Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-01-04
WANTED EXCITEMENT.
How a Man From the East Was
Abused In Montana.
He Took Walk to Study the Landscape
and Was Surprised by Indians-He
Took a Ride and Was Sur
prised by a Cayuse.


[st. Paul Day.I
"It was In the early days of steamboat
ing on the. Upper Missouri" said Walter
Cooper, of Bozeman, the other night at the
Merchants Hotel, ION an upward trip from
Bismarck to Benton, on boat of the Coul-
son line. We had on board jolly party,
who had exhausted their resources for
! Willing away the time, when at a wood
camp we took on a fresh passenger, and 1use
the term fresh advisedly as you will see.
He had evidently been dropped off the boat
ahead of US because they hadn't. enough
salt to cure him with. He was tall, angu-
lar and pallid, blue-eyed and carrotty-
haired. His build and accent betrayed the
genuine Yankee. His bearings indicated
a wise man from the East on a pilgrimage
to the wild West. A self-satisfied air
clothed his classic brow and self-assurance
was limned upon every feature. The old
timers sized him up as he stalked in upon
the gang plank, and the problem as to kill
ing the remaining time on the trip was
solved by his reply to a question, that he
was going to Benton, was in the Territory
for his health, and would like to be amused.
We at once set our wits at work to anuse
him. But he whistled down the wind all
of our innocent pastimes. He ewanted soIne-
thing exciting, and he got it.
'1The first night the boat tied up about
sundown. And it was beautiful sunset,
such as are seen only in all of their splen-
der in the clear sky and pure air of the
Northwest. As the sinking sun tipped an
exquisitely nodded butte and gilded its
well-rounded dome with roseate shafts Of
light, the eye of the fastener glowed with
the enthusiasm that was stirring up his
poetic soul.
"How far is that mountain from here"
he asked, as he contemplated the land
scape with an artists pose. We dropped
upon his reference to the mountain. Here
was our opportunity to amuse our guest.
1t was more than mile to the butte, but
we told him solemnly that it wasn't more
than quarter and volunteered to go with
him and climb to the apex where We could
see the most magnificent landscape the eye
of man ever gazed upon. Three or four of
US started with him. The other members
of the committee of entertainment excused
themselves.
The trail led across coulees and over
prairie dog hills, but our guest plodded on
with the boys, who were filling his soul
with dismay by relating Indian stories IN
til the landscape had lost some of its
charms and he expressed a burning desire
to return to the boat, and the butte was
fading into the shadows Of evening. The
party had hardly faced about when wild
yells and wilder firing made the air hid
eous. The boys all yelled Injuns' and
made a break for the boat. Then a pale
streak was seen breaking through the
startled air, anon appearing on a dog house
and disappearing from view in Ia coulee,
the firing and bowling continuing on either
side of the line of retreat on the trail from
the butte to the boat. Everybody on the
boat was in commissions as the apparition
dropped from the bank into the water, was
fished out with boat hook and identified
as the Easterner who wanted some exciting
amusement.
"When the boys, whom he had distanced
on the retreat, came sneaking in holding
their sides and biting their lips with the
story that they had, after a hard struggle,
succeeded in driving the savages away and
saving his life, the Easterner suddenly
pulled toy pistol and opened fire on them,
swearing he would be avenged, for he was
wet and wrathy. But by the time We
reached Benton we lad succeeded in re-
stocking him with confidence in our good
intentions.
Before landing we were having quiet
talk among ourselves as to taking little
horseback exercise. As We had anticipated,
he broke into the conv ersation and pleaded
to accompany US, declaring that his mis-
sion to Montana was the pursuit Of health.
His physician had told him to go out there
and ride the toughest horse he could find
and stir up his liver. We went up to a
livery stable and gave the foreman the
wink. Our fresh friend impressed the boys
with his desire to get the toughest horse
there was in the corral. Pretty soon a
stout-legged cayuse with a shaggy name,
stubby tail and pink eye, came bound
ing out, with three muscular fellows
dancing a hornpipe in his train,
trying to control him with larriat,
the stirrups pummeling the saddle and
the pony's fianks with wild abandon.
The man in search of health studied the
antics and lurid light in that cayuse's eye
amoment and quailed. Then we guyed him
until we had touched his pride and the
boys had quieted the beast little, and
then he mounted The men held on until
he could be firmly seated. His mettle was
now up and he yelled fiercely at the men
to let go the ropes. The cayuse did not
stir when he was first released. This in
spired the rider to rake his flanks with his
spurs. Then there was a confusion of
cayuse and rider and spurs and saddla /,
the air and on the ground alternately until
the whole outfit rolled up in heap of
dust in front of that corrall. had seen a
cayuse buck before, but never one which
entered so heartily into the spirit of the
occasion as that one did. He brought
every muscle into action and fairly over
reached himself. We went to the wreck
as quick as we could, dredged the dust out
Of the health -sesker's ears and mouth and