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.

On finishing his purchases, at this post, whose occupants had done their utmost to supply his wants and make his stay agreeable, the explorer once more set his command in motion en route for the Columbia River.  He traveled up the Sacramento and passed near the Shasta Buttes,[19] and thence on to the Tlamath Lake.  While encamped on the head of this collection of water, news came to the party that war had been declared between the United States and Mexico.  This intelligence had been sent to Fremont through Lieutenant Gillespie, of the United States marines, who had with him six men as an escort.  After traveling three hundred miles over bad trails at a rapid pace, his animals began to succumb to fatigue.  The lieutenant saw he would fail to accomplish his ends with the whole party together, therefore he selected two of his most reliable men, mounted them on his fleetest horses, and sent them on ahead to bear the dispatches, while he himself would jog on slowly.  The expressmen overhauled the exploring party after several days of hard travel and handed to Fremont the communications.  As soon as he had read his letters, Fremont made inquiries in regard to Gillespie, and found that he was in rather a precarious position; for, should the Tlamath Indians take the notion, they would murder him and his men just by the way of pastime.  Fremont at once determined to return with all haste and succor Gillespie from the imminent peril that surrounded him.  With this purpose in view, he selected ten picked men, leaving orders for the rest of the party to follow on his trail, and set out.  He had traveled about sixty miles when he met the officer he was in search of coming on.  The meeting was very gratifying to both, but especially so to Fremont, who was fully alive to the dangers through which Gillespie had passed; for, the lieutenant was not sufficiently aware how black-hearted in their villainy and treachery this tribe, through whose country he was passing, were, as he had heretofore never dealt with them.  A camp was selected near by, and all hands were not long in being snugly seated in it around a good fire, listening to the important news fresh from the civilized world.