another mission to the indians—start for the shoshone camp—difficulties of travel—near the crows and blackfeet—a dream gives warning of danger—discover a large body of indians—no opportunity of escape—ride into the camp of a hunting and war party—meet chief washakie—a day's march—situation critical—hold a council—present the book of mormon—all but washakie speak against us and the book—awaiting the chief's decision.
at a general conference held in salt lake city, april 6, 1855, i was again called to go east among the indians, to labor with and for them. i was appointed by president brigham young to take the presidency of the mission among the shoshones. at this call i hastened to provide as comfortably as possible for my family, and to fit myself for the mission assigned me.
i set out on may 8, 1855, in company with four other elders, going east via salt lake city. i drove one of the two teams, to pay for the hauling of my baggage, as i had no team of my own. on the 10th we reached salt lake city, and left the same day. on the 11th we overtook another wagon and two of our fellow-missionaries. we arrived at fort supply on the 17th, having had a pleasant trip. we found seven elders planting the crop. on the 18th we joined them in the work of plowing and seeding, and repairing the stockade and fences. on the 29th, eight of us fitted up a four-horse team and wagon and six saddle horses and started for the shoshone camps, which we had heard were on the headwaters of either the green or the snake river. on june 1st we came to a tributary of the green river, called the fontenelle. there we rested one day, then moved camp up to the mouth of the canyon.
on the 3rd of june, e. b. ward, joshua terry and i crossed over the divide between the green and snake rivers, leaving elder george w. boyd in charge of camp. the three of us went along the western slope, passing one lodge of friendly indians. on the 5th we came to siveadus' camp of twenty lodges. he and his people were very cool towards us, so we proceeded to a stream called piney, and up that to the top of the divide, from where we could see to the head waters of the wind river. having been told that washakie and his camp were somewhere on the headwaters of horse creek, we made for that point, traveling over snowdrifts that we supposed were fifty feet deep. the descent was very steep, and in some places rather dangerous. that night our coffee basins, that were left standing half or two-thirds full of water, had become frozen solid; and the weather seemed seasonable for christmas.
we suffered much with cold until 10 o'clock a.m., on the 7th of june. we turned northeast, and came onto horse creek, camping just below its mouth, under a high, steep bluff, in a fine grove of cottonwoods. everything seemed deathly still. we were in the borders of the crow and blackfeet indians' country, with jaded horses, so that if we were discovered it would be impossible to escape. we began to feel a little concern for our scalps, for we were aware that both the crows and the blackfeet were hostile. we gathered our wood, taking care that no branch or anything connected with our fire would make much blaze or smoke, lest by it we should be discovered. everything being placed in the best possible position for flight or fight, as might seem best if emergency should arise, we rested there that night; and something told us we should not go farther north, but that south should be our course in the morning.
early the following morning, about 3 o'clock, i dreamed that i saw a large band of indians come down and pitch camp on the creek above us. i was so forcibly impressed that i awoke the other two men, and told them i felt confident that the dream was true, and that we would prove it at daylight. they agreed with me, so i told them to make as dark a fire as was possible, and to get breakfast, while i would go on the high bluff that overlooked camp and the country adjacent, where i would watch everything that moved, and if there were friends or foes in the country we would see them or their lights before they should see ours. we all arose at once, the others preparing the meal and saddling the horses ready for a hasty move, while i went up on the bluff and there kept a sharp lookout until the dawn. at the first streaks of daylight i saw a blue smoke creeping up through the willows, perhaps a mile and a half above me, then another and another, until it was plain there was a camp of indians just where i had dreamed they were. soon the tops of lodges appeared, then a band of ponies was driven up. by this time it was fairly daylight.
i reported to the others what i had seen, and we took breakfast. by the time the sun cast his earliest rays over the landscape, we were in the saddle. then came the question, what shall we do? to flee was folly, for it was not likely that we would escape the ever vigilant eye of the red man, in an open country like that was. we decided to ride out boldly on the open bench, and go straight to their camp. no sooner had we done so than we were discovered, and some twenty or more warriors started to encircle us, but we rode direct for the camp without showing any concern.
soon we were completely surrounded by a score of armed warriors in full costume of war paint; as these closed in their circle, they saluted us with a war-whoop. some had "green" scalps hanging from their bridle bits, while others had them suspended from their surcingles. as the warriors drew nearer to us it became evident that they were of the shoshone tribe, but we could not recognize any one of them, and they did not appear to recognize us. when we spoke to them and offered to shake hands, they shook their heads and pointed us to the camp, while they proudly escorted us there, some going before us and clearing the way up to the lodge of washakie, their chief, who, with some of his leading men, stood waiting to receive us. as we rode up, washakie and his associates stepped forward, and in a very friendly manner shook hands. by gestures they said, "we are moving camp, and you will go and camp with us tonight. then we will hear what you have to say. we fell in with a war party of crows and blackfeet yesterday, and defeated them, and now we are fleeing to a safe place for our women and children, lest they get reinforcements and come upon us and our families;" then with a motion, the chief said, "forward," and soon the whole band was on the move.
