Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 24.djvu/22

 10 Joseph J. Hill life's activities. 9 The account states that about this time (between 1825 and 1828, but unfortunately the exact date is not given), "Smith and Le Duke organized a party of five for a trapping expedition to the Gila river. All the party were well armed, and after two or three weeks' travel they found good trapping grounds and began to find beaver. They had been engaged about a fortnight when they were discovered by a band of Apaches, who came into their camp and made all sorts of manifestations of friendship. After being feasted they took their departure, but on passing where the trap- pers' horses were picketed one of the red rascals shot an arrow into an animal. This was regarded as a declara- tion of hostilities, and the trapping party concluded that it was best for them to leave that part of the country. They packed up and started. Smith and Sublette deter- mined to take up their traps, and in attempting to do so were fired upon, a perfect shower of arrows falling about them. Sublette was hit in the leg, and it was only by the aid of Smith he managed to escape; the party lost their traps, but saved their scalps." The narrative says nothing at this point about a return to Santa Fe, but if the trappers lost all of their traps there was likely nothing else for them to do but to return for a new supply. "A few months later," the account continues, "when en- camped in another part of the country, they were visited by a band of twenty Apaches, who were very arrogant. One of the trappers prepared a hearty meal for them, and as soon as the red skins were seated around the mess, Smith gave a war-whoop and opened the battle. He says, 'None of them fellows ever returned home to tell of that event ; we fixed them all.' " The similarity of the two accounts leads one to con- clude that they both relate to the same expedition. The five men in the Smith and Le Duke group and the eleven 9 "The Story of an Old Trapper. Life and Adventures of the Late Peg-leg Smith" (San Francisco Bulletin, October 26, 1866).