The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-03-28

GIEE$ Ntl@ VIC Mis- HNhbANt
were more peaceaDiy disposed mot 81
much ON the fight as the Sioux an
Blackfeet, Woo used to slaughter EN-
particularly the Gros Ventres, for fun
or plumber, wherever they met 'em.
Another time. the year after, need
in some supplies, we set out Cor the
post at the GrCs Ventures Fort on the
Missouri, where Bismarck now stands
with bout forty Injuns along-Crees
an Salteaux, There was bout ten OF
us half breeds, an when we neared the
fort, o Gros Yentre come ont on a swift
boss, ter take n look at lis.
"We saw him comm sever or eight
miles off, an three of US, maxim out to
keep q butte between us, come sudden
ly upon him, jest as he was comm over
the brow of a little hill. The Injuns in
our party were comm along singin' war
songs, an maxim a great fuss, so we let
the Gros Ventre go.
""Twasn't long till quite a parry Of 'em
come out with q flag, which is always a
sign of peace, an we all went with 'em
to their village, near the American Fur
Company's post. The Gros Ventures
had regular stOckades built of logs an
mud, an mud-houses inside, an a lot
'er corn CROWN on the other side of the
river, where Mandan now stands. /
think they growed corn long before
white men come among 'em. Next
mornin' we traded for goods with the
Fur Company, an traded bosses with
the Gros Ventures.
"The Orees was terribly unlucky in
those days-they seemed ter get the
worst of most every fight they went in
ter. One summer, l remember, a
war-party of forty or fifty young
Crees-there wasn't an old man among
'em-set out from along the Saskatche-
wan for the Sweet Grass Hills.
"They found a Blackfoot camp there,
an without KNOWN how many lodges
there was, rushed onter it. There was
swarms of Blackfeet about there, an
they surrounded the young Crees an
killed all but two or three on EN- who
managed ter get away an'bring the news
back home.
"The father of one of the young men
that was killed-his nam was Pa-wa-
ka-we-gen, or Flapping Wings, got a
large party of Crees an Salteaux to-
gether, the follerin' fall, an determined
to find the Blackfeet wherever they
was.
"They found them on the Belly
River, about where Hoop-up is now;
but their scouts only made out one large
camp of 'em,-not too large, they
thought, for 'em ter wipe out. There
was two other camps of Blackfeet neal
by, however, an they all fined togeth-
er an drove the Crees inter the river,
KILN an drownin' seventy-seven of
'em.
"The Crees did have a little luck,
though, bout six years before that. /
remembered that they ketched a party
of Blackfeet, bout as they was ketched
themselves.
"They was winterin' at Vermilion
Hills, in a large wooded couiee ~(ravine)
near the Saskatchewan. Five lodges
was placed so that they could be seen
by anybody comm that way, but most
of 'em was out of sight In the coulee.
A party Of bout a hundred Blackfeet
come ter steal their bosses, an SEEM
only the Ave lodges, thought they would
wipe EN- out before takin' the bosses.
"Tba Crees focked out of the c~oulee,
several hundred of 'em, drove the Black
feet into a deep hollow near by, an
shot down on 'em from both sides,
driyin' 'em down TO the river an KILN
about seventy of ,em. The next day
they followed EN- up, an killed quite a
number more that had been badly
wounded.
But about the tightest fix / was
ever ketched In myself, wass up near
the Lime, bout twenty years ago.
aThree of us-a French half breed, q
Canadian an'myself- was actin as scouts
for q large party of half breeds. We
was three or four miles ahead Of the
party that day, trayellin' through a
hiIly country, when almost afore we
knew it, we was surrounded by Sioux
that had been hid in q deep coulee.
There was so many of EN-, an they
come upon us so suddenly, that we
didn't fire a shot; an / guess it was jest
as well we didn't, for If we had killed
one of 'em they would probly hey made
short work Of us.
"They tied our hands with shagnappi
lrawhidel an took us to our camp, bout
two mile from there. Then the chiefs
held q pow-wow right away, an it was
| decided ter burn us at the stake.
"It happened, luckily, that one Of the
sub-chiefs was a friend Of mine. found
him one time on the bare prairie with q
broken leg. His caynse(pony) had run
inter q b3dger-hole, thrown him over
his head, an then run of. / give him a
pack-hoss, that wasn't much account,
helped him onter it, and he rid off.
He knowed me the mint he set eyes
on me,-which was Jest after they had
decided to burn us,--an' said he would