Chapter 24

Adventures of the party of ten The Balaamite mule A dead

point The mysterious elks A night attack A retreat Travelling

under an alarm A joyful meeting Adventures of the other party A

decoy elk Retreat to an island A savage dance of triumph Arrival

at Wind River

THE ADVENTURES of the detachment of ten are the first in order.

These trappers, when they separated from Captain Bonneville at

the place where the furs were embarked, proceeded to the foot of

the Bighorn Mountain, and having encamped, one of them mounted

his mule and went out to set his trap in a neighboring stream. He

had not proceeded far when his steed came to a full stop. The

trapper kicked and cudgelled, but to every blow and kick the mule

snorted and kicked up, but still refused to budge an inch. The

rider now cast his eyes warily around in search of some cause for

this demur, when, to his dismay, he discovered an Indian fort

within gunshot distance, lowering through the twilight. In a

twinkling he wheeled about; his mule now seemed as eager to get

on as himself, and in a few moments brought him, clattering with

his traps, among his comrades. He was jeered at for his alacrity

in retreating; his report was treated as a false alarm; his

brother trappers contented themselves with reconnoitring the fort

at a distance, and pronounced that it was deserted.

As night set in, the usual precaution, enjoined by Captain

Bonneville on his men, was observed. The horses were brought in

and tied, and a guard stationed over them. This done, the men

wrapped themselves in their blankets, stretched themselves before

the fire, and being fatigued with a long day's march, and gorged

with a hearty supper, were soon in a profound sleep.

The camp fires gradually died away; all was dark and silent; the

sentinel stationed to watch the horses had marched as far, and

supped as heartily as any of his companions, and while they

snored, he began to nod at his post. After a time, a low

trampling noise reached his ear. He half opened his closing eyes,

and beheld two or three elks moving about the lodges, picking,

and smelling, and grazing here and there. The sight of elk within

the purlieus of the camp caused some little surprise; but having

had his supper, he cared not for elk meat, and, suffering them to

graze about unmolested, soon relapsed into a doze.

Suddenly, before daybreak, a discharge of firearms, and a

struggle and tramp of horses, made every one start to his feet.

The first move was to secure the horses. Some were gone; others

were struggling, and kicking, and trembling, for there was a

horrible uproar of whoops, and yells, and firearms. Several

trappers stole quietly from the camp, and succeeded in driving in

the horses which had broken away; the rest were tethered still

more strongly. A breastwork was thrown up of saddles, baggage,

and camp furniture, and all hands waited anxiously for daylight.

The Indians, in the meantime, collected on a neighboring height,

kept up the most horrible clamor, in hopes of striking a panic

into the camp, or frightening off the horses. When the day

dawned, the trappers attacked them briskly and drove them to some

distance. A desultory fire was kept up for an hour, when the

Indians, seeing nothing was to be gained, gave up the contest and

retired. They proved to be a war party of Blackfeet, who, while

in search of the Crow tribe, had fallen upon the trail of Captain

Bonneville on the Popo Agie, and dogged him to the Bighorn; but

had been completely baffled by his vigilance. They had then

waylaid the present detachment, and were actually housed in

perfect silence within their fort, when the mule of the trapper

made such a dead point.

The savages went off uttering the wildest denunciations of

hostility, mingled with opprobrious terms in broken English, and

gesticulations of the most insulting kind.

In this melee, one white man was wounded, and two horses were

killed. On preparing the morning's meal, however, a number of

cups, knives, and other articles were missing, which had,

doubtless, been carried off by the fictitious elk, during the

slumber of the very sagacious sentinel.

As the Indians had gone off in the direction which the trappers

had intended to travel, the latter changed their route, and

pushed forward rapidly through the "Bad Pass," nor halted until

night; when, supposing themselves out of the reach of the enemy,

they contented themselves with tying up their horses and posting

a guard. They had scarce laid down to sleep, when a dog strayed

into the camp with a small pack of moccasons tied upon his back;

for dogs are made to carry burdens among the Indians. The

sentinel, more knowing than he of the preceding night, awoke his

companions and reported the circumstance. It was evident that

Indians were at hand. All were instantly at work; a strong pen

was soon constructed for the horses, after completing which, they

resumed their slumbers with the composure of men long inured to

dangers.

