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," norhalted until night; when, supposing themselves out of the reach of the enemy, theycontented themselves with tying up their horses and posting a guard. They had scarcelaid down to sleep, when a dog strayed into the camp with a small pack of moccasonstied upon his back; for dogs are made to carry burdens among the Indians. Thesentinel, more knowing than he of the preceding night, awoke his companions andreported the circumstance. It was evident that Indians were at hand. All were instantlyat work; a strong pen was soon constructed for the horses, after completing which, theyresumed 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, theyat length fell upon a trail, which, with the experienced eye of veteran woodmen, theysoon discovered to be that of the party of trappers detached by Captain Bonnevillewhen on his march, and which they were sent to join. They likewise ascertained fromvarious signs, that this party had suffered some maltreatment from the Indians. Theynow pursued the trail with intense anxiety; it carried them to the banks of the streamcalled the Gray Bull, and down along its course, until they came to where it empties intothe Horn River. Here, to their great joy, they discovered the comrades of whom theywere 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, afterparting with the main body under Captain Bonneville, had proceeded slowly for severaldays up the course of the river, trapping beaver as they went. One morning, as theywere about to visit their traps, one of the camp-keepers pointed to a fine elk, grazing ata distance, and requested them to shoot it. Three of the trappers started off for thepurpose. In passing a thicket, they were fired upon by some savages in ambush, and atthe same time, the pretended elk, throwing off his hide and his horn, started forth anIndian warrior.
One of the three trappers had been brought down by the volley; the others fled to thecamp, and all hands, seizing up whatever they could carry off, retreated to a smallisland in the river, and took refuge among the willows. Here they were soon joined bytheir 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 hisback. He had approached near by, when an Indian came forward and motioned him tokeep away; at the same moment, he was perceived by his comrades on the island, andwarned of his danger with loud cries. The poor fellow stood for a moment, bewilderedand aghast, then dropping his traps, wheeled and made off at full speed, quickened bya sportive volley which the Indians rattled after him.
In high good humor with their easy triumph, the savages now formed a circle round thefire and performed a war dance, with the unlucky trappers for rueful spectators. Thisdone, 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 twentypaces 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 eminenceto direct all the movements of his people, seeing three of his warriors laid low, orderedthe rest to retire. They immediately did so, and the whole band soon disappearedbehind a point of woods, carrying off with them the horses, traps, and the greater part ofthe baggage.
It was just after this misfortune that the party of ten men discovered this forlorn band oftrappers in a fortress, which they had thrown up after their disaster. They were soperfectly 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 hehad observed himself in his recent march, that he was in a neighborhood teeming withdanger. Two wandering Snake Indians, also, who visited the camp, assured him thatthere were two large bands of Crows marching rapidly upon him. He broke up hisencampment, therefore, on the 1st of September, made his way to the south, acrossthe 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 heproceeded. As it was not in the plan of the present hunting campaigns to go near thecaches on Green River, and as the trappers were in want of traps to replace those theyhad lost, Captain Bonneville undertook to visit the caches, and procure a supply. Toaccompany him in this hazardous expedition, which would take him through the defilesof the Wind River Mountains, and up the Green River valley, he took but three men; themain party were to continue on trapping up toward the head of Wind River, near whichhe was to rejoin them, just about the place where that stream issues from themountains. We shall accompany the captain on his adventurous errand. [Return to Contents].
