The Prairie Traveler - Chapter VI



CHAPTER VI
Guides and Hunters. -- Delawares and Shawnees. -- Khebirs. -- Black 
Beaver. -- Anecdotes. -- Domestic Troubles. -- Lodges. -- Similarity of 
Prairie Tribes to the Arabs. -- Method of making War. -- Tracking and 
pursuing Indians. -- Method of attacking them. -- Telegraphing by Smokes. 

DELAWARES AND SHAWNEES

   IT is highly important that parties making expeditions through an 
unexplored country should secure the services of the best guides and 
hunters, and I know of none who are superior to the Delawares and Shawnee 
Indians. They have been with me upon several different occasions, and I 
have invariably found them intelligent, brave, reliable, and in every 
respect well qualified to fill their positions. They are endowed with 
those keen and wonderful powers in woodcraft which can only be acquired by 
instinct, practice, and necessity, and which are possessed by no other 
people that I have heard of, unless it be the khebirs or guides who escort 
the caravans across the great desert of Sahara. 

   General E. Dumas, in his treatise upon the "Great Desert," published in 
Paris, 1856, in speaking of these guides, says: "The khebir is always a 
man of intelligence, of tried probity, bravery, and skill. He knows how to 
determine his position from the appearance of the stars; by the experience 
of other journeys he has learned all about the roads, wells, and pastures; 
the dangers of certain passes, and the means of avoiding them; all the 
chiefs whose territories it is necessary to pass through; the salubrity of 
the different localities; the remedies against diseases; the treatment of 
fractures, and the antidotes to the venom of snakes and scorpions. 

   "In these vast solitudes, where nothing seems to indicate the route, 
where the wind covers up all traces of the track with sand, the khebir has 
a thousand ways of directing himself in the right course. In the night, 
when there are no stars in sight, by the simple inspection of a handful of 
grass, which he examines with his fingers, which he smells and tastes, he 
informs himself of his locale without ever being lost or wandering. 

   "I saw with astonishment that our conductor, although he had but one 
eye, and that defective, recognized perfectly the route; and Leon, the 
African, states that the conductor of his caravan became blind upon the 
journey from ophthalmia, yet by feeling the grass and sand he could tell 
when we were approaching an inhabited place. 

   "Our guide had all the qualities which make a good khebir. He was 
young, large, and strong; he was a master of arms; his eye commanded 
respect, and his speech won the heart. But if in the tent he was affable 
and winning, once en route he spoke only when it was necessary, and never 
smiled." 

   The Delawares are but a minute remnant of the great Algonquin family, 
whose early traditions declare them to be the parent stock from which the 
other numerous branches of the Algonquin tribes originated. And they are 
the same people whom the first white settlers found so numerous upon the 
banks of the Delaware. 

   When William Penn held his council with the Delawares upon the ground 
where the city of Philadelphia now stands, they were as peaceful and 
unwarlike in their habits as the Quakers themselves. They had been 
subjugated by the Five Nations, forced to take the appellation of squaws, 
and forego the use of arms; but after they moved west, beyond the 
influence of their former masters, their naturally independent spirit 
revived, they soon regained their lofty position as braves and warriors, 
and the male squaws of the Iroquois soon became formidable men and heroes, 
and so have continued to the present day. Their war-path has reached the 
shores of the Pacific Ocean on the west, Hudson's Bay on the north, and 
into the very heart of Mexico on the south. 

   They are not clannish in their dispositions like most other Indians, 
nor by their habits confined to any given locality, but are found as 
traders, trappers, or hunters among most of the Indian tribes inhabiting 
our continent. I even saw them living with the Mormons in Utah. They are 
among the Indians as the Jews among the whites, essentially wanderers. 

   The Shawnees have been associated with the Delawares 185 years. They 
intermarry and live as one people. Their present places of abode are upon 
the Missouri River, near Fort Leavenworth, and in the Choctaw Territory, 
upon the Canadian River, near Fort Arbuckle. They are familiar with many 
of the habits and customs of their pale-faced neighbors, and some of them 
speak the English language, yet many of their native characteristics 
tenaciously cling to them. 

   Upon one occasion I endeavored to teach a Delaware the use of the 
compass. He seemed much interested in its mechanism, and very attentively 
observed the oscillations of the needle. He would move away a short 
distance, then return, keeping his eyes continually fixed upon the needle 
and the uniform position into which it settled. He did not, however, seem 
to comprehend it in the least, but regarded the entire proceeding as a 
species of necromantic performance got up for his especial benefit, and I 
was about putting away the instrument when he motioned me to stop, and 
came walking toward it with a very serious but incredulous countenance, 
remarking, as he pointed his finger toward it, "Maybe so he tell lie 
sometime."

   The ignorance evinced by this Indian regarding the uses of the compass 
is less remarkable than that of some white men who are occasionally met 
upon the frontier. 

   While surveying Indian lands in the wilds of Western Texas during the 
summer of 1854, I encountered a deputy surveyor traveling on foot, with 
his compass and chain upon his back. I saluted him very politely, 
remarking that I presumed he was a surveyor, to which he replied, "I 
reckon, stranger, I ar that thar individoal." 

   I had taken the magnetic variation several times, always with nearly 
the same results (about 10° 20') ; but, in order to verify my 
observations, I was curious to learn how they accorded with his own 
working, and accordingly inquired of him what he made the variation of the 
compass in that particular locality. He seemed struck with astonishment, 
took his compass from his back and laid it upon a log near by, then facing 
me, and pointing with his had toward it, said, 

   "Straanger, do yer see that thar instru-ment?" to which I replied in 
the affirmative. He continued, 

   "I've owned her well-nigh goin on twenty year. I've put her through the 
perarries and through the timber, and now look yeer, straanger, you can 
just bet your life on't she never var-ried aary time, and if you'll just 
follow her sign you'll knock the centre outer the north star. She never 
lies, she don't." 

   He seemed to consider my interrogoatory as a direct insinuation that 
his compass was an imperfect one, and hence his indignation. Thinking that 
I should not get any very important intelligence concerning the variation 
of the needle from this surveyor, I begged his pardon for questioning the 
accuracy of his instru-ment, bid him good-morning, and continued on my 
journey.

BLACK BEAVER

   In 1849 I met with a very interesting specimen of the Delaware tribe 
whose name was Black Beaver. He had for ten years been in the employ of 
the American Fur Company, and during this time had visited nearly every 
point of interest within the limits of our unsettled territory. He had set 
his traps and spread his blanket upon the head waters of the Missouri and 
Columbia; and his wanderings had led him south to the Colorado and Gila, 
and thence to the shores of the Pacific in Southern California. His life 
had been that of a veritable cosmopolite, filled with scenes of intense 
and startling interest, bold and reckless adventure. He was with me two 
seasons in the capacity of guide, and I always found him perfectly 
reliable, brave, and competent. His reputation as a resolute, determined, 
and fearless warrior did not admit of question, yet I have never seen a 
man who wore his laurels with less vanity. 

   When I first made his acquaintance I was puzzled to know what to think 
of him. He would often, in speaking of the Prairie Indians, say to me, 

   "Captain, if you have a fight, you mustn't count much on me, for I'ze a 
big coward. When the fight begins I 'spect you'll see me run under the 
cannon; Injun mighty 'fraid of big gun." 

   I expressed my surprise that he should, if what he told me was true, 
have gained such a reputation as a warrior; whereupon he informed me that 
many years previous, when he was a young man, and before he had ever been 
in battle, he, with about twenty white men and four Delawares, were at one 
of the Fur Company's trading-posts upon the Upper Missouri, engaged in 
trapping beaver. While there, the stockade fort was attacked by a numerous 
band of Blackfeet Indians, who fought bravely, and seemed determined to 
annihilate the little band that defended it. 

   After the investment had been completed, and there appeared no 
probability of the attacking party's abandoning their purpose, "One d--d 
fool Delaware" (as Black Beaver expressed it) proposed to his countrymen 
to make a sortie, and thereby endeavor to effect an impression upon the 
Blackfeet. This, Beaver said, was the last thing he would ever have 
thought of suggesting, and it startled him prodigiously, causing him to 
tremble so much that it was with difficulty he could stand.

