Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-09-24

'Otu Dakota ana Their Contemporaries
in the Early Fart of the Present Cen
| tury.
BY CREEP EASY, OF CALAMITY FARM,
[Concludsd from last week.
We will now return to "Old Dakota"
and Williams, who left Heart river for
the fur company's rendezvous on the
Cheyenne, where they arrived in due
time without mishap or adventure. This
place continued to be rallying point
for multifarious and motley popuIa-
ton. and was at that time great place
of arrival and departure for trappers and
| traders, engaged in the fur trade. Here,
after an absence OF year, they came in
| with their peltries and furs and settled
| their accounts with the company, the
furs rendered by them being transport
ed by steamboat to st. Louis. Here,
| was also congregated class of trappers
and hunters technically called "free
trappers," in the language of the traders
who had been employed by the fur COM
panies, but their term of service having
expired, contin aed to hunt and trap on
their own account, trading with the
company like Indians. They derived
the appellation Of Stree trappers" to
distinguish them from the trappers who
were furnished and bound by the com
pany to work for them year or more
end received wages, or trapped on
shares.
These "wandersrs OF the wilderness, -
having frequent intercourse with the
Indians and being separated from civili-
zstion, relspsed into the habitudes of
the natives. Though no longer bound
by engagements to continue in the pur-
suits OF trapping, yet they had become
40 accustomed to it that great portion
OF them would inter.marry with the In
dians and look back with repugnanee
upon the restraints of their civilized
life.
Having given the render some idea of
the fur trade and acquainted him with
the wild chivalry OF the mountains end
plains of the great west, we will no
longer delay the introduction Of cold
Dakota" with his friend Williams into
the piebald mixture OF ciYilized, half
civilized and savage companions. Here
"Old Dakota" was in the full enjoyment
| of his wishes, leading trapper's life in
the wilderness. with all ofits wild popu-
lace around him. Besides his own peo-
pie, motley IN character and costume
American, FEench, Creole, half-breed,
hired and free trapper, he was surround
ed by an encampment OF Cheyenne In
dians whose lodges extended over hills
and valleys.
"Old Dakota" and his friend Williams
reached the rendezvous about sundown
and encsmped on an eminence that
overlooked the valley. The enoamp-
ment below presented bussling scene.
The resounding strokes of the axe, the
sharp report of the rife. continual
parties returning and salls;ng forth, all
In the midst of o region that only few
days before was suddenly reused from
perfect silence and loneliness by this
transient "trapper's soiourn." realized
the idea OF "populous Solitude" AS
twilight thiekened into darkness every
campfire glared upon group of men,
eating, cooking and working at their
varions duties, while perhaps from some
point group OF men could be seen
seated around campfire, drinking and
relating their exploits and adventures.
After "Old Dakota" and his friend had
partaken Of their evening meal and made
everything secure for the night they
left the camp in charge OF Williams
young Blackfoot squaw and made tour
of the encampment.
One of The chief delights of these
frontiersmen. especially when congre-
gated around campfire OF an evening,
was to listen to some strange and quaint
wanderer who could beguile away the
hours OF repose with anecdotes and rec
collections OF his past life. Those To-
qusoious retailers of traditionary lore
who could relate strange and interesting
leather stocking tales and legends were
hailed as fortuitous acquisition to
their evening gatherings. Such man
was old Mcdonald, an old weather.
beaten Scotchman, who had worked in
the interest OF the fur company for
years, who had crossed and re-crossed
the Rocky mountains several times, and
had trapped and hunted from the Mis-
souri, to the Pacific coast and whose pre-
cautionary connseis, were of such value
that he mad gained the we'll ,nerited
soabriquet Of "Old Nestor." AS "Old
Dakota" and his companion were pass
ing one OF the campfires they paused
and listened to "Old Nestor's" narra-
fion of the following interesting Indian
legend: 4
OLD M'DoNALD's STORY.
Several years ago. while myself and q
companion we're travelling on the great
trail that leads from the Bitter Root
river 60 Fort Walla- Walla, we passed
down through the Grand Canyon into q
rocky country of broken aspect, to q
small stream called Cragfish creek. Con-
tinuing along the general course of that
stream for five or six miles, we en-
camped for the night an eminence that
overlooked small lake enclosed by high,