Departure for the rendezvous--A war party of Blackfeet--A mock bustle--Sham fires atnight--Warlike precautions--Dangers of a night attack-- A panic amonghorses--Cautious march--The Beer Springs--A mock carousel--Skirmishing withbuffaloes--A buffalo bait--Arrival at the rendezvous-- Meeting of various bands AFTER THE TWO DAYS of festive indulgence, Captain Bonneville broke up theencampment, and set out with his motley crew of hired and free trappers, half-breeds,Indians, and squaws, for the main rendezvous in Bear River valley. Directing his courseup the Blackfoot River, he soon reached the hills among which it takes its rise. Here,while on the march, he descried from the brow of a hill, a war party of about sixtyBlackfeet, on the plain immediately below him. His situation was perilous; for thegreater part of his people were dispersed in various directions. Still, to betray hesitationor fear would be to discover his actual weakness, and to invite attack. He assumed,instantly, therefore, a belligerent tone; ordered the squaws to lead the horses to a smallgrove of ashen trees, and unload and tie them; and caused a great bustle to be madeby his scanty handful; the leaders riding hither and thither, and vociferating with all theirmight, as if a numerous force was getting under way for an attack.
To keep up the deception as to his force, he ordered, at night, a number of extra fires tobe made in his camp, and kept up a vigilant watch. His men were all directed to keepthemselves prepared for instant action. In such cases the experienced trapper sleeps inhis clothes, with his rifle beside him, the shot-belt and powder-flask on the stock: sothat, in case of alarm, he can lay his hand upon the whole of his equipment at once,and start up, completely armed.
Captain Bonneville was also especially careful to secure the horses, and set a vigilantguard upon them; for there lies the great object and principal danger of a night attack.
The grand move of the lurking savage is to cause a panic among the horses. In suchcases one horse frightens another, until all are alarmed, and struggle to break loose. Incamps where there are great numbers of Indians, with their horses, a night alarm of thekind is tremendous. The running of the horses that have broken loose; the snorting,stamping, and rearing of those which remain fast; the howling of dogs; the yelling ofIndians; the scampering of white men, and red men, with their guns; the overturning oflodges, and trampling of fires by the horses; the flashes of the fires, lighting up forms ofmen and steeds dashing through the gloom, altogether make up one of the wildestscenes of confusion imaginable. In this way, sometimes, all the horses of a campamounting to several hundred will be frightened off in a single night.
The night passed off without any disturbance; but there was no likelihood that a warparty of Blackfeet, once on the track of a camp where there was a chance for spoils,would fail to hover round it. The captain, therefore, continued to maintain the mostvigilant precautions; throwing out scouts in the advance, and on every rising ground.
