The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-10-23

and Pete said he would cross the
| river and take a shot at Them and
was to keep On the side We were on
] and If they came over on my side
would take a shot at them myself
| Pete Shoots Buffalo.
AS Pete crossed the river he saw a
little sand hill just a few sods from
! the bank Of the rver and thought he
would go and get on that and he
would have good place to shoot
! from, And just as be Was going up
one side of the sand hill a large buff
| falo was coming up on the opposite
| side and neither one knew the other
was there so you see thew were both
taken by surprise, but Pete was a
quick shot and he made a quick shot
at the buffalo first as the buffalo
was starting to charge at him. Pete
| knew that was no place for him and
he started for the river and run
ming down the hill he made better
time than the buffalo made going up
the hill but when Pete came to the
! river the buffalo was but a few feet
! blind him. The bank was six feet
, high and Pete slipped over the bank
! without getting into very deep water
! Now the buffalo had no thought of
going III the river that way but he
/ had not figured on momenteres and
| when he came to the bank lie could
! rot stop and he went square over
j Pete and landed in about eight feet of
, water when he came in sight again he
/ started for the other shore but he did
not live to climb the other bank for
, Pete shot him as he was coming out
of the water and We had buffalo meat
for supper and sometime after we
went into camp at this place for the
night and got as much of the meat
j in shape as We could take along
| We sat up late that night and roasted
| buffalo steak and listened to quite a
| lecture from the major in regard to
! some very large bones we found dur
ing the day, the major claiming that
the country We were then travelling
in was once inhabited by much
larger race of people than was now
living as these bones once belonged
to a man nearly eight feet tall.
i In the morning the major conclud-
ed to remain in this camp during this
day as it would be necessary for ~
to leave this stream and go over the
table land as this stream divided
Just above our camp and we would
have to go in a different course over
the divide, Pawnee Pete and myself
was to explore the country over
tie divide ard see about how far it
would be over the divide and see
what the country was like. In that
country it was sometimes too far
from one watering place to the other
watering place for one days travel
and that was what the major wanted
TO find out. We left camp quite early
in the morning and taking our course
due north. After getting on the ia.
bic land we found the country some
what sandy but covered with very
good grass and game of all kinds
After travelling about ten or twelve
miles we came to a small stream
running northeast and we supposed
it to be Snake river and as we after
wards found out we were correct. We
dismounted and thought We would let
our horses feed On the grass and get
ourselves something to eat and then
return to camp and make our report.
While Pete was getting something for
lunch I thought l would take my
gun and climb a high sand butte that
stood near by and get good view of
the country and as | came to the top
CT the hill what was my establishment
to see very large camp of Indians
just a short distance down the
stream from us. They were curing
wild meat of some kind. AS soon as
took in the situation 1 went down
the hill faster then I went up. As
came in sight of Pete l gave him a
siea and he sprang for our horses
When l got there he had them both
and it was a moments time to get
them ready for mounting as we did
) not take the saddles off our horses
, to let them pick grass when we were
, out on such trips. After mounting
l them we went up the creek bottom
half mile or so until we came tc
the mouth Of a large CANYON leading
, south. We rode into this canyon
thinking to hide our trail as far as
We could for we knew the first In
, dian crossing our trail would know
! we were white men, my horse had
shoes on his front feet and that would
be the first thing they would see af
= ter travelling a mile or SO as
We did not think it was practicable
to travel in the canyon any further as
, it was getting too rough. The first
, opportunity we left the CANYON ant
rode out On the high ground We
we're taking very moderate gait
, thinking to save our horses for {
, hard drive for We knew they would
I find our trail and then we would have
. to go and go hard. After going per
haps two miles on the high ground
. we looked back over the trail and dis
covered four or five Indians ride Out
+ of the canyon on our trail, one Of
them suddenly turned his horse ant
rode down the creek toward the large
, camp we discovered. The other
g came on after us at 4 good gait. We
| knew they were only trying to keer
, in sight of us and We had not STRUCK
!; a very fast gait yet, we knew the
! race had not began. You would thinl
+ by the way those three or four In
, dams were coming after us they were
! going to ride us down cut Pete sale
Q when they found out how Genera
$ Lee would shoot. that was the name
! he gave his gun, they would wait
! until the others came up. One of the
: first things a band of Indians want
+ to find out is how far your gun will
? shoot and then they know Just how
t close to come and 1t was only few