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Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 1, Issue 26, 20 December 1849, Page 2

Robbers in California .—Encouraging to Gold Seekers.—The hunter (though rarely) has been set upon by robbers for the sake of the pack of furs he was carrying on his back to some of the seaport towns on the coast to dispose of, but as the fur-hunters are generally on foot, and, from habit iiig about for eilher hosiile Indian or wild ammuls, they are always on their guard, and as the robbers well know that they are, to a man, riflemen who seldom miss their mark, they avoid them. During my rambles in the wilds, and faslnessess of California, 1 became acquainted with many of some from the , back settlements of the United States, auu j oihers from Canada. I have hunted for months with them, and witnessed someconflxts between them and wild animils, in which the utmost ilaiing And reckleness was ex hibited by the hunter. These are not the men that robbers like to encounter, but I liare said tliey sometimds «ake a fancy to the valuable pack of furs which, if thay find any facility of obtaining, they make the attempt, ft ij the very climax of cruelty to plunder these poor fallows of packs which were procured only by outlaying for months in the depths of the forests and wilds of the country! and not unfrequently in the hunting grounds of a tribe of hosiile Indians. hunted for three months in company with a hunter well known in California. In idea he was wild and imaginative in the extreme, but iu Ilia acts of daringj &c«, the most cool and philosophic fellow I ever kuew. comercianto, or merchant, at S'- Francisco, on whose veiauily I know from experience I ran depend, told mo a story of this man, which will at once illustrate his general character : —This hunter was, some months before 1 fell in with him, making the best ot his way down the valley of the rule Lakes from the interior, with R heavy pack of furs on his back, his never-erring rifle in his hand and his two dogs by his side. He was joined at llie northernmost end of the valley by the merchant I have spoken of, who was armed only with his sword and pistols. They had scarcely cleared the valley when a partv of robbers galloped out before them. They were four whites fully armed, and two Indians with their lassos coiled up iu their light hands 'ready for a throw." l't.e hui.ter told the merchant, who was on horseback, to dismount instantly, 'and to cover.' Fortunately for them there was a good deal of thicket, and trunks of large treea, that had fallen, were strewed in a very desirable manner. Behind those logs the merchant and the hunter quietly took up their position, and as they were in the act of doing so, two or three shots were fired at them, without effect; the hunter cooly untied the pack of furs from liis back and laid tliem besido him. 'lt's my opinion, merchant,' said he, 'that them varment, there, wants either your Middle-bags or mypaik, but I reckon they'll get neither.' So he took up his lifle, fired, and the foremost Indian, lasso in hand, lolled off his horse. Another discharge from the rifle, and the second Indian fell, whikt in tins act of throwing the lasso at the head und shoulders of the hunter as he raised himself from behind the log, to fire. ' Now,' said the hunter, as he reloaded, laying back on his back to avoid the shots of the robbers, ' that's what I call the best of tho scrimmage, to get them brown thieves, with

their lassos, out of the way first—see those rascally whites now jumping over the logs to charge us in our cover.' They were fast advancing, when the rifle again spoke out, and the foremost fell j they still came to within thirty yards —another fell, and the remaining two jn.de a desperate charge up close to the log. The hunter, from long practice was dexterous in reloading hts gun—- - Now, merchant,' said he, 'is the time for vour popguns (meaning the pistols), and don t be at all nervous—keep a steady hand, and drop either man or horse a man of them .han't escape.' The two remam.ng robbers were now up with the log, and fired each a pistol-shot at the hunter, winch he escaped bv dodging behind a tree close to, from which he fired with effect. As only one robber was left lie wheeled round his horse with the intention of galloping o(V, when the pistolbyUets of the irercliant shot-the liorse from unuVr him. ' Well done, merchant,' said the hunter; ' you stopped that fellow's gallop.'— As soon as tlie robber could untangle h' o *" relf from the fallen horse, he took to bis heels and ran down a sloping ground as fast as he tould. The hunter drew his tomahawk from his belt, and gave cliace after him. As he was more of an equestrian than a pedestrian, the nimblcness of the hunter shortened the distance between ihem —and, (he last of the robbers fell. Thus perished this dangerous gang of six, by the single hand of the brave hunter; and as the comercianto informed me, he acted as coolly and deliberately as if he were shooting tame bullocks for tlic market. The affair was rather advantageous to tho hunter, for on searching the saddle-bags and pockets of the robbers, he pulled forth some douhlooiiß ar.d a few dollars, with other yamables they had, no doubt, a short time previcufly token from some traveller —the saddle bags, arms, and accoutrements of the four white men were packed up and made fast on the caddies of two horses, the hunter mounted o third, the merchaut mounted another, his hoiso being shot, and thus they left the scene of action, and the bodies of the robbers to the wolves who were howling about them, while they entered St. Francisco in triumph,—Coul• Hi's Adventurei.