In the next night, the prowling of dogs about the camp, and

various suspicious noises, showed that Indians were still

hovering about them. Hurrying on by long marches, they at length

fell upon a trail, which, with the experienced eye of veteran

woodmen, they soon discovered to be that of the party of trappers

detached by Captain Bonneville when on his march, and which they

were sent to join. They likewise ascertained from various signs,

that this party had suffered some maltreatment from the Indians.

They now pursued the trail with intense anxiety; it carried them

to the banks of the stream called the Gray Bull, and down along

its course, until they came to where it empties into the Horn

River. Here, to their great joy, they discovered the comrades of

whom they were in search, all strongly fortified, and in a state

of great watchfulness and anxiety.

We now take up the adventures of this first detachment of

trappers. These men, after parting with the main body under

Captain Bonneville, had proceeded slowly for several days up the

course of the river, trapping beaver as they went. One morning,

as they were about to visit their traps, one of the camp-keepers

pointed to a fine elk, grazing at a distance, and requested them

to shoot it. Three of the trappers started off for the purpose.

In passing a thicket, they were fired upon by some savages in

ambush, and at the same time, the pretended elk, throwing off his

hide and his horn, started forth an Indian warrior.

One of the three trappers had been brought down by the volley;

the others fled to the camp, and all hands, seizing up whatever

they could carry off, retreated to a small island in the river,

and took refuge among the willows. Here they were soon joined by

their comrade who had fallen, but who had merely been wounded in

the neck.

In the meantime the Indians took possession of the deserted camp,

with all the traps, accoutrements, and horses. While they were

busy among the spoils, a solitary trapper, who had been absent at

his work, came sauntering to the camp with his traps on his back.

He had approached near by, when an Indian came forward and

motioned him to keep away; at the same moment, he was perceived

by his comrades on the island, and warned of his danger with loud

cries. The poor fellow stood for a moment, bewildered and aghast,

then dropping his traps, wheeled and made off at full speed,

quickened by a sportive volley which the Indians rattled after

him.

In high good humor with their easy triumph, the savages now

formed a circle round the fire and performed a war dance, with

the unlucky trappers for rueful spectators. This done, emboldened

by what they considered cowardice on the part of the white men,

they neglected their usual mode of bush-fighting, and advanced

openly within twenty paces of the willows. A sharp volley from

the trappers brought them to a sudden halt, and laid three of

them breathless. The chief, who had stationed himself on an

eminence to direct all the movements of his people, seeing three

of his warriors laid low, ordered the rest to retire. They

immediately did so, and the whole band soon disappeared behind a

point of woods, carrying off with them the horses, traps, and the

greater part of the baggage.

It was just after this misfortune that the party of ten men

discovered this forlorn band of trappers in a fortress, which

they had thrown up after their disaster. They were so perfectly

dismayed, that they could not be induced even to go in quest of

their traps, which they had set in a neighboring stream. The two

parties now joined their forces, and made their way, without

further misfortune, to the rendezvous.

Captain Bonneville perceived from the reports of these parties,

as well as from what he had observed himself in his recent march,

that he was in a neighborhood teeming with danger. Two wandering

Snake Indians, also, who visited the camp, assured him that there

were two large bands of Crows marching rapidly upon him. He broke

up his encampment, therefore, on the 1st of September, made his

way to the south, across the Littlehorn Mountain, until he

reached Wind River, and then turning westward, moved slowly up

the banks of that stream, giving time for his men to trap as he

proceeded. As it was not in the plan of the present hunting

campaigns to go near the caches on Green River, and as the

trappers were in want of traps to replace those they had lost,

Captain Bonneville undertook to visit the caches, and procure a

supply. To accompany him in this hazardous expedition, which

would take him through the defiles of the Wind River Mountains,

and up the Green River valley, he took but three men; the main

party were to continue on trapping up toward the head of Wind

River, near which he was to rejoin them, just about the place

where that stream issues from the mountains. We shall accompany

the captain on his adventurous errand.