SINGULAR ADVENTURE.
the following singular adventure of a man named John Colter, is taken from Mr Bradbury’s Travels in the interior of North America.
Colter came to St Louis in May, 1810, in a small canoe, from the head-waters of the Missouri, a distanco 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. I shall relate one anecdote for its singularity. On the arrival of the party at the head-waters of the Missouri, Colter observing an appearanco 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 Lewis 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 Blackfeet Indians, one of whom had been killed by Lewis, they set their traps at night, and took them up early in 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 noiso, 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 immediatly pronounced it to be occasioned by Indians, and advised
