THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE

第14章

Theforegoingobservations，thoughgatheredfromMr。WyethasrelativetotheFlatheads，

apply，

inthemain，totheSkynsesalso。CaptainBonneville，duringhissojournwiththelatter，took

constantoccasion，inconversingwiththeirprincipalmen，toencouragetheminthecultivationof

moralandreligioushabits；drawingacomparisonbetweentheirpeaceableandcomfortable

course

oflifeandthatofothertribes，andattributingittotheirsuperiorsenseofmoralityandreligion。

frequentlyattendedtheirreligiousservices，withhispeople；alwaysenjoiningonthelatterthe

most

reverentialdeportment；andheobservedthatthepoorIndianswerealwayspleasedtohavethe

whitemenpresent。Thedispositionofthesetribesisevidentlyfavorabletoaconsiderabledegreeofcivilization。

Afew

farmerssettledamongthemmightleadthem，CaptainBonnevillethinks，totilltheearthand

cultivategrain；thecountryoftheSkynsesandNezPercesisadmirablyadaptedfortheraisingof

cattle。AChristianmissionaryortwo，andsometriflingassistancefromgovernment，toprotect

them

fromthepredatoryandwarliketribes，mightlaythefoundationofaChristianpeopleinthemidstofthegreatwesternwilderness，whowould“weartheAmericansneartheirhearts。”Wemustnotomittoobserve，however，inqualificationofthesanctityofthisSabbathinthe

wilderness，thatthesetribeswhoareallardentlyaddictedtogamblingandhorseracing，make

Sunday

apeculiardayforrecreationsofthekind，notdeemingtheminanywiseoutofseason。After

prayers

andpiousceremoniesareover，thereisscarceanhourintheday，saysCaptainBonneville，that

you

donotseeseveralhorsesracingatfullspeed；andineverycornerofthecamparegroupsof

gamblers，readytostakeeverythingupontheall-absorbinggameofhand。TheIndians，says

Wyeth，

appeartoenjoytheiramusementswithmorezestthanthewhites。Theyaregreatgamblers；and

inproportiontotheirmeans，playbolderandbethigherthanwhitemen。Thecultivationofthereligiousfeeling，abovenoted，amongthesavages，hasbeenattimesa

convenientpolicywithsomeofthemoreknowingtraders；whohavederivedgreatcreditand

influenceamongthembybeingconsidered“medicinemen；“thatis，mengiftedwithmysterious

knowledge。Thisfeelingisalsoattimesplayeduponbyreligiouscharlatans，whoaretobefound

insavageaswellascivilizedlife。OneofthesewasnotedbyWyeth，duringhissojournamong

the

Flat-heads。Anewgreatman，sayshe，isrisinginthecamp，whoaimsatpowerandsway。He

covers

hisdesignsundertheamplecloakofreligion；inculcatingsomenewdoctrinesandceremonials

amongthosewhoaremoresimplethanhimself。Hehasalreadymadeproselytesofone-fifthof

the

camp；beginningbyworkingonthewomen，thechildren，andtheweak-minded。Hisfollowers

are

alldancingontheplain，totheirownvocalmusic。Themoreknowingonesofthetribelookon

and

laugh；thinkingitalltoofoolishtodoharm；buttheywillsoonfindthatwomen，children，and

fools，

formalargemajorityofeverycommunity，andtheywillhave，eventually，tofollowthenew

light，

orbeconsideredamongtheprofane。Assoonasapreacherorpseudoprophetofthekindgets

followersenough，heeithertakescommandofthetribe，orbranchesoffandsetsupan

independent

chiefand“medicineman。”[ReturntoContents]Irving”sBonneville-Chapter46[ReturntoContents]WashingtonIrving”sTheAdventuresofCaptainBonnevilleChapter46Scarcityinthecamp——RefusalofsuppliesbytheHudson”sBayCompany——Conductofthe

