THE COUNCIL 
A Bit of Montana’s 
AT FOR.T BENTON 
Unwritten History—Conclusion 
Veteran Trapper, Trader, Scout 
BY WILLIAM T. HAMILTON and Sign Talker; Author of 
“My Sixty Years on the Plains.’’ 
After feasting and smoking, a council of all 
the chiefs was held, and the object of our visit 
was stated to them. They consulted among them¬ 
selves for some time, the result of the council 
being that they agreed to go to Benton, and 
they asked me when they would be wanted 
there. I told them that the Commissioners were 
now waiting for them, and that they had better 
start the village for Benton to-morrow, for it 
would take them two and a half or three days 
to get there. It was sixty miles as the crow 
flies to Benton, but I expected to be in there the 
following night. I told the chief that he had 
better send two or three of his men with us, 
and he agreed to do so. 
I got six women to cut an abundance of 
grass for our stock. They also built a small 
corral for us. Before daylight the Indians 
turned out their ponies to graze, and by day¬ 
light breakfast was over, the lodges were down, 
and the women were getting everything ready 
for packing; the ponies now brought in. Bear 
Wolf and Star Robe, two sub-chiefs, were 
selected to accompany us. Here Jack traded his 
mule for eight fine garnished robes. He wanted 
me to take seven of them, but I selected four. 
He packed the robes on one of his horses, and 
by 7 o’clock we started, taking the best and 
most direct route to Benton, passing on the 
south side of the Bear Paw Mountain. We 
nooned at Eagle Creek, about half way. Small 
bands of buffalo were seen, and we killed two fat 
ones. Selecting the choicest parts, we feasted as 
no mortals east ever feasted, unless they have 
feasted on fat cow buffalo. 
Our camp was about one and a half miles 
from the mountains. Star Robe with my glass 
was looking the mountain over, and when he 
returned to camp he said that seven Indians 
were coming down the stream afoot. Jack said, 
“Blackfeet! I will stop them from coming 
here!” He stripped down to his breech clout, 
mounted his best horse and took the ridge. I 
had Dick ready for emergency, in case some¬ 
thing should happen to Jack. About half a 
mile up the stream, Jack halted. Some 200 
yards beyond him the seven Indians came up 
on the ridge. I was watching every move 
made. One of the Indians approached Jack. 
After a short time, he returned to the other 
Indian and they all returned to the mountain. 
Jack informed us that he had told the Indians 
not to come nigh us, as they would get shot, but 
to go to Benton, where all the Indians were go¬ 
ing to meet the white chiefs in council. 
Those Indians did go to Benton, and Jack 
knowing them, introduced me to them. They 
laughed at the idea of the two of us being able 
to put all of them to sleep; that nettled Jack 
WILLIAM T. HAMILTON. 
and he asked me to show them what I could 
do with my medicine gun, as he called my 
Henry rifle. At this place the Missouri River 
is about 250 yards wide and on the further or 
south side near the water there stood a stone 
about one foot in diameter. There were about 
150 Indians present at the time. I had practiced 
at that rock more than once. I fired seven shots 
at it in rapid succession and each shot would 
have hit an Indian. All the Indians put their 
hands over their mouths—a sign of astonish¬ 
ment. They wished to examine the rifle, but 
I refused to let them touch it, let alone examine 
it. I was determined to keep them mystified 
about the Henry rifle as long as I could. I 
was offered four times the price I paid for it; 
$106, as already stated. 
When I reported to the Commissioners, they 
were somewhat disappointed that the Crows 
were not coming to the council. I notified the 
Commissioners that the Gros Ventres would be 
here in two days, and that the two of their 
chiefs had come here with us. The Commis¬ 
sioners requested me to take care of these chiefs 
until the village arrived. I did so, charging 
the Commissioners $1 a meal for each Indian, 
the same price that I charged the white men; 
but I ought to have had $2, as one of these Indians 
could get away with as much grub as two white 
men. 
Some northern Indians were now beginning 
to come in. Three days after our return, the 
steamboat got to Benton. Two days after the 
arrival of that boat, fully 3,500 Indians were 
in camp on Benton Bottom. The Piegans and 
the Bloods had about 350 lodges. Father-of- 
all-Children,* the Blackfoot Chief, had fifty 
lodges, but doubled up; that is to say, two 
families in one lodge. The total number of 
Indians, big and little, was about 4,000, and war 
parties were constantly arriving, swelling the 
number. The other Blackfoot Indians were too 
far away to attend the council, and besides that 
they had no right to be there to receive presents 
from the United States, as they belonged to 
Canada. The people from the north pitched 
their lodges mostly on the upper end of the 
Bottom, but the Gros Ventres pitched theirs on 
the lower end, some 300 yards east of the old 
fort. Formerly, they had been friends with 
the Piegans and the Bloods; but for the last 
four years they had been at war, and there was 
the bitterest hatred between them. Hence this 
wide separation of their lodges. The council 
chamber had been put in order. The American 
flag was handsomely displayed and other decora¬ 
tions. The steamboat had been unloaded and 
the goods stored. This was about the 20th of 
September, 1865. 
As stated in the earlier part of this narrative, 
I had been appointed deputy marshal, though 
I knew nothing about the duties of the office. 
*Commonly so translated, or Father-of-Many-Children. 
A better translation of the Blackfoot name, Men-es-to'-kos, 
is All-are-his-Children.—E d. 
