128 THRILLING ADVENTURES. 



confess that all his ideas of the super-excellence of buffalo 

 were thrown in the shade by the delicious beaver tail, the 

 rich meat of which he was compelled to allow was "great 

 eating," unsurpassed by u tender-loin," or "boudin," or other 

 meat of whatever kind he had eaten of before. 



Trapping with tolerable success in this vicinity, the hunters 

 crossed over, as soon as the premonitory storms of approach- 

 ing winter warned them to leave the mountains, to the waters 

 of Green river, one of the affluents of the Colorado, intending 

 to winter at a rendezvous to be held in "Brown's Hole" 

 an inclosed valley so called which, abounding in game, and 

 sheltered on every side by lofty mountains, is a favorite win- 

 tering-ground of the mountaineers. Here they found several 

 trapping bands already arrived ; and a trader from the Uintah 

 country, with store of powder, lead, and tobacco, prepared to 

 ease them of their hard-earned peltries. Singly, and in bands 

 numbering from two to ten, the trappers dropped into the 

 rendezvous; some with many pack-loads of beaver, others 

 with greater or less quantity, and more than one on foot, 

 having lost his animals and peltry by thieving ^Indians. Here 

 were soon congregated many mountaineers, whose names are 

 famous in the history of the Far West. Fitzpatrick and 

 Hatcher, and old Bill Williams, well-known leaders of trap- 

 ping parties, soon arrived with their bands. Sublette came 

 in with his men from Yellow Stone, and many of Wyeth's 

 New Englanders were there. Chabonard with his half-breeds, 

 Wah-keitchas all, brought his peltry from the lower country ; 

 and half a dozen Shawnese and Delaware Indians, with a 

 Mexican from Taos, one Marcelline, a fine strapping fellow, 

 the best trapper and hunter in the mountains, and ever first 

 in the fight. Here, too, the "Burgeoise" traders of the 

 Hudson's Bay Company, with their superior equipments, 

 ready to meet their trappers, and purchase the beaver at an 

 equitable value ; and soon the trade opened, and the encamp- 

 ment assumed a busy appearance. 



