Chapter 7

7.

Retreat of the Blackfeet Fontenelle's camp in danger Captain

Bonneville and the Blackfeet Free trappers Their character,

habits, dress, equipments, horses Game fellows of the mountains

Their visit to the camp Good fellowship and good cheer A

carouse A swagger, a brawl, and a reconciliation

THE BLACKFEET WARRIORS, when they effected their midnight retreat

from their wild fastness in Pierre's Hole, fell back into the

valley of the Seeds-ke-dee, or Green River where they joined the

main body of their band. The whole force amounted to several

hundred fighting men, gloomy and exasperated by their late

disaster. They had with them their wives and children, which

incapacitated them from any bold and extensive enterprise of a

warlike nature; but when, in the course of their wanderings they

came in sight of the encampment of Fontenelle, who had moved some

distance up Green River valley in search of the free trappers,

they put up tremendous war-cries, and advanced fiercely as if to

attack it. Second thoughts caused them to moderate their fury.

They recollected the severe lesson just received, and could not

but remark the strength of Fontenelle's position; which had been

chosen with great judgment.

A formal talk ensued. The Blackfeet said nothing of the late

battle, of which Fontenelle had as yet received no accounts; the

latter, however, knew the hostile and perfidious nature of these

savages, and took care to inform them of the encampment of

Captain Bonneville, that they might know there were more white

men in the neighborhood. The conference ended, Fontenelle sent a

Delaware Indian of his party to conduct fifteen of the Blackfeet

to the camp of Captain Bonneville. There was [sic] at that time

two Crow Indians in the captain's camp, who had recently arrived

there. They looked with dismay at this deputation from their

implacable enemies, and gave the captain a terrible character of

them, assuring him that the best thing he could possibly do, was

to put those Blackfeet deputies to death on the spot. The

captain, however, who had heard nothing of the conflict at

Pierre's Hole, declined all compliance with this sage counsel. He

treated the grim warriors with his usual urbanity. They passed

some little time at the camp; saw, no doubt, that everything was

conducted with military skill and vigilance; and that such an

enemy was not to be easily surprised, nor to be molested with

impunity, and then departed, to report all that they had seen to

their comrades.

The two scouts which Captain Bonneville had sent