From Nauvoo to Salt Lake in the Van of the Pioneers: XVI

From Nauvoo to Salt Lake in the Van of the Pioneers The Original Diary of Erastus Snow EDITED BY HIS SON, MORONI SNOW XVI In our last number the returning pioneers were having trouble with the Indians who stole their horses. The journal continues: The Indians pretended that they had traded for them. Thinking that we might yet get them by peaceable means, without resorting to force, it was thought advisable to go to Fort John and employ Mr. Bordeaux or some of his traders who had influence with the Sioux to go with our men and carry presents and try and get them. When we arrived at Fort John, the site of the old Fort Laramie, on September 24th, 1847, we learned that a part of our animals taken on the Sweetwater had been brought directly there by some Sioux and that Colonel J. C. Little and Dr. Johnson recognized two of the animals, and secured them, and from the report of the Indians they had reasons to think we had been very badly crippled and perhaps unable to continue our journey, and they had obtained as many horses and mules as they could from the company of ox teams that was in advance of us and had started on the 20th with two other brethren to meet us and render us assistance, but they had unfortunately taken the river road and missed us and fell upon our trail a short distance beyond Big Timber Creek where they were surrounded by the same band of Sioux who had taken our horses. The Indians evidently intended to rob and perhaps murder them, but being well armed, by a bold and resolute course, they kept the Indians at bay until, fortunately for them, Commodore Stockton, with a body of forty men from California bound for the states, arrived in time to save them. From him they learned that our company was in advance of them and they had missed us. They accordingly returned with him to Laramie where they arrived on the 26th, in time to join us in our journev homeward.

FROM NAUVOO TO SALT LAKE 771 Colonel Little accepted the invitation to journey with me and lodge in my wagon until we arrived in Winter Quarters. By-tli£- way, I would remark that Brother Little, Lieutenant Willis and a few others with pack animals, left the valley the same day that we did, and he overtook the ox teams at Independence Rock and journeyed with them to Laramie. While on the way his animals and about fifteen others belonging to the ox companies were stolen by the Sioux and they tarried a few days at Fort John and succeeded in getting the most of their animals back again, or others in the place of them. During their stay for this purpose, an Indian arrived with a portion of our horses taken on the Sweetwater which he stated he had taken from the Snakes. We also tarried a few days at Fort John in the hopes of obtaining the influence of Mr. Bordeaux and his men in obtaining our lost animals. Bordeaux at first promised to send an interpreter with our messengers and to use his influence in our favor, but the next day when we had made up a company well armed and mounted for the expedition, Mr. Bordeaux refused to send an interpreter, or rather stated that his men refused to go. He also spoke very discouragingly of the expedition and said the Indians would secret our horses and our efforts would be unavailing. Whether he was sincere in his counsel and advice or whether he was afraid of injuring his influence and trade with the Sioux, or whether he was leagued with them in their robberies, is more than I can determine. At any rate there was a rumor afloat that one of his men was missing at the fort next morning after our arrival and by some it was conjectured that he had gone to inform the Sioux of our intentions to make a demand for our horses. And so our expedition was abandoned and with it the hope of obtaining our horses. We returned to our camp, and when Col. Little and Dr. Johnson arrived we resumed our journey clown the Platte. We left our encampment opposite Fort John on the evening of the 26th and came down a few miles to find better feed. On Monday morning, the 27th of September, we renewed our journey. About eighty miles down the river we found Mr. Racheau, a French trader, with a band of Sioux that were hunting. Here we tarried one day and rested our teams and traded some with the Indians, and some with the trader. With him we traded some of our poor horses for better ones, etc. This band of Sioux mani-

772 IMPROVEMENT ERA festcd a more friendly disposition. To show their good feeling, a part of them went out, at the suggestion of Mr. Racheau, and killed several buffalo for us. Sunday morning, October 2, while the camp was starting, a high-spirited Spanish mare which I had purchased of Mr. Racheau unhorsed her rider and at the top of her speed, which was like the flight of a hare, pursued an Indian hunting party that was at that time crossing the bottoms some miles distant towards the bluffs, and although I pursued upon my windiest horse I had a ride of about fifteen miles before I could catch her again. This unlucky circumstance threw me into the midst of what was to me quite a romantic scene — a regular Indian buffalo hunt. When the party arrived in the vicinity of some scattering herds they separated into parties of two and three and took their stations upon tops of buttes or eminences in the prairie in all directions for several miles, so that they could see the direction the herd was taking in the flight. Then two Indians started the herd and pursued in the rear while others were intercepting their retreat and, selecting the fattest cows, let fly their arrows (for they use no firearms in this chase) which seldom failed to do execution; and if the first was not sufficient, the second and third arrow quickly followed, and once wounded became the sole target for the Indian's arrows until the victim fell. Turn which way they would the herd was sure to be attacked by a fresh party of horsemen who in turn would strew the ground with the slain. When the herd had thus run the gauntlet for some four or five miles and the chase was abandoned, the Indians could be seen in all directions dressing their game. I passed one who had been unhorsed and broken his arm in the chase and his squaw was splintering it up. An old Indian presented me with a couple of tongues which with them is the choicest part of the buffalo, and I returned to camp gratified by the scene I had witnessed and scarcely regretted the chase I had for my mare. Our teams now began to fail daily and we were obliged to travel slow. The feed was scarce and of a kind that the buffalo had refused, and after a few days travel we found a letter upon a post left for us by the company that was in advance of us from which we learned that they were six days ahead of us. Being anxious that they should stop and assist us with their oxen, a party of

FROM NAUVOO TO SALT LAKE 773 twelve footmen were dispatched to overtake them (for we could not spare horses). On the evening of the 16th we came up with the footmen who had given up the chase as a hard one, and were waiting for us eight miles above the head of Grand Island. This being the lower extremity of the buffalo range, we tarried until the 20th to secure meat to last us home. While here we were met to our great joy by sixteen men with horses who had come 250 miles from Winter Quarters to meet us. After leaving the head of Grand Island we found either rushes or cottonwood to recruit, and with the aid of the fresh horses from Winter Quarters we began to move with more ease. We followed down the Grand Island as far as Wood river and there left our spring trail and took the trail of the summer companies along the sand ridges between the Platte and the Loop Fork. (to be continued)