They had departed from the main
body well armed and provided, with horses to ride, and horses to carry
the peltries they were to collect. They came wandering into the Snake
camp as ragged and destitute as their predecessors. It appears that they
had finished their trapping, and were making their way in the spring to
the Missouri, when they were met and attacked by a powerful band of the
all-pervading Crows. They made a desperate resistance, and killed seven
of the savages, but were overpowered by numbers. Pierre Detaye was
slain, the rest were robbed of horses and effects, and obliged to turn
back, when they fell in with their old companions as already mentioned.
We should observe, that at the heels of Pierre Delaunay came draggling
an Indian wife, whom he had picked up in his wanderings; having grown
weary of celibacy among the savages.
The whole seven of this forlorn fraternity of adventurers, thus
accidentally congregated on the banks of Snake River, were making
arrangements once more to cross the mountains, when some Indian scouts
brought word of the approach of the little band headed by John Reed.
The latter, having heard the several stories of these wanderers, took
them all into his party, and set out for the Caldron Linn, to clear out
two or three of the caches which had not been revealed to the Indians.
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