Rival trapping parties--Manoeuvring--A desperate game--Vanderburgh and theBlackfeet--Deserted camp fire--A dark defile--An Indian ambush--A fierce melee--Fatalconsequences--Fitzpatrick and Bridger--Trappers precautions--Meeting with theBlackfeet--More fighting--Anecdote of a young Mexican and an Indian girl.
WHILE Captain Bonneville and his men are sojourning among the Nez Perces, on SalmonRiver, we will inquire after the fortunes of those doughty rivals of the Rocky Mountains andAmerican Fur Companies, who started off for the trapping grounds to the north-northwest.
Fitzpatrick and Bridger, of the former company, as we have already shown, having receivedtheir
supplies, had taken the lead, and hoped to have the first sweep of the hunting grounds.
Vanderburgh
and Dripps, however, the two resident partners of the opposite company, by extraordinaryexertions
were enabled soon to put themselves upon their traces, and pressed forward with such speed as toovertake them just as they had reached the heart of the beaver country. In fact, being ignorant ofthe
best trapping grounds, it was their object to follow on, and profit by the superior knowledge ofthe
other party.
Nothing could equal the chagrin of Fitzpatrick and Bridger at being dogged by theirinexperienced
rivals, especially after their offer to divide the country with them. They tried in every way toblind
and baffle them; to steal a march upon them, or lead them on a wrong scent; but all in vain.
Vanderburgh made up by activity and intelligence for his ignorance of the country; was alwayswary,
always on the alert; discovered every movement of his rivals, however secret and was not to beeluded or misled.
Fitzpatrick and his colleague now lost all patience; since the others persisted in followingthem, they
determined to give them an unprofitable chase, and to sacrifice the hunting season rather thanshare
the products with their rivals. They accordingly took up their line of march down the course ofthe
Missouri, keeping the main Blackfoot trail, and tramping doggedly forward, without stopping toset
a single trap. The others beat the hoof after them for some time, but by degrees began to perceivethat they were on a wild-goose chase, and getting into a country perfectly barren to the trapper.
They
now came to a halt, and be-thought themselves how to make up for lost time, and improve theremainder of the season. It was thought best to divide their forces and try different trappinggrounds.
While Dripps went in one direction, Vanderburgh, with about fifty men, proceeded in another.
The
latter, in his headlong march had got into the very heart of the Blackfoot country, yet seems tohave
been unconscious of his danger. As his scouts were out one day, they came upon the traces of arecent band of savages. There were the deserted fires still smoking, surrounded by the carcassesof
buffaloes just killed. It was evident a party of Blackfeet had been frightened from their huntingcamp, and had retreated, probably to seek reinforcements. The scouts hastened back to the camp,and
told Vanderburgh what they had seen. He made light of the alarm, and, taking nine men withhim,
galloped off to reconnoitre for himself. He found the deserted hunting camp just as they hadrepresented it; there lay the carcasses of buffaloes, partly dismembered; there were thesmouldering
fires, still sending up their wreaths of smoke; everything bore traces of recent and hasty retreat;and
gave reason to believe that the savages were still lurking in the neighborhood. With heedlessdaring,
Vanderburgh put himself upon their trail, to trace them to their place of concealment: It led himover
prairies, and through skirts of woodland, until it entered a dark and dangerous ravine.
Vanderburgh
pushed in, without hesitation, followed by his little band. They soon found themselves in agloomy
dell, between steep banks overhung with trees, where the profound silence was only broken bythe
tramp of their own horses.
Suddenly the horrid war-whoop burst on their ears, mingled with the sharp report of rifles,and a
legion of savages sprang from their concealments, yelling, and shaking their buffalo robes tofrighten
the horses. Vanderburgh's horse fell, mortally wounded by the first discharge. In his fall hepinned
his rider to the ground, who called in vain upon his men to assist in extricating him. One wasshot
down scalped a few paces distant; most of the others were severely wounded, and sought theirsafety
in flight. The savages approached to dispatch the unfortunate leader, as he lay struggling beneathhis
horse.. He had still his rifle in his hand and his pistols in his belt. The first savage that advancedreceived the contents of the rifle in his breast, and fell dead upon the spot; but beforeVanderburgh
could draw a pistol, a blow from a tomahawk laid him prostrate, and he was dispatched byrepeated
wounds.
Such was the fate of Major Henry Vanderburgh, one of the best and worthiest leaders of theAmerican Fur Company, who by his manly bearing and dauntless courage is said to have madehimself universally popular among the bold-hearted rovers of the wilderness.
Those of the little band who escaped fled in consternation to the camp, and spreaddireful reports of the force and ferocity of the enemy. The party, being without ahead, were in complete confusion and dismay, and made a precipitate retreat, withoutattempting to recover the remains of their butchered leader. They made no halt untilthey reached the encampment of the Pends Oreilles, or Hanging-ears, where theyoffered a reward for the recovery of the body, but without success; it never could befound.
In the meantime Fitzpatrick and Bridger, of the Rocky Mountain Company, fared but littlebetter
