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6 Conservative.
INCIDENTS OP WESTERN HISTORY.
IV.
Two Lone Americans.
As BOOII as the bars wore down , the
Americans began wandering about in
their new pasture. Pike found one in
Santa Fe when ho reached that city ,
and Lewis and Olark left one on the
Upper Missouri , who preferred staying
and looking around in that terrific
wilderness to returning to the life of
civilization. How many others there
were who did not happen to come in
contact with any of the explorers who
afterwards wrote books how many who
merely left their bones unnoticed some
where on the plains or in the mountains
how many who ventured and returned ,
and left no token of their daring save
in the bold blood of their sons , no one
can tell. It was no small thing for a
single man , or a handful of men , to go
into the unexplored west in the first
years of the last century , nor were they
small men who did it. Let any one
picture to himself a single man facing
the awful labyrinths of the Rocky
Mountains alone ; a journey of months
between him and any white man's
dwelling ; no companions but his rifle
and his hunting knife ; no store of am
munition beyond what his powder horn
and bullet pouch contained ; "the meat
that he should sup withal running yet
fast on foot ; " perhaps no other human
being within a hundred miles ; none at
any rate but the savages in their primi
tive wildness ; and nothing anywhere
around him but the stony mountains or
the endless plains.
These are the men with whom many
generations of American poets and
sculptors are likely to busy themselves.
As for our narrative , the man whom
Lieutenant Pike found in Santa Fe was
a Kentnckian , whose name was probably
James Puroell , though Pike got it
Pnrsley , and Dr. Ooues accepted it in
that form. Pike's story of him is as
follows :
' 'In the historical anecdotes of New
Mexico , it may not be improper to record
the name of James Pnrsley , the first
American who ever penetrated the im
mense wilds of Louisiana , and shewed
the Spaniards of New Mexico , that
neither the savages who surround the
deserts which divide them from the
habitable world , nor the jealous tyranny
of their rulers , was sufficient to pre
vent the enterprising spirit of the
Americans from penetrating the arca
num of their rich establishments in the
new world. Pursley was from near
Bairds Town , [ Bardstown ] Kentucky ,
which he had left in 1799. In 1802 ,
with two companions , he left St. Louis
and traveled west on the head of the
Osage river , where they made a hunt ;
from thence they struck for the White
if !
River of the Arkansaw and intended to
descend it to Orleans , but while making
preparations the Kauses stole their
horses : having secured their peltries
they pursued them into the village.
The horses were there , but the Indians
refused to give them up : Pnrsley saw
his horse with an Indian on him going
to the water at the edge of the town.
He pursued him , and with his knife
ripped open the horse's Dowels. The In
dian retuined to the village , got his gun
and came and snapped it at Pursley ,
who followed him into the village with
his knife : the Indian took refuge in a
lodge surrounded by women and chil
dren. This conduct struck the chiefs
with astonishment and admiration of
the "mad Americans , " as they termed
them , and they returned the other
horses to the hunters. Pursley and his
companions now returned to the place
where they buried their peltries , and
determined to pursue the route by land
to St. Louis ; but some persons stole
their horses a second time , when they
were no great distance from the Osage
river , on which they formed a rough
canoe and descended that stream nearly
to its junction with the Missouri. Here
they overset their canoe and lost their
whole year's hunt , but saved their arms
and ammunition , which are always the
primary objects in a desert. On the
Missouri they met Monsieur
[ left blank by Pike , and not yet
guessed ] in his barge , bound to the
Mandanes. Pursley embarked with
him for the voyage ; his two companions
preferred returning to their homes. On
the arrival of the former at the point of
destination , his employer dispatched
him on a hunting and trading tonrwith
some bands of the Paducas and Kyaways ,
with a small quantity of merchandise.
In the ensuing spring they were driven
by the Sioux from the plains into the
mountains which give rise to the Plate ,
Arkansaw , &c. , and it was their sign
which we saw in such amazing abun
dance on the headwaters of the Plate , their
party consisting of nearly two thous
and souls with ten thousand beasts.
The Indians knowing they were ap
proximate to New Mexico , determined
to send Pursley with his companions
and two of their body into Santa Fe , to
know of the Spaniards if they would
receive them amicably , and enter into
a trade with them. This being acceded
to by Governor Allenoaster , the Indian
deputies returned for their bands ; but
Pursley thought proper to remain with
a civilized people , among whom a
fortuitous event had thrown him , a cir
cumstance which he assured me he had
at one time entirely despaired of. He ar
rived at Santa Fe , June , 1805 , and had
been following his trade , ( a carpenter )
ever since , at which he made a great
deal of money , except when working
for the officers , who paid him little or
nothing. He was a man of strong
natural sense , and of undaunted intre
pidity ; and entertained me with numer-
j v y vJ.fiMj.-iiiijt - : * : '
ons interesting anecdotes of his ad
ventures with the Indians , and of the
jealousy of the Spanish government.
He was once nearly being' hanged for I
making a few pounds of powder , which
he innocently did , as he was accustomed
to do in Kentucky , but which is a capi
tal crime in these provinces. He still re
tained his gun , which he had with him
during his whole tour , and spoke con
fidently that if he had two hours start ,
not all the province could take him. Ho
was .forbidden to write , but was assured
he'shonld have a passport whenever de
manded ; he was obliged , however , to
give security that he would not leave
the country without the permission of
the government. I brought letters out
for him. He assured me that he had
found''gold on the head of the Plate ,
and had carried some of the virgin
mineral in his shot pouch for months ,
but that being in doubt whether he
should ever again behold the civilized
world , and losing in his mind all the
ideal value which mankind have
stamped on that metal , he threw his
sample away ; that he had imprudently
mentioned it to the Spaniards , who had
frequently solicited him to go and show
a detachment of cavalry the place , but
conceiving it to be in our territory he
had refused , and was fearful that the
circumstance might create a great ob
stacle to his leaving the country. "
But for the steadfastness of this car
penter , we might not have had the
southwest of today. If he had shown
the Mexicans the placers of Colorado ,
history might have had another story to
tell. He did , however , in all proba
bility , effect his escape at last ; for a St.
Louis paper of April , 1824. mentions
one James Purcell , lately returned from
a 19 years' residence in Santa Fe , who
must have been the man.
Our other subject , the man who chose
to remain in the mountains , may also
have been a Kentuckian , as many
of Lewis and Clark's men were. His
name was John Colter. The cap-
tains' record of the case is that about
August 15 , 180G , somewhere in the
middle of North Dakota , "Colter ap
plied to us for permission to join the
two trappers who had accompanied
us , and who now proposed an'expedi-
tion up the river in which they wore
to find traps and to give him a share
of the profits. The offer was a very
advantageous one ; and as he had al
ways performed his duty , and , his
services could be dispensed with , we
consented to his going upon condition
that none of the rest were to ask or
expect a similar indulgence. To this
they all cheerfully assented , saying
that they wished Colter every
success , and would not apply for
liberty to separate before we reached
St. Louis. We therefore supplied
him , as did'his comrades also , with
powder and lead , and a variety of
