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Show 256' AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ment ; then all was still. A blue flame towered high above the pile, and quickly subsided. My Indians Legged the privilege of scalping them before they were burned; but Gardner told them he wished to burn them up clean. " You are going after their companions," he said, " and you can get plenty more scalps." "Yes," they replied, "we will get plenty, and bring your horses back besides." I really felt proud of my warriors in seeing them animated with so true a spirit. We breathed our lwrses for a few minutes, for they were in a perfect foam, and then started after them again in hot pursuit. By next morning, we came within two gunshots' distance of the enemy without being perceived, as a roll in the prairie hid us from their view. We rested for a few moments, to refresh our horses and prepare them for the charge. We heard a continual firing, as if kept up by the enemy, and then a terrific explosion, which made the earth tremble ; yells of the savages succeeded to this, and I then learned that there had been a battle between the Indians and traders, and that the whole stock of the traders' powder had exploded. Now, thought I, is the time to charge; and I gave the w~rd to my impatient warriors. We were among them hke a thunder-bolt, even before they had time to mount their horses ; for they had not yet recovered from the fright of the explosion. We cut down one hundred and seventy-two of them before they had time to fire twenty shots. The whole force of the enemy amounted to four hundred men, and those who remained unhurt scattered in all directions. We did not purs~e them, as our horses were so badly jaded. P1ne Leaf, who charged gallantly by my side, was • . ' JAMES P. BECKWOURTH. 257 wounded with a bullet, which broke her left arm just below the elbow. Placing her wounded arm in her bosom, she grew more desperate than ever, .and three of the enemy met their death from the pou~t of ~er lance after she received her wound. Becoming faint from loss of blood, she was constrained to retire.* We had twelve others wounded. We recovered all our own horses, and recaptured those belonging to Gardner, besides a ~reat number in the possession of the enemy. For spoils we gathered near two hundred scalps, and a vast amount of firearms and other equipments. After this signal victory we returned to Gardner's camp, reaching there the same evening. Before leaving, however, we took three blackened and disfigured bodies, the remains of the trappers who had so heroically defended themselves, and who, to all appearance, had blown themselves ~p rather. t~an fall into the hands of the enemy. This suppositiOn was warranted by the appearance of the ground. Evid~ntly the savages had set fire to ~he grass all round; thinking to burn them out; but It had not reached th~m. I surmised that the Indians had charged on them In a body, and, when near to the trappers, had been. scattered with the ignition of three kegs of powder In the possession of the trappers, for some of the carcasses of the Indians were badly scorched. Our reception at the camp of Gardner was enthu- . b . 1.' ,, siastic. "Beckwourth and his rave warnors 10rever · rent the air in acclamations. They joined us, and went * The heroine's arm was set in good style by Dr. Walton, at G~rdner's camp, and in a few weeks it was sound again. T~e Indians have no bone-setters; when their bones get broken, they tle them up as well as possible, and trust in Providence for the result. |
