ys,
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 onc