The Red Cloud chief., 1876-06-15
THE INT A
BY JOHN III. WIITSON.

BY JOHN III. WHITSON.
a party of hunters were slowly pick
ing their devious way among the bowl
derS of q canyon, at the base of the
Rocky Mountains, on the evening of a
pleasant day in the early autumn of
1850. The sun was rapidly sinking in
the West, and the gray shadows of eve
ming were settling over the earth, shrOud-
ing the canyons in a pail Of gloom, and
casting a spectral haze Over the giant
peaks, except where here and there
their tops were tinged with crimson
glory.
The party numbered three, two of
whom were bronZed and hardy trappers;
mel who had been Injured to the wild
life of the mountains, deserts, and will
dcrness from their earliest youth, and
who, N consequence of their constant
contact with the widest phases of
human existence and the isolation Of a
hunters life, were fair representatives
of that class of men who form the con-
Meeting link between savage aid civil
lied life. The other was a young man,
of perhaps twenty-five years, and with
the broad intellectual brow that bears
the stamp and seal of civilization. One
could tell at a glance that he was not an
ordinary hunter, and would reach the
conclusion that he was here rather for
sport and excitement of the chase than
anything else. He was, in reality, a
well-to-do merchant of San Francisco,
who, longing to escape the d~istracting
din and hustle of business and the suf-
locating heat of the hot season, had en-
gagged the two trappers, who were old
acquaintance. to accompany him in a
pleasure jaunt to the Rocky Mountains,
and we now find them near the base of
this noble range, and directing their
steps to a line of timber a short distance
In advance. and which fringed the banks
of 4 river, known as the Gold Stream.
probably because no gold had ever been
discovered anywhere neal it.
The name of the young merchant was
Charles Knowland and his guides were
Black Ben and Shasta Joe, two famous
scouts.
AS they neared the fringe of timber
Black Ben turned partially and, address
ing knOwland, said:
"Hev you wei heerd @ the Gold
Stream ghOst?"
NO, L have never heard Of his ghost
ship. What of him? Is the stream
supposed to be haunted?"
supposed, the deuce! There's no
supposin about it; when Black Ben sees
anything, he ginerally sees it. l tell YOU
there's a critter as stays somewhat
around an island about half a mile down
this yer crick, an Almost every night he
comes out an jist makes things bile.
There amt a trapper or an Injun in the
country butts afeard to 20 near the island
on account o the thing, and it almost
makes my blood run cold whenever /
think o it"
What is it like" queried the young
man. in a ~halfserious, ha~lf-jocular
tone.
"See here" said the trapper, turning
upon him, angrily, "mebbe you think as
how / lie about this?"
beg pardon, Ben" replied the young
man, seeing his mistake; but 1 am
'skeptical upon the subject of ghosts; in
fact L don't believe there are any such
things. think everything of the kind
a be accounted for in a natural man.
ner, and as the result of natural causes.
But what appearance does this ghost, or
~hobgoblin, present?"
"Well," said Ben, slightly Modified.
"as 1 said afore, it stays around this yer
island, though no one ever seed it on
the island itself, for it alters comes I'M
in the middle of the river. and gives a
yell. like ten thousand Blackfeet howlin'
all at onct. You could on'y see its
shoulders an head, for the rest of it was
under water. 1t he'd a face suthin' like
human face. but all wei hairy, an on
its hairy-lookin' head war two horns
that stood right straight up. an as white
as snow. When I seed it, the tarnal
thing hoped right up within ten feet O.
me, and let off the most ear-splittin' yell
We ever heerd. Why, 1 could feel the
flesh creep on my very bones, an nv
hair stood up till it Almost lifted my cap
often my head. 1 couldn't move hand or
foot, until the thing div under water
agin, an then 1 was so weak / could
scarcely walk"
Knowland felt like laughing, but the
serious tone and lugubrious expression
upon the face of Black Ben warned him
that, if he wished to retain his friend
ship, he must not be too reckless. in
scofing at the trapper's superstition.
He knew that Black Ben had seen some