Litchfield enquirer., 1830-06-17
INDIAN GAMBLING.
From the st. Louis Beacon.


 From the St. Louis Beacon.
 Indians are the most desperate gamblers in the world, considering their means One would bc astonished to witness their stakes. I have seen them sit successively hours and sometimes days, at their games, alternately winning & losing, until one of them rose stript of all his wealth, horses, gun, and of every thing but tho rag, is we might say, of modesty. This would be called ruin by the civilized world. bat it causes no despair or suicide with them, and all that any observer would perceive is prehaps little mortified pride at his defeat. The young squaws having more leisure, are more constant gamblers than the men. have seen a young squaw pull ornament after ornament from her arm, beads after beads from her neck, and broach after broach from her bosom, until she had lost the whole, and then pro- bably pawn her clothes for another game. The greatest game that ever heard of, however, was between Crow and a Chayenne. 1t was told me as we'll known fact by man residing among the Crows, and confirmed by the Crows theni- selves through an interpreter. About four years since, the Crows and Chayennes were, as they have almost always been, at .lUae In4 fact, I de eos knnw fhaA they ever met peaceably except in the single inc stance am about to relate. In state of hostility, of course, war parties were con- tinually roaming in search offavolable op- portunities to strike with success, and with as little risk as possible. Ithappened that two hostile parties were encamped, with- out the knowledge of either. near each other. They had both been out long time, and had seen no "signs'' of an ene- my, and of course became considerably dis coufaSed. After q little reflection, and within day or two of the same time. both parties resolved to return to their rcspec- tive tribes. It happened also, that one of each party refused (pledged by an oath. or afraid of the ridicnle of sOme favorite squawl to return. This iscommon among them, and itRxcites no surprize, even at ter success, that one or two should separate from the main party and go forth alone, sometimes for definite object, and soine- times not. These two men were left by their respective comrades in the mountains, near Powder river, and for the two follow ing days they remained near where they were left. On the third, and near night- fall, they had selected their lodging pla- ces near each other, still ignorant of their vicinity. The Cheyenne was going down. and the Grow up, . ravine that gradually descended, at the place, towards the river Tie former laid himself down on the rocks in the. bottom of the ravine, but the latter, thinking from the appearance of the sky that it would rain, and knowing how the water rushed in torrents down these ravines, crawled up on it's side. and there, under the shelter of friendly rock, arranged himself for repose. As tho Crow expec- ted, one of those sudden and tremendous showers commonGto tho country came on; he, however, lay unmolested by t. Not so with the Cheyenne ;--hearing the roar of the common torrent, he hastened toase4 cure himself from being washed awaN cf dashed to death against tho rocks, by gropA ing ou. a passage up tho side, hardly know ing, in the dark, whether he was going to sptety or destruction. After feeling around. and managing to get about one hundred yards from where the watOr had driven him, he came accidentally to the rock which sheltered the Crow. In endeavor- ing to ascertain its position with the ground, ne placed his hand upon tho bare shoulder of his enemy.
 Asit may De expected. they both start- cd, the ono back and the other up, with thair usual exclamation of surprise "Wha !" said they, as they stood gazing and lighting up their gaze with the fire oi their own eye-balls. What is very unu- sual umoug Indians on war party, they wss6 both taken by surprise. both unpre- nared, and both, too. searching for ene- mics. The night was very dark, the groand pfsEipitOus and uneven, and both 1sss hsslsating what to do, not knowing