142 LIFE IN THE FAR WEST 



Indian belles, and persevered in unblessed widowhood 

 for many a long day. 



From the point where we left him on his way to 

 the waters of the Columbia, we must jump with him 

 over a space of nearly two years, during which time he 

 had a most uninterrupted run of good luck ; trapping 

 with great success on the head-streams of the Columbia 

 and Yellow Stone the most dangerous of trapping 

 ground and finding good market for his peltries at 

 the "North- West" posts beaver fetching as high a 

 price as five and six dollars a " plew" the " golden 

 age" of trappers, now, alas ! never to return, and existing 

 only in the fond memory of the mountaineers. This 

 glorious time, however, was too good to last. In 

 mountain language, " such heap of fat meat was not 

 going to ' shine' much longer." 



La Bonte was at this time one of a band of eight 

 trappers, whose hunting ground was about the head- 

 waters of the Yellow Stone, which we have before said 

 is in the country of the Blackfeet. With him were 

 Killbuck, Meek, Marcellin, and three others ; and the 

 leader of the party was Bill Williams, that old " hard 

 case" who had spent forty years and more in the 

 mountains, until he had become as tough as the 

 parfleche soles of his mocassins. They were all good 

 men and true, expert hunters, and well-trained moun- 

 taineers. After having trapped all the streams they 

 were acquainted with, it was determined to strike into 

 the mountains, at a point where old Williams affirmed, 

 from the " run" of the hills, there must be plenty of 