Indians——

Ahungryretreat——JohnDay”sRiver——TheBlueMountains——SalmonfishingonSnakeRiver——

MessengersfromtheCrowcountry——BearRiverValley——immensemigrationofbuffalo——

Dangerofbuffalohunting——AwoundedIndian——EutawIndians——A“surround“ofantelopes。PROVISIONSwerenowgrowingscantyinthecamp，andCaptainBonnevillefoundit

necessaryto

seekanewneighborhood。Takingleave，therefore，ofhisfriends，theSkynses，hesetofftothe

westward，and，crossingalowrangeofmountains，encampedonthehead-watersoftheOttolais。

BeingnowwithinthirtymilesofFortWallah-Wallah，thetradingpostoftheHudson”sBay

Company，

hesentasmalldetachmentofmenthithertopurchasecornforthesubsistenceofhisparty。The

men

werewellreceivedatthefort；butallsuppliesfortheircampwereperemptorilyrefused。Tempting

offersweremadethem，however，iftheywouldleavetheirpresentemploy，andenterintothe

serviceofthecompany；buttheywerenottobeseduced。WhenCaptainBonnevillesawhismessengersreturnempty-handed，heorderedaninstant

move，

fortherewasimminentdangeroffamine。HepushedforwarddownthecourseoftheOttolais，

which

runsdiagonaltotheColumbia，andfallsintoitaboutfiftymilesbelowtheWallah-Wallah。His

route

laythroughabeautifulundulatingcountry，coveredwithhorsesbelongingtotheSkynses，who

sentthemthereforpasturage。OnreachingtheColumbia，CaptainBonnevillehopedtoopenatradewiththenatives，for

fishand

otherprovisions，buttohissurprisetheykeptaloof，andevenhidthemselvesonhisapproach。He

soondiscoveredthattheywereundertheinfluenceoftheHudson”sBayCompany，whohad

forbidden

themtotrade，orholdanycommunionwithhim。HeproceededalongtheColumbia，butitwas

everywherethesame；notanarticleofprovisionswastobeobtainedfromthenatives，andhewas

lengthobligedtokillacoupleofhishorsestosustainhisfamishingpeople。Henowcametoa

halt，

andconsultedwhatwastobedone。ThebroadandbeautifulColumbialaybeforethem，smooth

and

unruffledasamirror；alittlemorejourneyingwouldtakethemtoitslowerregion；tothenoble

valley

oftheWallamut，theirprojectedwinterquarters。Toadvanceunderpresentcircumstanceswould

tocourtstarvation。Theresourcesofthecountrywerelockedagainstthem，bytheinfluenceofa

jealousandpowerfulmonopoly。IftheyreachedtheWallamut，theycouldscarcelyhopetoobtain

sufficientsuppliesforthewinter；iftheylingeredanylongerinthecountrythesnowswould

gatherupon

themountainsandcutofftheirretreat。Byhasteningtheirreturn，theywouldbeabletoreachthe

Blue

Mountainsjustintimetofindtheelk，thedeer，andthebighorn；andaftertheyhadsupplied

themselveswithprovisions，theymightpushthroughthemountainsbeforetheywereentirely

blockedby

snow。Influencedbytheseconsiderations，CaptainBonnevillereluctantlyturnedhisbackasecond

timeontheColumbia，andsetofffortheBlueMountains。HetookhiscourseupJohnDay”s

River，

socalledfromoneofthehuntersintheoriginalAstorianenterprise。Asfaminewasathisheels，he

travelledfast，andreachedthemountainsbythe1stofOctober。Heenteredbytheopeningmade

JohnDay”sRiver；itwasaruggedanddifficultdefile，butheandhismenhadbecomeaccustomed

hardscramblesofthekind。Fortunately，theSeptemberrainshadextinguishedthefireswhich

recently

spreadovertheseregions；andthemountains，nolongerwrappedinsmoke，nowrevealedalltheirgrandeurandsublimitytotheeye。Theyweredisappointedintheirexpectationoffindingabundantgameinthemountains；

largebands

ofthenativeshadpassedthrough，returningfromtheirfishingexpeditions，andhaddrivenallthe

gamebeforethem。Itwasonlynowandthenthatthehunterscouldbringinsufficienttokeepthepartyfromstarvation。Toaddtotheirdistress，theymistooktheirroute，andwanderedfortendaysamonghigh

