John Colter’s Favorite Mistake

Screeching and yelling “like so many devils,” the Blackfeet grabbed at the driftwood raft hovering above the swimming naked man. Although humiliated by the Indians’ sport of having him strip and run for his life as a warrior chased after him, John Colter was a clever man who could outwit his opponents—even despite the prickly pear thorns in his feet and the throbbing hot sun beating down on his naked body. After all, Colter had tricked the warrior by stopping short and turning around