| OCR Text |
Show 316 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF The old brave who led the assault lost a son in the strife ; he continued to sing all the way until he becan1e hoarse, and he could sing no more. He prayed to the Great Spirit to give him an opportunity to avenge his loss, which prayer was accorded several times over during the ensuing winter. The heroine lost one joint off the little finger of her right hand, amputated with a bullet ; the little finger of her other hand she had cut off at the death of her twin-brother. Fortunately, I had saved my capote, and I gave it to her to wear, as she was suffering severely with the cold. We also killed several buffaloes on our way to the fort, and made wrappers of the raw hides for many of the men ; still a number were badly frozen in their bodies and limbs. This was my Russian campaign. I lost more men and suffered more from the cold on this expedition, tha~ i~ any other in which I had command either before or since. The boys reached the fort with the horses before we did. They had more than enough to mount us all on our way home. There was great joy at the fort at our return in such numbers, as they had supposed it impossible for one of us to escape. _ _w~,en_ I left the lamented Hunter upon the field, he said, Jim, when you pass this way, I ask you to take Iny bones to the fort, and hav6 them buried. Write home to my friends, and inform them of my fate. Goodby! Now go and save yourself." . " It shall be done," I said ; and the following sprin~ It was done as I had promised. . We rested at the fort four or five days to recruit o_urselves. While staying there, a party of thirty warnors from Long Hair's village came to see how they were progressing with the fort. There were some in • • JAMES. P. BECKWOURTH. 317 my party who belonged to that village, and they returned with them. They also informed us where our village was, as it had been removed during our absence. Having provided ourselves with robes in the place of those we had left behind, we started onward with dejected feelings, and in deep mourning. On our arrival we found the village likewise in mourning. They had lost four "\varriors by the Black Feet while resisting an attempt to steal our horses. When informed of our disaster, there was a general renewal of their lamentations; more fingers were lopped, and heads again scarified. The Medicine Calf had been · defeated, and for some hidden cause the Great Spirit was again wroth with the Crows. CHAPTER XXII. Meteoric Shower.-Its Effect upon the Indians.-Their Sacrifice to the Great Spirit.-Continued Hostilities with the Black Feet.-A Black Foot burned in the Crow Village.-Visit to the Fort. IN case any captious " elders of the congregation" had been inclined to throw the blame of my recent disaster upon my shoulders, I was provided with a suffi- cient portent to screen me from consequences. After quitting the fort on our way to Little Box Elder (as befor~ related), and while exhausting all my powers of persuasion to induce Mr. H.unter to return, we observed a remarkable meteoric shower, whicli filled us all (more particularly my followers) with wonder and admiration. This was at our first encampment after leaving the fort in the latter end of October, 1832. Although my warriors were ready to face death in any form, this singular phenomenon appalled them. It was the wrath of |
