Wild Life in the Far West: Being the Personal Adventures of a Border Mountain Man. Captain James Hobbs
success and sometimes quite the contrary.
At the June feast among the Cheyennes, when I had been with the Comanches nearly four years, "Old Wolf went with their chief, by invitation, to visit Bent's Fort, about twenty miles distant. Bent had learned from Kit Carson that John Batiste and myself were with the Comanches, and offered to buy us of "Old Wolf." He replied, that he would be willing to sell John for a jews-harp, but could not spare me, unless I was dissatisfied, and wanted to leave them. He sent a warrior back to our camp, saying we were wanted at the fort. While saddling our horses, my wife began to cry, but assisted in our preparations and finally decided to go with us to the fort, telling me re-
46 "PEG-LEG" SMITH.
peatedly on the road that she wanted me to stay by her and not forsake their tribe.
At the fort I met Kit Carson, Peg-leg Smith, and most of the men that belonged to the train with which I engaged nearly four years before.
Peg-leg Smith, as has before been stated, received this name from the fact of his having a wooden leg. He was a stout built man with black eyes and gray hair. He was a hard drinker, and, when under the in- fluence of liquor, very liable to get into a fight. When he found himself in a tight place, his wooden leg proved very serviceable to him as he had a way of unstrapping it very quickly, and when wielded by his muscular arms it proved a weapon not to be despised. His love of liquor was his ruin, as he died about the year 1868, in a drunken fit, in Calaveras county, California.
The whole party were much pleased to welcome John and me from our captivity, and, as might be imagined from previous descriptions of the leading men of the party, whisky occupied a prominent place in the rejoicing. Peg-leg Smith, at this, our first meeting, showed me what to expect of him in future, whenever he and whisky came together, and John and I found our heads hardly able to stand the many toasts drank to our good health.
The whole party, "Old Wolf," and his companion, the Cheyenne chief, got very much elated; and nearly every person in the fort smelt the whisky, if they did not get their feet tangled with it. About midnight a messenger came inside, stating that a thousand warriors were gathering around the fort. They demanded their leaders, fearing treachery; they desired to know why their chief had not returned. I went out and explain-
RANSOMED. 47
ed that we were among good friends. They insisted on seeing "Old Wolf" himself. He, and my wife, and myself showed ourselves to them, and the chief made a speech, telling them that he and the Cheyenne chief were among good men who were friends to the Indians and presents would be given out the next morning.
The warriors were pacified with these assurances, though they did not leave the vicinity of the fort. Next morning Bent gave our chief eight yards of cur- tain calico for John Batiste, and took possession of his property at once. Old Wolf made many objec- tions to disposing of me, but I was finally ransomed from the Indians for the trifling consideration of six yards of red flannel, a pound of tobacco, and an ounce of beads.
My wife, who sat looking on was greatly distressed, cried bitterly, and would have gone with me if the chief had given permission, but he refused, saying he preferred to keep her, and that I could visit her often, if I chose, as I promised faithfully to do. I tried to comfort her by rigging her out gaily, giving her a variety of beads and a red dress, but this, although very pleasing to her Indian taste, hardly reconciled her to the separation.
I took "Old Wolf" in charge and with a lieutenant, showed him all over the fort, letting him see the rifle port holes, and explaining how the fort could stand a siege against thousands of Indians. Finally we went out on the parapet where there was a six pounder at each angle. "Old Wolf" inquired how they could shoot that thing. By my request a blank cartridge was put in and the piece fired. The chief sprang back in amazement; my wife came up to see what was the matter, and the Indians on the outside,
48 TRADING.
under the walls, knowing nothing of what was going on, ran away as fast as their legs could carry them, convinced that "Old Wolf must be dead now, and their own safety depended on flight. The chief and I sprang np on the wall and signaled and shouted to them and they returned, asking in much astonish- ment, what kind of a monstrous gun that was.
About noon, trading commenced. The Indians wished to come into the fort, but Bent prohibited the entrance of any but chiefs. At the back door he dis- played his wares, and the Indians brought forward their ponies, buffalo robes, and deer and other skins, which they traded for tobacco, beads calicoes, flan, nels, knives, spoons, whistles, jewsharps, &c., &c.
He sold them whisky the first day, but it caused several fights among themselves before night, and he stopped its sale by my suggestion and with "Old Wolf's" consent. Indians do not waste time in fighting with their fists, but use knives and tomahawks, and a scrimmage among themselves is serious. There was considerable difficulty the first day, with drunken In- dians outside the fort, and two or three deaths resulted.
The trading continued eight days and Bent reaped a wonderful harvest of what would turn to gold when shipped to St. Louis. "Old Wolf" slept in the fort every night except one, and every time he did, his warriors aroused him during the night and compelled him to show himself on the walls to satisfy them of his safety.
On the morning of the ninth day the chiefs met and told Bent they were going home and would send out hunting parties, collect more skins and furs and come to trade with him every two or three months. "Old Wolf" told Bent that his goods were splendid,
PARTING WITH SPOTTED FAWN. 49
his whisky excellent and he should furnish him with all the horses and mules he wanted by sending out parties and making raids into Mexico. Bent of- fered to give him the market price for all such stock, and had no conscientious scruples about the way the Indians obtained them.
I reported to Bent concerning the two American girls and their two brothers I had found in camp when I was captured by the Comanches, and he made "Old Wolf" liberal offers for them, but the chief would not hear to anything of the kind. He replied that he was glad that he had got rid of John Batiste, for they were tired of supporting him as he had never killed any game or been useful. But he could not think of parting with the wives of his sons, and the little Brown boys, who were as wild, active, and ex- pert as Indians.
I now had to part with my wife and little son, three years of age, which "Spotted Fawn" had brought along to the fort, probably as an inducement for me to remain with her. She had also brought with her from camp a fine bay horse which she knew I valued highly. This horse she left with me; and picking up our child, with a tearful embrace, with a look of sor- row bordering on despair, and one wild, mournful shriek, she was gone from the fort. Her grief at the separation caused the poor woman to lose prema- turely her second child, as I have learned since.
When "Old Wolf" bade me good bye he present- ed me with two mules, and to John Batiste he gave a pony. He liked his fare and treatment at the fort very much indeed. The variety of cooked dishes suited him, but the bread he disliked, saying it would be good to make a smoke-fire with to color their buckskins.
4
50 THE BROWN SISTERS.
About three months after I was ransomed the chief's eldest son was killed during a raid into Mexico and the elder of the two American girls, who was thus made a widow, was sold to Bent and is now living in San Antonio, Texas. Matilda Brown, the younger sister, was sold to Bent, but the chief would not let her little half-breed son accompany her; so after stopping at the fort three or four days, she declared herself unfit to live among white people, and returned to the tribe where she is still living or was a few years ago ; and her two younger brothers never could be induced to leave the Comanches.
CHAPTER III.
IT was in 1839 when I was restored to the company of hunters and trappers with whom I had started