MISCELLANEOUS

SINGULAR ADVENTURE

Mr. Bradbury in his travels in the interior of North Country relates the following singular adventures of a man named Colter.

Colter came to St. Louis in May 1810 in a small canoe from the head waters of the Missouri, in a distance of 3000 miles, which he traversed in 30 days. I saw him on his arrival, and received from him an account of his adventures after he had separated from Lewis and Clark's party; one of these, for its singularity, I shall relate. On the arrival of the party at the head waters of the Missouri, Colter observing an appearance of abundance of beaver being there, got permission to remain and hunt for some time, which he did in company with a man of the name of Dixon who had traversed the immense tract of country from St. Louis to the head waters of the Missouri alone. Soon after he separated from Dixon, and trapped in company with a hunter named Potts; and aware of the hostility of the Black-feet Indians, one of whom had been killed by Lewis, they set traps at night, and took them up early n the morning remaining concealed during the day. They were examining their traps early one morning in a creek about six miles from that branch of the Missouri called Jefferson's Fork, and were ascending in a canoe, when they suddenly heard a great noise resembling the trampling of animals; but they could not ascertain the fact, as the high perpendicular banks on each side of the river impeded their view. Colter immediately pronounced it to be occasioned by Indians, and advised an instant retreat, but was accused of cowardice by Potts, who insisted that the noise was caused by buffaloes, and they proceeded on.

In a few minutes afterwards, their doubts were removed by a party of Indians, making their appearance on both sides of the creek, to the amount of five or six hundred, who beckoned them to come ashore. As retreat was now impossible, Colter turned the head of the canoe, and at the moment of its touching an Indian seized the rifle belonging to Potts; but Colter who is a remarkable strong man, immediately retook it, and handed it to Potts, who remained in the canoe, and on receiving it, pushed off into the river. He had scarcely quitted the shore when an arrow was shot at him, and he cried out, 'Colter, I am wounded!' Colter remonstrated with him on the folly of attempting to escape, and urged him to come a shore, Instead of complying he instantly leveled his rifle at the Indian and shot him dead on the spot. This conduct, situated as he was, may appear to have been and act of madness, but it was doubtless the effect of sudden, but sound reasoning; for if taken alive, he must expected to be tortured to death, according to their custom. He was instantly pierced with arrows so numerous that to use Colter's words, 'he was made a riddle of.' They now seized Colter, stripped him entirely naked, and began to consult on the manner he should be put to death.

They were first inclined to set him up as a mark to shoot at, but the chief interfered, and seizing him by the shoulder, asked him if he could run fast? Colter, who had been for some time amongst the Keekatse or Cree Indians, had in a considerable degree acquired the Blackfoot language, and was also well acquainted with Indian custom, he knew that he had now to run for his life, with the dreadful odds of five or six hundred against him, and those armed Indians; he therefore cunningly replied that he was a very bad runner, although he was considered by the hunters as remarkably swift. The chief now commanded the party too remain stationary, and he led Colter out of the prairie three or four hundred yards and released him, bidding him 'save himself if he could.' At this instant the horrid war whoop sounded in the ears of poor Colter, who urged with the hope of preserving life and with speed at which himself was surprised. He proceeded towards the Jefferson Fork, having to traverse a plain six miles in breadth; abounding with prickly pear, which he was at every instant treading with his naked feet. He ran nearly half way across the plain before he ventured to look over his shoulder, when he perceived that the Indians were much scattered, and that he gained ground to a considerable distance from the main body; but one Indian who carried a spear, was much before all the rest and not more than ninety or a hundred yards from him. A faint gleam of hope now entered the heart of Colter, he derived confidence from the belief that escape was within the bounds of possibility, but that confidence was nearly fatal to him, for he exerted himself to such a degree that the blood gushed from his nostrils, and soon almost covered the forepart of his body.

He had now arrived within a mile of the river, when he distinctly heard the appalling sound of footsteps behind him, and every instant expected to feel the spear of his pursuer. Again he turned his head, and saw the savage not twenty yards from him. Determined if possible, to avoid the expected blow, he suddenly stopped turned around, and spread out his arms. The Indian surprised by the suddenness of the action, and perhaps by the bloody appearance of Colter, also attempted to stop; but exhausted with running, he fell whilst endeavoring to throw his spear, which struck in the ground and broke. Colter instantly snatched up the pointed part, with which he pinned him to the earth, and then continued his flight. The foremost of the Indians, on arriving at the place, stopped till others came up to him join them, when they set up a hideous yell. Every moment of time was improved by Colter, who although fainting, and exhausted, succeeded in gaining the skirting of the cotton tree wood on the border of the Fork, through which he ran and plunged into the river.

Fortunately for him, a little below this place was an island against the upper part of which, a raft of drift timber had lodged. He dived under the raft, and after several efforts got his head above water amongst the trunks of the trees covered over with smaller wood to the depth of several feet. Scarcely had he secured himself, when the Indians arrived on the river, searching and yelling as Colter expressed it 'like so many devils.' There were frequently on the raft during the day and were seen through the chinks by Colter, who was congratulating himself on his escape, until the idea arose that they might set the raft on fire. In horrible suspense he remained until night when hearing no more of the Indians he dived under the raft and swam silently down the river to a considerable distance, where he landed and travelled all night. Although happy in having escaped from the Indians, his situation was still dreadful; he was completely naked, under a burning sun; the soles of his feet were entirely filled with the thorns of the prickly pear; he was hungry, and had no means of killing game, although he saw abundance around him; and was at least seven days journey from Liso's Fort on the Bighorne branch of the Roche Jaune River. These were circumstances under which almost any man, but an American hunter would have despaired. He arrived at the Fort in seven days, having subsisted on a root much esteemed by the Indians of the Missouri, now known by naturalists as psoralsa esculenia.- Wyoming Republican.