| OCR Text |
Show 426 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF " I engaged you," he answered, "to serve me in this capacity, and I wish you to accept the charge." " In that case," I said, " I will do my best to promote your interest." Shortly after, he called me apart, and said, " Beckwourth, I am deeply in debt. I have been losing fol' a long time. If you can replace me in one year, you shall be substantially rewarded, and I shall feel sincm ·ely grateful for your service." "How much do you owe?" I inquired. " Over seventeen thousand dollars." "vV ell," said I, "if the men co-operate with me, and carry out my instructions, I feel confident of working you straight." I forthwith set about establishing sub-posts in various places, with the Siouxs, Arrap-a-hos, I-a-tans, and Cheyennes, and selected the best men at hand to attend them. I placed one at the mouth of Crow Cr~ek, which I called my post, but left a man in charge ~fIt, as I was at present fully occupied in traveling irom one post to another." We had not, as yet, found any customers ; but, as we were in the Cheyenne country, I knew some of that nation could not be very far off. I sent three different messengers in search of them to invite thmn to trade, but they all returned without having discovered the whereabouts of the Indians. Tired of these failures, I took a man with me, and started in the direction of the Laramie mountain. While ascending the m?unt, I cast my eyes in the direction of a valley, and discovered buffalo running in ·small groups which was sufficient evidence that they had been ch~sed recently by Indian~ We went no farther, but encamped the.re, and at nightfall we saw fires. The next mor~- JAMES P. BECKWOURTH. 427 ing a dense smoke hung like a cloud over the village of the Cheyennes; we ate a hasty meal, and started to pay them a visit. As we approached the village we saw vVilliam Bent, an interpreter, entering before us. He visited the chief's lodge; we followed him in, and seated ourselves near him. He looked aghast, and addressed me: "~fy God ! Beckwourth, how dare you come among the Cheyennes ? Don't you know that they will kill you if they discover you ?" I replied that I thought not. He had come on the same errand as ourselves, namely, to induce a portion of the village to remove to the Platte, as buffalo were abundant in that region. After a conversation was held between Bent and a chief, the latter inquired of Bent who we were. He informed him that we were Left Hand's (Sublet's) men. "What do they want here?" he asked. " They come for the same purpose that I have," Bent answered, "to have yon move on to the Platte." Bent then inquired of me what account I wished to cive of myself, as he would interpret for me; but, preferring to interpret for myself, I asked if there was a Crow among them that I could speak to. At the word " Crow" they all started, and every eye was riveted upon me. One stepped forward, and said, "I am a Crow." " You a Crow ?" "Yes." "How long have you been away from them ?" "Twenty winters." · Bent was in the greatest perplexity. "You are not surely going to tell them who you are, Jim? If you do, you'll cost your friends nothing for your funeral." |