andbald

hillsofclay。Atlength，aftermuchperplexity，theymadetheirwaytothebanksofSnakeRiver，followingthecourseofwhich，theyweresuretoreachtheirplaceofdestination。Itwasthe20thofOctoberwhentheyfoundthemselvesoncemoreuponthisnoted

stream。The

Shoshokoes，whomtheyhadmetwithinsuchscantynumbersontheirjourneydowntheriver，

now

absolutelythrongeditsbankstoprofitbytheabundanceofsalmon，andlayupastockforwinter

provisions。Scaffoldswereeverywhereerected，andimmensequantitiesoffishdryinguponthem。

thisseasonoftheyear，however，thesalmonareextremelypoor，andthetravellersneededtheir

keensauceofhungertogivethemarelish。Insomeplacestheshoreswerecompletelycoveredwithastratumofdeadsalmon，

exhaustedinascendingtheriver，ordestroyedatthefalls；thefetidodorofwhichtaintedtheair。Itwasnotuntilthetravellersreachedthehead-watersofthePortneufthattheyreallyfound

themselvesinaregionofabundance。Herethebuffaloeswereinimmenseherds；andherethey

remainedforthreedays，slayingandcooking，andfeasting，andindemnifyingthemselvesbyan

enormouscarnival，foralongandhungryLent。Theirhorses，too，foundgoodpasturage，and

enjoyedalittlerestafteraseverespellofhardtravelling。Duringthisperiod，twohorsemenarrivedatthecamp，whoprovedtobemessengerssent

express

forsuppliesfromMontero”sparty；whichhadbeensenttobeatuptheCrowcountryandthe

Black

Hills，andtowinterontheArkansas。Theyreportedthatallwaswellwiththeparty，butthatthey

had

notbeenabletoaccomplishthewholeoftheirmission，andwerestillintheCrowcountry，where

they

shouldremainuntiljoinedbyCaptainBonnevilleinthespring。Thecaptainretainedthe

messengers

withhimuntilthe17thofNovember，when，havingreachedthecachesonBearRiver，and

procured

thencetherequiredsupplies，hesentthembacktotheirparty；appointingarendezvoustowardthelastofJunefollowing，ontheforksofWindRiverValley，intheCrowcountry。Henowremainedseveraldaysencampednearthecaches，andhavingdiscoveredasmall

bandof

Shoshoniesinhisneighborhood，purchasedfromthemlodges，furs，andotherarticlesofwintercomfort，andarrangedwiththemtoencamptogetherduringthewinter。TheplacedesignedbythecaptainforthewinteringgroundwasontheupperpartofBear

River，

somedistanceoff。Hedelayedapproachingitaslongaspossible，inordertoavoiddrivingoffthe

buffaloes，whichwouldbeneededforwinterprovisions。Heaccordinglymovedforwardbut

slowly，

merelyasthewantofgameandgrassobligedhimtoshifthisposition。Theweatherhadalready

becomeextremelycold，andthesnowlaytoaconsiderabledepth。Toenablethehorsestocarryas

muchdriedmeataspossible，hecausedacachetobemade，inwhichallthebaggagethatcouldbe

sparedwasdeposited。Thisdone，thepartycontinuedtomoveslowlytowardtheirwinterquarters。Theywerenotdoomed，however，tosufferfromscarcityduringthepresentwinter。The

people

uponSnakeRiverhavingchasedoffthebuffaloesbeforethesnowhadbecomedeep，immense

herds

nowcametroopingoverthemountains；formingdarkmassesontheirsides，fromwhichtheir

deep-mouthedbellowingsoundedlikethelowpealsandmutteringsfromagathering

thunder-cloud。In

effect，thecloudbroke，anddowncamethetorrentthunderingintothevalley。Itisutterly

impossible，

accordingtoCaptainBonneville，toconveyanideaoftheeffectproducedbythesightofsuch

countlessthrongsofanimalsofsuchbulkandspirit，allrushingforwardasifsweptonbyawhirlwind。Thelongprivationwhichthetravellershadsufferedgaveuncommonardortotheirpresent