   He had, however, started from home with the fixed purpose of becoming a 
distinguished brave, and made a great effort to stifle his emotion. He 
assumed an air of determination, saying that was the very idea he was just 
about to propose; and, slapping his comrades upon the back, started toward 
the gate, telling them to follow. As soon as the gate was passed, he says, 
he took particular care to keep in the rear of the others, so that, in the 
event of a retreat, he would be able to reach the stockade first. 

   They had not proceeded far before a perfect shower of arrows came 
falling around them on all sides, but, fortunately, without doing them 
harm. Not fancying this hot reception, those in front proposed an 
immediate retreat, to which he most gladly acceded, and at once set off at 
his utmost speed, expecting to reach the fort first. But he soon 
discovered that his comrades were more fleet, and were rapidly passing and 
leaving him behind. Suddenly he stopped and called out to them, "Come back 
here, you cowards, you squaws; what for you run away and leave brave man 
to fight alone?" This taunting appeal to their courage turned them back, 
and, with their united efforts, they succeeded in beating off the enemy 
immediately around them, securing their entrance into the fort. 

   Beaver says when the gate was closed the captain in charge of the 
establishment grasped him warmly by the hand, saying, "Black Beaver, you 
are a brave man; you have done this day what no other man in the fort 
would have the courage to do, and I thank you from the bottom of my 
heart." 

   In relating the circumstance to me he laughed most heartily, thinking 
it a very good joke, and said after that he was regarded as a brave 
warrior. 

   The truth is, my friend Beaver was one of those few heroes who never 
sounded his own trumpet; yet no one that knows him ever presumed to 
question his courage. 

   At another time, while Black Beaver remained upon the head waters of 
the Missouri, he was left in charge of a "cache" consisting of a quantity 
of goods buried to prevent their being stolen by the Indians. During the 
time he was engaged upon this duty he amused himself by hunting in the 
vicinity, only visiting his charge once a day. As he was making one of 
these periodical visits, and had arrived upon the summit of a hill 
overlooking the locality, he suddenly discovered a large number of hostile 
Blackfeet occupying it, and he supposed they had appropriated all the 
goods. As soon as they espied him, they beckoned for him to come down and 
have a friendly chat with them. 

   Knowing that their purpose was to beguile him into their power, he 
replied that he did not feel in a talking humor just at that time, and 
started off in another direction, whereupon they hallooed after him, 
making use of the most insulting language and gestures, and asking him if 
he considered himself a man thus to run away from his friends, and 
intimating that, in their opinion, he was an old woman, who had better go 
home and take care of the children. 

   Beaver says this roused his indignation to such a pitch that he 
stopped, turned around, and replied, "Maybe so; s'pose three or four of 
you Injuns come up here alone, I'll show you if I'ze old womans." They did 
not, however, accept the challenge, and Beaver rode off. 

   Although the Delawares generally seem quite happy in their social 
relations, yet they are not altogether exempt from some of those minor 
discords which occasionally creep in and mar the domestic harmony of their 
more civilized pale-faced brethren. 

   I remember, upon one occasion, I had bivouacked for the night with 
Black Beaver, and he had been endeavoring to while away the long hours of 
the evening by relating to me some of the most thrilling incidents of his 
highly-adventurous and erratic life, when at length a hiatus in the 
conversation gave me an opportunity of asking him if he was a married man. 
He hesitated for some time; then looking up and giving his forefinger a 
twirl, to imitate the throwing of a lasso, replied, "One time me catch 'um 
wife. I pay that woman, his modder, one hoss-one saddle-one bridle-two 
plug tobacco, and plenty goods. I take him home to my house-got plenty 
meat-plenty corn-plenty every thing. One time me go take walk, maybe so 
three, maybe so two hours. When I come home, that woman he say, 'Black 
Beaver, what for you go way long time?' I say, 'I not go nowhere; I just 
take one littel walk.' Then that woman he get heap mad, and say, 'No, 
Black Beaver, you not take no littel walk. I know what for you go way; you 
go see nodder one woman.' I say, 'Maybe not.' Then that woman she cry long 
time, and all e'time now she mad. You never seen 'Merican woman that a-
way?" 

   I sympathized most deeply with my friend in his distress, and told him 
for his consolation that, in my opinion, the women of his nation were not 
peculiar in this respect; that they were pretty much alike all over the 
world, and I was under the impression that there were well-authenticated 
instances even among white women where they had subjected themselves to 
the same causes of complaint so feelingly depicted by him. Whereupon he 
very earnestly asked, "What you do for cure him? Whip him?" I replied, 
"No; that, so far as my observation extended, I was under the impression 
that this was generally regarded by those who had suffered from its 
effects as one of those chronic and vexatious complaints which would not 
be benefitted by the treatment he suggested, even when administered in 
homeopathic doses, and I believed it was now admitted by all sensible men 
that it was better in all such cases to let nature take its course, 
trusting to a merciful Providence." 

   At this reply his countenance assumed a dejected expression, but at 
length he brightened up again and triumphantly remarked, "I tell you, my 
friend, what I do; I ketch 'um nodder one wife when I go home." 

   Black Beaver had visited St. Louis and the small towns upon the 
Missouri frontier, and he prided himself not a little upon his 
acquaintance with the customs of the whites, and never seemed more happy 
than when an opportunity offered to display this knowledge in presence of 
his Indian companions. It so happened, upon one occasion, that I had a 
Comanche guide who bivouacked at the same fire with Beaver. On visiting 
them one evening according to my usual practice, I found them engaged in a 
very earnest and apparently not very amicable conversation. On inquiring 
the cause of this, Beaver answered, 

   "I've been telling this Comanche what I seen 'mong the white folks." 

   I said, "Well, Beaver, what did you tell him?" 

   "I tell him 'bout the steam-boats, and the railroads, and the heap o' 
houses I seen in St. Louis." 

   "Well, sir, what does he think of that?" 

   "He say I'ze d--d fool." 

   "What else did you tell him about?" 

   "I tell him the world is round, but he keep all e'time say, Hush, you 
fool! do you s'pose I'ze child? Haven't I got eyes? Can't I see the 
prairie? You call him round? He say, too, maybe so I tell you something 
you not know before. One time my grandfather he make long journey that way 
(pointing to the west). When he get on big mountain he seen heap water on 
t'other side, jest so flat he can be, and he seen the sun go right 
straight down on t'other side. I then tell him all these rivers he seen, 
all e'time the water he run; s'pose the world flat the water he stand 
still. Maybe so he not b'lieve me?" 

   I told him it certainly looked very much like it. I then asked him to 
explain to the Comanche the magnetic telegraph. He looked at me earnestly, 
and said, 

   "What you call that magnetic telegraph?" 

   I said, "You have heard of New York and New Orleans?" 

   "Oh yes," he replied. 

   "Very well; we have a wire connecting these two cities, which are about 
a thousand miles apart, and it would take a man thirty days to ride it 
upon a good horse. Now a man stands at one end of this wire in New York, 
and by touching it a few times he inquires of his friend in New Orleans 
what he had for breakfast. His friend in New Orleans touches the other end 
of the wire, and in ten minutes the answer comes back--ham and eggs. Tell 
him that, Beaver." 

   His countenance assumed a most comical expression, but he made no 
remark until I again requested him to repeat what I had said to the 
Comanche, when he observed, 

   "No, captain, I not tell him that, for I don't b'lieve that myself." 

   Upon my assuring him that such was the fact, and that I had seen it 
myself, he said, 

   "Injun not very smart; sometimes he's big fool, but he holler pretty 
loud; you hear him maybe half a mile; you say 'Merican man he talk 
thousand miles. I 'spect you try to fool me now, captain; maybe so you 
lie."

   The Indians living between the outer white settlements and the nomadic 
tribes of the Plains form intermediate social links in the chain of 
civilization. 

   The first of these occupy permanent habitations, but the others, 
although they cultivate the soil, are only resident while their crops are 
growing, going out into the prairies after harvest to spend the winter in 
hunting. Among the former may be mentioned the Cherokees, Creeks, 
Choctaws, and Chickasaws, and of the latter are the Delawares, Shawnees, 
Kickapoos, etc., who are perfectly familiar with the use of the rifle, 
and, in my judgment, would make as formidable partisan warriors as can be 
found in the universe. 

