The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-04-01
SrIefteo galiGflIanu.
WILD LIFE Ia HE WEST.
stories about Trappers.


81 found in Puget Sound a last connect
ing link between his day and ours, in th
person of an old chief. What thought
must have been running through the min
of that old man as he glanced over th
wonderful story of the seventy years whic
had come and gone since John Vancouve
sailed with his stately ship up Puge
Sound, know not; for the leathern coun
tenances of the Indians, like dead men
tell no tales. The medals that Lewis ant
Clarke distributed among the Indians a
the mouth of the Columbia river could still
be sometimes seen n-tAe Chinook lodges
though that tribe had long disappeared
with all the Columbia and Willamett,
tribes, from their old homes
ssOld Astoria voyagers sometimes CAM
across. The son OF that Pierre Dorion
whose escape with his heroic Indian moth
er, after the murder of his father, is 81
graphically portrayed by Irving, was my
fellow-traveler for weeks together before
p knew how historically interesting he was
and the grandson of one-eyed COncomoly,
chief of the ChinoOks, the marriage Of
whose daughter TO the factor of Astor is SC
amuseingly related, trudged side by side
with me for many a summers day. Cap
tain Bonneville was not to me, as he is to
many, a shadovy abstraction, invented by
the novelist, on which to hang many q
quaint tale of love and war; but was a
hearty, genial veteran, no way backward to
fight his battles over again when he got a
ready listener.
"Some of the trappers whom 1
knew are old men, and it has been my lot
to know, among others, such men as the
celebrated Kit Carson, Jim Baker, Jim
Bridger and others. Such men were al
most universally Americans; and though
they were not at all inimical to the female
Indian, yet they invariably entertained i'm
placable feud against some particular tribe.
They had also their fayorite tribe, against
whom it was rank sedition to say single
word. Grows kin be trusted, an old fel-
low would say round the camp, his mouth
filed with tobacco; Snakes amt no such
count; but If ye wants to get the meanest
pizen-bad lot of Injuns, just trap fall
down to the Washoe country, justP And
afterward Won would hear some other man
give exactly an opposite opinion On closer
observation you would generally find that
the landed tribe was the one whom he had
lived longest among, to which his squaw
belonged, ofwhich was the easiest to strike
a bargain with; for, generally speaking,
able set when speaking on Indian matters.
'Old .Pegleg' Smith was SO called,
to distinguish him from the numerous
Smiths OF the West, or account of wood
en- leg. which he had worn ever since any,
body remembered him. Old Pegleg's day
was over before 1 knew him, and ali l re-
member of him was garrulous old fellow
In San Francisco, no way backward to sake
a drink when he found any one willing to
invite him. His adventures formed the
subject matter of book published some
wears ago; and II I recoilect rightly, an ar
ticle appeared in one of the English maya |
zines, about the same period. On one Oc-
casion old Pegleg came down to frontier
brandy port, and there In few weeks not
only spent all the earnings of the past sea- |
son, bat had also run so far in debt that his
fine white horse, which had been his COM
panion for years, Was placed in pawn In
the traders stables. 1t was in vain that |
Smith begged its release. Pleading prov |
ing vain, Pegleg tried to get possession OF
the stable-key, but thatattempt also proved |
futile, until at last, all pacific methods fail
ing, he resorted, as a last expedient, to |
force. Waiting until the trader Was asleep, |
be hoped to the stable door, applied his |
loaded rifle to the key-hole, and in a crack |
blew the lock of. In another crack the |
trader, aroused by the noise, was on the |
ground; but only just in time to see his |
debtor careering joyously, on the back of
the white horse, over the prairie, waving |
his cap, and galloping at such q rate as to |
put pursuit out Of the question.
ga remarkable man, but one much less /
known, was Albert Pieifer. Like Carson, |
be was in the irregular Mexican cavalry;
indeed, he was lieutenant colonel of the i
same regiment He was q man of a very
singular appearance. His red beard grew
IN patches, the intervening space appear
ing burned and discolored. This was owing
10 his having been poisoned by some of
the Indians arrow-poisons years before.
He wore blue goggles to shield his weak
eyes; yet, though they were weak, they
we're bright, clear and quick. His was al
most chastity in its signs of suffering, and
ne walked stiff, with cane, being scared
With nearly twenty wounds, carrying in his
body some Indian souvenirs of bullets, and
bearing two frightful marks where an arrow
had pierced directly through his body, just
below the heart A native of Frisslano, he
zane to the United States some 30 years
lgo, and during all that time served as an
Indian pacifcator, fighter and trapper. oras
! guide to passes in the mountains known
,nly to himself and the Indians. An ac-
1uaintance OF mine used to II late an anec-
Tote OF Pfeiffer. They had started on a
our together, and as they rode along, the I
,olonel' gave him various directions how to
behave in case they were attacked by In
lians; finishing by saying, in his broken
English: And now, don't forget, If me be
you kill me at once, Tor will not
,le,.
are one horribly. And if yoube wounded,
[ Icin yOu, you see. Don't fallP
81 write of Albert Pfeiffer as he was four
7ears ago. For all L know to the contrary
ne is still living; one of the last and the
1ravest of the mountain men.
e.Another specimen of the mountain man
wasan old fellow whom 1 may call Seth
aillie Seth was rather an intelligent man,
md during our raInbles [ used to be amused
@ hear his opinion on men and things, all
If which he pronounced with the utmost
confidence, though his education las far as
book learning was concerned) was limited,
md his range of observation equally so.-
Still. like western folks, he looked upon
himself as particular smart, and a right
mart chance Of an 'arglter.
s.BaiIlie had been a COOK deal employed
IS guide to emigrants (or, as he called
hem, 'emigranters), for whom he had
supreme contempt The only job OF that
,ort he ever looked back upon with pleas
ire was the plotting troop Of o. 5. cava-
nv for service in the indian war of 1S55,-
he greatly admired the 'smartness' of the
major in command, and the way he settled
A troublesome account. They had lost q
wagon here. and sold a horse there. A SOL
iier had sold or bartered his carbine now
and then: and, in fact, their accounts were
IN sueh state that to present report and
% account for everything to the quarter-
master general was impossible. At las
.hev came to the Columbia river, and to a
place where there was a good deal Of dry
timber. Are there any falls about here,
BaiIlieY the major asked. Oh, yes; the falls
Of the Columbia were not over mile
We'll. then the major thought. 'Wen
build a raft; the roads pretty bad On the
raft was placed broken wagon, three
legged mule, five or six broken carlbines, /
an smpty cask, and few more such valu-
,bles. The major wished to guide it along |
Eitb ropes, and though Baillie assuredh him
bat -he current was so strong that this was
he insisted. At last the men
,h6uted that they could hold on olonger:
wall then, let gor was the answer; and
,ver the fall in a few minutes went the raft
q .o,,+ovgg cTba mai0r cugSed