第52章 Irving’s Bonneville - Chapter 18(1)
Meeting with Hodgkiss -- Misfortunes of the Nez Perces -- Schemes of Kosato, therenegado -- His foray into the Horse Prairie-Invasion of Black feet -- Blue Johnand his forlorn hope -- Their generous enterprise-Their fate-Consternation anddespair of the village-Solemn obsequies-Attempt at Indian trade-Hudson's BayCompany's monopoly-Arrangements for autumn-Breaking up of an encampment.
HAVING now a pretty strong party, well armed and equipped, Captain Bonneville no longerfelt
the necessity of fortifying himself in the secret places and fastnesses of the mountains; but salliedforth boldly into the Snake River plain, in search of his clerk, Hodgkiss, who had remained withthe
Nez Perces. He found him on the 24th of June, and learned from him another chapter ofmisfortunes
which had recently befallen that ill-fated race.
After the departure of Captain Bonneville in March, Kosato, the renegade Blackfoot, hadrecovered
from the wound received in battle; and with his strength revived all his deadly hostility to hisnative
tribe. He now resumed his efforts to stir up the Nez Perces to reprisals upon their old enemies;reminding them incessantly of all the outrages and robberies they had recently experienced, andassuring them that such would continue to be their lot until they proved themselves men by somesignal retaliation.
The impassioned eloquence of the desperado at length produced an effect; and a band ofbraves
enlisted under his guidance, to penetrate into the Blackfoot country, harass their Villages, carryoff
their horses, and commit all kinds of depredations.
Kosato pushed forward on his foray as far as the Horse Prairie, where he came upon a strongparty
of Blackfeet. Without waiting to estimate their force, he attacked them with characteristic fury,and
was bravely seconded by his followers. The contest, for a time, was hot and bloody; at length, asis
customary with these two tribes, they paused, and held a long parley, or rather a war of words.
"What need," said the Blackfoot chief, tauntingly, "have the Nez Perces to leave their homes,and
sally forth on war parties, when they have danger enough at their own doors? If you wantfighting,
return to your villages; you will have plenty of it there. The Blackfeet warriors have hithertomade
war upon you as children. They are now coming as men. A great force is at hand; they are ontheir
way to your towns, and are determined to rub out the very name of the Nez Perces from themountains. Return, I say, to your towns, and fight there, if you wish to live any longer as apeople."
Kosato took him at his word; for he knew the character of his native tribe. Hastening backwith his
band to the Nez Perces village, he told all that he had seen and heard, and urged the most promptand
strenuous measures for defence. The Nez Perces, however, heard him with their accustomedphlegm;
the threat of the Blackfeet had been often made, and as often had proved a mere bravado; suchthey
pronounced it to be at present, and, of course, took no precautions.
They were soon convinced that it was no empty menace. In a few days a band of threehundred
Blackfeet warriors appeared upon the hills. All now was consternation in the village. The forceof
the Nez Perces was too small to cope with the enemy in open fight; many of the young menhaving
gone to their relatives on the Columbia to procure horses. The sages met in hurried council. Whatwas to be done to ward off a blow which threatened annihilation? In this moment of imminentperil,
a Pierced-nose chief, named Blue John by the whites, offered to approach secretly with a small,but
chosen band, through a defile which led to the encampment of the enemy, and, by a suddenonset,
to drive off the horses. Should this blow be successful, the spirit and strength of the invaderswould
be broken, and the Nez Perces, having horses, would be more than a match for them. Should itfail,
the village would not be worse off than at present, when destruction appeared inevitable.
Twenty-nine of the choicest warriors instantly volunteered to follow Blue John in thishazardous
enterprise. They prepared for it with the solemnity and devotion peculiar to the tribe. Blue Johnconsulted his medicine, or talismanic charm, such as every chief keeps in his lodge as asupernatural
protection. The oracle assured him that his enterprise would be completely successful, providedno
rain should fall before he had passed through the defile; but should it rain, his band would beutterly
cut off.
The day was clear and bright; and Blue John anticipated that the skies would be propitious.
He
departed in high spirits with his forlorn hope; and never did band of braves make a more gallantdisplay-horsemen and horses being decorated and equipped in the fiercest and most glaring style-
glittering with arms and ornaments, and fluttering with feathers.
The weather continued serene until they reached the defile; but just as they were entering it ablack
cloud rose over the mountain crest, and there was a sudden shower. The warriors turned to theirleader, as if to read his opinion of this unlucky omen; but the countenance of Blue John remainedunchanged, and they continued to press forward. It was their hope to make their wayundiscovered
to the very vicinity of the Blackfoot camp; but they had not proceeded far in the defile, whenthey
met a scouting party of the enemy. They attacked and drove them among the hills, and werepursuing
them with great eagerness when they heard shouts and yells behind them, and beheld the mainbody
of the Blackfeet advancing.
The second chief wavered a little at the sight and proposed an instant retreat. "We came tofight!"
replied Blue John, sternly. Then giving his war-whoop, he sprang forward to the conflict. Hisbraves
followed him. They made a headlong charge upon the enemy; not with the hope of victory, butthe
determination to sell their lives dearly. A frightful carnage, rather than a regular battle,succeeded.