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Show 78 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF After making numerous inquiries about our success in hunting, the chief inquired through the interpreter where we were from. "From Green River," was the reply. "You killed two Black Feet there ?" "Yes." " Where are their scalps ? My people wish to dance." "Don't show them!" cried Greenwood to us. Turning to the Indian : " We did not take their scalps." ''Ugh! that is strange." During this colloquy I had buried my scalp in the sand, and concealed my leggins, knowing they had belo~ged to a Crow. The chief gave orders to his warrwrs to move on, many of them keeping with us on our road to their camp, which was but a short distance off. Soon after reaching there, an Indian woman issued from a lodge and approached the chief. She was covered with blood, and, crying in the most piteous tones addressed the chief: " These are the men that killed my son on Green River, and will you not avenge his death?" She was almost naked, and, according to their custom when a near relative is slain, had inflicted wounds allr over h~r body in token of her deep mourning. The clnef, turning to the general, then said "The two men that were killed in your ca~p were not Bla~k Feet, but my own warriors; they were good horse.- tlueves, and brave men · One of tll em was a son of this wo~an, and she is crying for his loss. Give her something to make her cease her cries, for it an-gers me to see her grief." · JAMES P. BECKWOURTH. 79 The general cheerfully made .her a present of what things he had at hand, to the value of about fifty dollars. "Now," said the chief to the woman, "go to your lodge and cease your crying." She went away seemingly satisfied. During the day two other Indians came to the encampment, and, displaying each a wound, said, "See here what you white people have done to us; you shot us ; white people shoot good in the dark." These were the two whom we had seen run away after our night-discharge on the Green River. They had been wounded by the other two men's shot-guns, but their wounds were not serious. They said that their intention had been to steal our horses, but our eyes were too sharp for them. The general distributed some farther presents among these two men. Happening to look among their numerous horses, we recognized some that had been stolen from us at the time the general was sick, previous to our discovery of the Green River. The general said to the chief, " I believe I see some of my horses among yours." '' Yes, we stole them from you." "What did you steal my horses for?" "I .was tired with walking. I had been to fight the Black Feet, and, coming back, would have called at your camp; you would have given me tobacco, but that would not carry me. When we stole them they were very poor; they are now fat. We have plenty of horses; you can take all that belong to you." The chief then gave orders for them to deliver up all the horses taken from our camp. They brought in eighty-eight-all in excellent condition-and deliver- |