we estimated that the indians numbered about three thousand all told, and there was a pony for every soul; they were well supplied with rifles, colt's revolvers, bows, arrows, shields and some cutlasses, and large, heavy knives. they were excellently mounted, and their discipline could not well be improved for the country they were passing over and the force they were most likely to fall in with. their flanking party was so arranged as to act as a front guard, and at the same time drive all the game into a circle and thence into a second circle, so that everything, down to the smallest chipmunk and squirrel, was bagged. this was over a strip of country about eight miles by thirty; and the pack of sagehens and squirrels that was brought into camp was astonishing. the old and middle-aged men formed the rear guard, while the whole female portion of the camp drove the pack animals. the chief and his most confidential advisers rode just in front of these, and we were called to be a part of the escort.
when all was on the move, the camp made quite a formidable appearance. it looked to us as if the shrubbery on our way had changed suddenly into a moving army, what with people and ponies all moving up hill and down, over the rolling country, to the south, between the high snake and wind river ranges of the great rocky mountains. we thought of ancient israel, of the ten tribes coming from the north country, and of the promises that had been made to the indians by the prophets of their forefathers.
to us this was a great day of thought and meditation, for at times it seemed to us that we could see the opening glories of a better day, and could almost declare, "now is the dawn of the day of israel," for we had a letter from that modern moses, president brigham young, to read and interpret to the red men, and also the book of mormon to introduce to them that very evening, for the first time; and the question uppermost in our minds was as to whether they would receive it or not, for there were many hard looking countenances in the throng, and we could see plainly from their frowns that they were not at all friendly to us.
when we had traveled till about 3 o'clock p.m., camp was made in a lovely valley. the chief's lodge was first pitched, clean robes spread, and we were invited to take seats thereon. our horses, packs and all, were taken charge of by the women of the camp, just where we dismounted, and we had no more to do with our animals until we had use for them next day.
a little fire having been built in the center of the lodge, the councilors began to file into their places, each very quietly shaking hands with us, some of them very coldly. when all was quiet, the chief said, by gesture, "now tell us what you have to say. tell it straight, and no crooked talk, for we do not want any lies, but the truth." it seemed to us that they were ready for square work, so, with as few words as possible, we told washakie we had a letter from the big mormon captain to him and his people. then he said, "tell us what it says," and between the three of us we could tell him every word.
i am sorry that i have not at hand the full text of the letter, but it was a very friendly document, and, so far as i can now remember, told them that president young had sent us to washakie and his people as their friends, that we were truthful and good men, who would tell them many good things about how to live in peace with all people; that president young and the mormon people were true friends to the indian race, and wished them to be our friends, that we might live in peace with each other, for it would not be many years before all the game would be killed off or driven out of the country, and the white men would want to come and settle in the land; that if the indians would settle down and build houses like the white man, and cultivate the land as the white man did, when the game was gone they and their families would have something to eat. president young proposed to furnish seed and tools, and some good men to show and help the indians to put in their crops. the letter further said that after a while, when we understood each other better, we would tell them about their forefathers, and about god; that we had a book that told a great many things regarding the great spirit's dealings with their forefathers, and what he would do for them and their children. then we presented the book of mormon to washakie, while his lefthand man filled the pipe and drew a rude figure of the sun, in the ashes of the smouldering fire; he also muttered a few unintelligible words, smote his chest with his hand, took a whiff or two from the pipe, passed it to the next man on his left, and reached for the book; he opened it and said it was no good for them—that it was only good for the white man.
in that same order the pipe and book passed around the circle twenty-one times, and each time the indian made a new figure in the ashes, each representing a different planet. during the whole time only one man spoke at once. one said, "this book is of no use to us. if the mormon captain has nothing better to send than this, we had better send it, his letter, and these men, back to him, and tell him that they are no good to us, that we want powder, lead and caps, sugar, coffee, flour, paints, knives, and blankets, for those we can use. send these men away to their own land."
another of the council, when it came to his turn, said, "we have no use for this book. if the paper were all cut out and thrown away, we could sew up the ends and put a strap on it, and it would do for the white man's money bag; but we have no use for it, for we have no money to put in it." he could not understand what good it was to the shoshone, and said, "let the white man take it and go home, and come back with something that we can eat, or use to hunt with."
these were the sentiments expressed by the members of the council. but washakie had not yet spoken, and we anxiously awaited his decision.
