S26 
POREST AND STREAM. 
In Trapping Days. 
This is a chapter of life in the Wild West, the old 
West of the trapper, trader and Indian fighter, as it is 
pictured in the story of “Sixty Years on the Plains,” by 
William T. Hamilton.* Mr. Hamiltonj popularly and 
affectionately known as “Uncle Bill” Plamdton, is now en- 
joying a serene old age at his homfe in Columbus, Mont. 
He is a survivor of a picturesque type of men who had 
a large and important part in the making of the West. 
The story is here told by one who was one- of the actors 
in it, and it is told with a modesty as to the narrator’s 
own personaHpart which is as winning as it is adniirable. 
The expedition here described is on'e of thC fi’rst ih 
which Hamilton joined, its date being in the eirly ‘40s. 
Perkins was selected as leader. The party was niade 
up of twenty trappers. A council was held on the i6th 
of September and it was decided to explore Salt Lake, 
Weber, Bear, and Malade rivers, and. other streams, as 
circumstances and amount of furs should warrant. 
The next day we started, a wild and, rrtdtley-lCioking 
outfit I thought. The Indians all crowded up to shake 
us by the hand and to warn us to look out for the 
Blackfeet. 
Nothing of interest took place until we reached 
Weber River, which rises in the Wahsatch Mountains 
and empties into Salt Lake. We followed the river 
down, passing through the canon, and came in sight 
of_ the Great Salt Lake Valley^ spread out in all its 
primitive grandeur. I said to Perkins, “Here is a 
scene fit to be viewed by the gods.” Perkins and the 
other men laughed, saying, “Bill is becoming poetical.” 
It was no longer “Boy.” “Bill” had taken its place. 
Perkins wanted to visit a. stream south of where Salt 
Lake City now stands, and on our way there we 
camped at the hot springs, noted before, taking a plunge 
or bath before the Mormons ever heard of that country. 
We also_ examined the Blackfoot fort on the bench 
overlooking the springs. 
The next morning some Utah Indians called on us 
and wanted us to pay for being in their country. ^ Such 
a thing could not be thought of for a moment. These 
Indians, spoke the Shoshone tongue, which many of our 
men understood. They were also very fair sign-talkers. 
When informed that they would receive no pay, their 
chief, who was called Old Bear — and bear he was by 
his looks, for a more surly looking savage was never 
seen — ordered us to leave immediately. He had with 
him some thirty warriors, .who had a few flint-lock guns, 
bows and arrows, lances, knives, and tomahawks. They 
were thus fairly well armed, but by no means equal to 
our party. , _ 
Perkins, who was an expert in dealing with turbulent 
and insulting Indians, having great patience, tried by 
every means to pacify them and make friends, but with- 
out success. He made the Indians keep back from our 
outfit, and then they would spit at us and make signs 
meaning: “dogs,” which we all understood. I expected 
every minute to see the fight commence. We were p.re- 
pard at every point, and our arms were in prime con- 
dition. 
Perkins cautioned the men to have patience, for many 
of them were becoming nervous at the insults from the 
Indians. Trappers would not brook insults from any 
one, and as I saw these men grow more and more 
angry and bite their lips I thought it commendable in 
them to curb their feelings. All this time Perkins was 
trying his best to make peace. He filled his pipe, lit 
it, and offered it to the chief, who refused with con- 
tempt, saying, “Big Chief never smokes with white 
dogs.” 
Perkins’ patience was now exhausted, and he told the 
chief in pretty plain language tO' get out. When the 
Indians saw our men prepare for action by standing 
in open order and bringing their guns down to bear on 
them, they mounted their ponies; and casting all kinds 
of insults at. us, both in signs and in spoken language, 
they departed, going south, the very route that we 
wanted to take. 
After they had disappeared we held a council, and 
Perkins thought that we would have to- give up going 
any further south, as their village was located some- 
where in that direction. We were not afraid of the 
Indians, but we wanted to collect furs and would have 
no opportunity to do this without being greatly an- 
noyed. 
.As things stood it was a certainty that the Indians 
would follow us, and that a fight could not be avoided. 
We concluded to take the back track, a thing that 
trappers seldom do, except under extreme conditions 
such as those just related. 
The reader may be interested in knowing just how a 
company of twenty trappers divided the work in the 
business of collecting furs among hostile Indians. 
In the first place, everything was held in common, 
which means that the value of all furs trapped was 
equally divided. All men could not trap, for a picket 
had to be constantly on duty. A guard remained with 
the horses during the day. During the night the horses 
were corralled. One man had to take care of camp. 
