Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1911-02-18
THE BLACK HILLS PIONEERS.
A Narrative of the John Gordon Stock
ade Party in 1874.
TO THE CUSTER CHRONICLE
BY DAVID AIKEN, voNA, COLO.
TContinued from last Weekl

body of timber consisting mostly of cot
tonwood and burr oak. On entering the
timber we killed a couple of porcupines
and they were as fat as pigs. Being
aware Of my penchant for pot-pie and
having decided relish for it himself,
Whit remarked that he thought fat
young porcupine, such as one of these,
nicely dressed, was just little better
than any possum, especially for making
dumplings, and if / would dress one
nicely he thought IL possible that he
might produce stew that would score
few points at least ahead of our venison
dumplings on the Niobrara. Of course
there was nothing farther necessary to
be said and l soon had the hide off one
of them, the carcass neatly dressed and
a goodly quantity of it in the camp kettle
to boil. The skin was rolled up with
the quilts out and placed beside the tent
where it presented the appearance of q
ball of needles. Some of the other messes
followed our example and the chill air
of camp was soon redolent with the
savory fumes of porcupine stews. Sup
per was soon ready and the dumplings
to use common expression, we're simply
"out of sight,; and if this expression is
little ambiguous in its meaning, think
l can truthfully say that from the man
ner of their disappearance they stood a
fair show of becoming so in an incredi.
bly, short time.
We had scarcely begun our supper
when the hound Dan, followed by his
mate, came walking directly toward US
with his head erect and an air of busi-
ness about him that plainly denoted a
scheming, calculating mind and fixed
purpose. In my previous introduction
of these animals / think l only men
toned their running qualities, but they
were experts in other ways and one of
these accomplishments was stealing. In
this they showed method, strategy and
reason. This was especially true of Dan,
who was invariably in the lead and gen
erously divided the good things he Sc
cured in his trips through camp with
his mate, while he invariably took the
kicks and cuffs incidental to such trips
lie was bold, daring and intrepid. To-
gether they would make the rounds of
the camp and were always given any
scraps left after meals and if by chance
anything else showed up that had the
appearance of being palatable, they
wonld take that also. Dan would never
attempt to take anything when your eye
was on him, but the moment your atten-
ton was turned from him he would at
least attempt to take the meat out of
your plate, and his movements were 80
quick that he generally succeeded.
On this occasion 1 sat facing Dan as he
came up and he looked me resolutely in
the eye as he always did when on one
of his foraging expeditions, never giving
a glance toward the object he fully in
tended to take. We knew Dan came to
carry off that meat supposed to be
wrapped upin that porcupine hide lying
by the tent and as it was placed there as
an object lesson for him, we pretended
not to see him and turned our eyes in
another direction. This was Dams op-
portunity and the next moment leap
and howl were simultaneously heard.
He had run his nose up against this
bristling ball of needles and several had
stuck to it and he lost but little time in
getting back to his masters tent to have
them extracted. Dan was not favorite
among the party on account of his thiev-
ing proclivities, but his intelligence COM
manded general admiration.
As we came in view of what proved to
be the south fork of White River, a lit.
tie misunderstanding occurred in the
party that came near having tragical
ending. The train had halted on an ele-
waited piece of land that overlooked the
surrounding country and the bluffs on
opposite side of the stream could be seen
quite plainly, what seemed to be about
five or six miles distant.
Charley Corderio, with few others,
we're viewing the surrounding country
with glasses to see if any signs of In.
dians could be discovered, when John
Gordon rode up the hill and called out,
"Picks and shovels, boys" and returned
down the hill. We had occasion to use
the pick and shovel quite often along
here in filling small bitches that oul
line of travel might be as straight al
possible and this was one of them. But
Cordeiro continued to view the sur
rounding country when Gordon rode W
again and called out "d--n it Charley
why don't you help in this work." A
this Cordeiro whirled around and said
"Don't you d-n me-" Gordon hat
returned down the hill again and Cor
derio followed him. AS he passed nea
by where Harry Cooper and wer
standing we noticed the peculiar glass
CLEAN of his large black eyes and Harr
remarked: "There's going to be troubl
there"
Cordeiro carried a 50-caliber needle
gun in sling on his back and in his bel
a heavy Colts revolver. Shortly after h
disappeared over the hill three shot
were fired, two of which passed owe
our heads. We ran to the brow of th
hill, but it was all over and no one hur
Taken altogether it was quite remarkab
that it had terminated as it had. Go
don was incenssd at Cordeiro's seemir
indifference at times when work of tn