The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1909-06-11
A MIDNIGHT PICNIC.
(By a Pocatello GIRL


! informed of our good times and ad
4 ventures, especially the distinctly
/ westerly" ones but now can scarce
hold my pen in my eargerness to re.
late to you a tale--the like OF which
N have never written ! know / told
you about The Man. Nell's friend
and how kind he has been to both
OF us--just one pleasure after another
| for a whole month.
4 Well, we felt that we ought ia
do something real nice for him before
he left town. Now. ever since have
been in this western country have
longed and longed to have a moon
/ light picnic at the hour of midnight,
4 in a darksome canyon by wild
mountain stream, etc.
We have had pop corn pops and
bacon fires just little way up City
creek-but to go where the lights
OF the city are not visible, we never
have
| Now as the Man liked out door
| life, | revealed the desire of my heart
to Nell and we decided to go early,
have our supper and come back by
moonlight.
Rock House" or Hole in the
Rock" about two miles up Trail
creek seemed the most desirable place
as there we would be shielded IRON
the wind which is always blowing in
Sunny Idaho.
The eventful night arrived, rather
blowy but quite clear. So we started.
We had never been up Trail creek
SO inquired the way andi were told
to follow the straight Bannock trails.
We followed them but they led us up
and down the steepest rayines | ever
climbed
Each canyon that we saw in the
distance we would think was THE
One only to find when we came
nearer that no rushing mountain
stream was flowing along its bed.
When we girls felt that we had gone
twenty miles, but the Man said it
was only two, we saw ravine dark
with trees and heard the song of the
brook, at our left, half way up the
mountain doomed a great dark OBJ
ject-the rock house.
Just then we heard the sound of
horses hoofs behind us and an Indian
rode up.
We asked him If that was the
Hole in the Rock and he grunted
a response that sounded like yes"
and rode on.
We left our provisions near the
road. The Man went to the creek for
a pail OF water and we girls climbed
up to investigate the rock.
1t looked like little, old castle.
Long, narrow openings resembling
windows faced the road. A great hole
the entrance to the rock, was on the
upper side.
While we were exclaiming with
delight we heard noise. 1t seemed
far away and sounded to me like the
howls of coyotes. 1t came nearer
and nearer and half terrified, half UNI
believing, we started down the hill
but saw the Man coming towards us
with our lunch for he as well as we
had recognized the awful Xxi VII"
of the Bannock Indian.
Soon group of ten arrived, all
on horses. We stepped behind the
rock thinking they were on their way
to town and would not notice us, but
still yelling Xxi vii, XII vii" they be-
gan to shoot up the rocks, the trees,
the air, the earth.
Motionless, voiceless, we stood
thinking they would go on.
But no--they huddled together for
a few moments and then with their
old time yell galloped around us at a
distance of about thirty feet. They
did this three times, riding madly
and each time when they reached the
top of the hill where they could see
us, they fired their guns--into the
air ] suppose, but every minute ]
expected a bullet to hit me.
| know now how our great grand
felt. Never will ] forget
that scene, the three of us, standing
there near the great rock--those
painted savages on their wild ponies
us--the firing of the
guns-the shifting moonlight making
seem unreal.
However they had only made the
circle once when the Man told us
not to act afraid but to arrange
things as though they we're not here.
Nell said in a bright, cheerful
voice Lets build fire" and ] re-
,ponded Here is lot of sage brush"
and the Man began to pile it up.
We kept talking but ] think we
said the same things over and over
We were all wondering when they
would 60.
After their third trip around us
hey had whispered consultation
and finally called out something in
he Indian language which we in
,erprted ais White man come forth."l
ASK them IL they want something
o eat" whispered.
Give them all Of it." cried Nell.
The Man went forward and said,
What do you want? Want eat?"
One of them dismounted and
climbed up to where we we're. .
AN see his painted face, his cruel
,yes--just as they looked that moon
iOhf ufUht Houy uo 1auphpd and .