My Sixty Years on the Plains, Trapping, Trading, and Indian Fighting (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1905 edition. Excerpt: ...and reached the post with a few furs, which we traded to a gentlemanly old Scotchman who was in charge. He bought my pinto pony, paying me fifty dollars in cash. He told us that there were no trapping outfits in the Blue Mountains nor on the streams, but that the Howlack band of Bannocks were camped on Camas Prairie. This is known to-day as Grand Rond Valley in Oregon. This band of Bannocks were not inclined to be friendly, and he advised us to cross the mountains to Walla Walla on the north side. This we did not care to do, as the streams between the post and Camas Prairie were full of beaver. We trapped all of them, and it was not until we reached Camas Prairie that we came in contact with the Bannocks. Here we ran on to their village of one hundred lodges. The chief met us with a strong escort of painted and feathered warriors and commanded us to halt. This we did, not at his pleasure, but at our own. He asked us in signs what we were doing in his country, and in an insulting manner demanded several ponies. He also ordered us to unpack our goods, as he wished to see what we had. These demands we ignored. The Bannocks were well up in sign-language and most of the chief's speech was understood by our men, all of it by myself. The chief was given to understand that he would receive no ponies, and that we would not unpack. If he wished to smoke and be friends, good. If not, he must get out of our way, as we were going on, and we claimed the right to trap in all streams either in the mountains or on the plains. When the chief heard this he appeared to be thunder-struck. The Bannocks had a great many Hudson Bay flint-locks, bows and arrows, and a few lances, mostly carried for ornament, but used also to spear a fallen foe. Our men were...