The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1880-12-17
miscellaneous.
Outwitting the Indians.

az bHt lloulltulll Hull
often tell the story of Markhead's exploit
with the Blackfeet Indians.
Markhead, some years ago was treacher-
ously murdered by the Mexicans, near Tass.
At the time of his death he was not more
than twenty-seven years old and he could
not have been more than twenty-five when
he had the adventure which we are going to
relate
The old pioneers of the upper Missouri
speak of Markhead as most remarkable
boy, so muscular and of such powers of en-
durance, that he would run fifteen or twenty
miles without apparent fatigue. Indians he
held in trifling regard, and delighted in q
skirmish with them; though he bore the scars
of not less than dozen of their bullets and
arrows. But, here is our story:
Young Markhead went on trapping ex-
cursion for beaver, up ono of the head creeks
of the Yellowstone, locality not much re-
sorted to by other trappers, on account of the
deadly hostility of the Blackfeet, who were
very jealous of the white hunters, and killed
every hunter they could surprise.
AS was his custom, he had his horse with
him, for carrying traps and provisions, and
at this time had made his camp in clump of
cottonwoods, on the bank of the creek near
the foot of range ofbluffs which fronted the
stream on the east side.
That morning-it was in the month of Oc-
tober-he had set off early to look to his bea
yer traps, of which hehad q line both up and
down the creek. He had proceeded but a
short distance, when he found one of his steel
traps missing from under the bank where he
had set it.
There were bear tracks in the mud about
the bank; very large ones, leading back into
the cedar bushes toward the bluff.
The trailwas fresh, and Markhead followed
it cautiously through the cedar.
Coming at length to the foot of the bluff,
he found that the animal had turned aside,
and gone further up the bottom. But just at
that moment he thought he heard it thrash
ing about in the cedar little way ahead.
So he carefully mounted the side of the
sight of the animal over the tops of the
bushes. From this point he saw large
grizzly, sitting on broad flat rock, not more
than forty or fifty yards distant.
Watching the creature moment, hefound
that it limped painfully, and that it walked a
short distance on three legs Finally, it
turned about and limped back to the stone
again and Markhead now perceived that the
grizzly had his beaver trap hard and fast on
one of his forepaws.
The bear was much annoyed by the trap.
1t sat down on the stone again, and from
where he lay Markhead could see him exam
ing it attentively, holding it close up to his
nose and gravely turning his paw over and
over. Then i would tip its head to one side
and look from out the corners of its eyes in
most comical manner, as if at an entire loss
to make out what the novel and painful APP
pendage could be that had got such fast hold
of his toes.
H.
step on its foot; but instantly took it up from
would then commence licking the trap, as if
wishing to appease its anger and coax it into
letting 60 its grip.
This pantomime so interested the trapper
that he could scarcely take aim with his rifle.
But not wishing to lose his good steel trap,
he was on the point of shooting the bear,
when he was startled from it by the neigh of
q horse.
CHANGING out over the tops of the bushes,
he saw, some four or five hundred yards down
the opposite bank of the creek, a party of six
Indians, sitting on their ponies. They had
refined up, aud stood among some little sand
hillocks, looking across, directly toward
where his camp was, in the cotton-woods. -
1t then flashed to his mind that it was his
horse which had neighed. That was why
, ,nW nI S,or;mc across The craet '' anu
"I Morkhend saw that even could he himself
osoana then, tho Indians would ;nou;tahIu
5;s"auo, he oomn ond nantnro hi. horso am5
provisions, together with all the peltries he
had trapped. That was bad. But what was
worse, there was heavy dew that morning,
tho o han, nf tho nrenlr m,st ho n"w I ho as
plain ne n nike-staff
p' We H. Inew That Tho Indions would MT fo;,