Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1900-09-27

most influential member of the tribe
| After few days in the vicinity |
moved my supplies to Moore's trading
post. From this point | was Obliged
TO go such long distances that IL was
| economy of time to camp out. | had
| engaged as guide for this part of my
| work--a regular savage, one who knew
the country and every trail through
! the mountains. He was blind In one
eve and could never have boasted of
| large amount of beauty at any time.
his grizzled hair was tied in a knot
with cotton Irvine; about his head he
| wore black rag, the remains of a silk
handkerchief; his shirt was of gaudy
callco his neither garments were
cheap trousers of American make, and
MS teet were encased in the usual
| ouckskln moccasins Ny cavalier
aVantes rode ahead, occasionally look
ing back with hideous one-eyed grin
| intended for reassuring smile.
From sunrise until sunset we rode
through mountain trails, hunting for
sheep camps, as in summer the Nav
aJos drive their sheep up out of their
heated valleys into the cool mountain
benches, where water is plentiful. +
found my gentle savage most helpful.
by daylight the horses were run in and
led' the fire MADE and my coffee boil.
ing before | had emerged from nv
blankets. | carried my own coffee and
some light provisions, but usually
managed to strike hogan at noon and
get some native bread and mutton
stewed or broiled on the Goals. Some
times slept out under the stars some
times under rude shelter of brush
ana poles at sheep camp. 1t is not
| altogether pleasant to sleep within a
few feet of a flock of sheep and goats
huddled close to the fire kept burning
In front of the shelter to scare away
the bears and wolves Frequently my
guide pointed out bear tracks, but we
encountered no bears. 1t is not ey
actly agreeable to feel sheep ticks
travelling across your coun .enance, or
| to have sand rattle down from the
open work roof upon your head. and
sleeping in ones clothes becomes mo-
notonous; but one realizes how very
! few our real necessities are.
Il had intended spending the last
night at Little Water School, as my
work was in that direction at the last
But night overlook us in the noun
tains, and we were obliged to camp at
a sheep camp, where we found an old
man and two young girls; they point
ed out hogan for us to sleep in. II
was beautiful hogan, built of peeled
logs of uniform size; was pentagonal
IN shape and unusually large and
high. 1t was evidently a medicine
lodge. Lifting the blanket which did
duty as door | discovered a small
nre burning in the center of the ho-
gan and near it an old man reclined
on sheepskin. My guide soon replen-
lshed the fire and put on the coffee
pot. The old man who owned the
sheep brought us some native bread in
a basket of Navajo make, and with
some canned meat our bill of fare was
complete. Presently another native
appeared, visitor. One Of the girls
brought in several sheepskins for my
bed. | rolled myself in my blanket
and soon slept Old man number one.
the visitor and my guide also slept in
the hogan also.
Almost before daylight my gentle
| savage was up and out after the
| horses, and before sunrise had my cot.
fee ready. He brought me a highly
decorated bowl, such as the natives
use. full of clear water, and | made
a slight toilet The native whole wheat
bread was rather hard, but by soaking
| 1t in coffee it was possible TO eat il
ReserYing two Of the fiat cakes for our
dinner, we returned the basket to the
/ owner, and, learning that the trail to
| Little Water was rocky and steep and
| the distance considerable. | concluded
to work along toward Fort Defiance.
and get in there by night We found
the trails so bad that it was necessary
| often to get down and lead the horses.
Sometimes the trail is a mere shelf,
cliff above, a gorge below; a slip,
stumble and an accident is inevitable.
BY noon we were riding along the
bank of deep arroga with a stream
tumbilng over the bottom But as we
! Travelled an exit into another similar
valley appeared, and from that we
rode into the big Defiance valley. The
steep, rocky walls Of one side OF the
beautiful Canyon Benito were visible
several miles away, and at its mouth is
located the Navajo agency, Fort De
| fance ! was glad to have bath and
to exchange my divided skirt, bloom
ers, brckskin lesgings and moccaslns
for more civilized garb"