Provost went shooting and returned to dinner, having shot a doe, which
was skinned and the meat saved. He saw a Grouse within a few feet of
him, but did not shoot, as he had only a rifle. Bell and I took a long
walk, and shot several birds. We both were surprised to find a flock of
Cliff Swallows endeavoring to build nests beneath the ledges of a clay
bank. Watching the moment when several had alighted against the bank, I
fired, and killed three. Previous to this, as I was walking along a
ravine, a White Wolf ran past within fifteen or twenty paces of me, but
I had only very small shot, and did not care to wound where I could not
kill. The fellow went off at a limping gallop, and Bell after it,
squatting whenever the Wolf stopped to look at him; but at last the
rascal lost himself in a deep ravine, and a few minutes after we saw him
emerge from the shrubs some distance off, and go across the prairie
towards the river. Bell saw two others afterwards, and if ever there was
a country where Wolves are surpassingly abundant, it is the one we now
are in. Wolves are in the habit of often lying down on the prairies,
where they form quite a bed, working at bones the while. We found a nest
of the Prairie Lark, with four eggs. We saw Arctic Bluebirds, Say's
Flycatcher and Lazuli Finches. Say's Flycatcher has a note almost like
the common Pewee. They fly over the prairies like Hawks, looking for
grasshoppers, upon which they pounce, and if they lose sight of them,
they try again at another place. We returned home to dinner, and after
this a discussion arose connected with the Red-shafted Woodpecker. We
determined to go and procure one of the young, and finding that these
have pale-yellow shafts, instead of deep orange-red, such as the old
birds have, the matter was tested and settled according to my statement.
Harris and I went off after the doe killed this morning, and killed
another, but as I have now skins enough, the measurements only were
taken, and the head cut off, which I intend drawing to-morrow. Harris
shot also a Grouse, and a Woodpecker that will prove a _Canadensis_; he
killed the male also, but could not find it, and we found seven young
Red-shafted Woodpeckers in one nest. I killed a female Meadow Lark, the
first seen in this country by us. Provost told me (and he is a
respectable man) that, during the breeding season of the Mountain Ram,
the battering of the horns is often heard as far as a mile away, and
that at such times they are approached with comparative ease; and there
is no doubt that it is during such encounters that the horns are broken
and twisted as I have seen them, and not by leaping from high places and
falling on their horns, as poetical travellers have asserted. The fact
is that when these animals leap from any height they alight firmly on
all their four feet. At this season the young are always very difficult
to catch, and I have not yet seen one of them. Harris, Bell, and young
McKenzie are going Bighorn hunting to-morrow, and I hope they will be
successful; I, alas! am no longer young and alert enough for the
expedition. We find the mosquitoes very troublesome, and very numerous.
_June 30, Friday._ The weather was dark, with the wind at the northwest,
and looked so like rain that the hunters did not start as they had
proposed. Sprague, Harris, and Bell went out, however, after small game.
I began drawing at five this morning, and worked almost without
cessation till after three, when, becoming fatigued for want of
practice, I took a short walk, regretting I could no longer draw twelve
or fourteen hours without a pause or thought of weariness. It is now
raining quite hard. Mr. Larpenteur went after a large tree to make a
ferry-boat, and the new skiff was begun this morning. I sent Provost to
Fort Mortimer to see if any one had arrived from below; he found a man
had done so last evening and brought letters to Mr. Collins, requesting
him to do all he can for us. He also reported that a party of Sioux had
had a battle with the Gros Ventres, and had killed three of the latter
and a white man who lived with them as a blacksmith. The Gros Ventres,
on the other hand, had killed eight of the Sioux and put them to flight.
