BECKWOURTH'S LIFE AND ADVENTURES. * hams P. BECKWOURTH, the hunter-hero of
this narrative, was born in Virginia, in 1798, but was bred on the frontier of the great Western wilderness ; his father having removed to S. Louis, then a poor settlement of French and Spaniards, when the son was about eight years old. According to his own account, Master James soon began to exhibit the liberty of young America : he beat his master, opposed his father, and finally, deserting his base mechanical vocation of carpenter, engaged as hunter with a General Ashley, who some forty years ago was an extensive spe- culator in the fur trade of the Rocky Mountains. From that time till within these few years Beckwourth has lived the life of a hunter and exploring adventurer ; going through the fatigues, hardships, and privations, which attend such a career. For a long part of his time he was domiciled among the Crow Indians ; a silly jest by a companion having induced that tribe to believe that Beckwourth was an Indian by birth but captured in childhood by the Americans. This hoax led to his reception into the tribe, and ultimately to his election as a chief. When attention began to be turned to California, Beckwourth went thitherward ; dis- covered a pass, which bears his name and is of great public ad- vantage, but has left him minus fourteen hundred dollars, which he expended on a promise of repayment. He is now a general trader and hotel-keeper on the line of his own road.
The question naturally arises, how far Beckwourth's story is true, or what additions it may have received from the rhetorical pen of T. D. Bonner when writing it down. This we cannot answer as a matter of fact. As a matter of opinion it seems to us substantially true. Beckwourth very probably makes the most of his courage, endurance, exploits, and hardships, and, like all such persons, may feel inclined to spin a yarn about his own doings. The pen of Bonner is occasionally traceable in some flourishes and philosophical reflections. There is, however, about the whole a literal matter-of-fact character, which truly enough reflects the mind of a shrewd, enterprising, hardy, ill-educated man, with no natural elevation or refinement, no training for observation, and no sense of restraint or morality beyond what he could pick up in a very bad school. The story is not so interesting as might have been expected. In a hunter's or trapper's life there is little variety, at least as seen by themselves. To succeed or fail in getting skins—to meet with game and gorge, or to miss it and starve—to have your horses stolen, or, as in our hero's ease, to steal the horses of other people —to be attacked by Indians and risk your life, or to attack Indians and take theirs—seem to be the staple matter of these people's lives. Such things are sometimes varied by excessive i
hardships resolutely borne, or by some trait of boldness in danger, or of calm resolution in "a fix." Almost at the outset of Beck- wourth's career, the band wanted.horses. General A shley resolved to send among the Indians to effect a purchase, and a veteran named Harris was appointed, but could not go alone.
"There seemed to be a great reluctance on the part of the men to under- take in such company so hazardous a journey (for it was now winter). It was also whispered in the camp that whoever gave out in an expedition with Harris received no succour from him, but was abandoned to his fate in the wilderness.
"Our leader, seeing this general unwillingness, desired me to perform the journey with Harris. Being young, and feeling ambitious to distin- guish myself in some important trust, I asked leave to have a word with Harris before I decided.
"Harris being called, the following colloquy took place. ' Harris, I think of accompanying you on this trip.' " "Very well, Jim, he replied, scrutinizing me closely ; ' do you think you can stand it?'
" I don't know,' I answered, but I am going to try. But I wish you to bear one thing in mind : if I should give out on the road, and you offer to leave me to perish, as you have the name of doing, if I have strength to raise and cock my rifle, I shall certainly bring you to a halt.'
"Harris looked me full in the eye while he replied, Jim' you may pre- cede me the entire way, and take your own jog. If I direct the path, and give you the lead, it will be your own fault if you tire out.' " That satisfies me,' I replied; we will be off in the morning.' " The object of the expedition failed, because the Indians had broken up their camp and departed. According to Beckwourth's account, he exhibited from the be • • a superiority in physical endurance, and saved the life of Harris and his own by his powers and prudence. Finding the Indians gone— "My companion and myself took counsel together how to proceed. Our determination was to make the best of our way to the Grand Ne-inah-haw River, one of the tributaries of the Missouri. We arrived at that river after nine days' travel, being, with the exception of a little coffee and sugar, en- tirely without provisions. My companion was worn out, and seemed al- most disheartened. I was young, and did not feel much the worse for the journey, although I experienced a vehement craving for food. Arrived at the liver, I left Harris by a good fire, and, taking my rifle, went in quest of game, not caring what kind I met. "As Fortune would have it, I came across an elk, and my rifle soon sent a leaden messenger after him. We encamped near him, promising our- selves a feast. He was exceedingly poor, however, and hungry as we were we made a very unsavoury supper off hi; flesh. The next morning we con- tinued our journey down the Ne-mah-haw, travelling on for five days after I had killed the elk without tasting food. The elk had been so rank that we carried no part of him with us, trusting to find some little game ; in which we were disappointed. We had thrown away our blankets, to relieve • The Life and Adventures of James P. Beckwourth, Mountaineer, Scout, and Pioneer, and Chief of the Crow Nation of Indians. Writtenfrom his own Dicta- tion, by T. D. Bonner. Published by Low and Co., London ; Harper, New York. time, the ground has been too often gone over for Mr. Galt to " On the fifth day we struck a large Indian trail, which bore evident have discovered much that was new or valuable. marks of being fresh. My companion now gave entirely lip, and threw himself to the ground, declaring he could go no farther. He pronounced
our position to be thirty miles from the trading-post. I endeavoured to arouse him to get up and proceed onward ; but hn could only advance a few rods at a time. I felt myself becoming weak : still, I had faith that I could reach Ely's, if I had no hinderance ; if I lingered for Harris, I saw we should both inevitably perish. He positively declared he could advance not a step farther; he could scarcely put one foot before the other, and I saw he was becoming bewildered. "In this dilemma, I said to him, ' Harris, we must both perish if we stay here. If I make the best of my way along this trail, I believe I can reach Ely's some time in the night,' (for I was aware that the Indians, whose trail we were following, were proceeding thither with their peltry.) "But Harris would not listen to it.
