, 1869-03-28
PRAIRIE DETECTIVES.

pSper.
PRAIRIE DETECTIVES.
EEdisn TEailers-Thstr AstsnIshlng
foWefs.
conenpcnde enee OF the Hudsoa sta1.
o. A. Posr Hosr1rA1, Fonr RA.pAII,l
uAHofA TxdRltoHr. Psh L, 1862 {
The most extraordinary skill that Is ex.
hlbised In this part Of the country, either By
the white man or red native, Is In the ptac::
tlee Of trailing. Here It may be accounted
Al nrt as much Is music, painting or scu1p-
tu1e Is In The Erzt. The Indian on tfapper
that Is ahrrwo trailer Is man Of close OBJ
quick perception. dud prompt
action As he goes along. nothing escapes
bis observation, and What be sec. and hears
he accounts for Immediately. Often not
another steu Is taken upttl my stery th.t
may preseLt Itself II this line IL fairly
solved. The Indian trailer will stand still
for hours Ii succession, to account for GER
tam traces or effects IN tracks, and some
times give to the matter unremitting at.en-
ton for days and weeks.
The tfRlltr Is not q graceful man. He
carries his head much inclined, his eye Is
quick and restless, always on the watch, aud
he Is practising bis art unconscionsly, hard
~ eyer crossing the track Of man OF animal
without teeipg 1t. When he euse1s house,
be brings the habits he contracted In the
practice Of his art with him. I know trailer
as soon a. he enters my room. He comes In
through the door softly, and with an ai1 OF
exceeding caution. Before be Is fafsly 10, or
at least has sat down, he has taken note OF
every article and person, though there may
be dozen vacant chairs In the. room- He Is
not used to chairs, and, like the Indian, pre-
Iers more humble seat When I was em-
plofed bY General Hatpey last sum.
mcr TO take charge temporarily OF
the Indians that were gathered
,1pids ze.d 1aik1, game inlo the Generars
headquarters. Il told him ID BE- seated. .Ha
sat down on the door. bractng bis back
sRai1 1t the wall. The General saw this, and
IN ve1a'ion cried ont. Ny God, why don't
you take chair, when there are plenty here
not occupied" 7" The man aroee aud seated
hmfelE IN chslr, but in 10 awkward and
uncomfortable manner that he looked as If
be might slip from IT at any moment.
But whtn thus uncouth person came TO
transact his business with The General be
turned out to be man Of no ordinary abili-
tics. Hs description Of route he took as
guide and trailer !or The Og,lialas in bring
minute, and to nc exceedingly Interesting.
Rrc1y wsr party that for the seaeoa had
| crossed his trait, he described With ntaute-
| ness as to their number, the kinds ot arms
they had, and stated the uibes they belonged
to. In these strange revelations that he
| made there wGs neither imposition nor sup
| poaltiou, tor he gave Satisfactory reasous for
| every assertion he made.
| have ridden several hundred miles with al
experienced guide anu trailer, flAck, whom
/ interroeate1 upon many points iu the prac-
lice Of This art Nearly all the tracks aaW,
/ either old or new, as novice in the art,
| questioned him about. In going to the Mo
| 6rara River We crossed the track Of an Indl.
| an pony. Ny guide followed the track 4
| few miles and then sald. "1t Is a stray, black
horse, with long, buthy tail, nearly starved
| to death, hns split hoof of the left fore
| foot, and goes very lame, and he passed
here early this mos1in9." As.enl,hed
sons Tor knowing these particulars b.