hunting。

OneoftheIndiansattachedtotheparty，findinghimselfonhorsebackinthemidstofthe

buffaloes，

withouteitherrifle，orbowandarrows，dashedafterafinecowthatwaspassingclosebyhim，

and

plungedhisknifeintohersidewithsuchluckyaimastobringhertotheground。Itwasadaringdeed；buthungerhadmadehimalmostdesperate。Thebuffaloesaresometimestenaciousoflife，andmustbewoundedinparticularparts。A

ball

strikingtheshaggedfrontletofabullproducesnoothereffectthanatossoftheheadandgreater

exasperation；onthecontrary，aballstrikingtheforeheadofacowisfatal。Severalinstances

occurred

duringthisgreathuntingbout，ofbullsfightingfuriouslyafterhavingreceivedmortalwounds。

Wyeth，

also，waswitnesstoaninstanceofthekindwhileencampedwithIndians。Duringagrandhuntof

the

buffaloes，oneoftheIndianspressedabullsocloselythattheanimalturnedsuddenlyonhim。His

horsestoppedshort，orstartedback，andthrewhim。Beforehecouldrisethebullrushedfuriously

uponhim，andgoredhiminthechestsothathisbreathcameoutattheaperture。Hewas

conveyed

backtothecamp，andhiswoundwasdressed。Givinghimselfupforslain，hecalledroundhimhis

friends，andmadehiswillbywordofmouth。Itwassomethinglikeadeathchant，andattheend

everysentencethosearoundrespondedinconcord。Heappearednowaysintimidatedbythe

approach

ofdeath。“Ithink，“addsWyeth，“theIndiansdiebetterthanthewhitemen；perhapsfromhaving

lessfearaboutthefuture。”Thebuffaloesmaybeapproachedverynear，ifthehunterkeepstotheleeward；butthey

arequick

ofscent，andwilltakethealarmandmoveofffromapartyofhunterstothewindward，even

whentwomilesdistant。ThevastherdswhichhadpoureddownintotheBearRiverValleywerenowsnow-bound，

and

remainedintheneighborhoodofthecampthroughoutthewinter。Thisfurnishedthetrappersand

theirIndianfriendsaperpetualcarnival；sothat，toslayandeatseemedtobethemain

occupations

oftheday。Itisastonishingwhatloadsofmeatitrequirestocopewiththeappetiteofahuntingcamp。Theravensandwolvessooncameinfortheirshareofthegoodcheer。Theseconstant

attendants

ofthehuntergatheredinvastnumbersasthewinteradvanced。Theymightbecompletelyoutof

sight，

butatthereportofagun，flightsofravenswouldimmediatelybeseenhoveringintheair，noone

knewwhencetheycame；whilethesharpvisagesofthewolveswouldpeepdownfromthebrow

ofeveryhill，waitingforthehunter”sdeparturetopounceuponthecarcass。Besidesthebuffaloes，therewereotherneighborssnow-boundinthevalley，whose

presencedid

notpromisetobesoadvantageous。ThiswasabandofEutawIndianswhowereencampedhigher

upontheriver。Theyareapoortribethat，inascaleofthevarioustribesinhabitingtheseregions，

wouldrankbetweentheShoshoniesandtheShoshokoesorRootDiggers；thoughmoreboldand

warlikethanthelatter。Theyhavebutfewriflesamongthem，andaregenerallyarmedwithbows

andarrows。AsthisbandandtheShoshonieswereatdeadlyfeud，onaccountofoldgrievances，andas

neither

partystoodinaweoftheother，itwasfearedsomebloodyscenesmightensue。Captain

Bonneville，

therefore，undertooktheofficeofpacificator，andsenttotheEutawchiefs，invitingthemtoa

friendly

smoke，inordertobringaboutareconciliation。Hisinvitationwasproudlydeclined；whereupon

wenttotheminperson，andsucceededineffectingasuspensionofhostilitiesuntilthechiefsof

the

twotribescouldmeetincouncil。Thebravesofthetworivalcampssullenlyacquiescedinthe

arrangement。Theywouldtaketheirseatsuponthehilltops，andwatchtheirquondamenemies

huntingthebuffalointheplainbelow，andevidentlyrepinethattheirhandsweretiedupfroma

skirmish。Theworthycaptain，however，succeededincarryingthroughhisbenevolentmediation。

