The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1885-06-03

usually the ca~t, rich eastern firms are
in p secession of these trading posts Tn.
,iisapp ,ar;tlics. III the hunter and the
buffalo, the arrival Of railroad, the
springing up of new towns with rival
merchants, have placed the trader on an
equal footing with other dealers. He
still retains his hold on the common.
s,Idier, however, and usually is the final
recipient of the money paid to these
worthless.
The average soldier of the rank and
file on the frontier is anything but q
valiant, chivalrous warrior, He drinks,
carouses, gambles and rebounds like a
shuttle from the guard house to the
hospital Thus the sutler secures his
due without fear of loss, and in q man.
ner nc other can do.
HAVING LIGHTENED THE BOAT,
we now enter the Yellowstone, a muddy
stream flowing over a grayelly bottom
and fed by the tumultuous mountain
streams tl.at flow from melting SHOWS
and crystal springs until they reach the
alkaii and muddy banks OF the low lands
where the clear crystal tide is trapsform-
ed to murky food, into which the
mountain trout win not venture. There
are few who have described the seen
cry of this river from its mouth to its
head as one grand panorama Of natural
lovliness, but at once took q different
view, and after the first day grew tired
of the sameness and monotony of the
landscape.
Perched upon q dizzy height, we were
often confronted by mountain sheep.
who, on gratifying his curiosity, would
leisarely move away, jumping from eFag
to crag with an uneoncern that never
failed to draw forth remarks of admir-
alton for the sure footed ibex. The
Ahsahta, as this animal is called by
scientific writer's, once bounded over
these lofty mountain shelves in large
herds, but the delicious flavor Of their
food has wrought almost total destruc-
ton to these hardy adyenturers, When
frightened they will bound a great dis
tance, and will follow leader no matter
where he goes, gliding down deep decliv-
tiles, jumping chasms, from rock to rock
and are soon lost to view. From the
great distance they jump downward, I
have heard old hunters say that the
partial effect of the sudden stop was
born by the head, upon which is sur
mounted immense horns
All of the passengers were anxious to
see
BAND OF BUFFALO,
which in the winter season sought the
river bottoms for food. The course of
the boat now lay directly in the buffalo
country. Bleached bones, floating car
casses and deep-worn paths to the river
showed plainly that innumerable herds
of buffalo had lately roved over the level
prairies. The boat still met with OBJ
stacles to navigation, sometimes moving
but few miles in a day. Meat was
scarce on board, but with an occasional
deer or antelope killed by passengers
near by when the boat was stopped, all
had enough to supply the cravings Of
the inner man, but yet all longed for the
sweet tongue and juicy hump of the huf-
falo. A watchman was constantly on
the lookout, but to the unreasonable
disgust of all none were discovered.
Occasionally the boat would steam up to
a pile of wood on the bank, whistle and
if no one came carry aboard enough to
furnish fuel to the next wood yard. At
one of these lonesome encampments
the whistle was answered by long
haiaed man, arrayed in buckskin shirt
and carrying with him his constant com
panion, gun. He had been at this
point of timber all winter, cutting cord
wood and sustaining life from the meat
of his animal neighbors On the morn
ing previous he had gone out hunting
and while absent small party Of In
dams, probably hunting party, had
broken into his log shack" and carried
away everything of a portable weight.
He said he expected lively times but he
proposed to "stay with his timber patch
all the same"
After twenty -four long. weary days,
passing over dangerous rapids and shall
lows, our boat at last reached the land
ing
AT MILES CITY,
two miles from the present Aourishing
town. Twelve miles from town we had
deserted objects on the prairie moving
slowly toward the boat. They soon
reached hailing distance and proved to
be number of mounted citizens who
had come to meet the first boat. As we
neared the landing the number of horse
men increased and sudden turn in the
river brought us in flll view of large
and motley crowd of men. The band
from the neighboring post was also
there and discoursed the sweetest strains
in honor Of the
LONG LooKED-FoR BOAT
that brought new faces into the country,
new goods and luxuries.
This was in the days when the famous
star route mail lines were in the hey-day
of their existence, and although the
stages were advertised to arrive and
leave Miles City daily for Bismarck,
week often transpired without a mail
The company who operated this .ine had
at intervals Of thirty or forty miles, near
water, built log houses, stables and cor
rails, or else houses and stables combin-
ed, to protect the horses from the wan
deIing Sioux thieves. Each driver for