2-Gun Western, February 1954 — page 60: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

60 skins taken in middle winter were not as good as those of spring and fall, but maybe the pure rugged- ness of wading into icy waters two or three times a day to unload or reset traps and then of hunting the rest of the day for food in clothes frozen stiff, was a little too much even for the trappers. i JOINED up with friend- ly Indian bands for the heavy winter, or quartered near a woody bank of a stream which attracted game. But the trappers knew they wouldn’t always find the Indians friendly. Indians on the warpath could be avoided, but too many times some young buck had to do something spectacular to keep in good standing with the tribe to prove his bravery or prowess, so he’d start out to see what he could find. And many times it was some lonely, hard-working trapper look- ing for a fortune in beaver who would lose his hair. To the Indian it was a mark of ac- complishment to stalk a lone man, kill him, and scalp him or mutilate him in some other way to boast about. But that was one of the hazards the trapper knew when he set out into the wilderness. John Colter knew those dangers when he asked to be released from his stint with the Lewis and Clark expedition. He saw signs of plenti- ful beaver up there at the head- waters of the Missouri, and al- though it was in the dreaded Black- feet country and they were especial- ly ugly right then, since one of their numbers had been killed by Captain Lewis, Colter left the ex- pedition at Fort Mandan and went on alone to trap. He met a man by the name of Potts, also working alone. agreed to go together. Knowing the hostility of the Blackfeet, they set their traps at night and took them up early in the morning, and stayed in hiding during the day. They were ascending a_ small creek about six miles from Jeffer- .son’s Fork, a branch of the Mis- souri, when they heard a pounding of feet on the ground., The banks They 2-GUN WESTERN of the creek were steeply perpen- dicular and they could not see, but Colter was sure of the sound and he gave the warning, “Indians!” Potts disagreed. “Buffalo,” said. Colter was for retreat, but again Potts disagreed. In a very short time it was too late. The pounding footsteps were five or six hundred Indians suddenly lining both banks, beckoning the two men to come ashore. | Colter headed the canoe to shore, and as they reached the bank, one of the Indians grabbed Potts’ rifle. Colter, who was strong, took it away from him and gave it back to Potts. Potts quickly pushed the canoe away from shore. One Indian, a little quick on the bow, let fly an arrow, and Potts was wounded. Colter saw what had happened and told Potts he was Crazy to escape. What Potts did then really sound- ed crazy. He pointed his gun at one of the Indians. and shot him fatally. When the Indian arrows stopped fly- ing, Potts looked like a porcupine, and he was also quite dead. The Indians grabbed Colter and he stripped him. Standing naked, he heard them arguing about the meth- ods of torture they could use. Hav- ing been with the friendly Crows for some time, Colter had léarned their language and enough Black- feet to understand what they meant to do. They had settled on setting him up for a target when the chief, who evidently wasn’t in a target-shooting mood that day, stopped the argument and turned to Colter. He asked if he could run fast. Colter got the picture quick. He would have to run for his life. It was just a chance, but for -a strong man it was enough. He said solemn- ly that he was a very bad runner. That did it. The chief told the party to wait and he led Colter about three or four hundred yards onto the prairie, left him, and went back to the party. VERY TRAPPER knew some- thing the Blackfeet didn’t know; COPMIGOOOKS (E)