Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1872-11-07

q rear. aud who were evidently following after
y MS for the pHrposc Of ransaslsina our camp
ing ground as we moved enxarss.
The country from the heaHof Heart River
q westward is entirely devoid Of game Of any
!. Lind. Even the buffplo has departed to other
T ranges, yet from tise vast number If tracks
w found there naust' lsave been iltifndeso
s, ilaass within two sen
q sons, past It was To their great scarcity tha,
we attributed the corresponding scarcity o
Indians.
We made our first camp on O'Fallon's
Creek 1T poiat about twenty-five miles from
4 where it enters the Iellowstone) on the I5tI
Of August. Atthe FIRST sign OF day ontffe
+ morning Of the 10th. a small party Of Indi.
ans, variously estimated from two GOA dozen
stole up close to file sentres on tile east .ide
Of the camp, and Watching their opportunity
| made a dash for the inside of our line ol
j tents, apparently with a view to stampede
B from the corral siselr animals rs they
i might find Oh their way. The vigilance OF
the sentries, however, ard tile alarm being
Immediately given. frustrated the attempt,
for The troops on all four sides were rapidly
III entering one corner of the camp to dash
out at another, without accomplishing any-
thing. After leaving fhe camp. about twenty
Indians were seen lowering roundit, picking
/ up such scraps of food as they could find.
1 Another alarm Of approaching Indians was
raFf of
i just as the command was turning into the
Yellowstone Valley. and about one mile
/ from the mouth OF O'Fallon's Creek. The
train OF over 150 wagons was thrown mo a
|, corral, beef cattle driven intoits centre, and
the entre comm and fropt, flank and rear.
deployad as ssIirnlishers to receiIn an attack.
all in 4 very short space OF Time, but after Il
VERY brief delay. the expedition started Oh
again. nnmolested, westward, up the yellow
stone. and wentinto camp att point equi-dis-
tant from the mouth OF Powder River, and
from O'falIonts creek, about seven miles
ro n either. The foil owing morning, Sun
flaf, August 18th, the. Northern Pacific Rail-
road engineers, escorted by l25 men, went
fap the valley to the mouth of Powder River
which was reached at I0a. m. and salute
fred. The engineers placed their final stake
at i. selected spot near the mouth Of Powder
elaeIs @ oseloa Zoe ihnall ih Il. sanehef aIaeltf
Opposite q the eln e 5... siiabhff IL .o. which
Of the route having been reached, the engi-
neers commenced the survey for final ioca-
ton of their road and had just finished their
work at the first station, when a party of lu-
dians dashed down from a range OF bluffs
bordering the south side Of the valley. and
endeayored to Intercept one of the engi-
necring parties who had struggled behind the
main body.
THE MOUNTED SCOUTS
with US saw their movement just in time to
make charge upon the advancing enemy, |
and turn them back inao tile hills from which
they came, before the Struggling engineer. fell
into their hands.
After the desultory firing by both parties,
the Indians moved to the west bank OF Pow
der River, came down to point opposite to
our party and asked to talk with our leader.
Their request being granted and short talk I
had, the engineers and escort prpared to
move eastward, continuing their locating
work, when the Indians on the west bank
fired into the rear guard as it moved off. the
fire was returned SO hotly as to force the In
dians under cover and to discontinue their
firing. One Indian was seen to fall over his
horses head, and another (dismountedg to
fali upon his face More of the troops were
injured. This party numbered about ff-
teen Unkpapa Sioux, and were led by a
eheif, named : The SAUL who spends his
winters at
THE GRAND RIVER AGENCY.
Powder River is muddy stream. about.
thirty yards wide at its mouth, thinly tim-1
1ered. and runs out from what-appears to be
plain open valley mile or more in width
Is muddy water taints the clear Yellowstone
he waters Of the two rivers refusing to min
gle for some distance.
About two miles ftom the mouth of Pow
Ter River, there is an obstruction in the Yel-
oWstone known as Wolf Rapids, consisting
# bench OF rocks, which lay only two feet {
,elow low-Water level. It may be consider /
IL more OI Il SHOdl LHdIi - Tdpius. ouf gHiucs s
lso stated that there is another rapids
urther down the Yellowstone. within seven ,
y-five miles OF Fort Buford, but their eqact
haracter does not seem to be known. But
Or these Instructions there appears to be no j
eason why the large cleaners which ascend $
5 the Upper Missouri might not also run I
ITO the Yellowstone as far as Powder River s
least.
THE VALLEY OF THE YELLOWSTONE.
We found the valley of the Yellowstone as :
lr up and down as we could see level coun- r
" generally, about two miles wide, hedged y
i by high bluffs. those on the north side 1
eing very precipitous, and giving the inn Il
ression of an impossible country beyond. i
With the exception Of where the river had d
zashed out its bed no indications Of rocks d
rere seen, the. bluffs being simply immense Y
lies of sand and mud, variously diseolored. p
he river flows through the centre Of this
alley. is deep and swift, is about seventy
ne yards wide, and has hard. pebbly il
ottom. Ip
From the time. Of the commencement Of
le survey for final location the work of the
npineers became necessarily very slow, as :
!, 4 yerF level country they could only ae-Ic =
omplish about ioar miles Of their linz. So !
ID escort novel slowly eastward with theps !, :
st 4 n,3