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Show 128 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ing near the river until we could all emerge and form a line to charge them, unobserved, in the rear. While executing this diversion, the main body was to charge them in front. While defiling through the timber we came suddenly upon ten Indians who were resting from the fight, and were sitting on the ground unconcernedly smoking their pipes. We killed nine of them, the tenth one making good his retreat. Our manceuvre succeeded admirably. The Indians were unconscious of our approach in their rear until they began to fall from their horses. Then charging on their main body simultaneously with Captain Sublet's charge in front, their whole force was thrown into irretrievable confusion, and they fled without farther resistance. We did not pursue them, feeling very well satisfied to have got rid of them as we had. They left one hundred and sixty-seven dead on the field. Our loss was also very severe; sixteen killed, mostly halfbreeds, and fifty or sixty wounded. In this action I received a wound in my left side, although I did not perce~v'e it until the battle was over. As u'sl:ta~, there was a scalp-dance after the victory, in which.-! really feared that the fair sex would dance themselves to _death. They had a crying spell afterward for the dead. After all, it was a victory rather dearly purchased. " . A few d~s after our battle, one of our old trappers, named. Le J?lueux, who h~d spent twenty years in the moun,tains, came to me, and telling me he knew of a Sll_lall stream ful~, ofbeaver whi~h ran intoLewis.'s :f-or~r, about thirty miles. fl:orn carhp, wiBhed me to aceom_t>any him there~. We, -.l~ej·ng fr'ee trappers at that time, the chance of obtaifl:ip_ia pack or two of beaver was rather a powerful incent.t~~-· · Gain being my object, I readily • 't " JAMES P. BECKWOURTH. 12tl acceded to his proposal. W c put out from camp during the night, and traveled up ~ewis's Fork, leisurely discussing our prospects and confidently enumerating our unhatched chickens, when. suddenly a large party of Indians came in sight in our rear. The banks of the river we were traveling along were precipitous and rocky, and skirted with a thick bush. We entered the bush without a moment's hesitation, for the Indians advanced on us as soon as they had caught sight of us. Le Blueux had a small bell attached to his horse's neck, which he took off, and, creeping to a large bush, fastened it with the end of his lariat, andreturned holding the other end in his hand. This stratagem caused the Indians to expend a great amount of powder and shot in their effort to kill the bell ; for, of course, they supposed the bell indicated the position of ourselves. When they approached near enough to be seen through the bushes, we fired one gun at a time, always keeping the other loaded. When we fired the bell would ring, as if the horse was started by the close proximity of the gun, but the smoke would not rise in the right place. They continued to shoot at random ·into the bushes without injuring us or our faithful animals, who were close by us, but entirely concealed from the sight of the Indians. My companion filled his pipe and commenced smoking with as much sang froid as if he had been in c p. "~his is the last smoke I expect to have between here and camp," said he. " What are we to do?" I inquired, not feeling our position vel'Y secure in a brush fort manned with a company of two, and beleaguered by scores of Black Foot warriors. In an instant, before I had time to think, crack went F2 |
