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Show fJ f) AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF we arrived soon in the open ground, where we considered ourselves comparatively safe. Arriving at a small rise in the prairie, I suggested to our leader that this would be a good place to make a stand, for if the Indians followed us we had the advantage in position. "No," said he, "we will proceed on to New Mexico." I wa;::; astonished at his answer, well knowingthough but slightly skilled in geography-that New Mexico must be many hundred miles farther south. However, I was not captain, and we proceeded. Keeping the return track, we found ourselves, in the afternoon of the following day, about sixty miles from the scene of murder. ·The assault had been made, as we afterward learned, by three young Indians, who were ambitious to distinguish themselves in the ·minds of their tribe by the massacre of an American party. · We were still descending the banks of the Green River, which is the main branch of the Colorado, when, about the time mentioned above, I discovered horses in the skirt of the woods on the opposite side. My companions pronounced them buffalo, but I was confident they were horses, because I could distinguish white ones among them. Proceeding still farther, I discovered men with the horses, my comrades still confident I was in error; speedily, 'however, they all became satisfied of my correctness, and we formed the conclusion that we had come -across a party of Indians. We saw by their manreuvres that they had discovered us, for they were then collecting all their property together. We held a short council, which resulted in a de- JAMES P. BECKWOURTH. 67 termination to retreat toward the mountains. I, for one, was tired of retreating, and refused to go farther. Baptiste joining me in my resolve. We took up a strong position for defense, being a place of difficult approach ; and having our guns, and ammunition, and abundance of arrows for defense, considering our numbers, we felt ourselves rather a strong garrison. The other three left us to our determination to fall together, and took to the prairie ; but, changing mind, they returned, and rejoined us in our position, deeming our means of defense better in one body than when divided. We all, therefore, determined to sell our lives as dearly as possible should the enemy attack us, feeling sure that we could kill five times our number before we were overpowered, and that we should, i11. all probability, beat them off. By this time the supposed enemy had advanced toward us, and one of them hailed us in English as fol lows: " Wlio are you ? " '' We are trappers." " What company do you belong to ?" "General Ashley's." " Hurrah ! hurrah ! hurrah ! " they all shouted, and we, in tum, exhausted our breath in replying. "Is that you, Jim Beckwourth?" said a voice from the party. " Yes. Is that you, Castenga ?" I replied. He answered in the affirmative, and there arose another · hurrah. We inquired where their camp was. They informed us it was two miles below, at the ford. Baptiste and myself mounted our horses, descended the bank, plunged into the river, and were soon exchanging salu- |