LIFE IN THE FAR WEST. 123 



phe, he steeled his heart against all the charms and coquetry of 

 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 Co- 

 lumbia and Yellow Stone — the most dangerous of trapping ground 

 — and finding good market for his peltries at the " Northwest" 

 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 lan- 

 guage, " 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, Avhich we have before said is in the country of the Black- 

 feet. With him were Killbuck, Meek, Marcellin, and three others ; 

 and the leader of the party was Bill Wilhams, 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 moccasins. 

 They were all good men and true, expert hunters, and well-trained 

 mountaineers. 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 water, although not one of the party 

 had before explored the country, or knew any thing of its nature, 

 or of the likelihood of its afibrding game for themselves or pasture 

 for their animals. However, they packed their peltry, and put 

 out for the land in view — a lofty peak, dimly seen above the more 

 regular summit of the chain, being their landmark. 



For the first day or two their rout lay between two ridges of 



