But there were hundreds of savages almost surrounding the little band, and making the hills and plains resound with the hideous war-whoop.  When the trappers halted and began slowly to draw back, a deafening shout arose from the triumphant foe, and in a simultaneous charge they advanced, but still cautiously, not venturing near enough to discharge their arrows.  They were thus drawn along into the trap.  When fairly within rifle range, twenty-five unerring marksmen from their concealment, almost at the same instant, opened a death-dealing volley upon the surprised and bewildered warriors.  The slaughter was terrible beyond anything they had ever, in their native battles, witnessed before.  Twenty-five of their bravest warriors, for the bravest were in the advance, fell dead or severely wounded.  The Indians were thrown into an utter panic.

The thunder, the lightning, and the death-bolts had come from they knew not where.  With almost the rapidity of thought the rifles were again loaded and the whole united band rushed forward upon the Indians who were now flying wildly in all directions.  Instinct taught them to perform all sorts of gyrations to avoid the bullets which pursued them.  They made no attempt to rally, though many of their proud warriors were left behind lifeless, or struggling in the convulsions of death.

The power of the rifle was such that, in those days, forty or fifty men never hesitated to engage whole tribe, though it might number one or two thousand warriors.  A man will fight with terrible persistence when he knows that defeat is inevitable death by torture.  It is a thousandfold better to fall beneath the arrow, the tomahawk or the war-club, than to be consumed alive amid the jeers and tortures of yelling Indians inspired with demoniac instincts.  Thus with the trapper it was always either victory or death.

These hostile warriors were punished with a severity never to be forgotten.  The fugitives carried far and wide to other roving tribes the tidings of their disaster.  The bold trappers proceeded on their way, encountering no more serious molestation.  Smoke upon the distant hills indicated that their march was watched.  If a trap was set at any distance from the night’s encampment, it was pretty surely stolen.  Or if a weary mule was left to recruit, a little behind, intending to bring him up in the morning, before the dawn he disappeared.

The whole party followed slowly down a tributary of the Colorado river, very successfully trapping upon the main stream and its branches, until they reached the head waters of the San Francisco river.  They then divided, and Mr. Young with Carson and seventeen others proceeded several hundred miles farther west, to the valley of the Sacramento.  Before setting out for this long journey, as it was uncertain what game they might find by the way, two or three days were devoted to hunting.  The skins of three deer were converted into water tanks, which were without difficulty carried by the mules.  They were induced to this caution because some friendly Indians had assured them that there was a great destitution of water by the way.