University of Virginia Library

July 27th. 1806. Sunday.

This morning at daylight the indians got up and crouded
around the fire, J. Fields who was on post had carelessly laid
his gun down behi[n]d him near where his brother was sleeping,
one of the indians the fellow to whom I had given the
medal last evening sliped behind him and took his gun and
that of his brother unperceived by him, at the same instant
two others advanced and seized the guns of Drewyer and myself,
J. Fields seeing this turned about to look for his gun
and saw the fellow just runing off with her and his brother's
he called to his brother who instantly jumped up and pursued
the indian with him whom they overtook at the distance of
50 or 60 paces from the camp s[e]ized their guns and rested
them from him and R. Fields as he seized his gun stabed the
indian to the heart with his knife the fellow ran about 15
steps and fell dead; of this I did not know untill afterwards,[32]

having recovered their guns they ran back instantly to the
camp; Drewyer who was awake saw the indian take hold of
his gun and instantly jumped up and s[e]ized her and rested
her from him but the indian still retained his pouch, his
jumping up and crying damn you let go my gun awakened
me I jumped up and asked what was the matter which I
quickly learned when I saw drewyer in a scuffle with the indian
for his gun. I reached to seize my gun but found her gone,
I then drew a pistol from my holster and terning myself about
saw the indian making off with my gun I ran at him with my
pistol and bid him lay down my gun which he was in the act
of doing when the Fieldses returned and drew up their guns
to shoot him which I forbid as he did not appear to be
about to make any resistance or commit any offensive act,
he droped the gun and walked slowly off, I picked her up
instantly, Drewyer having about this time recovered his gun
and pouch asked me if he might not kill the fellow which I
also forbid as the indian did not appear to wish to kill us, as
soon as they found us all in possession of our arms they ran
and indeavored to drive off all the horses I now hollowed to
the men and told them to fire on them if they attempted to
drive off our horses, they accordingly pursued the main party
who were dr[i]ving the horses up the river and I pursued the
man who had taken my gun who with another was driving off
a part of the horses which were to the left of the camp. I
pursued them so closely that they could not take twelve of
their own horses but continued to drive one of mine with some
others; at the distance of three hundred paces they entered
one of those steep nitches in the bluff with the horses before
them being nearly out of breath I could pursue no further,
If called to them as I had done several times before that I
would shoot them if they did not give me my horse and raised
my gun, one of them jumped behind a rock and spoke to the
other who turned arround and stoped at the distance of 30
steps from me and I shot him through the belly, he fell to
his knees and on his wright elbow from which position he
partly raised himself up and fired at me, and turning himself
about crawled in behind a rock which was a few feet from him.
he overshot me, being bearheaded I felt the wind of his bullet
very distinctly.' not having my shotpouch I could not reload
my peice and as there were two of them behind good shelters
from me I did not think it prudent to rush on them with my
pistol which had I discharged I had not the means of reloading
untill I reached camp; I therefore returned leasurly towards
camp, on my way I met with Drewyer who having heared
the report of the guns had returned in surch of me and left
the Fieldes to pursue the indians, I desired him to haisten
to the camp with me and assist in catching as many of the
indian horses as were necessary and to call to the Fieldes if he
could make them hear to come back that we still had a sufficient
number of horses, this he did but they were too far to
hear him. we reached the camp and began to catch the horses
and saddle them and put on the packs, the reason I had not
my pouch with me was that I had not time to return about
50 yards to camp after geting my gun before I was obliged to
pursue the indians or suffer them to collect and drive off all
the horses. we had caught and saddled the horses and began
to arrange the packs when the Fieldses returned with four of
our horses; we left one of our horses and took four of the
best of those of the Indian's; while the men were preparing
the horses I put four sheilds and two bows and quivers of
arrows which had been left on the fire, with sundry other articles;
they left all their baggage at our mercy. they had but
2 guns and one of them they left the others were armed with
bows and arrows and eyedaggs. the gun we took with us. I
also retook the flagg but left the medal about the neck of the
dead man that they might be informed who we were. we took
some of their buffaloe meat and set out ascending the bluffs
by the same rout we had decended last evening leaving the
ballance of nine of their horses which we did not want. the
Fieldses told me that three of the indians whom they pursued
swam the river one of them on my horse. and that two others
ascended the hill and escaped from them with a part of their
horses, two I had pursued into the nitch one lay dead near the
camp and the eighth we could not account for but suppose
that he ran off early in the contest, having ascended the hill
we took our course through a beatifull level plain a little to
the S. of East, my design was to hasten to the entrance of
Maria's river as quick as possibly in the hope of meeting with
the canoes and party at that place having no doubt but that
they [the Indians] would pursue us with a large party and as
there was a band near the broken mountains or probably between
them and the mouth of that river we might expect them
to receive inteligence from us and arrive at that place nearly
as soon as we could, no time was therefore to be lost and
we pushed our horses as hard as they would bear. at 8 miles
we passed a large branch 40 yds. wide which I called battle
river.[33] at 3 P. M. we arrived at rose river about 5 miles
above where we had passed it as we went out, having traveled
by my estimate compared with our former distances and
cou[r]ses about 63 ms. here we halted an hour and a half
took some refreshment and suffered our horses to graize; the
day proved warm but the late rains had supplyed the little
reservors in the plains with water and had put them in fine
order for traveling, our whole rout so far was as level as a
bowling green with but little stone and few prickly pears.
after dinner we pursued the bottoms of rose river but finding
[it] inconvenient to pass the river so often we again ascended
the hills on the S. W. side and took the open plains; by dark
we had traveled about 17 miles further, we now halted to
rest ourselves and horses about 2 hours, we killed a buffaloe
cow and took a small quantity of the meat. afte refreshing
ourselves we again set out by moonlight and traveled leasurely,
heavy thunderclouds lowered arround us on every quarter but
that from which the moon gave us light. we continued to pass
immence herds of buffaloe all night as we had done in the
latter part of the day. we traveled untill 2 OCk in the morning
having come by my estimate after dark about 20 ms. we
now turned out our horses and laid ourselves down to rest in
the plain very much fatiegued as may be readily conceived.[34]
my indian horse carried me very well in short much better
than my own would have done and leaves me with but little
reason to complain of the robery.