THE WILD TRIBES OF THE WEST

   These are very different in their habits from the natives that formerly 
occupied the country bordering upon the Atlantic coast. The latter lived 
permanently in villages, where they cultivated the soil, and never 
wandered very far from them. They did not use horses, but always made 
their war expeditions on foot, and never came into action unless they 
could screen themselves behind the cover of trees. They inflicted the most 
inhuman tortures upon their prisoners, but did not, that I am aware, 
violate the chastity of women. 

   The prairie tribes have no permanent abiding places; they never plant a 
seed, but roam for hundreds of miles in every direction over the Plains. 
They are perfect horsemen, and seldom go to war on foot. Their attacks are 
made in the open prairies, and when unhorsed they are powerless. They do 
not, like the eastern Indians, inflict upon their prisoners prolonged 
tortures, but invariably subject all females that have the misfortune to 
fall into their merciless clutches to an ordeal worse than death. 

   It is highly important to every man passing through a country 
frequented by Indians to know some of their habits, customs, and 
propensities, as this will facilitate his intercourse with friendly 
tribes, and enable him, when he wishes to avoid a conflict, to take 
precautions against coming in collision with those who are hostile. 

   Almost every tribe has its own way of constructing its lodges, 
encamping, making fires, its own style of dress, by some of which 
peculiarities the experienced frontiersman can generally distinguish them. 

   The Osages, for example, make their lodges in the shape of a wagon-top, 
of bent rods or willows covered with skins, blankets, or the bark of 
trees. 

   The Kickapoo lodges are made in an oval form, something like a rounded 
hay-stack, of poles set in the ground, bent over, and united at top; this 
is covered with cloths or bark. 

   The Witchetaws, Wacos, Towackanies, and Tonkowas erect their hunting 
lodges of sticks put up in the form of the frustum of a cone and covered 
with brush. 

   All these tribes leave the frame-work of their lodges standing when 
they move from camp to camp, and this, of course, indicates the particular 
tribe that erected them. 

   The Delawares and Shawnees plant two upright forked poles, place a 
stick across them, and stretch a canvas covering over it, in the same 
manner as with the "tente d'abri."

   The Sioux, Arapahos, Cheyennes, Utes, Snakes, Blackfeet, and Kioways 
make use of the Comanche lodge, covered with dressed buffalo hides. 

   All the Prairie Indians I have met with are the most inveterate 
beggars. They will flock around strangers, and, in the most importunate 
manner, ask for every thing they see, especially tobacco and sugar; and, 
if allowed, they will handle, examine, and occasionally pilfer such things 
as happen to take their fancy. The proper way to treat them is to give 
them at once such articles as are to be disposed of, and then, in a firm 
and decided manner, let them understand that they are to receive nothing 
else. 

   A party of Keechis once visited my camp with their principal chief, who 
said he had some important business to discuss, and demanded a council 
with the capitan. After consent had been given, he assembled his principal 
men, and, going through the usual preliminary of taking a big smoke, he 
arose, and with a great deal of ceremony commenced his pompous and flowery 
speech, which, like all others of a similar character, amounted to 
nothing, until he touched upon the real object of his visit. He said he 
had traveled a long distance over the prairies to see and have a talk with 
his white brothers; that his people were very hungry and naked. He then 
approached me with six small sticks, and, after shaking hands, laid one of 
the sticks in my hand, which he said represented sugar, another signified 
tobacco, and the other four, pork, flour, whisky, and blankets, all of 
which he assured me his people were in great need of, and must have. His 
talk was then concluded, and he sat down, apparently much gratified with 
the graceful and impressive manner with which he had executed his part of 
the performance. 

   It then devolved upon me to respond to the brilliant effort of the 
prairie orator, which I did in something like the following manner. After 
imitating his style for a short time, I closed my remarks by telling him 
that we were poor infantry soldiers, who were always obliged to go on 
foot; that we had become very tired of walking, and would like very much 
to ride. Furthermore, I had observed that they had among them many fine 
horses and mules. I then took two small sticks, and imitating as nearly as 
possible the manner of the chief, placed one in his hand, which I told him 
was nothing more or less than a first-rate horse, and then the other, 
which signified a good large mule. I closed by saying that I was ready to 
exchange presents whenever it suited his convenience. 

   They looked at each other for some time without speaking, but finally 
got up and walked away, and I was not troubled with them again. 

INDIAN FIGHTING

   The military system, as taught and practiced in our army up to the time 
of the Mexican war, was, without doubt, efficient and well adapted to the 
art of war among civilized nations. This system was designed for the 
operations of armies acting in populated districts, furnishing ample 
resources, and against an enemy who was tangible, and made use of a 
similar system. 

   The vast expanse of desert territory that has been annexed to our 
domain within the last few years is peopled by numerous tribes of 
marauding and erratic savages, who are mounted upon fleet and hardy 
horses, making war the business and pastime of their lives, and 
acknowledging none of the ameliorating conventionalities of civilized 
warfare. Their tactics are such as to render the old system almost wholly 
impotent. 

   To act against an enemy who is here to-day and there to-morrow; who at 
one time stampedes a herd of mules upon the head waters of the Arkansas, 
and when next heard from is in the very heart of the populated districts 
of Mexico, laying waste haciendas, and carrying devastation, rapine, and 
murder in his steps; who is every where without being any where; who 
assembles at the moment of combat, and vanishes whenever fortune turns 
against him; who leaves his women and children far distant from the 
theater of hostilities, and has neither towns or magazines to defend, nor 
lines of retreat to cover; who derives his commissariat from the country 
he operates in, and is not encumbered with baggage wagons or pack-trains; 
who comes into action only when it suits his purposes, and never without 
the advantage of numbers or position-with such an enemy the strategic 
science of civilized nations loses much of its importance, and finds but 
rarely, and only in peculiar localities, an opportunity to be put in 
practice. 

   Our little army, scattered as it has been over the vast area of our 
possessions, in small garrisons of one or two companies each, has seldom 
been in a situation to act successfully on the offensive against large 
numbers of these marauders, and has often been condemned to hold itself 
almost exclusively upon the defensive. The morale of the troops must 
thereby necessarily be seriously impaired, and the confidence of the 
savages correspondingly augmented. The system of small garrisons has a 
tendency to disorganize the troops in proportion as they are scattered, 
and renders them correspondingly inefficient. The same results have been 
observed by the French army in Algeria, where, in 1845, their troops were, 
like ours, disseminated over a vast space, and broken up into small 
detachments stationed in numerous intrenched posts. Upon the sudden 
appearance of Abd el Kader in the plain of Mitidja, they were defeated 
with serious losses, and were from day to day obliged to abandon these 
useless stations, with all the supplies they contained. A French writer, 
in discussing this subject, says: 

   "We have now abandoned the fatal idea of defending Algeria by small 
intrenched posts. In studying the character of the war, the nature of the 
men who are to oppose us, and of the country in which we are to operate, 
we must be convinced of the danger of admitting any other system of 
fortification than that which is to receive our grand depots, our 
magazines, and to serve as places to recruit and rest our troops when 
exhausted by long expeditionary movements. 

   "These fortifications should be established in the midst of the centers 
of action, so as to command the principal routes, and serve as pivots to 
expeditionary columns. 

   "We owe our success to a system of war which has its proofs in twice 
changing our relations with the Arabs. This system consists altogether in 
the great mobility we have given to our troops. Instead of disseminating 
our soldiers with the vain hope of protecting our frontiers with a line of 
small posts, we have concentrated them, to have them at all times ready 
for emergencies, and since then the fortune of the Arabs has waned, and we 
have marched from victory to victory. 

   "This system, which has thus far succeeded, ought to succeed always, 
and to conduct us, God willing, to the peaceful possession of the 
country." 

   In reading a treatise upon war as it is practiced by the French in 
Algeria, by Colonel A. Laure, of the 2d Algerian Tirailleurs, published in 
Paris in 1858, I was struck with the remarkable similarity between the 
habits of the Arabs and those of the wandering tribes that inhabit our 
Western prairies. Their manner of making war is almost precisely the same, 
and a successful system of strategic operations for one will, in my 
opinion, apply to the other. 

   As the Turks have been more successful than the French in their 
military operations against the Arab tribes, it may not be altogether 
uninteresting to inquire by what means these inferior soldiers have 
accomplished the best results. 

   The author above mentioned, in speaking upon this subject, says: 

   "In these latter days the world is occupied with the organization of 
mounted infantry, according to the example of the Turks, where, in the 
most successful experiments that have been made, the mule carries the foot-
soldier. 