The blacksmith killed two Sioux, and the enemies cut off one leg and one
arm, scalped him, and left the mangled body behind them. It is said
there is now no person living who can recollect the manner in which the
bitter enmity of these two nations originated. The Yellowstone River is
again rising fast, and Mr. Kipp will have tough times before he reaches
Fort Alexander, which was built by Mr. Alexander Culbertson, our present
host, and the Company had it honored by his name. When a herd of
Buffaloes is chased, although the bulls themselves run very swiftly off,
their speed is not to be compared to that of the cows and yearlings; for
these latter are seen in a few minutes to leave the bulls behind them,
and as cows and young Buffaloes are preferable to the old males, when
the hunters are well mounted they pursue the cows and young ones
invariably. Last winter Buffaloes were extremely abundant close to this
fort, so much so that while the people were engaged in bringing hay in
carts, the Buffaloes during the night came close in, and picked up every
wisp that was dropped. An attempt to secure them alive was made by
strewing hay in such a manner as to render the bait more and more
plentiful near the old fort, which is distant about two hundred yards,
and which was once the property of Mr. Sublette and Co.; but as the hogs
and common cattle belonging to the fort are put up there regularly at
sunset, the Buffaloes ate the hay to the very gates, but would not enter
the enclosure, probably on account of the different smells issuing
therefrom. At this period large herds slept in front of the fort, but
just before dawn would remove across the hills about one mile distant,
and return towards night. An attempt was made to shoot them with a
cannon--a four-pounder; three were killed and several wounded. Still the
Buffaloes came to their sleeping ground at evening, and many were killed
during the season. I saw the head of one Mr. Culbertson shot, and the
animal must have been of unusual size.
_July 1, Saturday._ It was still raining when I got up, but a few
minutes later the sun was shining through one of our windows, and the
wind being at northwest we anticipated a fine day. The ground was
extremely wet and muddy, but Harris and Bell went off on horseback, and
returned a few minutes after noon. They brought some birds and had
killed a rascally Wolf. Bell found the nest of the Arkansas Flycatcher.
The nest and eggs, as well as the manners, of this bird resemble in many
ways those of our King-bird. The nest was in an elm, twenty or
twenty-five feet above the ground, and he saw another in a similar
situation. Mr. Culbertson and I walked to the Pilot Knob with a
spy-glass, to look at the present condition of Fort Mortimer. This
afternoon Squires, Provost, and I walked there, and were kindly received
as usual. We found all the people encamped two hundred yards from the
river, as they had been obliged to move from the tumbling fort during
the rain of last night. Whilst we were there a trapper came in with a
horse and told us the following: This man and four others left that fort
on the 1st of April last on an expedition after Beavers. They were
captured by a party of about four hundred Sioux, who took them prisoners
and kept him one day and a half, after which he was released, but his
companions were kept prisoners. He crossed the river and found a horse
belonging to the Indians, stole it, and reached the fort at last. He
looked miserable indeed, almost without a rag of clothing, long hair,
filthy beyond description, and having only one very keen, bright eye,
which looked as if he was both proud and brave. He had subsisted for the
last eleven days on pomme blanche and the thick leaves of the cactus,
which he roasted to get rid of the thorns or spines, and thus had fared
most miserably; for, previous to the capture of himself and his
companions, he had upset his bull canoe and lost his rifle, which to a
trapper is, next to life, his dependence. When he was asked if he would
have some dinner, he said that he had forgotten the word, but would try
the taste of meat again. Mr. Collins was very polite to me, and promised
me a hunter for the whole of next week, expressly to shoot Bighorns. I
hope this promise may be better kept than that of Mr. Chardon, who told
me that should he have one killed within forty miles he would send
Alexis back with it at once. We heard some had been killed, but this may
not be true; at any rate, men are men all over the world, and a broken
promise is not unheard-of. This evening Mr. Culbertson presented me with
a splendid dress, as well as one to Harris and one to Bell, and promised
one to Sprague, which I have no doubt he will have. Harris and Sprague
went off to procure Woodpeckers' nests, and brought the most curious set
of five birds that I ever saw, and which I think will puzzle all the
naturalists in the world. The first was found near the nest, of which
Sprague shot the female, a light-colored Red-shafted Woodpecker. It
proved to be of the same color, but had the rudiments of black stripes
on the cheeks. Next, Sprague shot an adult yellow-winged male, with the
markings principally such as are found in the Eastern States. Harris
then shot a young Red-shafted, just fledged, with a black stripe on the
cheek. His next shot was a light-colored Red-shafted male, with black
cheeks, and another still, a yellow Red-shafted with a red cheek.[32]
After all this Mr. Culbertson proposed to run a sham Buffalo hunt again.
