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Show 314 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ening at the scene of mourning we should occasion at the village, I grew desperate, and lost all consideration of safety. I sprang from the gully, and rushed singly among a crowd of besiegers; wherever I advanced the enemy drew back. It was truly astonishing to see three or four hundred recede, and many of them fairly run, as often as two or three of us showed ourselves at the top of the bank, when they might have burned us to death with the powder from the muzzles of their guns. They seemed to be panic-struck or bewildered. The warrior who had charged so often among them had his thigh broken ; he then sat down and tantalized them. He told them who he was, how many of their warriors' scalps he had taken, and at what times; how many of their squaws and horses he had captured; and then desired them to come and finish him, and take his scalp, for it had long been forfeit to them. He reminded me of the words of the poet, which I had read when at home: "Remember the wood where in ambush we lay, And the scalps which we bore from your nation away ; Remember the arrows I shot from my bow, And remember your chiefs by my hatchet laid low." He was soon killed, being pierced with numerous arrows and bullets. An old brave in the pit exclaimed, "Let us not stay in this hole to be shot like dogs ; let us go out and break through the ranks of th~ Black Feet. They can not kill us all; some will get away. I will go foremost ; I can break through their ranks alone." Some hundreds of the enemy had climbed the hill, as they could not half of them get to the side of the pit, and thence they showered volleys of stones upon us, which annoyed us more than their bullets. At length, Little White Bear desired the old brave to lead, and we JAMES P. BECKWOURTH. 315 would follow and break through their line. I requested Hunter to keep as near the front as possible when we made the charge, as he would incur less danger of being cut down. lie took his place accordingly. Out we rushed from the pit, the old warrior leading the way, and hewing down right and left, until the enemy finally opened their column and suffered us to pass through. We left twenty-four of our party behind, either killed in the pit, or cut down in forcing their column. I was near the rear, and, after passing a short distance from their line, I came upon poor Hunter, who had his back broken by a ball, and was in a dying condition. I asked him if he was badly hurt ; he answered, '' Yes, I am dying; go on and save yourself: you can do me no good." When the Little Bear came up to him, he sat down by his side and refused to leave him. He said, " I will die with my white friend, and go with him to the spirit land." I looked ·and saw him fall over upon the body of poor llunter; he was also killed. Pine Leaf had cut her way through in advance of me, and was dodging first one way and then the other, as she awaited for me to cut up. "Why do you wait to be killed?" she inquired. "If you wish to die, let us· return together ; I will die with you." • We continued our retreat for a few miles, but the enemy no longer molested us ; he had not followed us more than two hundred yards. We had left all our robes behind us in the pit, that we might not be burdened with them in ou1· charge. The weather was extremely cold, and we halted to build a large fire, which we rested by all night, warming one side at a time. |