The

chiefsmet；theamicablepipewassmoked，thehatchetburied，andpeaceformallyproclaimed。

After

this，bothcampsunitedandmingledinsocialintercourse。Privatequarrels，however，would

occasionallyoccurinhunting，aboutthedivisionofthegame，andblowswouldsometimesbe

exchangedoverthecarcassofabuffalo；butthechiefswiselytooknonoticeoftheseindividualbrawls。Onedaythescouts，whohadbeenrangingthehills，broughtnewsofseverallargeherdsof

antelopesinasmallvalleyatnogreatdistance。ThisproducedasensationamongtheIndians，for

both

tribeswereinraggedcondition，andsadlyinwantofthoseshirtsmadeoftheskinoftheantelope。

Itwasdeterminedtohave“asurround，“asthemodeofhuntingthatanimaliscalled。Everything

now

assumedanairofmysticsolemnityandimportance。Thechiefspreparedtheirmedicinesorcharms

eachaccordingtohisownmethod，orfanciedinspiration，generallywiththecompoundofcertain

simples；othersconsultedtheentrailsofanimalswhichtheyhadsacrificed，andthencedrew

favorable

auguries。Aftermuchgravesmokinganddeliberatingitwasatlengthproclaimedthatallwho

were

abletoliftaclub，man，woman，orchild，shouldmusterfor“thesurround。”Whenallhad

congregated，

theymovedinrudeprocessiontothenearestpointofthevalleyinquestion，andtherehalted。

Another

courseofsmokinganddeliberating，ofwhichtheIndiansaresofond，tookplaceamongthe

chiefs。

Directionswerethenissuedforthehorsementomakeacircuitofaboutsevenmiles，soasto

encompasstheherd。Whenthiswasdone，thewholemountedforcedashedoffsimultaneously，at

full

speed，shoutingandyellingatthetopoftheirvoices。Inashortspaceoftimetheantelopes，

started

fromtheirhiding-places，cameboundingfromallpointsintothevalley。Theriders，nowgradually

contractingtheircircle，broughtthemnearerandnearertothespotwheretheseniorchief，

surrounded

bytheelders，maleandfemale，wereseatedinsupervisionofthechase。Theantelopes，nearly

exhaustedwithfatigueandfright，andbewilderedbyperpetualwhooping，madenoefforttobreak

throughtheringofthehunters，butranroundinsmallcircles，untilman，woman，andchildbeat

them

downwithbludgeons。Suchisthenatureofthatspeciesofantelopehunting，technicallycalled“a

surround。”[ReturntoContents]Irving”sBonneville-Chapter47[ReturntoContents]WashingtonIrving”sTheAdventuresofCaptainBonnevilleChapter47Afestivewinter——ConversionoftheShoshonies——Visitoftwofreetrappers——Gayetyinthe

camp——

Atouchofthetenderpassion——Thereclaimedsquaw——AnIndianfinelady——Anelopement——Apursuit——Marketvalueofabadwife。GAMEcontinuedtoaboundthroughoutthewinter，andthecampwasoverstockedwith

provisions。

Beefandvenison，humpsandhaunches，buffalotonguesandmarrow-bones，wereconstantly

cooking

ateveryfire；andthewholeatmospherewasredolentwiththesavoryfumesofroastmeat。Itwas，

indeed，acontinual“feastoffatthings，“andthoughtheremightbealackof“wineuponthelees，“

yetwehaveshownthatasubstitutewasoccasionallytobefoundinhoneyandalcohol。BoththeShoshoniesandtheEutawsconductedthemselveswithgreatpropriety。Itistrue，

