Consequently, they overcame the Indian, and when they
threatened him with torture and death, he yielded and said that he
had found the gold in the Rio de San Francisco, a mountain stream of
Arizona. He promised to guide them to the spot where he obtained the
nuggets, saying that the bottom of the stream was literally covered
with golden sand, which might be seen from a distance, as it shone
resplendently in the sun. Then every able-bodied Mexican in town who
possessed a horse prepared to join a prospecting expedition to the
wild regions of mysterious Arizona. They organized a company and
elected a captain, a man of courage and experience. The captain's
first official act was to place a guard of four armed men over the
Navajo to prevent his escape, otherwise they treated their prisoner
well.
The women of the town cooked and baked for the party, and undoubtedly
each lady reveled in the hope to see her own man return with a
sackful of gold; and as a result of these fanciful expectations they
were in the best of spirits, laughing and singing the livelong day.
At last the party was off, and what happened to them I shall relate,
as told me by the captain, Don Jose Marie Baca y Artiaga, and in his
own words as nearly as I can remember them.
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