When he
rejoined us, it appeared our sight had not deceived us. There were nine
more prisoners, who would probably undergo the same fate on the
following day; four, he said, were Comanches, the other five Mexican
females,--two young girls and three women.
The savages had undoubtedly made an inroad upon San Miguel or Taos, the
two most northern settlements of the Mexicans, not far from the Green
Mountains, where we were ourselves going. What could we do? We could not
fight the cannibals, who were at least one hundred in number, and yet we
could not go away, and leave men and women of our own colour to a
horrible death, and a tomb in the stomach of these savages. The idea
could not be borne, so we determined to remain and trust to chance or
Providence. After their abominable meal, the savages scattered about the
prairie in every direction, but not breaking up their camp, where they
left their prisoners, under the charge of twelve of their
young warriors.
Many plans did we propose for the rescue of the poor prisoners, but they
were all too wild for execution; at last chance favoured us, although we
did not entirely succeed in our enterprise. Three or four deer galloped
across the prairie, and passed not fifty yards from the camp. A fine
buck came in our direction, and two of the Indians who were left in
charge started after him.
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