The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-06-03

terially assisted us in our further ex-
plorations. Our original plan. in fact,
had contemplated that our real ex-
plorations would begin at or near
this point and bear from here towards
the southwest. a straight line fro m
here to previous explorations on tn e
Copper would probably give the long
est that could be laid down on this
continent, wholly through unexplored
country. Mr.. Harper was gone for the
summer down the river disposing of his
furs and the station was in charge of
Takudh Indian, who introduced him
self as Sam" He understood micro
scopic amount of English. so his inter
probation was often quite aggravating
to US, but it was the best we could do.
There were also two Indian boys.
These Were all the Indians in sight, so
the chances of getting about dozen to
act as packers for us to the Copper
river did not seem flattering. Where
others could be found was not so APP
parent either. l induced the boys
to drum me up recruits from
the region around about, and have
them come to confer with me
and have feast. had no faith in the
conference as an inducement, but l
knew they would come in from Hud-
sons bay on crutches for the feast.
The boys got away the afternoon of
June -, so there was nothing to do but
await developments. Next afternoon
''Sam' informed me that a raft
could be seen floating out of
the Pelly river, and he believed
it held some Indians that had probably
been sent in by our messengers. They
turned out to be our two courierS them
selves. They said they found camp
on the Pelly but it contained only
squawS. Some other Indians had been
seen and they had sent in word they
would not miss any feast. They had
killed a moose and did not want to
pack. l did not see any relevancy be-
tween the two, but they evidently did.
About an hour after another raft was
seen floating out. 1t had aboard half
dozen Indians who with n vast number
of dogs were soon alongside. There
was not a man among them fit for
packing and they looked more like an
ambulance load destined for n hospital
thana working party. And sure enough
their greatest demand was for medicine,
and it never ceased while we were with
them. The best we could spare readily,
carbolated vaseline, we doled out in
homeopathic quantities for everything
from cornS to consumption and from
badness to bunions; all of which it
cured. | never saw better example
of faith cure in all my vast backwoods
medical practice.
There was a great deal of free advice
offered, but very few applicants for
work; maps by the score were fur
nished as to the trail, but not whisper
uttered as to packing.
One curious piece of information
arose, partially as result of imperfect
Interpretation and partly from the di-
rection we desired to go-that is to the
Copper river. 1t was that these ma
tives knew of a copper deposit some
where near this river. Every time we
spoke of Copper river they civerged off
to the copper deposit. They seemed so
persistent and as finally believed the
two places were so near each other, /
gave up any other idea except that of
the latter, reasoning that if it
could be attained the other
would be close at hand
as result There was one
hardened old sinner among them call
ing himself Jackson who professed to
know all about the region and the
Copper river Chief. Nicolai (Scolai he
called him. He said it was eighteen
sleeps to the copper and one from there
to Nicolai's; but he varied as to the
number of sleeps with each map he /
drew and he was geographically very
energetic. The variations as 10 the 1
copper could be reconciled by assuming /
an equal number of scattered deposits, I
but ii was hard to believe that Nicolai .
was so ubiquitous or had such a large
number of houses as were needed TO .
fulfill the other discrepancies in dis 1
tances- There was no doubt about .
there being a copper deposit somewhere .
near By, which was visited occasionally |
by these people. for we found among
them copper bullets. arrow-heads, : 4
long spatula for digging marrow out Of
moose and caribou bones and bag of
finely powdered azurite or the
blue carbonate of copper. The latter
was used by the ladies for tattooing
their cheeks and chins, custom that
think is dying out little faster than
the tribe. They allege that if one Of