A week of rest was plenty for Ashley’s men, for they were itching to get on to the rendezvous. Farewell gifts were exchanged between Ashley and the chief, speeches made pledging eternal friendship and loyalty, and Ashley’s party was off down the trail, with a contingent of Crow to guide them.
A journey of more than a week was uneventful and without hardship. Game was plentiful and varied, the spring weather pleasant. Beckwourth had to agree with the Crow that their territory was the best anywhere, this land of broad valleys and meandering streams, bordered by towering mountains and forested foothills. The rendezvous was to be at the confluence of two rivers according to Bracken. The Crow guides knew their land well, and soon they came within sight of campfires. A signaling gunshot brought
