CHAPTER XLV.
The Snake River Deserts.- Scanty Fare.- Bewildered Travellers -.Prowling Indians- A
Giant Crow Chief.- A Bully Rebuked- Indian Signals.- Smoke on the Mountains.- Mad
River.- An Alarm.- An Indian Foray- A Scamper.- A Rude Indian joke.- A Sharp-Shooter
Balked of His Shot.
0N the 1st of September, Mr. Stuart and his companions resumed their journey,
bending their course eastward, along the course of Snake River. As they advanced the
country opened. The hills which had hemmed in the river receded on either hand, and
great sandy and dusty plains extended before them. Occasionally there were intervals
of pasturage, and the banks of the river were fringed with willows and cottonwood, so
that its course might be traced from the hilltops, winding under an umbrageous covert,
through a wide sunburnt landscape. The soil, however, was generally poor; there was
in some places a miserable growth of wormwood, and a plant called saltweed,
resembling pennyroyal; but the summer had parched the plains, and left but little
pasturage. The game, too, had disappeared. The hunter looked in vain over the lifeless
landscape; now and then a few antelope might be seen, but not within reach of the rifle.
We forbear to follow the travellers in a week's wandering over these barren wastes,
where they suffered much from hunger, having to depend upon a few fish from the
streams, and now and then a little dried salmon, or a dog, procured from some forlorn
lodge of Shoshonies.
Tired of these cheerless wastes, they left the banks of Snake River on the 7th of
September, under guidance of Mr. Miller, who having acquired some knowledge of the
country during his trapping campaign, undertook to conduct them across the mountains
by a better route than that by Fort Henry, and one more out of the range of the
Blackfeet. He proved, however, but an indifferent guide, and they soon became
bewildered among rugged hills and unknown streams, and burnt and barren prairies.
At length they came to a river on which Mr. Miller had trapped, and to which they gave
his name; though, as before observed, we presume it to be the same called Bear River,
which empties itself into Lake Bonneville. Up this river and its branches they kept for
two or three days, supporting themselves precariously upon fish. They soon found that
they were in a dangerous neighborhood. On the 12th of September, having encamped
early, they sallied forth with their rods to angle for their supper. On returning, they
beheld a number of Indians prowling about their camp, whom, to their infinite disquiet,
they soon perceived to be Upsarokas, or Crows. Their chief came forward with a
confident air. He was a dark herculean fellow, full six feet four inches in height, with a
mingled air of the ruffian and the rogue. He conducted himself peaceably, however,
and despatched some of his people to their camp, which was somewhere in the
neighborhood, from whence they returned with a most acceptable supply of buffalo
meat. He now signified to Mr. Stuart that he was going to trade with the Snakes who
reside on the west base of the mountains, below Henry's Fort. Here they cultivate a
delicate kind of tobacco, much esteemed and sought after by the mountain tribes.
There was something sinister, however, in the look of this Indian, that inspired distrust.
By degrees, the number of his people increased, until, by midnight, there were twenty-one of them about the camp, who began to be impudent and troublesome. The greatest
uneasiness was now felt for the safety of the horses and effects, and every one kept
vigilant watch throughout the night.
The morning dawned, however, without any unpleasant occurrence, and Mr. Stuart,
having purchased all the buffalo meat that the Crows had to spare, prepared to depart.
His Indian acquaintances, however, were disposed for further dealings; and above all,
anxious for a supply of gunpowder, for which they offered horses in exchange. Mr.
Stuart declined to furnish them with the dangerous commodity. They became more
importunate in their solicitations, until they met with a flat refusal.
The gigantic chief now stepped forward, assumed a swelling air, and, slapping himself
upon the breast, gave Mr. Crooks to understand that he was a chief of great power and
importance. He signified, further, that it was customary for great chiefs when they met,
to make each other presents. He requested, therefore, that Mr. Stuart would alight, and
give him the horse upon which he was mounted. This was a noble animal, of one of the
wild races of the prairies; on which Mr. Stuart set great value; he, of course, shook his
head at the request of the Crow dignitary. Upon this the latter strode up to him, and
taking hold of him, moved him backwards and forwards in his saddle, as if to make him
feel that he was a mere child within his grasp. Mr. Stuart preserved his calmness, and
still shook his head. The chief then seized the bridle, and gave it a jerk that startled the
horse, and nearly brought the rider to the ground. Mr. Stuart instantly drew forth a
pistol, and presented it at the head of the bully-ruffian. In a twinkling his swaggering
was at an end, and he dodged behind his horse to escape the expected shot. As his
subject Crows gazed on the affray from a little distance, Mr. Stuart ordered his men to
level their rifles at them, but not to fire. The whole crew scampered among the bushes,
and throwing themselves upon the ground, vanished from sight.
