The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-10-01
CAMP TRADERS
HO0DO0 STORY
Hard Luck He Had on a Horse Steal
ing Trip.
CROW INDIANS GOT HIS HERD
And He Made "A Perilous But Cnsuc-
cessrn, Trip to Recover Them
How He Finally Succeeded in
Breaking the iIoodoo.

kNEI. AltIA AH ENVA. ~
ia ort of luck.' said Red Fitzpatrick
the other day. every thing VII! 80
against him no matter What he und'r-
takes. and in that case. az have often
pr3.ed by experience. the hoodoo must
be broken by bucking against something
In which there is apparently no sho"
Of Success. &c you d. succeed, however
why YOU can consider that the spcl mas
been removed. and resume your lesltl-
mate occupation with the assurance mat
everything Will go your way FOR . time
.In the buffalo days / used 70 be what
was called a camp trader, lhaL IS /
used 90 move about over me country
with the Indians and keep them sCppled
with ammunition. tobacco, tea ana
various other merchandise. which / cX-
changed for robes and furs IN The winter
and for horses I'm the summer, when tur
was not prime. I'm the fall OF - my
PARTNER. Louis Cobell. and l were return
irr 10 Fort Benton with a big band OF
horses we had purchased from The Black
Feet and the last night out We cdinped on
the Teton River. only three miles from the
fort. We could just as vel have gone
On in and cOrralled the horses but we
canned there 90 give the stock a enance
70 feed and an ND. before We should otier
them for sale. We sat by the camphfe
that night figuring out wha. KINDS or
merchandise We should buy for me WIN
ter trade. and making a list OF them ana
finally rolled into our blankets sure tnat
nothing had been omitted. Blu the ISL
was never 10 be used. FOR when We awoke
in the morning not one OF our horses was
TO be seen, not even the one We had pick
cted. We found where he had stood a
pair Of moccasins. and BY their pattern
and make knew tina the Crow Indians had
got AWAY with our stock. You can bet
hat We felt pretty blue as We YEARLY
footed il over the hills TO the fort, pack
ing our saddles and blankets on our
backs.
Horses were worth big money In those
davs. and I'm constant demand. So while
the merchant with whom we always
traded offered 10 let US have a stock OF
goods on jaw bone we could find no one
10 sell us horses on the same terms. IN
fact. no horses were to be had for casn'
20 say nothing ~ obtaining them on cred
II. There was nothing for us 20 do. as We
soon found. but TO get out ana steal
some stock and we lost no time setting
about il. We ran across a. Frenchman
pete Levasseur, q wild. scatter-braincd
sort of a fish. who had three saddle
horses and he agreed TO join us. 50 we
were provided with ntrnts. and buvlng a
lot OF extra ammunition, We rode out or
the fort one morning. followed by the best
wishes Of the boys. who had assembled
40 Keno Bnls place to see us of.
FOR REPRIsALs.
Although Il was the Crows who had
stolen our stock. we thought they were
TOO FAR away 20 make a raid against, so
started down the Missouri expecting
~ find q camp OF Assinaboins Of rank
tonias somewhere along the river. They
were continually stealing horses from the
whites. n even numbering the settlers
when an opportunity occurred, ana we
considered their horses would be leglii-
mate property IL we could get hold OF
them. II was late I'm November when We
left the fort and on December lst we ar
rived at Cow Island and found the PIE
CANS. a tribe Of the Blackfeet, encanlped
there. These We're our people so 10
sneak. Louis's mother was a Piegan. and
had traded with them for years, 80 we
rode into the camp without fear, and put
nm al the Chiefs lodge wher we were
made welcome. Just the day before. so
the old fellow told MS. some Of his braves
haI returned with Il lOi OF horses ildl
they had stolen from the Crow camp,
which they had found at the east end OF
the Snowy Mountains. This was cool
news. for we had thought the Crows were
over on the Yellowstone or beyond. But
here they were in our " country. ana
no further away than the Assinahoins'
so we concluded 10 change our course and
try to get even with them.
I'VE stayed in the Piegion camp several
days resting and letting our horses MI
up. and then one bitterly cod morning
crossed the river and rode away 10 the
south. BY dint OF hard riding we
managed to make the Black Butte that
night, and camDed in the pines on its
slope. SIS look back now TO that trip.
/ wonder how we ever stood II. We had
no bedling except our saddle blankets. no
axe. no shelter except such az we could
lmproyise ont OF fir boughs. and at timcs
Sc went hungry although We were al
wavs In the midst Of game. shorty @t
GER we made cam that night snow beg n
10 fall. accompanied by n Keen bliZLasa
from the north. and aita0f-h we al
crawlcd under our blankets tsta our over
coats on we could not stand 'he cold
and were obliged 10 sit up around the
hre. feeding it with such logs and branch
es as we could firi strewn about on the
ground. We were glad when morning
ana and az soon as IL was light enough
% see 20 travel. we saddlei up and started
N. although the blizzard still continued.
Just at dusk we approached the eastern
roint ~ the Snow Mountains, where the
piegr as had found the Crow camp, and
fudiug q well sheltered spot in a heavy
Growth Of pines. camned once more 10
l0ze and freeze by turns all night. In the
morning. instead OF saddliag up. we
climbed a high butte and made a careful
urvey II the country, but not . sign was
". la eaafa Of tina DrRuE En We shot an K
and had a hearty meal OF roast ribs before
.ortiuuiug our quest. We concluded that
-.1ce the Piegan raid on their stock, the
Crows had pic ked Up and either moved d.
rect FOR the Yellowstone. or around TO The
.1uth sl0ue OF the SnOwles. So we rode
ont in a big circle 10 the south and back
..Vard the mountains. and finally found
.ac trail Of the camp skirting the edge
II the foothills. You nay be sure we pro-
.f.d-d pretty cautiously. peeping over
very hNl and ridge before riding mp on
g. and stopping often 70 sweep the country
sith our glasses.
END of THE QUEST.
about 4 o'clock we discovered three
1orsencn several miles away, riding to-
wand a little cottonwood fringed stream
md knew hat we had reached the end
If our quest We could not see the camp
hnt were certain il was only three or
'olr miles away. perhaps much nearer.
lavasseur proposed that we stop right
where we were until dark. then take the
rail Of the horsemen we had seen to their
camp. round Up a bunch II horses and
light out. on the other hand. | contended
nat II would re better 10 go m In the
pines on the slope OF the mountain. MAKE
amp and spend the next day locating the
crow village and getting the lay OF the