Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-03-24

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the frontier OF Wyoming and Montana.
Accordingly, supplying themselves
with the necessary pack-horse outfit,
they left Sioux City, Iowa, late in Sep
TENDER, following up the Niobrara
River to its source near Powder River
buttes. Thence, crossing over mar
row watershed, they struck the valley
of Powder River, down which they
continued some forty or fifty miles,
writes contributor for the Chicago
Inter Ocean. There they left the
main valley to follow up small trib-
utary to it's head in what is known
as the Panther Mountains. Crossing
the back OF these mountains they
struck the course OF Robbins Creek,
an aflluent OF Tongue River, down
which they continued to it's mouth at
the foot OF Tongue River Canyon, the
scene, not far from this date, of q des-
perate battle with the Sioux Indians.
There the river emerges from the lofty
and precipitous walls of the noun
tains to continue it's solitary flow to
the turbid Yellowstone.
They at once set about getting ready
for the winters business. The dwell
ing which they constructed was partly
dugout and partly cabin-that is,
portion OF the front was logs. 1t was
against the side of O. perpendicular
bluff on the north side of the creek
and close to the river. The valley
here was all on the northwest or left
shore of the river, but like all these
streams it alternated with every creek
in the channel. Along all the streams
of this region the beaver and otter
abound. Besides these, smaller
species of the weasel family are numer-
Gus, and the beautiful silver fox is
not infrequently caught. OF larger
game, while the bison have measur.
ably disappeared, the antelope, black
tailed deer and the elk, or moose, feed
! in the foothills of the mountains. OF
dangerous game, such bears, grizzly
and cinnamon, and wolves, there is
no scarcity. The mountains them
selves hereabout were named because
they were the favorlte habitat of
numbers OF mountain lions, or panth-
ers, which latter name they received
from Bridger, the famous scout, and
such as he-men from the mountains
of Virginia, where similar beasts bore
that name.
During the months ofNovember and
December they had remarkable sue
cess in trapping otter and beaver.
They were congratulating themselves
upon a season that should surpass
anything in their fathers experience.
But on Christmas eve cold wave set
in with terrible severity. That night
the surface of the river froze as solid
as granite and as smooth as glass.
This weather lasted for several days,
so the brothers were fearful to venture
any great distance from the dugout.
Consequently only the traps in the
immediate vicinity were visited.
While they were thus confined with
in doors they whiled away the time
making pair of skates apiece from
the antlers of the elks they had killed.
They made them very strong, albeit
not so artistically, perhaps, as the
products of the East. They were
tirst-class skates, however, and an
swered to their complete satisfaction.
They tried them thoroughly on thei ice
in front of the dugout, chasing each
other and racing on the long reach of
smooth ice below the canyon.
The first morning that promised a
fair day, Louis, the elder brother,
concluded to visit the traps set along
through the canyon. Accordingly,
strapping on his skates, he started up
the river, armed with only his revolt
yer. "l'll be back by the middle of
the afternoon" he remarked to Ru-
dolf, land you have a warm dinner
ready if you will"
Cali right" replied Rudolf, "the din,
ner shall be ready"
Louis pursued his way up the river,
not intending to make any stop un-
til he reached the last trap, his inten-
ton being to examine rs he returned.
It was glorious trip. Past headland
and cape he glided. Often under the
shadows OF crevice anchored cedars
and pins. Occasionally he stopped
under. a frowning shelf of granite to
count the mud-built nests OF the sum-
mer martins, which were numerous in
allsuch places. He kept and eye open
for large and dangerous game; but he
saw none, save once a huge grizzly; sit
ting motionless on the edge of a prec-
ipice, evidently observing his profile