Year: 1869




exhibited in this part of the country,
either by the white man or red native,
is the practice of trailing. Here it may
be accounted an art as much as music,
painting or sculpture is in the East.
The Indian or trapper that is shrewd
trailer, is 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 mys-
terry, that may present itself in this line,
is fairly solved. The Indian trailer
will stand for hours in succession, to
account for certain traces or effects in
tracks, and sometimes give to the mat
ter unremitting attention for days and
weeks.


The trailer is not graceful man. He
carries his head much inclined, his eye
is quick and restless, always on the
watch, and is practising his art uneOn-
sciously, hardly ever crossing the track
of q man OF animal without seeing it.
When he enters house, he brings the
habit he contracted in the practice of
his art with him. | know a trailer as
soon as he enters my room. He comes
in through the door softly, and with an
air of exceeding caution. Before he is
fairly in, or at least has sat down, he
has taken note of every article and per-
son, though there may bea dozen vacant
chairs in the room. He is not used to
chairs, and, ike the Indian, prefers a
more humble seat. When | was en-
ployed by Gen. Harvey last summer to
take charge Of the Indians that were
gathered here to form a new reservation,
one daye guide and trailer came in to
the Generals headquarters. told him
to be seated. He sat down on the floor,
bracing his back against the wall. The
General saw this, and in vexation cried
out, " My God, why don't you take a
chair, when there are plenty here not
occupied"


The man arose and seated himself in
chair, but in so awkward and uncom-
Portable manner that he looked as if
he might slip from it at any moment.
But when this uncouth person came to
transact his business with the General,
he turned out to be man of no ordinary
abilities. His description of a route he
took as guide and trailer for the 0gala-
las, in bringing them from the Platte to
this place, was minute, and to me ex-
ceedingly interesting. Every war party
that for the season had crossed his trail,
he described with minuteness as to the
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 suppO-
sitiOn, for he gave satisfactory reasons
for every assertion he made.


l have rode several hundred miles
with an experienced guide and trailer,
| Hack, whom | interrOgated upon many
points in the practice Of this art. Nearly
all tracks l saw, either old or new, as a
noY4es in the art l questioned him
about. In going to the Niobra river,
we crossed the track Of an Indian pony.
My guide followed the track few miles
and then said 1t is the track of stray,
black horse, with a long, bashy tail,
nearly starved to death, has a split hoof
on the left fore foot, and goes very lame,
and he passed here early this morning"
Astonished and incredulous, | asked
him the reasons for knowing these par
ticulars by the tracks of the animal,
when he replied " It was a stray horse,
because it did not go in direct line /;
his tail was long for he dragged it over
the snow; in brushing against bush,
he left some of his hair, which shows
his color. He was very hungry, for, in
going along, he has nipled at those long,
dry weeds, which horses seldom eat
The fssure of the left foot left, also, Its
track, and the depth of the indentation
shows the degree of its lameness and
his tracks show he was here this morn
ing, when the snow was hard with
frost.


At another place we came across an
Indian track, and he said, " 1t is an old
Yankton, who came across the Missouri
last evening to look at his traps In
coming over he carried in his right hand
trap and in his left lasso to catch a
pony which he had lost. He returned
without finding the horse, but had caught
in the trap he had out prairie wolf,
which he carried home on his back, and
bundle of kinniknic wood in his right
hand" Then he gave his reasons, 4" |
know he is old BY the impression his
gait has made, and Yankton by that of
his mocassin. He is from the other side
of the river, as there are no lanktons
on this side. The tap he carried struck
the snow now and then, and in the same
manner as when he came, shows that he
did not aud his pony. A drop Of blood
in the center of his tracks shows that he
carried one wolf on his back, and the
bundle of kinniknic wood he used for
staff for support, and catching wolf
shows that he had traps out" "Rut, ="
l asked, chow do you know it is a wolf,
why not q fox, or coyote, or even a
deer " Said he: If it had been a
fox, or coyote, or any other small game,
he would have slipped the head of the
animal in his waist belt, and so carried
it by his side, and not on his shoulders.
Deer are not caught by traps, but if it
had been deer, he would not have
crossed this high hill, but would have
gone back by way Of the ravine, and the
load would have made his steps still
more tottering."


| Another Indian track we saw twenty
miles west of this, be put this serious
construction upon: I" He is an upper
Indiana prowling horse thief-carried
double Shot gun, and is rascal that
killed some white man lately, and passed
here one week ago for, said he, a lone
Indian in these parts is on mischief, and
generally on the lookout for horses. He
had on the shoes of a white man whom
he had in all probability killed, but lis
steps are those of an Indian. Going
through the ravine the end of his gun
hit into the deep snow. A week ago We