Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-05-13
MULE SAGACITY.

was one of the first of the hunters and
trappers who made headquarters at Fort
Laramie. and as that post was established
| fully thirty years ago, you rest assured that
the man who went out by himself had to run
the gauntlet of danger every hour in the
twenty four The spirit OF ali the Indian
tribes has been broken during the last de-
cade, but twenty five years ago each western
tribe was at its best and no man was looked
| upon as warrior unless he could shake the
| scalp of white man in the face Of his chal-
| ienger
1t was against such willy foes, not one of
whom had the least mercy in his heart for
white man, that the hunter and trapper of
! years ago had to pit his craft and Judgment.
| Scores Of them yielded up their scalps in the
struggle but Others beat the red man at his
| own game. IL wasn't SO much for the value
| OF the pelts which the hunter would acquire.
! but there were men who loved the feeling Of
| danger and the wild free life The best OF
the trappers hardly came out even at the
| end. but. unless rubbed otlt or laid up, they
never changed the avocation for one less
| dangerous.
| While it seemed the height Of folly for me
! to head for the Niobrara river, over 100
! miles away, stark. alone and right into the
| heart OF the Indian country, it was a rule OF
! common sense that one man left fewer tracks
| than two, and that two might be discovered
where one would slip past l had thirty
| steel traps, some extra ammunition, blankets
and provisions, and these were packed on the
| back OF stout mule, who WIS TO be led or
| driven | left the fort soon after dark one
| evening in June. and headed straight away
for the Dog Mountains, where the Red Cloud
and Spotted Tail agencies were afterward
established. 1t was backward season. and
| the weather was by no means summer yet.
Indeed, / had been waiting for a week for
the last snow to disappear.
1t was predicted at the post that would
| lose my hair before morning, for tie Indians
were alert and in force all around US Only
three days before my start squad of sol
diers, sent out after wood, had been fred on
and driven IN at midday, and the redskins
had come within rife shot and dared the
garrison to come out. | won't say that |
wasn't a little nervous as | left the post be-
hind me in the darkness, but had | been
afraid, | could have abandoned the under
taking. 1t was rough, stony ground, with
little chance of leaving trail, and we
Kept up pace of about three miles an hour
all night. pausing three or four times to rest.
My mule was what was termed ian Injun
mule" That is, be had been out on three or
four expeditions, WIS well broken in, and
could be trusted almost like a man. As soon
as we were clear of the post | walked on
ahead, and he followed like dog. He real
lied the danger almost as fully as did, and
there was hardly minute in which his ears
were not working back and forth to catch
every sound stirring. Every now and then
he'd throw up his head and sniff, and had he
scented Indians or fire, | should have
known it pretty quick. In my time I've
seen half dozen mules who'd smell Indians
further than dog, and a fire twice as far
as a man: but never yet saw horse
which was of any help that way For sa-
gacity, endurance and companionship a
mule was worth five times as much as a
horse, and for these reasons no trapper
ever took horse when a mule could be had
guess we made fully twenty, Eve miles be-
fore daylight began to show. We were then
on the tolerably level plains. and after a look
around entered a gully and followed it up
until it spread out bit and furnished plenty
of grass. Here, ten feet below the general
level of the plains, removed the pack from
The beast slaked his thirst at the water hole
and then went for the grass. while | made a
breakfast out of some grub brought from the
fort. 1t was risky lying by in such place
during the day. for hunting parties were
crossing and recrossing the country, but l
had to take the risk The day passed off
without an alarm, and when night came l
took up my journey again 1t was not until
--Al, &s1rt,%
Laramie that | reached the spot where in
tended to camp. 1t was on the banks of a
little creek running into the Niobrara, near
its headwaters, and so shut in by the noun
tains that it didn't seem likely the Indians
would discover me-
Almost the first thing I discovered after
sunrise was a cave Its mouth was well hid
den by bushes, and l Numbered upon it by
simple accident. The opening extended into
the mountain | never knew how far but
explored it a good 500 feet, and found no
signs of termination. There was draught
from front to rear, and the first fifty feet Of
the cave were as dry as any room in a house.
saw at once that it was a rich find, and
lost no time in taking possession From mid
night on | had found snow, and therefore left
a trail. but a warm south wind came up
With the sun, and before 10 O'Clock the snow
had siushed until the .rel was oblterated.
After unpacking the mule | turned him loose
tc 60 up the valley and shift for himself. and
sitter long look around, as II TO impress the
location on his memory he trotted off There
we're wolves and bears il plenty in that To-
cality, but he must shift for himself. Just
so long as | remained there he would not go
away That was another point in favor of
mule horse would get terrorstricken or
honesick, and head for civilization, while the
mule would fight OF his enemies and stick
like brother.
had found bouss already built for me,
and as soon as had unpacked my traps and
trlnkets started out for a scout went up
one side of the creek and down the other for
several miles and was rejoiced at the pros
poets. 1t was a paradise for the trapper,
while not a sign Of the presence Of indiana
could be detected Another thing greatly
cheered me, When l came to build fire IN
the cave | found that all the smoke was
drawn to the rear. Where it finally escaped
| never knew, but reasoned thae it was from
some opening high Up on the mountain, and
BY the time 1t reached the air there could bs
little of il TO see or smell l went to bed that
night as well pleased as hunter could Be,
and a sounder snap never tad NEXT day
| set ali my traps, went az the valley. and
found the mule ail right, end next morning
TOOK up my traps to lind twenty eight cap
lures | bad struck il rich, and no mistake.
Mink beaver and otter were Just aching TO
become victims and with my bow and ar
rows 1 could knock over a rabbit or part
ridge al any hour in Ihe day
For ten days Was not disturbed Then.