Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1931-12-10

that the Bannack came riding furious
ly back with the information that the
Crows were camped on the bank OF the
river, apparently awaiting morning 10
ford the stream, which was at 1lood
height and dangerous.
And now Thorpe and his friends were
confronted by a desperate and per-
picking dilema-they must recover the
stolen horses without bloodshed. These
we're the times when the killing OF an
Indian by a white man meant trouble,
regardless of the why and wherefor.
For that matter, a battle of any kind
was undesirable from an even more I'M
portant standpoint-the odds against
them.
It was the trapper who conceived the
solution-desperate, daring, even 0
hardy.
The plan itself was simple enough.
During the night the four men would
cross the river at a point far above the
camp, then ride down to a point oppo-
site the band of Crows. There they
would station themselves in clumps OF
trees. In the morning, the Indians pre-
sumably would drive the stolen horses
into the river, riding in behind them.
AS the mounted men neared the center
of the stream, the four would open fire,
aiming carefully at the horses the bucks
were riding. Thrown into the water,
the Indians would swim back to the
other shore, while the Thorpe horses
would, it was to be hoped, continue
their progress across the stream.
The success OF the "forlorn hope
rested on the white mans ability to
pick off all the horses before the river
was crossed, leaving the Crows afoot,
and to keep under cover from the re-
turning fire of the Indians as they re-
treated with the recovered animals.
Thorpe was reluctant to accept the
plan, not for want of courage but be-
cause, lover of horses that he was, he
hated the entailed wholesale slaughter
Of the Indian mounts. They were in
nocent accomplices in the crime, he
pointed out Indignantly, and should
not be made to suffer for their owners
misdeeds. 1t was only after some argu-
ment that the others convinced him
there was no other feasible plan.
All four had narrow escapes from
drowning as they crossed the turblent
river, but long before daylight they
were securely esconced behind trees on
the bank opposite the camp. The bank
rose high above the level Of the stream,
then fell sharply away into a deprss-
sion in which the men staked their
horses.
Purposely the quartette picked widely
separated points to entrench them
selves, to give the impression Of a large
attacking body. To heighten that IL
fusion they were to fire fast and fur
iously with their Henry rifles.
Shortly after sunrise the Indians be-
gan to stir about, but it was an hour
later before they commenced their eff
forts to drive the stolen horses into the
stream. They met with poor success
till one of their number stumbled upon
the brilliant idea Of leading the black
stallion into the river. Thorpe, on the
other side, at once braced himself for
action, for he knew the plan would sue
coed. The colts had always followed
their sire, almost as sheep follow their
leader. This occasion was to be ex-
ception.
AS the buck rode into the stream
pulling the handsome horse behind
him, the younger ponies reluctantly,
but faithfully plunged into the water
and in a few moments the Yellowstone
was filled with desperately swimming