Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-08-03

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foot prints on the bank. and while I
| didn't see how anybody could be there.
| | noticed they were fresh so / set up
| shout and IL was answered from
across the stream. Pretty soon the
answer was followed by the appear
ance of man on the other bank, and
this was Peg Leg Smith. II seemed
mighty good to me just then to see
| some one of my own kind. Smith
| sent q Mexican across the river TO
carry me over and / Joined him in
| his log hut which he had erected
| to trade with the Indians and the
| emlgrants who went that way to Orc
| gon and California.
Smith was good to me, Flo fed
me, and let me rest in his cabin"
How about the peg leg?' was
| suggested did he get that In Utah.
| or before he took to trapping
CUT OFF OWN LEG.
We'll, he told me about 1t, but l
don't Just recall the circumstances. l
think though It happened down in
New Mexico. before he came to the
Bear river He shot himself with his
own rifle by accident, and / have
heard mountaineers tell that he cut
the injured leg off himself with his
own butcher knife. bandaged up tho
stump himself. and then made his own
wooden stump from a piece of noun
tain timber"
TAKEN IN BY INDIANS.
Continuing the story of his enter.
ing the mountain life, Mr.. Terry said
that he Travelled east and south n day
after leaving Smiths camp. "At
night" he continued, II noticed some
fires in the distance and going towards
them / found a camp OF Shoshone In
dams, In those days / had TO talk TO
the Indians with signs, but I'll tell
you now that no white man ever tells
me what an Indian means. / can talk
their language in all its dialects, but
on that night L couldn't do It, | put
my hands on my stomach to show /
was hungry. and they brought me
some soup made of boiled antelope.
Then they showed me a lodge to
sleep in, and l enjoyed that nights
rest. for i was very tired. One old
squaw kept talking to me while | ate.
and she asked one question over and
over again. / could not make out
what she meant, but now I know she
was asking me If l had no friends.
and how | came to be alone. away
from my tribe.
The next day | went along. and In
the afternoon | met a Shoshone riding
horseback, / might explain that all
this time l was working my way to-
wards Fort Brdger where I hoped to
orertake party of dissatisfied settlers,
bound back to the states.
NET BY JIM BRIDGER.
The Indian i met had some dried
buffalo meat on his saddle, and some
fresh antelope meat. ! made signs
that / wanted to buy some, and / Of
fered him for it the powder and lead
j had for 1t was useless to me with
out gun. He cut me off large
piece. and let me know by signs that
1t was not good to eat too much. In
another days walking / came to
Maxime's camp on the Muddy fork
of the Green river in Wyoming. Max
ime was French trapper, WORKING
for the American Fur company, while
the Hudson Bay company operated
farther north. / stayed with him
two days. and then went on towards
Fort Bridger. When two miles away
Bridger came out 20 meet me. He
was kindly man, not very big, nor
very dark. nor very athletic. From
what 1 learned later of his habits, he
must have seen me while he was sit
ting on the roof of his fort, keep
Ing lookout FOR unusual movements
in the country, and he had come out to
see who 1t was that was in his pre-
| serves.
"Jim Bridger took me in and fed
me. / want you to know that, for
| he never let man come to Fort
| Bridger in all he time he was there,
without feeding him. and caring for
| him. and the man doesn't live. and
never did live that ever was turned
| away hungry.
WORKED TWO YEARS.
| 81 know this for ] stayed there work
| ing for him For two years. When /
was rested up from my long walk from
| FIT. Hall, l asked him about the party
of dissatisfied settlers that was going
back. and he said he had heard 1t was
| coming. / told him my folks were
| Mormons and were coming out next
year. and l was going back to join
| them and return with them.
Jim didn't like this. and he told me
| to sit down and let him talk to me
| about 1t. Then he told me / could help
| them more By staying west till they
| came, and getting together little
| property. He offered me a position.
trapping and trading for him, at reg
ular mountalneer's pay. / accepted.
| and / had my pay raised to SIG in
| few months. payable OF course In
mountaineers money, which was shirts
| and such things, AT S. a shirt.
NEVER WORE A BEARD.
"Jim was always clean shaved He
never wore 4 beard and he always
| kept a keen lookout from his fort, for
| me had to watch the Indians all the
| time. l traded for him with the Utes,
| along the Duchesne, with the Sho-
| shones, and with the Colorado Utes,
| giving butcher knives, and tobacco,
and ammunition and guns, and blankets
| for horses and skins.
RAISED HIS WAGES.
These skins we took over 10 Lara
mic and traded for more goods 10
trade the Indians, and l made several
trips myself over to Laramie width
Jim Bridger. ] ate at his table and he
raised my pay to 81 a day. When ]
quit he asked me how much more |
wanted TO stay with him. but / told
him | could make more money than
he could pay me, trading by my
self and | went away to start a
post on the Green river In Wyoming,
where / ferried hundreds OF California
gold hunters across.
THOSE UGLY STORIES.
Now about that trouble with the
settlers. and the Indian war. There
was ugly talk about Jim giving guns
10 the Indians, but that was all wrong.
They had some OF his guns, but they
got them before the trouble In the
regular trading. and Jim had no grudge
against the settlers. Why, when my
folks came along with the emlgrants,
thew had no oxen fl for unythinp nyhan