The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1927-09-09
SOME STORIES OF THE OLD
VESTS FUR TRADING DAYS

Big Blackfoot. They were right in the
midst of the country of the Blackfeet,
and in constant danger from them.
The Indians were too cautious to at
tack so large a number Of armed men.
The better plan was to lie in wait for
the trap lines. Many beaver were taken
that season in this comparatively new
territory, and all of the company but
four escaped with their lives.
In the region they visited grizzlies were
numerous, as they were also along the
Yellowstone, n elsewhere in Montana.
In 1.-The River of the West" Joe Meek,
then a youth Of 20 years, tells Of an ex-
perience of his with a bear when he was
on the Yellowstone, whether a grizzly or
a brown bear, he does not say, u
emphasizes the fact that 1t was very
large. He and a man by the name Of
Hawkins sighted it on the opposite
bank, as they were going to camp. Both
shot at the animal, and thought they
had killed it. With the view Of having
something to show for their marksman-
ship, they diSmounted from the mules
they rode, fastened them securely, and
hastily undressing left everything they
carried, including their guns, near the
mules and rushed naked to the river
which they swan to where the bear lay.
Blu instead of being dead he sprang
up as we came near him." said Meeks,
land took after us. Then you ought to
have seen two naked men run! 1t was
a race for life, and a close one, too. But
we made the river first. The bank was
about IA feet above the water, and the
halt. Overheard we went, the bar after
us, and in the stream about as quick as
we war.
Hawkins Makes Shore
1.-The current was very strong and the
bar, and I war a trying to hold back
You can reckon that I swan! Every
moment I felt myself being washed into
the yawning jaws Of the mighty beast
whose head was up h stream, ano
his eyes on me. All the time, not g
long one, we war looking for some place
to land where the bear could not over
take us. Hawkins war the first to make
the shore unknown to the bear, whose
head was still UP stream; and he SCI
up such a whooping and yelling that thu
bar landed too, but on the opposite sid'
Of the river we started from, either b!
design or good luck; and then we trav
eled back a mile or more to Whsr on
mules war left-a bar on one side Of TIT
river, and two bares on the other"
,, While there was a certain amount o
discipline maintained in h compan,
7 Of trappers, it did not prevent the mel
from calling their leaders by their frs
; names, and letting them know wha
5 opinion the men had Of them. William
2 Sublette was commonly addressed a
BILLY" Jackson as "Davy," and Bridge
/ as "Gabe." If there was a good story
no matter o embarrassing, on a leader
he would surely hear Of it at sometime
Once Bridger, when attacked by Black
/ feet, dropped his gun, due to his hors
= being wounded and taking fright. A
4 Indian secured the gun n disarmed a
}, he found himself, Bridger's only chanc
was to run. This he did at such spec
that he managed to escape captivity c
death.
Good at Profanity
4 Victor, "as the leader was making tn
, customary circuit of the camp examinin
! the campkeepers' guns, to see If the
, we're in order, he found that the gun c
, one Maloney, ar Irishman, was in a yer
dirty condition.
what would you do asked Bridge
! with a gun like that, if the Indians wei
= to charge on the Campo
"'Be Jasus, I would throw it to then
: and run the way you did, answere
Maloney quickly. It was some time aftC
!, this incndent before Bridger again e1
= amined Maloney's gun"
, The trappers could use as choice
variety of profanity as any cowboy
y "bullwhacker." The oath Of the Gov
e boys, I am familiar with through fiction
= but I can testify that the drivers
freight trains could originate "sweaI
words that would shock His Satan
:; Majesty.