they

nowandthenfilchedafewtriflesfromtheirgoodfriends，theBigHearts，whentheirbackswere

turned；butthen，theyalwaystreatedthemtotheirfaceswiththeutmostdeferenceandrespect，

and

good-humoredlyviedwiththetrappersinallkindsoffeatsofactivityandmirthfulsports。The

two

tribesmaintainedtowardeachother，alsoafriendlinessofaspectwhichgaveCaptainBonnevillereasontohopethatallpastanimositywaseffectuallyburied。Thetworivalbands，however，hadnotlongbeenmingledinthissocialmannerbeforetheir

ancient

jealousybegantobreakoutinanewform。TheseniorchiefoftheShoshonieswasathinking

man，

andamanofobservation。HehadbeenamongtheNezPerces，listenedtotheirnewcodeof

morality

andreligionreceivedfromthewhitemen，andattendedtheirdevotionalexercises。Hehad

observed

theeffectofallthis，inelevatingthetribeintheestimationofthewhitemen；anddetermined，by

the

samemeans，togainforhisowntribeasuperiorityovertheirignorantrivals，theEutaws。He

accordinglyassembledhispeople，andpromulgatedamongthemthemongreldoctrinesandform

ofworship

oftheNezPerces；recommendingthesametotheiradoption。TheShoshonieswerestruckwith

the

novelty，atleast，ofthemeasure，andenteredintoitwithspirit。TheybegantoobserveSundays

and

holidays，andtohavetheirdevotionaldances，andchants，andotherceremonials，aboutwhichthe

ignorantEutawsknewnothing；whiletheyexertedtheirusualcompetitioninshootingandhorseracing，andtherenownedgameofhand。Mattersweregoingonthuspleasantlyandprosperously，inthismotleycommunityofwhite

andred

men，when，onemorning，twostarkfreetrappers，arrayedintheheightofsavagefinery，and

mounted

onsteedsasfineandasfieryasthemselves，andalljinglingwithhawks”bells，camegalloping，withwhoopandhalloo，intothecamp。TheywerefreshfromthewinterencampmentoftheAmericanFurCompany，intheGreen

River

Valley；andhadcometopaytheiroldcomradesofCaptainBonneville”scompanyavisit。Anidea

may

beformedfromthesceneswehavealreadygivenofconvivialityinthewilderness，ofthemanner

whichthesegamebirdswerereceivedbythoseoftheirfeatherinthecamp；whatfeasting，what

revelling，whatboasting，whatbragging，whatrantingandroaring，andracingandgambling，and

squabblingandfighting，ensuedamongthesebooncompanions。CaptainBonneville，itistrue，

maintainedalwaysacertaindegreeoflawandorderinhiscamp，andcheckedeachfierceexcess；

but

thetrappers，intheirseasonsofidlenessandrelaxationrequireadegreeoflicenseandindulgence，

repaythemforthelongprivationsandalmostincrediblehardshipsoftheirperiodsofactiveservice。Inthemidstofallthisfeastingandfrolicking，afreakofthetenderpassionintervened，and

wrought

acompletechangeinthescene。AmongtheIndianbeautiesinthecampoftheEutawsand

Shoshonies，thefreetrappersdiscoveredtwo，whohadwhilomfiguredastheirsquaws。These

connectionsfrequentlytakeplaceforaseason，andsometimescontinueforyears，ifnot

perpetually；

butareapttobebrokenwhenthefreetrapperstartsoff，suddenly，onsomedistantandroughexpedition。Inthepresentinstance，thesewildbladeswereanxioustoregaintheirbelles；norwerethe

latterloath

oncemoretocomeundertheirprotection。Thefreetrappercombines，intheeyeofanIndiangirl，

all

thatisdashingandheroicinawarriorofherownrace——whosegait，andgarb，andbraveryhe

emulates——withallthatisgallantandgloriousinthewhiteman。Andthentheindulgencewith

which

hetreatsher，thefineryinwhichhedecksherout，thestateinwhichshemoves，theswayshe

enjoys

overbothhispurseandperson；insteadofbeingthedrudgeandslaveofanIndianhusband，

obliged

tocarryhispack，andbuildhislodge，andmakehisfire，andbearhiscrosshumorsanddryblows。

No；

thereisnocomparisonintheeyesofanaspiringbelleofthewilderness，betweenafreetrapper

andanIndianbrave。Withrespecttooneofthepartiesthematterwaseasilyarranged。”Thebeautyinquestionwas

