History of Utah, 1540-1886 - Brigham Young University

16
DISCOVERIES OF THE SPANIARDS.
On this occasion they entered by the last pass of the
Sierra Blanca de los Timpanogos, which is the same in
which they are, by a route north one fourth north-west,
and by that same way they say the Comanches make
their raids, which do not seem to be very frequent." 21
Continuing their journey the 26th of September
with two guides, the Spaniards bend their course
south-westwardly in the direction of Monterey, through
the Sevier lake and river region, which stream they
call Santa Isabel. The 8th of October they are in
latitude 38° 3' with Beaver River behind them.
Passing on into what is now Escalante Valley they
question the natives regarding a route to the sea, and
as to their knowledge of Spaniards in that direction.
The savages know nothing of either. Meanwhile
winter is approaching, provisions are becoming low, the
way to the sea must be long and difficult; therefore
the friars resolve to abandon the attempt; they will
continue south, turning perhaps to the east until they
come to the Colorado, when they will return to Santa
Fe by way of the Moqui and Zufii villages.
Some of the party object to this abandonment of
21 As this is the first account we have of the Great Salt Lake and its people
I will give the original entire : 'La otra laguna con quien esta se comunica,
ocupa, segun nos informaron, muchas leguas y sus aguas son nocivas 6 estre-
porque nos aseguran los timpanois que el que se mojaba
madamente saladas ;
alguna parte del cuerpo con ellas, al pun to sentia mucha comenzon en la parte
mojada. En su circuito nos dijeron habita una nacion numerosa y quieta,
que se nombra Puaguampe, que en nuestro vulgar dice hechiceros ; la cual
usa el idioma cumanche ; se alimenta de las yervas, bebe de varias fuentes ii
ojos de buena agua, que estan en el circuito de la laguna, y tienen sus casitas
de zacate y tierra, que era el techo de ellas. No son enemigos de los lagunas,
segun insinuaron, pero desde cierta ocasion que se acercaron y les mataron un
honibre, no los tienen por tan neutrales como antes. En esta ocasion entraron
por la puerta final de la Sierra Blanca de los Timpanosis, que es la misma en
que estan, por el norte cuarta al noroeste, y por aqui raismo dicen hacer sus
entradas los cumanches, las que no parecieron ser muy frecuentes.' Diario,
Doc. Hist. Mex., serie ii. torn. i. 46S.
Mr Harry is evidently not very thoroughly versed in the Spanish language,
or his manuscript copy of Escalante 's journey is defective. For example
he translates echizeros—which being old Spanish he could not find in his
modern dictionary — '
' throwers or slingers ' when the word witches,' or rather
'sorcerers,' is clearly implied. Again he queries mcate, not knowing its
meaning—a common enough Mexican word, formerly written zacate, and signifying
hay or grass. For further inaccuracies see his summary in Simpson's
Ex-plor., 494. Warren, Pacific Railroad Report, xi. 35, examined the same
copy of Escalante's narrative, then in the Peter Force library, which was
used by Harry.