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Show .. 446 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF This angered him, and in his disappointment and vexation he would raise the war-hoop, his warriors would rush to him, he would harangue them for a moment, an assault would be made upon the tradingpost, the goods would be seized, and, in many instances, the trader would be massacred and scalped. I saw the necessary relatiop between all these events, and knew that simple justice in exchanges would avoid all such catastrophes. I therefore told Sublet to feel no uneasiness, a~ I could arrange matters so as to afford general satisfaction. "Well, " sa1· a h e, " go your own way to destruc-tion." A day or two after this, Sublet came to inform me that Mo-he-nes-to was on his way to the fort. I look~ d out, and saw the chief and his wife both approachmg on horseback. As he entered, I received him with g~eat ceremony, taking him by the hand, and biddin·g him welcome to the fort. I had his horses well attended to, a sumptuous supper for himself and wife se~ved up, and, while the meal was preparing entertained him with liquors fit to make any toper's' mouth water. After supper he got gloriously fuddled d went to ~d, ignorant of what was passing in the ~:r~d around him. In the morning I inquired of him how he fcelt . "Wu gh '· M. uch bad! head ache strong!" • I !hen !?ave him another whisky punch, well-flavored With spices; he and his lady drank deeply, and then partook of a hearty breakfast. He then felt well again I next led him into the store, where we had a Iarg~ assortment of every Indian novelty I I h h d h"ld · {new e a c I. ren, as well as how many; so I selected a five- Btnped Hudson's Bay blanket for himself, another for JAMES P. BECKWOURTH. 447 his wife, and one for each of his children, besides an extra scarlet blanket for his eldest son, a young warrior. To his wife I also gave a two-gallon brass kettle, and beads enough to last her for a year or two. In fact, I selected more or less of every description of article that I thought would be useful to them, or that I thought an Indian eye could covet. These _presents I ceremoniously laid upon the counter, until I had two or three large piles of quite attractive-looking goods. . The chief and his wife had watched me laying all these goods before them. I then asked them if they saw any thing more any where in the store that they thought they would like. . Mo-he-nes-to opened his eyes wide with surpnse. "What!" he exclaimed, "are all those things for us?" " Yes," I said, " they are for you, your wife, and your children-something for you all. ~hen I have a friend, I like to be liberal in my gifts to lnm. I never rob the Red Men ; I never take all their robes and give them nothing but whisk!. .I give them. so~ething good for themselves, their Wives, and thmr clnldren. My heart is big; I know what the Red Men want and what their families want." ' . "My friend, your heart is too big; yo~ grve me much more than I ever had before ; you w11l be very poor." . . "No " I said · "I have many th1ngs here, all mine. I am ri~h, and .;hen I find a good friend, I make him rich like me." I then bade him look the store carefully through, to see if there was any thing more that he would like. He looked, but saw nothing more that he needed. . I then made the same request of his wife, whose satis- |