He, Harris, and Squires started on good horses, went about a mile, and
returned full tilt, firing and cracking. Squires fired four times and
missed once. Harris did not shoot at all; but Mr. Culbertson fired
eleven times, starting at the onset with an empty gun, snapped three
times, and reached the fort with his gun loaded. A more wonderful rider
I never saw.
_July 2, Sunday._ The weather was cool and pleasant this morning, with
no mosquitoes, which indeed--plentiful and troublesome as they
are--Provost tells me are more scarce this season than he ever knew
them thus far up the Missouri. Sprague finished his drawing of the doe's
head about dinner-time, and it looks well. After dinner he went after
the puzzling Woodpeckers, and brought three, all different from each
other. Mr. Culbertson, his squaw wife, and I rode to Fort Mortimer,
accompanied by young McKenzie, and found Mr. Collins quite ill. We saw
the hunters of that fort, and they promised to supply me with Bighorns,
at ten dollars apiece in the flesh, and also some Black-tailed Deer, and
perhaps a Grizzly Bear. This evening they came to the fort for old Peter
and a mule, to bring in their game; and may success attend them! When we
returned, Harris started off with Mr. Culbertson and his wife to see the
condition of Mr. Collins, to whom he administered some remedies. Harris
had an accident that was near being of a serious nature; as he was
getting into the wagon, thinking that a man had hold of the reins, which
was not the case, his foot was caught between the axle-tree and the
wagon, he was thrown down on his arm and side, and hurt to some extent;
fortunately he escaped without serious injury, and does not complain
much this evening, as he has gone on the ramparts to shoot a Wolf.
Sprague saw a Wolf in a hole a few yards from the fort, but said not a
word of it till after dinner, when Bell and Harris went there and shot
it through the head. It was a poor, miserable, crippled old beast, that
could not get out of the hole, which is not more than three or four feet
deep. After breakfast we had a hunt after Hares or Rabbits, and Harris
saw two of them, but was so near he did not care to shoot at them.
Whilst Harris and Mr. Culbertson went off to see Mr. Collins, Mr. Denig
and I walked off with a bag and instruments, to take off the head of a
three-years-dead Indian chief, called the White Cow. Mr. Denig got upon
my shoulders and into the branches near the coffin, which stood about
ten feet above ground. The coffin was lowered, or rather tumbled, down,
and the cover was soon hammered off; to my surprise, the feet were
placed on the pillow, instead of the head, which lay at the foot of the
coffin--if a long box may so be called. Worms innumerable were all about
it; the feet were naked, shrunk, and dried up. The head had still the
hair on, but was twisted off in a moment, under jaw and all. The body
had been first wrapped up in a Buffalo skin without hair, and then in
another robe with the hair on, as usual; after this the dead man had
been enveloped in an American flag, and over this a superb scarlet
blanket. We left all on the ground but the head. Squires, Mr. Denig and
young Owen McKenzie went afterwards to try to replace the coffin and
contents in the tree, but in vain; the whole affair fell to the ground,
and there it lies; but I intend to-morrow to have it covered with earth.
The history of this man is short, and I had it from Mr. Larpenteur, who
was in the fort at the time of his decease, or self-committed death. He
was a good friend to the whites, and knew how to procure many Buffalo
robes for them; he was also a famous orator, and never failed to
harangue his people on all occasions. He was, however, consumptive, and
finding himself about to die, he sent his squaw for water, took an arrow
from his quiver, and thrusting it into his heart, expired, and was found
dead when his squaw returned to the lodge. He was "buried" in the
above-mentioned tree by the orders of Mr. McKenzie, who then commanded
this fort. Mr. Culbertson drove me so fast, and Harris so much faster,
over this rough ground, that I feel quite stiff. I must not forget to
say that we had another sham Buffalo chase over the prairie in front of
the fort, the riders being Squires, young McKenzie, and Mr. Culbertson;
and I was glad and proud to see that Squires, though so inexperienced a
hunter, managed to shoot five shots within the mile, McKenzie eleven,
and Mr. Culbertson eight. Harris killed an old Wolf, which he thought
was larger and fatter than any killed previously. It was very large, but
on examination it was found to be poor and without teeth in the upper
jaw.
