Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1879-01-16

was a recruit, and not sup' to the many
lodges practiced on young soldiers by the
older birds. In accordance with orders, the
sentinel was imprisoned IN place of the MAI
he suffered to escape. He will be tried
when we reach Fort Smelling, and may make
such a showing as will clear him from blame
We have passed a number Of piles of tel
egraph poles piled upon the river bank, and
as we pass a low place in the bank can see
the long line stretching away to the horizon.
A curious feature of telegraph business in a
buaalo country is the fact of these animals
rubbing against the poles until they are so
loosened or worn that they fall. The buff
talo become entangled In the wire and carry
1t away. A visitor at Il frontier post was
told Of this and p%ooh-poohed it as being inn
possible, and would not believe it until
shown an official report made by a officer
who had been engaged repairing a line.
Ranchmen find the wire miles away from
the line, and a we'll authenticated story tells
of how a buffalo bull was found so wound
up in the wire as to be helpless.
Parties Of Indians from the Fort Berthold
agency are to be seen vending their way up
the river on their annual pilgrimage to their
winter hunting ground. They will proba-
bly, so up the river until they find buffalo
as high, perpaps, as Fort Peck.
To-day, (9th,) we had a fight with the
winds, and though the boat has two of the
best pilots on the river-Capt. j. b. La
Barge and Louis ~Loraine-the wind was for
a long distance too much, compelling them
to back down the river from just below the
mouth of the Little Missouri to the bend
just above Berthold. Here, by skillful ma
neuvering. she was turned, and though it
seemed at times as though the wind would
lit us out OF the water, she was at length
brought to the landing at Fort Berthold,
where the captain said he would remain UNI
til the wind luIled. This gave those who
desired it an opportunity to visit the mud
hut village in the bluffs.
These Indians-'Rees, eros Ventres and
Mandans-have been fast friends of the
whites since 1906, when they made their
first treaty with the Government. They
have helped many a destitute wanderer lost
on the prairie. They have always been
ready to assist the Government against the
Sioux, being helpful and efficient scouts.
and yet they declare that they have never
been quite so badly off as they are now.
They declare that each agent seems to be
worse than his predecessor. 1t is a pity that
n compliance by an Indian tribe with its
treaty obligations leads only to i'll treatment
by the agents of the Government.
However, If the acknowledgement of In
dian matters is not well understood by our
lawmakers in Washington, it is not for the
want of telling. 1t is very much to be re-
GREETED that the whole thing was not taken
UP by the eastern papers and as thoroughly
canvasscd as was the Tweed business some
years ago.
The wind l,hled and the boat resumed her
onward course, tying up for the night.
Visiting Stevenson, many old acquaintan-
ces were met. Among others, Lieut.. Cur
ley Of the 9th Infantry. Some one whis-
perealoud enough to be heard by every one
in the room, that he was, perhaps, a woman
in disgnire.
" What makes you think that ?' said G.,
with wide open eyes.
"Oh, because you have such a girly look"
The perpetrator.of this deed started for
the boat on a dead' run, but was caught by
the guard and brought back. Beer was
pumped into him until the post trader bust
ed. He was then placed on the stove to boil
than Job.