The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1880-09-24

hisinG sharply, it fell away into long. low
: distant hoWls, to be renewed with sFaor
sharp, nervous barks to again die aWav i
.mourntul, blood-chilling hoWIs. The pre
clpItous walls eehpcd the cries back an
forth across the canon, and heard llei
oehd III t5se river, fainter, tainter. fainter
until the silence seemed to settle around Il
ike an invisible cloak. VI could feel, bu
not see il. Suddenly the verge of the can
on seemed to be alive with the voices 0
prairie wolves. The walls f;lilly rang will
the vehement midnight chorus OF these an
lfn.tlas#ss j VAS quiet, atli NtIsa sigh o
!. reliefstty conirade said, Thank God, thai
isoYer, until they yelp ont their greeting
D to the rising sun.
.e picketed our horses on the drp
!. bunch grass. We carried our saddles.
blankets, amt arms TO q shelf, Il deep one.
and stored them away. Then, when our
midnight pipes were glowing, / asked TO,
i=Fhc story Of S'Wr raitlls OF the Saskatchewan
Plains.
Prefacing tile story with protestations
that was not to think he believed ali Of IT,
he said -
some ten years ago the setting sun OF Il
June day cast the shadows of the four
blackfeet Hills far ACROSS the plains toward
the North Saskatchewan River. Sitting
around little fire, screened by the thick
growth Of brush on the southwestern sIeDe
of the hills, were three Erenci, Canadian
Yoyagems. They sat silently smoking,
and looking in the direction Of the Cypress
/ HllIs tar to the south. These men belong
ca TO party Of voyageurs who were pre-
pairing to start on the most dreaded triD
made by the servants Of the Hudson Bay
Conpany-that from Fort Pitt, On the
North Saskatchewan TO New Westminster,
! on the Fraser River The three men who
at.smoking by the little frs had made the
Trip two years prcFiousy, and they knew 7
thcle was no game In the country to be t
frayer8ed, that the journey was one Of ar
onous work and hardships, varied only by T
a probable heavily -tinhered hill that ex-
tend from the Northern Rocky Mountains
10 Tue waters ct the Pacific The kuoWl
edge that tlis trif, had r. ba ox,;,, ,,,7or
taken had been the dark cloud Of the FIJI
ture in their silnpie livcs that ovor r,,,,o.
haf,,,o +ho,, ,z .r,-5 VS.. A''''. esef A'sng
before them These men had slipped
away from Fore Pitt; they were descrtcrs:
they had their arms with t1,on, a,,a z>,o,,45. H
of powder and balls, fhe.- ,va,.., -1.o,-, .,x:
ious. Silently ljsteninu thnx, 1,.sio,z4l..
waited. +,
breaking twigs as animals: ,1us,od +t,o,.o,.,
the underbrusb. came fin4t;no 81. t1,oS,
They turned their heads and ,,,.ifa,1 ont 8
from tie undefbrusb rode thraa yo,,ts. 9
Cree woi5ess. #,=sia lsti i sae1slle1I l.arss /
.of Ile1 lsa. .a4.,......f !
j s;;ttE - &. sin s1la.
Leg IllIsne4eH III s5era tie summer and
all Ill fileness, hunting, Hshf,4g, and Bar-
among the. Cypress Hills. Ly- t
ny concealed antil tl1e sun had sunk be- :
ow the western plain. the six mounted I
md rode south. Arriving ut the neutral /
ILLS thew canned. The beauty of the t
Hills contrasting so strongly with the bar b
.enness Of the northern plains, the abund- t.
lnce of game. and firevood. the good wa c
er and fact Of the hills being neutral s
ground between Blackfeet and Crees. rem Il
Tered them so attractive to the little party II
hat they built hut of logs, covered with c
bark, and gave themselves no care. Heed Il
ess of time, contented in the plenty of s
cod in the forests and streams, the six
we're happy in the 1aziness Of their lives.
)ne morning the men suggested that they Il
esume their journey. NakisIli, the wife
# Antoine Chariot, objected, saying she il
ould not travel They waited, hunting, &
lshing, smoking, sleeping away the time. 81
)ne morning, when Antoine returned b
rom stalking deer, the vigorous Nakishi c.
leld up for his admiration q new born ba- "
", and there were seven in the party. fl
They loitered for a week then, Nakishi h
aid she was ready to travel. The horses o
we're saddled, and southwark over the 81
,lains they rode. Far to thc west the fl
Squirrel Hills formed low blue line. On il
he plaing. near the Red Deer River, the a
main herd of northern buttaloes were en- ii
ountered: antelope in immense numbers Z
ed on the rich grass beyond the buffalo. st
shortly after they had stdkcd their ami d
nals, they saw large band OF loose horses ~
pproaching at the full run, driven madlv y
uffalo horses. These Indians, with loud V
ries rushed toward the camp in a threat y
ming manner. Stopping short of gum c
hot, they called. much to the relief Of the $,
~ j., Croo Po;,,e. ,,,o,..o,.o7 +Io- ,oa L.