The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1914-03-20
EARLY HISTORY
THE LOST RIVER COUNTRY
Story apper during the indian Story of Mack
McCumsey written by J. W. Powell, In five chapters.
CHAPTER TWO

In a few minutes we passed out OF
camp on the dead run. 1t was about
!. mile to where the indians disap-
peared. We crossed this intervening
space like streak of light. We had
no fear of the indians getting away
from us for we had two of the fast
est saddle horses that ever jumped
a sage bush in Idaho. After crossing
the first ridge we struck their trail
and followed 1t until we came to q
small stream, they followed the
stream until 1t crossed the old Inn
migrant road Martin. P. o. Here
we came up to them and scared them
10 badly that they scattered like a
bunch of young shage hens, but we
emptied two of their saddles before
they made their getaway. We were
more than glad to get our animals
hack. We let our saddle horses feed
about an hour, while we cooked and
ate q ground hog that we killed on
Ahe spot. We were just congratulate
ing ourselves on catching our horses
when L happened to look up the
mountain and saw a large body OF
indians travelling in single file. In the
direction they we're travelling they
would miss us about half mile. I
left Henry with the stock and fol-
lowed after the indians to see II they
intended to camp near by. After
following them several miles saw
them disappear is the lava beds.
They were travelling south, straight
across the desert toward low butte
Gender hill. I returned to Henry
and we lit out for camp. We did not
follow our back track but struck
straight through the mountains, we
crossed several large indian trails all
headed south, which led us to believe
that they were going to some great
hunting grounds in the lava beds.
Arrived at camp we moved about two
miles up the canyon to fool the in
dams, at least for the night. We took
turn about guarding the horses until
morning, the country was full of big
gray wolves and mountain lions. At
night a large lion charged on the
horses and scared them into camp,
but Henry downed him with a shot
from his Winchester. He was mon
ster, and was afraid of nothing. In
the early morning we started up the
canyon and crossed low divide 60
ing down the other side several miles,
until in the bottom of the canyon we
struck a good sized stream (Antelope
creek), we turned up this creek until
it forked. The right hand fork looked
the best for our purposes. so we
turned to the right. After travelling
a short distance we began to strike
beaver sign, and in little while we
came to where the whole canyon was
filled with back-water from theil
dams (Hurst's old saw mill. We con-
cluded to go no farther; this was good
enough for us, plenty of trapping in
sight and all kinds of game. We
picked out site for our cabin near
the stream and started to build it at
once. Heretofore VIC had always
built dug-out, but we now built this
cabin on top of the ground. We cut
the logs near the place and snaked
them in by the horn of the saddle. II
took about two weeks to built our
house and every day one of us rode a
complete circle around our camp keep
ing about two miles away in order
to see if any indians were lurking
near us. Finding no sign we con-
cluded that they had gone south to
winter.
AS we had seen no sign of the in
dams and our ammunition running
low, thought we had better return to
our cache on Lost river. We fol-
lowed the creek to it's mouth, then
turned down the river. We were
passing through a small cottonwood
grove (Ben Pearson's ranch), when
we came face to face with three in
dians. They started for tine hills
lickety split as soon as they saw us,
I stayed with our pack horses but
Henry chased them to q small hill
covered with rocks Gust above
the old Jim McCrum ranch)
where they left their horses and
lodged between the boulders.
AS Henry came up he charged
their front at full speed. They
could not stand, or understand the
rapid fire of his revolvers, they broke
cover and started across the top OF
the hill. Before they could gain
shelter on the other side he had
killed all three of them. He left
their horses and returned to me. In
the meantime I was having trouble
of my own, had dismounted to
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