orses
and mules from the whites. This was wrong. It is not wrong to take the
property of enemies who have wronged my people. My young men believed
that the gold diggers were our enemies. We now know they are not and
we shall be glad to live in peace with them. We will stay here and be
friends. My people do not want to go to the plains. Some of the tribes
who have gone there are very bad. We cannot live with them. Here we
can defend ourselves."

To the Major Savage firmly said, "Your people must go to the
Commissioners. If they do not your young men will again steal horses and
kill and plunder the whites. It was your people who robbed my stores,
burned my houses and murdered my men. It they do not make a treaty, your
whole tribe will be destroyed. Not one of them will be left alive."

To this the old chief replied, "It is useless to talk to you about who
destroyed your property and killed your people. I am old and you can
kill me if you will, but it is useless to lie to you who know more than
all the Indians. Therefore I will not lie to you but if you will let me
return to my people I will bring them in." He was allowed to go. The
next day he came back and said his people were on the way to our camp to
go with the men sent by the Great Father, who was so good and rich.

Another day passed but no Indians from the deep Valley appeared. The old
chief said that the snow was so deep and his village was so far down
that it took a long time to climb out of it. After waiting still another
day the expedition started for the Valley. When Tenaya was questioned
as to the route and distance he said that the snow was so deep that the
horses could not go through it. Old Tenaya was taken along as guide.
When the party had gone about half-way to the Valley they met the
Yosemites on their way to the camp on the south fork. There were only
seventy-two of them and when the old chief was asked what had become of
the rest of his band, he replied, "This is all of my people that are
willing to go with me to the plains. All the rest have gone with their
wives end children over the mountains to the Mono and Tuolumne tribes."
Savage told Tenaya that he was not telling the truth, for Indians could
not cross the mountains in the deep snow, and that he knew they must
still be at his village or hiding somewhere near it. The tribe had been
estimated to number over two hundred. Major Savage then said to him,
"You may return to camp with your people an