Year: 1869

1870 ANA1 IL SOAAS ~ANAS1


nipped at those high dry weeds,


which horses seldom eat. The
|fssure of the left fore foot left, al.
$50, its track, and the indentation


shows the degree of his lameness;


and his tracks show he was here


this morning, when the snow was


hard with frost"


At another place we came a


cross an Indian track, and he


said, '1t is an old Yankton, who


came across the Missouri last eve


ming to look at his traps. In COM


ing over he carried in his right


hand a trap, and in his left las


SO to catch a pony with he had lost.


He returned without finding the


horse, but had caught in the trap


he had out a prairie wolf, which


he carried home on his back and
a bundle of kinikinic wood in his
right hand" Then, he gave his


reasons, 81 know he is old by the
impression his gait has made, and


Yankton by that of his moccasin.
He is from the other side of the


river, as there are no Yanktons
on this side. The trap he carried


struck the snow now and then, and
in the same manner as when he


came, shows that he did not find


his pony. A drop of blood in the
center of his tracks shows that


he carried the wolf on his back,


and the bundle of kinikinic wood


he used for a staff for support, and,
catching a wolf, shows that he
had traps out" "But," 1 asked,
Chow do you know it is a wolf,
why not a fox, or coyote, er even
a deer?" Said he, off it had been
a fox, or coyote, or any other
small game, he would have slip
ped 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
west of this he put this serious con-
struction upon: "He is an upper
Indian-a prowling orse-thief-
carried double shot gun, and is
a rascal that killed some white
man lately, and passed here one
week ago, for" said he, ga lone
Indian in these parts is on mischief,
and generally on the look out tor
horses. He had on the shoes OF a
white man whom he had in all |
probability killed, but his steps are
those of an Indian. Going |
through the ravine, the end of his
gun hit into the deep snow. A
week ago we had a very warm
day, and the snow being soft, he
made these deep tracks; ever since
it has been intensely cold weather,
which makes very shallow tracks"
suggested that perhaps he bought
those shoes. "Indians don't buy
shoes, and if they did they would
not buy them as large as these
were, for Indians have very small
Ieet." The most noted trailer of
this country was Paul Daloria, a
half breed, who died under my
hands, of Indian consumption,
asst summer. At one time / rode
with him, and trailing was natu-
rally the subject of our converse
ion. l begged to trail with him
IN old track over the prairie in or
Ter to learn its history. l had
hardly made the proposition, when
ne drew up his horse, which was
1t a ravine, and said, "Well, here
s an old elk track. Let us get
IF our horses and follow it." We
it but few rods, when
he said it was exactly a month old,
md made at two o'clock in the af-
This he knew, as then
We had our last rain, and. at the
lour named the ground was softer
han at any other time. The
rack before us was then made
lie broke up here and there cIus-
ers of grass that lay in the path
# the track, and showed me the
Try ends of some, and the stumps
# others, and by numerous other j