Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-02-03

hill All the Injuns in our party were
comm along. shouting war songs. an
havin great time, so we let the eros
! Ventures go.
Pretty soon along come quite a party
! of EN- with a flag which meant peace
an we all went with EN- to their vii
! lage near the American Fur Co. post
! The eros VentreS had fine Stockades
! built out o. mud and logs, with mud
houses on the inside, an a bunch OF
corn CROWN on the other side of the
river where Mandan was built. think
they gTOWed corn way before white
men come among 'em. We rested that
night an the next morning we traded
fer goods with the fur company, an
traded bosses with the eros VentreS.
Bout the most unlucky of the InjunS
was the CreeS-they seemed ter always
get the worst of any fight they got
inter 1 remember one summer a war
party of 40 or so young Crees set out
from along the Saskatchewan fer the
Sweet Grass hills.
There they found a camp of Black
feets and rushed onter 1t. Sooner then
they knew what was happenin' to EN-
there was SWarmS of Blackfeet an they
surrounded the Crees an killed all but
two on 'em who managed to get away
and bring the bad news back TO their
camp.
Pa-wa-ka-we -gen COR Fla ppm
Wings was the father of one OF the
young CreeS who was killed an he got
a party of CreeS an Salteaux together
the follerin' fall an determined to go
after the Blackfeet
They finally found them camped on
the Belly river, where Whoopup Is now,
but their scouts made the mistake OF
thinking there was only one camp OF
'em, which they thought Jas not too
large for EN- to clean Jut, but there
was two more cam ) of Black1eet
close by. An it didnt take EN- long ter
line together and .un the Crees inter
the creek, drowr.iI bout II OF EN-.
Bout the only time the Crees ever
had any luck was bout six years be-
fore that. They ketched a party. OF
Blackfeet list bout the same way they
was ketched themselves.
1t was in the winter an they was
camped at the Vermillion hills In a
wooded coulee near the Saskatchewan.
Only five lodges was placed so that
they could be easily seen by anybody
comm that way and the rest was all
out of sight in the coulee. A party OF
Blackfeet-th was bout 100 Black
feet in leone ter steal themselves
some bosses, an when they seen Jist
the five lodges, they thought they
would clean 'em out before they got
the bosses.
The Crees surprised EN-, though, an
flocked out of the coulee, hundreds on i
'em, an drove the Blackfeet inter a /
deep hollow close by an shot down on I
'en from both sides, drivin' EN- down /
ter the river an KILN 10 or more OF |
EN-. The next day they finished up by !
follerin' 'em up and KILN bunch OF +
badly wounded ones.
I got myself inter a tight fix bout |
20 years ago up near the line. There
was three of us-a French half breed,
1 Canadian an myself, actin as scouts
Ter quite large party OF haii-oreeos.
We was traYelin' through a billy coun-
Try an bout four miles ahead of the
party one day, when afore we knew 1t
ne was surrounded by Sioux that had
lid themselves in deep coulee. There
vas so many Of them that we knew 1t
would be foolish to shoot, so we J1st
made the best Of it and let EN- take us
er their camp. We was a-doin' lot OF
lopin' and praym' ter ourselves,
We reached the camp, the chiefs held
big pow-wow, an they decided ter
urn as at the stake.
Lucky fer us, though, 1t happened
hat one of the sub-chiefs was a friend
Z mine. I had run across him once
7tng on the prairie with his leg broken.
lis cayuse had run inter a badger
ole. gotten excited an thrown the
mum. fixed him up as best could I
n give him pack boss that wasn't !
much account. helped him onter it, [
nd off he rid
He nowed me right off and said /
e would do whatever he could to keep i
he from blIrntn' an he got the chiefs |
D hold another pow-wOw. Bout an
our afterwards he come to me and ]
aid he had induced EN- ter let us {
IN the gauntlet instead
We was ter be surrounded by braves I
a. be GIN our bosses. The idea was
1a& when we made oEt ter break
arcaz@h tzae ring. II csw fs0ases was {
A@k a@usah we could gak sway we =
nSw WREN we s@w az thexn braves q