The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1903-09-15
The l. a st of
theTonkawas
BY JOHN H. RAFrERY.

ITO BEGIN at the beginning, must
say that had very poor opinion
of Sylvester Baffin until met him. In
deed, heard of him quite accidentally
at Chickasaw, where Tom Pepper, one
of the old-time "drummers" he's
dead these six years-toId me what he
knew, or rather, what he didn't know,
about Baffin. 1t was in the old days
before the government was half ready
to open up the Kiowa and Comanche
country, and the few travelling men
who got into the traders had to drive
in by wagon. The Rock Island was sur
veying, l think, but there wasn't mile
of road west of the Chickasaw line.
The case that Pepper made out
against Baffin came pretty near being
the prize hard luck story, with Baf-
fin as the victim Baffin was a trader
in those days, and might have pros
pered if he were not everlastingly
burning out" What struck me as
singular was that, in spite of the nu-
merous fires which followed his wan
derings, Baffin never carried any in
surance, never whined over his losses,
and never computed his debts. But
fire was not the only cause of his mis-
fortunes. Whenever he bought few
cattle they would get string-halt or
manned on somebody's barb wire
fence. If he put out a crop herd
of ponies was sure to invade and de-
stroy it. Ill luck, according to Pep
per, seemed to follow Baffin, till every
white man in the reservation except
himself believed that the young trader
had enemies among the Indians.
However, as was looking for
trade, and had mind to prospect bit
in the Wichita hills. put down BAT
fms address, and set out on horseback
for Cloudchief, near which Bafin was
then running small post. His place
was about four miles up the dry forL
of the Washita river. and there found
him one March evening about an hour
before shutdown. In spite of the de
scriptions I'd had of him, was a little
surprised to find him such a splendiC
looking fellow. He was sitting on {
key in front of his log house, smoking
his pipe and gazing at me steadily a,
l came slowly out OF the bare timber
When got into the clearing he stooC
up, the shadow of a smile lowering
across his swarthy face, and said
How do, sir. Won't you come imp
He was very tall, more than six feet
his hair and eyes were very black an,
brilliant; he wore thick, dark mus
tache, and though the evening wa
cool, he was in his shirt sleeves.
true frontiersman, he said very little
though he was hospitality itself an
seemed glad to hear me talk. I'r
quite sure that took great fancy t
him from the start. and l think h
liked me, because he finally lapsed int
an almost talkative mood and told m
few Indian legends of extinct tribe
which cannot remember havin
heard anywhere else.
was going to bed before he aske
me the rather singular question, "Di
you stop in any Comanche villages o.
your way up?" and when / said no,
thought he seemed rather relieved
We slept in the store that night, O
bale of coarse duck that made yer
good bed, and he on the counter wit
his head ON a bundle of brown wrar
ping paper. The only other occupan
of the house was an old Indian squav
very withered and very silent, VIII
seemed to carry on the simple house
keeping pretty much as it suited hel
went away in the early mornins
after a coarse but wholesome break
fast, and a rather cordial handshak
from Bafin. After three profile
days of prospecting came back I
find that the log house in which
had so lately been a guest had bee
burned in my absence. Nothing bu
a few mounds of yet smolderin
ashes marked the place. Baffin wa
gone, nor was there any trace of lii
at hand. In Cloudchief / asked abot
him, but nobody knew more than thc
he had been burned out during til
night, and that he had bought a car
from some Wichita Indians and star
ed for the Canadian river country.
met him twice after that at Talop
and once at Watronga, but thong
we got along famously together, i
always evaded any questions abo,
his misfortunes. He had given i
any idea of trading for the futur
and at that time showed extraord
nary interest in mining. / told hi
all l knew, warning him of the pr
carious chance of finding any consi,
cradle mines in the Wichita, whel
/ had so often failed, but advising hi
to turn his attention to coal or oil. ,
even to asphalt, indications of whic
had found in many accessible local
ties.