_July 3, Monday._ We have had a warm night and day; after breakfast we
all six crossed the river in the newly built skiff, and went off in
divers directions. Provost and I looked thoroughly through the
brushwood, and walked fully six miles from the fort; we saw three Deer,
but so far were they that it was useless to shoot. Deer-shooting on the
prairies is all hazard; sometimes the animals come tripping along within
ten yards of you, and at other times not nearer can you get than one
hundred and fifty yards, which was the case this day. The others killed
nothing of note, and crossed the river back to the fort two hours at
least before us; and we shot and bawled out for nearly an hour, before
the skiff was sent for us. I took a swim, found the water very pleasant,
and was refreshed by my bath. The Bighorn hunters returned this
afternoon with a Bighorn, a female, and also a female Black-tailed Deer.
I paid them $15 for the two, and they are to start again to-morrow
evening, or the next day.
_July 4, Tuesday._ Although we had some fireworks going on last evening,
after I had laid myself down for the night, the anniversary of the
Independence of the United States has been almost the quietest I have
ever spent, as far as my recollection goes. I was drawing the whole day,
and Sprague was engaged in the same manner, painting a likeness of Mr.
Culbertson. Harris and Bell went off to try and procure a buck of the
Long White-tailed Deer, and returned after dinner much fatigued and
hungry enough. Bell had shot at a Deer and wounded it very severely; the
poor thing ran on, but soon lay down, for the blood and froth were
gushing out of its mouth. Bell saw the buck lying down, and not being an
experienced hunter, thought it was dead, and instead of shooting it
again, went back to call Harris; when they returned, the Deer was gone,
and although they saw it again and again, the Deer outwitted them, and,
as I have said, they returned weary, with no Deer. After dinner I spoke
to Mr. Culbertson on the subject, and he told me that the Deer could
probably be found, but that most likely the Wolves would devour it. He
prepared to send young McKenzie with both my friends; the horses were
soon saddled, and the three were off at a gallop. The poor buck's
carcass was found, but several Wolves and Turkey Buzzards had fared well
upon it; the vertebrae only were left, with a few bits of skin and
portions of the horns in velvet. These trophies were all that they
brought home. It was a superb and very large animal, and I am very sorry
for the loss of it, as I am anxious to draw the head of one of such a
size as they represent this to have been. They ran after a Wolf, which
gave them leg bail. Meanwhile Squires and Provost started with the skiff
in a cart to go up the river two miles, cross, and camp on the opposite
shore. The weather became very gloomy and chill. In talking with Mr.
Culbertson he told me that no wise man would ever follow a Buffalo bull
immediately in his track, even in a hunt, and that no one well initiated
would ever run after Buffaloes between the herd and another hunter, as
the latter bears on the former ever and anon, and places him in imminent
danger. Buffalo cows rarely, if ever, turn on the assailant, but bulls
oftentimes will, and are so dangerous that many a fine hunter has been
gored and killed, as well as his horse.
_July 5, Wednesday._ It rained the whole of last night and the weather
has been bad all day. I am at the Bighorn's head, and Sprague at Mr.
Culbertson. Provost and Squires returned drenched and hungry, before
dinner. They had seen several Deer, and fresh tracks of a large Grizzly
Bear. They had waded through mud and water enough for one day, and were
well fatigued. Harris and Bell both shot at Wolves from the ramparts,
and as these things are of such common occurrence I will say no more
about them, unless we are in want of one of these beasts. Harris and I
went over to see Mr. Collins, who is much better; his hunters had not
returned. We found the men there mostly engaged in playing cards and
backgammon. The large patches of rose bushes are now in full bloom, and
they are so full of sweet fragrance that the air is perfumed by them.
