The Travels and Adventures of Monsieur Violet in California, Sonora, and Western Texas | Page 4

increased.
Such were my studies with the good fathers; the other portion of my
education was wholly Indian. I was put under the charge of a celebrated
old warrior of the tribe, and from him I learned the use of the bow, the

tomahawk, and the rifle; to throw the lasso, to manage the wildest horse,
to break in the untamed colt; and occasionally I was permitted to
accompany them in their hunting and fishing excursions.
Thus for more than three years did I continue to acquire knowledge of
various kinds, while the colony gradually extended its fields, and there
appeared to be every chance of gradually reclaiming the wild
Shoshones to a more civilized state of existence.
But "l'homme propose et Dieu dispose." Another heavy blow fell upon
the Prince, which eventually proved the ruin of all his hopes. After the
loss of the vessel, we had but eight white men in the colony, besides the
missionaries and ourselves; and the Prince, retaining only my father's
old servant, determined upon sending the remainder to purchase the
cattle which we had been so anxious to obtain.
They departed on this mission, but never returned. In all probability,
they were murdered by the Apaches Indians; although it is not
impossible that, tired of our simple and monotonous life, they deserted
us to establish themselves in the distant cities of Mexico.
This second catastrophy weighed heavy upon the mind of the good old
Prince. All his hopes were dashed to the ground--the illusions of the
latter part of his life were destroyed for ever. His proudest expectations
had been to redeem his savage friends from their wild life, and this
could only be effected by commerce and agriculture.
The farms round the settlement had for now nearly four years been
tilled by the squaws and young Indians, under the direction of the white
men; and although the occupation was by no means congenial to their
nature, the Prince had every anticipation that with time and example,
the Shoshones would perceive the advantages, and be induced to till the
land for themselves.
Before our arrival, the winter was always a season of great privation to
that portion of the Indians who could not repair to the hunting grounds;
while now, Indian corn, potatoes, and other vegetables were in plenty,
at least for those who dwelt near to the settlement. But now that we had
lost all our white cultivators and mechanics, we soon found that the
Indians avoided the labour.
All our endeavours proved useless: the advantages had not yet been
sufficiently manifest: the transition attempted had been too short; and
the good, although proud and lazy, Shoshones abandoned the tillage,

and relapsed into their former apathy and indifference.
Mortified at this change, the Prince and my father resolved to make an
appeal to the whole nation, and try to convince them how much happier
they would be if they would cultivate the ground for their support. A
great feast was given, the calumet was smoked; after which the Prince
rose and addressed them after their own fashion. As I had, a short time
previous, been admitted as a chief and warrior, I, of course, was present
at the meeting. The Prince spoke:--
"Do you not want to become the most powerful nation of the West?
You do. If then such is the case, you must ask assistance from the earth,
which is your mother. True, you have prairies abounding in game, but
the squaws and the children cannot follow your path when hunting.
"Are not the Crows, the Bannaxas, the Flat Heads, and the Umbiquas,
starving during the winter? They have no buffalo in their land, and but
few deer. What have they to eat? A few lean horses, perchance a bear;
and the stinking flesh of the otter or beaver they may entrap during the
season.
"Would they not be too happy to exchange their furs against the corn,
the tobacco, and good dried fish of the Shoshones? Now they sell their
furs to the Yankees, but the Yankees bring them no food. The Flat
Heads take the fire-water and blankets from the traders, but they do so
because they cannot get anything else, and their packs of furs would
spoil if they kept them.
"Would they not like better to barter them with you, who are so near to
them, for good food to sustain them and their children during the
winter--- to keep alive their squaws and their old men during the long
snow and the dreary moons of darkness and gloom?
"Now if the Shoshones had corn and tobacco to give for furs, they
would become rich. They would have the best saddles from Mexico,
and the best rifles from the Yankees, the best tomahawks and blankets
from the Canadians.