Eastern times., 1855-03-08

ed in astonishment and yet have no doubt
of the truth of the trapper's statement, for he
had no interest in deceiving me- l am salts
fed from what knew of him that he had
slain the full number staGed-one thousand
seven hundred and forty
became curious to learn the cause of his
aniipathy to the prairie-wolves for l knew he
had an antipathy, and it was that that had in
duced him to commit such wholesale havoc
among these creatures. BY careful manage
ment, ] at last got him upon the edge of the
story, and quietly pushed him into it. He
gave il to me thus
Wal, sir, about ten winters agone, was
travelin' from Bents Fort on the Arkansaw,
to Laramie, on the PlaItee, all alone b. my
self. / had undertook the journey on some
business for Bill Bent-no matter now what
had crossed the divide, and got within sight
o the Black Hills, when one night had 10
camp out on the open prairie, without either
bush or stone TO shelter me. That war, per-
haps the coolest night this niger remembers;
there war wind kim down from the noun
tains that wud a froze the har off an iron dog
l gathered my blanket around me, but that
wind whistled through il as if il had been a
rail fence. 'Twan't no use lyin' down, for
| couldn't sleep, so | sot up. You may ask
why hadn't frel I'll tell you why
Fust, thar want stick O. timber within ten
miles if me; and, secondly, if thar had been,
dasen't a made fire. | war travellin as
bad bit O. Injun ground as could been found
in all the country, and I'd seen Iniun sign two
or three times that same day. It's true thar
war good grst O. buffer chips about to'ably
dry, and l'mout have made some sort O. fire
but for that an at last did make fire arter
fashion. did it this way.
Seeing that with the cold want agoin' to
get wink @ sleep, gathered wheen O. the
buffler chips. l then dug hole in the ground
with my bowie, an hard pickin that war;
but got through the crust at last, and made
a sort O. oven about fut, or fut and half
deep. At the bottom l laid some dry grass
and dead branches O. sage-plant, and then set
tin it afre, piled the buffler-chips on top
The thing burnt tol'abe well, but the smoke
O the butler dung would choked a skunk
As soon as it had got fairly underway, |
hunkered, an sat down over the hole, in sich
position as 10 catch all the heat under my
blanket, an then | was comfiable enough
OF course no InJun kud see the smoke arter
night, an ii would tuken sharp eyes to have
sighted the fire, reckon.
Wal, sir, the critier / rode war a Young
mustang colt, about half broke. l had bought
him from Mexikin at Bent's only the week
afore, and it war his tust journey, leastwise
with me. Ofcoorse had him on the lariat;
but up to this time had kept the eend o. the
rope in my hand, because | had that same day
lost my picket pin; an thinkin' as l want
agoin' to sleep, mout as well hold on TO it.
By'am by, however, l begun to feel drowsy
The fire atween my legs promised to keep me
from freezin,, an thought mought as well
get nap. So | tied the lariat round my
ankles, sunk my head atween my knees, an in
the twinklin' O. a goats tail war sound. l
jest noticed as war eoin' off, that the mustang
war out some yards, nibblin' away at the dry
grass o the parairy.
[ guess / must a slep about an hour, or
thereabouts-I won't be sartint how long. |
only know that didn't wake O. my own ac-
cord. was awoke; an when did awoke,
| still thort | war a dreamin'. 1t would
been a rough dream; but unfort nately for
me, it want dream, but a ienwine reality.
AT fust, l couldn't make out what war the
matter WI me, no how; an then thort war
in the hands O the lnjuns, who were dragein'
me over the parairy; an sure enough war
dragg,n that way, though not by Injuns.
Once or twice lay still for jest a second or
two, an then away l went agiR. trallin' and
bnmpin' over the ground, as if had been tied
to the tail O. gallepia' hoss. All the while
there was yellin' in my ears, as if all the
cats an dogs of--anywhere-were arter me.
Wal, sir, it war some time afore l compre nd
ed what all this rough usage meant. | did at
last. The pull upon my ankles gave me the
idea. II war the lariat that war round them
My mustang had stampedoed, and war drag
gin me at full gallop across the parairy
The barkin', an howlin', an yellin' [
heerd, war pack O. parairy-wolves. Half
famished, they had attacked the mustang, and
started him. All this kim into my mind at
once. You'll say it war easy to lay hold on
the rope, an stop the boss. So it mout ap-
pear but kin tell you that it amt so easy
thing. 1t want SO TO me. My ankles were
in moose, an were drawed close together.
OF coorse, while l war movin' along could mt
get to my feet an whenever the mustang
kim to halt, an had half gathered myself,
afore kud reach the rope, away went the
critter agin, fingin' me to the ground at full
length-Another thing hindered me. Afore
goin' to sleep, had pat my blanket on Mexi-
kin-fashion-that is wi my head through a
slit in the centre-an' as the drag begun, the
blanket fopped about my face, an half smoth-
cred me. Perhaps, however, an | thort SO
arterwurd, that blanket saved me many a
scratch, although it bamfoozed me good Bit
IL i