Fergus County argus., 1905-09-05
INDIAN CUNNING.
The BIackfeet Indians Story OF tn
Great White Horse.

All Indians who use horses are very
fond of horse racing, and not only
race their own horses against one an
other, but they race their own against
those Of other tribes-and used to do
this even in the wild era Of the buff
falo and of constant warfare. Even
at that time friendly tribes and bands
joined in the two grand buffalo hunts
Of each year, and, after the hunting
was over pitted the fastest horses OF
the various bands one against the 9th.
er. At one time, not so very long ago,
the Blackfeet had the very fastest
horse that any one knew of; the fast
est horse of which any one could tell,
or which any one had seen. He was
source of wealth to the tribe, for In
dians are very fond of betting, and
this animal always won everything
that was bet against him. You can
imagine how proud the Blackfeet
were of this creature. You can also
imagine how envious were the Ston-
eys the Crows, the Sioux, the Crees
and all the other Indians of the plains.
Stealing is considered fair between
tribes, and if it can be successfully
done those savage people think it very
feet, therefore, kept the wonderful
race horse in tent at night. They
did not dare leave him out with their
other horses. They bought string
Of bells at the Hudson Bay COM
pany's nearest fort, put the bells
around the horses neck, tied him to
a tepee pole inside a big tepee, and
set four men to sleep in the tent with
| h ic ho MI
and on no night did the men forget
to close the door of the tepee and
"cinch" it tight with thongs of buck.
skin. Whoever could steal that big
white beauty of horse had to be a
very clever thief, they thought; but
in truth, they never dreamed that he
could be stolen.
The smartest thief among the Grow
Indians told his chief and the head
men that he was going to try to get
that horse away from the Blackfeet
One evening he crawled through the
grass to the tall bluff along the Bow
river (north of our Idaho, I think
was the locality, where the Blackfeet
had their camp. He saw the noble
horse led into certain tent, and he
saw the four watchers 60 in and close
the door. Night fell, and he crept
down the slanting bluff into the camp
The only thing he had to fear was
the barking of some dog. If dog
saw or heard him and barked, thai
would set all the other dogs barking
and he would be obliged to run for his
life. Stealthily, as only an Indian car
move on his softly moccasined feet
this arch thief of the thieving Grow
nation crept into the Blackfoot camp
He had to step over several sleeping
dogs and he did not awaken one. HI
came to the tent of the white horse
He looked it all over. He went to an
other tepee and took a travois from
it's side and carried it and set 1t VI
against the horses tent.
A travOis is the wheellesS wagOl
the Indians use in the summer. 1t i
made of two long poles with the ur
per ends near together; the lowe
ends spread apart and drag upon tn
ground. You see by this description
! that if travois is stood on end
, can be made to serve as a sort of lac
der. Thus the arch thief of the Grow
used the one he put up against tn
horse tent. On it he climbed to tn
; top of the tepee. and from there h
! got view of the Interior lookin
down between the tent poles that forr
: the sides of the chimney-hole. H
i saw the horse dimly, and even NOR
S dimly he saw the four men beside tn
horse, all asleep. He climbed upo
y the tent poles; he poised his bod
very nicely in the chimney opening
J. he dropped farely and squarely upo
f the white horses back!
The instant he felt himself on tn
back of the beast, his knife, whic
g was in his hand, swept through tn
u cord that tethered the horse. HI
l. heels shot in against the horses side
2. the bells rang out sharp and clear, an
I, the horse snorted with surprise Bl
the pressure of the thief's heels urge
the animal forward, and as he toe
e one step the man reached out an
IS slit cash straight up and dow
t through the fastened door, which We
:, only buckskin. The four Indians lea
l. ed to their feet but the horse and h
e captor We're now out in the ope
t. ground and like the wind shot aws
" from the camp. The watchers re-
; and yelled the dogs barked, the who
= tribe rushed out of the tents, and e
cry man sprang to a horse. But VIII
was the use? There was no hor
IL that could catch the animal, and
II they all turned sadly home again {
,s ter mad ride of mile or two. tt
:, thlef rode in triumph home 10 Il
IL tents of the Crows, and from tn
II, day his tribe owned the great whi
k. horse, and his fame and their rich
&c increased.-Julian Ralph. in ST. Mic
rs Olas.