National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1871-01-20

DebecuVe fHckcnDnrR OF the Unite
: States Post Hospital at Fort Randall
Dacotah Territory, gives the following
account Of some shrewl characters h
met there
I.rode several hundred miles with Al
experienced guide and trailer, Hack
whom Iinterrogated upon many point,
IN the practice of this art. In going /,
the Niobrara River, we crossed the tracl
; OF an Indian pony. MY guide followet
the track few miles anil then said
:" 1t is stray black horse, with d
long, bushy tail, nearly starved to death
has split hoof on the fore foot, goes
very lame, and he passed here early this
morning"
- Astonished and incredulous, | asked
him the reasons for knowing these par
ticnlars by the track OF the animal, when
he replied
1T was a stray horse, because it did not
go in direct line ; its tail was long,
for he dragged it over the snow in
bru shing against bush he left some of
it's hair which shows its color. He was
very hungry, for in going along no has
nipped at those high dry weeds, which
! horses seldom eat The fssare of the
| left fore foot left, also, its track, and the
depth of the indentation shows the de-
gree OF his lameness and his tracks
show he was here this morning, when
the snow was hard with frost
At another place we came across an
Indian track, and he said
"It is an old Yankton who came
across the Missouri last evening to look
at his traps. In coming over he carried
III his right hand trap, and in his left
lasso, to catch pony which he had
lost He returned without finding the
horse, but had caught in the trap he
had out prairie wolf, which he carried
home on his back, and bundle of
kindle wood in his right hand.
Then he gave his reasons
' know he is old by the the impress
sion his gait has made, and Yankton
by that of his moccasins. He is from
the other side of the river, as there are
no lankton on this side. The trap he
carried struck the snow now and then.
and III the same manner as when he
came, shows that he did not find his
pony. A drop of blood in the center of
his tracks shows that he carried the
wolf on his back. and the bundle of
kindle wood he used as "a staff for sup
port, and catching wolf, shows that he
had tral ont
:" But, | asked, "how do you know
it is wolf ? Why not fox, or CO.
yette, or even a deer ?"
Said he "If it had been fox. or a
coyette, or any other smaller game he /
would have slipped the al mal in his
waist belt, and SO carried it by his side
and not on his shoulder. Deers are
not caught by traps but if it had been
n deer, he would not have crossed the
high hill, but would have gone back by
wav of the ravine, and the load would
have made his steps more tottering."
Another Indian track we saw twent,
miles west of this he put his serio
upon:
" He is an upper Indiana prowling
lorse thief-c carried a double shotgun.
md is a rascal that killed some white
men lately, and passed here one week
%, for, said he, "a lone Indian in
hese parts is no mischief, and generally
III the lockout for horses. He had on
he shoes of q white man, whom he had
II all probability killed but his steps
rt those of an Indian. Going through
he ravie, the end of his gun hit the
leep snow. A week ago we had very !
varm day, and, the snow being soft, he /
made these deep tracks, ever since it has |
'een intensely cold weather, which :
makes very shallow tracks. {
l suggested that perhaps he bought !
hese shoes !
Indians don't buy shoes, and ii
hey did, they would rot bay them as r
urge rs these WERE for Indians have
cry small feet
The most noted trailer of this country
as Paul Daloria, alf-breed, who died
nder my hands of Indian consumption Z,
st summer. At one time | rode with r
i'm, and trailing was naturally the sub +
'ct of our conversation. | begged to p
ail with him and follow all old track g
yer the prairie, in order to learn its A
lstory. | had hardly made the pro-
Dsition when he drew up his horse,
hich was III a ravine, and said ~
Well, here is an old elk track Let 81
get off our horses and follow it. st
Wefollowed it but few rods, when he
i'd 1t WAS exactly month old. and
ade MT two o'clock in the afternoon.
his he knew, MS then we had our last -
~. and the hour named the ground st
is softer than at any other time The II,
lck before us was then made. He al
oke up here and there clusters of iii
ass that lay in the path of the track, sit
ID showed me the dry end of some, tn
e stumps of others, and by numerous tn
her similar items accounted for many Bi
that astonished me- We IN
llowed the trail over mile Now cv
Il then we saw that wolf, fox. and 70
her animals had practiced their trail tu
z instincts on the elk tracks. Here tr,
d there he would show me whore a tel
AXE, a rat, and prairie dog had cross en
the track. Nothing had followed or co
pssed the track that the quick eye of in
Lloria did not detect He gave an ac-
mt of the habits of all the animals
1t had left tlfeir footprints on the
ok, also of the state of the weather ,
ce the elk passed, and the effects of "a
sunshine, winds, aridity sand II ~
rms and others influences that had !, + !
lring on these tracks. 'i'
imports and Exports. '.,
The monthly report of the Bureau of ncr