apert

littleEutawwench，thathadbeentakenprisoner，insomewarexcursion，byaShoshonie。Shewas

readilyransomedforafewarticlesoftriflingvalue；andforthwithfiguredaboutthecampinfine

array，“withringsonherfingers，andbellsonhertoes，“andatossed-upcoquettishairthatmade

her

theenvy，admiration，andabhorrenceofalltheleathern-dressed，hard-workingsquawsofheracquaintance。Astotheotherbeauty，itwasquiteadifferentmatter。Shehadbecomethewifeofa

Shoshoniebrave。

Itistrue，hehadanotherwife，ofolderdatethantheoneinquestion；who，therefore，took

command

inhishousehold，andtreatedhisnewspouseasaslave；butthelatterwasthewifeofhislast

fancy，

hislatestcaprice；andwaspreciousinhiseyes。Allattempttobargainwithhim，therefore，was

useless；theverypropositionwasrepulsedwithangeranddisdain。Thespiritofthetrapperwas

roused，hispridewaspiquedaswellashispassion。Heendeavoredtoprevailuponhisquondam

mistresstoelopewithhim。Hishorseswerefleet，thewinternightswerelonganddark，before

daylighttheywouldbebeyondthereachofpursuit；andonceattheencampmentinGreenRiverValley，theymightsetthewholebandofShoshoniesatdefiance。TheIndiangirllistenedandlonged。Herheartyearnedaftertheeaseandsplendorof

conditionofa

trapper”sbride，andthrobbedtobefreefromthecapriciouscontrolofthepremiersquaw；butshe

dreadedthefailureoftheplan，andthefuryofaShoshoniehusband。Theyparted；theIndiangirl

intears，andthemadcaptrappermorethanever，withhisthwartedpassion。Theirinterviewshad，probably，beendetected，andthejealousyoftheShoshoniebrave

aroused：a

clamorofangryvoiceswasheardinhislodge，withthesoundofblows，andoffemaleweeping

and

lamenting。Atnight，asthetrapperlaytossingonhispallet，asoftvoicewhisperedatthedoorof

his

lodge。Hismistressstoodtremblingbeforehim。Shewasreadytofollowwhithersoeverheshouldlead。Inaninstanthewasupandout。Hehadtwoprimehorses，sureandswiftoffoot，andofgreat

wind。

Withstealthyquiet，theywerebroughtupandsaddled；andinafewmomentsheandhisprize

were

careeringoverthesnow，withwhichthewholecountrywascovered。Intheeagernessofescape，

they

hadmadenoprovisionfortheirjourney；daysmustelapsebeforetheycouldreachtheirhavenof

safety，andmountainsandprairiesbetraversed，wrappedinallthedesolationofwinter。Forthe

present，howevertheythoughtofnothingbutflight；urgingtheirhorsesforwardoverthedrearywastes，andfancying，inthehowlingofeveryblast，theyheardtheyellofthepursuer。Atearlydawn，theShoshoniebecameawareofhisloss。Mountinghisswiftesthorse，heset

offinhot

pursuit。Hesoonfoundthetrailofthefugitives，andspurredoninhopesofovertakingthem。The

winds，however，whichsweptthevalley，haddriftedthelightsnowintotheprintsmadebythe

horses”

hoofs。Inalittlewhilehelostalltraceofthem，andwascompletelythrownoutofthechase。He

knew，however，thesituationofthecamptowardwhichtheywerebound，andadirectcourse

through

themountains，bywhichhemightarrivetheresoonerthanthefugitives。Throughthemostrugged

defiles，therefore，heurgedhiscoursebydayandnight，scarcepausinguntilhereachedthecamp。

wassometimebeforethefugitivesmadetheirappearance。Sixdayshadtheytraversedthewintry

