第55章 Irving’s Bonneville - Chapter 19(1)

Precautions in dangerous defiles -- Trappers' mode of defence on a prairie -- Amysterious visitor -- Arrival in Green

River Valley -- Adventures of the detachments -- The forlorn partisan -- His tale ofdisasters.

AS the route of Captain Bonneville lay through what was considered the most perilous partof this

region of dangers, he took all his measures with military skill, and observed the strictestcircumspection. When on the march, a small scouting party was thrown in the advance toreconnoitre the country through which they were to pass. The encampments were selected withgreat care, and a watch was kept up night and day. The horses were brought in and picketed atnight, and at daybreak a party was sent out to scour the neighborhood for half a mile round,beating up every grove and thicket that could give shelter to a lurking foe. When all was reportedsafe, the horses were cast loose and turned out to graze. Were such precautions generallyobserved

by traders and hunters, we should not so often hear of parties being surprised by the Indians.

Having stated the military arrangements of the captain, we may here mention a mode ofdefence on the open prairie,

which we have heard from a veteran in the Indian trade. When a party of trappers is on a journeywith a convoy of goods

or peltries, every man has three pack-horses under his care; each horse laden with three packs.

Every man is provided with

a picket with an iron head, a mallet, and hobbles, or leathern fetters for the horses. The trappersproceed across the prairie

in a long line; or sometimes three parallel lines, sufficiently distant from each other to preventthe packs from interfering.

At an alarm, when there is no covert at hand, the line wheels so as to bring the front to the rearand form a circle. All then

dismount, drive their pickets into the ground in the centre, fasten the horses to them, and hobbletheir forelegs, so that,

in case of alarm, they cannot break away. Then they unload them, and dispose of their packs asbreastworks on the

periphery of the circle; each man having nine packs behind which to shelter himself. In thispromptly-formed fortress,

they await the assault of the enemy, and are enabled to set large bands of Indians at defiance.

The first night of his march, Captain Bonneville encamped upon Henry's Fork;an upper branch of Snake River, called after the first American trader that erecteda fort beyond the mountains. About an hour after all hands had come to a halt theclatter of hoofs was heard, and a solitary female, of the Nez Perce tribe, camegalloping up. She was mounted on a mustang or half wild horse, which shemanaged by a long rope hitched round the under jaw by way of bridle.

Dismounting, she walked silently into the midst of the camp, and there seatedherself on the ground, still holding her horse by the long halter.

The sudden and lonely apparition of this woman, and her calm yet resolutedemeanor, awakened universal curiosity. The hunters and trappers gathered round,and gazed on her as something mysterious. She remained silent, but maintainedher air of calmness and self-possession. Captain Bonneville approached andinterrogated her as to the object of her mysterious visit. Her answer was brief butearnest -- "I love the whites -- I will go with them." She was forthwith invited to alodge, of which she readily took possession, and from that time forward wasconsidered one of the camp.

In consequence, very probably, of the military precautions of CaptainBonneville, he conducted his party in safety through this hazardous region. Noaccident of a disastrous kind occurred, excepting the loss of a horse, which, inpassing along the giddy edge of a precipice, called the Cornice, a dangerous passbetween Jackson's and Pierre's Hole, fell over the brink, and was dashed to pieces.

On the 13th of July (1833), Captain Bonneville arrived at Green River. As heentered the valley, he beheld it strewed in every direction with the carcasses ofbuffaloes. It was evident that Indians had recently been there, and in greatnumbers. Alarmed at this sight, he came to a halt, and as soon as it was dark, sentout spies to his place of rendezvous on Horse Creek, where he had expected tomeet with his detached parties of trappers on the following day. Early in themorning the spies made their appearance in the camp, and with them came threetrappers of one of his bands, from the rendezvous, who told him his people wereall there expecting him. As to the slaughter among the buffaloes, it had been madeby a friendly band of Shoshonies, who had fallen in with one of his trappingparties, and accompanied them to the rendezvous. Having imparted thisintelligence, the three worthies from the rendezvous broached a small keg of"alcohol," which they had brought with them. to enliven this merry meeting. Theliquor went briskly round; all absent friends were toasted, and the party movedforward to the rendezvous in high spirits.