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Show 254 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ies were scarcely cold. The eyes of the waniors flashed fire, and, without delaying a moment, on we swept in pursuit of revenge. We traveled about thirty miles (each man leading his war-horse), and our saddle-horses were beginning to tire, and we saw nothing of the enemy. Darkness would close over us, we feared, before we could overtake them. We then mounted our warhorses, which were as swift as the wind, and, leaving the saddle-horses behind, on we went faster than ever. Darkness was already upon us, when we came in sight of a large fire in the distance. "Now, boys, we have them!" cried I. We rode on until we neared the camp of the enemy, as we supposed, and then I examined their position previous to the onset. Just as I was about to give the order to charge, I heard a voice from the camp saying, "Throw them in! D-n them, throw them in!" ! then saluted the camp, shouting at the top of my voice, "Halloo the camp! Don't shoot, boys; we are Crows ! I am Jim Beckwourth ! " I then rode up with my whole party, and found that they ~ad take~ two prisoners from the very party we were 111 pursuit of, and under the following circumstances : The pu:sued party rode up to the camp, and several of them dismounted, among whom was Antoine Garro (a Canadian half-breed), well known in St. Louis. Garro could speak tolerably good English. He accosted Gardner with" How d'do? You have got a good fire." ~ ":Vho are you," inquired Gardner, "that you speak Enghsh ?" ''My name is Garro." "What Indians are those with you ?" . .. . JAMES P. BECKWOURTH. 255 "Oh, they are good Indians; they will not hurt you." Gardner discovered that too many were dismounting and crowding round his camp; and he perceived that many of them rode in the direction of his horses, and he became alarmed, as he well might be at his situation. "Garro," said he, again, "tell me, what Indians are these?" "They are Re-ka-ras," said he; "they have borrowed your horses, but they will bring them back again." He said this as he saw Gardner look in the direction of his horses. "Re-ka-ras ! " repeated Gardner. " To your guns, men ; sei. ze t h em .' " Old Garro stepped away with an accelerated pace, and two only of the Indians were arrested. Garro stood off at a safe distance, and demanded the two Indians. " You can not have them until you bring me my horses," said Gardner. "Then we will have the tops of your heads," threatened the old rascal. "Yes, you would have the tops of our heads; but come and take them, if you can." They rode off, taking every horse that Gardner possessed ; and if he had not been on the alert, they would have taken a few scalps as well. These were the tw9 prisoners that were in question when we rode up. They had bound them with trapchains, and were in the act of throwing them into a tremendous log fire that was burning in the ca~p. They opened the logs on the top of the fire, and, swmging the two victims into the flames, rolled back the burning logs. There was a terrible struggle for a mo- |