Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1879-04-10
Written for the Rocky Mountain Husbandman.
THE INDIAN CAMPAIGN or 1876,
BY CAPT. w. CLIFFORD, U. S. A..

BY CAPT. W. CLIFFORD, U. S. A.
Camped tonight, Q5th), on Bakers bat
tie ground. The scout have killed five elk
during the day, which they generously dis
tributed.
To-day, (lGth), crossed the, Yellowstone
and Pryor's Fork. This last is the dirtiest
stream | have ever seen. 1t is a black as ink
and thicker than milk-a stream of LIQUID
musll, in fact.
Lieut.. Schoield, ID cavalry, nearly lost
bis life to-day in crossing the Yellowstone.
His horse, stepping into a deep hole, went
down head first, disappearing from sight.
S. retained bis seat in the saddle, but when
the horse regained his footing the swift cur
rent swept him out. He cannot swim q
stroke. but with the clutch of drowning
man chung to the bride and by that his horse
dragged him to the shore, insensible.
The scouts report seeing strange horse
men to-day.
Ponpey's Pillar. [ am much disappointed
in its appearance. 1t looks like the base of
a pillar, but the shaft is gone.
One of the white scout told me to-day of
an Incident that occurred to him while he:
with Il number of others. was shut up in
Fort Pease during last winter. A party of
Crow Indians had surprised a war party of
Sioux, killing all but one of them. On their
return, as they neared the Fort, they began
to sing. AS they came up the gates were
swung open and the occupants Of the Fort
met their friends with outstretched hands.
TO let the scor. finish the story in his own
way, he said:
Il stood e the gate and was first to
shake hands. One young fellow came in
with a face as solemn as a funeral. He was
wrapped closely in a blanket, and as he
passed me he thrust out a hand. I grasped
and shook it cordially, and, by Jupiter he
walked on leaving it with me-. [ stared at
him and then at the hand. I'll be hanged
it ever [ was so frightened in my life. II
just makes me crawl all over now when I
think Of it. He had, himself, killed the
Sioux and cut the hand off as q token.o
This party Of seventeen men had gone
down the Yellowstone during the summer
OF 1879, built the fort and named it after
their leader, Pease, who by the way, know
ing a trick worth two of staying there all
winter, had gone down the river in a Maci-
nav early in the fall. His deluded follow
ers had tried to follow the business of "wolf-
~ing,"S.e., poisoning wolves for their, skins,
but when winter came, the Sioux surround
eel them, and they were finally rescued by a
force of cavalry from Fort Ellis. They did
good work, however, on the wolves, and for
that, if for nothing else, are entitled to the
gratitude of the stockmen of Montana. We
have already passed hundreds of the car
cases of these detestable brutes.
On the goth of April we reached Fort
Pease and went into camp. a beautiful
greyhound, the sole occupant of the fort,
came out to meet us. He looked sleek and
fat, and the query is, How has he lived
There is no food to be seen here, and so we
naturally conclude that lie has gained a liv-
ing by hunting rabbits.
To-day, (2lst), happened TO be watching
my cook broiling a yenison steak. As he
took it off the fire he dug his knife into the
butter standing. near. Just then ,oneeof the