CHAPTER XIV.

Don Fernando Feliz, and his Little Farm-The Russian RiverAnother Bear-The Indian Colorado-Rancho of SotoyoméAccount of the Matanzas-Adaptation of the Spanish Language to Cattle-Raising-Bull and Bear Fighting.

DESCENDING the western slope of the Serrania, we descried a fire in the valley below, and, making for it, we arrived about nine o'clock at the rancho of Don Fernando Feliz, the sentinel on the outskirts of civilization on this side of the mountains. The old gentleman received us with great kindness and hospitality, and we concluded to spend the next day at his rancho to recruit our horses, which were rather "used up" by the difficult passage of the Sierra.

This enterprising ranchero's history is somewhat singular; or rather, his motive for moving so far away from white settlements sounds strangely, It is well-known that some of our western squatters move off in quest of "elbow room,' whenever a new settler approaches within the uncomfortable distance of twenty miles. But Don Fernando did not object to the vicinity of society, but wanted more land for his own use. The same American settler would probably occupy only two or three hundred acres, and think that a "mighty smart chance" of a farm; but Don Fernando was in despair because he had only fifteen thousand acres, and could not get more adjoining it. He had been the owner of the magnificent rancho of Novato, on the bay of San Francisco, which I know to be one of the very choicest in

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California. It contains three square leagues of land, is intersected by a navigable creek, coming to the very door of the house, and into this creek runs a beautiful clear stream of fresh water, which irrigates the rancho; it abounds in excellent pasturage, is of unsurpassed fertility, in the midst of a safe and settled neighborhood, and remote from the wild Indians, who are utterly abhorred by the Spanish Californians. And yet Señor Feliz assured me, that, being a poor man with a large family, he could not manage to get along at Novato, and had been constrained to come thus far, in the very midst of the detested wild Indians, that he might have eight leagues of land-or nearly forty thousand acres to say nothing of the declivities of the Sierras on each side of the valley.

Having spent a day with this extensive landed proprietor, it was arranged that his son should accompany us on our journey; and the next morning, bright and early, we prepared to start. An amusing, good-humored altercation here ensued between father and son with respect to the horse the young man should ride. The latter wanted a horse broken to the bit and saddle; but the sagacious senior, perceiving a capital chance of making his boy useful, endeavored to persuade him that he would be much better accommodated on a "potro," or wild colt, which an Indian vaquero was leading. Finally the youth gave in, and, after a short contest, conquered his untamed charger, and we proceeded, in gallant style, down the valley of the Russian river.

This stream flows into the sea between Bodega and the presidio of Ross, the most northern part of settled California. It is probably a subterranean outlet of the Laguna, as all fresh lakes have an outlet. At the upper end of its beautiful valley it sinks into the earth, but soon comes to the surface. The lofty Sierras, which almost lock one end of the valley in their embraces, gradually diverge, until that on the north is merged in the Serrania of Napa and

Sonoma, while that on the south-east extends into the vast plain of Santa Rosa, which contains abundance of excellent land, and several valuable ranchos. The river abounds in romantic and secluded spots, where the Naiads might love to disport themselves in the cool, clear wave, and it also affords the more matter-of-fact advantage of water-power for mill seats.

A certain Indian chief, named Pinole Colorado, made one of our party, and as we leisurely "pricked on the plain," the old fellow rode on before to display his finery. One of our men had shot a large bald eagle, which Colorado had stripped of its feathers to decorate himself withal. The feathers were stuck about his head, the claws adorned his neck, and the ghastly head dangled from his top-knot. His naked skin was daubed with red paint, (whence his name), and he was preparing to make a warlike entrance into his rancheria, where he expected his chaste and elegant attire would create a sensation. Coming to a thicket he suddenly stopped, and made signs to me to do the same.

