The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-02-12
Concluded from yesterday.

S -sNhs AocL- D
Concluded from yeSterddy.
THE CROW NATION OF INDIANS,
or Absaraeas, are divided into the
Mountain and River Crows, and have
an agency on the reservation the
Big Rosebud river, a tributary Of the
Yellowstone. There are 1,500 Noun
tain Crows and 1000 River Crows
their reservation amounting to 6,272,-
600 acres, much of which is barren,
mountainous, and unfit for cultivation.
1t is a good game country; and the In
dams justly complain Of the "wolfers, -
who do a great deal of damage to the
~fur-bearing animals by using poison in
killing them. They wish to have this
stopped, as much of their revenue is
derived from the sale of the skins OF
the animals they have themselves killed;
and, besides this, their clothing is made
from the same material. The buffalos
furnish them meat, robes for their beds,
the skins Of which their lodges are
made, and many other things which
they have discovered. Blankets are
procured from the traders, in exchange
for robes; and these blankets fairly
| shine with bright colors. They love to
see a little red or scarlet in everything;
and. in truth, it sets off both them
selves and the landscape to the greatest
advantage. An Indian warrior decked
in his plumes and war paint is quite
pictureque in this mountain region;
and the amount Of vermilion used by
some'of them In painting themselves Is
quite astonishing.
The condition Of the Indian women
Is deplorable. They are obliged TO do
the greater portion of the work, such
as taking care of the horses, gathering
wood, dressing skins, putting up and
taking down lodges, and in fact, most
everything that has to be done in an In
dian village or about an Indian lodge.
As a general thing they have not much
chance TO indulge in inery, oil take that
amount of leisure which white women
think they are entitled to. Neverthe-
less, they are considerably given to Cos
siping and assembling together after
their various duties are completed. On
the march they carry bundles, when in
fact, horses, dogs, and all-except the
noble red man-carry along such things
as they possess. When there are plenty
of horses the squaws ride; otherwise
they trudge along near their masters,
getting on as best they can, in sun mer's
heat and winters cold. When they
visit the traders store they carry the
robes and whatever else they have to
trade, while the men march on ahead,
and scarcely deign TO notice them in
any way. The pure Indian has but lit
tie compassion for suffering woman
hood. 1t is difficult TO imagine how
these women's fate could be much
worse; and mothers sometimes kill
their female infants rather than have
them undergo the terrible trials they
themselves have been through. When
they grow old, these women become
absolutely hideous in appearance.
The rivers here are beautiful, coming
as they do from the high mountain
ranges, and dashing ahead as if anxious
to get down toward the haunts of civil
iyatfnp rThnra 10 M aud 70 fh1 o,aart,
ling cascades in the highlands, and the
cataracts up amid the steep rocks.
Below, the streams widen out, and trees
and bushes fringe the banks-making
charming bits of landscapes, with the
purple glens and blue mountains for q
background. Some of the holes are
quite deep, and in them great brook
trout swarm in such numbers as to de-
light the hearts of the angler. In the
dense shrubbery the Indians love to
pitch their tents when the weather is
cold, n they are then sheltered from
the chilly winds. Most of the timber
is cottonwood, though we also find
black ash, red plum, black hawthorn.
wild cherry, box elder, aspen, cedar,
spruce and pine. The pine trees are
mostly in the mountains, where they
grow by thousands. There are bushes
of raspberry, service berry, buffalo ber-
ny, currants and roses, along the mar
gins of the streams or close by; while
the strawberry, clematis and hop trail
their vines in profusion. Some trees
are covered with the flossy clematis,
while Others afford support for the hop
vines. There is no end to the hand
some vistas and shady hooks, where in
the autumn months the golden rod
shows its graceful stems Of green and
gold, and delicate plants develop all Of
their loyeliness.
There are many fish in the streams
the most valuable being, Of course, the
brook trout, which is quite common
through the whole mountain region.
Besides this, there are suckers, catfish,
hickory shad, walleyed pike, and tur-
bot or eel pouts, also called lings. The
latter are excellent for the table, though
their looks are not in their favor at the
first glance; they are not very common
IN American waters, SO far as my
knowledge extends The Indians are
not great fishermen, except in the large
rivers of the west, where the salmon
and salmon trout abound. Here no
one thinks he has made n good days