   "The Turkish soldier mounts his mule, puts his provisions upon one side 
and his accoutrements upon the other, and, thus equipped, sets out upon 
long marches, traveling day and night, and only reposing occasionally in 
bivouac. Arrived near the place of operations (as near the break of day as 
possible), the Turks dismount in the most profound silence, and pass in 
succession the bridle of one mule through that of another in such a manner 
that a single man is sufficient to hold forty or fifty of them by 
retaining the last bridle, which secures all the others; they then examine 
their arms, and are ready to commence their work. The chief gives his last 
orders, posts his guides, and they make the attack, surprise the enemy, 
generally asleep, and carry the position without resistance. The operation 
terminated, they hasten to beat a retreat, to prevent the neighboring 
tribes from assembling, and thus avoid a combat. 

   "The Turks had only three thousand mounted men and ten thousand 
infantry in Algeria, yet these thirteen thousand men sufficed to conquer 
the same obstacles which have arrested us for twenty-six years, 
notwithstanding the advantage we had of an army which was successively re-
enforced until it amounted to a hundred thousand. 

   "Why not imitate the Turks, then, mount our infantry upon mules, and 
reduce the strength of our army? 

   "The response is very simple: 

   "The Turks are Turks-that is to say, Mussulmans-and indigenous to the 
country; the Turks speak the Arabic language; the Days of Algiers had less 
country to guard than we, and they care very little about retaining 
possession of it. They are satisfied to receive a part of its revenues. 
They were not permanent; their dominion was held by a thread. The Arab 
dwells in tents; his magazines are in caves. When he starts upon a war 
expedition, he folds his tent, drives far away his beasts of burden, which 
transport his effects, and only carries with him his horse and arms. Thus 
equipped, he goes every where; nothing arrests him; and often, when we 
believe him twenty leagues distant, he is in ambush at precisely rifle 
range from the flanks of his enemy. 

   "It may be thought the union of contingents might retard their 
movements, but this is not so. The Arabs, whether they number ten or a 
hundred thousand, move with equal facility. They go where they wish and as 
they wish upon a campaign; the place of rendezvous merely is indicated, 
and they arrive there. 

   "What calculations can be made against such an organization as this? 

   "Strategy evidently loses its advantages against such enemies; a 
general can only make conjectures; he marches to find the Arabs, and finds 
them not; then, again, when he least expects it, he suddenly encounters 
them. 

   "When the Arab despairs of success in battle, he places his sole 
reliance upon the speed of his horse to escape destruction; and as he is 
always in a country where he can make his camp beside a little water, he 
travels until he has placed a safe distance between himself and his 
enemy." 

   No people probably on the face of the earth are more ambitious of 
martial fame, or entertain a higher appreciation for the deeds of a daring 
and successful warrior, than the North American savages. The attainment of 
such reputation is the paramount and absorbing object of their lives; all 
their aspirations for distinction invariably take this channel of 
expression. A young man is never considered worthy to occupy a seat in 
council until he has encountered an enemy in battle; and he who can count 
the greatest number of scalps is the most highly honored by his tribe. 
This idea is inculcated from their earliest infancy. It is not surprising, 
therefore, that, with such weighty inducements before him, the young man 
who, as yet, has gained no renown as a brave or warrior, should be less 
discriminate in his attacks than older men who have already acquired a 
name. The young braves should, therefore, be closely watched when 
encountered on the Plains. 

   The prairie tribes are seldom at peace with all their neighbors, and 
some of the young braves of a tribe are almost always absent upon a war 
excursion. These forays sometimes extend into the heart of the northern 
states of Mexico, where the Indians have carried on successful invasions 
for many years. They have devastated and depopulated a great portion of 
Sonora and Chihuahua. The objects of these forays are to steal horses and 
mules, and to take prisoners; and if it so happens that a war-party has 
been unsuccessful in the accomplishment of these ends, or has had the 
misfortune to lose some of its number in battle, they become reckless, and 
will often attack a small party with whom they are not at war, provided 
they hope to escape detection. The disgrace attendant upon a return to 
their friends without some trophies as an offset to the loss of their 
comrades is a powerful incentive to action, and they extend but little 
mercy to defenseless travelers who have the misfortune to encounter them 
at such a conjuncture. 

   While en route from New Mexico to Arkansas in 1849 I was encamped near 
the head of the Colorado River, and wishing to know the character of the 
country for a few miles in advance of our position, I desired an officer 
to go out and make the reconnaissance. I was lying sick in my bed at the 
time, or I should have performed the duty myself. I expected the officer 
would have taken an escort with him, but he omitted to do so, and started 
off alone. After proceeding a short distance he discovered four mounted 
Indians coming at full speed directly toward him, when, instead of turning 
his own horse toward camp, and endeavoring to make his escape (he was well 
mounted), or of halting and assuming a defensive attitude, he deliberately 
rode up to them; after which the tracks indicated that they proceeded 
about three miles together, when the Indians most brutally killed and 
scalped my most unfortunate but too credulous friend, who might probably 
have saved his life had he not, in the kindness of his excellent heart, 
imagined that the savages would reciprocate his friendly advances. He was 
most woefully mistaken, and his life paid the forfeit of his generous and 
noble disposition. 

   I have never been able to get any positive information as to the 
persons who committed this murder, yet circumstances render it highly 
probable that they were a party of young Indians who were returning from 
an unsuccessful foray, and they were unable to resist the temptation of 
taking the scalp and horse of the lieutenant. 

   A small number of white men, in traveling upon the Plains, should not 
allow a party of strange Indians to approach them unless able to resist an 
attack under the most unfavorable circumstances. 

   It is a safe rule, when a man finds himself alone in the prairies, and 
sees a party of Indians approaching, not to allow them to come near him, 
and if they persist in so doing, to signal them to keep away. If they do 
not obey, and he be mounted upon a fleet horse, he should make for the 
nearest timber. If the Indians follow and press him too closely, he should 
halt, turn around, and point his gun at the foremost, which will often 
have the effect of turning them back, but he should never draw trigger 
unless he finds that his life depends upon the shot; for, as soon as his 
shot is delivered, his sole dependence, unless he have time to reload, 
must be upon the speed of his horse. 

   The Indians of the Plains, notwithstanding the encomiums that have been 
heaped upon their brethren who formerly occupied the Eastern States for 
their gratitude, have not, so far as I have observed, the most distant 
conception of that sentiment. You may confer numberless benefits upon them 
for years, and the more that is done for them the more they will expect. 
They do not seem to comprehend the motive which dictates an act of 
benevolence or charity, and they invariably attribute it to fear or the 
expectation of reward. When they make a present, it is with a view of 
getting more than its equivalent in return. 

   I have never yet been able to discover that the Western wild tribes 
possessed any of those attributes which among civilized nations are 
regarded as virtues adorning the human character. They have yet to be 
taught the first rudiments of civilization, and they are at this time as 
far from any knowledge of Christianity, and as worthy subjects for 
missionary enterprise, as the most untutored natives of the South Sea 
Islands. 

   The only way to make these merciless freebooters fear or respect the 
authority of our government is, when they misbehave, first of all to 
chastise them well by striking such a blow as will be felt for a long 
time, and thus show them that we are superior to them in war. They will 
then respect us much more than when their good-will is purchased with 
presents. 

   The opinion of a friend of mine, who has passed the last twenty-five 
years of his life among the Indians of the Rocky Mountains, corroborates 
the opinions I have advanced upon this head, and although I do not endorse 
all of his sentiments, yet many of them are deduced from long and matured 
experience and critical observation. He says: 

   "They are the most onsartainest varmints in all creation, and I reckon 
tha'r not mor'n half human; for you never seed a human, after you'd fed 
and treated him to the best fixins in your lodge, jist turn round and 
steal all your horses, or ary other thing he could lay his hands on. No, 
not adzackly. He would feel kinder grateful, and ask you to spread a 
blanket in his lodge if you ever passed that a-way. But the Injun he don't 
care shucks for you, and is ready to do you a heap of mischief as soon as 
he quits your feed. No, Cap.," he continued, "it's not the right way to 
give um presents to buy peace; but ef I war governor of these yeer United 
States, I'll tell you what I'd do. I'd invite um all to a big feast, and 
make b'lieve I wanted to have a big talk; and as soon as I got um all 
together, I'd pitch in and sculp about half of um, and then t'other half 
would be mighty glad to make a peace that would stick. That's the way I'd 
make a treaty with the dog'ond, red-bellied varmints; and as sure as 
you're born, Cap., that's the only way." 