The chieftain thus left alone was confounded for an instant; but, recovering himself with
true Indian shrewdness, burst into a loud laugh, and affected to turn off the whole
matter as a piece of pleasantry. Mr. Stuart by no means relished such equivocal joking,
but it was not his policy to get into a quarrel; so he joined with the best grace he could
assume in the merriment of the jocular giant; and, to console the latter for the refusal of
the horse, made him a present of twenty charges of powder. They parted, according to
all outward professions, the best friends in the world; it was evident, however, that
nothing but the smallness of his own force, and the martial array and alertness of the
white men, had prevented the Crow chief from proceeding to open outrage. As it was,
his worthy followers, in the course of their brief interview, had contrived to purloin a bag
containing almost all the culinary utensils of the party.
The travellers kept on their way due east, over a chain of hills. The recent rencontre
showed them that they were now in a land of danger, subject to the wide roamings of a
predacious tribe; nor, in fact, had they gone many miles before they beheld sights
calculated to inspire anxiety and alarm. From the summits of some of the loftiest
mountains, in different directions, columns of smoke be-an to rise. These they
concluded to be signals made by the runners of the Crow chieftain, to summon the
stragglers of his band, so as to pursue them with greater force. Signals of this kind,
made by outrunners from one central point, will rouse a wide circuit of the mountains in
a wonderfully short space of time; and bring the straggling hunters and warriors to the
standard of their chieftain.
To keep as much as possible out of the way of these freebooters, Mr. Stuart altered his
course to the north, and, quitting the main stream of Miller's River, kept up a large
branch that came in from the mountains. Here they encamped, after a fatiguing march
of twenty-five miles. As the night drew on, the horses were hobbled or fettered, and
tethered close to the camp; a vigilant watch was maintained until morning, and every
one slept with his rifle on his arm.
At sunrise, they were again on the march, still keeping to the north. They soon began to
ascend the mountains, and occasionally had wide prospects over the surrounding
country. Not a sign of a Crow was to be seen; but this did not assure them of their
security, well knowing the perseverance of these savages in dogging any party they
intend to rob, and the stealthy way in which they can conceal their movements, keeping
along ravines and defiles. After a mountain scramble of twenty-one miles, they
encamped on the margin of a stream running to the north.
In the evening there was an alarm of Indians, and everyone was instantly on the alert.
They proved to be three miserable Snakes, who were no sooner informed that a band
of Crows was prowling in the neighborhood than they made off with great signs of
consternation.
A couple more of weary days and watchful nights brought them to a strong and rapid
stream, running due north, which they concluded to be one of the upper branches of
Snake River. It was probably the same since called Salt River.
They determined to bend their course down this river, as it would take them still further
out of the dangerous neighborhood of the Crows. They then would strike upon Mr.
Hunt's track of the preceding autumn, and retrace it across the mountains. The attempt
to find a better route under guidance of Mr. Miller had cost them a large bend to the
south; in resuming Mr. Hunt's track, they would at least be sure of their road. They
accordingly turned down along the course of this stream, and at the end of three days'
journey came to where it was joined by a larger river, and assumed a more impetuous
character, raging and roaring among rocks and precipices. It proved, in fact, to be Mad
River, already noted in the expedition of Mr. Hunt. On the banks of this river, they
encamped on the 18th of September, at an early hour.
Six days had now elapsed since their interview with the Crows; during that time they
had come nearly a hundred and fifty miles to the north and west, without seeing any
signs of those marauders. They considered themselves, therefore, beyond the reach of
molestation, and began to relax in their vigilance, lingering occasionally for part of a
day, where there was good pasturage. The poor horses needed repose.
