Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1888-11-29

attached in the Office of first lieuten-
snt, was stationed at the isolated lit
tie post of Browns Hole, Ore.
The fort originally was a hollow
square Of log cabins. with roofs and
floors constructed Of mud. Around
the outside were numerous shastiasu
where the families of the ykitstrap-
pers remained while ehe latter weE
absent among the mountains o9d
yer runs. Many of the Sheshs i
Snake Indians, as well as the u u
feet, Sioux and Nez Percs. frequented
the fort. They appeared in largest
numbers during the winter months,
when they brought large quantities of
venison, buffalo and mountain sheep
meat, and exchanged the same with
the post trader for beads tginkets,
ammunition, etc. A stere house also
stood on the outside, where the trap
pers bartered their furs, and the In.
dians their ponies for hatchets, knives,
fish hooks. lead and last, though not
least, for whisky.
The Shoshones were the nearest as
simulated to the whites, and during
the severer months nearly the whole
tribe would pitch their lodges on the
plain around Browns Hole, while
scores of hunters end trappers congre-
gated within the stockade or among
the Indians, an& a scene of enjoyment,
such as they rarely experienced, was
INDUCED in.
1t was balmy day in October when
a Shoshone scout arrived at the fort
with the intelligence that the murder
GUS Nez Perce were making extensive
preparations for formidable iuroad
against tbe sparse settlements about
Browns Hole and Shullors, farther
bslow.
General Rufus Terrell was in CON-
mand in those days, and in order to
be fully prepared for the contempla-
ted des; ;ent Of the savages he detailed
Lieutenant Crook and portion of his
troop of cavalrvmen TO I'e"eV' ase-'"ei'
country as far as was safe and take
observation as far as was possible and
ascertain whether or not the Indi ans
were already on the move.
The scouting party was composed
of men every one of whom had been
selected as skilled in Indian warfare.
On the present occasion, however,
Crook realized that celebrity Of action
was much more essential, rather than
any great 6nesse of movement or
knowledge Of contending with the
bloodthirsty denizens Of the North.
That very afternoon horses were
saddled and stood at the fort front
with their eager riders booted, spur
red, and armed to the teeth with such
weapons as were in vogue with the
army in those days.
AT given signal they were of, and
when the hardy little band of horse
men had reached the last point from
which their forms were visible to the
soldiers watching their departure,
they wheeled, gave a round of cheers,
and then, ere the answering shout had
died away, in q mournful echo, they
were hidden, some of them forever,
over the shadowy swell Of the plain.
At sundown that night they came
to a small river, q tributary to the
Big Horn, where they struck camp for
the night. And as yet no In lisn
"sign" had been discovered. The
Shoshone scout was stolid and uncom-
municative, and wien asked when
something of the enemy might be ex
pected to become discernible he sim
ply grunted:
Tomorrow T.
The stream upon which they bivou-
acked was narrow, but deep and clear,
flowing swiftly over bed Of white
pebbles that could be seen glistening
far out from the shore. The water,
hardly ever free from the snow Of the
mountains, was Of icy coldness. The
grass along its banks was luxuriant,
and the soldiers tethered their jsded
animals. while they busted themselves
with their evening repast.
They were up and of early the next
morning. and with but few hslts for
rest and nourishment travelled through
q wild and unbroken country until
well along in the afternoon. Sudden
ly the Shoshone called halt, and f,s.
tening his 81 -ttening eyes on Lieuten-
ant Crooks face, and stretching out
his long. naked arm, he pointed with