   I suggested to him the idea that there would be a lack of good faith 
and honor in such a proceeding, and that it would be much more in 
accordance with my notions of fair dealing to meet them openly in the 
field, and there endeavor to punish them if they deserve it. To this he 
replied, 

   "Tain't no use to talk about honor with them, Cap.; they hain't got no 
such thing in um; and they won't show fair fight, any way you can fix it. 
Don't they kill and scalp a white man when-ar they get the better on him? 
The mean varmints, they'll never behave themselves until you give um a 
clean out and out licking. They can't onderstand white folks' ways, and 
they won't learn um; and ef you treat um decently, they think you ar 
afeard. You may depend on't, Cap., the only way to treat InJuns is to 
thrash them well at first, then the balance will sorter take to you and 
behave themselves.'' 

   The wealth of the Prairie Indians consists almost exclusively in their 
horses, of which they possess large numbers; and they are in the saddle 
from infancy to old age. Horsemanship is with them, as with the Arab of 
the Sahara, a necessary part of their education. The country they occupy 
is unsuited to cultivation, and their only avocations are war, rapine, and 
the chase. They have no fixed habitations, but move from place to place 
with the seasons and the game. All their worldly effects are transported 
in their migrations, and wherever their lodges are pitched there is their 
home. They are strangers to all cares, creating for themselves no 
artificial wants, and are perfectly happy and contented so long as the 
buffalo is found within the limits of their wanderings. Every man is a 
soldier, and they generally exhibit great confidence in their own military 
prowess. 

MEETING INDIANS

   On approaching strangers these people put their horses at full speed, 
and persons not familiar with their peculiarities and habits might 
interpret this as an act of hostility; but it is their custom with friends 
as well as enemies, and should not occasion groundless alarm. 

   When a party is discovered approaching thus, and are near enough to 
distinguish signals, all that is necessary in order to ascertain their 
disposition is to raise the right hand with the palm in front, and 
gradually push it forward and back several times. They all understand this 
to be a command to halt, and if they are not hostile it will at once be 
obeyed. 

   After they have stopped the right hand is raised again as before, and 
slowly moved to the right and left, which signifies "I do not know you. 
Who are you?" As all the wild tribes have their peculiar pantomimic 
signals by which they are known, they will then answer the inquiry by 
giving their signal. If this should not be understood, they may be asked 
if they are friends by raising both hands grasped in the manner of shaking 
hands, or by locking the two fore-fingers firmly while the hands are held 
up. If friendly, they will respond with the same signal; but if enemies, 
they will probably disregard the command to halt, or give the signal of 
anger by closing the hand, placing it against the forehead, and turning it 
back and forth while in that position. 

   The pantomimic vocabulary is understood by all the Prairie Indians, and 
when oral communication is impracticable it constitutes the court or 
general council language of the Plains. The signs are exceedingly graceful 
and significant; and, what was a fact of much astonishment to me, I 
discovered they were very nearly the same as those practiced by the mutes 
in our deaf and dumb schools, and were comprehended by them with perfect 
facility. 

   The Comanche is represented by making with the hand a waving motion in 
imitation of the crawling of a snake. 

   The Cheyenne, or "Cut-arm," by drawing the hand across the arm, to 
imitate cutting it with a knife. 

   The Arapahos, or "Smellers," by seizing the nose with the thumb and 
fore-finger. 

   The Sioux, or "Cut-throats," by drawing the hand across the throat. 

   The Pawnees, or "Wolves," by placing a hand on each side of the 
forehead, with two fingers pointing to the front, to represent the narrow, 
sharp ears of the wolf. 

   The Crows, by imitating the flapping of the bird's wings with the palms 
of the hands. 

   When Indians meet a party of strangers, and are disposed to be 
friendly, the chiefs, after the usual salutations have been exchanged, 
generally ride out and accompany the commander of the party some distance, 
holding a friendly talk, and, at the same time, indulging their curiosity 
by learning the news, etc. Phlegmatic and indifferent as they appear to 
be, they are very inquisitive and observing, and, at the same time, 
exceedingly circumspect and cautious about disclosing their own purposes. 

   They are always desirous of procuring, from whomsoever they meet, 
testimonials of their good behavior, which they preserve with great care, 
and exhibit upon all occasions to strangers as a guarantee of future good 
conduct. 

   On meeting with a chief of the Southern Comanches in 1849, after going 
through the usual ceremony of embracing, and assuring me that he was the 
best friend the Americans ever had among the Indians, he exhibited 
numerous certificates from the different white men he had met with, 
testifying to his friendly disposition. Among these was one that he 
desired me to read with special attention, as he said he was of the 
opinion that perhaps it might not be so complimentary in its character as 
some of the others. It was in these words: 

   "The bearer of this says he is a Comanche chief, named Senaco; that he 
is the biggest Indian and best friend the whites ever had; in fact, that 
he is a first-rate fellow; but I believe he is a d--d rascal, so look out 
for him."

   I smiled on reading the paper, and, looking up, found the chief's eyes 
intently fixed upon mine with an expression of the most earnest inquiry. I 
told him the paper was not as good as it might be, whereupon he destroyed 
it. 

   Five years after this interview I met Senaco again near the same place. 
He recognized me at once, and, much to my surprise, pronounced my name 
quite distinctly. 

   A circumstance which happened in my interview with this Indian shows 
their character for diplomatic policy. 

   I was about locating and surveying a reservation of land upon which the 
government designed to establish the Comanches, and was desirous of 
ascertaining whether they were disposed voluntarily to come into the 
measure. In this connection, I stated to him that their Great Father, the 
President, being anxious to improve their condition, was willing to give 
them a permanent location, where they could cultivate the soil, and, if 
they wished it, he would send white men to teach them the rudiments of 
agriculture, supply them with farming utensils, and all other requisites 
for living comfortably in their new homes. I then desired him to consult 
with his people, and let me know what their views were upon the subject. 

   After talking a considerable time with his head men, he rose to reply, 
and said, "He was very happy to learn that the President remembered his 
poor red children in the Plains, and he was glad to see me again, and hear 
from me that their Great Father was their friend; that he was also very 
much gratified to meet his agent who was present, and that he should 
remember with much satisfaction the agreeable interview we had had upon 
that occasion." After delivering himself of numerous other non-committal 
expressions of similar import, he closed his speech and took his seat 
without making the slightest allusion to the subject in question. 

   On reminding him of this omission, and again demanding from him a 
distinct and categorical answer, he, after a brief consultation with his 
people, replied that his talk was made and concluded, and he did not 
comprehend why it was that I wanted to open the subject anew. But, as I 
continued to press him for an answer, he at length said, "You come into 
our country and select a small patch of ground, around which you run a 
line, and tell us the President will make us a present of this to live 
upon, when every body knows that the whole of this entire country, from 
the Red River to the Colorado, is now, and always has been, ours from time 
immemorial. I suppose, however, if the President tells us to confine 
ourselves to these narrow limits we shall be forced to do so, whether we 
desire it or not." 

   He was evidently averse to the proposed change in their mode of life, 
and has been at war ever since the establishment of the settlement. 

   The mode of life of the nomadic tribes, owing to their unsettled and 
warlike habits, is such as to render their condition one of constant 
danger and apprehension. The security of their numerous animals from the 
encroachments of their enemies and habitual liability to attacks compels 
them to be at all times upon the alert. Even during profound peace they 
guard their herds both night and day, while scouts are often patrolling 
upon the surrounding heights to give notice of the approach of strangers, 
and enable them to secure their animals and take a defensive attitude. 

   When one of these people conceives himself injured his thirst for 
revenge is insatiable. Grave and dignified in his outward bearing, and 
priding himself upon never exhibiting curiosity, joy, or anger, yet when 
once roused he evinces the implacable dispositions of his race; the 
affront is laid up and cherished in his breast, and nothing can efface it 
from his mind until ample reparation is made. The insult must be atoned 
for by presents, or be washed out with blood. 

