It Is True, They Stripped Him Completely, One
Taking His Horse, Another His Gun, A Third His Traps, A Fourth
His blanket, and so on, through all his accoutrements, and even
his clothing, until he was stark naked; but then
They generously
made him a present of an old tattered buffalo robe, and dismissed
him, with many complimentary speeches, and much laughter. When
the trapper returned to the camp, in such sorry plight, he was
greeted with peals of laughter from his comrades and seemed more
mortified by the style in which he had been dismissed, than
rejoiced at escaping with his life. A circumstance which he
related to Captain Bonneville, gave some insight into the cause
of this extreme jocularity on the part of the Crows. They had
evidently had a run of luck, and, like winning gamblers, were in
high good humor. Among twenty-six fine horses, and some mules,
which composed their cavalcade, the trapper recognized a number
which had belonged to Fitzpatrick's brigade, when they parted
company on the Bighorn. It was supposed, therefore, that these
vagabonds had been on his trail, and robbed him of part of his
cavalry.
On the day following this affair, three Crows came into Captain
Bonneville's camp, with the most easy, innocent, if not impudent
air imaginable; walking about with the imperturbable coolness and
unconcern, in which the Indian rivals the fine gentleman. As they
had not been of the set which stripped the trapper, though
evidently of the same band, they were not molested. Indeed,
Captain Bonneville treated them with his usual kindness and
hospitality; permitting them to remain all day in the camp, and
even to pass the night there. At the same time, however, he
caused a strict watch to be maintained on all their movements;
and at night, stationed an armed sentinel near them. The Crows
remonstrated against the latter being armed. This only made the
captain suspect them to be spies, who meditated treachery; he
redoubled, therefore, his precautions. At the same time, he
assured his guests, that while they were perfectly welcome to the
shelter and comfort of his camp, yet, should any of their tribe
venture to approach during the night, they would certainly be
shot; which would be a very unfortunate circumstance, and much to
be deplored. To the latter remark, they fully assented; and
shortly afterward commenced a wild song, or chant, which they
kept up for a long time, and in which they very probably gave
their friends, who might be prowling round the camp, notice that
the white men were on the alert. The night passed away without
disturbance. In the morning, the three Crow guests were very
pressing that Captain Bonneville and his party should accompany
them to their camp, which they said was close by. Instead of
accepting their invitation, Captain Bonneville took his departure
with all possible dispatch, eager to be out of the vicinity of
such a piratical horde; nor did he relax the diligence of his
march, until, on the second day, he reached the banks of the
Sweet Water, beyond the limits of the Crow country, and a heavy
fall of snow had obliterated all traces of his course.
He now continued on for some few days, at a slower pace, round
the point of the mountain toward Green River, and arrived once
more at the caches, on the 14th of October.
Here they found traces of the band of Indians who had hunted them
in the defile toward the head waters of Wind River. Having lost
all trace of them on their way over the mountains, they had
turned and followed back their trail down the Green River valley
to the caches. One of these they had discovered and broken open,
but it fortunately contained nothing but fragments of old iron,
which they had scattered about in all directions, and then
departed. In examining their deserted camp, Captain Bonneville
discovered that it numbered thirty-nine fires, and had more
reason than ever to congratulate himself on having escaped the
clutches of such a formidable band of freebooters.
He now turned his course southward, under cover of the mountains,
and on the 25th of October reached Liberge's Ford, a tributary of
the Colorado, where he came suddenly upon the trail of this same
war party, which had crossed the stream so recently that the
banks were yet wet with the water that had been splashed upon
them. To judge from their tracks, they could not be less than
three hundred warriors, and apparently of the Crow nation.
Captain Bonneville was extremely uneasy lest this overpowering
force should come upon him in some place where he would not have
the means of fortifying himself promptly. He now moved toward
Hane's Fork, another tributary of the Colorado, where he
encamped, and remained during the 26th of October. Seeing a large
cloud of smoke to the south, he supposed it to arise from some
encampment of Shoshonies, and sent scouts to procure information,
and to purchase a lodge. It was, in fact, a band of Shoshonies,
but with them were encamped Fitzpatrick and his party of
trappers. That active leader had an eventful story to relate of
his fortunes in the country of the Crows. After parting with
Captain Bonneville on the banks of the Bighorn, he made for the
west, to trap upon Powder and Tongue Rivers. He had between
twenty and thirty men with him, and about one hundred horses. So
large a cavalcade could not pass through the Crow country without
attracting the attention of its freebooting hordes. A large band
of Crows was soon on their traces, and came up with them on the
5th of September, just as they had reached Tongue River. The Crow
chief came forward with great appearance of friendship, and
proposed to Fitzpatrick that they should encamp together. The
latter, however, not having any faith in Crows, declined the
invitation, and pitched his camp three miles off.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 63 of 117
Words from 63178 to 64177
of 118673
