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Show 1~0 AU'fOBIOGRAPHY 01•' we were moving; whereas, had they but waited till we were encamped, and our horses turned out, I do not see how we could have escaped defeat. In traveling, every warrior led his war-horse by his side, with lance and shield attached to the saddle. The enemy was first seen by one of our scouts at some little distance from the m~in body. On seeing they were discovered, they gave chase to him, and continued on until they came upon our whole party. Every man transferred himself to his war-horse, and was instantly ready to receive them. They advanced upon our line, were received without wavering, and ·finally driven back. It w:as now our turn to attack. We charged furiously with our whole force, completely sweeping every thing from before us, and killing or disabling a~ least fifty of the enemy. They rallied and returned, but the reception they met with soon put them· to rout, and they fled precipitately into the timber, where we did not care to follow them. Our loss was severe : nine warriors killed and thirteen wounded, including myself, who had received. an arrow in the head-not so serious, however, as to prevent me doing duty. We also lost one pack-horse, laden with goods, but no scalps. We took eleven scalps upon the field, and the Cheyennes afterward confessed to the loss of fifty-six warriors. When we lost a horse in the action, the women would immediately supply its place with a fresh one. We were nearly two hundred miles from home, and we carried our dead all the way thither. On arriving at home, I found my father greatly irritated. He had lost two hundred and fifty head of horses from_ his own herd, stolen by the Black Feet, who had raised a general contribution from the whole JAMES P. BECKWOURTH. 1~1 village. His voice was still for war, and he insisted on giving immediate chase. I dissuaded him fxom his intention, representing to him his advanced years, and promising to go myself and obtain satisfaction for his los$es. He reluctantly consented to this arrangement; but, four or five days after my departure on the errand, his medicine became so strong that he started off with a party, taking an opposite direction to the one I had gone on. My party consisted of two hundred and twenty good warriors, and my course lay for the head-waters of the Arkansas, in the Arrap-a-ho country. We fell in with no enemies on our way until we arrived at a village which contained upward of one hundred lodges. We formed our plans for assaulting the place the next day, when we discovered four white men, whom we surrounded. The poor fellows thought their last day was come, and I was amused to overhear their conversation. " They will surely kill us all," said one. "In what manner will they kill us?" asked another. " They may burn us," suggested a third. Then they communed among themselves, little thinking there was one overhearing them who sympathized with every apprehension they expressed. They summed up their, consultation by one saying, " If they attempt to kill us, let us use our knives to the best advantage, and sell our lives as dearly as possible." "Gentlemen," said I, "I will spare you that trouble." " Great God!" they exclaimed, "Mr. Beckwourth, is that you ?" " Yes," I replied, " that is my name. You are perfectly safe, but you must not leave our camp till tomorrow." |