WAR EXPEDITIONS

   When a chief desires to organize a war-party, he provides himself with 
a long pole, attaches a red flag to the end of it, and trims the top with 
eagle feathers. He then mounts his horse in his war-costume, and rides 
around through the camp singing the war-song. Those who are disposed to 
join the expedition mount their horses and fall into the procession; after 
parading about for a time, all dismount, and the war-dance is performed. 
This ceremony is continued from day to day until a sufficient number of 
volunteers are found to accomplish the objects desired, when they set out 
for the theater of their intended exploits. 

   As they proceed upon their expedition, it sometimes happens that the 
chief with whom it originated, and who invariably assumes the command, 
becomes discouraged at not finding an opportunity of displaying his 
warlike abilities, and abandons the enterprise; in which event, if others 
of the party desire to proceed farther, they select another leader and 
push on, and thus so long as any one of the party holds out. 

   A war-party is sometimes absent for a great length of time, and for 
days, weeks, and months their friends at home anxiously await their 
return, until, suddenly, from afar, the shrill war-cry of an avant courier 
is heard proclaiming the approach of the victorious warriors. The camp is 
in an instant alive with excitement and commotion. Men, women, and 
children swarm out to meet the advancing party. Their white horses are 
painted and decked out in the most fantastic style, and led in advance of 
the triumphal procession; and, as they pass around through the village, 
the old women set up a most unearthly howl of exultation, after which the 
scalp-dance is performed with all the pomp and display their limited 
resources admit of, the warriors having their faces painted black. 

   When, on the other hand, the expedition terminates disastrously by the 
loss of some of the party in battle, the relatives of the deceased cut off 
their own hair, and the tails and manes of their horses, as symbols of 
mourning, and howl and cry for a long time. 

   In 1854 I saw the widow of a former chief of the Southern Comanches, 
whose husband had been dead about three years, yet she continued her 
mourning tribute to his memory by crying daily for him and refusing all 
offers to marry again. 

   The prairie warrior is occasionally seen with the rifle in his hand, 
but his favorite arm is the bow, the use of which is taught him at an 
early age. By constant practice he acquires a skill in archery that 
renders him no less formidable in war than successful in the chase. Their 
bows are usually made of the tough and elastic wood of the "bois d'are," 
strengthened and re-enforced with sinews of the deer wrapped firmly 
around, and strung with a cord of the same material. They are from three 
to four feet long. The arrows, which are carried in a quiver upon the 
back, are about twenty inches long, of flexible wood, with a triangular 
iron point at one end, and at the other two feathers intersecting at right 
angles. 

   At short distances (about fifty yards), the bow, in the hands of the 
Indian, is effective, and in close proximity with the buffalo throws the 
arrow entirely through his huge carcass. In using this weapon the warrior 
protects himself from the missiles of his enemy with a shield made of two 
thicknesses of undressed buffalo hide filled in with hair. 

   The Comanches, Sioux, and other prairie tribes make their attacks upon 
the open prairies. Trusting to their wonderful skill in equitation and 
horsemanship, they ride around their enemies with their bodies thrown upon 
the opposite side of the horse, and discharge their arrows in rapid 
succession while at full speed; they will not, however, often venture near 
an enemy who occupies a defensive position. If, therefore, a small party 
be in danger of an attack from a large force of Indians, they should seek 
the cover of timber or a park of wagons, or, in the absence of these, 
rocks or holes in the prairie which afford good cover. 

   Attempts to stampede animals are often made when parties first arrive 
in camp, and when every one's attention is preoccupied in the arrangements 
therewith connected. In a country infested by hostile Indians, the ground 
in the vicinity of which it is proposed to encamp should be cautiously 
examined for tracks and other Indian signs by making a circuit around the 
locality previous to unharnessing the animals. 

   After Indians have succeeded in stampeding a herd of horses or mules, 
and desire to drive them away, they are in the habit of pushing them 
forward as rapidly as possible for the first few days, in order to place a 
wide interval between themselves and any party that may be in pursuit. 

   In running off stolen animals, the Indians are generally divided into 
two parties, one for driving and the other to act as a rear guard. Before 
they reach a place where they propose making a halt, they leave a vidette 
upon some prominent point to water for pursuers and give the main party 
timely warning, enabling them to rally their animals and push forward 
again. 

TRACKING INDIANS

   When an Indian sentinel intends to watch for an enemy approaching from 
the rear, he selects the highest position available, and places himself 
near the summit in such an attitude that his entire body shall be 
concealed from the observation of any one in the rear, his head only being 
exposed above the top of the eminence. Here he awaits with great patience 
so long as he thinks there is any possibility of danger, and it will be 
difficult for an enemy to surprise him or to elude his keen and 
scrutinizing vigilance. Meanwhile his horse is secured under the screen of 
the hill, all ready when required. Hence it will be evident that, in 
following Indian depredators, the utmost vigilance and caution must be 
exercised to conceal from them the movements of their pursuers. They are 
the best scouts in the world, proficient in all the artifices and 
stratagems available in border warfare, and when hotly pursued by a 
superior force, after exhausting all other means of evasion, they scatter 
in different directions; and if, in a broken or mountainous country, they 
can do no better, abandon their horses and baggage, and take refuge in the 
rocks, gorges, or other hiding-places. This plan has several times been 
resorted to by Indians in Texas when surprised, and, notwithstanding their 
pursuers were directly upon them, the majority made their escape, leaving 
behind all their animals and other property. 

   For overtaking a marauding party of Indians who have advanced eight or 
ten hours before the pursuing party are in readiness to take the trail, it 
is not best to push forward rapidly at first, as this will weary and break 
down horses. The Indians must be supposed to have at least fifty or sixty 
miles the start; it will, therefore, be useless to think of overtaking 
them without providing for a long chase. Scouts should continually be kept 
out in front upon the trail to reconnoitre and give preconcerted signals 
to the main party when the Indians are espied. 

   In approaching all eminences or undulations in the prairies, the 
commander should be careful not to allow any considerable number of his 
men to pass upon the summits until the country around has been carefully 
reconnoitred by the scouts, who will cautiously raise their eyes above the 
crests of the most elevated points, making a scrutinizing examination in 
all directions; and, while doing this, should an Indian be encountered who 
has been left behind as a sentinel, he must, if possible, be secured or 
shot, to prevent his giving the alarm to his comrades. These precautions 
can not be too rigidly enforced when the trail becomes "warm;" and if 
there be a moon, it will be better to lie by in the daytime and follow the 
trail at night, as the great object is to come upon the Indians when they 
are not anticipating an attack. Such surprises, if discreetly conducted, 
generally prove successful. 

   As soon as the Indians are discovered in their bivouac, the pursuing 
party should dismount, leave their horses under charge of a guard in some 
sequestered place, and, before advancing to the attack, the men should be 
instructed in signals for their different movements, such as all will 
easily comprehend and remember. As, for example, a pull upon the right arm 
may signify to face to the right, and a pull upon the left arm to face to 
the left; a pull upon the skirt of the coat, to halt; a gentle push on the 
back, to advance in ordinary time; a slap on the back, to advance in 
double quick time, etc., etc. 

   These signals, having been previously well understood and practiced, 
may be given by the commander to the man next to him, and from him 
communicated in rapid succession throughout the command. 

   I will suppose the party formed in one rank, with the commander on the 
right. He gives the signal, and the men move off cautiously in the 
direction indicated. The importance of not losing sight of his comrades on 
his right and left, and of not allowing them to get out of his reach, so 
as to break the chain of communication, will be apparent to all, and great 
care should be taken that the men do not mistake their brothers in arms 
for the enemy. This may be prevented by having two pass-words, and when 
there be any doubt as to the identity of two men who meet during the night 
operations, one of these words may be repeated by each. Above all, the men 
must be fully impressed with the importance of not firing a shot until the 
order is given by the commanding officer, and also that a rigorous 
personal accountability will be enforced in all cases of a violation of 
this rule. 

   If the commander gives the signal for commencing the attack by firing a 
pistol or gun, there will probably be no mistake, unless it happens 
through carelessness by the accidental discharge of firearms. 

   I can conceive of nothing more appalling, or that tends more to throw 
men off their guard and produce confusion, than a sudden and unexpected 
night-attack. Even the Indians, who pride themselves upon their coolness 
and self-possession, are far from being exempt from its effects; and it is 
not surprising that men who go to sleep with a sense of perfect security 
around them, and are suddenly aroused from a sound slumber by the terrific 
sounds of an onslaught from an enemy, should lose their presence of mind. 

