The whole party now remained encamped for two or three days, to give repose to bothmen and horses. Some of the trappers, however, pursued their vocations about theneighboring streams. While one of them was setting his traps, he heard the tramp ofhorses, and looking up, beheld a party of Crow braves moving along at no greatdistance, with a considerable cavalcade. The trapper hastened to conceal himself, butwas discerned by the quick eye of the savages. With whoops and yells, they draggedhim from his hiding-place, flourished over his head their tomahawks and scalping-knives, and fora time, the poor trapper gave himself up for lost. Fortunately, the Crowswere in a jocose, rather than a sanguinary mood. They amused themselves heartily, fora while, at the expense of his terrors; and after having played off divers Crow pranksand pleasantries, suffered him to depart unharmed. It is true, they stripped himcompletely, 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 starknaked; 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 thetrapper returned to the camp, in such sorry plight, he was greeted with peals of laughterfrom his comrades and seemed more mortified by the style in which he had beendismissed, than rejoiced at escaping with his life. A circumstance which he related toCaptain Bonneville, gave some insight into the cause of this extreme jocularity on thepart 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, whichcomposed their cavalcade, the trapper recognized a number which had belonged toFitzpatrick'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 hiscavalry.
On the day following this affair, three Crows came into Captain Bonneville's camp, withthe most easy, innocent, if not impudent air imaginable; walking about with theimperturbable 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 thesame band, they were not molested. Indeed, Captain Bonneville treated them with hisusual kindness and hospitality; permitting them to remain all day in the camp, and evento pass the night there. At the same time, however, he caused a strict watch to bemaintained on all their movements; and at night, stationed an armed sentinel nearthem. The Crows remonstrated against the latter being armed. This only made thecaptain 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 perfectlywelcome to the shelter and comfort of his camp, yet, should any of their tribe venture toapproach during the night, they would certainly be shot; which would be a veryunfortunate circumstance, and much to be deplored. To the latter remark, they fullyassented; and shortly afterward commenced a wild song, or chant, which they kept upfor a long time, and in which they very probably gave their friends, who might beprowling round the camp, notice that the white men were on the alert. The night passedaway without disturbance. In the morning, the three Crow guests were very pressingthat Captain Bonneville and his party should accompany them to their camp, which theysaid was close by. Instead of accepting their invitation, Captain Bonneville took hisdeparture with all possible dispatch, eager to be out of the vicinity of such a piraticalhorde; nor did he relax the diligence of his march, until, on the second day, he reachedthe banks of the Sweet Water, beyond the limits of the Crow country, and a heavy fallof snow had obliterated all traces of his course.
He now continued on for some few days, at a slower pace, round the point of themountain toward Green River, and arrived once more at the caches, on the 14th ofOctober.
