Mountain Men-Captured by Blackfeet: Final Chapter

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Howdy folks and greetings from the Great Plains of North Texas! We are in a series about a mountain man who was captured by Blackfeet Indians in the early 1800's, Wyoming mountains.

Sam escaped on foot and traveled until he came to a river. At that point he knows the dogs can't pick up his scent so he is wading upstream.

He had to stay hidden

He stayed in the river until he found a place to hide along the banks so as not to make any tracks up in the snow. The place he found was a high water eddy that had cut a groove under a grove of large Aspen trees.

The opening was nearly covered with bushes and was 20 feet deep, perfect to enter and get dried off without making tracks on the bank. He put his leggings and moccasins on and laid down. He rested and slept off and on all day and ate some more from the chunk of Elk.

At dusk he went back into the river and walked all night again. The current was strong and the progress was slow, it was the most exhausting work he'd ever done. The next morning he spotted a cave which was nearly overgrown with trees and bushes with the mouth close to the water's edge so that's where he stopped.

No sign of Indians

From the cave entrance he could see far down the meandering river and across the valley. He saw no smoke from Indian fires.

He sat at the mouth of the cave and cut off a few ounces of the Elk, he had also caught two small fish the size of his finger and he'd gathered a few handfuls of rose hips from along the banks of the river.

After he'd eaten he was looking for a spot to lay down when he noticed an echo in the cave so he started talking and even singing a little, listening to the sounds bouncing back to him.

When he found a good place to lay down he spread out the robe and laid down but just as he did that his senses kicked into high alert. He wasn't a man to fear but he felt fear now, and heard a rumbling from the back of the cave.

He's not alone in the cave

He gripped his knife in one hand and the tomahawk in the other as a massive form moved toward him. He knew it was a Grizzly bear that his echoing had woken from it's sleep. The bear didn't look friendly. In fact, he looked to be properly riled.

Sam jumped to his feet and rushed toward the giant, striking him on the head with the tomahawk with a resounding thud and then a second time. The Grizzly stopped, backed up and turned around and went back to where he came from.

Sam was disappointed because he knew that either that one or others would come out after awhile so he had no choice but to leave. He took his moccasins and leggings off again and put his sore feet into the frigid water and headed upstream.

Much needed sleep

After walking for hours and looking for another place to crash, he spied an arbor made from a dense bramble of vines covered with snow and 6 or 7 feet deep.

He went in, got dressed and fell asleep after he'd eaten the rest of the Elk. That was the first good sleep he'd had in a week, he got a good eight hours.

After another half day in the river he got out on the bank, he knew after three days with no signs of the Blackfeet he was safe. He was close to the Divide, on the other side of the mountains was his original destination, a cabin owned by a lady named Kate.

She lived alone in the foothills, probably 150 miles away. With no gear or horse it was going to take him awhile to get there but right now he needed food.

Weak and starving

It had been snowing for days and he hadn't seen any wildlife except hawks overhead and the few tiny fish he'd caught in the river. He peeled bark off a spruce tree and licked the resin on the inside. It was bitter. He'd been told that a man could live on that if he had to but he had his doubts!

Sam made his way toward the Divide and began the slow, tiring climb up the mountain. He was numb with cold but wouldn't take the chance of starting a fire until he was on the other side. He was weak too but he told himself he would make it.

Something caught his ear and he froze in place, straining to hear above his heavy breaths. It was growling, coming from up ahead. He charged forward because he knew it had to be an animal kill.

Food!

Coming over a hill looking down into a ravine were several wolves knawing at a deer carcass. There wasn't any meat left but there were lots of fine bones. The wolves snarled and growled at Sam but he just roared at them and shouted "Git!!" they scattered like rabbits.

He fell down on his knees and thanked God Almighty, then picking up a leg bone he split that thing open with a crack and began to eat the marrow. It might as well have been steak. It was like eating life itself as strength flooded back into his cells.

Sam took his knife and made a pouch out of the carcass for carrying the rest of the bones. He knew he could make it now. He felt the hand of God on him. He was as strong as a bull moose.

"Kate, keep the fire burnin." he said to himself as he faced the North wind and headed toward the Divide.

Don't worry folks, he made it to Kate . And his adventures continued.

Thanks so much for stopping by, God bless you all!
-jonboy Texas
the gentleman redneck

PS- ya know...you might just be a redneck if:

Your baby's first words are "Attention K-Mart shoppers!"