TELEGRAPHING BY SMOKES

   The transparency of the atmosphere upon the Plains is such that objects 
can be seen at great distances; a mountain, for example, presents a 
distinct and bold outline at fifty or sixty miles, and may occasionally be 
seen as far as a hundred miles. 

   The Indians, availing themselves of this fact, have been in the habit 
of practicing a system of telegraphing by means of smokes during the day 
and fires by night, and, I dare say, there are but few travelers who have 
crossed the mountains to California that ave not seen these signals made 
and responded to from peak to peak in rapid succession. 

   The Indians thus make known to their friends many items of information 
highly important to them. If enemies or strangers make their appearance in 
the country, the fact is telegraphed at once, giving them time to secure 
their animals and to prepare for attack, defense, or flight. 

   War or hunting parties, after having been absent a long time from their 
erratic friends at home, and not knowing where to find them, make use of 
the same preconcerted signals to indicate their presence. 

   Very dense smokes may be raised by kindling a large fire with dry wood, 
and piling upon it the green boughs of pine, balsam, or hemlock. This 
throws off a heavy cloud of black smoke which can be seen very far. 

   This simple method of telegraphing, so useful to the savages both in 
war and in peace, may, in my judgment, be used to advantage in the 
movements of troops co-operating in separate columns in the Indian 
country. 

   I shall not attempt at this time to present a matured system of 
signals, but will merely give a few suggestions tending to illustrate the 
advantages to be derived from the use of them. 

   For example, when two columns are marching through a country at such 
distances apart that smokes may be seen from one to the other, their 
respective positions may be made known to each other at any time by two 
smokes raised simultaneously or at certain preconcerted intervals. 

   Should the commander of one column desire to communicate with the 
other, he raises three smokes simultaneously, which, if seen by the other 
party, should be responded to in the same manner. They would then hold 
themselves in readiness for any other communications. 

   If an enemy is discovered in small numbers, a smoke raised twice at 
fifteen minutes' interval would indicate it; and if in large force, three 
times with the same intervals might be the signal. 

   Should the commander of one party desire the other to join him, this 
might be telegraphed by four smokes at ten minutes' interval. 

   Should it become necessary to change the direction of the line of 
march, the commander may transmit the order by means of two simultaneous 
smokes raised a certain number of times to indicate the particular 
direction; for instance, twice for north, three times for south, four 
times for east, and five times for west; three smokes raised twice for 
northeast, three times for northwest, etc., etc. 

   By multiplying the combinations of signals a great variety of messages 
might be transmitted in this manner; but, to avoid mistakes, the signals 
should be written down and copies furnished the commander of each separate 
party, and they need not necessarily be made known to the other persons. 

   During the day an intelligent man should be detailed to keep a vigilant 
look-out in all directions for smokes, and he should be furnished with a 
watch, pencil, and paper, to make a record of the signals, with their 
number, and the time of the intervals between them. 




CHAPTER VII
Hunting. - Its Benefits to the Soldier. - Buffalo. - Deer. - Antelope. - 
Bear. - Big-horn, or Mountain Sheep. - Their Habits, and Hints upon the 
best Methods of hunting them. 

HUNTING

   I KNOW of no better school of practice for perfecting men in target-
firing, and the use of fire arms generally, than that in which the 
frontier hunter receives his education. One of the first and most 
important lessons that he is taught impresses him with the conviction 
that, unless his gun is in good order and steadily directed upon the game, 
he must go without his supper; and if ambition does not stimulate his 
efforts, his appetite will, and ultimately lead to success and confidence 
in his own powers.

   The man who is afraid to place the butt of his piece firmly against his 
shoulder, or who turns away his head at the instant of pulling trigger (as 
soldiers often do before they have been drilled at target-practice), will 
not be likely to bag much game or to contribute materially toward the 
result of a battle. The successful hunter, as a general rule, is a good 
shot, will always charge his gun properly, and may be relied upon in 
action. I would, therefore, when in garrison or at permanent camps, 
encourage officers and soldiers in field-sports. If permitted, men very 
readily cultivate a fondness for these innocent and healthy exercises, and 
occupy their leisure time in their pursuit; whereas, if confined to the 
narrow limits of a frontier camp or garrison, having no amusements within 
their reach, they are prone to indulge in practices which are highly 
detrimental to their physical and moral condition.

   By making short excursions about the country they acquire a knowledge 
of it, become inured to fatigue, learn the art of bivouacking, trailing, 
etc., etc., all of which will be found serviceable in border warfare; and, 
even if they should perchance now and then miss some of the minor routine 
duties of the garrison, the benefits they would derive from hunting would, 
in my opinion, more than counterbalance its effects. Under the old regime 
it was thought that drills, dress-parades, and guard-mountings 
comprehended the sum total of the soldier's education, but the experience 
of the last ten years has taught us that these are only the rudiments, and 
that to combat successfully with Indians we must receive instruction from 
them, study their tactics, and, where they suit our purposes, copy from 
them.

   The union of discipline with the individuality, self-reliance and 
rapidity of locomotion of the savage is what we should aim at. This will 
be the tendency of the course indicated, and it is conceived by the writer 
that an army composed of well-disciplined hunters will be the most 
efficient of all others against the only enemy we have to encounter within 
the limits of our vast possessions.

   I find some pertinent remarks upon this subject in a very sensible 
essay by "a late captain of infantry" (U. S.). He says:

   "It is conceived that scattered bands of mounted hunters, with the 
speed of a horse and the watchfulness of a wolf or antelope, whose 
faculties are sharpened by their necessities; who, when they get short of 
provisions, separate and look for something to eat, and find it in the 
water, in the ground, or on the surface; whose bill of fare ranges from 
grass-seed, nuts, roots, grasshoppers, lizards, and rattlesnakes up to the 
antelope, deer, elk, bear, and buffalo, and who have a continent to roam 
over, will be neither surprised, caught, conquered, overawed, or reduced 
to famine by a rumbling, bugle blowing, drum-beating town passing through 
their country on wheels at the speed of a loaded wagon.

   "If the Indians are in the path and do not wish to be seen, they cross 
a ridge, and the town moves on, ignorant whether there are fifty Indians 
within a mile or no Indian within fifty miles. If the Indians wish to see, 
they return to the crest of the ridge, crawl up to the edge, pull up a 
bunch of grass by the roots, and look through or under it at the 
procession."

   Although I would always encourage men in hunting when permanently 
located, yet, unless they are good woodsmen, it is not safe to permit them 
to go out alone in marching through the Indian country, as, aside from the 
danger of encountering Indians, they would be liable to become bewildered 
and perhaps lost, and this might detain the entire party in searching for 
them. The better plan upon a march is for three or four to go out 
together, accompanied by a good woodsman, who will be able with certainty 
to lead them back to camp.

   The little group could ascertain if Indians are about, and would be 
strong enough to act on the defensive against small parties of them; and, 
while they are amusing themselves, they may perform an important part as 
scouts and flankers.

   An expedition may have been perfectly organized, and every thing 
provided that the wisest forethought could suggest, yet circumstances 
beyond the control of the most experienced traveler may sometimes arise to 
defeat the best concerted plans. It is not, for example, an impossible 
contingency that the traveler may, by unforeseen delays, consume his 
provisions, lose them in crossing streams, or have them stolen by hostile 
Indians, and be reduced to the necessity of depending upon game for 
subsistence. Under these circumstances, a few observations upon the habits 
of the different animals that frequent the Plains and on the best methods 
of hunting them may not be altogether devoid of interest or utility in 
this connection.

THE BUFFALO

   The largest and most useful animal that roams over the prairies is the 
buffalo. It provides food, clothing, and shelter to thousands of natives 
whose means of livelihood depend almost exclusively upon this gigantic 
monarch of the prairies.

   Not many years since they thronged in countless multitudes over all 
that vast area lying between Mexico and the British possessions, but now 
their range is confined within very narrowlimits, and a few more years 
will probably witness the extinction of the species.

   The traveler, in passing from Texas or Arkansas through southern New 
Mexico to California, does not, at the present day, encounter the buffalo; 
but upon all the routes north of latitude 36° the animal is still found 
between the 99th and 102d meridians of longitude.

   Although generally regarded as migratory in their habits, yet the 
buffalo often winter in the snows of a high northern latitude. Early in 
the spring of 1858 I found them in the Rocky Mountains, at the head of the 
Arkansas and South Platte Rivers, and there was every indication that this 
was a permanent abiding-place for them.

