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Show 448 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF faction beamed all over her face, but she too was fully supplied. I then stepped into another room, and returned with a fine new gun, with a hundred rounds of ammunition, and a new, highly-finished, silver-mounted battle-axe. This was the comble de bienfaits. I thought he would not recover from the shock. He took the battle-axe in his hand, and examined it minutely, his face distorted with a broad grin all the while. "Hugh!" said he; "you give me too much. I gave you no robes, but you have proved that you are my friend." · · When they were ready to start, there was an extra horse for him, and a fine mare for his wife, ready waiting at the door. '.' The.re, my friend," said I, ''is a good horse for you; he IS swift to run the buffalo. Here is a fine mare for you, " I said to his wife. " Indian women love to raise handsome colts. I give her to you, and you must not let the Crows steal her from you." She displayed every tooth in her head in token of her satisfaction, and she mounted to return home. The chief said as he left, "I am going on a war-party, and then to kill buffalo. I will c01ne back again in a few moons. I will then come and see you, and I will kill you-I will crush you to death with robes." And away they went, never better satisfied in their lives. Now is it to be supposed that the company lost any thing by this liberality ? That chief, whose hands were stained with the blood of so many traders, would ~av~ defended my life till the last gasp. While I was In his country, no other trader could have bartered a plug of tobacco with him or his people. The company still derived great profits from his trade. Be- JAME::; P. BECKWOURTH. 449 sides the immense returns derived from my transactions with the village, I cleared over five hundred dollars from my exchanges with the chief alone, after the full value of my munificent presents ~ad been deducted. One day the Cheyenne Dog Soldiers were to have a dance and count their coos. I called a.ll the Crows who were in the band, and asked them If the regulations would admit of my joining in the .dance. " C er t ai· n ly, " said they .' '' nothing will please· th· emd more; they will then believe that you have JOine the m. " .£ Accordingly, I painted myself, and put on a uni orm, including a chief's coat, new fr~m the s~elves, and painted my white leggins with stnpes, denoting a great number of coos; when ready, I walked toward them as O'reat a man as any. On seeing me approach, ~here ~as a general inquiry," Who is that? Where did he come from ?" When the ceremonies commenced, I joined in, and danced as hard as any of them. T~e drum at length sounded, to announce the time to begin to count. I stepped forward first, and began. '' Cheyennes, do you remember that you had a warrior ki~e~ at. sue~ a place, wearing such and such marks of distinctiOn? "Yes, we k now I•t. " "I killed him; he was a great b rave. " There was tap on the drum, and one coo was counted. I proceeded until I had counted my five coos, which is the limited number between the dances: Next in turn the Bob-tailed Horse counted hiS five on the Crows, and to his various allusions I assented with the customary "I remember." This betrayed who I was, and they were ~~lighte.d to see one of the Dog Soldiers of the Crows JOin thmr |