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Show 324 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF mention their names and expose some of their deeds, ·but they have most probably gone to their final account before this. Our village now moved on toward the fort to pur. chase our spring supplies. Both villages could only raise forty packs of beaver and nineteen hundred packs of robes ; but for their continual wars, they could as easily have had ten packs for one. But it is impossible to confine an Indian to a steady pursuit-not even fighting ; after a while he will even tire of that. It is impossible to control his wayward impulses ; application to profitable industry is foreign to his nature. He is ~ vagrant, and he must wander ; he has no associations to attach him to one spot ; he has no engendered habits of thrift or productiveness to give him a constant aim or concentration of purpose. Both villages at length ass em bled at the new fort, nnd our spring trading was briskly entered into. We rested for over a week, and I then proposed moving, as the time was approaching for our building a new medicine lodge. The night preceding our proposed departure, thieves were discovered among our horses ; the alarm was given, and a party went in pursuit. They returned with six Sioux scalps, and two of our own men wounded. The remainder of the rascals succeeded in getting away with sixteen of our animals,' we not considering them worth following after. We then postponed our departure four days,. and de.:. voted ourselves to noise and festivity. The welkin rung with our shouts, and the fort shook with the thunder of our earthquake step. JAMES P. BECKWOURTH. 325 CHAPTER XXIII. Removal to our Tobacco-ground.-Expedition to the Arrap-a-hos for Horses. -Discovered, and the Party scattered. -Wanderings for fourteen Months.-Return at last amid tremendous Rejoicing. WE left the fort, and proceeded toward our tobaccoground. We planted the seed, and spent a short time in festivity. It was deemed inexpedient to build a medicine lodge this season, as all the business could be transacted in a temporary one. Our stock of horses being greatly diminished, we deemed this a fitting time to try and replenish it, and various small parties sallied out for that purpose. I left with only seventeen warriors for the country of the Arrap-a-hos, situated on the head-waters of the Arkansas. On arriving at their village we found a great number of horses, upon which we made a descent; but we were discovered before we could lay· our hands on any, and had to scatter in all directions in our effort to escape. One of our party had his leg broken with a rifle ball, but he did not fall into the enemy's hands, as he crawled away and secreted himself. Two months subsequently he found his way home, with his leg nearly' healed. He stated that, after receiving his wound, he plunged into the river, which flowed close by, and swam to an island, there concealing himself in a thick brush. The enemy moved away the next day, and he swam back to their camping-ground, vvhere he found an abundance of meat, which he carried over tp his quarters ; upon this he fared sumptuously until he ' |
