of his people had gone to the other fort to trade whisky, he went down to drink with them.
In the course of their frolic a quarrel sprung up amongst them in regard to La Main, the whole of the party agreeing to kill him. Some of them barred the door of the room in which they were and stood against it. Others advanced upon him with knives, lances, and tomahawks; but such was the activity of this man that for some time he contended alone with twenty-five or thirty Indians, with nothing but
a battle-axe. This instrument he wielded in every direction, knocking down some and killing one man. He forced his passage to a window, then leaping through the glass, scrambled on top of the house and cleared the pickets at a: single bound. Although at this juncture arrows and guns were fired at him in abundance, yet he got off again without a scar and ran up to Fort Union, three miles above, perfectly naked, on an extremely cold winter's night. The gate was opened for him and after having warmed himself, he told the story of his escape, laughing and in great glee, apparently regretting he had left the place when so much fun was going on.
In a year from this time it happened that the rest of the family of Le Gros Frangois, headed by Le Premier qui Volle. La Main's half brother, came to Fort Union to trade and were put into.the usual reception-room for Indians, which room, when the gates of the fort were closed, had no communication with the interior. In the night La Main also came and was let inside of the fort. When he found out who had arrived, instead of making his escape, which he could easily have done, he requested to be let in amongst the others and the gate was opened for him. He promised to smoke and talk with Le Premier qui Volle and his party for some time, when the latter, watching an opportunity, shot La Main through the body. He fell and they finished him by firing five or six shots through him. In the morning, Le Premier qui Volle, as soon as the gates of the fort were opened, tumbled in the dead body of La Main, say