Part 5 (1/2)

Issuing from the upper part of the valley, Captain Bonneville continued to the east-northeast, across rough and lofty ridges, and deep rocky defiles, extre his hunters was a Delaware Indian who had remained faithful to him His name was Buckeye He had often prided hirizzly bear, that terror of the hunters Though crippled in the left arm, he declared he had no hesitation to close with a wounded bear, and attack hi to brave the animal when in full force and fury He had twice an opportunity of proving his prowess, in the course of this mountain journey, and was each tiround, with his rifle cocked and resting on his lame arm Thus prepared, he would await the approach of the bear with perfect coolness, nor pull trigger until he was close at hand In each instance, he laid the monster dead upon the spot

A e and lonely scenes, brought Captain Bonneville to the fatal defile of Jackson's Hole, where poor More and Foy had been surprised and s of the captain were shocked at beholding the bones of these unfortunate youngthe rocks; and he caused them to be decently interred

On the 3d of September he arrived on the summit of a mountain which commanded a full view of the eventful valley of Pierre's Hole; whence he could trace the winding of its streareen meadows, and forests ofand cotton-wood, and have a prospect, between distant mountains, of the lava plains of Snake River, di ocean below

After enjoying this nificent prospect, he descended into the valley, and visited the scenes of the late desperate conflict There were the remains of the rude fortress in the swaled bones of savages and horses There was the late populous and noisy rendezvous, with the traces of trappers' cauished, the e of trappers and hunters, white traders and Indian braves, had all dispersed to different points of the wilderness, and the valley had relapsed into its pristine solitude and silence

That night the captain encaround; the next day he resuh the mountains For upwards of teeks he continued his painfulexcessively at tith, on the 19th of September, he reached the upper waters of Salmon River

The weather was cold, and there were syht set in, but Buckeye, the Delaware Indian, was , to hunt by hi to his custom Fears were entertained lest he should lose his way and become bewildered in te , when a violent snow-storm came on, which soon covered the earth to the depth of several inches Captain Bonneville immediately encamped, and sent out scouts in every direction After some search Buckeye was discovered, quietly seated at a considerable distance in the rear, waiting the expected approach of the party, not knowing that they had passed, the snow having covered their trail

On the ensuingthey resumed their march at an early hour, but had not proceeded far when the hunters, ere beating up the country in the advance, ca Indians! Indians!

Captain Bonneville immediately struck into a skirt of wood and prepared for action The savages were now seen trooping over the hills in great nuly, nals of peace He announced them as a band of Nez Perces or Pierced-nose Indians, friendly to the whites, whereupon an invitation was returned by Captain Bonneville for them to come and encamp with him

They halted for a short time to make their toilette, an operation as important with an Indian warrior as with a fashi+onable beauty This done, they arranged the the van, the braves following in a long line, painted and decorated, and topped off with fluttering plu off their fusees, and clashi+ng their shi+elds

The two parties enca expedition, but had been almost famished on their march They had no provisions left but a few dried salenerously offered to share even this er pittance, and frequently repeated the offer, with an earnestness that left no doubt of their sincerity Their generosity won the heart of Captain Bonneville, and produced the ood will on the part of his men For two days that the parties remained in company, the most amicable intercourse prevailed, and they parted the best of friends

Captain Bonneville detached a few men, under Mr Cerre, an able leader, to acco expedition, and to trade with them for meat for the winter's supply After this, he proceeded down the river, about five miles below the forks, when he came to a halt on the 26th of September, to establish his winter quarters

9

Horses turned loose--Preparations for winter quarters-- Hungry tiious ceremonies--Captain Bonneville's conversations with the

IT WAS GRATIFYING to Captain Bonneville, after so long and toilsome a course of travel, to relieve his poor jaded horses of the burden under which they were alrass, and taking a long repose after all their sufferings

Indeed, so exhausted were they, that those e for the daily subsistence of the camp

All hands now set to work to prepare a winter cantonment A temporary fortification was thrown up for the protection of the party; a secure and coht; and huts were built for the reception of the merchandise

This done, Captain Bonneville made a distribution of his forces: twenty arrison to protect the property; the rest were organized into three brigades, and sent off in different directions, to subsist the the buffalo, until the snow should become too deep

Indeed, it would have been ihborhood It was at the extree, and these anihborhood by the Nez Perces, so that, although the hunters of the garrison were continually on the alert, ranging the country round, they brought in scarce game sufficient to keep famine from the door Now and then there was a scanty meal of fish or wild-fowl, occasionally an antelope; but frequently the cravings of hunger had to be appeased with roots, or the flesh of wolves and muskrats Rarely could the inithal for theuntil the 8th of October, when they were joined by a party of five families of Nez Perces, who in some measure reconciled the a lot still more destitute A more forlorn set they had never encountered: they had not aroots, wild rosebuds, the barks of certain plants, and other vegetable production; neither had they any weapon for hunting or defence, excepting an old spear: yet the poor fellows made no murmur nor complaint; but seemed accustomed to their hard fare If they could not teach the white men their practical stoicism, they at least made them acquainted with the edible properties of roots and wild rosebuds, and furnished them a supply froth becaent that Captain Bonneville determined to dispatch a party to the Horse Prairie, a plain to the north of his cantonment, to procure a supply of provisions When the men were about to depart, he proposed to the Nez Perces that they, or so-party To his surprise, they promptly declined He inquired the reason for their refusal, seeing that they were in nearly as starving a situation as his own people They replied that it was a sacred day with thery should they devote it to hunting They offered, however, to accompany the party if it would delay its departure until the following day; but this the pinching deer would not permit, and the detachnified to Captain Bonneville that they were about to hunt ”What!” exclaiuns or arrows; and with only one old spear? What do you expect to kill?” They s themselves, but made no answer Preparatory to the chase, they perforious rites, and offered up to the Great Spirit a few short prayers for safety and success; then, having received the blessings of their wives, they leaped upon their horses and departed, leaving the whole party of Christian spectators amazed and rebuked by this lesson of faith and dependence on a supre

”Accustomed,” adds Captain Bonneville, ”as I had heretofore been, to find the wretched Indian revelling in blood, and stained by every vice which can degrade human nature, I could scarcely realize the scene which I had witnessed Wonder at such unaffected tenderness and piety, where it was least to have been sought, contended in all our boso such pure and wholesome instructions from creatures so far below us in the arts and comforts of life” The simple prayers of the poor Indians were not unheard In the course of four or five days they returned, laden with meat Captain Bonneville was curious to kno they had attained such success with such scanty ave him to understand that they had chased the buffalo at full speed, until they tired them dohen they easily dispatched them with the spear, and made use of the sah their lessons to their Christian friends, the poor savages were as charitable as they had been pious, and generously shared with theh to last for several days

A further and ave Captain Bonneville still greater cause to ad ”Siious,” says he, ”would convey but a faint idea of the deep hue of piety and devotion which pervades their whole conduct Their honesty is immaculate, and their purity of purpose, and their observance of the rites of their religion, are most uniform and remarkable They are, certainly, es”

In fact, the antibelligerent policy of this tribefrom the doctrines of Christian charity, for it would appear that they had imbibed some notions of the Christian faith fro them They even had a rude calendar of the fasts and festivals of the Romish Church, and some traces of its ceremonials These have becoe medley; civilized and barbarous On the Sabbath, men, women, and children array themselves in their best style, and asseo through a wild fantastic cere Quakers; but fro the intervals of the ceremony, the principal chiefs, who officiate as priests, instruct theood deeds

”There is so antique and patriarchal,” observes Captain Bonneville, ”in this union of the offices of leader and priest; as there is in ly iion”