial and excitable citizens ofthe place, each to his lodge or burrow. Far as the eye could reach wasspread the city, and in every direction the scene was the same. We rodeleisurely along until we had reached the more thickly settled portion ofthe city, when we halted, and after taking the bridles from our horsesto allow them to graze, we prepared for a regular attack upon itsinhabitants.

  The burrows were not more than fifteen yards apart, with well-troddenpaths leading in different directions, and I even thought I coulddiscover something like regularity in the laying out of the streets. Wesat down upon a bank under the shade of a musqueet tree, and leisurelysurveyed the scene before us. Our approach had driven every one in ourimmediate vicinity to his home; but some hundred yards off, the smallmound of earth in front of a burrow was each occupied by a dog sittingstraight up on his hinder legs, and coolly looking about him toascertain the cause of the recent commotion. Every now and then somecitizen, more venturous than his neighbour, would leave his lodge on aflying visit to a companion, apparently to exchange a few words, andthen scamper back as fast as his legs would carry him.

  By-and-bye, as we kept perfectly still, some of our nearer neighbourswere seen cautiously poking their heads from out their holes and lookingcunningly, and at the same time inquisitively, about them. After sometime, a dog would emerge from the entrance of his domicile, squat uponhis looking-out place, shake his head, and commence yelping.

  For three hours we remained watching the movements of these animals, andoccasionally picking one of them off with our rifles. No less than ninewere obtained by the party. One circumstance I will mention as singularin the extreme, and which shows the social relationship which existsamong these animals, as well as the regard they have one for another.

  One of them had perched himself directly upon the pile of earth in frontof his hole, sitting up, and offering a fair mark, while a companion'shead, too timid, perhaps, to expose himself farther, was seen poking outof the entrance. A well-directed shot carried away the entire top of thehead of the first dog, and knocked him some two or three feet from hispost, perfectly dead. While reloading, the other daringly came out,seized his companion by one of his legs, and before we could arrive atthe hole, had drawn him completely out of reach, although we tried totwist him out with a ramrod.

  There was a feeling in this act--a something human, which raised theanimals in my estimation; and never after did I attempt to kill one ofthem, except when driven by extreme hunger.

  The prairie dog is about the size of a rabbit, heavier, perhaps, morecompact, and with much shorter legs. In appearance, it resembles theground hog of the north, although a trifle smaller than that animal. Intheir habits, the prairie dogs are social, never live alone like otheranimals, but are always found in villages or large settlements. They area wild, frolicsome set of fellows when undisturbed, restless, and everon the move. They seem to take especial delight in chattering away thetime, and visiting about, from hole to hole, to gossip and talk over oneanother's affairs; at least, so their actions would indicate. Oldhunters say that when they find a good location for a village, and nowater is handy, they dig a well to supply the wants of the community.

  On several occasions I have crept up close to one of their villages,without being observed, that I might watch their movements. Directly inthe centre of one of them I particularly noticed a very large dog,sitting in front of his door, or entrance to his burrow, and by his ownactions and those of his neighbours, it really looked as though he wasthe president, mayor, or chief; at all events, he was the "big dog" ofthe place.

  For at least an hour I watched the movements of this little community;during that time, the large dog I have mentioned received at least adozen visits from his fellow-dogs, who would stop and chat with him afew moments, and then run off to their domiciles. All this while henever left his post for a single minute, and I thought I could discovera gravity in his deportment not discernible in those by whom he wasaddressed. Far be it from me to say that the visits he received wereupon business, or having anything to do with the local government of thevillage; but it certainly appeared as if such was the case. If anyanimal is endowed with reasoning powers, or has any system of lawsregulating the body politic, it is the prairie dog.

  In different parts of the village the members of it were seengambolling, frisking, and visiting about, occasionally turning heelsover head into their holes, and appearing to have all sorts of fun amongthemselves. Owls of a singular species were also seen among them; theydid not appear to join in their sports in any way, but still seemed tobe on good terms, and as they were constantly entering and coming out ofthe same holes, they might be considered as members of the same family,or, at least, guests. Rattlesnakes, too, dwell among them; but the ideagenerally received among the Mexicans, that they live upon terms ofcompanion ship with the dogs, is quite ridiculous, and without anyfoundation.

  The snakes I look upon as _loafers_, not easily shaken off by theregular inhabitants, and they make use of the dwellings of the dogs asmore comfortable quarters than they c
ould find elsewhere. We killed onea short distance from a burrow, which had made a meal of a little pup;although I do not think they can master full-grown dogs.

  This town, which we visited, was several miles in length, and at least amile in width. Around and in the vicinity were smaller villages, suburbsto the town. We kindled a fire, and cooked three of the animals we hadshot; the meat was exceeding sweet, tender, and juicy, resembling thatof the squirrel, only that there was more fat upon it.