The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1880-04-02
lNiscellanrnus.


Oh Ine great territory OF Montana IN which
the Blackfeet and Crees, traditional enemies,
dwell. One day an Indian, travelling alone,
stopped at Fort Benton. The sentry admit
ted him and his gun-a curious old flint lock,
such as were sold to the Northern Indians by
the Hudson Bay Company half century ago
being taken from him, he was told by
Wolfe, the trader then in charge of the post,
TO state his business. 1t was then found that
he did not know n word of the Sioux Ian
guage, and was, in fact-what Wolfe had sus-
pccted, from his dress and head gear-a Cree
When questioned both then and afterward-
by aid of signs and such words of the Cree
dialect as were known at the fort-as to his
name and motive in thus leaving his people
and exposing himself to almost certain DEATH
he said that his name was Stemaw and that
he had tired of his tribe and wanted to go to
the far South, where the traders had told him
there was no snow and no winter. Every
thing which seemed new to him about the
fort he examined with the greatest curiosity
In stature he was quite tall, but slenderly
made, and was judged to be not over twenty
years of age. His eyes were of lighter color
than of most Indians otherwise he seemed
not to differ from the ordinary redskin.-
Stemaw had not been at the post many hours
when a party of Backfeet were seen riding
to the fort. Scarcely day passed at this sea-
son without some of the tribe coming to
trade. Wolfe hastily opened the door of a
back room in his house, and babe the Cree 90
in there, advising him, with most forcibe
gestures and the few words he understood, to
keep quiet as he valued his life, and not let so
much as his top-knot be seen by the Black
feet While the trading was going on num-
bers of young warriors, scarcely more than
boys, were racing about inside the Enclosure
and peeping into the storehouses. Suddenly
the traders were startled by the report of a
gun, followed by wild whoops and horrible
uproar.
AN UNEXPECTED DISCOVERY.
On running out half q dozen Blackfeet
We're seen beseging one ofthe back windows
of one of Wolfes houses. The foolish Stemaw
had 40 far allowed his curiosity to get the bet
ter ofhis prudence as to peep out at the win
dow for look at his enemies One of them
had seen him, and instantly recognizing q
Cree by his head-dress, fired AT him through
the window with gun which, contrary to
the rules, he had brought into the fort hidden
under his blanket The small, high window
was broken and the Blackfeet, yelling like
bloodhounds, We're trying to get in, while the
Cree, with an axe he had picked up in the
room, was making good his position with Vi
gorous blows through the aperture.
The few armed men at the post were in
stantly mustered at the drum beat and pressed
back the young Blackfeet; and the Blackfeet
chief, Mackamoze, shouting like an old STEM
tor, called off his braves. Having learned
from them the cause of the outbreak the chief
turned Indignantly to Wolfe. The stern face
and lofty bearing ofthe old warrior were very
striking.
"Why has my brother Mahuygan Nord-
| Cree hidden in his lodgeY was his question
But the poor boy has done no HARM y
urged Wolfe.
"He has come into the country ofthe Black
| feet" said the chief "He must die"
Wolfe was at his wits end, but soon hit
upon plan. He proposed that the Black
feet should bring their best runners to the
| Fort, and at the end of a month, if they would
give Stemaw one hundred PAGES start, they
might run him to death. After such a COM
promise and pledge, Wolfe did not dare even
to connivc at the Crees escape; but he put
him at once into hard training. He turned
him out at five o'clock every morning, and
after brief, brisk bath in cold water had him
run three times round the inside of the stock
AIDE, a distance of fifty rods. He was then
| fed on fresh buffalo meat, a full breakfast, and
| given three hours leisure to digest it. Then
| for an hour he was made to run at full speed
around the stockade. After rest of a couple
of hours be was given another full meal OF
meat, and late in the afternoon was put at
running again for a second heat of an hour
Just light supper was then given him upon
which he was commonly ready to go to his
bunk and sleep like top. The men had all
taken liking to Stemaw and were deter.
mined to save him if they could This rigid
system of training was kept up for month
every day, rain or shne except Sundays
| wi tha hpu'S allowance of ,aat
ed about onethird and he was given day Of
rest The result was very marked. The In.
dian came to be in what athletes would term
splendid condition. The muscles on his legs
stood out hard and firm, though at the outset
his legs had been slim. He soon ran easy as
a dog. Nor was he much winded at the enc
of his hour heats.
THE GRAND FooT-RACE.
Punctually on the morning after the full
moon in April Mackamoze and his party
came riding to the fort, and not only they
but more than three hundred warriors of The
tribe 1t needed not their terrific yells ant
exultant whoops to notify us as to what theil
errand was.
"Mohlarnutach buinc Cree" Fetch on
the Cree y was the cry.
But Wolfe was determined to secure fail
play for his protege. The drums beat for
parley.
The trader then addressed Mackamoze ant
told him he was ready to produce the Cree
according to promise, but that the Indians
horses and guns must first be brought insid,
the stockade and left there, and that as tn,
Cree was to run wholly unarmed, the Black
feet must only carry their knives. Ate
some discussion this was agreed to- and TIN
party dismounted inside the gate and STACKED
their guns. A long rope was then stretched
breast high out on the plain in front of tn
fort, and behind this the crowd of Blackfee
took their places. The trader then steppe,
| off n hundred hares when two of the soldier