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Show 514 AUTOBJOGHAPHY OF that, when Keyere was found, his knife was up to the maker's name in the bear's sicle, and the body showed the effects of other severe stabs; but whether a man weighing ninety pounds could knock down the best of boxers, weighing twelve hundred, the reader can decide ; but Keyere ever told the same tale, and became !cnown far and near as the man that whipped the grizzly In a stand-up fight. Probably no man ever recovered who received so many wounds as did Keyere in this unequal combat. ' CI-IAPTER XXXVI. Discov~ry of Beckwourth's Pass.-No pecuniary Reward for public HSe rvices. -Transf.o rmation. - A new Character· - E mi· grants at ome and at their Journey's Encl.-Description of the FI V I Ie y.-I n t erest·m g R:\ .enu· m. scence. appy a _ . ~HE n~xt spring I engaged in mining and prospect-mg In vanous parts of the gold reO'ion I ad d o · vance ·as far as the American Valley, having one man in my company, and proceeded north into the Pitt River country, where we had a slight difficulty with the Indians. We had come upon a party who manifested the ut t £ · d h. mos rien s lp toward us ; but I, knowing how far friendly appearances could be ~rust_ed to, cautioned my partner on no account to relinquiSh his gun, if the Indians shoulda ·a ttempt to take it. They crowded roun d us, preten _mg to ~ave the greatest interest in the pack that we earned, until they made a sudden spring, and seized ou: guns, and attempted to wrest them from our grasp. I Jer~ced from them, and retreated a few steps ; then, cocking my gun, I bade them, if they wished to fight to come on. ~rhis profluced a change in their feelings: I JAMES P. BECKWOURTH. 515 and they were very friendly again, begging caps and ammunition of us, which, of course, we refused. We then walked backward for about one hundred and fifty yards, still keeping our pieces ready ~hould they a~tempt further hostilities; but they did not deem It prudent to molest us again. . While on this excursion I discovered what IS now known as "Beckwourth's Pass" in the Sierra Nevada. From some of the elevations over which we passed I remarked a place far away to the southward that seemed lower than any other. I made no mention of it to my companion, but thought that at some future time I would exainine into it farther. I continued on to Shasta with my fellow-traveler, and returned after a fruit-less journey of eighteen days. . After a short stay in the American Valley, I again started out with a prospecting party of twelve men. We killed a bullock before starting and dried the meat, in order to have provisions to last us during the trip. We proceeded in an easterly direction, ·and all busied themselves in searching for gold ; but my errand was of a different character: I had come to discover what I suspected to be a pass. It was the latter end of April when we entered upon an extensive valley at the northwest extremity of the Sierra range. The valley was ~lready rob~d in freshest verdure, contrasting most delightfully With the huge snow-clad masses of rock we had just left. Flowers of every variety and hue spread their variegated charms before us;. magpies were chattering, a~d gorgeouslyplumaged birds were caroling in the delights of unmolested solitude. Swarms of wild geese and ducks were swimming on the surface of the cool crystal stream, which was the central fork of the Rio de las Plumas, .· |
