* * * Two thousand miles on her, and we were at the mouth of
Yellow Stone river—at the West. What! invoices, bills of lading, &c., a
wholesale establishment so far to the West! And those strange looking,
long-haired gentlemen, who have just arrived, and are relating the
adventures of their long and tedious journey. Who are they?
Oh! they are some of our merchants just arrived from the West.
And that keel-boat, that Mackinaw-boat, and that formidable caravan,
all of which are richly laden with goods.
These, Sir, are outfits starting for the _West_.
Going to the _West_, ha? “Then” said I, “I’ll try it again. I will try
and see if I can go to the West.”
* * * What, a Fort here, too?
Oui, Monsieur—oui, Monsieur (as a dauntless, and
_semibarbarian_-looking, jolly fellow, dashed forth in advance of his
party on his wild horse to meet me.)
What distance are you west of Yellow Stone here, my good fellow?
Comment?
What distance?—(stop)—quel distance?
Pardón, Monsieur, je ne sais pas, Monsieur.
Ne parlez vous l’Anglais?
Non, Monsr. I speaks de French and de Americaine; mais je ne parle pas
l’Anglais.
“Well then, my good fellow, I will speak English, and you may speak
Americaine.”
Pardón, pardón, Monsieur.
Well, then we will both speak Americaine.
Val, sare, je suis bien content, pour for I see dat you speaks putty
coot Americaine.
What may I call your name?
Ba’tiste, Monsieur.
What Indians are those so splendidly dressed, and with such fine
horses, encamped on the plain yonder?
Ils sont Corbeaux.
Crows, ha?
Yes, sare, Monsieur.
We are then in the Crow country?
Non, Monsieur, not putty éxact; we are in de coontrae of de dam Pieds
noirs.
Blackfeet, ha?
Oui.
What blue mountain is that which we see in the distance yonder?
Ha, quel Montaigne? cela est la Montaigne du (pardón).
Du Rochers, I suppose?
Oui, Monsieur, de Rock Montaigne.
You live here, I suppose?
Non, Monsieur, I comes fair from de West.
What, from the West! Where under the heavens is that?
Wat, diable! de West? well you shall see, Monsieur, he is putty fair
off, súppose. Monsieur Pierre Chouteau can give you de histoire de ma
vie—il bien sait que je prends les castors, very fair in de West.
You carry goods, I suppose, to trade with the Snake Indians beyond the
mountains, and trap beaver also?
Oui, Monsieur.
Do you see anything of the “Flat-heads” in your country?
Non, Monsieur, ils demeurent very, _very_ fair to de West.
Well, Ba’tiste, I’ll lay my course back again for the present, and at
some future period, endeavour to go to the “West.” But you say you
trade with the Indians and trap beavers; you are in the employment of
the American Fur Company, I suppose?
Non, Monsieur, not quite éxact; mais, súppose, I am “_free trappare_,”
free, Monsr. free.
Free trapper, what’s that? I don’t understand you, Ba’tiste.
Well, Monsr. súppose he is easy pour understand—you shall know all.
In de first place, I am enlist for tree year in de Fur Comp in St.
Louis—for bounté—pour bounté, eighty dollare (understand, ha?) den I
am go for wages, et I ave come de Missouri up, et I am trap castors
putty much for six years, you see, until I am learn very much; and den
you see, Monsr. M‘Kenzie is give me tree horse—one pour ride, et two
pour pack (mais he is not buy, him not give, he is lend), and he is
lend twelve trap; and I ave make start into de Rocky Montaigne, et I am
live all álone on de leet rivares pour prendre les castors. Sometime
six months—sometime five month, and I come back to Yel Stone, et Monsr.
M‘Kenzie is give me coot price pour all.
So Mr. M‘Kenzie fits you out, and takes your beaver of you at a certain
price?
Oui, Monsr. oui.
What price does he pay you for your beaver, Ba’tiste?
Ha! súppose one dollare pour one beavare.
A dollar per skin, ah?
Oui.
Well, you must live a lonesome and hazardous sort of life; can you make
anything by it?
Oh! oui, Monsr. putty coot, mais if it is not pour for de dam rascalité
Riccaree, et de dam Pieds noirs, de Blackfoot Ingin, I am make very
much monnair, mais (sacré), I am rob—rob—rob too much!
What, do the Blackfeet rob you of your furs?
Oui, Monsr. rob, súppose, five time! I am been free trappare seven
year, et I am rob five time—I am someting left not at all—he is take
all; he is take all de horse—he is take my gun—he is take all my
clothes—he is takee de castors—et I am come back with foot. So in
de Fort, some cloths is cost putty much monnair, et some whiskey is
give sixteen dollares pour gall; so you see I am owe de Fur Comp 600
dollare, by Gar!
Well, Ba’tiste, this then is what you call being a free trapper is it?
Oui, Monsr. “free trappare,” free!
You seem to be going down towards the Yellow Stone, and probably have
been out on a trapping excursion.
Oui, Monsr. c’est vrai.
Have you been robbed this time, Ba’tiste?
Oui, Monsr. by de dam Pieds noirs—I am loose much; I am loose all—very
all——eh bien——pour le dernier—c’est le dernier fois, Monsr. I am go to
Yel Stone—I am go le Missouri down, I am go to St. Louis.
Well, Ba’tiste, I am to figure about in this part of the world a few
weeks longer, and then I shall descend the Missouri from the mouth of
Yellow Stone, to St. Louis; and I should like exceedingly to employ
just such a man as you are as a voyageur with me—I will give you good
wages, and pay all your expenses; what say you?
Avec tout mon cour, Monsr. remercie, remercie.
It’s a bargain then, Ba’tiste; I will see you at the mouth of Yellow
Stone.
Oui, Monsr. in de Yel Stone, bon soir, bon soir, Monsr.
But stop, Ba’tiste, you told me those were Crows encamped yonder.
Oui, Monsieur, oui, des Corbeaux.
And I suppose you are their interpreter?
Non, Monsieur.
But you speak the Crow language?
Ouis, Monsieur.
Well then, turn about; I am going to pay them a visit, and you can
render me a service.—Bien, Monsieur, allons.
[2] Wyöming.
LETTER—No. 10.