1834. The gossip at rendezvous was this year of an unusually exciting
character. Of the brigades which left for different parts of the country
the previous summer, the Monterey travelers were not the only ones who
had met with adventures. Fitzpatrick, who had led a party into the Crow
country that autumn, had met with a characteristic reception from that
nation of cunning vagabonds.
Being with his party on Lougue River, in the early part of September, he
discovered that he was being dogged by a considerable band of Crows, and
endeavored to elude their spying; but all to no purpose. The Crow chief
kept in his neighborhood, and finally expressed a desire to bring his
camp alongside that of Fitzpatrick, pretending to the most friendly and
honorable sentiments toward his white neighbors. But not feeling any
confidence in Crow friendship, Fitzpatrick declined, and moved camp a
few miles away. Not, however, wishing to offend the dignity of the
apparently friendly chief, he took a small escort, and went to pay a
visit to his Crow neighbors, that they might see that he was not afraid
to trust them. Alas, vain subterfuge!
While he was exchanging civilities with the Crow chief, a party of the
young braves stole out of camp, and taking advantage of the leader's
absence, made an attack on his camp, so sudden and successful that not a
horse, nor anything else which they could make booty of was left. Even
Captain Stuart, who was traveling with Fitzpatrick, and who was an
active officer, was powerless to resist the attack, and had to consent
to see the camp rifled of everything valuable.
In the meantime Fitzpatrick, after concluding his visit in the most
amicable manner, was returning to camp, when he was met by the exultant
braves, who added insult to injury by robbing him of his horse, gun, and
nearly all his clothes, leaving him to return to his party in a
deplorable condition, to the great amusement of the trappers, and his
own chagrin.
However, the next day a talk was held with the head chief of the Crows,
to whom Fitzpatrick represented the infamy of such treacherous conduct
in a very strong light. In answer to this reproof, the chief disowned
all knowledge of the affair; saying that he could not always control the
conduct of the young men, who would be a little wild now and then, in
spite of the best Crow precepts: but that he would do what he could to
have the property restored. Accordingly, after more talk, and much
eloquence on the part of Fitzpatrick, the chief part of the plunder was
returned to him, including the horses and rifles of the men, together
with a little ammunition, and a few beaver traps.
Fitzpatrick understood the meaning of this apparent fairness, and
hastened to get out of the Crow country before another raid by the
mischievous young braves, at a time when their chief was not "honor
bound," should deprive him of the recovered property. That his
conjecture was well founded, was proven by the numerous petty thefts
which were committed, and by the loss of several horses and mules,
before he could remove them beyond the limits of the Crow territory.
While the trappers exchanged accounts of their individual experiences,
the leaders had more important matters to gossip over. The rivalry
between the several fur companies was now at its climax. Through the
energy and ability of Captain Sublette of the St. Louis Company, and the
experience and industry of the Rocky Mountain Company, which Captain
Sublette still continued to control in a measure, the power still
remained with them. The American Company had never been able to cope
with them in the Rocky Mountains; and the St. Louis Company were already
invading their territory on the Missouri River, by carrying goods up
that river in boats, to trade with the Indians under the very walls of
the American Company's forts.
In August of the previous year, when Mr. Nathaniel Wyeth had started on
his return to the states, he was accompanied as far as the mouth of the
Yellowstone by Milton Sublette; and had engaged with that gentleman to
furnish him with goods the following year, as he believed he could do,
cheaper than the St. Louis Company, who purchased their goods in St.
