OCR Text |
Show 268 VISIT TO A BLOOD INDIAN----SNOW RIVER. of basket-work, with a back to it, and covered with a buffalo skin. He was a man of bad character, who, only the year before, had fired his gun, loaded with small shot, in the face of a white man. In the centre of the tent there was a small fire, which emitted great heat. Dried berries were set before us, and this neat tent was not disagreeable, as these people had no children, and great cleanliness prevailed in their dwelling. Isidore Sandoval acted as interpreter. We had every day conversations of this kind, in which we always found something new to observe. Mr. Mitchell thought now of building a new fort, for which he endeavoured to choose the most suitable situation. On the 16th of August we rode out for this purpose, ascended the chain of hills behind the fort, where the little prairie dogs retreated into their burrows, and then perceived two armed Indians, who, as soon as they observed us, turned their horses, and galloped up to us. They had not noticed our double-barrelled guns, and doubtless came up to frighten us, and to try their fortune with us; for, as soon as they came near, and saw our arms, they turned round and trotted away.* On our calling after them, they stopped at some distance; one of them gave his gun to the other, returned to us, and gave us to understand by signs, " that an Indian had run away with his sister, the wife of a third person, and they had ridden out to look for him, in order that they might shoot him." Apparently following the traces, they quickly disappeared from our view. A little further on we met with about twenty of our own people, who were sent to work at the foundation of the new fort. They were well armed, and had carts with their bedding, and other necessaries. They had orders to remain out the whole week, and not return till Saturday. Other men were sent out to burn charcoal for the smith, for which poplar wood is very serviceable. We rode before these people, and had, on our right hand, a fine prospect into the valley of the Teton River, which, as a stripe of verdure, made an agreeable break in the yellow, scorched prairie. In the valley we saw three or four Indian tents under high poplar trees. Looking to the left hand from this high ridge, we saw, in the foreground, a great bend of the Missouri, on which there were several beautiful copses of poplar, and bright verdant spots; and further upwards, on the south bank, the mouth of the stream, called, by Lewis and Clarke, Snow River, which was the most extreme point of my journey on the Upper Missouri, though at that time I still hoped to reach the three principal sources of that river, the Jefferson, the Madison, and the Galla-tin. Before us, a little to the left, in a south-western direction, we saw, at some distance, the first chain of the Rocky Mountains, which does not reach the snowy region, and behind us the beau- * In the preceding summer Mr. Mitchell had had a similar adventure, by which he was made acquainted with the nature of such meetings with the Indians. He was riding out, unarmed, with one attendant, when he met two Indians, who immediately demanded tobacco. He gave them what he had, but could not satisfy them ; they demanded his knife, threw the tobacco which he had given them in his face, and with a menacing air drew their bows. They did not suffer him to go till he promised to give them more on board his vessel the next day. They came on board accordingly, but Mr. Mitchell took no notice of them. Since that time he never goes out unarmed. |