The reason of this was soon apparent; we had come unawares upon an illustrious stranger, whose reception of us might perhaps have proved unpleasant had we stumbled against him. He was a huge bear lying on his back, and so entirely ignorant of our approach that he was in the most unceremonious and at-home sort of manner playing with his paws, which were sportively elevated in the air. Stringing his bow with the rapidity of lightning, old Colorado shot two arrows up to the feather into the recumbent and unsuspecting foe, and hastily retreated, while I discharged the contents of my holster pistols into the monster as he made towards me. It was no time to stand on a point of honor, so I promptly gave my horse the spur, and he, like a well-trained beast, stood off with a spring to one side. The rest of the party soon came up, and an active, well-mounted, half-breed vaquero, named Hidalgo, whirled his riata with a whiz around the head of the enraged ani

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mal, and he was soon despatched, after a sharp and unbearable conflict with the whole party. He was indeed a "rouser." His skin was of a light yellowish brown, grizzled all over with black and white hairs; and he measured seven feet from crown to tail, and nine feet across the hams, the claws and paws being in proportion. The track of this huge plantigrado measured twenty-two inches in length, and eighteen inches across the ball, and had much the appearance of the footprint of a human giant, the ball, sole, heel, and toes, being in the dust like those of a man.

We treated the conquered foe with as little respect as Achilles did the lifeless body of Hector-cutting off his fore-paws, which are excellent eating-being very tender and gelatinous—and robbing him of his grizzly hide. There was a mighty fuss among the horses when we made a disposition of the latter trophy; but we finally tied it to a mare that ran with our caballada, which put the poor beast in coventry, causing her to be avoided by the other horses. as if she were the veritable bear in person.

We passed the site of an old rancheria, in a beautiful and celebrated spot by the river's side, which we distinguished by the raised earth where its lodges had once stood. Colorado informed me, that the Spaniards had killed or carried into captivity all its inhabitants. Palmyra and Thebes have left more lasting memorials of the desolating fury of man, and the names of Aurelian and Cambyses have been made famous by their ravages; but in the records of eternal justice the wrongs of the wretched Indian are as legibly written as those of the proudest nations-and his oppressors, however obscure among men, are not unknown to that dread tribunal which shall judge alike all the persesecutors of the human race.

Arriving at the rancho of Piña, and that being the centre of an Indian population, I deemed it necessary to hold another talk. A stormy scene ensued. It appeared that old Colorado had accompanied me thus far to make use of my

authority to reinstate his tribe in their rancheria and territory lying in the very centre of Chino Piña's rancho. But as the latter had a grant of the land from the Mexican government, and as I had no jurisdiction in the matter, even had I been disposed to interfere, I of course declined complying with the demands of the chief. At this, Colorado laid all the blame of my refusal to young Chino, and insulted him before my face; whereupon, to avoid bloodshed and establish discipline, I had him taken into custody by one of my men, with orders to make him ride on before, and if he attempted to escape, to shoot him. He did escape, however, by diving under his horse and making off in the bushes. Bunk fired at him, but the Indian made good his retreat, owing no doubt to the clemency of the marksman.

Coming to the rancho of Sotoyomé, belonging to Mr. Fitch, an American, we found the matanzas going on, and had a fine chance to witness a complete exhibition of this important operation. Mr. M. Carson, a brother of Kit, the celebrated mountaineer, is the mayor-domo of this rancho, which contains eight square leagues of land and ten thousand head of cattle, besides sheep, manadas, &c.

The wild cattle were driven to the rodea, a number of half-tamed bullocks called "cabristas," turned among them, and the whole herd-surrounded by vaqueros dashing around them, and urging on the refractory and lazy-were driven towards the corral. Thus, amidst clouds of dust, through which might be caught indistinct glimpses of agitated horns, fierce-rolling eyeballs and elevated tails-an occasional wild-looking, naked Indian vaquero, with hair and top-knot streaming out, or a Californian vaquero, known by his fluttering sarape the bellowing, rushing herd approached the corral. And now the cabristas, appointed to lead the herd, were loudly called for by the vaqueros with "corral! corral!" " adelante cabristas!"-and the trained animals, quickening their pace, rushed to the front of the herd and