They had been urged on, by forced marches, over rugged heights, among rocks and
fallen timber, or over low swampy valleys, inundated by the labors of the beaver. These
industrious animals abounded in all the mountain streams and watercourses, wherever
there were willows for their subsistence. Many of them they had so completely dammed
up as to inundate the low grounds, making shallow pools or lakes, and extensive
quagmires; by which the route of the travellers was often impeded.
On the 19th of September, they rose at early dawn; some began to prepare breakfast,
and others to arrange the packs preparatory to a march. The horses had been hobbled,
but left at large to graze upon the adjacent pasture. Mr. Stuart was on the bank of a
river, at a short distance from the camp, when he heard the alarm cry - "Indians!
Indians! -to arms! to arms!"
A mounted Crow galloped past the camp, bearing a red flag. He reined his steed on the
summit of a neighboring knoll, and waved his flaring banner. A diabolical yell now
broke forth on the opposite side of the camp, beyond where the horses were grazing,
and a small troop of savages came galloping up, whooping and making a terrific
clamor. The horses took fright, and dashed across the camp in the direction of the
standard-bearer, attracted by his waving flag. He instantly put spurs to his steed, and
scoured off followed by the panic-stricken herd, their fright being increased by the yells
of the savages in their rear.
At the first alarm, Mr. Stuart and his comrades had seized their rifles, and attempted to
cut off the Indians who were pursuing the horses. Their attention was instantly
distracted by whoops and yells in an opposite direction.
They now apprehended that a reserve party was about to carry off their baggage. They
ran to secure it. The reserve party, however, galloped by, whooping and yelling in
triumph and derision. The last of them proved to be their commander, the identical
giant joker already mentioned. He was not cast in the stern poetical mold of fashionable
Indian heroism, but on the contrary, was grievously given to vulgar jocularity. As he
passed Mr. Stuart and his companions, he checked his horse, raised himself in his
saddle, and clapping his hand on the most insulting part of his body, uttered some
jeering words, which, fortunately for their delicacy, they could not understand. The rifle
of Ben Jones was leveled in an instant, and he was on the point of whizzing a bullet
into the target so tauntingly displayed. "Not for your life! not for your life!" exclaimed Mr.
Stuart, "you will bring destruction on us all!"
It was hard to restrain honest Ben, when the mark was so fair and the insult so foul. "0,
Mr. Stuart," exclaimed he, "only let me have one crack at the infernal rascal, and you
may keep all the pay that is due to me."
"By heaven, if you fire," cried Mr. Stuart, "I'll blow your brains out."
By this time the Indian was far out of reach, and had rejoined his men, and the whole
dare-devil band, with the captured horses, scuttled off along the defiles, their red flag
flaunting overhead, and the rocks echoing to their whoops and yells, and demoniac
laughter.
The unhorsed travellers gazed after them in silent mortification and despair; yet Mr.
Stuart could not but admire the style and spirit with which the whole exploit had been
managed, and pronounced it one of the most daring and intrepid actions he had ever
heard of among Indians. The whole number of the Crows did not exceed twenty. In this
way a small gang of lurkers will hurry off the cavalry of a large war party, for when once
a drove of horses are seized with panic, they become frantic, and nothing short of
broken necks can stop them.
No one was more annoyed by this unfortunate occurrence than Ben Jones. He
declared he would actually have given his whole arrears of pay, amounting to upwards
of a year's wages, rather than be balked of such a capital shot. Mr. Stuart, however,
represented what might have been the consequence of so rash an act. Life for life is
the Indian maxim. The whole tribe would have made common cause in avenging the
death of a warrior. The party were but seven dismounted men, with a wide mountain
region to traverse, infested by these people, and which might all be roused by signal
fires. In fact, the conduct of the band of marauders in question, showed the
perseverance of savages when once they have fixed their minds upon a project. These
fellows had evidently been silent and secretly dogging the party for a week past, and a
distance of a hundred and fifty miles, keeping out of sight by day, lurking about the
encampment at night, watching all their movements, and waiting for a favorable
moment when they should be off their guard. The menace of Mr. Stuart, in their first
interview, to shoot the giant chief with his pistol, and the fright caused among the
warriors by presenting the rifles, had probably added the stimulus of pique to their
usual horse-stealing propensities. And in this mood of mind they would doubtless have
followed the party throughout their whole course over the Rocky Mountains, rather than
be disappointed in their scheme.