Rocky Mountains. 133 



circumstance to the partizan, and directed him to recover it 

 and punish the thief; he complied by wresting the meat from 

 the grasp of the latter, and from that of several others who 

 had been contending for portions of it, placed it beneath his 

 feet, and defended it with his lance; but Chabonneau, to whom 

 the meat belonged, declaring that he had given it to them, they 

 were permitted to retain it. A tent which had been pitched 

 for me in consideration of my illness, and in which my 

 blanket, pistols, together with some small articles had been 

 deposited, was plundered of its contents; it was finally cut 

 down and would have been taken away, had we not made an 

 effort to preserve it. During the whole transaction those war- 

 riors, who stood at a short distance, intently watched our 

 movements, as if they were led to believe, from the attitude 

 we assumed, that we would attempt to repel them, even with 

 our inadequate force. No sudden action or motion of any 

 one of the party escaped them, and individuals were fre- 

 quently observed to draw their arrows, to test the elasticity 

 of the bows. At a critical juncture, a tall and graceful In- 

 dian cocked his gun fiercely, and put his war whistle to his 

 mouth, but the signal was not blown. Amongst numerous in- 

 cidents that occurred during the half hour that we were sur- 

 rounded by them, an individual attempted to seize a knap- 

 sack belonging to one of the soldiers, and immediately un- 

 der his observation; the latter placed his foot upon the knap- 

 sack to detain it, and at the same time prepared his gun as 

 if to shoot the offender, who leaped backward with great 

 agility, and with an ejaculation of pleasure, drew his arrow 

 to the head. The whole party precipitately retreated just as 

 Mr. Dougherty returned from hunting; being briefly in- 

 formed of the nature of their visit, he called aloud to the fu- 

 gitives in their own language, but they passed on without 

 heeding him, taking our horses with them. I had by a rough 

 estimate fixed their number at one hundred and forty; the\ 

 were chiefly armed with the bow and arrow and lance, with 



