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


From 1913 to 1853 I hired out as an
interpreter to the Hudson'S Bay Co. al
their posts along the Missouri. stayed
for a wear at the post where FORT
Union was built later on.
Them DAYS were really rough there
then. The njuns-Sioux, Crees, Black
feet. eros Ventures, Assinnibolnes ano
other tribes-were always on tne WaL-
path an a white scalp on their scalp
belt pleased EN- heap. The first thing
we were told to do was to stay inside
the trading post.
7 had only been at the post fer about
a week when F'renchman named
Pierre, a Injun trader, was killed JUST
a little ways from the post. He Jolo
me when he left that ne was a-goln
huntin' but that he would be Dack aIoIe
aafinO time in the eVenin' We didn't
worry none about him, though, when
ne didn't come back on time thlnkln
he was tracking some animal, an ne
didn't come back agin the next eve
ming. But when he didn't get back the
third day, five of us set out ter NUM-
fer him.
About a mile from the fort we run
onter his footprints an we coIhd see
es how there had been five 1nJuns
3;,ad IN with him. an then we was
SIRE that he had been taken capIlVe py
fSann Knowing the brown devils ike
' ~s0,t 5;d we figiIred as how poor Pierre
mos through with this life; put gohls
~, uye finally come to camp1n place
in amongst a bunch Of big rocks, WnSIe
the Iniuns had stopped Ter SI Iitt1e
with him. so we all breatneo a nI'ie
easier. IT.. 4,s+
we soon lost our easy. feeling Juss
a few yards further on, ler we i iS1s,ad
nor Pierre where them red-SKli,l li,ss
s p If the devil had finished nun.
ne was a-layin' face down, WIN MS
..sS,,,t hand-which was full er pow,
deTN held tight up agin his cnesL, al
~ arrer was a-Sticking In ms DacA'
part Of his right side was sIloI away
too. - l;l,alv
we figured the Injuns mad aksy
aslred him fer powder an Wneh nc
fused to give 1t TO EN-, Lles ~, "' ascS1 !
aio'1o, a,-ways with him, one on ea ~.
oa4as n hiY11-fer he was too smart Oef
iat an Iniun ever get behind MN IL. u !
~ corld watch 'em-an' when tney
AZ 1ss Fetch him off his guard, uley
StzIck him with an arret. 10000 to his
RTE T1owder he had pressed W -
.,,sst, was meant ter mean tnaG ne We, VIZ /
powder stingy an so they'd kiiieu -
fer that reason: 4,.,t,os the Placl- |
s.ot ~ on ay5 sioux were the WORST IeI
asoalin0 NOSES. We were warned NY
%. Lot o,lr HOSES outside the SIocAaue
' 70 tSe5 hs1ilt around the fort; puG oLe I
w. we ne rot careless and let EN- O4e
feT: awhile ter get feed OF Sle LLeort
iniey grass outside. we nao glse s s.o,.t,y
- ,eT1 ont. when along come a parry
s0 ~ esinsyv hooting and holler1n ana
T1re5 the best ones. After they VooA
ts1air nick they run the others OH.
nv ST1,e SSinalx-they's smart devlls-WdS
. nav vs IN ter something. About gO OF
Ino AssiTniboines come from WOOD
Der trade one day. Ea[ly It tIae
day. two breeds started OUT lei .a.e
post on the Muddy CARRYING eAR T,ee1
hadn't gone far until they was cap
Tired by the Sioux and sent pack'
stripped Of their clothes; .o,- ~.
Ti1e Sioux told 'em not to go BACK Inc
vav tlnev'd come; but they didn't mlno
AM they run onter q new party VI
sioux, an this time they was run uP
ter the fort where the Asslnnlooliies
was trad1n. So. ....+a ~
time an they rushed out an COM
menced a-fightin' right away. Inc
sioux kept a-drawin' EN- back until
thev had 'em bout four an a nan
miles away from the fort, where tnel /
camp was, an killed a dozen En- SO Oh
ern The others decided they'd had I
.noI,gh and hit back ter the fort.
The Sioux and Blackfeet were great {
FiphterS. too. The GroS VentreS ana
he Crees were more peaceful and the 1
sioux and Blactfeet used to Kill EN- !
PARTICULARLY the GroS Ventures - on I
dght, list to keep themselves amused. /
One time. when we had run snort
n sIDpIies. we set out fer Gros Ven 9
res fort. where we thought we could i
ret what we needed. We had about 40 }
NUNS, Salteaux an CreeS, an we had f
bout 10 breeds When we was almost I
ID 10 the fort, Gros Ventres come I
nut ridin' a swift pony. We saw him T
omin' seven OF eight miles away, an 3
hree of us come on him JiSt as he r
vas comm over the brow Of a little .