Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-10-14
A RACE FOR LIFE.
How a Crow Brave Left His Blackfeet
Pursuers.

How a Crow Brave Left His BIaekfest
Pursuers.
There were three Of us sitting
around the store at the way station
on the Colorado Central, waiting for
the mail.
"Ah, it all happened way back
said the old trader. wish I was as
young and timber now as I was then.
And l wish a good squaw was as easy
to get. The one I had was a Grow; 1
gave six slapping fine ponies for her;
it was when 1 was trader for the Fur
Company at Ft. Devine In the Black
foot country. The Crows didn't care
to put their noses inside Blackfoot
country very often, consequently Miss
Pine Leaf and 1 set up housekeeping
together without being overrun with
callers"
The old trader stopped to light his
pipe and then told how Black Panther,
young Crow brave, came afoot early
one morning, ostensibly to buy pow
der, but really to offer IL ponies, in the
Crow camp, for Pine Leaf, whom ne
had once before tried to win. The In
dian girl was loyal to the white man
and Black Panther was about to de-
part when there came terrific yells
from outside the palisade Of the fort.
81 jumped to the ladder and ran up
on the roof, which was fortified, and
looked over. There was a band OF
Blackfeet outside yelling like fury.
They had spotted the Crows trail and
tracked him to the fort. Then they
caught sight Of me up in the roof and
yelled to me to come down and open
the gate and let them have him quick.
"Pine Leaf says I, the Blackfeet
are bowling for Black Panther. What
am 1 going to do about it?'
"Give him to the Blackfeet,' says
she, as cool as you please.
What? says I, you'd hand over
your Crow brother to them"
my heart is not Absaroka any
more says she-Absaroka Is what the
Crows call themselves among them
selves-'My heart Is white now.' 1
saw she meant it, too.
"'Well, then, I shan't,' says l. AL
least not before can help it.
"And the end of It was that fixed
up a sort of bargain with them.
They were to wait till Tom and Jonas
came back, in a week or so, and then
there was to be a race. Black Panther
was to be turned loose, naked, with
nothing but knife and he was 10
have 300 yards start. And all the
young Blackfoot braves with their
knives were to chase him and carve
him as they liked when they caught
him. But there were to be no guns
used and no horses taken to run him
down.
Its a pretty tough lookout for
you, Black Panther says to him
when we'd fixed things up. but guess
you'd rather have 1t that way than be
pegged out on the prairie over a fire
of chips
81 had a quarter Of fat buffalo cow
still hanging in the cellar, and I just
gave him all the buffalo meat he could
eat three times a day.
But says I to him, you'll get fat
and loggy If you take no exercise.
Now you get up and run for an hour
every morning round and round the
fort inside the palisade.'
mot the custom of my people to
run like that he says. Our custom
Is to oidance. That make good medi-
cine, make the spirits friendly
80 Black Panther danced every day
to please the spirits, and wolfed down
pounds Of fat buffalo meat to please
himself, and the effect was that he
shone like a racehorse.
well, the Blackfoot camp arrived,
and Jonas and Tom came In with
more meat. Jonas and Tom were to
hold the fort, and had one OF the
Blackfoot chiefs inside as a hostage.
I went out on my horse and led Black
Panther through the screeching mob
Of his enemies. Great Scott! but they
said some bad things to scare him,
but he never batted an eye. And Pine
Leaf was watching us from the top
of the fort alongside Of Jonas and
Tom.
"All the young Blackfoot braves
were ranged up in line, wearing noth-
ing but a C. string and a knife, same
as Black Panther. When I got about
800 yards in front of them I turned
him loose and waved my gun, and
with a mighty screech here they
came.
II tell you that was an exciting
hunt; I loped along, keeping off bit
to one side, so as not to seem to in
terfere, but so I could see good.
Black Panther never looked back after
that start, but struck a steady gait,
heading for the Big Grape Creek, 20
miles away.
1.-THE Blackfeet tried the same trick
on him that wolves will do on deer.
Three Of the fastest runners just
started for all they were worth and
closed up that 300 yards mighty FAST
In half a mile, guess. they were only
so yards behind him. But he didn't
get ratified worth cent, just kept on
nt, r.