Happily No Other Harm Was Done Than Wounding One Mule,
And Causing Several Horses To Break Loose From Their Pickets.
The
camp was instantly in arms; but the Indians retreated with yells
of exultation, carrying off several of the horses under cover of
the night.
This was somewhat of a disagreeable foretaste of mountain life to
some of Wyeth's band, accustomed only to the regular and peaceful
life of New England; nor was it altogether to the taste of
Captain Sublette's men, who were chiefly creoles and townsmen
from St. Louis. They continued their march the next morning,
keeping scouts ahead and upon their flanks, and arrived without
further molestation at Pierre's Hole.
The first inquiry of Captain Sublette, on reaching the
rendezvous, was for Fitzpatrick. He had not arrived, nor had any
intelligence been received concerning him. Great uneasiness was
now entertained, lest he should have fallen into the hands of the
Blackfeet who had made the midnight attack upon the camp. It was
a matter of general joy, therefore, when he made his appearance,
conducted by two half-breed Iroquois hunters. He had lurked for
several days among the mountains, until almost starved; at length
he escaped the vigilance of his enemies in the night, and was so
fortunate as to meet the two Iroquois hunters, who, being on
horseback, conveyed him without further difficulty to the
rendezvous. He arrived there so emaciated that he could scarcely
be recognized.
The valley called Pierre's Hole is about thirty miles in length
and fifteen in width, bounded to the west and south by low and
broken ridges, and overlooked to the east by three lofty
mountains, called the three Tetons, which domineer as landmarks
over a vast extent of country.
A fine stream, fed by rivulets and mountain springs, pours
through the valley toward the north, dividing it into nearly
equal parts. The meadows on its borders are broad and extensive,
covered with willow and cotton-wood trees, so closely interlocked
and matted together as to be nearly impassable.
In this valley was congregated the motley populace connected with
the fur trade. Here the two rival companies had their
encampments, with their retainers of all kinds: traders,
trappers, hunters, and half-breeds, assembled from all quarters,
awaiting their yearly supplies, and their orders to start off in
new directions. Here, also, the savage tribes connected with the
trade, the Nez Perces or Chopunnish Indians, and Flatheads, had
pitched their lodges beside the streams, and with their squaws,
awaited the distribution of goods and finery. There was,
moreover, a band of fifteen free trappers, commanded by a gallant
leader from Arkansas, named Sinclair, who held their encampment a
little apart from the rest. Such was the wild and heterogeneous
assemblage, amounting to several hundred men, civilized and
savage, distributed in tents and lodges in the several camps.
The arrival of Captain Sublette with supplies put the Rocky
Mountain Fur Company in full activity. The wares and merchandise
were quickly opened, and as quickly disposed of to trappers and
Indians; the usual excitement and revelry took place, after which
all hands began to disperse to their several destinations.
On the 17th of July, a small brigade of fourteen trappers, led by
Milton Sublette, brother of the captain, set out with the
intention of proceeding to the southwest. They were accompanied
by Sinclair and his fifteen free trappers; Wyeth, also, and his
New England band of beaver hunters and salmon fishers, now
dwindled down to eleven, took this opportunity to prosecute their
cruise in the wilderness, accompanied with such experienced
pilots. On the first day, they proceeded about eight miles to the
southeast, and encamped for the night, still in the valley of
Pierre's Hole. On the following morning, just as they were
raising their camp, they observed a long line of people pouring
down a defile of the mountains. They at first supposed them to be
Fontenelle and his party, whose arrival had been daily expected.
Wyeth, however, reconnoitred them with a spy-glass, and soon
perceived they were Indians. They were divided into two parties,
forming, in the whole, about one hundred and fifty persons, men,
women, and children. Some were on horseback, fantastically
painted and arrayed, with scarlet blankets fluttering in the
wind. The greater part, however, were on foot. They had perceived
the trappers before they were themselves discovered, and came
down yelling and whooping into the plain. On nearer approach,
they were ascertained to be Blackfeet.
One of the trappers of Sublette's brigade, a half-breed named
Antoine Godin, now mounted his horse, and rode forth as if to
hold a conference. He was the son of an Iroquois hunter, who had
been cruelly murdered by the Blackfeet at a small stream below
the mountains, which still bears his name. In company with
Antoine rode forth a Flathead Indian, whose once powerful tribe
had been completely broken down in their wars with the Blackfeet.
Both of them, therefore, cherished the most vengeful hostility
against these marauders of the mountains. The Blackfeet came to a
halt. One of the chiefs advanced singly and unarmed, bearing the
pipe of peace. This overture was certainly pacific; but Antoine
and the Flathead were predisposed to hostility, and pretended to
consider it a treacherous movement.
"Is your piece charged?" said Antoine to his red companion.
"It is."
"Then cock it, and follow me."
They met the Blackfoot chief half way, who extended his hand in
friendship. Antoine grasped it.
"Fire! " cried he.
The Flathead levelled his piece, and brought the Blackfoot to the
ground. Antoine snatched off his scarlet blanket, which was
richly ornamented, and galloped off with it as a trophy to the
camp, the bullets of the enemy whistling after him. The Indians
immediately threw themselves into the edge of a swamp, among
willows and cotton-wood trees, interwoven with vines. Here they
began to fortify themselves; the women digging a trench, and
throwing up a breastwork of logs and branches, deep hid in the
bosom of the wood, while the warriors skirmished at the edge to
keep the trappers at bay.
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