*My Sixty Years on the Plains.. 'Trapping, Trading, and 
Indian Fighting. By W. T. Hamilton (“Bill Hamilton”). With 
six full-page illustrations by Charle,s M. Russell. New York, 
Forest and Stream Publishing Co. Prise, $1.,§9. 
and generally two men acted as SkihfferS and earSfikiera 
of all the furs brought in. ,Thfe rUffairider feet trApfe, 
and all kept a sharp iookout for Indianfe. No fehooli'fig 
was_ allowed ^ while setting traps, as a shot sighifi'ed 
Indians, al which signal all were off the alert. 
A general rule, that Wafe followed by all mountiin rhen 
was t'o strap fetay-clTains or tr'ace-chains to the horses’ 
fetlocks, ll Was impossible for them to stampede with 
such a fixing. When trappers lost their hbfs'es they 
were obliged to- go to, some rendezvous and restock, 
as furs could hot be coil'eCtecl without horses. 
We canip'ed ih a strong position on a sharp bend in 
the Webfer River, where the banks were steep and the 
waters deep, so that in case of an attack the Indians 
could not approach from the river side. Perkins 
thought that _ the Indians would undoubtedly hold a 
council in their village and concoct some plan whereby 
they could capture those “whit^ dogs” arid get ill their 
horses. All this we, uriderstoddi hul hs I have said be- 
fore, they calculated Without their host, as the sequel 
Will sh'bW. 
Beaver signs were plentiful here, and after camp was 
made the men went out and set traps. At supper all 
hands were in camp. 
We passed many jokes that evening, “Silver Tip” 
taking the lead, for he was by long odds the most 
humorous and comical member of the party. 
Personally I was engaged in making a close study of 
all our men, particularly the new ones,' and I came to 
the conclusion that they were a noble-looking body of 
men. With high foreheads and with calm and fearless 
eyes, their demeanor was that of gentlemen. I had 
read of Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton, and in my 
mind I began to make comparisons, wondering whether 
Boone or Kenton were any nobler looking than these 
men. 
Then I thought of Leonidas and his handful of men 
repelling Xerxes and his immense Persian army. Could 
they be any braver or of finer metal than these trappers? 
As' such thoughts passed through my mind, I came to 
the conclusion that the American nation might well feel 
proud of her mountaineers, who fearlessly explored the 
unknown wilderness, encountering and overcoming un- 
told difficuhies and dangers by the mere force of their 
own indomitable will-power and courage. 
The true mountain men have never received the 
credit which they justly merited for their part in bring- 
ing this unknown country to light. 
We only put up one ten-skin lodge for our effects, 
sleeping outside with arms in hand. Two guards were 
put on duty, to be relieved at midnight. 
Perkins said that it was customary for the Utahs to 
attack just before daylight. It is at this time that 
Indiaris expect to find whites fast asleep. 
A little before day two or three wolf howls were 
heard by the guards, who immediately notified Perkins, 
and he soon had all the men up. Our packs were placed 
in a semi-circle as a breastwork, and twenty of our best 
horses were saddled and tied in a thicket, to protect 
them as much as possible from Indian bullets and 
arrows. About the only protection the Indians would 
have in approaching camp was the sage-brush which 
stood on the flat. 
We had a fairly well-fortified position, and it stood 
us well in hand to have it so. The Indians, knowing 
our number, would attack us seven or eight to one, 
and perhaps more. 
Trappers in those days were obliged always to con- 
tend against overwhelming numbers; but they never 
hesitated, and it was always a fight to win, for defeat 
meant death. 
The first wolf howls were soon followed by others, 
coming from points nearer and in a semi-circle. Indians 
are expert in imitating the cries of wolves or coyotes, 
and it is very hard to distinguish them from the cries 
of the real animals. On _ the other hand, even after 
years of practice, few whites can successfully imitate 
these animals. The hooting of the owl is frequently 
used as an Indian signal in attacking camps. All these 
signals are carefully studied by trappers and scouts, who 
are rarely deceived. 
The Indians must have located our camp from the 
mountains, which were at no great distance, as our one 
lodge was set up in a cotton wood grove, which con- 
cealed it. 
We had not long to wait before the attack com- 
menced. Just at break of day the signals ceased, and 
the trappers knew that the crisis was at hand. ■ 
The Indians crept to within one hundred yards of “ 
camp before they gave the war-whoop. Then they came 
madly charging, fully one hundred in number. 
The trappers had their rifles in hand and their pistols 
out of their scabbards ready for instant use after the 
rifles were discharged. 
We let them get within fifty yards before delivering 
a shot, and at the discharge of the rifles many fell. 
Three of our men were armed with double-barreled 
shotguns, loaded with a half-ounce ball and five buck- 
shot, deadly weapons at close quarters. These were 
now discharged and the Indians halted. Immediately 
the trappers began with their six-shooters, one in each 
hand, for as a result of long and constant practice they 
could shoot equally well with either. Every condition 
of his life obliged the trapper to- be expert in the use 
of firearms. 
