Colter's Run (Highlights from American History)

John Colter looked longingly at his moccasins. They lay behind him in a pile with the rest of his clothes. Before him, a dry, cactus-covered plain stretched for miles. Colter-explorer and mountain man-was about to race for his life. Only his own speed could save him from the hundreds of armed Blackfeet warriors who waited to pursue him. They had captured him on this day in 1808 as he picked up his beaver traps. Now they intended to have some fun with him before killing him. The Indian chief untied Colter's hands. "Save yourself if you can," he said. Colter began to run, trying to ignore the cactus spines that stabbed into his feet. Could Colter outrun the Indians? And if he did escape, could he make his way back to Fort Lisa without any clothes, food, or weapons? Colter's Run is a story of courage, cleverness, and adventure. It's the story of a remarkable man-a member of the now famous Lewis and Clark expedition and the discoverer of what is now Yellowstone National Park. It's the story of a man who became a legend in his own time.