The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-02-28
N. Y. Sunday SUM-

about % years DID, Sharps's rifle in his
hand, belt full of cartridges; wonder who he
is; nice looking chap in his new suit of buck
skin. These observations were made inau-
dibly and made instantly. Standing motion
less he looked at my fire; then, seeing me,
walked at once toward me. l rose up, looked
him in the face. Our eyes met. Each had
read the other at glance. Holding out his
hand he said. "How! My name is Ed Van
Thusen." 1 grasped his hand and said,
''How! Mine is Frank Wilkeson." liked
him from the instant our hands clasped.
Looking into my fire with curious eyes he
indicated with his index finger the three
wedge shaped clays and asked, "What are
those things"' "Those objects that you
speak so disrespectfully of as things, are
three trout wrapped in clay. They are our
dinner" 1 replied. Ed looked amused, and
then said, SIT is a new way of cooking them
to me: If it is good for trout it should be
good for grouse. Delay the operation. /
saw some fool hens few yards back in the
forest. Pll get couple" He walked back
into the thicket, and soon heard two re-
ports of his rifle, and in minute after Ed
came walking to the fire with two headless
fool-hens in his hands. We rubbed the clay
into the feathers and rolled more about them
until the coating was of the proper thick
ness; then the birds were placed in the cen
tire of the fire, and Ed and 1 lay under the
trees talking. He was miner, but, having
tired of the work had gone hunting and fish
ing in the mountains for week or two.
stream in little glen where there was
good grass. ''Would go up and camp with
him"' would. So, leaving him to watch
the fire and our dinner, walked down the
stream to my horse, saddled him and, throw
ing my blankets on the saddle, walked back,
the horse following like dog. Ed, seeing
me coming, poked the clays out of the Goals
with stick, and cracked them with stone,
and our dinner lay on the half shell by the
brook when l reached the fire. We ate, and
while eating, planned an elk hunt. We
smoked after our meal, and talked until the
sun was low in the west. Then, shoulder
ing our rifles we walked up the valley, the
horse following. Ed had pitched his camp,
that is, his blankets-in Ia clump of pines
by the bank of a brook. Across the water
was little meadow of ten or twelve acres.
His horse was picketed there. Unsaddling,
1 turned my animal loose, knowing he
wovld not leave me. We were high up in
the mountains and in an unfrequented
place. Game was plenty, the trout bit well.
The air was frosty O. nights. One night as
we lay in our blankets, discussing wynder
full shot had made that day Il had missed
oil GIN DIV tWCuUy JoAoo/s VIZ e~SANN OSS0AAAO Va
ographical, then grew confidential. Ed was
telling me of valley he knew, where he be-
ieved there was plenty of placer gold, when
broke in on his mining speculations with,
81 see you have had the smallpox. How
did you get that disease" The question
brought him into sitting posture, and then
rising to his feet he rebuilt the fire and an
swered, 81 will tell you story" With
out other introduction he began:
'sIn 1869 was prospecting for gold in the
streams that flow down the west side Of the
Rocky Mountains and empty into the Flat
head river. had no success, and became
resolved to cross the range
by one of the many passes, and prospect in
the valleys on the eastern slope of the noun
tains. knew this land was secured by the
Blackfoot war parties, as the war of 1899
was then raging, though the raging was all
on the Blackfoot side, the settlers fleeing to
the military posts and the towns for protec-
ton. / had descended into the valley of
the Marias, and had panned out plenty of
ground without getting out color. re-
solved to go further down the stream; so,
leaving the valley, rose up to the plains
bend of the little river, 1 came to the edge of
a bluff. Carefully 1 looked over. Below
me was little glen. The high bluffs, re-
ceding from the river bank and describing
circle enclosed some thirty acres of meadow
and little grove of poplar trees. Cautious
ly looked and made out the tops of several
lodges standing in the grove. This was
pleasant discovery. Then noticed that
there were no horses to be seen; so I dis
and, lying down behind some
rocks, watched the camp. After an hour OF
watchfulness l was convinced that there
were no Indians in the village. Not sign
of life could see; no smoke, no blackening
of the leaves Of the trees. A careful exam
ination of the bunch grass with my field
glass showed me that it was in seed, and
that it had not been graZed on. Still afraid
that there was some trap, l hesitated. when
saw seven white tailed deer walk slowly
out of the woods, stand an instant, and then
slowly feed back into cover. Knowing that
they would not stay near an Indian village,
at once mounted and lode down trail in
to the valley. Istruck heavy trail into
the grove. 1t had not been used lately, as I
saw spiders webs stretched across it. |
rode into the woods and soon came on the
camp. There were twenty lodges, the tents
in two rows. l sat on my horse and looked
carefully at the deserted village. The birds
fitted from tree to tree. Some sat on the
lodge poles and sang. thought all the spi-
ders in Montana had spun their webs there
Every lodge had its door sewn up. 1 say
every lodge, but there were two or three
open. l was awe-stricken and strongly in
clined to ride away without further investi-
cation. I dismounted, and cut slit into
the first lodge. Looking INFO the gloom of
the tent, was startled to see many Indians
sitting around the walls all blanketed, all
motionless. Enlarging the slit by a cross
slash so as to admit the light, was shocked
to find that these were. dead Indians. The
flesh had dropped from their skulls. The
circle of dead men seemed to be grinning
welcome to me. Their stony, white teeth |
glistened brightly. The empty sockets of |
their eyes all seemed to be turned on me. I |
would not have been surprised to have had |
a bony arm and feshess hand come forth
from under the rotted blankets and beckon
me to enter. The arms of the dead warriors |
lay before them or at their sides. There |
were bows, and quivers filled with long war
arrows, and flint lock muskets. Hanging
above them on the lodge poles were punches |
Of worm eaten jerked meat. I looked into |
several of the lodges. All were the same.
In each circle of motionless Backfeet war
riors, silently waiting the call to take up
their arms and enter the happy hunting |
ground.
One tent, the largest, had but a single |
His hair was decked with feath- |
ers. Hanging around the aeshless neck |
bone was great necklace of the claws of |
The grizzly bear, the points of the claws |
hidden between the ribs. Above him. fas- |
5ened to lodge pole, dangled bunch of |
Indian ssalps; a full belt of cartridges was
ouckled around him. His blanket was
thrown across his legs, and lying on his lap,
with the fieshless hands grasping it, was
oreech-loading rife. There sat war chief |
with bow ana full culver to his back, ready |
to engage might the minute the soul should |
again be breathed into him. Leaving him |
to await the summons, went to the tents !
that were opened. These found had been |
plundered: The dead had been thrown |
down, their skulls apparently kicked out. as |
they were not to be seen, and the smaller |
bones had been scattered over tho ground |