Year: 1869

"
Fort RANDALL, DACoTA TER. {


The most extraordinary skill


that is exhibited in this part OF


the country, either by white mar


or red native, is in the practice of


trailing. Here it may be account


ed an art as mnch as music, paint
ing or sculpture is in the East


The Indian or trapper that is
Ishrewed trailer is a man of close


observation, quick perception and


prompt action. As he goes along.


nothing escapes his observation


and what he sees and hears he


accounts for Immediately. Often


not another step is taken until a
mystery that may present itself


in this line is fairly solved. The


Indian trailer will stand still for


hours in succession, to account
for certain traces or effects in


tracks, and sometimes give to the
matter unremitting attention for
days and weeks.


The trailer is not graceful
man. He carries his head much
inclined, his eye is quick and rest
less, always on the watch, and


he is practising his art uncon-
sciously, hardly ever crossing the
track of man or animal without
seeing it. When he enters a
house, he brings the habits he
contracted in the practice of his
art with him. | know a trail
er as soon as he enters my room.
He comes in through the door
softly, and with an air Of ex-
ceeding caution. Before he is
fairly in, or at least has sat down,
he has taken note of every arti-
ticle and person, though there may
be q dozen vacant chairs in the
room. He is not used to chairs,
and, like the Indian, prefers
more humble seat. When | was
employed by General Harvey last
summer to take charge Temporal
rily of the Indians that were gath
cred here to form a new reserva-
ton, one day a guide and trailer
came into the Generals headquar-
ters. | told him to be seated
He sat down on the floor, brac-
ing his back against the WALL
The General saw this, and in vex-
alton cried out, "My God, why
don't you take chair when there
are plenty here not occupied p
The man arose and seated himself
in chair, but in so awkward and
uncomfortable a manner that he
looked as he might slip from it at
any moment. But when this un-
couth person came to transact his
business with the General he
turned out to be a man of no or
dinary abilities. His description
of a route as guide and trailer for
the Ogallahs in bringing them
from over the Platte to this place
was minute, and to me exceeding
ly interesting. Every war party |
that for the season had crossed |
his trail, he described with minute
ness as to their number, the kind
of arms they had, and stated the
tribes they belonged to. In these
strange revelations that he made
there was neither imposition nor
supposition, for he gave satisfac-
tory reasons for every assertion he
made.


l have ridden several hundred
miles with an experienced guide
and trailer, Hack, whom 1 inter
rogated on many points in the
practise of this art. Nearly all
the tracks ! saw, either old or
new, as a novice in the art, / Iques-
toned him about. In going to
the Niobrara river we crossed the
track of an Indian pony. My
guide followed the track a few
miles and then said, at is q stray,
black horse, with a long bushy
,ail, nearly starved to death, has
/ split hoof of the left fore foot,
Ind goes very lame, and he passed
lere early this morning" As
.onished and incredulous, / asked
lim the reason for knowing these
particulars by the tracks of the
animal, when he replied:


"It was a stray horse, because it
lid not go in a direct line; his tail
vas long, for he dragged it over