The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-01-14
AMONG THE BLACKFEET.

1t into his pocket, it war no animal they
war arter when they tumbled into that
hole, but a man, and that feller war me.
Bein's as we amt busy just now, an
purity comfortable. I'll tell you how it
happened. ,.s
1t war a little. more'n two years ago
that Sam Collins, Jake thaE an myself,
made up eur minds to leave Arkansaw,
whar we had been huntin' an trappin',
an strike ont fur some better place.
Arkansaw war film up with white trash
that know'd nothin', an the game war
mighty skeerce. We heerd good deal
about the Blaekfoot country from a
compile of felIers .'at had been thar. They
said the game war plenty, an the rivers
swarming with fish an beaver; an
though they told us the Blackfeet war
savage, an had druv them away, we de-
termined to risk it. We had our shoot-
in'-irons an two revolvers apiece, beside
our knives, an we reekoned at We war
enough fur any common lot O. the var
mints; we trusted to our cunnin' to keep
out O. the way o any large parties. :.
Well, we started an crossed the plains
without much trouble. Not fur from
here we found a large valley at war
alive with game of all kinds but thar
war no timber in it. One day when
Sam. war out huntin' he stumbled across
this place. He seen it war just what we
wanted, 50 when he got back he told us
all about it, an we moved our things
here right off, an fixed our camp here.
1t war little further on than this place.
Thar war big boulder stood about
thirty feet from the rock; we built a
q wall with big stones each side, an
then we had regular little fort for our
camp. The top of the rock hung over
fur enough ter keep off the rain in bad
weather, an we had snug place of it.
We KEEP a sharp lookout fur Injuns, an
we often used ter see them in the big
prairie beyond; but we KEEP clear Of 'em,
an as we hadn't seen any of the heathens
near our camp we begun ter hope at
they wouldn't trouble US an arter
awhile we got kinder careless, an didn't
watch as close ter see if we war followed
when we came ter camp.
Well, I war out huntin' one day, an
had purity good luck, so't I started fur
camp before noon; when l got thar, Jake
and Sam war gone off, SO I climbed the
rocks to look whar they war, an seen
them Jest comm across the prairie over
thar; I war jest comm down, but hap
penin' to look t'other way, seen two
redskins jest sneakin' off through the
bushes. see in a minute they had been
follerin' me. but it war no use ter chase
'em, fur they war too fur of, so I came
down to the camp. When the boys came
in, I told them what I'd seen. We knew
the varmints had found us out, an at
they would soon be back with whole
pack at their heels, 50 we fixed up as
well as we could ter meet 'em. Jake an
built up the walls higher and stronger,
an Sam went off piece ter tell US when
they was comm. Purity soon he come
back, an we could tell by his face AT
thar war trouble ahead. Jake asked him
il he'd seed 'em.
"Yes," says he. "When I went,
crawled through the bushes, until / came
ter the pass, an then I climbed up on
ther rock an see 'em comm. Thars
nearly fifty o the imps, an I spect we
will have hard tussle."
This startled us considerable, Team tell
iou. We hated them like pizen, an al
ways liked the chance to whip 'em, but
Fifty war purity long odds, and moren we
isargained fur; but we didn't finch; we
war little scarf, but we know'd we'd
got ter fight, an we couldn't find bet.
ter place ter do it an our little fort We
know'd, too, if we war taken alive, at
they would torture us, an we'd each
rather knock under ightin' AN be roast
ed ter death by ther Blackfeet. Purity
soon we seen 'em comin' through the
pass back here, an they rode up ter tht
camp kinder careless. The scouts hadn'
seen any one but me, an they didn'
know at thar war any more Of us around
They walked thar horses up purity close
on let fly shower of arrers at us, bu
we'd made a little shanty of bark an
branches in the middle Of our camp, an
they didn't touch us.
Now it war our turn, SO each Of u
picked chief, an when our shootin
Irons went off, thar war three horses a
had empty saddles. This started 'em
little, they yelled 'orful, an 'twarn'
long before they war out o sight anon.
the bushes; they didn't try US on horse
back arter that time. They KEEP purt,
quiet fur q while. Some o. the chief
wer talkin', together, an we knew "a
they war hatchin' some mischief; wei
affixed to ha' spotted 'em first rate, bu
they KEEP O. the reach o our rifles
Arter awhile they crawled u
near as they could behind the stones an
bushes, an began shootin' at US il
earnest, but we didn't keer for thei
arrers much, an we know d they wouldn'
do much until arter dark. But, luck
fur u.s. the moon wurgoin' to be out, an
that cheered US considerable. We'd Gu
the bushes clean fur about fifty yard
outside of the wall, an they couldn'
cross the open patch without us SEER
them. Sopetimes we'd see a red fac
rrinnin' at us from behind bush, az