He immediately called the Indian in, gave him his meal, smoked the pipe with him, and to all appearances had forgot all old scores, but, in a few hours, when the man least expected it, clove his skull with his tomahawk and threw his body outside the camp.
For a year or two things went on as usual, when some of the relations of the dead man began to look around for an opportunity of revenging. This, however, was not an easy matter, and by some means or other they made out to get his brother, La Main, to aid them in bringing about his destruction. This Indian, La Main, was a son of Gros Frangois by a different wife, and was also one of the worst Indians then in the nation and had at this time, by his bad conduct, incurred the displeasure of the rest of his family. This being favorable to the enemies of his brother, Broken Cloud, they at length by payment and promises engaged him on their side, choosing the time when Broken Cloud's camp was far off, and learning that he, with a few women, had gone to the fort to trade, they arrived also in the same evening, about twelve in number, apparently as a war-party going to the Blackfeet. It was then the custom for trading and war-parties to sleep in another set of buildings about a hundred yards distant from the fort, in which both the parties encamped for the night, apparently as friends with each other. Nothing was heard by the people of the fort during the night, but on awakening they were informed that Broken Cloud had been murdered in the night by La Main and his party. One of the traders proceeded to examine the body and found it pierced with twenty-three stabs and arrow shots. He was decently interred at Fort Union.
In consequence of this act La Main was declared an outlaw by the rest of his brothers, but he could never be got at with any degree of safety. He remained for the most part with the gang with whom he was concerned, leading them in various war expeditions, in which his desperate bravery gained him credit of power amongst the others, though for his numerous acts of rascality he was despised