Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-05-15


some distance away. He took the In
dams to see what harm was wrought
by the shell. They said, when they
saw the broken rock and splinters of
shell, shot too hard" They did not
like it, but were willing to give two
ponies in exchange for it. The big
gun shot a little gun out of him, and
that little gun went off himself when
he struck the mountain, doing much
mischief" was their explanation of
what had happened.
Premiere claimed that this tribe re
ceived their name because of having
burned on a rock some Chippewa
prisoners in 1872, Assinniboine being
two words meaning burnt rock"
Near the last of August, when on
Frenchmans fork of the Milk river,
Major, one of the men specially COM
mitted to Captain Fisk's care, started
alone to walk ahead of the train. He
did not come into camp that night,
and was not found until the following
evening, by which time he was utterly
Frustrated from hunger, the unwonted
exposure and above all by thirst. This
was the second man lost and found
on the journey.
While on the Milk river the party
met the first eros Ventres, when about
a dozen of them visited the camp.
Captain Fisk speaks of their language.
which he says, lis the most extraordi-
nary and uncouth that can be mag
ined. 1t is cultural and seems to con-
sist of a cough, groan, a grunt, a
whistle and a 'tSt tst.' They never
speak a syllable distinctly, but appear
to arrest the half-formed words in
their Threats. Mr.. Meldrum, agent at
Fort Union, has been many years
among them, and cannot speak their
language; he says he believes it is al
most impossible for a white man to
learn it,"
Meet White Men
A little after the eros Ventres visited
them, the Fisk party met the first
white men they had seen since leav-
ing General Sibley's detachment.
These were men connected with an
OK train belonging to Colonel Hunkins
of Bannack, who we're going to St.
Charles for two quartz mills to be
erected at Bannack. The train left
Bannack in June, and it had taken
them until the last of August to reach
this point. Such was rapid transit in
the pioneer days.
The meeting with Hunkins' train
took place about week before the
company reached Fort Benton. Here
Captain Fisk's escort ended, and the
emigrants then left for their various
destinations unattended. This final
leave-taking occurred on Sept. 7, 1868,
after journey of nearly three months.
When Captain Fisk babe farewell to
the emigrants he had escorted from
Minnesota to Fort Benton, he had dis
charged his duty to them, but not to
the government. There were the wag-
ons and stock still remaining which
he purposed selling in Bannack or in
Walla Walla, both across the noun
tainS, and about 20 of the emigrantS
decided to accompany him. The jour-
ney to Fort Benton was noteworthy in
that there were no deaths or serious
accidents on the way. Early in the
trip three men deserted, taking with
them government horses. Captain Fisk
empowered the captain of some Red
river hunters to follow the men and
regain the horses.
Fortunately, although the road the
party followed traversed the Sioux
hunting grounds, they were not at
tackled, which was remarkable, as the
Sioux were at that time exceptionally
hostile and the officers Of General
Sibley's command had warned Captain
Fisk against undertaking the journey,
as it would be foolhardy to attempt it..
That it was successfully accomplished
was due to Captain Fisk'S excellent
supervision. Every precaution was TAX
en- to prevent being surprised by the
enemy.
Before reaching Fort Benton the
men from Bannack who were met, told
of the gold discoveries there, and the
still richer ones at Virginia City. This
news, doubtless it was, which led to the
20 leaving Fort Benton with him, al
though the gold lure might have led
them north, instead of west, there be-
ing reports of new mines on the Sas-
katchewan, and they later passed
miners bound for that region.
On Sept. 10 the party arrived at Sun
River, and the next day camped at
the crossing where was then the gov
eminent farm of the Blackfeet agency,
Captain Fisk speaks of the new man
in charge there; Mr.. Vail, the brother
in-law of Plummer, having moved to
Bannack.
At this farm there were then many
large fields cultivated, and says the
captain: Wheat, oats and all kinds
of vegetables raised He also states,
there is hardly any stock left" This
last may have been owing to the In
dian raid mentioned by Mr.. Gillette
when all the horses there were run off,
including his own.
While on their way to the Dearborn,
three of the party had an amusing
experience, which the reader will better
appreciate, if he recalls that George
Ives, Plummer, Stinson and the rest
of the road agents were still at large,
and had the country terrorized. This
is Captain Ffsk's account of it.
while riding down to the Dearborn
this morning, ahead of the train, &C
companied by DR.. Dibb, Lieutenant
Johnston and Antoine Premiere, all Of
us dressed in buckskin suits and prob
ably looking somewhat wild We OBJ
served a man riding up the ravine
leading to the river, and put spurs to
our horses to intercept him, as we
thought he was coming from Bannack
City and we wished to get news from
81 i,,v inI, ~