September, 2010
This the second of the books purchased at venerable Fort Union National Historic Monument.
Hugh Glass or "Old Glass" as he was known among the mountain men, was a man of much legend and little written.
He spent his early career as an honest mariner in the time of great sailing vessels. Captured in the West Indies by Jean Lafitte's pirates he was spared death and pressed into service as a fellow buccaneer. Raiding the Gulf from what is present day Galveston Island the pirates put to death any hands who wanted to "retire from service". It took him two years or better but he was finally able to steal away northward. His escape route went through swamps, gators, snakes and the cannibalistic indians of the future south Texas region.
He and a fellow escapee made it as far north as Kansas before being caught by Pawnees resulting in his colleague's immediate death. He was spared the grim reaper by convincing the chief he should be not only spared but considered a tribal prince.
Here he spent three years fully engaged as not only a warrior but the adopted son of the headman. As a nomadic tribe the Pawnees taught Hugh how to live off the land as well as the ways of warrior society. These lessons would serve him well in the future.
As his luck would have it, and luck did play a large role in this man's life, he along with his benefactor and other tribal royalty were sent to St. Louis to meet with representatives of the "Great White Father in Washington". While in the "settlements" he took leave of his Pawnee family and lit out for the life as a fur trader and trapper.
While en route on one of his many journeys through the upper Missouri country "Old Glass" met "Old Ephraim" face to face. Ephraim was the nick name given grizzlies by the mountain men. Glass got one shot off before momma bear turned him every which way but loose. She even took a huge bite and fed his "meat" to her cubs. Hugh was torn by the six inch claws in twelve different places including his head and back. But the most grievous of his wounds was probably the fact his throat had been slashed.
Hugh lived through the mauling only to be deserted by his boss and travel partners. The boss paid two men to stay with him until death. It was obvious to everyone involved the gurgling, bleeding man wouldn't live another day. But he did. And another, and another. The two men Fitzgerald and nineteen year old Jim Bridger expected to sit with the dying man for a day or two then catch up with the departing trappers.
It should be noted Hugh's one shot did kill the bear eventually. Just not in time to stop his mauling. This bear and her yearling cubs were not the only griz in the vicinity. Bears were numerous as were wolves.
Nor were meat eaters the only mortal danger facing the wounded man and his two "sitters". No less than four hostile, as in "we'll kill you as soon as we see you", Indian tribes were frequenting the area.
Hugh was in and out of a coma unable to eat or drink. He was in dire straits. A slashed throat, bleeding constantly without any medical supplies with his sitters hoping for him to die sooner rather than later. They wanted out of there and were scared for their own lives.
The two young men decided since Hugh was not going to cooperate by giving up the ghost he was placing them in danger as well. So they robbed him of his "possibles", his knife, his beloved rifle, powder and ball. They even took his flint and steel for fire. They left him nothing to help defend or feed himself.
They left him for dead. Hundreds of wilderness miles from any friendly face he lay there next to a small spring. Left for dead was the man in and out of a coma and lucidity. He did however over hear the discussions concerning his abandonment and robbery.
Hugh Glass survived and the story of how he did it is amazing. That alone is good reason to read this book.
After he survived the bear attack and robbery he tracked the two men down. Then went onto become a storied trapper, trader and all round mountain men of peer admiration and repute. His, was the story of many a campfire tale.
Several more times Glass escaped death at the hands of Indians, bears, rivers and snows. He wandered what we now consider the upper Missouri, the Yellowstone, Salt Lake and Wyoming country. He attended the rendezvous so often associated with the Mountain man lifestyle. He was that, a Mountain Man who had an uncanny way of surviving.
It's a good read. Not long, not short, but good.
John Boykin
"The Hard Hat Photographer"
www.commimage.com
The Boomer Magazine
www.boomermag.blogspot.com
Don't ever think it ! There's always one more adventure out there. Go get it ! It belongs to you. jbb
No comments:
Post a Comment