NARRATIVE OF 1853. 
and good will; to express my desire to make a permanent peace between them and the Black- 
feet, and to build up anew their beautiful St. Mary’s village. Lieutenant Mullan’s party consisted 
of Mr. Burr, Amstant, Levi Nichols, and Frank Genette, voyageurs, Peter Martin, hunter, and 
White Crane, Indian guide. 
He was instructed to procure from them experienced guides, and to examine some good pass, 
of which several were known to exist, leading from the forks of the Missouri to the Bitter Root 
river. From the Little Dog, a prominent chief of the Piegan tribe, and a man of character and 
probity, I got a very particular description of the Marias Pass we were in search of. From 
some superstition of the Blackfeet, it has not been used for many years, but formerly it was 
almost the only thoroughfare made use of by the Indians in passing from one side of the 
mountains to the other. It is a broad, wide, open valley, with searcely a hill or obstruction on 
the road, excepting here and there some fallen timber. At present the Little Dog described 
it as being much grown up with underbrush; though the trail was visible and well marked on 
the ground there would be some labor for a train to make its way through, and it might be 
necessary in some few places to cut out the road. I gave my instructions to Lieutenant Donelson 
on the ninth instant, inspected the train, found everything in good order, the men cheerful, 
satisfied, and confident as to going on, and the means of transportation ample, and set off 
towards night, having been preceded a few hours by Mr. Lander, on the way to Cypress 
mountain. I camped that night on the Teton, fourteen miles from Fort Benton. Perhaps these 
instructions to Lieutenant Donelson have been sufficiently referred to, but the importance of 
starting at once with the advance party was impressed upon him, as it would be necessary to 
move slowly, perhaps halting every other day, in order to get that full knowledge of the country 
approaching the mountains, which was essential, in order to lay down our railroad line to the 
best advantage. I will here remark, that besides the party of Mr. Lander, I was accompanied 
by Mr. Culbertson, special agent, Mr. Stanley, artist, Augustus Hammell, interpreter, and 
three voyageurs. 
September 10.—We had been joined last evening by a considerable party of the Blackfeet, 
who accompanied us to-day; the principal men being the Little Dog, the Three Bears, and the 
Wolf that Climbs. Started before seven, and after travelling some three hours reached a fine 
spring, with excellent grass, at a celebrated landmark known by the name of the Rotten 
Belly Rocks. It is a formation of sandstone, and has the characteristic of the Mauvaises 
Terres. 
Columns with capitals, resemblances to the human figure, &c., &c., abound. Beneath, in the 
coulée, passes the broad Indian trail leading to the Piegan camp. Here was killed Rotten 
Belly, the Crow chief, in an encounter between one hundred of his braves and eleven well- 
armed Gros Ventres of the Prairie. 
This celebrated chief, urged on by his people, had previously beleaguered Fort McKenzie. 
He captured all the animals of the fort, thirty-five horses. The place was in charge of Mr. 
Culbertson, and there were but nineteen men to defend it. For a month this little force baffled 
all the attempts of the Crows to get possession of the fort. Being, however, іп a starving 
condition, and it being apparent that it could not hold out much longer, resort was had to 
stratagem. All the squaws, twenty-nine in number, were dressed in men’s clothes, and with 
arms in their hands, were distributed around the fort, in sight of the Crows, who, thus deceived 
in reference to the force defending the place, became disheartened, drew off and separated. 
Rotten Belly, with a portion, mortified at his failure, declared he would go north and seek death 