wilds。Theycame，haggardwithhungerandfatigue，andtheirhorsesfalteringunderthem。The

first

objectthatmettheireyesonenteringthecampwastheShoshoniebrave。Herushed，knifein

hand，

toplungeitintheheartthathadprovedfalsetohim。Thetrapperthrewhimselfbeforethe

cowering

formofhismistress，and，exhaustedashewas，preparedforadeadlystruggle。TheShoshonie

paused。

Hishabitualaweofthewhitemancheckedhisarm；thetrapper”sfriendscrowdedtothespot，and

arrestedhim。Aparleyensued。Akindofcrim。con。adjudicationtookplace；suchas

frequentlyoccurs

incivilizedlife。Acoupleofhorsesweredeclaredtobeafaircompensationforthelossofa

woman

whohadpreviouslylostherheart；withthis，theShoshoniebravewasfaintopacifyhispassion。

returnedtoCaptainBonneville”scamp，somewhatcrestfallen，itistrue；butparriedtheofficious

condolementsofhisfriendsbyobservingthattwogoodhorseswereverygoodpayforonebad

wife。[ReturntoContents]Irving”sBonneville-Chapter48[ReturntoContents]WashingtonIrving”sTheAdventuresofCaptainBonnevilleChapter48Breakingupofwinterquarters——MovetoGreenRiver——Atrapperandhisrifle——Anarrival

incamp——Afreetrapperandhissquawindistress——StoryofaBlackfootbelle。THEwinterwasnowbreakingup，thesnowsweremelted，fromthehills，andfromthelower

parts

ofthemountains，andthetimefordecampinghadarrived。CaptainBonnevilledispatchedaparty

thecaches，whobroughtawayalltheeffectsconcealedthere，andonthe1stofApril(1835)，the

campwasbrokenup，andeveryoneonthemove。Thewhitemenandtheirallies，theEutawsand

Shoshonies，partedwithmanyregretsandsincereexpressionsofgood-will；fortheirintercoursethroughoutthewinterhadbeenofthemostfriendlykind。CaptainBonnevilleandhispartypassedbyHam”sFork，andreachedtheColorado，orGreen

River，

withoutaccident，onthebanksofwhichtheyremainedduringtheresidueofthespring。During

this

time，theywereconsciousthatabandofhostileIndianswerehoveringabouttheirvicinity，

watching

foranopportunitytoslayorsteal；butthevigilantprecautionsofCaptainBonnevillebaffledall

their

manoeuvres。Insuchdangeroustimes，theexperiencedmountaineerisneverwithouthisrifle

even

incamp。Ongoingfromlodgetolodgetovisithiscomrades，hetakesitwithhim。Onseating

himselfinalodge，helaysitbesidehim，readytobesnatchedup；whenhegoesout，hetakesit

upasregularlyasacitizenwouldhiswalking-staff。Hisrifleishisconstantfriendandprotector。Onthe10thofJune，thepartywasalittletotheeastoftheWindRiverMountains，where

theyhalted

foratimeinexcellentpasturage，togivetheirhorsesachancetorecruittheirstrengthforalong

journey；foritwasCaptainBonneville”sintentiontoshapehiscoursetothesettlements；having

alreadybeendetainedbythecomplicationofhisduties，andbyvariouslossesandimpediments，

farbeyondthetimespecifiedinhisleaveofabsence。WhilethepartywasthusreposingintheneighborhoodoftheWindRiverMountains，a

solitaryfree

trapperrodeonedayintothecamp，andaccostedCaptainBonneville。Hebelonged，hesaid，toa

partyofthirtyhunters，whohadjustpassedthroughtheneighborhood，butwhomhehad

abandoned

inconsequenceoftheirilltreatmentofabrothertrapper；whomtheyhadcastofffromtheir

party，

andleftwithhisbagandbaggage，andanIndianwifeintothebargain，inthemidstofadesolate

prairie。Thehorsemangaveapiteousaccountofthesituationofthishelplesspair，andsolicited

theloanofhorsestobringthemandtheireffectstothecamp。