" ' Oh, Jim,' he exclaimed, ' don't leave me; don't leave me here to die! For God's sake, stay with me? "I did my best to encourage him to proceed ; I assisted him to rise, and we again proceeded upon our journey. " I saw,. by the progress we were making, we should never get on : so I told him, if I had to advance and leave him, to throw himself in the trail, and await my return on the following day with a good horse to carry him to the trading-post. We walked on, I a hundred yards in advance ; but I be- came convinced that if I dith.uot use my remaining strength in getting to Ely's, we should both be lost. " Accordingly, summoning all my forces, I doubled my speed, determined to reach the post before I stopped. I had not proceeded half a mile ere I heard the report of two rifles ; and, looking in the direction of the sound, I saw two Indians approaching with demonstrations of friendship. "On reaching me, one of them exclaimed, ' You are dead—you no live !' "I explained to him, that I had left my companion behind, and that we were both nearly starved to death. On this they spoke a few words to each other in their own language, and one started off like a race-horse, along the trail, while the other returned with me to my companion. " As we approached him, I could hear him moaning= Ho, Jim ! come back ! come back ! don't leave me !'
" We went up to him, and I informed him that we were safe ; that I had met the Indians, and we should soon be relieved. "After waiting about three hours the rattling of hoofs was heard, and, looking up, we discovered a troop of Indians approaching at full speed. In another moment they were by our side. They brought with them a portion of light food, consisting of corn-meal made into a kind of gruel, of which they would give us but a small spoonful at short intervals. * * *
" We encamped with them that night, and they continued the same re- gimen of small periodic doses of gruel. Several times a large Indian seized hold of an arm of each of us, and forced us into a run until our strength was utterly exhausted. Others of the party would then support us on each side, and urge us'on till their own strength failed them. After this discipline, a spoonful or two of gruel would be administered to us. This exercise being repeated several times, they at length placed before us a large dish contain- ing venison, bear-meat, and turkey, with the invitation to eat all we wanted.
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It is unnecessary to say that I partook of such a meal as I never remember 1 to have eaten before or since." i Passages like these have always interest, but the bulk of the book is of a more jog-trot character. The fact is, the world has had enough of hunting and trapping life, unless circumstances or the genius of the writer endow the narrative with novel Washington Irving has given the sentiment or poetry of the career ; several Englishmen and a few Americans have presented the reality as it appears to the educated mind - there have been writers likewise who have exhibited the literal picture. The real novelty in Beckwourth is the moral view which he quite unconsciously opens up. For instance, he was I engaged to a young woman of St. Louis : on the occasion of a journey, the reader has a parting inverview, intended for senti- r mental (page 91-92) ; shortly afterwards, (page 98,) we find Mr. Beokwourth makes a bargain with the Fur Company which in- cludes the privilege of " taking for servant the widow of one of the men who had been killed," &c. ; six pages more (114) bring him among the Crows, where he marries a chieftain's Ks. dau ter ; a few pages further (119) he has taken a. second wife in the person of the first wife's sister ; and (to quit the subject) at page 170 we hear of seven wives at once. So much for the man's delicate morality : this is a sample of his humanity- " The second day of our march, one of our men, while fishing, detected a party of Black Feet in the act of stealing our horses in the open day. But for the man, they would have succeeded m making off with a great number. The alarm was given, and we mounted and gave immediate chase. The In- dians were forty-four in number, and on foot ; therefore they became an easy prey. We ran them into a thicket of dry bush, which we surround and then fired in several places. It was quite dry, and, there being a breeze at the time, it burned like chaff. This driving the Indians out, as fast as they made their appearance we shot them with our rifles. Every one of them was killed : those who escaped our bullets were consumed in the fire ; and as they were all more or less roasted, we took no scalps. None of our party were hurt, except one, who was wounded by one of our men."
—Yet we are told by Mr. Bonner, that this unmitigated scamp and ruffian, in " his occasional visits to San Francisco, vies with many prominent residents in the dress and manners of the refined, gentleman" ! As Mr. Beckwourth's " antecedents " or present position would not disentitle him to represent some new State, this probably accounts for the shooting of waiters and other peccadilloes that " come off" at Washington.
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