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Show 418 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF me. I f6und I had been sleeping too long, for I had passed the turning-point, and was now ncar a hummock. To return would cost me several miles travel. My horse's ears informed me there was something in motion near by. I pondered my position, and ultimately resolved to take the chances and go ahead. The road through the hummock was just wide enough to admit the army wagons to pass. I bid my horse go, and he sprung forward with tremendous bounds. He had not reached through this dark and dangerous pass when I saw the flash of several guns, and the balls whizzed harmlessly past me. I discharged my pistols at the lair of my foes, and traveled on in safety to the fort. I grew tired of this, and informed Colonel Bryant that I wished to resign my task. "Why ?" said he; "every body who undertakes it gets killed, while you never see any Indians. vVhat are we to do?" When in . camp, I had frequently seen men come running ~n half dead with alarm, saying that they had seen Indians, or had been fired upon by Indians. I remarked that they were always ridiculed by the offic_ ers; even :he privates disbelieved them. Seeing tlus,_ I determmed to say nothing about Iny adventure; for, If they had received my assertion with incredulity., it might have led to an unpleasant scene in the Wigwam. I was determined to return to the "home of the free and the land of the brave," for I felt that the mountains and the prairies of the Great vV est, although less attended with renown, at least would afford me more of the substantial comforts of life, and suit my peculiar taste better than the service of Uncle Sam in Florida. The_ commande~ of the fort, after reading the dispatch, Indorsed on 1t, "Beckwourth fired on by a party JAMES P. BECK'rVOUH.TH. 419 of Indians when near this post." l-Ie then returned it to me, and I rode on to Fort Brooke. Colonel Bryant, having read the dispatch, said," Ah, Beckwourth, you have been fired on, I see! why did you not tell us so on your arrival?" I informed him of my reasons, as before stated. He smiled. "Your word would have been believed by us all," he said; "it is these stupid foreigners that we discredit, who do not know an Indian from a stump; ·they have deceived us too often for us to put further faith in them." A Seminole came into the fort a few days subsequent to this, to give himself up, his arm being broken. When questioned about it, he said that a white man had broken it in such a hummock, on such a night. I then knew that my pistols, which I fired at random, had done the mischief. Alligator, the Seminole Chief, shortly after came in, and informed Colonel Taylor that he and his tribe had concluded to remove to their new home, and requested the colonel to send down wagons to transport their women and children. "I have fought you a long time," said the Red Man, " but I can not beat you. If I kill ten of your warrim ·s, you send a hundred to replace then1 ; I am now ready to go, and save the rest of my people." " Yes," the colonel answered, " your talk is good. You can now go to your new home, and be happy. There is a man (pointing to me) who is a great chief of a great nation; you will, for aught I know, be neighbor to his people; he and his people will teach you to hunt the buffalo, and I hope you will be good friends." While I was with the army a tragedy occurred, which I have never seen in any public print, and l deem |
