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Show 298 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF guage Ap-sah-ro-kee, which signifies the Sparrowhawk people. The villages separated at this time. Long Hair went up the Yellow Stone, to Clarke's Fort, in order to kill buffalo and gather fruit when ripe, while I went vvith 1ny village on a circuit, and finally rested on the banks of Powder River, a branch of the Yellow Stone. While busy killing buffalo, we were suddenly attacked by the Cheyennes to the number of two thousand warriors. I had been advised by my scouts of their contemplated attack, and was consequently prepared to receive them. They were seriously disappointed in charging upon our empty lodges; and, while they were in confusion, we thundered upon them from our concealment, driving them before us in all directions for upward of two miles. Our victory was complete. We took sixty-three scalps, besides horses and weapons in abundance. We had eighty warriors wounded, principally with lances and arrows, but every one recovered. The heroine did good service, having thoroughly recovered from her terrible wound. She had two horses killed under her, but escaped unhurt herself, using her lance as adroitly as ever. The village moved on, directly after the battle, in the direction of our friends the Grovans ; but, before we arrived, we rubbed out a party of eleven Cheyennes, who had been to the Grovan village on a war excursion, and we carried their scalps and presented them to the Grova~s. When we arrived in sight of their villages -five In number-and halted with our whole force on ~ sn1all hill which overlooked their towns, on perceivL" lg us they were filled with alarm, believing us to be the Cheyennes, returned with a force sufficient to exterminate them. But they discovered us to be Crow friends, and their joy was now proportionate to their JAMES P. BECKWOURTH. 29U-former despondency. We passed through their villages two abreast, and all were out upon the tops of their lodges to welcon1e us as we rode through. The acclamations resounded on every side. They looked upon us as their deliverers and .friends, who ~ad come to protect the weak against the strong, that theu wrongs might be avenged, and their faces be washed once more. From their villages we rode on to Fort Clarke through the Mandan villages, defiling before the fort in double columns. Every man in the fort was on the battlements, gazing at our long lines of mounted warriors. While defiling past, we were correctly counted by Mr. Kipp. Several alighted and visited the fort,_ and ~Ir. Kipp inquired for the Crow who spoke Enghsh. No one understood him until he came across a Mandan who spoke the Crow language fluently. They inquired of him for me. I replied he was somewhere about. I was dressed in full costume, and painted as black as a Crow, and neither the Mandan nor l(ipp recognized me. The Mandan informed Kipp that I was present. " Yes," said I, " Beckwourth is present." " Well, well ! " exclaimed Kipp, in astonishment ; "is that you, Beckwourth?" I replied that it was, indisputably. " Then why did you not declare yourself when I was inquiring for you? I certainly should never have distinguished you from any other Indian." · At this moment my wife entered, carrying my boy in her arms. A great interest was taken in· him by all the inmates of the fort, greatly to the delight of his proud mother, and by the time the child had passed through all their hands he had received presents enough to load a pack-mule. We staid with our friends ten days, part of which |
