The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1895-02-08

substance re-
sembling in texture and color a we'll
burned brick. Our old guide handed
1t tenderly as he knocked the ashes
out Of its wide bowl, carved in the
likeness of bison's mead.
FIN up again, Thad.r said l. .'and
while we smoke tell US the story OK
that pipe. Come, you've promised It
often enough"
A smile litup the ragged, weather.
scanned face of the old trappcr as he
gazed long and musingly at the short
pipe he held in his hand, and In the
play of his features one might have
read tales of daring and prowess, aud
of cunning and strategy as subtle as
that OF the willy Sioux whose right of
possession to the great prairies c. ~.
northwest old Thad cambridge was
one of the first to dispute.
ut amt no 1njun pipe he began,
though II Is made of pipestone SAINT
as the whites found in use by all the
tribes of the nor'west when they first
came among I'm. and low was abous
the first white man to dig the stone
and make pipe of this kind for him
self Common as were these pipes
among the Injnns. there is only one
spot in all the country where the soft,
red stone they're made OF is TO be
found. II was by the merest accident
that happened to stumble upon the
quarry, and u bigger accident yet that
my scalp didn't pay for the find. 1t
was when was trappia' up ON ihe'
headwaters OF the Dcs Moincs one
spring, early in the 'forties. l-s gone
farther up into that lake and prairie
region than I'd ever been before, and
taken as prime lot of beaver and OF
ter as ever cheatin trader beat an
! honest trapper out Of hadn't seen
an Injun on the prairies all that
spring, nor didn't expect to. though
that amt sayin' that camped in plain
sight and left an open trail wherever
went lnluns are like the bad deeds
a man has done and tried TO cover mp;
they're always turnin up when you
least expect 'em, and knew the crit
tiers too well for that.
II struck out To the northeast FROM
my camp one mornin' intendin' to cir
Gle round to the north and west to
look at some ponds and lakes that
couldn't well get at with my canoe.
! I'd Travelled until about noon, when /
struck somethin' that changed my
plans mighty sudden, | can tell you. 1
wasn't lookin' for Injun sign, when all
at once steppca smack into plain
trail leadin' toward my camp, dozen
miles or more off to the south. To say
] was surprised wouldn't be putin it
half strong enough. At least dozen
ponies had passed that way but few
days before, and what puzzled me more
than anything else was the fact that
the trail looked as il il had been used
for years. knew there was a big
Sioux village up to the north on Big
Stone lake, bnt where this trail could
lead 10 that had never struck IL be-
fore, sconrin ali the country to the
south as1' ID done forInont hs, was more
/! thanI could guess. Thought knew
lnjuns and Injnn ways prettywell, but
this thing stumped me. ! dropped
down in the grass tostudy the matter
over, but couldn't make head nor tail
of it. Here's someshin' for You to
learn, old man. said 1 to myself, aud
there's just one way for you to learn
it SO, talsin the ;aps off to see that
both barrels c:t ~ rife were well
primed, started south along the trail
keepin' short outlook on all sides.
hadn't gone three miles when. on
rouudin' n little hill, | saw a faint
smoke risin' out OF fringe OF willows
in the valley OF little creek about a
mile ahead.
'Keepin carefully under cover, !
crept near enough to see the poles oil
three or fodr tepees peepin up
through the tops OF tile willows, and
quite band OF ponies browsin' along
the creen. knew they Conduit he
/ huntin' buffalo, for alt the herds were
off 10 the south and west Of the Big
Muddy at that time Of the year. and
when Injuns 60 trappn they don't o
in bands nor On horseback. eithef.
There was roc:;J rise OF ground
few hundred yards up the creek from
their camp that thought would give
me good outlook. and crcpt round
toward it, for had made up my mind
to fnd what they were mp to II
had To wait for dark to reconnoiter
their camp. reached the point, aud
was crccpin' along between two of
the many lodges OF rock that stuck up
few feetabove the prairie sod, when
happened 10 notice that pieces Of uhe
stone had been Clipped off here s-ud
there / picked up piece and ex-
amincd ii a minute. Treat Scott
could hardly believe my eyes: but
when whipped out my knife and
tried II, tile whole thing, the old trail
and all, was as plain as daylight 10 the.
I'd fonnd the redskins pipestone
quarry!
"'rhe discovery 80 upset me that
came pretty near forgettin' that Sioux
camp in the willows just below I'd
learned from the Winncbagus along
the Mississippi that the quarry was
located somewhere out ON these
prairies between the two Zig Matters
and I'D notion for years that I'D like
to lind ii and fashion pipe for my
self There were plenty OF Injun make
to be had al almost amy post trad-r's;
bnt never fancicd the lnjun pipes
with their long shnnlls and clumsy
| stems. more like the handle Of toma-
! hawk than a pine stem. | felt pratty