The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-12-25

Buck Steele is San old-timer" In the
strictest sense of the word, and his career
! has been even more checkered than most
| of his class-at least l was so informed
when 1 engaged him as guide last summer
in Yellowstone Park.
"You must tell me some OF your expert
ences," l said to him one evening after be
had put the camp in order and replenished
the fire with some huge pine logs.
| "Wal," he answered thoughtfully. seat
| ing himself on stump near by and pro-
ducing short and very black clay pipe,
II hev see some tol'able tough times
most on 'em when wuz a heap younger n
| be now, though. Fur more'n ten year
| fit fur my country, an l come mighty
nigh dyin' fur it. too. O. starvation"
"You surprise me,' said. 81 thought
Uncle Sans troops were usually well fed. "
wal, yes" he replied, "they be, ally;
but in arly days, when we wuz ightin'
lnjuns in Minnesoty. thar warn't Their fer
cilities fur packin supplies tibet Tier
troops hez nowadays, an we had pooty
short rations sometimes. l remember,
like it wuz yesterday, when bout twenty
on US come ez nigh starvin' ez any men
you ever see. It wuZ in Central Mime
soty CHAR warn't no settlements thar
then) an our peryisions give plumb out.
''Thar warn't nothin' ter do but wait for
a supply train what he'd oughter reached
Us some time afore 80 we made camp an
secured the perairie roun' fur game, but
couldn't fin nothin'. We'd been 'thout
food for more'n day, an WIZ beginnln'
ter feel awful holler, when party o
Chippewas, seven or eight on 'em, come
inter camp an asked fur suthin' ter eat
we tor 'em ez how we hedn't nothin'
oursers-in fac, thet we wuz iist starv-
in. Thet seemed ter set 'em thinkin',
fur It warn't long atore they up an SEE
they thought ez how they knowed whar
thew cud git elk. We toI 'em we'd pay
well fur some o. Their meat-or anythin'
else. fur tibet matter-an' oil they went,
on Their dead jump, like bright ldee ned
struck 'em. Thet wuz bout noon, an
sure enough they wuZ back afore night,
bringing with 'em lot O. fine steaks
leastwise they seemed fine ter US. We
paid fur 'em in ammunition, an they said
they'd bring us some more Their followin'
day. They did, all right, an then lit out,
an we didn't see no more on 'em. The
mex day Their supply train come up. an
we wuz all right; but what d yer s pose
we foun' out? Bout two mile south o.
thar Their trainmen he'd come acrost ther
Chippewas cuttin' up mule tibet we'd
killed count Nv broken leg; an when
they asked TIL Injuns what they wuz
dom, one on 'em grinned an SEE, Heap
good: us sell 'em white man fur elkP
Thet shows what hunger'll do, fur don't
remember nothin' what tasted better'n
them steaks"
"True," remarked sagely, "hunger is
the best sauce"
"Howsomever, continued Steele. "that
warn't nothin' ter what l went through
when wuz a-workin' fur Their Hudson Bay
Comp'ny, up north. Thar they used ter
show us a rahbit-track, an give US club
l actcherly suffered fur food, time an time
agin, an wuz obliged ter eat no end O.
queer things, ter keep from starvin'."
Those are, indeed. inhospitable re-
gions," 1 said encouragingly.
''Ruther," he replied briefly, relighting
his pipe, and pressing down the burning
tobacco with his horny thumb. 'I'Il tell
yer bout one trip made fur Their conp'ny,
in Their winter o. '66-I shan't never furgit
it. nuther. l wuz located ct Their comp'ny's
Touchwood Hills post, ct Iher time; an
sot out irum thar on tradln' trip e bout
Their middle O. November) with eight half
breeds, seven fat sieds (each drawd by a
cayuse) an big lot o. goods-tea. ter
baccer, fancy prints and trinkets. Eft Their
Big Bend O. Their Saskatchewan-ther !
snow bein' deep-I lef ell but three o. Their |
halfbreeds an Their carts an bosses, an
went ahead with Their goods packed onter |
four sleds (four dogs ter each), one O.
which 1 driv myself. Three days frun /
tn ar we struck big Cree camp, an stopped /
ter trade. We hedn't been thar long when
a party o. young bucks come inter camp.
with ninety gallon O. clear alcohol, what
they'd bought o. some whisky trader. TIL
Injuns, ez they seq up thar, he'd struck a
cache an l knowd, fur sartin', tibet thar
wuz trouble a-brewin'. Tibet very night,
sure enough, tn Iniuns git on a big tear.
an, afore long, party on 'em come up
an begin firm inter our lodge-which
wuz iist on tn edge o. Their main camp
sev'ral O. ther bullets passin' tol'ab.e clus-
ter our heads. telled Their breeds to git
Their goods ready ter pack, an wen ont ter
tn Injuns, an give 'em some terbaccer
an tea, an they moved off tanother part
o. Their camp, whoopin' an yellin' like
mad.
'Ez soon ez they wuz gone we hitched