The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-06-24

SATURDAY. JUNE A, ]
 something on the ground and then
 turning around suddenly, jumped and
 ran a step or two, as if he had just dis
 covered them. Then he stopped again, and, raising his rife, fired five times at | them. No one was hit, nor did they
 return the fire, and Antoine turned and
 ran. Once in while the half-bree d
 would stop and fire shot at them, but
 he was so far away that his bullets had
 no effect. The Indians never once fired at him, but kept steadily on, and at { last passed out of sight over distant ridge five or six miles away. Then Bill
 and Tom hurried down the hill, across 1 the fiat and over to their cabin in the
 timber. In a shed adjoining it, and
 roofed with green buffalo hides was
 stored their winters take of wolf deer,
 antelope, elk and buffalo skins-nearly 1 1000 hides in all. They thought that | even if Antoine did succeed in decoying | the Indians to some distant point down i the river they would undoubtedly sus-
 pect they had been fooled, an return, so,
 to save the hides, they had decided to
 cache them Choosing the most inac- cessible place they could find in the thick brush bordering the river. and
 quite long ways above the cabin, they
 began to move the hides into it, going and returning by a different route each | time, so as to leave no trail. They
 built no fire that evening, and after a
 bite of cold meat and bread, spread
 some blankets in the brush near the
 doorway and quietly waited for their
 companion to return. It was about 9
 o'clock when they herd the soft thud of
 his moccasined fest coming down the
 trail through the timber, and presently
 he appeared in the dim light walking wearily along.
 "Tired?" Tom asked. as he and Bill stepped out of the brush.
 You bet I be tired I'll talk dose H'injun most to de mout' de Moosehell river an den I'll run down into de bot tom of de Missouri an den I'll run up dis way An what you tink? I'll keel it one H'injun. Yes, sare. I'll just hold de gun up high-no take ainl-an' when I pull de trig' I'll watch an dose H'injun he's fall an no move any more."
 Early in the morning the hunters car ried the rest of the dried skins to their cache. Feeling sure that the Indians would come up the river and find the cabin, they hid most of their outfit, buried a ten-pound keg of powder under the fireplace, left q pot and a lot of tea and sugar in a conspicuous place, and then taking their blankets and a few provisions they went out into the hills | to hide for a day or two and see what would happen, Perched on the apex of steep, pine clad ridge, the hunters sat quietly hour after hour, watching for any signs of the enemy. It was weary l work, especially for Antoine, who never could sit still or idle any length of time. | He fidgeted and swore as the hours dragged by, and finally proposed that | they should go up to the head of the long coulee and finish skinning the wolves there, one to guard while the others worked. Well just go yer on that" Bill said, "pervided you do the Watchin'; them eyes O yourn is sharp er'n ourn. Come on.''
 A couple of hours later, when they were busily at work they were suddenly startled by an explosion like the dis charge of a large cannon and, looking down into the bottom, they saw a dense cloud of white smoke rising above the trees where the cabin stood
 T guess our Injun friends has been brewin' a cup O tea" said Bill, with a grin.
 The others didn't say anything, for they were watching the Indians, who now appeared on the open flat, running as hard as they could down the bottom. When near the center of 1t they stopped, punched up and apparently held coun- ell, and then changing their course, ran for the hills, evidently intending to go out on the prairie.
 The hunters watched them climb the long ridge and when they finally dis appeared where it met the prairie, An toine ran up to where he had discov- cred them the day previous, and Tom and Bill resumed their work. They stopped now and then to signal the half breed. who would reply that the enemy was still going That evening, assured that the Indians had really left, they returned to,the cabin to find it a per- 'eet wreck; the roof was gone, the chim- ley had fallen in, the walls were partly blown away, and in the debris were the initiated bodies of five Indians.
 One morning in May, the first steam boat of the season landed the hunters md their bales of furs and skins on the evee at Fort Benton, and that evening here was a big time in John Lily's lurdy house. Bill was getting rid of lis wealth as fast as he could, Antoine vas helping him. and Tom was looking m to see that no harm befell them. few days later he had to furnish the grub stake for another season.--Chi- ago Tnter-Ocean.