100 IN THE OLD WEST 



himself one day in no less a place than this ; and 

 here he made acquaintance with an old trapper 

 about to start for the mountains in a few days, to 

 hunt on the head-waters of Platte and Green 

 River. With this man he resolved to start, and, 

 having still some hundred dollars in cash, he im- 

 mediately set about equipping himself for the ex- 

 pedition. To effect this, he first of all visited the 

 gun-store of Hawken, whose rifles are renowned in 

 the mountains, and exchanged his own piece, which 

 was of very small bore, for a regular mountain 

 rifle. This was of very heavy metal, carrying 

 about thirty-two balls to the pound, stocked to 

 the muzzle, and mounted with brass ; its only orna- 

 ment being a buffalo bull, looking exceedingly 

 ferocious, which was not very artistically engraved 

 upon the trap in the stock. Here, too, he laid in 

 a few pounds of powder and lead, and all the 

 necessaries for a long hunt. 



His next visit was to a smith's store, which 

 smith was black by trade and black by nature, 

 for he was a nigger, and, moreover, celebrated as 

 being the best maker of beaver-traps in St. Louis ; 

 and of him he purchased six new traps, paying 

 for the same twenty dollars — procuring, at the 

 same time, an old trap-sack made of stout buffalo- 

 skin in which to carry them. 



We next find La Bonte and his companion — 

 one Luke, better known as Gouge-Eye, one of his 

 eyes having been " gouged " in a mountain fray 



