The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-08-13

kets, and
FREQUENTLY EXPOSED OURSELVES
to danger by moving about to keep
warm.
The Yellowstone is beautiful stream,
and, although not full of mud and sand,
as is the Missouri, the water is of a yel-
lowish cast, which prevents seeing any
object below the surface. The scenery
along its banks, while weird and lone
some, is very picturesque, and in later
years has attracted thousands Of sight
seers.
The country, from the time we left
the Missouri till we reached the Yellow
stone, was very different country from
that east of the Missouri. All the way
through, between those two rivers, on
the level or rolling prairies, are great
buttes, piled up from 100 to 400 feet
high. Some of them are very uniform,
being round and smooth, built like a
potato-pit or long hayrick. They
look as if they had been piled up hun
dreds or thousands of years ago, by a
race of people now extinct.
We had two bands Of music withaus,
one silver and one brass, and mornings
and evenings, when not fighting Indians,
those bands played and | think |
never heard music sound SO clear and
beautiful as it did on those prairies.
| have in my possession a book pub
lished by Mrs. Fanny Kelly, who was
captive among the same Indians at the
time we were fighting them. She speaks
about fatboat coming down the Yel-
lowstone with 20 men, women, and chill
dren. Only few days after we We're
there. and near the same place, they tied
up their boat for the night. They had
all gotten out on the bank, and left
their guns in the boat. The Indians
were
LYING IN AMBUSH
for them, and all of sudden sprang in
between the whites and their boat, kill
ing every one of the 20 persons.
The command crossed the river. We
marched down the river 10 miles, and
as we were going into camp saw some
of the boys had just downed big buff
falo. While we were passing down the
Yellowstone, we killed a great many elk
and a few buffaloes for amusement and
food.
On Aug. 19 crossed the Missouri to
Fort Union. Fort Union, and in fact all
forts SO far from civilization, were owned
and controlled by the Northwestern Fur
Co, and were really trading posts, al
though prepared to Withstand any attack
from an ordinary force of Indians.
The condition of our stock and the
good feed we found in the neighborhood
of Fort Union was sufficient inducement
for two days camp, where we obtained
good rest, and permitted the weary and
half starved animals to recuperate. The
dead, dry buffalo grass was very nourish-
ing, and the stock would soon have grown
fat upon it.
Changing our course to the eastward,
we followed the Missouri, camping Aug
% ON beautiful little stream five miles
above Fort Berthold. Here we found
three tribes of Indians-Mandans, Rees
and Gros Ventres-all inclined to be
peaceable. They were doing little
farming On the river bottom.
In the afternoon the Indians from the
fort came to our camp, and Gen. Sully
made speech to them. They had three
different Interpreters.
Those Indians had the finest ponies ]
ever saw; they were the regular Oregon
ponies, fat and sleek as moles. They
appeared to be great fellows for sporting
and fun, and were horse racing among
themselves out by our camp during the
day, or playing cards with our boys.
After another days rest we continued
down the river till we were 80 miles east
of Fort Berthold. Here the river makes
bend to the south or southeast, and We
left it, marching in north or little
| east u uOft III uiicCtiou' w z 8CIC IL
hopes of continuing on down the river
and getting in Winter quarters some
where, as we were getting pretty vel
worn out and tired Of the continued
marching for three months. But wher
we started, nearly due north again, i
looked as if our marching was not don,
yet.
Soon after leaving the river we cam'
to beautiful country of rolling prairi
where grass was plenty. This cours
soon brought us into the heart of
THE BUFFALO COUNTRY,
where the prairie seemed alive with tn
noble bison. Herd after herd wa
passed, and in every direction we coulc
see thousands Of them. At times, whel
changing their location or becomin:
scared, they would start running, fal
into single file, and stretch out for tw
miles. If we happened to be crossin.
one Of these paths, we had to break ou
lines and allow them to pass, KILN;
only what we could conveniently TAX
care Of We circled around, and agai,
started in southeast direction, at time
being nearly swamped by the buffalo.
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