The weather looks clear towards the north, and I expect a fine
to-morrow. Old Provost has been telling me much of interest about the
Beavers, once so plentiful, but now very scarce. It takes about seventy
Beaver skins to make a pack of a hundred pounds; in a good market this
pack is worth five hundred dollars, and in fortunate seasons a trapper
sometimes made the large sum of four thousand dollars. Formerly, when
Beavers were abundant, companies were sent with as many as thirty and
forty men, each with from eight to a dozen traps, and two horses. When
at a propitious spot, they erected a camp, and every man sought his own
game; the skins alone were brought to the camp, where a certain number
of men always remained to stretch and dry them.
_July 6, Thursday._ The weather has been pleasant, with the wind at
northwest, and the prairies will dry a good deal. After breakfast
Harris, Bell, and McKenzie went off on horseback. They saw a Red Fox of
the country,[33] which is different from those of the States; they
chased it, and though it ran slowly at first, the moment it saw the
hunters at full gallop, it ran swiftly from them. McKenzie shot with a
rifle and missed it. They saw fresh tracks of the small Hare, but not
any of the animals themselves. After dinner I worked at Mr.
Culbertson's head and dress, and by evening had the portrait nearly
finished. At four o'clock Harris, Bell, and Sprague went across the
river in the skiff; Sprague to take a view of the fort, the others to
hunt. Harris and Bell shot twice at a buck, and killed it, though only
one buckshot entered the thigh. Whilst we were sitting at the back gate
of the fort, we saw a parcel of Indians coming towards the place,
yelling and singing what Mr. Culbertson told me was the song of the
scalp dance; we saw through the telescope that they were fourteen in
number, with their faces painted black, and that it was a detachment of
a war party. When within a hundred yards they all stopped, as if
awaiting an invitation; we did not hurry as to this, and they seated
themselves on the ground and looked at us, while Mr. Culbertson sent Mr.
Denig to ask them to come in by the front gate of the fort, and put them
in the Indian house, a sort of camp for the fellows. They all looked
miserably poor, filthy beyond description, and their black faces and
foully smelling Buffalo robes made them appear to me like so many
devils. The leader, who was well known to be a famous rascal, and was
painted red, was a tall, well-formed man. The party had only three poor
guns, and a few had coarse, common lances; every man had a knife, and
the leader was armed with a stick in which were inserted three blades of
butcher's-knives; a blow from this weapon would doubtless kill a man.
Some of the squaws of the fort, having found that they were Assiniboins,
went to meet them; they took one of these, and painted her face black,
as a sign of friendship. Most of these mighty warriors had a lump of
fresh Buffalo meat slung on his back, which was all traded for by Mr.
Larpenteur, who gave them in exchange some dried meat, not worth the
notice of Harris's dog, and some tobacco. The report of their expedition
is as follows: Their party at first consisted of nearly fifty; they
travelled several hundred miles in search of Blackfeet, and having
discovered a small troop of them, they hid till the next morning, when
at daylight (this is always the time they prefer for an attack) they
rushed upon the enemy, surprised them, killed one at the onset, and the
rest took to flight, leaving guns, horses, shields, lances, etc., on the
ground. The Assiniboins took several guns and seven horses, and the
scalp of the dead Indian. It happened that the man they killed had some
time ago killed the father of their chief, and he was full of joy. After
eating and resting awhile, they followed the trail of the Blackfeet,
hoping to again surprise them; but not seeing them, they separated into
small parties, and it is one of these parties that is now with us. The
chief, to show his pride and delight at killing his enemy, has borrowed
a drum; and the company have nearly ever since been yelling, singing,
and beating that beastly tambour. Boucherville came to me, and told me
that if the swamp over the river was sufficiently dried by to-morrow
morning, he would come early with a companion for two horses, and would
go after Bighorns. He returned this afternoon from a Buffalo hunt and
had killed six. These six animals, all bulls, will suffice for Fort
Mortimer only three days. A rascally Indian had stolen his gun and
Bighorn bow; the gun he said he could easily replace, but the loss of
the bow he regretted exceedingly.