Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-10-14
A BRAVE EXPLOIT,
81 8. .. ..

Alexander McDaniels, a Seotcl
man, and for many years in th
employ Of the Hudson Bay Com
panys was for about ten years
bourgeois at Fort Hall, on th
Snake River, or the Lewis fork Q
the Columbia. But for lon
period previous to his being pro
NOTED to the charge Of the pos
be acted in the capacities Of trar
per and hunter.
On one occasion McDsniels ant
two comrades we're trapping on
branch Of Bear River, which wa
shut in by the mountains 81
closely that there was scarcel,
room between ths cliffs on eitbel
hand and the margin OF the rapid
stream for footmen to pass. They
had been hare several weeks, hav
ing their camp on the main
stream, d little below the mouth
Of the branch. One morning. Of
usual, they went to the places
where the day previous they had
set their trars. aud to their cha.
grin they. discovered that every
trap had been stolen. On ex :
amining the ground they were
satisfied that their old enemies,
: the Black Feet, had been about:
and ON returning to their camp,
q still greater modification
awaited them. in the fact that not
only had their horses been stolen,
but every pack Of peltiiss and
every other article belonging to
them had been carried of.
The hunters now found them
selves in dilemma by no means
pleasant; though one that not un-
frequently happened to small
parties like them. The Black
Feet Indians are notorious thieves;
but like all thieves are, are not
remarkable for bravery. Our
hunters were not long consulting
upon the course they meant to
pursue. To return to the post
striprsd Of everything as they had
,een was not TO be thought OF for
moment. What would their old
isociates sayI Would not the
Sufgeois accuse them Of negll-
4nce, or carelessness. in allow
lg their camp to be stripped by
8 savages; and would not the
sople make them a laughing.
,ck for all timer This idea was
tremely repugnant to thcm;
I among the trappsrs, misfor-
mes OF this kind are not regard
with much leniency. There
ans were, therefore. soon
rmed.
With nothing but their rifles,
lcDanisls and bis companions
3arted on the trail OF the Indians,
nd, after several hours, overlook
hem in q little valley, where they
lad encamped. There were three
odges OF them; rather too large
party for our three hunters to
attack openly. They supposed,
from what they could discover
from the rocks that overlooked
the little sncampment, that there
could Be no less than twenty Of |
the Black Feet. Their horses
wsre grazing quietly in the grassy |
valley. and among them the trap
pers recognized their own ami |
mails; while outside the principal |
lodge were packages resembling |
those the Indians had stolen
from them. A few OF the In |
dams were lettering about, in the
warm sunshine; while others were
engaged in repairing their horse
rigging.
II wns abont the middle OF the
day, and McDaniels proposed to |
wait patiently amoug the rocks, |
till night, when in the ebscurit,
s(hey might steal dom upon The
mp. and drive off their horses,
rhich, to tho number OF forty.
ere feeding a little distance
lom the lodges. Bu in this
ey were disappointed; for, while
the sun was several hours
&bove the horizon, the savages,
from some cause, broke up their
sncamprnent and prepared TO
leave the valley. 1t might be-
!. that they feared the approach of
The white men, who might posi-
biz follow them, to recover at
least their saddle horses. But be
that as il may. they were about TO
leave the valley.
z McDaniels, who was familiar
NTH every mile Of the country,
knew that to get out Of the VAL
ley, in the direction they would
probably take, they would have
10 pass through . narrow gully,
or dry canyon, where but one
horsemen conld pass at q Time.
This canyon was several hundred
feet long. and as straight as il cut
BY nan for the passage OF q rail-
Toad. BY a short route over O
spur Of the mountain, the white
mon could reach the spot an hour
In advance OF the Indiana, even
after they had started. Beyond
the canyon lay another similar
| valley. where, no doubt, the H.
d:ans intended to camp for the
night.
They now only waited to OBJ
servs which end Of the valley the
Black Feet would take. and when
they (the Indians) started, the
hunters were glad to see that
theJ took the route Of the canyon.
1 The three hunters now hastened
ovsi the rocks, till they reached
the narrowest portion Of the deep
1 uulkvond II wao fba work ~