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Show • 330 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ment it so little entered into their heads to anticipate molestation that they had placed no horse-guards to keep watch. The noise of the horses in tearing through the pea-vines assisted us materially in our nocturnal enterprise. We selected two hundred and eighty of their largest, strongest,. a~d handsomest cattle, with which we lost no time in making direct for Crow-land ; nor did we venture to give rest to their hoofs until a journey, continued through three days and nights, placed what we considered a safe distance between us. ·vvr e then ventured to encamp for the night, to afford t.o the poor tired-out animals an opportunity to rest for a while, but starti~g off at early dawn to preclude all possibility of recapture. On the fifth day we discovered an Indian a short distance from our trail, who was coming in an oblique direction toward us. He stopped on the hill-side at some little distance off, and motioned for us to approach him. Supposing him to be a Crow, I desired my companions to drive on, while I went to see what he wanted. When I had approached within a few yards of him, he put on an air of surprise, and placed his hand to his shoulder with the intention of drawing his bow. I sprang upon him instantly and cut him down, and despoiled him of his scalp and quiver. \iVhen about to leave to overtake my companions, I perceived the distant smoke of a Black Foot village situated immediately in the direction that we were journeying, and it was beyond doubt that the Indian I had just killed was a spy belonging to that village. I-Ie must have mistaken us for some of his own tribe, and only discovered his mistake when I approached near enough for hi1n to distinguish my features. & JAMES P. BECKWOURTH. 331 My companions returning to me, we altered our course, and passed over a mountain covered with deep snow, so hard, however, that we passed it without losing a horse. This was one of the spurs of the Rocky Mountains, and covered with perpetual snows. Aftm· sixteen days of almost incessant travel day and night, we can1e in sight of our village just as the sun was sinking behind the distant rnountains. We approached within a mile of the village, and encamped under a small hill, as yet unperceived by our people, for the hill in the shelter of which we lay was between ourselves ancl the village. It was now the latter end of June (I think), in the year 1834. After resting a while, I thought to get some tobacco, to indulge in a smoke before making our grand entree, at the same time requesting my companions to keep a sharp look-out, and see that the Crows did not steal our horses again. :Finally, three of us entered incog., and smoked with several of the old men, not one of whom recognized us or once thought of us. We passed all through the village, looking leisurely about us; the streets were full of people, yet not one bestowed a thought on us. When it became somewhat late, and the inhabitants had principally retired, I dismissed my two companions to the camp, telling them I would get some tobacco, and rejoin them in a short time. I then entered the lodge of one of my wives, who was asleep in bed. I shook her by the l arm, and aroused her. Waking, she inquired, "Who is this in the lodge?" I answered, "It is your husband." "I never had but one husband," she replied, "and he is dead." " No," said I, " I am he." • |
