losing, beheld
before us, not half a mile distant, an American fortress, though in a Mexican country, and garrisoned by Indians.
In fifteen minutes more we had passed the dusky sentinel at the gate, and entered an asylum of- rest from our long pilgrim age. We were received by Captain Sutter himself, who, gathering only a brief out line of our adventures and sufferings, ex pressed surprise to see us here alive, shook our hands with all the warm-heartedness of an American friend, and gave us a most cordial invitation to make his citadel our home, so long as we might feel dis posed to remain in the country.
CHAPTER XXV.
OUR APPEARANCE SUTTER AND FORT
LEAVE IN THE SPRING REFLECTIONS A
TEAR PASSED OVER ON OUR RETURN
THE ANTELOPE CHASE LOSS OF MY
FRIEND TERRIBLE \ FEARS DESPAIR
FEARFUL RESULTS, ETC.
WORN-OUT ar A starved-out our gar ments all in Batters our frames emaciated our faces long, thin and sallow with sunken eyes and a beard of some two months' growth r we presented anything but an attractive appearance on our first arrival at Sutler's. But with the aid of soap and water a keen razor new rai ment, and a couple of weeks'- rest we began once more to resemble civilized be ings, and feel like ourselves.
Captain Sutter we found to possess all the retined qualities of a hospitable Amer ican gentleman. He had emigrated to this country, from the western part of Missouri, a year or two previous to our arrival, and had already succeeded in es tablishing a fort, on a large grant of land obtained from the Mexican government.
He had succeeded, too, in subduing and making good citizens the surrounding In dians, many of whom were already in his employ some as soldiers, to guard his fortress some as husbandmen to till his soil and some as vaqueros, or cow- herds, lo tend upon his kine and cattle; so that everything around gave indications of an industrious, wealthy, and prosperous set tler.
The fort itself was a large, quadrangu lar adobe structure, capable of being gar risoned by a thousand men though at the time of which I speak, the "whole force consisted of some thirty or forty Indians, (in uniform) and some twenty-five Amer ican, French, and German employes. It mounted some ten or twelve pieces of ord nance, and was well supplied with other munitions of war, most of which, together with a large number of stock, agricultural and other stores, Sutter had purchased from a neighboring Russian establishment, prior to its being withdrawn from the country. Its internal appearance its ar rangement of carpenter and blacksmith shops, store-rooms, offices, &c. so closely resembled Fort Laramie, as to make fur ther description unnecessary.
Here we remained through the winter, amusing ourselves in various ways some times in hunting among the mountains, exploring the country, and fishing in th# streams and at others, in making our selves masters of the Spanish tongue, which was spoken by many of the Indiani 1 and all of the natives. This last, how ever, was more for our benefit than amuse* ment as we had determined on a visit to the seaport places in the lower latitudes of Mexico, so soon as the annual sprijg rains, being over, should leave the ground in a good condition for traveling.
It was some time between the first a^d middle of May, that, mounted upon a couple of fiery horses which, decked otf with all the showy trappings of two com plete Spanish saddle equipments, had beei pressed upon us as a present by our gen erous host we bade adieu to the noble- hearted Captain Sutter and family, and srt out upon our southern journey.
As we rode along, it was with feelings of pleasant sadness we looked back over the eventful past, and remembered that about this time a year ago, two gay youths, fresh from college, were leaving friends and home for the first time, to ven ture they scarce knew whither. And what of those friends now? Were they alive, and well, and ) in prosperity? Had their thoughts been much on the wanderers? Had they looked for our return? Had they wept in secret for our absence, an<3 prayed daily for our preservat
