Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-12-13

he was risking the lives Of the entire
party by his words and conduct.
ut would simplify matters for me"
Beckwourth icily remarked, 'if he were
left here for my Indian friends TO
dispose Of"
This was enough for Stuart. He hur-
riedly mounted behind an Indian. The
entire party, with their horses and
other possessions, thus went scot free.
A traders life was too quiet for our
bold adventurer, or 1t may have been
that he wanted to shed a wife or two,
so he obtained a transfer to a trap
ping outfit and we soon found him
once more the hero Of exciting events.
One was a marvellous run after ne
and a comrade found themselves
hemmed IN by two or three hundred
savaRes. Telling his companion TO hlde
until he drew the attention OF the
indians elsewhere, he started on the
rim To the place where he believed
his comrades were encamped. To his
inconceivable horror and dismay, they
were not there. They had proceedeo
to the river, miles distant. The M
dams were hot upon his heels. Let
him tell the story:
INV feelings at this disappointment
transcribed expression. A thousand
ideas peopled my feverish brain AZ
once. Home, friends and loved ones
presented themselves with one hshO-
ming flash. The Indians were close ~
nv heels; their bullets were wnizzing
mast me: their yells sounded painfully
in INV ears. and I could almost feel
the knife making a circuit round my
skull
@On bounded, however, following
the road which our whole company
had made. I was scorching with thirst,
having neither sup nor bite since we
commenced the race. Stin on went
with the speed Of an antelope. kept
safely IN advance Of the range OF their
bullets. when suddenly the glorious
sioht of the camp smoke caught my
ewes !" and he was saved. According
to the closest calculation ran tnaC
dav o5 miles" And he might nave
fold the truth, at that. Indian runners
have accomplished ITO miles m one
day. 1900 -,
hiding.
Fair Sex Husky Dancers
And so ON to the next battle, wnlcn |
was between 1850 Blackfeet ana 4OO
white trappers and hah-nreeds; Inc
Blackfeet were defeated with neaVy |
loss, and:
GAS usual. there was scalp dance
after the victory IN which l reany
feared the fair sex would dance them
selves to death. They had q crying /
smell afterward for their dead"
ssrhe fair sex" was made up OF the
indian wives Of the half-breeds ana
such of the trappers as had TAKEN
indian wives. The women always ac-
conpanied the men on trapping ex-
neditions and performed the duties OF
servant. ~.
n wn,Ild seem from reading the
h,o0ranhv that trapping beaver was
mere incident as compared WIN ths
combats with Indians. The party nau
a very successful season. Came the
time when 1t was to break up ana
scatter on the hunt for more beaver
and Beckwourth, Greenwood (whose
wife was a Crow woman, and several
others took up quarters with the
Crows. The number Of scalps IN
Beckwourth's lodge excited the curl
osity of the braves and Greenwood,
who was something Of wag, told
them many whoppers about Beck
wourth's exploits. winding up with the
assertion that he was
Grow
you know" said he by way Of back
~. a.yx sffFsa4 "a xUtnfnrS I
ago the Cheyennes defeated the Crows,
Killing many hundred and carrying
off great many Of your women and
children"
yves. we know" they exclaimed.
well, he was one of those little
Joys, and the whites bought him off
he Cheyennes, with whom he has
stayed TIL now and he has become
yreat brave"
This threw the whole village into
,ommotion. All the old women who had
uffered the loss OF son IN the Chey-
lnne battle were summoned to identity
lin, If possible. At length, one old
Voman, after having scanned his face,
aid III this Is my son, he has 8 mole
ver one Of his eyes" A mole was found
a the spot indicated and Mrs. Big
3owl, the name Of the old lady, claimed
i'm as her son. Mr.. Big Bowl accepted
Tim with great Joy, and Beckwourth
low found himself minus two Blackfeet
wives and plus a new father and
mother, four unmarried sisters and
lost Of cousins, aunts, and other re-
note kindred
Ills sisters must have embarrassed
ven Beckwourth with their attentions,
lothing him In garments comparing