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Show 194 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF will never suffer us to conquer our enemies again. He will drive off all our buffaloes, and will wither the grass on the prairies. No, warriors ! we will fight as lo~g as one of them survives. Come, follow me, and I will show you how the braves of the great white chief fight their enemies ! " " Enemy of Horses," exclaimed hundreds of the brave and impatient warriors who were crowded ro~n~l me, '' lead us, and we will follow you to the sp1nt land." Accepting the charge, I stationed a large body of those who were never known to flinch on one side of the position, which I, with my followers, intended to scale. I thus thought to engage the attention of the enemy until we made good our entrance, when I felt no longer doubtful of success. I then told them as I threw up my shield the third time, and shouted "Hooki- hi," they were to scale the wall as fast as possible, and beat down whatever resistance might be offered them. I had divested myself of all my weapons except my battle-axe and scalping-knife, the latter being attached to my wrist with a string. I then made the signal, and when I raised the shout " 1-Ioo-ki-hi," the party opposite began to hoist one another up. When I sprang for the summit of the wall, I found that my w01nen were holding my belt ; I cut it loose with my knife, and left it in their hands. I was the first on the wall, but was immediately followed by some scores of warriors. The enemy's whole attention, when we entered the arena, was directed to the opposite party, and we had time to cut numbers down before they were aware of our entrance. The carnage for some minutes was fearful, and the Black Feet fought with des- JAMES P. BECKWOURTH. 195 ' peration, knowing their inevitable doom if taken. Th~: clash of battle-axes, and the yells of the opposing combatants were truly appalling. Many leaped the wall only to meet their certain doom below, where hundreds of battle-axes and lances were ready to drink their blood as soon as they touched ground. The interior surface of this huge rock was concave, and the blood all ran to the centre, where it formed a pool, which emitted a sickening smell as the warm vapor ascended to our nostrils. It was also a work of great difficulty to keep one's feet, as the mingled gore and brains were scattered every where round this fatal place. The blo.od o~ the Crow and the Black Foot mingled together In this common pool, for many of our warriors fell in this terrible strife. All was silent within a few minutes after we had g~ined a~ entrance. Victims who were making away w~th their bowels ripped open were instantly felled With the battle-axe and stilled in death. The wounded were cared for by their friends, and the dead removed from sight. Upward of forty Crows were killed, and double the number wounded. There were engaged on the side of the Crows about twenty white men, and only one was wounded, though nearly all scaled the wall with the Indians. Mildrum was seriously injured by leaping from the heights after an Indian, but he soon recovered. Our spoils were one hundred and sixty scalps, and an immense quantity of guns and ammunition, a large amount of dried meats, with arrows, lances, knives, in great abundance. , Here an incident happened with my little wife and mother worth mentioning. They were seated outside, and under the wall, when Owl Bear, one of the chiefs, , |
