The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-04-14
A MANDAN'S CAVE.
The Retreat Made by ScalpIess and Dis
gTaced Warrior.

The Retreat Made by Scalpless and Dis
graced Warrior.
was riding leisurely along over the
prairie one day, about three miles
southwest of Fort Berthold. when l
saw, standing ahead of me about two
hundred yards, four Indians. l thought
nothing of it, and turned my head to
look at deer that was bounding in
fright over a distant hill. When |
looked in the direction in which | had
seen the Indians there was n blank.
Where could they have gone? There
was no butte behind which they could
possibly have hidden, and not q gully
was to be seen in which they could
have crept. l looked in every direc-
ton, and suddenly as they had disap-
peared they appeared again, though
for the life OF me could not have told
where they emerged from. They arose
as if they had sprung out of the
ground, as did soldiers that grew from
the dragons teeth which Jason sowed.
went up to the band They hap
pened to be tribe with whom l could
converse without difficulty, and l asked
them where they had been while was
looking. They pointed in reply to a
fiat stone that looked as much as any
thing like the side or end of massive
piece of sandstone. There was crack
| in the stone, it was true. but it was of
such nature as TO excite no suspicion.
One of the party pressed against the
stone, and it fell inward. :. 1t afforded
an opening large enough for q man to
creep through without any trouble. l
was invited to follow the leader of the
gang. / dismounted, and, handing the
pony l was riding to one of the Indians,
entered the strange retreat. 1t was a
queer cave cut out of the hill. There
was bench on which a man could get
a good nights rest if he were sleepy, a
number of holes cut in the wall over
head looking like pigeonholes, and, al
though there was a grimy look to the
walls, it was not an uncomfortable
abode. There was heap of bones in
one corner, which | afterward learned
were the remains of many feast of
the owner of the hole in the ground.
A Mandan Indian, who, unfortunate
ly for his peace of mind and social
standing, lost his scalp in battle several
decades ago, constructed this home
here. He was disgraced by the loss OF
his scalp, and never more could live
with his tribe, or abide with his squaw or
little ones. Determined to make as much
as possible of what of life he had remain
ing to him, he hewed q place out of the
earth where he was free from molesta,
ton. Here he lived alone and in com.
parative comfort, secure against biz
yards, and equally protected against
the heat of summer.
This unique specimen of fast-dying
race was something of an artist
Around on the rock of his lonely abode
he had carved number of the mos
primitive-appearing designs. l coulC
not learn from my guide whether o.
not it was probable that the artist wa
accustomed to drinking the peculia
brand of whisky that years ago tn,
white man traded to the redskins fol
pelts, but it was a strange fact that the
artistic skill displayed appeared to rur
to snakes. Representations of snakes
in all attitudes adorned the walls. Ii
some cases they were represented q.
swallowing a man, and now huge
crawling monster would have an ex
piring buffalo within his coils. There
were dozen well-preserved impress
sions of snakes, all of which repre-
sented monsters, and not the small
harmless reptiles that are found il
this region.
My guide informed me that the scalp
less man depended for his artistic idea;
upon a legend of huge serpent thai
existed in this region, and which
legend has fed upon a peculiar under
ground passage tortuous and sinuou
in the extreme, which is pointed to by
the natives as being the home of baC
spirit in serpent form.-St. Paul Pho
neer- Press.