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Show 144 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF • took his skin, feeling much satisfaction at the solution of the mystery. When we arrived at camp we asked our companions to guess how and where we had found the trap. They all gave various guesses, but, failing to hit the truth, gave up the attempt. "Well, gentlemen," said I, "it was stolen." " Stolen ! " exclaimed a dozen voices at once. "Yes, it was stolen by a buffalo." "Oh, come, now," said one of the party, "what is the use of coming here and telling such a lie ?" - I saw in a moment that he was angry and in earnest, and I replied, "If you deny ·that a buffalo stole my trap, you tell the lie." He rose and struck me a blow with his fist. It was my turn now, and the first pass I made brought my antagonist to the ground. On rising, he sprang for his gun; I assumed mine as quickly. The bystanders rushed between us, and, seizing our weapons, compelled us to discontinue our strife, which would have infallibly resulted in the death of one. My opponent mounted his horse and left the camp. I never saw him afterward. I could have taken his expression in jest, for we were very free in our sallies upon· one another; but in· this particular instance I saw his intention was to insult me, and I allowed my passion to overcome my reflect~on. My companions counseled me to leave camp for a few days until the ill feeling should have subsided. The same evening Captain Bridger and myself started out with our traps, intending to be gone three or four days. We followed up a small stream until it forked, when Bridger proposed that I should take one fork and he the other, and the one who had set his traps first should cross the hill which separated the "' l JAMES P. BECKWOURTH. 145 two streams and rejoin the other. Thus we parted, expecting to n1eet again in a few hours. I continued my. course up the stream in pursuit of beaver villages until I found myself among an innumerable drove of horses, and I could plainly see they were not wild ones. The horses were guarded by several of thei1~ Indian owners, or horse-guards, as they term them, who had discovered me long before I saw them. I could hear their signals to each other, and in a few moments I was ~urrounded by them, and escape was impossible. I resigned myself to my fate: if they were enemies, I knew they could kill me but once, and to attempt to defend myself would entail inevitable death. I took the chances between death and mercy ; I surrendered my gun, traps, and what else I had, and was marched to camp under a strong escort of horse-guards. I felt very sure that my guards were Crows, therefore I did not fe~l g~eatly alarmed at my s~tuation. On arriving at thmr village, I was ushered 1nto the chief's lodge, where there were several old n1en and women, whom I conceived to be members of the family. My capture was known throughout the village in five minutes, and hundreds gathered around the lodge to get a sight of the prisoner. · In the crowd were some who had talked to Greenwood a few weeks before. They at once exclaimed, "That is the lost Crow, the great brave who has killed so many of our enemies. He is our brother." This threw ·the whole village into commotion; old and young were impatient to obtain a sight of the " great brave." Orders were immediately given to summon all the old women taken by the Shi-ans at th,.. time of their captivity so many winters past, who had suffered the loss of a son at that time. 'l~e lodge was G |
