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Show 492 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF " Well, colonel," I said, " there are antelopes close by, I know, for my smellers never yet deceived me; and now," ~dded I, "if you will start carefully up that hollow, I Will go up on the other side, and I am confident that one of us will kill one." I knew that if the animals were in the hollow they would start at the approach of the colonel and m t b bl . , OS pro a y 111 my direction, and thus afford me an op- ~ortunity of getting a shot at one. I proceeded cautiOusly along, until, raising my head over a knoll, I saw the three antelopes which had crossed us. Two had already lain down, and the third was preparing to d? so, when I sent a leaden messenger which brought h1m down involuntarily. The colonel shouted to inquire what I had shot at . "Antelope," I answered; and l1e came running ~t h~s best speed. There was the very beast, beyond all dispute, to the utter astonishment of the colonel, who regarded for some moments first the game and then the hunter " And you smelled them ! " he pondered ; " well, I must confess, you~ olf~ctory nerves beat those of any rna~ I ever yet fell In With. Smell antelope! Humph! I Will send my boy to carry l1im in." ,, "But that was not the barg·ain ' colonel , " I sa1· a., . you enga~ed to pack in on your back all I should lnll. There Is your burden ; the distance is but short." But the colonel declined his engagement. We fin~Ily h~ng the antel~pe on a tree, and the colonel, on ?tu retuin to camp, dispatched his servant to fetch it In. He never ·could get over my smelling antelope and we have ~ad many a hearty laugh at it since. ' The followmg morning at daylight I t I fi SI·X men W.i th me, and pro'c eeded on ' oo r ve or m'(r d t . .' u y aR spy, JAMES P. BECKWOURTH. 493 while the colonel moved on with the troops, we returning to camp every evening at dusk. We frequently saw signs of Indians, but we could make no discovery of the Indians themselves. We continued our chase for nearly a month; our coffee and sugar had given out, and our provisions were getting low ; the soldiers could kill no game, and there was a general disposition, especially among the officers, to return. In leaving the camp, as usual, one nwrning, I directed the colonel to a camping-ground, and started on my search. Late in the afternoon, I discovered what I supposed to be a large party of Indians moving in o~r direction. I ran with all possible speed to communi- . cate the information; but, in ascending a small point of land which was in my way, I found a strange encampment of United States troops lying before me. I knew it was not Colonel Willock's command, for these had tents, wagons, and other appointments, which ·we were unprovided with. When I was first perceived, some of the inen pointed me out to their companions ; _"There's Beckwourth! there's Jim Beckwourth ! " I heard whispered around. I found it was a detachment commanded by Color~el Edmondson, who had just returned from Santa Fe with a re-enforcement, having been defeated in an engagement with the Apaches some time previously. When the colonel saw me, he inquired of me my errand. " I have come after horses," I replied, en plaisantant ; "but r see you have none." " Beckwourth," said a Captain Donohue, " I have been defending your character for a long time, and I now want you to clear up matters for yourself:" I found I was not in very good savor among the parties present, owing to a mistake in my identity |
