Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/456

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SOME INDIAN EPISODES.

Jacksonville mines, and he remarked to me that it had never been the intention of the Indians to give up the country, but they had meant to let a few whites settle here, and get as nmch property around them as they could, and then go to work to wipe them out; but they were discouraged by the unexpected influx of people. He then consoled himself by telling me one of his adventures. Some time ago, with two other Indians, he was on the Klamath river, and late one day they saw two white men slipping along and trying to avoid being seen. He and his companions watched them, and observing where they camped that night, stole up and murdered them both. He seemed to rejoice over the bloody deed. 'But now,' said he, 'we have waited too long to carry out our design; the whites have overpowered us.' He would work himself into a great rage talking of these things; his eyes would fairly turn green. When he told me of the murder on the Klamath, I came near striking him with my chisel; and I then and there made up my mind that if an opportunity ever presented I would kill that Indian, I afterwards had the pleasure of shooting him, but it did not kill him. This was in the subsequent Indian troubles."

Cardwell states further that a few days after he had selected his mill site at the present town of Ashland, Tipsey's band had a quarrel with a Shasta band over on the Klamath, in which Tipsey was wounded in the chin, and two of his men were killed. The bloody arbitrament having proceeded thus far peaceful negotiations were begun. The money value of the dead Shasta was about equivalent to Tipsey's chin. On the other side a Shasta chief was killed. "They settled the matter," continues Cardwell, "by standing off the two chiefs, but several horses were demanded by Tipsey in payment for his two braves killed, with the understanding, however, that if Tipsey recovered, the horses were to be paid back as idemnity for the death of the Shasta chief. Tipsey recovered, and the