The Dickinson press., 1900-05-26
ANINDIAND DETECTIVE
A SIOUX SCOUT WHO WAS A GENIUS
IN GROUND READING.

This Human Sleuth Exercised Ex-
traordinary Skill In Trailing a Flu
gitive-He Had Instinct and = Pair
of Eyes Thai Were UnerrinK.
Arkichita, a typical Indian, was chief
scout at Fort Sisseton. Dakota, in 1882.
Although he knew English well, he
held the old Indian hatred Of its use,
and would never speak it except under
extraordinary circumstances. He stood
about five feet nine inches in height,
was slender, but wiry, and was about
"a years Of age. Ordinarily he was
slow and sedate in his actions-very
digni1ed; but when the necessity arose,
he could be as quick as a flash, and
had, like every Indian o. the north
western plains, a pair of eyes that
could equal any fieldglass.
His ~services-for he had been EN-
ployed as a scout for some years-had
been very valuable to the government,
and, in recognition Of this fact, the Off
GER In command had secured authority
from the war department to promote
him to the rank Of sergeant; conse-
quently he went around in q neat uni
form with chevrons and stripes, very
much impressed with his OWL impor-
lance, which he considered second only
to that OF the commanding officer; and
he took car that every one else also
should respect his rank and dignity.
AS his native name is the Sioux for
Soldier" it is easily een why he was
SO named; but he had still another
name, which the Indians had given
him before his entering military cir
cles, and that, translated into English,
was the "grasswalker," or trailer"
from his absolutely marvellous ability
to find the trail Of anything that left
even the slightest trace on the ground
as II passed over it.
A desperate soldier named Brice
broke Jail n night and was pursued
the following morning. The trail led to
the west for q trife over q mile; then 1t
turned north for a quarter Of a mile
and. we followed until we came to 8
tree at the edge Of a slough to the
northwest of the fort, called the "gar'
den bar slough" Here Arkichita point
ed under the tree and said Brice had
lain down there to rest.
The trail here led into the slough.
A Dakota Slough" is a shallow lake,
the water of which is from six inches
to three feet deep, with a soft, muddy
bottom, but not generally miry. The
center Of the slough is usually free
from grasses or weeds, but along the
edges, from 20 to 60 yards out, hong
tule grass grows.
This particular slough was a mile
long and varied from an eighth to 8
quarter of a mile in width, and there
was q foot Of water covering as much
soft mud. During the night the wind
had rolled the water up considerably.
1t seemed hardly possible to track any.
thing through it, except where the tule
had been broken down. Where that
was the case. even I could follow the
trail; on reaching open water, however
the case was different.
The eastern end Of the slough reached
to a point near the fort not more thar
$50 yards from a brickyard, on which
was a kiln that had been built during
the summer. The kiln was now ready
for firing.
Once I thought Arkichita was bafded
after all; he had come to a dead stand
still near the tule. Then an inspiration
struck me; perhaps by a ciBcle l coult
find the trail. Happy thought! I put i
into immediate execution and found
one. Rather elated at my success,
called, "Come quick; heap traill" Ri
came over, took one look; just the sug
gestion Of a smile played on his fac
as he said, Sow"
I did no more trailing, but under
stood what was bothering him. Th'
post herd also had waded through her
since Brice's escape, and 1t took all tn
scouts endless patience and wonderful
eyesight to keep the trail where tn
cattle had passed through 1t. The gras
stem was of no use here.
We had passed over half the slougl
in this circuitous route, when sudden
ly Arkichita started, straight as tn
row flies, for the edge Of the slougl
near the brickkiln. Was he following
the trail?
On he went until he came to tn
shore nearest the kiln; here he stopped
evidently bothered again. There was
scarcely discernible footprint in tn
mud and water right at the edge of tn
slough, apparently the last step the de
serter had taken before reaching hart
ground. This footprint showed the toes
so the deserter was now barefooted
Another thing about this print was tt
direction; 1t stood at right angles to tn
line previously followed. Either tn.
man had taken a sideward spring, ia
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