Jack in the Rockies

ose to him. These men were galloping along and would soon overtake him; and if, by any chance they should happen to be Sioux, from Sittin

ddle. The Indians were now only three or four hundred yards off, but when Jack did this they at once halted, and turning toward each other, seemed to consult. Then, one of them, raising his han

dly tell what it was; but when he was within speaking distance the man called out; "Why, don't you know me, Master Jack? I'm Hezekiah;" and instantly Jack recognized his negro frie

s traveling through this country, back and forth, that would be willing to kill you for your horse and gun; and it ain't far off to the line, and they'd skip across and go to Sit

me up close to me until I knew who they were. That's the reason I stopped you." At this moment the other Indian rode up, and handing his gun to Hezekiah, shook hands cordially with Jack. It was Bull Calf, one of his companio

ck train, and I stopped behind to kill a deer. We're looking for your camp, and going

ago they left Carroll, and are moving south now after buffalo; but Bull Calf, here, and me, we came 'round by the mountains here, to see

be discussed. Hezekiah and Bull Calf wanted to ride fast, but Jack did not feel like doing so with his load, so he put the two shoulders of the deer on Bull Calf's horse, and tied down what he carried so that it would not shake, and they went on at a good pace. An hour or two of brisk riding brought them close to t

s before, and how much pleasure he felt in having come across these two on the prairie. Two hours before sundown they began to see horses dotted over the hills ahe

ike every other lodge. It was evident that he could tell nothing by looking at the lodges, and he must look for the horse

h. "That's the Fat Roasters, you know, and they're over there across th

I'll ride over there and get rid of my meat, and someti

to see you. I want to have you see the childern, t

d up from his task and said, "Well, you've got he

r a few days. I gave the shoulders to Bull Calf and Hezekiah, whom I met out here on the prairie

young fellow to herd our horses; Joe's gone off now to try to do that. We'

eir friends: old John Monroe, Little Plume, Last Bull, and of course Fox Eye, and many others. Old Iron Shirt came around to their lodge, and shook hands cordially with Jack, f

ep that he had seen on the prairie the day before, and how he had been

he old ewe also because she wouldn't have been good for anything; she'd have been poor from suckling her lamb, and you'd have just killed her without getting any good out of it. Besides that, the l

ask you about was what those sheep were doing down there on the prairie. I supposed that sheep only lived on high mountains, or else

t in old times it was no uncommon sight to see sheep feeding right in among the buffalo, and we often used to see them all mixed up with the antelope, on the flat prairie. Of course, sheep always like to be somewhere within reach of the buttes or mountains, or rough bad-lands, that they can run to if they get scared, but as for them not being on the prairie, the way some people think, that's all a mistake. Up here in Montana, and in Dakota and Nebraska and Wyoming, I

you say, they started to run back t

ar's Paw; they're all good sheep countries, and always have been ever since I've been in the country; and I reckon if you ask any of the old Indians they'll tell you just the same thing. Why, years and years ago, before the Indians go

ittle ridge, I could not believe that they were sheep. I thought I must be mistaken, that they must b

are not the only people that don't know much about them.

en a great many years ago, once when I went up north to Peace River, I killed a sheep that was pretty nearly black, and had black horns.

t young man came out from it, and after hesitating a moment as he looked at them, walked up to Hugh, and extending his hand, said, "How d'ye do, Mr. Johnson. I guess you don't

ad to see you. Ain't you the young man that was with General Custer in the Black Hills, and after

d we both did a good deal of riding down there during the last o

with Jack Danvers; he and I've traveled together now for two

ndsome fellow, lean and active; and after they had left him Hugh said to Jack, "Take notice of that young man, and if you've occasion to go on the prairie with him, do as he says

und that day, and as soon as they sat down in the lodge, food was set before them: boiled buffalo heart and b

outs had reported great numbers of buffalo. That evening, Last Bull, Iron Shirt, and Fox Eye, Jackson and Little Plume, all came to the lodge, and they had a feast; and after all had eaten, there was much general conversation, but no formal speeches. Much of the conversation was in the Piegan tongue, which Jac

, about twenty miles east of the Snowy Mountains. The country was then still infested with roving war

dious quarters, consisting of two buildings facing each other and about forty feet apart, and containing altoge

a mile or so of our place. Glad to have company, we gave free quarters to all hunters and trappers

flowed through a deep cut in the prairie, bordered with sage brush and willows. At its junction with the Flat Willow, in the V formed by the

om its summit we could see miles an

band of elk or antelope near by. As soon as I reached the summit I saw some moving forms on the prairie not far off, near Beaver Castor, and adjusting my glass, I found that they were a large war party of Indians afoot. They also saw me, for I saw several of them stop and level their telescope at me. I took

st as I could run, but found that I couldn't get within roping distance of a single animal. They had been in the corral all night as usual, and in spite of my efforts they kept straggling and fee

he could shoot without hurting his rheumatic legs, and had then gone on preparing our dinner. So we waited and watched, expecting every minute to be attacked. But no In

or three of us get our hors

rush Charlie, 'just you and me go up o

e concealed in the brush on Beaver Castor, probably near the butte. B

me. 'Shall we shoot?' asked Sagebrush. 'No,' I replied. 'If we advance to shoot he will have the best of it, and if he advances we will have the edge on him.' So we continued to stare at him. After a while I saw that the Indian was beginning to back down out of sight, so I did the same. I made only a step and he had disappeared, but I kept backing away, watching the top of the but

bout leaving me, and seeing that he was ashamed of him

of us saddled up and went out to make a big circle and find out if our friends had left us. We went down Flat Willow a mile or more, then swung up onto the prairie, crossed Beaver Castor and headed home, but could see no Indian signs. Finally we went up on top of the butte, where Sagebrush and I had seen the Indian the night before. There in the loose shale we found his tracks, and saw that after backing down a little ways he

began to talk to me in a language which I at once knew to be Nez Percés, but which I could not understand. I replied to her in Sioux, and found that she understood and could speak a little of that tongue, and by piecing it out with signs we got along very well. I told h

interpreted her tale, sentence by sentence, to the boys. She said: 'I came from Sitting Bull's camp on Milk River, where some of my people, Nez Percés, are living with the Sioux. Two years ago, my son went with some Sioux and Nez Percés to war against the Crows. They had a big fight on the Yellowstone, and it was supposed that my so

'That's too durned thin. I mo

k at once. Some said she was a s

you are not telling the truth. Yesterday a big war pa

sed. 'I haven't seen an Indi

our own people. Just as soon as this snow goes, one of our men will start for the Yellowstone with a four-horse team after some provisions, and you can go with hi

ied, 'but I am afraid of all the

me to turn in I made her a bed of buffalo robes behind the counter.

to me. 'I am afraid to sleep there; l

ll come to you. No one in this place

that is so I will step out

to the counter and took my six-shooter, intending to follow her out, but quicker than a flash she darted through the door, and closed and fastened it with the thong and pin. Of course all the boys in the room made a rush, and two of us getting our fingers between the door and the jamb gave a strong jerk, snapped the fastening a

began to talk. 'I knowed,' s

med another. 'You fellers that thou

til eight or nine o'clock did any one turn in. But w

fter supplies, he learned that this woman had stopped at the 'Cir