The season of operations that preceded the January attacks was a productive one, by the available accounts.

The trapping party had established a working relationship with most of the local Shoshone, acquired horses, and was moving beaver pelts.

The operation was functioning as intended.

The attacks in January 1814 represented a sudden and catastrophic breakdown of those working arrangements.

Multiple camps were struck in a short period.

The geographic distribution of the attacks — hitting both the outlying trapping camps and the base camp — suggests coordinated action rather than a single spontaneous incident.

For Marie, the sequence of attacks meant that she had no safe option in the immediate vicinity.