Those of them who had never interviewed the
Blackfoot and Crow Indians personally were pretty well acquainted
with them by reputation, and they said they did not care to risk
their lives in that country. We remained here two weeks, after
which time--Uncle Kit's wound getting considerable better--Jim
Bridger, Uncle Kit and myself concluded to go on to the waters of
Green river and trap the coming winter.
While here, Jim Beckwith fell in with a man by the name of Reese,
who said he had trapped on the headwaters of Snake river the
winter previous, and that trapping was good there. He induced
Beckwith to go to that section of the country, saying it was only
one hundred miles from Fort Hall. This trapping ground was
immediately across the divide of the Rockies and south of the
Gallatin, where the Blackfoot and Crow Indians were so bad, but
Reese thought they could get out the next spring before the
Indians could get across the mountains.
So he and Beckwith started, and at the same time we pulled out for
the head of Green river. They went to the head of Snake river, and
I afterwards learned that they trapped there all winter with
splendid success, but trapping being so good they stayed too late
in the spring. One morning about the last days of April, after
they had just eaten their breakfast and were making preparations
to go to look after their traps, they were attacked by about one
hundred Blackfoot Indians.
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