The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-03-24
ADVICE TO BOY rERRoRs.
BY NJ. QUAD.


 against the Indians and grizzlies. You have been reading "Daring Dan," "Ike, the Indian Slayer" "Gus, the Grizzly Killer" and other exciting and truthful stories, intended to make a boy dissatisfied with humdrum life, and your mind is made up to go west.
 You must have an outfit. That can be had while waiting for spring to open. One reason why so many boy hunters make failure is because they economize too much in the outfit. Don't be stingy in buying guns. It will be all the better if you have a Spencer carbine and double -barreled shotgun to go with your Winchester. Suppose you came suddenly upon a band of eighteen Apache warriors. You could only kill sixteen of them with your Winchester, and two would be left to ride off and alarm the tribe. By having some extra guns along you are sure of the whole crowd, and the tribe won't get onto you.
 And don't scrimp on bowie knives. It would be an almost fatal mistake to start out with only two. Buy four at the least. They are for use at close quarters with grizzlies. Of course, one bowie is enough to kill one bear with, but you may be attacked by four bears at once, and four knives would then be in demand. If you don't get but three bowies make up the defi- ciency with Spanish stiletto or a Moorish dagger. It will come in handy, not only ill close fight, but to pick your teeth with at a camp fire.
 AS for dress, get the fringed buck skin, coonskin cap and regular moc- casins. Such things as shirts, collars, cuffs or handkerchiefs would be only waste luggage. If you should appear in Miles City with collar on it would give you away at once. Nobody would suspect that you were the young terror from the east who was aching for chance to tie knot in grizzly bears tail.
 You should take at least two hun dred pounds of ammunition. You may be corraled somewhere in the Rocky Mountains by four hundred fierce and determined Indians, and you don't want to lose your scalp for the want of few extra cartridges. All the provisions needed is sack of jerked buffalo meat. It doesn't make the least bit of difference whether the buffalo was jerked off his feet, over precipice or head-over- heels. If the meat is a little fly blown it will add to your dignity as a hunter. You can chew plug tobacco or not, just as you feel about it, but it would be the wisest to do so. All the champion terrors chew large quantities, and the juice comes handy to spit into rat tlesnake's eyes.
 wouldn't take horse if I were you. He would be a great deal of trouble to take care of, and most of your hunting will be in rough coun- try. The true terror has always gone a a-foot and always will. Any body on horseback can make up faces at grizzly and gallop off out of reach.
 One great mistake which the aver age boy makes is in planning to &C., complish too much the first season. Most of them figure on wiping out about one thousand Indians and twice that number of bears. Keep your estimates down to a reasonable figure. You feel ambitious and enthusiastic, of course, but there is limit to what a boy can do. Set your figures at about four hundred Indians and three hundred grizzlies. This will be almost two per day for the year around, and will keep you from spelling.
 I should scalp every Indian I shot, It not only looks more business like to do so, but that's what you've got scalping- knife for, and if you can get about two hundred scalp locks you can make the incest door-mat you ever saw. It doesn't hurt dead In- dian bit to scalp him, and if you don't take it it will go to waste. It would be well to have a six-mule team follow you at the distance of a mile or so to pick up and care for the rifles, knives, bows and arrows and war-clubs of the slain Indians. These can be run east by car-lots and sold at auction, and the profits will buy all your ammunition. Don't extermi- nate any particular tribe of red men, but kill off about one- fourth of seven or eight different tribes. This will extend your reputation as terror.
 As to the best way of killing an In- dian 1 shall not pretend to advise. Some boys prefer to shoot him, and others believe in sticking him with a knife. If you can catch him in deep gorge you might drop big powder down on his head. Another way is to catch him by the foot with a lasso and drag him over the earth until his spinal column is worn down to a toothpick. In any event the fun will be all on your side. It's little diff <rv~ xxrs@ kA4 IT