The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1896-03-19

the long deep coulies which led down
TO the Milk River valley, about ten
! miles away. Ear y in the morning OF
q sunny day, old Dan and mounted
l our horses an6 started out to begin
! our work. About a mile from camp
we sighted band OF elk and shct q
large fat cow We ripped the animal
| open from throat to tai and removed
| the viscera. Then we mixed two bot
ties of strychnine with the blood which
collected, and smeared il all over the
meat, cuttirg deep gashes here and
| there, so that the poison would work
! into the thicker parts. A mile from
the elk we successfully stalked little
band of buffalo, ant secured large
young bull, on which we used three
bottles of the poison. Then, as the
wind shifted to the north and snow
began to fall, we turned back and went
home. In few days, however, we
got out all the bats we wanted, and
every pleasant day we would go ont
and skin the wolves which were not
frozen. Nowadays it is very difficult
to get wolves even TO approach poi.
/
had not been educated, and we're so
ravenous that we often saw them go
up to a carcass and begin to eat it he.
fore we had ridden q quarter Of q mile
away.
| Tee strychnine was so rapid in its
action that some of the animals died
with their head resting on the bait.
Occasionally one of them would get
half mile away before the poison be-
gan to work but three-fourths of them
fell within 900 yards OF the bait.
mad several opportunities to watch the
effect of strychnine on wolves. 1t
seems to deprive the animal suddenly
OF the use of its legs, which become rs
stiil as pokers, Then the creature falls
over on its side, makes few Intellectual
gasps for breath, and dies.
As the days and weeks slipped by
we began to think that either the In
dians did not know we were woliing on
their territory or that they had no de-
sire to attack so formidable party.
One evening late in February, now.
ever, the east course outfit, Duval,
Scott and Atwood, came into camp
and reported that they had had n run
ming fight with small war party and
Ind killed or wounded two OF them.
Tney had gone out to the end of their
line, and on their way back, when
about three miles from camp, they
had been fired on NY dozen or more
mounted Indians vino rushed up out
OF coulie. The boys put spurs TO
their horses and retrcated with all
speed, followed by the Ipdiars, vino
kept firing rs fast ~ they could load
their guns. AT last Duval's horse was
snot and down he went; then the boys
stopped and fired around at the In.
diGug, and had the satisfaction of see
ing one them fall from his horse.
Abandoning MS horse and saddle, Du.
val then got up behind Atwood. and
they went on as fast as they could. In
q few minutes the war party took up
the chase again, leaving only two or
th,ee OF their number with the one
il,o boy ha,s shOt. AZ Atu-a.--tS ker-5
was now carrying n double burden.
they could not go on so fast as before,
and soon tho bullets began to strike
unpleasautly near. SO Scott dis.
mounted and checked their pursuers,
and when the other boys had made Il
/ few hundred Yards he reioiued them.
This manmuyre was repeated several
I times, ana was quite successful, Tor
the Indians were armed with old Hud-
son Bay Company "fukes,' or smooth
/ bore flnt locks. which were not reli-
/ able Mt II distance above seventy-hvc
/ yards, while Scott, as well rs the rest
OF us, used the Hawkins rifle, thirty.
two balls to the pound, which was
every bit as accurate as the modern
DrcCchloader. So it was that when
Scott dismountod the Indians kept at
q safe distance, hoping that one OF
the many shots they fired at him
; might find the mark.
! As the distance to camp became
shorter and shorter, the boys felt their
courage rise, and finally they con-
cluded that they wouldn't be driven
yard further. They all dismounted,
and although the trade balls from the
Indian iu&es occasionally struck the
around little too near, they took de-
iiberate aim at their pursuers, some
500 yards distant. AS the smoke
driited away they saw one of them
reel and tumble headlong to the
/ ground. The boys gave u veil of
triumph, and fired several rounds as
/ fast as they could reload but the
Indians seemed to have had enough
and quickly rode away, carrying their
fallen comrade with them.
: Discussing the affair that night, we
concluded to stand our ground. Every
body was well aware that the Indians
never would be satisfied until they
had tried 10 Gvenge the death OF their
comrades, aud that in two or three
weeks they would return in full force
and try to wipe us out. One or two
ylmid ones favored an immediate re-
turn TO Fort Benton, but they were
4 soon silcnced wnen oid Dan said:
81 think I express the sentiment OF