Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1943-01-01

lie fleSdllS no longer DelleVeQ Cle
representations of the British traders;
they saw no snare in the higher prices
offered them for their furs; and soon
they were besieging the fort in
anxious throngs to barter their
peltries for the white mans goods
In very few days Kipp had Sc
cured 6,54O pounds of beaver skins
upon which he realized the next
spring $4,000. This was transaction
rarely equalled in the annals of the
fur trade and amply compensated him
for The gift of a single barrel of
alcohol, which had sufficed to make
200 gallons of Indian whisky. Having
completed their trading, the Black
feet departed for the north
British Incite Blood Indians
Great was the chagrin of the British
traders when they learned of the sue
cess of their American rivals, and as
the Piegans had failed them. they now
sought to persuade the Blood Indians
canadian tribe of the Blackfeet ma
tom, to undertake reduction of the
fort. The Hudson's Bay men repre-
Sented the Americans as scoundrels of
the deepest hue. whose sole object was
to plumber and destroy the Indians
and take from the Indians their lands.
They appealed to the greed of the
Bloods by picturing the great stock of
merchandise they would secure by
taking the post and killing the traders.
! The Bloods, convinced of the wisdom
Of following this advice, consented to
attack the post and prepared to do so
as soon as spring came.
! In the meantime the garrison at
Fort Piegan whiled away the winter
of 1892 as best they could and were
yearning for the approach of spring
Early in the spring. a Piegan Indian
arrived at the fort and disclosed to
Kipp the startling news of the in
| tended attack. ct might be said here
that the Bloods were of a far more
savage nature than the Piegans and
an attack from these warriors was
much to be dreaded by the white
traders) About 100 cords of wood had
been cut. and Kipp at once had this
carried into the fort, after which he
turned his attention to the cutting Of
great quantity of ice to supply them
with water in the event of siege.
| This done. he was ready, and in a few
days the Bloods arrived to the num-
Der of about 1,5OO hideously painted
fastened AGAINST then, the Indians at
once surrounded the most and onened
| fire at long range They GRADUALLY
grew holder ,,nti7 they came near
enough for the garrison tn ret1,rn the
fire with fatal effect Nevertheless
Kipp had wisely decided to fire upon
them only at the last extremity as he
desired rather to conciliate them and
secure their trade. than to incur their
I hostility. He therefore. ordered his
men not to fire, but to let the Indians
see that he was constantly ready to
repel anv attempt to carry the nlace
by storm
Tbis et,to ~ .ffoirs continued for
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