Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-04-13

the effects of the late CharAeS
smith, Powell county pioneer, and
was submitted by Miss Jean Moore
of MarysviIle, MIR. Smiths grand
daughter.
Several years ago. while my part
ner and I were busy working our
claims on GrasshOpper creek, we
were warned TO be careful OF the
Bannack Indians as they were
worked up over the killing OF one
Of their Squaws by a white man
who had shot her while IN a
drunken fit However, rs every
thing seemed to be pretty quiet
we were not overly anxious con-
corning our danger and, as our
claims were yielding good returns,
we were giving cur undivided at
tention TO them. AFTER ABOUT tnEee
weeks, during which time we were
unmOlested, we forgot that such
dangers existed and thought only
of filling eur pOkes with the beau
tlfmI dust and nuggets we had been
taking out Of the ground and
praying that winter would not set
In early.
pairing our bacon and beans, we were
SURPRISED to see three very hostile
hooking Indians suddenly appear from
s1ahind a cllIrnD of bushes not over 20
yards from our camp. How long Lney
had been there was hard TO guess,
but it didn't take us long TO oecloe
that the quicker we humored our IN
welcome guests, the better. was es-
neciaIlv nervous as I saw that one
big fellow was seemingly much inter-
esfAd IN nv hair which Is q oeclueo
red and I understood considered QnCe
an asset to a scalp belt. Although the
color OF my hair had always been
source of annoyance 20 me, SUI
mreferred to keep 1t on my head AS
re already had about 5000 in loose
gold which had been taken OUT IN less
Hoar three months, a considerable sum
for ms as we had arrived at the CREEK
With les than q hundred dollars pc
tween us. / wasn't going to part WIN
a. without q struggle. hemenlDgel
chat someone had told me tnaI Lne
I1ert thing 10 do when surprised py Ii
Jta,,s WAS to keep cool, chose 70 |
ts-1ora their unannounced arrival ana !
gTaf1ning up the pan OF bacon nei9 I
81 o,1t In them The Indians accSpCeq
NV r,eace offering; in fact, they nkeo |
II So much that they LETT Win ouI
entire provisions We conSloeIsu ~ ~
seIves very fortunate, however, iV1 lily Icy
did not demand our goiu Sllu : ~"
allowed to keep my red Scalp. ssorv
with o1Ir grub gone. 1t was neceosess.y
sor ne tn xii some wild game IN oIueI
- ,r - ms alive until such time a.
Nc col1ld get more supplies. we ulu
NOT wish to stay away from our cLssAAt ns
Zoo long for we wanted 70 WE nl4,, er
long as possible before cJlo +,,rns st
came and we usually took CuIt rs. ~ ~
hunting which lett one u 10
iAe o., This particular day Of adventure
? Solso '. early huckled on my Cartridge
hait and knife and taking my May
narri1 rifle. set off up the creek.
Not far above US there Wa as. '4, vs151ee
- 49, nreafifh / passed through this eno
Hence i, onward to the foot OF g gorgs
an fine left of High Gap wnere =
ssort rad used TO be, and came up
H. IN fine forenoon TO a fine nlgn-
and growth of pine and ceoaL With
vjvidly green growths OF WILLOWS ,,,,,a
There. were great nuL nun +rSo black
5aSIa1 does. each with q beauLlIui
~entfad fawn at her side. But couiq
p. bring myself to fire on them Ano
! hod reaflv set my mind on gebt1lg
! faf elk--and for the last hour, elk
.sOn had been fresh and plenty. 81
Along the top Of one DIVIDE Ia . azS
~, gro ground was fairly chopped WIN
IL tg1acIrs and many of the pines had
aaen made greasy with ruDOing a1o
40 shreds Of old horn velvet lytng
,ossY1d their roots. SO was certain
s1st could not be far from one Oh
more herds of them. L.. 80 az
vet went on for some time aLao aS
ength entered the lower sA tVa tim
Sftfe basin-shaped hollow In the Jill ali,
, ss from out Of which sman IN
-icsrled down over bare ridge. As
-rarf i'm this ledge heard an Elk
a,lnuS not far ahead and crawling
long from rock to rock and from palls
a nine, for perhaps hundreq yaLusii
was gladdened by a right royai
~ No ss'o over $50 yards away. near the
.{SSgIa ~ a little circular hollow, was
nrInkled a herd of Is elk al wlsk14
sTSare If less than an acre OF ground.
new were cropping the fresh tenoex
rass. woodland plants and spALSs
aIshes leisurely feeding TOWARD me W
ne wind. otherwise coutd never SA-
roach 50 close 70 them
T IVA was now lying under cover on
ock. About 40 yards nearer 70 e Ll.ss1.
&C a freshly rpturned pine root WIN
tt,ick mass OF turf and yellow ulrt II
ineinq to it. I wanted TO reach Y 50 u
: to reduce the range 10 50 sLDLS
distance that / could not poSSADS
Hiss my mark
watched my chance, and Wnsn
,nir heads were all down I gradually
nrtyed INV way along to the root axlo
yInd inst the little chink through tle
ntiIted turf that I wanted. NoWs
" chance" said to myself and 1eIt
,e thrill that comes to hunter Wnen
4 feels really sure Of himself.
There ahead of all the others, acting
! a sort Of sentinel, was an oao
,uiln with magnificent branching ant
rs. To the right Of him a 2-year- oad
Rck was feeding, showing q mlcLl
wer set of horns. Alongside OF three
4 cows were several calves. Out 70
u left a 2-year old heller. beau1-
4 creature, was nibbltng on small
ssh.
! fnem All vet / could hardly expect
have more than one successful snot.
, had to choose How I did long
4 those huge antIers, but knew that
e old bulls meat was mighty tossSn
N the hetfer would provide r1cn.
Scv venAeon- also realized that the
,fiavs yvns1ld he too much of q load