Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-08-13
Jhe family Circle.
Indian Trailer s.

ed IN the w est, either by the white man
or red native, IN the practice Of trailing
Here it may be accounted an art as mucn
as music, palnting or sculpture is IN the
E LIST. The Indian or trapper that is a
snrewd trailer, is a man OF close observa
t on, qn'cS perception and prompt action
As he goes along, nothing escapes his
observation, and what he sees and hears
ne accounts tor immediately. Often no,
another step is taken until "a mystery, that
may present itself In this line, is fairly
,oved. The Indian trailer will stand still
| tor hours 10 succession, TO account tor Ger.
| tain traces or effects IN tracks, and some.
times gives to the matter unremlttlng at
tent,on for days and weeks.
Tue trailer IS not a graceful man. He
carries his head much Inclined, his eye il
qulck and restless, always on the watch,
aud he Is practising his art unconscously
hardly ever crossing the track Of man OF
animal without seeing it. When he enter.
house, he brings the habits he contract
ed in the practice OF bis art with him.
know a trailer as soon as he enters my
room. He comes in through the door soft
ly. and with an air of exceeding caution
Before he is fairly in, or at least has sa,
Town, he has taken note of every article
md person in the room. He is not used
TO chairs. and, like the Indian, prefers q
more humble seat. When was employ
I'd by Gen. Harvey last summer to take
,harge temporarily Of the Indians that
we're gathered near Fort Randall, Dacota,
TO form a new reservation, one day a
guide and trailer came into the General S
headquarters. | told him to be seated,
He sat down on the floor, bracing his
pack against the wall. The General saw
this. and in vexation cried out, My God
Why don't you take chair, when there
ire plenty here unoccupled ?" The man
arose and seated himself in chair, but in
20 awkward and uncomfortable manner
that he looked as if he might slip from it
any moment. But when this uncouth per-
son came to transact his business with the
General, he turned out to be a man of no
,rdlnary abilities. His description of a
route he took as guide and trailer for the
Ogalaas in bringing them from the Platte
o the fort was minute, aud to me exceed
ngly interesting. Every war party that
or the season had crossed his trail, he des-
;ribed with minuteness as to their number.
he kinds Of arms they had and stated the
RIDES they belonged to. In these strange
~evelatlons that be made there was neither
imposition nor supposltiou for he gave sat-
siactory reasons for every assertion he
made.
| have ridden several hundred miles
With an experienced guide and trailer,
lack, whom | Intercepted upon many
points in the practice Of his art. Nearly
al tracks saw, either old or new, as
novice in the art. l questioned him about
ln going to the Nlobrara river we crossed
the track of an Indian pony. My guide
followed the track few miles and then
said at is stray, black horse, nearly
starved to death, has split hoof of the left
fore foot, and goes very lame, and he pass
ed here very early this morning" Aston
ished and incredulous, | asked him the
reasons for knowing these particulars by
the tracks of the animal, when he replied:
''lt was stray horse. because it did not
90 in direct line; his tail was long, fol-
ne dragged it over the snow in brushing
against bush he left some of his hair,
which shows its color he was very hun
cry. for in gong he has nipped at those
ugh. dry weeds, which horses seldom eat !;
ahe assure OF the left fore foot tt,also, its
track, the depth of the indentation shows
the degree OF his lameness; and his tracks
show he was here this morning when the
snow was hard with fro IT,
At an 'ther pace We came across an In.
Ian track, aud he said, {" 1t is an old
Yankton, who came across the Missouri
asst evening to look at his traps. In COM
ing over he carried in his right hand
trap, and in his left asso to catch
pony he had lost. He returned without
6ading the horse, but had caught in the
trap he had olt prairie wolf. which he
carried on his back and bundle of KIM
kinic wood in his right hand" Then be
gave bis reasons Il know he is old by the
Impression his gait has made, and a
Yanktou by that of his moccasin. He is
from the other side Of the river, as there
are no Yanktons on this side. The trap
he carried struck the snow now and then,
and in the same manner as when he came,
shows that he did not find his pony. A
drop of blood in the centre of his tracks
shows that be carried the wolf on his
back, and the bundle of kinikinic wood he
used for staff for support, and catching
a wolf, also shows that he had traps"
" But" l asked " how do you know it's a
wolf; why not fox, or coyote, or even
deer T. Said be, If it had been fox,
or coyote, or any other kind of small
game, be would have slipped the head Of
the animal in his waist belt, and so
carried it by his side. and not on his
shoulders. Deer are not caught by traps;
but if it had been deer. he would not
have crossed this high hill, but would have
gone back by way OF the ravine, and the
load would have made his steps still more
Another Indian track we saw twenty
miles west of this be put this serious con-
struction upon i" He is an upper Indian,
a prowling horse thief-carried double
shot-g and is rascal that killed some
white man lately, and passed here one
week ago; for" said he g a lone Indian in
these parts is on mischief, and generally