Thirty-One Years on the Plains and in the Mountains, Or, the Last Voice from the Plains: An Authentic Record of a Life Time of Hunting, Trapping, Scouting and Indian Fighting in the Far WestDrannan, William F.
History
Thirty-One Years on the Plains and in the Mountains, Or, the Last Voice from the Plains: An Authentic Record of a Life Time of Hunting, Trapping, Scouting and Indian Fighting in the Far West
Drannan, William F.
Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.); Indians of North America -- Wars
The following morning we pulled out again, aiming to push through
and get into the bad lands as quickly as possible, knowing that
when once in there we would not be attacked by a large band of
Indians, there being no game in that region for them to live on.
The second day out from Gen. Kearney's quarters, about the middle
of the afternoon, we were looking for a place to camp for the
night, when we saw eleven Indians coming for us full tilt. Jim
Bridger was riding in the lead, I being the hindmost one. Jim
being the first to see them, he turned as quick as a wink and we
all rode to the center. Each man having a saddle-horse and five
pack-horses, they made good breastworks for us, so we all
dismounted and awaited the impolite arrival. I drew my rifle down
across the back of one of the horses when the Indians were two
hundred yards away, and Uncle Kit said: "Don't fire yet. All wait
until they get near us, and I will give the word for all to fire
at once. Each man take good aim, and make sure of his Indian; use
your rifles first and then draw your pistols."
He did not give the word until they were within about one hundred
yards of us, and when he did, we all fired. I saw my Indian fall
to the ground. We then drew our revolvers, and I got in two more
shots before the Indians could turn their ponies so as to get
away.
At the first shot with my revolver I did not see the Indian fall,
but at the second shot I got my man.
We killed seven from the little band, only leaving four. They
seemed to realize at once that they had bit off more than they
could chew, and in about three minutes they were out of sight, and
that was the last we saw of them.
We did not get a man wounded, and only one horse hurt, and that
very slightly.
This was our last trouble with Indians until we were across the
Yellowstone.
The next day after crossing that river we saw on our right, about
a quarter of a mile away, twenty Crow Indians coming for us. They
gave us chase for five or six miles, until we struck suitable
ground. As soon as that was obtained we stopped to make a stand,
and as soon as they were in sight around the hill they were within
gunshot, and we all fired. I think I wounded my Indian in the leg,
and killed his horse. Jim Beckwith said he saw three Indians fall
to the ground. This, however, was the last trouble we had with the
Crow Indians on that trip.
The next day we arrived at Fort Benton, on the Missouri river.
There we met a number of trappers in the employ of the Hudson Bay
Company, and not an independent trapper in the outfit. Strange,
but true, the trappers in the employ of that Company always hated
the sight of an independent trapper.
Here we stayed over two days, trying to gather some information as
to our route, and, strange as it may seem, we could not find a man
who would give us any information as to the route we wished to go,
which was only about two hundred miles from there.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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