CHAPTER XXXVIII.
SKETCHES OF INDIAN LIFE.
Shortly after the so-called Indian war I took a prospecting trip into the wilderness lying to the eastward of the sinks or lakes of the Carson and Humboldt Rivers. I had with me two white men, and we roamed through the Indian country for nearly a month. During the greater part of this time we had with us a Piute guide known as Captain or “Capitan” Juan.
When Fremont passed through the country and took Captain Truckee[Truckee] into his service as a guide, Juan and nine other adventurous Piute youths accompanied him. When they reached California, these young Piutes liked the country so well, that the majority of them remained there several years. Juan lived there ten years. He worked upon a ranche and could plow and plant, reap and thresh grain as well as any white man. Then he learned the Spanish language, which he spoke quite as well as the Mexicans generally speak it. He also speaks pretty fair English, but mixed in a good deal of Spanish, when a little excited. He proved a trusty and excellent guide, and we retained him as long as we remained in his country. Captain Juan had seen his ups and downs in the world as well as the rest of us.
One evening when we were all seated about our camp-fire, after a hearty supper, being in a talkative mood, he said: “I was pretty well off once, over in California—I had fifty dollars.” He named the amount with an emphasis which showed that he considered the announcement one of considerable importance.
“Indeed!—Had you so much money?” said I.
“O, yes; I was well off—many ricos!”
“And what became of all this wealth?”
“Me burst all to smash!”
“Well, that was bad. In kind of speculation?”
“Me not understand spectoolation. What you call um spectoolation?”