I'm reading a book, written by Edwin Bryant. The book, entitled ROCKY MOUNTAIN ADVENTURES was printed in 1888 by WORTHINGTON CO. 747 BROADWAY, NY making it 132 years old. It is a compilation of several books that were written earlier by Mr. Bryant and the part I'm reading now is his telling of a day to day narrative on his trip from St. Louis to California. This trip started in early May, 1846. Three months into the voyage on August 1, the author writes:
"Morning clear, with a delightfully soft breeze from the south. I purchased, this morning, of one of the Utahs, a dressed grisly bear-skin, for which I gave him twenty charges of powder and twenty bullets. Several other small trades were made with them by our party. Having determined to cross a range of the mountains, instead of following to avoid it, the shore of another cove or bay of the Salt Lake, - by doing which we should lose in distance twenty five or thirty miles,- we laid our course nearly west, towards the lowest gap we could discover in the range.
After we had proceeded two or three miles up the sloping plain, towards the base of the mountains, Colonel Russel recollected that he had left his rifle at the camp-- a "nine-shooter,"
Accompanied by Miller, he returned back to recover it. I was very well satisfied that the Indians would have discovered it, and, considering it a valuable prize, would not wait for the return of the loser. According to their code of morals, it is not dishonest to take what is left in camp, and they never fail to do it. I halted for an hour, and long after our party had disappeared in a gorge of the mountains, for the return of Colonel Russell and Miller. I could see, from my elevated position the dust raised by the horses of the retreating Indians on the plain, at a distance of six or eight miles from the camp. Becoming impatient, I commenced a countermarch, and while moving on, I saw, at a distance of a mile and a half, a solitary horseman, surging his animal with great speed towards me, there being but one instead of two, I felt considerable anxiety, not knowing but some disaster might have occurred. I moved faster towards the horseman, and at the distance of a quarter of a mile, discovered that it was Colonel Russell. Riding towards him, I inquired what had become of Miller? He did not know. He had lost him in hunting through the willows and ravines. My anxiety was much increased at this report, and I started to return to the camp, when Miller, proceeding at a slow gate, appeared on one of the distant elevations. The result of the search for the "nine-shooting" rifle was fruitless. The Indians had carried it away with them. The only consolation I could offer to Colonel Russell for his loss was, that a more useless burden was never carried on the shoulders of man or mule. It was a weight upon the beast, and an incumbrance to the rider, and of no practical utility on this journey. This consolation however, was not very soothing.
[I will state here, that this rifle was recovered by Mr. Hadspeth, brought into California and returned to Colonel Russell. The Indian who took it from our camp, after he had returned to the village of his tribe, was much elated by his prize. But in discharging it, the ball, instead of making its passage through the barrel, took another direction, and wounded him in the leg. An instrument so mysterious and eccentric it was considered dangerous to retain, and the chief ordered its restoration to the emigrant parties following us. It was recognised by Mr. Hudspeth, and returned to its owner, as above stated.]"
After I read this, I thought the rifle might be one of the early Patterson Colts Rifles and checking thru FLAYDERMANS GUIDE, I found they were made in 1837-1841 which would have made them available to Colonel Russell. On the negative side of things though, it seems that all of the "ring lever Colt revolving rifles" were 8 or 10 shot guns.
I then remembered the Harmonica Rifles. These repeating rifles had their loads in a rectangular block of iron that slid sideways thru the frame and they were first made in the 1830's thru the 1850's by several different companies including one run Jonathan Browning.
They were made with many different numbers of shots, including a 9 shot version.
"Morning clear, with a delightfully soft breeze from the south. I purchased, this morning, of one of the Utahs, a dressed grisly bear-skin, for which I gave him twenty charges of powder and twenty bullets. Several other small trades were made with them by our party. Having determined to cross a range of the mountains, instead of following to avoid it, the shore of another cove or bay of the Salt Lake, - by doing which we should lose in distance twenty five or thirty miles,- we laid our course nearly west, towards the lowest gap we could discover in the range.
After we had proceeded two or three miles up the sloping plain, towards the base of the mountains, Colonel Russel recollected that he had left his rifle at the camp-- a "nine-shooter,"
Accompanied by Miller, he returned back to recover it. I was very well satisfied that the Indians would have discovered it, and, considering it a valuable prize, would not wait for the return of the loser. According to their code of morals, it is not dishonest to take what is left in camp, and they never fail to do it. I halted for an hour, and long after our party had disappeared in a gorge of the mountains, for the return of Colonel Russell and Miller. I could see, from my elevated position the dust raised by the horses of the retreating Indians on the plain, at a distance of six or eight miles from the camp. Becoming impatient, I commenced a countermarch, and while moving on, I saw, at a distance of a mile and a half, a solitary horseman, surging his animal with great speed towards me, there being but one instead of two, I felt considerable anxiety, not knowing but some disaster might have occurred. I moved faster towards the horseman, and at the distance of a quarter of a mile, discovered that it was Colonel Russell. Riding towards him, I inquired what had become of Miller? He did not know. He had lost him in hunting through the willows and ravines. My anxiety was much increased at this report, and I started to return to the camp, when Miller, proceeding at a slow gate, appeared on one of the distant elevations. The result of the search for the "nine-shooting" rifle was fruitless. The Indians had carried it away with them. The only consolation I could offer to Colonel Russell for his loss was, that a more useless burden was never carried on the shoulders of man or mule. It was a weight upon the beast, and an incumbrance to the rider, and of no practical utility on this journey. This consolation however, was not very soothing.
[I will state here, that this rifle was recovered by Mr. Hadspeth, brought into California and returned to Colonel Russell. The Indian who took it from our camp, after he had returned to the village of his tribe, was much elated by his prize. But in discharging it, the ball, instead of making its passage through the barrel, took another direction, and wounded him in the leg. An instrument so mysterious and eccentric it was considered dangerous to retain, and the chief ordered its restoration to the emigrant parties following us. It was recognised by Mr. Hudspeth, and returned to its owner, as above stated.]"
After I read this, I thought the rifle might be one of the early Patterson Colts Rifles and checking thru FLAYDERMANS GUIDE, I found they were made in 1837-1841 which would have made them available to Colonel Russell. On the negative side of things though, it seems that all of the "ring lever Colt revolving rifles" were 8 or 10 shot guns.
I then remembered the Harmonica Rifles. These repeating rifles had their loads in a rectangular block of iron that slid sideways thru the frame and they were first made in the 1830's thru the 1850's by several different companies including one run Jonathan Browning.
They were made with many different numbers of shots, including a 9 shot version.
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