The National tribune., 1902-05-01
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE: WASHINGTON D. c. THURSDAY

We need not fear having our horses stoler
by the Dakotas while these Indians wer,
with us; and then they knew every foot
of this country They could tell us where
we could take our Wagon, and where WI
could not.
I There was a range OF, mountains west
of us-it was on the map, at any rate
and we found them Just where the MAP
said they were, when we got TO them
These Indians led US across them; they
were the Laramie Mountains. Mr.. Rem,
ington, when he saw that they meant to
keep us company. told me to give the
Squaws coffee, sugar. and -four from time
to time, and l did so. They never would
ask for it, though Then, too, we shot
10 times as much game as we could use
but they could use it, and got it. There
were only two guns in their outfit; both
had been made in the year one, and were
only dangerous to the man behind them
The Indians had no powder for them;
they used bows and arrows. There was
an Indian boy of about 16 in the party
and lie and ] hunted together, and he
taught me TO ride Indian ponies and shoot
buffnloeS.
Today | would not trust a Sioux any
farther than | could reach him with a
pistol, but at that time l hunted with
that boy, and more than once camped out
of us wrapped in the same blanket. l had
read all about these Sioux and how mean
they were, but these were all right
Probably the others would have been all
right also, had they always been treated
right by US in our dealings with them as
a Nation.
We Travelled that Winter and the next
Spring clear across what is now the State
of Minnesota, then across what is now
A,1- . Il,
Indian Territory. Next we crossed the
northwestern corner of what is now Ne
braska, then out into what is now Wyom-
Ig; it was in Indian Territory then.
We hunted buffaloes on the Laramie
plains, and here | saw my first real sol
diers. We had soldiers at home, the uni
formed militia, or National Guard as
they are now called, but they were make
believe soldiers. These were the real ones,
| thought. They were two companies of
the Mounted Rifles, and l took to them
right off. They were scouting after
Sioux We still had our Indians with us,
but the Major in command said that these
of ours We're all right; if the rest of their
tribe were half as good as these were, the
Mounted Rifles might go home and stay
there. He knew these Indians, and they
knew him.
We kept the Rifles company for quite
a while, and | put in all the time | could
get among them, and before we left them
one of their Captains tried hard to get me
to enter as Il wind Jammer" That is
what the little trumpeters here were call
cd; but | was West now, and not half
as anxious to break into the Mounted
Rifles as | had been a year ago.
From the Laramie plains land, by the
way, these plains were part of that
Great American Desert that | had been
told about at school, we turned east. and
after going across what are now parts Of
Nebraska and Kansas, we finally brought
M at WestpOrt, Mo. It was part of
Kansas City nOwLthati part down next
to the river. Kansas City on the bluff
had not been thought of then.
Here the men sold their whole outfit,
and were ready now. to go home. Mr.
Remington, who was paymaster for the
expedition, paid me, off now, counting ont
$50 in gold for me; $3.50 for wages, and
$50 for the bear skin They had hired me
for IS month; he paid me over $40. We
were in rags now, but the men got them
selves good clothes, and bought me two
complete suits of everything a boy can
wear, then paid my fare in the cabin to
st. Louis, and were going to pay it to
Cincinnati, but / found a steamboat at
st. Louis that was going to Pittsburg.
which shipped me as cabin boy, so | got
home. after being gone over 10 months
| had seen the great West now, and
wanted to see the South Pacific next, but
| had to wait Is years before l saw it.