the tracks OF the animal, when be replied
| at was stray horse, because it did mol
| 60 in direct line his tail was long, for ht
dragged It over tho snow In brushing
aStinst bush he left some Of bis hair, which
| shows Its color. lie w4s very hungry, for
in going along, be has uipped At those high
dry weeds, which horses seldom eat. Tnt
lesnre OF the left fore loot left, also It's trick
and the depth Of the indentatlon shows tn,
degree Of his lameness and his tracks show
he was here this morning, when the SNOW
| was hard with FROST"
At another placc we came ac1oss an 1ndi AZ
track, and he said, 1t Is An old fankton
who came across the Missouri last evening
to look at bis traps. lr coming over b
carried in his right hand trap, and II
his LEFT a lasso 10 catch pony with be ha,
Int. had caught in the trap be had ont
prairie wo1E, which he carried home on b,
back and a bundle Of kinlkinlc wood In hi
tight hand" Then, he gave hls rea:ons, !"
know he is old by the impression his galt ha
made, and Yankton " th.t Of his mocca
sin. He IL from the other side Of the ii. er
as there are no Yanktons on this side. Th
trsp he carried struck the snow cow and then
ard IN the same manner as when he can't
shows that he did not find his pony. a dro
OF blood In the centre Of his tracks show
that he carried the volt on bis back, an
the bundle Of kinlklnic WOOD he used fol,
sa sho.s II ,hst saP1 be lid Ata; traps ou," Bus
asked, "how, do ron know 1t
Coyote, or "Is Even D's a deer = So,
he, "1f It had been fox, OF coyote, or an
other snail game, he would have alippe
The head Of ,he animal In his waist belt, IN
shoulders: Deer a.c not caught BY traps, bu
II Il had been deer, he would not har
crossed this high hill, but would have gon
lack by way of the ravtne. aud the loa
would have made his steps still more tottc
Ing"
Another Indian trick We saw twenty mile
west Of thus he Put this serious con.tEuctio
upon: Vie is an upper 1naiau-a prowiIn
horsc-thlef- carried double shot gun, an
Is rascal that killed some white man latel,
and passed here one week ago Tor" said hi
va lone Indian In these parts Is on nischie
and generally on the look out ior morse
He bad on the shoes Of white man whol
he had in all probability kille,
but his kteps are those Of an 1ndial
Goirg throach the raTine, the end Of h
gun hit into the deep enow. A week ago u
had a very warm day, and the snow bein
soft, be made these deep tracks; ever sint
II has been Intensely cold weather, whic
makes very shallow tracks" l sugResie
that perhaps he bought thoee shoes. Il
dlAns don't buy ahoes. and II they did the
would not buy them as large as these wer
for Indians have very small feet" The mo
noted trailer OF this country WAS Paul Daloril
half breed, who died under m5 hands, I
Indian consumption, last summer, At OF
time I rode with him, and trailing vi
naturally the subject of our CO
yer, Sersation' u ! begged e e TO to n t5sll vi,
in order to learn its history. / had hard
made the proposition, when he drew up'h
horse, which was at ravine, and sal
"WelI, here Is an old elk track. Let US r
| Of our horses and follow It," We followt
IL but few rods, when he said II WAS exac
ly month old, and made at = o'clock In u
our last rain, and at the hour named Il
i ground was tofter than at any other tin
The track before rs was then made.
broke up berc and there clusters Of grass tn
lay in the path Of the trace, and showed i
: the dry ends Of some, the 6tnmps OF Other
and by numerous other similar Items, q
) counted for many circu mstane
. that astouished me. We followed 1
trail over mile. Now aud then VIC saw th
wolf, a for, and other .snimals had pr
: tised their trailing instincts on the ell
. tracks. Here and there he would show I
9 where snake, rat, and a prairie dog b
! crossed the track Nothing had followed
croseed the t2ek that the quick eye
Daloria did not detect. He gave an accou
OF the habits Of all the animals that had /
their footprints on the track, also OF /
state Of The weather since the elk passed, a
. the effect Of sunshine, winds, 2rldity, 81
storms, and other Influences that had a be
Ing on these tracks
The old man, like Ill trailerA, was rttIce
but cu this occaston, seeing ! n lnrerusts
$ became especially communicative.
+ Dr. hAcAKSDEna
A Plethora OF Boys
: The Philadelphia Horaing Post 81,
| re- he late rcport rf tie Directors of Gin