Part 1 (1/2)

The Adventures of Captain Bonneville

by Washi+ngton Irving

Introductory Notice

WHILE ENGAGED in writing an account of the grand enterprise of Astoria, it was my practice to seek all kinds of oral information connected with the subject Nowhere did I pick upparticulars than at the table of Mr John Jacob Astor; who, being the patriarch of the fur trade in the United States, was accustomed to have at his board various persons of adventurous turn, so; others, on their own account, had made expeditions to the Rocky Mountains and the waters of the Colues, one who peculiarly took my fancy was Captain Bonneville, of the United States arrafted the trapper and hunter upon the soldier As his expeditions and adventures will forraphical particulars concerning him may not be unacceptable

Captain Bonneville is of French parentage His father was a worthy old erant, who came to this country many years since, and took up his abode in New York He is represented as a le of aworld, but possessed of a happy teination, and a siainst its rubs and trials He was an excellent scholar; well acquainted with Latin and Greek, and fond of the modern classics

His book was his elysiues of Voltaire, Corneille, or Racine, or of his favorite English author, Shakespeare, he forgot the world and all its concerns Often would he be seen in summer weather, seated under one of the trees on the Battery, or the portico of St Paul's church in Broadway, his bald head uncovered, his hat lying by his side, his eyes riveted to the page of his book, and his whole soul so engaged, as to lose all consciousness of the passing throng or the passing hour

Captain Bonneville, it will be found, inherited soination; though the latter was somewhat disciplined in early years, by mathematical studies He was educated at our national Military Academy at West Point, where he acquitted himself very creditably; thence, he entered the army, in which he has ever since continued

The nature of our military service took him to the frontier, where, for a number of years, he was stationed at various posts in the Far West

Here he was brought into frequent intercourse with Indian traders, mountain trappers, and other pioneers of the wilderness; and became so excited by their tales of wild scenes and wild adventures, and their accounts of vast and ions as yet unexplored, that an expedition to the Rocky Mountains became the ardent desire of his heart, and an enterprise to explore untrodden tracts, the leading object of his aue day-dreaenterprise beyond the mountains, he determined to undertake it A leave of absence, and a sanction of his expedition, was obtained fro to combine public utility with his private projects, and to collect statistical infor the wild countries and wild tribes henoanting to the darling project of the captain, but the ways and means The expedition would require an outfit ofobstacle to a soldier, whose capital is seldo more than his sword Full of that buoyant hope, however, which belongs to the sanguine tereat focus of American enterprise, where there are always funds ready for any scheood fortune to h respectability and influence, who had been his associate in boyhood, and who cherished a schoolfellow friendshi+p for hieneral interest in the scheme of the captain; introduced him to commercial men of his acquaintance, and in a little while an association was formed, and the necessary funds were raised to carry the proposed measure into effect One of the most efficient persons in this association was Mr Alfred Seton, hen quite a youth, had accompanied one of the expeditions sent out by Mr Astor to his couished hie at one of the interior posts Mr

Seton was one of the American youths ere at Astoria at the tirief and indignation at seeing the flag of their country hauled down The hope of seeing that flag once more planted on the shores of the Colu in the present enterprise

Thus backed and provided, Captain Bonneville undertook his expedition into the Far West, and was soon beyond the Rocky Mountains Year after year elapsed without his return The term of his leave of absence expired, yet no report was ton

He was considered virtually dead or lost and his name was stricken from the army list

It was in the autumn of 1835 at the country seat of Mr John Jacob Astor, at hellgate, that I first met with Captain Bonneville He was then just returned fro the mountains, and was on his way to report hi reinstated in the service Fros in the wilderness though they had gratified his curiosity and his love of adventure had not ns, he had ”satisfied the sentiment,”

and that was all In fact, he was too much of the frank, freehearted soldier, and had inherited tootrapper, or a thrifty bargainer

There was so in the whole appearance of the captain that prepossessed me in his favor He was of the middle size, well n cut, that had seen service, gave him a look of co; well browned by the sun, and had so of a French expression He had a pleasant black eye, a high forehead, and, while he kept his hat on, the look of a man in the jocund prime of his days; but the ained him credit for a fewextre connected with the Far West, I addressed numerous questions to hi details, which were given with entleness of ularly with the wild and often startling nature of his the personage before you, the actual hero of the stirring scenes related

In the course of three or four ain ca the slow adjustment of his affairs with the War Department I found him quartered with a worthy brother in ar at a table, covered with e barrack room, fancifully decorated with Indian arms, and trophies, and war dresses, and the skins of various wild ania

In a word, the captain was beguiling the tediousness of attendance at court, by an atte his travelling notes, and ions he had explored As he sat at the table, in this curious apartn cast, he reminded me of some of those antique pictures of authors that I have seen in old Spanish volumes

The result of his labors was a mass of manuscript, which he subsequently put atit before the world I found it full of interesting details of life aular castes and races, both whitewhohout, the impress of his character, his bonhomrand and beautiful

Thatwork I have occasionally interwoven facts and details, gathered from various sources, especially from the conversations and journals of some of the captain's contemporaries, ere actors in the scenes he describes

I have also given it a tone and coloring drawn fro an excursion into the Indian country beyond the bounds of civilization; as I before observed, however, the work is substantially the narrative of the worthy captain, and es are but little varied froe

I shall conclude this notice by a dedication which he had made of his manuscript to his hospitable brother in arms, in whose quarters I found him occupied in his literary labors; it is a dedication which, I believe, possesses the qualities, not always found in co sincere, and being merited

To JAMES HARVEY HOOK, Major, U S A, whose jealousy of its honor, whose anxiety for its interests, and whose sensibility for its wants, have endeared hieneral amenity, constant cheerfulness, disinterested hospitality, and unwearied benevolence, entitle him to the still loftier title of The Friend of Man, this work is inscribed, etc

WAshi+NGTON IRVING