2-Gun Western, November 1955 — page 55: what you’re looking at

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

ROTTEN BELLY'S SAD SIEGE. Mass CULBERTSON, though only twenty-five years old, real- ized the necessity of avoiding open “warfare with the powerful Grows. The Crows did not trade at Fort Mc- Kenzie, but if they took a notion they could wreck the Blackfeet trade —and that would put the post: out of business. The same Harvey found this out ten years later at the same fort. But Culbertson’s hand was forced, for Harvey planned with some ofthe men to take the boat at night and leave the fort. Culbertson therefore notified Rotten Belly that if the Crows did not leave by noon, he would open hostilities and ‘hurl thunderbolts upon them. Rotten Belly laughed. The three-pounder in the upper bastion was charged with ball and aimed at the Crow camp. At exactly noon it crashed, and the heavy shot went through the middle of the camp. Rotten Belly laughed no longer. Nor did the Crows, who had insisted on this expedition, linger. There was shouting and turmoil. Lodges came down; horses were mounted. Lodge skins were thrown on the backs of pack horses (the Crows did not use the travois), and soon the entire vil- lage was strung out along the river— all going upstream away from the fort. A few of them crossed the river and fired some shots at the fort, but without damage. The siege was over. LAST CARD _ Grinnell emptied the magazine of the rifle through the doors after them. If he had judged Bayer right, the rancher would stay belly-down in the sawdust for some time to come. He was weary; it was an effort to force his feet to move to the hitch- rack where Bayer’s Kentucky horse was dancing. The farmer still held his pistol, puzzled. Grinnell turned to the wom- an. “Get word to the U. S. Marshal at Spokane Falls,’ Grinnell said. “Tell him Bayer had Shorty Morcross and Slick Grinnell in here as lawdogs.” But—why?” the woman. asked, and 55 The Crows said later that they had never intended to hurt the garrison; they had merely wanted to destroy the fort which supplied their enemies with rifles and ammunition. It was an easy thing to say—as easy, per- haps, as it had been for the white men to say they would not supply such arms to enemies of the Crows. Rotten Belly had been shamed. His large party of warriors had been put to rout by a single shot. Never mind that it was a cannon. His shame was great, and he now called on them to follow him in Blackfeet country, where they might take some scalps and wipe out this disgrace. He got volunteers and they start- ed out, but they did not fight Black- feet. Near Fort Benton at a place called Goose Bill they ran into twelve warriors of the Gros Ventres. Rotten Belly called on his Crows to attack. “We shall see who are brave men,” he said. “I shall lead this attack, al- though I do not think that I shall live.” The Crows charged the Gros Ven- tres and took exactly twelve scalps, but the Gros Ventres were fighters too, and Rotten Belly received a fatal wound. “Tell my people,” he said be- fore he died, “to keep peace with the whites hereafter. There must be no more war between them.” The dying chief’s words were heard and remembered, for the Crow nation never again took up arms against the white man. @® END (cont’d from page 52) he knew she was talking about the change. “I domt know,” he answered. don’t know exactly.. sia | . Mighty pretty place you got there, ‘though, by the lake.” He mounted the Kentucky horse and pointed it toward the rim where the tall grass grew. On the horizon were the hills of Idaho, where he could find a spring and rest awhile. The horse could find its way back. The fever was high in his blood and he started to grin. No matter if the cards were marked, a man could up- set the deal... @END oO Gomilcboo S CO