The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-07-12
tsSculped.n

"Injuns, stranger-Injuns? Yes,
know the hull gang of 'em from Rec
Cloud and Spotted Tail down to th'
toddling pappoose. l ought to know
'em-I'Ve fit 'em for nigh onto thirty
yearsp
He was a grim-looking old man, with
grizzly locks in view under his coon-skir
cap. He had on bear-skin coat, Indiar
moccasins, buckskin shirt and leggings
and he held long rifle between his
knees as we talked.
"These Western railroads are rapidly
ciyilizing the country-fast killing of
Indians, wolves and buffaloesT
He looked around the car, which was
handsomely furnished and finished, and
sighed as he replied:
"Yes, times are gittin' wuss and wuss
down this way. lve been thinkin' Of
goin' up to the Yellowstone, whar man
can go out any time o. day and git up q
squar fight with a grizzly, or raise rum
pus with the reds."
"You must be quite an old manw
"Only 'bout sixty. amt quite so lin.
ber on long run, and can't sleep quite
so well with the rain pouring down into
my face, but II thought l wasn't good
tor any three Injuns on the plains, or any
grizzly that ever stood on legs, I'd ak ye
to shoot mew
"You must have seen wild times out
here?"
"purty wild-purty Wild" mused the
old man; "there used TO be heaps o'reds
out here, to say nothing Of the wolves,
bars an rattlesnakes, an thar was
times when death rose up to shake hands
with me-"
"Ever taken prisonerW
81 mought hev been--I guess I was ~
he said, as he uncovered his head.
"Why, you have been scalpedW
"They called 1t sculping, strangerV
"And who did thatW
"rhis same blasted Red Cloud. He
didn't use the knife, but he stood by and
hollered and encouraged the chap who
did do it,"
"Your sensations must have been ter
rible."
"There wasn't time to feel any sensa-
tions, stranger. They sneaked in on me
am Tom as we dozed, am when woke
up Tom was riddled an my sculp was
hanging to an Injun's beltw
Sand what then?"
"Nothing much. got up and killed
two, wounded another, and legged it up
a canon and got away. lit was to do
over again Pd git my topknot back or
body went underW
He seemed lost in reflection for a mo-
ment, and then continued:
81 don't know what sculps are wuth
in the market, but / guess Tye got the
full value o. mine. Tve knocked over
risin' of thirty Sioux since that night,
am guess I'D be willin' to pass re-
ceiptsw
81 suppose you've had turn at half a
dozen different tribesW
"Less' seeW he unused. "Thar's the
Sioux, Blackfeet, Pawnees, Arrapahoes,
Cheyennes, and three or four
other tribes. They've all hunted me, and
['ve hunted them, an 1 can't say as they
owe me anything"
81 notice bad scar on your face"
"Purty good scar for common man.
out kin show ye the sculp-lock Of the
Pawnee who made it. He jumped on To-.
ne jist after had swum river, am he
,hought he'd got hold Of a jack-rabbit.
Twas a bad cut, and it kind 'mazed
me at fust, but when l did cum to, he
was gone afore he could yell twicel l
said it was a purity good scar, but it isn't
quite ekal to this"
And he pushed up the Logging on his
right leg and exhibited scar which
made me draw back. The foot, ankle,
and the leg as high as could see had
been burned by fire.
"The Blackfeet had me fast to stake
once, ye obsarve," he explained. "That
was the time when they poked each 9TH
er in the ribs an said they had dead
sure thing on old Carter, but they wuz
mistaken. They had me three days, an
I'd bin kicked am cuffed around until
there wasn't any more fun in it, an then
they tied me to a stake an lighted fire
around me. Twas pretty clus, stranger
pretty clusp'
Sand how did you escapew
"Half a dozen of my old pards came
along jist in time to knock over half the
band and save me-"
There was silence again while he un-
buttoned his shirt and showed me a
bosom literally gridironed with scars.
"Well, thar may be two or three knife
cuts THAR" he explained, "but the heft
o. them scars wuz made by grizzly.
He wasn't one o. these bar calves that
sum folks knock over an then blow
about, but a reg'lar three-story, old
fashioned grizzly, such as ye don't find
outside o. the darkest canons in the
Rockies. l wuZ Dendin' over the fire
when the varmint slid down canon
am wuz right on hand afore l had any
Warnin'"
ssAnd was it hard fightr
sit wuz a purity fight, stranger, be-
cause it wuz far fight. had a big
knife, am he had teeth an claws, an we
went'in ter kill. He wuz goot grit, but
a ieetle slow. Thar wuz about thirty
days after that little episode that my
pard had to nuss me like child"
"And you mean to die out herer'
s'Thavs for the Lord to say, but I
'spects yer moYe'n right. The Injuns is
purity quiet down here, an these keers
ar bringin' heaps o. people West, but
Pm goin' up whar white man won't dis
turb the Lords work for hundred
years to cum! ! feel kinder mean an
small down heYe-as II wuz huntin'
rabbits, but up the Yellowstone feller
kin brace up after he's knocked over a
red or two am feel as il he wasn't foolin'
away his young daysW
And that was old Carter.
While some school boys in Littleton
N. H., were playing ball recently, a bali
batted by one Of them struck a swallow
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