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some two hundred horses, we charged them, firing a few shots the Indians ran, leaving us sole possessors of the horses. Those horses had been stolen by the Indians from Mexicans in Sonora. Having now more animals than we could take care of, we concluded to dispose of them to ^[the] best advantage, we strikethrough chose /strikethrough ^[picked] out as many as we required for riding & [packing?] purposes, Killed ten, dried the meat strikethrough [out?] /strikethrough and strikethrough left /strikethrough ^[turned] the balance loose, I presume the Indians got them. We continued up the Gila to opposite the Copper Mines. We went to the mines, found Robert McNight strikethroughthen /strikethrough ^[and] left our beaver with him, we could not bring it to the settlements to dispose of strikethrough on account of not having /strikethrough ^[because we did not have a] licinse [sic] to trap in strikethrough Spanish /strikethrough ^[Mexican] Territory. We concealed our strikethrough beaver /strikethrough ^[skins] in one of the deep holes dug by the miners. Young & I remained a few days at the mines, the balance of the party had Started for Texas. strikethrough Young & I /strikethrough ^[We then] went to Santa Fe ^[where] he ^[Young] procured a licinse [sic] to trade with ^[the] Indians on the Gila. He sent a few men to the mines strikethrough and brought /strikethrough ^[to get the] beaver he had concealed ^[then]. They got it and returned to Santa Fe. Every one considered he made a fine trade in strikethrough so /strikethrough ^[a] short a [period?], they were not aware that we had been ^[trapping for] months strikethrough trappings [[/strikethrough], the strikethrough Beaver was /strikethrough ^[skins were] disposed of the advantage of Santa Fe, some two thousand pounds in all. In April 1830 we had all safely arrived at Taos, the [amount] us was paid, each of us having Several hundred dollars. We passed the time gloriously spending our money freely, never thinking that our lives were risked in gaming it. Our only desire was to get rid of the drop as soon as possible, but at the same time have as much