At receiving so many shots from twenty men the 
Indianfe hccairie parilc-Strifckfeh. They had nOt cal'cu- 
latrid ort^ Ihe frajppErfe having two pistols each — twelve 
shots apiece after the rifles were discharged. They had : 
expected to exterminate us before we Could reload 3 ur 
rifles. . „ ; . . , , I 
The Indians retrehted, assisting many of their ■ 
WP.u.ndcd. Perkins had hard work to- keep the men ; 
from charging, for our fighting blood was up. Had 
we charged, we would have lost several men, for the 
sage-brush was alive with Indians. 
Several in our party received slight wounds, but none 
that were serious. An arrow went through my fur , 
cap. - 
It was now getting daylight, and several wounded ; 
Indians lying close to- our breastwork began shooting ■ 
arrows at us, but our men soon quieted them, i 
When the iun was, about twO.kduri high, thfe IndidriS ; 
Seiit a messenger with a rag tied to a stick. Perkins 
met him outside. He said the Indians wished to make ; 
peace and that they had lost their chief, Old Bear, as 
well as many of their bravest warriors. 
This was merely a sham. All they wanted was to save 1 
their slain from being scalped. 
Perkins told the Indian to remain outside until he 
held council with his men. He was quite a diplomat, 
and made a strong speech to the effect that it would be 
best to rnake peace. It would certainly be to our ad- 
vantage in collecting furs. The Indians had received 
a repulse which they had not expected. They would 
now return to their village, taking their dead and ' 
wounded, and mourn for many days. This would give 
us time to trap the Malade River and other streams be- 
fore they got through mourning. 
A vote was taken and resulted in seven wanting to 
continue the fight and thirteen declaring for peace. 
We did not fear the Indians, but we wanted to collect 
furs, not to fight. Perkins told the Indian to go back 
and bring five of his comrades to our camp. 
In the meantime we cooked breakfast, keeping a 
sharp lookout all the while, for under no conditions do 
trappers trust Indians after a fight. 
We did not have long to wait for the six Indians, who 
came up looking crestfallen at their failure. Perkins 
smoked with them and gave them some tobacco. He 
then told them that if they molested us any more or 
stole any of our horses he and his men would wipe out 
their village. 
_ “Big talk,” Docket said; “twenty men wiping out 
six hundred.” 
However, they appeared mighty glad to get posses- 
sion of their dead and they made signals to other 
Indians to bring ponies, and they soon had the dead 
lashed to the ponies and departed. I counted thirty-two, 
which rather surprised us, as we had thought the ex- 
ecution very much greater. Had they attacked camp 
a half-hour later, in the same manner, their loss would 
have been doubled. 
The next year we learned that many of the wounded 
had died, and that the Utahs declared that they had 
lost many of their best warriors. This tribe had fre- 
quently robbed small parties of trappers, many times 
killing them, and this was the first severe lesson that 
they had ever received. After this occurrence they in- 
variably gave the well-organized bodies of trappers the 
“go by.” 
If any reader of this should doubt the fighting quality 
of the trapper, let him go among any tribe of Indians 
to-day and ask them what they think of it. They will 
invariably answer that it “costs too much blood to 
fight trappers.” 
This band was of the same Indians that gave the 
Mormons so much trouble a few years later. 
The Fishft. 
■ ' . ' (From the German of Gothe.) 
' The water rushed, the water swelled, 
A Fisher sat beside: 
’ ' ' Cool to the heart his rod he held. 
And calmly watched the tide. 
Till fast, with many a circling wreath, 
He marked the waves unclose, 
And beauteous from the deeps beneath 
A syren nymph uprose. 
h:\-f 
She .sang to him, she spake to him— 
:/■ ■ “Why thus my watery brood 
With lies of human stratagem 
To these death-heats delude? 
Oh, couldst thou see how happy live 
The little fish below, 
Thyself beneath the flood wouldst dive, 
And bliss for ever know. 
“Doth not the dear Sun bathe him here? 
■ ' The sweet Moon bathe her, too? 
■ Rise not their faces doubly fair, 
Wave-breathing to the view? 
Doth not this deeper heaven thee charm — 
This moistly-glorious blue? 
Doth not thine own reflected form, 
Amid th’ eternal dew?” 
. «■ * * * * * * « 
The waters rushed, the waters swelled. 
They kissed his naked feet; 
A wondrous charm his heart impelled 
Some Unknown Love to greet: 
She sang to him, she spake to him, 
Half plunged he from the shore, 
Half drew she him to sea-caves dim, 
The Fisher rose ho more. _ ■ 
i„ - ”E. Fej in Fishing Gazstt?, 
