Montana oil and mining journal., 1940-10-26

hunting, he went out to meet them
He met no one that day The next, he
had not gone very far when he met
them. loaded with buffalo meat What
they had to tell him. however, was
not good.
According to their estimate, the dis
tance to the other side was II miles
The snow varied in depth from to
10 feet, crusted hard enough to hold
up a man but not a horse. These men
pronounced the pass absolutely I'M
possible until after the middle OF May
Pass we must" was the reply Ross
made. Then he went on, go on into
camp and when you get there do not
say that you saw me. Tell the people
that the distance is eight miles instead
of IL. Tell them that after the first
three miles the snow gets less and
less. In a few days the warmer wealth
er will make a difference. and on the
other side there will be plenty Of buf-
falo meat for us and plenty OF grass
for the horses; and that there IS
enough beaver to make up for lost
time a few more days Of hard work
and all will be we'll" This they did
to the letter.
The enthusiasm Ross now displayed
was a keen disappointment to those
WHO W6IE Will N1Sot Va NAA~-9C AA4NAA
had but one idea Of the feasibility
of getting 140 people, $50 horses. sup
plies and camping equipment through
three miles of crusted snow from to
10 feet deep. Nor were they slow about
expressing this idea, when the propo-
sition of going on was put up to them.
To this Ross answered that he did not
summon them to discuss the posi-
bilities of the trip but to discuss the
best means of going about making IT,
After much talk, 1t was decided 10
try to force the horses through. Using
diplomacy, reason, argument and per-
sliasion Ross got them on the lob
Forty-five men and 80 horses began
the task. One man on snowshoes led
a horse into the snow and another
with a whip drove the pOor beast on
until. after several plunges into drift
over its head, it became exhausted
and could go no further. Then another
horse was brought up and the same
process followed until 1t had gone a
few wards ahead of the first. This
Continued until nothing could be seen
of 80 horses but a string Of heads
and ears above the snow. Getting the
animals out was no easier than getting
them in. However, 1t was something
different and the men we're cheerful
and Jolly for a change. After working
from daylight until dark they made
about $40 yards Of road one-haf the
necessary width.
The next day only % men with so
horses reported for work. At the end
of the week there were only men
and about 20 horses on the job. See
ing this would never do. Ross decided
to have the men work with mallets
and shovels and open way for the
horses. Tools for the task had to be
made from the surrounding timber
and this took another week.
There was much opposition, how
ever. The Iroquois protested that their
women and children were starving.
The free men protested that they
were losing the spring trapping. Ross
sent more men over the hill for buffalo
meat. He separated the workers in
groups so as to reduce dissention:
Dragged on the work accomplished;
showed great appreciation for the
smallest cooperation.
On one occasion he took. what might
have been, a long chance. II he failed
to run his bluff-if it were q bluff
the trip might have been a failure.
John Gray, a smart half-breed Iro-
quois Of the company. had planned To-
eave regardless OF Ross Most Of the
men IN the camp knew of this and
were present to witness his departure.
It was a tense moment Gray was
about TO take off as Ross approached /
him with q revolver cooked and ready