The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1873-07-03
Prairie Detectives.
THE SKILL OF INDIAN rIAILERs-HoN
THEY CAN TRACK A TRAIL. q 3


A DR.. Hanchendoff gives the following ac
count of the extraordinary skill of Indial
trailers: As,sFt
The mostextraordinary skill exhibited ii
the West, either by the white man or rel
native, is in the practice of trailing. Her
it may be accounted an art as much a
music, painting, or sculpture in the East
The Indian or trapper that is shrewt
trailer is a man of close observation, quicl
PERCEPTION, and prompt action. AS he goe
along nothing escapes Dis observation, ant
what he sees and hesfs hesaccounts fer i'm
mediately. Often not another step is taker
until a mystery that may present itself ii
this line is fairly solved The Indian trail
er will stand still for hours in succession tt
account for traces or effects in tracks, and
sometimes gives to the matter unremitting
attention for days and weeks.
The trailer is not Q graceful man. He
carries his head much. inclined; his eye il
quick and restless, always on the watch, and
he is practicing his art unconsciously hard
ly every crossing the track of man OF
animal without seeing it. When he enters
a house, he brings the habits he contracted
Id thes practicea Of his art with him. |
know trailer as soon as he enters the
room. He comes in through the door softly,
and witt;aa air of exceeding caution. Be
fore he is fafly in, 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 Tie Indian, pssfsfs moro humble seat.
When I was employed BY General Harney
last summer to take charge temporarily Of
the Indians that ware gathered near Fort
Randall, Dakota, to form new reservation,
one day guide and trailer came to the
Generals 'headquartsrl I had told him
to be seated. He sat down on the floor
brscing :his back against the wall. The
General saw this, and in vexation cried out,
"My God, why don't you take chair,
when there are plenty here unoccupied." The
man arose and seated himself in chair,
but in SO awkward and uncomfortable man.
ner that he looked as though he would slip
from it any moment. But when this un-
couth person came to transact his business
with the General he turned out to be a man
Of no ordinary abilities. His description Of
rout he took as guide and trailer for the
Ogallalas in bringing them from the Platte
to the fort was minute and exceedingly in
teresting. Every war party that had crossed
his he described with minuteness as to
their number, the kind Of arms they had,
and stated the tribes they belong to. In
these strange revelations that he made there
was neither importance or supposition, for
he gave Satisfactory reasons for every asser-
tion that he made. .s
/ have ridden several hundred miles with
an experienced guide and trailer, Hick,
whom I interrogated upon many points in
the practice Of bis art. Nearly all the tracks
/ saw, either old or new, as a.novice in the
art questioned him about. In going to
the Niobrara river we crossed the track of
an Indian pony. Ny guide followed the
track few miles, and then said: .It is a
stray black horse, with a long bushy tail,
nearly starved to death has split hoof Of
the left fore-foot, and goes very lame, and he
passed here early this morning" Astonish-
ed incredulous, / asked him the reason for
knowing these particulars by the traks of
the animal, when he replied: "It was q
stray horse, because it did not 60 in direct
line His tail was long, for he dragged it
over the snow, In brushing against bush
he leftsome Of his hair, which shows its
color. He was very hungry, for in going
along he has nipped at those high, dry weeds
which horses seldom eat. The fssure of
the left fore-foot left also its track, and the
depth of the indentiou shows the degree Of
his ameness; and his tracks show he was
hero this morning when the snow was hard
with frost"
Another Indian track we saw twenty
miles west Of this he put this serious con-
struction upon: "He's an upper Indiana
prowling horse thief-carried double
barrel]ed shot gun, and is rascal that kill
cd some whitelman lately, and passed here
one week ago, for" said he, ga lone Indian
in these parts is on mischief, and generally
on the lookout for horses. He had on the
shoes of white man, whom he had in all
probability killed, but his steps are those Of
an Indian. Going through the ravine the
end Of his gun hit the deep snow. A week
AGO we had very warm day, and the snow
being soft he made these deep tracks" /
suggested that perhaps he bought those
shoes. sIndians don't buy shoes, and il
thew did they would not but them as large
as these were, for Indians have very small
feet The most noted trailer Of this
country was Paul DaloIia, a halfbreed, who
died undcp my hands ofIndion consumption
last summer. have spoken Of him in
former letter. Atone time ! rode with him,
and trailing was naturally the subject Of
our conversation. / begged to trail with
him an old track over the prairie in order
to learn its history. hardly made the
proposition whea. he drew up his horses
which was at q ravine, and said: "Well
here is an old elk track Let US get OH ouI