A Trapper In The Wilderness, Like A Sailor On The Ocean, Snatches
Morsels Of Enjoyment In The Midst Of Trouble, And Sleeps Soundly
When Surrounded By Danger.
The little party now made their
arrangements for sleep with perfect calmness; they did not
venture to make a fire and cook, it is true, though generally
done by hunters whenever they come to a halt, and have
provisions.
They comforted themselves, however, by smoking a
tranquil pipe; and then calling in the watch, and turning loose
the horses, stretched themselves on their pallets, agreed that
whoever should first awake, should rouse the rest, and in a
little while were all as sound asleep as though in the midst of a
fortress.
A little before day, they were all on the alert; it was the hour
for Indian maraud. A sentinel was immediately detached, to post
himself at a little distance on their trail, and give the alarm,
should he see or hear an enemy.
With the first blink of dawn, the rest sought the horses; brought
them to the camp, and tied them up, until an hour after sunrise;
when, the sentinel having reported that all was well, they sprang
once more into their saddles, and pursued the most covert and
secret paths up the mountain, avoiding the direct route.
At noon, they halted and made a hasty repast; and then bent their
course so as to regain the route from which they had diverged.
They were now made sensible of the danger from which they had
just escaped. There were tracks of Indians, who had evidently
been in pursuit of them; but had recently returned, baffled in
their search.
Trusting that they had now got a fair start, and could not be
overtaken before night, even in case the Indians should renew the
chase, they pushed briskly forward, and did not encamp until
late; when they cautiously concealed themselves in a secure nook
of the mountains.
Without any further alarm, they made their way to the head waters
of Wind River, and reached the neighborhood in which they had
appointed the rendezvous with their companions. It was within the
precincts of the Crow country; the Wind River valley being one of
the favorite haunts of that restless tribe. After much searching,
Captain Bonneville came upon a trail which had evidently been
made by his main party. It was so old, however, that he feared
his people might have left the neighborhood; driven off, perhaps
by some of those war parties which were on the prowl. He
continued his search with great anxiety, and no little fatigue;
for his horses were jaded, and almost crippled, by their forced
marches and scramblings through rocky defiles.
On the following day, about noon, Captain Bonneville came upon a
deserted camp of his people, from which they had, evidently,
turned back; but he could find no signs to indicate why they had
done so; whether they had met with misfortune, or molestation, or
in what direction they had gone. He was now, more than ever,
perplexed.
On the following day, he resumed his march with increasing
anxiety. The feet of his horses had by this time become so worn
and wounded by the rocks, that he had to make moccasons for them
of buffalo hide. About noon, he came to another deserted camp of
his men; but soon after lost their trail. After great search, he
once more found it, turning in a southerly direction along the
eastern bases of the Wind River Mountains, which towered to the
right. He now pushed forward with all possible speed, in hopes of
overtaking the party. At night, he slept at another of their
camps, from which they had but recently departed. When the day
dawned sufficiently to distinguish objects, he perceived the
danger that must be dogging the heels of his main party. All
about the camp were traces of Indians who must have been prowling
about it at the time his people had passed the night there; and
who must still be hovering about them. Convinced, now, that the
main party could not be at any great distance, he mounted a scout
on the best horse, and sent him forward to overtake them, to warn
them of their danger, and to order them to halt, until he should
rejoin them.
In the afternoon, to his great joy, he met the scout returning,
with six comrades from the main party, leading fresh horses for
his accommodation; and on the following day (September 25th), all
hands were once more reunited, after a separation of nearly three
weeks. Their meeting was hearty and joyous; for they had both
experienced dangers and perplexities.
The main party, in pursuing their course up the Wind River
valley, had been dogged the whole way by a war party of Crows. In
one place, they had been fired upon, but without injury; in
another place, one of their horses had been cut loose, and
carried off. At length, they were so closely beset, that they
were obliged to make a retrogade move, lest they should be
surprised and overcome. This was the movement which had caused
such perplexity to Captain Bonneville.
The whole party now remained encamped for two or three days, to
give repose to both men and horses. Some of the trappers,
however, pursued their vocations about the neighboring streams.
While one of them was setting his traps, he heard the tramp of
horses, and looking up, beheld a party of Crow braves moving
along at no great distance, with a considerable cavalcade. The
trapper hastened to conceal himself, but was discerned by the
quick eye of the savages. With whoops and yells, they dragged him
from his hiding-place, flourished over his head their tomahawks
and scalping-knives, and for a time, the poor trapper gave
himself up for lost. Fortunately, the Crows were in a jocose,
rather than a sanguinary mood. They amused themselves heartily,
for a while, at the expense of his terrors; and after having
played off divers Crow pranks and pleasantries, suffered him to
depart unharmed.
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