Louis at a great advance on Boston prices. But Milton Sublette fell in
with his brother the Captain, at the mouth of the Yellowstone, with a
keel-boat loaded with merchandise; and while Wyeth pursued his way
eastward to purchase the Indian goods which were intended to supply the
wants of the fur-traders in the Rocky Mountains, at a profit to him, and
an advantage to them, the Captain was persuading his brother not to
encourage any interlopers in the Indian trade; but to continue to buy
goods from himself, as formerly. So potent were his arguments, that
Milton yielded to them, in spite of his engagement with Wyeth. Thus
during the autumn of 1833, while Bonneville was being wronged and
robbed, as he afterwards became convinced, by his men under Walker, and
anticipated in the hunting-ground selected for himself, in the Crow
country, by Fitzpatrick, as he had previously been in the Snake country
by Milton Sublette, Wyeth was proceeding to Boston in good faith, to
execute what proved to be a fool's errand. Bonneville also had gone on
another, when after the trapping season was over he left his camp to
winter on the Snake River, and started with a small escort to visit the
Columbia, and select a spot for a trading-post on the lower portion of
that river. On arriving at Wallah-Wallah, after a hard journey over the
Blue Mountains in the winter, the agent at that post had refused to
supply him with provisions to prosecute his journey, and given him to
understand that the Hudson's Bay Company might be polite and hospitable
to Captain Bonneville as the gentleman, but that it was against their
regulations to encourage the advent of other traders who would interfere
with their business, and unsettle the minds of the Indians in that
region.
This reply so annoyed the Captain, that he refused the well meant advice
of Mr. Pambrun that he should not undertake to recross the Blue
Mountains in March snows, but travel under the escort of Mr. Payette,
one of the Hudson's Bay Company's leaders, who was about starting for
the Nez Perce country by a safer if more circuitous route. He therefore
set out to return by the route he came, and only arrived at camp in May,
1834, after many dangers and difficulties. From the Portneuf River, he
then proceeded with his camp to explore the Little Snake River, and
Snake Lake; and it was while so doing that he fell in with his men just
returned from Monterey.
Such was the relative position of the several fur companies in the Rocky
Mountains in 1834; and it was of such matters that the leaders talked in
the lodge of the Booshways, at rendezvous. In the meantime Wyeth
arrived in the mountains with his goods, as he had contracted with
Milton Sublette in the previous year. But on his heels came Captain
Sublette, also with goods, and the Rocky Mountain Company violated their
contract with Wyeth, and purchased of their old leader.
Thus was Wyeth left, with his goods on his hands, in a country where it
was impossible to sell them, and useless to undertake an opposition to
the already established fur-traders and trappers. His indignation was
great, and certainly was just. In his interview with the Rocky Mountain
Company, in reply to their excuses for, and vindication of their
conduct, his answer was:
"Gentlemen, I will roll a stone into your garden that you will never be
able to get out."
And he kept his promise; for that same autumn he moved on to the Snake
River, and built Fort Hall, storing his goods therein. The next year he
sold out goods and fort to the Hudson's Bay Company; and the stone was
in the garden of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company that they were never
able to dislodge. When Wyeth had built his fort and left it in charge of
an agent, he dispatched a party of trappers to hunt in the Big Blackfoot
country, under Joseph Gale, who had previously been in the service of
the Rocky Mountain Company, and of whom we shall learn more hereafter,
while he set out for the Columbia to meet his vessel, and establish a
salmon fishery. The fate of that enterprise has already been recorded.
As for Bonneville, he made one more effort to reach the lower Columbia;
failing, however, a second time, for the same reason as before--he could
not subsist himself and company in a country where even every Indian
refused to sell to him either furs or provisions. After being reduced to
horse-flesh, and finding no encouragement that his condition would be
improved farther down the river, he turned back once more from about
Wallah-Wallah, and returned to the mountains, and from there to the east
in the following year. A company of his trappers, however, continued to
hunt for him east of the mountains for two or three years longer.
The rivalry between the Rocky Mountain and American Companies was this
year diminished by their mutually agreeing to confine themselves to
certain parts of the country, which treaty continued for two years, when
they united in one company. They were then, with the exception of a few
lone traders, the only competitors of the Hudson's Bay Company, for the
fur-trade of the West.
[Illustration: VIEW ON THE COLUMBIA.]