| OCR Text |
Show 326 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF was strong enough to walk ; then he made his way home. I saw the village move the next morning, and, gathering four of my scattered companions, I followed the enemy at a respectful distance until they encamped for the next night. We then made another descent upon their fold, and succeeded in obtaining each Inan a horse. We saw no more of the remains of our party until we returned to our village upward of a year subsequently. We came to the resolution to quit the Arrap-a-hos, and pay the Snakes a visit. On reaching them we found horses in abundance, and could have levied upon them for any number; but, being at peace with the tribe, we contented ourselves with exchanging our jaded and foot-sore ani1nals for five fresh ones'.from their drove. Here we dro.Pped an arrow, and they · recognized it for a Crow arrow readily ; we also put on new moccasins, and left our old ones behind us. When the Snakes fell in ~ith th~ Crow~ some time after, they charged them With steahng theu horses, which charge the Crows strenuously denied. The Snakes persisted, and, to confirm their accusation, produced the arrow and the abandoned moccasins. This -satisfied the Crows that it Inust be some of the Arrap-a-ho exp'edition, and hopes of our safety were revived. From the Snakes we passed . on: to the Flat Head territory, where we found thousands of horses, but felt ourselves under the same moral restrictions as with the Sn~lws. Accordingly, we merely exchanged again, and again left five pairs of moccasins. Subsequently they. made the same charge against the Crows, and accused the~ of infringing the .treaty. The Crows again pleaded Innocence, and again the moccasins convicted them of their guilt. T~ey, however, resorted to diplomatic , JAMES P. BECKWOURTH. 327 finesse, and an appeal to arms was averted. Again their hopes were rekindled of seeing us once more. We then took a notion to pay the Coutnees a flying visit, where we made another exchange. We could have taken all the horses we wanted, but, to get home with them ' we must have taken a wide circuit, or .h ave passed through the territory o~ two. hostile. natwns. We next moved to the As-ne-b01ne River, whiCh empties into Hudson's Bay. Here we borrowed one hundred and fifty head of fine horses from the B_lood In~ians, and started on our way home. We arnved, Without accident at the Mussel Shell River, within one day's ride of ~ur own people, where we encamped, intending to reach home the next day; but that night the Crows swept away every horse we had, not even leaving us one for our own use. We must have slept very soundly during the night; indeed, w~ were all greatly fatigued, for we did not hear. a Single movement. In getting our horses, they glonfied themselves over having made a glorious haul from the Black _Feet. Not liking to be foiled in our 1~esolutwn to return home with a respectable accompan1men: of h.orses, .we retraced our steps to the As-ne-boine R1ver, Intendmg to start another drove. On our return we found our friends had left, and had crossed to the other side of the mountain. We followed on, but delayed so long on the western· slope, that the heavy snow-storms now falling cut off all possibility of returning hom~ before spring; therefore we built a comfortable lodge In what was called Sweet Mountain, in a canon, where we could kill a buffalo every day, the skins of which, covered entirely over our lodge, n1ade a very agreeable abode for the winter. W-e also killed several large wolves, and dressed their skins in the nicest manner. |
