CHAPTER VII.
Arrival of General Ashley and Party—His Relation of their Sufferings after leaving the Rendezvous—Their Excursion to Salt Lake—Fall in with a Fur Company before unknown to the Mountaineers—His final Fortune and return to St. Louis.
Sitting in camp one beautiful summer morning—for the month of June is always lovely in northern latitudes—an Indian lass stepped up to me, and wished me to kill a deer or an antelope, and bring her the brains, wherewith to dress a deer-skin, offering me, in compensation, a handsome pair of moccasins. Thinking to save two dollars by a few minutes' exertion, I took my rifle and alone left camp. After travelling two miles, I obtained sight of a fine antelope, which had also seen me, and kept himself at a respectable distance. In following him up to get a fair shot, I at length found myself about ten miles from camp, with small prospect of getting either brains or moccasins.
While among the wild sage, still trying to approach the antelope, I observed a horse and rider coming in my direction. Feeling satisfied that the rider was an Indian, I at once made up my mind to run no farther after the antelope, but to shoot him, and take his brains to the squaw, as she would know no difference. I therefore concealed myself in the sage until he should come within range of my rifle. Becoming impatient, at length, at his tardy approach I raised my head to take a look, when, to my utter astonishment, I saw General Ashley in the act of mounting his horse at a few paces' distance. He had stopped to adjust something belonging to his saddle, and to this trifling circumstance he was indebted for his life. On
