The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-08-09

AuH! tnat nothing, my son, noun ing at all; l can tell you something yet more wonderful It happened to one of our ancestors very long time ago. He was wandering by the river one day, and looking down in the clear, deep wa ter he saw lodge resting on the bot tom. It was very large, very white and painted With figures of strange animals and birds. Our forefather determined at once to dive down and see who in- habited this strange dwelling, so he pulled off his clothing and dived in. Down, down he went, and reaching the doorway pulled aside the curtain and entered There was no water inside, and everything was dry and warm. At the back of the lodge sat very old man; his hair was white and long. Near him sat his wife, also quite old but still good looking, and by the doorway, working at some garment of strange skins and feathers, was their daughter, the most beautiful young woman any one ever saw. All around the sides of the lodge hung strange and beautiful weapons, garments and pouches of medicine. The old man greeted our an- cestor very kindly and made him sit by his side. He bade his daughter place some food before him, and pick ing up shell from a pile by her side, she placed single strawberry in it and set it before the guest. He thought this a very slender meal to offer one, but said nothing, and after waiting a little lifted the berry and placed it in his mouth. What was his surprise, on looking at the shell, to see that another berry had taken the place of the one he had just eaten. He was afraid, for he knew at once he was In the lodge of the chief of the Under water-people. But he determined to put bold face on the situation, and calmly lifted the berry and ate 1t, although his heart was sick with fear. As fast as he took berry from the shell another one appeared in its place. and at last, having eaten a great many, he set the shell aside, with the berry it contained"
 Here Archie interrupted the tale by exclaiming: 'Oh! that's just one of your stories, but it isn't true. There are no Under-water-people,'
 The old medicine man gazed at him thoughtfully while and then said: When you told about your God feed ing a vast number of people on few loaves and fishes, we did not say that your story was not true. However, will ask you to prove it. You can't? Neither can I prove my story. Yet believe it, for it has been handed down from father to son to the present time, and must say 1t is entitled to as much credence as yours"
 Another evening Archie old about Daniel in the lions den, and when he had finished a tall, brawny warrior re- marked that the beasts had probably just eaten a hearty meal and were too lazy to move.
 T myself" he said, "single-handed and with only a knife, once crawled in- to bears den I found I prayed to the Sun to aid me, and when l saw the bears I stabbed with all my might. There were three in the den, and kill ed them all That's more than your man did for by your own account it would seem that he was afraid to fight
 Very early one morning it was report ed that a large herd of buffalo were feeding on a high table land three or four miles east of camp. The camp crier was soon abroad, shouting out the news, and the warriors, aroused from their sleep, came tumbling out of the lodges in haste for their horses. One of the strctest rules for the govern ment of the people was that regarding the buffalo hunting. Thinking life was dependent on supply of these animals, which were their food, clothing and shelter, hunter mig Ut go by himself to hunt deer, elk or other small game, but when buffalo were discovered no one was allowed to hunt them alone, under penalty of confiscation and de- struction of his property, and even death. Sharp lookouts were always watching for herd, and when one was seen the camp crier spread the news The hunters assembled at the chief s lodge, and when all were ready they started out together, under the leader ship of some chief, and thus had an equal chance.
 It was not half an hour after the alarm had been given before the war riors, mounted on their fleet ponies,
 
 been discarded, and even clothing, many of the men wearing only the breechclout and moccasins. Most of them were armed with rifles, but some carried bows and arrows, which at close quarters were almost as rapid and ef- fective as guns. It was a grand sight to see these 1.-the and sinewy men move off at the signal of their leader. The impatient horses strained at their bits and curvetted from side to side, and their riders, erect and graceful, sat on them as if horses and riders were one. No sooner were the men gone than the women began to string out after them, mounted on their gentler ponies, and boys went with them driving strings of pack animals which were to bring back the meat and hides. By this time the chiefs wives had prepared our morning meal, and after eating I borrowed a horse from the old chief and rode out toward the scene of the hunt I was much too late to join in the chase By the time I reached the plateau on which the buffalo had been discovered the herd had been run and the survivors were gone, but the sagebrush plain was thickIy dotted with the huge forms of the slain to the number of several hum dred, and now the hunters, the women and the boys were busy skinning them and cutting up the meat. Here and Nf