   There are two methods generally practiced in hunting the buffalo, viz.: 
running them on horseback, and stalking, or still-hunting. The first 
method requires a sure-footed and tolerably fleet horse that is not easily 
frightened. The buffalo cow, which makes much better beef than the bull, 
when pursued by the hunter runs rapidly, and, unless the horse be fleet, 
it requires a long and exhausting chase to overtake her.

   When the buffalo are discovered, and the hunter intends to give chase, 
he should first dismount, arrange his saddle-blanket and saddle, buckle 
the girth tight, and make every thing about his horse furniture snug and 
secure. He should then put his arms in good firing order, and, taking the 
lee side of the herd, so that they may not get "the wind" of him, he 
should approach in a walk as close as possible, taking advantage of any 
cover that may offer. His horse then, being cool and fresh, will be able 
to dash into the herd, and probably carry his rider very near the animal 
he has selected before he becomes alarmed.

    If the hunter be right-handed, and uses a pistol, he should approach 
upon the left side, and when nearly opposite and close upon the buffalo, 
deliver his shot, taking aim a little below the centre of the body, and 
about eight inches back of the shoulder. This will strike the vitals, and 
generally render another shot unnecessary.

   When a rifle or shot-gun is used the hunter rides up on the right side, 
keeping his horse well in hand, so as to be able to turn off if the beast 
charges upon him; this, however, never happens except with a buffalo that 
is wounded, when it is advisable to keep out of his reach.

   The buffalo has immense powers of endurance, and will run for many 
miles without any apparent effort or diminution in speed. The first 
buffalo I ever saw I followed about ten miles, and when I left him he 
seemed to run faster than when the chase commenced.

   As a long buffalo-chase is very severe labor upon a horse, I would 
recommend to all travelers, unless they have a good deal of surplus horse-
flesh, never to expend it in running buffalo.

   Still-hunting, which requires no consumption of horse-flesh, and is 
equally successful with the other method, is recommended. In stalking on 
horseback, the most broken and hilly localities should be selected, as 
these will furnish cover to the hunter, who passes from the crest of one 
hill to another, examining the country carefully in all directions. When 
the game is discovered, if it happen to be on the lee side, the hunter 
should endeavor, by making a wide detour, to get upon the opposite side, 
as he will find it impossible to approach within rifle range with the wind.

   When the animal is upon a hill, or in any other position where he can 
not be approached without danger of disturbing him, the hunter should wait 
until he moves off to more favorable ground, and this will not generally 
require much time, as they wander about a great deal when not grazing; he 
then pickets his horse, and approaches cautiously, seeking to screen 
himself as much as possible by the undulations in the surface, or behind 
such other objects as may present themselves; but if the surface should 
offer no cover, he must crawl upon his hands and knees when near the game, 
and in this way he can generally get within rifle range.

   Should there be several animals together, and his first shot take 
effect, the hunter can often get several other shots before they become 
frightened. A Delaware Indian and myself once killed five buffaloes out of 
a small herd before the remainder were so much disturbed as to move away; 
although we were within the short distance of twenty yards, yet the 
reports of our rifles did not frighten them in the least, and they 
continued grazing during all the time we were loading and firing.

   The sense of smelling is exceedingly acute with the buffalo, and they 
will take the wind from the hunter at as great a distance as a mile.

   When the animal is wounded, and stops, it is better not to go near him 
until he lies down, as he will often run a great distance if disturbed; 
but if left to himself, will in many cases die in a short time.

   The tongues, humps, and marrow-bones are regarded as the choice parts 
of the animal. The tongue is taken out by ripping open the skin between 
the prongs of the lower jaw-bone and pulling it out through the orifice. 
The hump may be taken off by skinning down on each side of the shoulders 
and cutting away the meat, after which the hump-ribs can be unjointed 
where they unite with the spine. The marrow, when roasted in the bones, is 
delicious.

THE DEER

   Of all game quadrupeds indigenous to this continent, the common red 
deer is probably more widely dispersed from north to south and from east 
to west over our vast possessions than any other. They are found in all 
latitudes from Hudson's Bay to Mexico, and they clamber over the most 
elevated peaks of the western sierras with the same ease that they range 
the eastern forests or the everglades of Florida. In summer they crop the 
grass upon the summits of the Rocky Mountains, and in winter, when the 
snow falls deep, they descend into sheltered valleys, where they fall an 
easy prey to the Indians.

   Besides the common red deer of the Eastern States, two other varieties 
are found in the Rocky Mountains, viz., the " black -tailed
deer," which takes its name from the fact of its having a small tuft of 
black hair upon the end of its tail, and the long-tailed species. The 
former of these is considerably larger than the eastern deer, and is much 
darker, being of a very deep-yellowish iron-gray, with a yellowish red 
upon the belly. It frequents the mountains, and is never seen far away 
from them. Its habits are similar to those of the red deer, and it is 
hunted in the same way. The only difference I have been able to discern 
between the long-tailed variety and the common deer is in the length of 
the tail and body. I have seen this animal only in the neighborhood of the 
Rocky Mountains, but it may resort to other localities.

   Although the deer are still abundant in many of our forestdistricts in 
the east, and do not appear to decrease very rapidly, yet there has within 
a few years been a very evident diminution in the numbers of those 
frequenting our Western prairies. In passing through Southern Texas in 
1846, thousands of deer were met with daily, and, astonishing as it may 
appear, it was no uncommon spectacle to see from one to two hundred in a 
single herd; the prairies seemed literally alive with them; but in 1855 it 
was seldom that a herd of ten was seen in the same localities. It seemed 
to me that the vast herds first met with could not have been killed off by 
the hunters in that sparsely-populated section, and I was puzzled to know 
what had become of them. It is possible they may have moved off into 
Mexico; they certainly are not in our territory at the present time.

    Twenty years' experience in deer-hunting has taught me several facts 
relative to the habits of the animal which, when wellunderstood, will be 
found of much service to the inexperienced hunter, and greatly contribute 
to his success. The best target-shots are not necessarily the most 
skillful deerstalkers. One of the great secrets of this art is in knowing 
how to approach the game without giving alarm, and this can not easily be 
done unless the hunter sees it before he is himself discovered. There are 
so many objects in the woods resembling the deer in color that none but a 
practiced eye can often detect the difference.

   When the deer is reposing he generally turns his head from the wind, in 
which position he can see an enemy approaching from that direction, and 
his nose will apprise him of the presence of danger from the opposite 
side. The best method of hunting deer, therefore, is across the wind.

   While the deer are feeding, early in the morning and a short time 
before dark in the evening are the best times to stalk them, as they are 
then busily occupied and less on the alert. When a deer is espied with his 
head down, cropping the grass, the hunter advances cautiously, keeping his 
eyes constantly directed upon him, and screening himself behind 
intervening objects, or, in the absence of other cover, crawls along upon 
his hands and knees in the grass, until the deer hears his steps and 
raises his head, when he must instantly stop and remain in an attitude 
fixed and motionless as a statue, for the animal's vision is his keenest 
sense. When alarmed he will detect the slightest movement of a small 
object, and, unless the hunter stands or lies perfectly still, his 
presence will be detected. If the hunter does not move, the deer will, 
after a short time, recover from his alarm and resume his grazing, when he 
may be again approached. The deer always exhibits his alarm by a sudden 
jerking of the tail just before he raises his head.

   I once saw a Delaware Indian walk directly up within rifle range of a 
deer that was feeding upon the open prairie and shoot him down; he was, 
however, a long time in approaching, and made frequent halts whenever the 
animal flirted his tail and raised his head. Although he often turned 
toward the hunter, yet he did not appear to notice him, probably taking 
him for a stump or tree.

   When the deer are lying down in the smooth prairie, unless the grass is 
tall, it is difficult to get near them, as they are generally looking 
around, and become alarmed at the least noise.

   The Indians are in the habit of using a small instrument which imitates 
the bleat of the young fawn, with which they lure the doe within range of 
their rifles. The young fawn gives out no scent upon its track until it is 
sufficiently grown to make good running, and instinct teaches the mother 
that this wise provision of nature to preserve the helpless little 
quadruped from the ravages of wolves, panthers, and other carnivorous 
beasts, will be defeated if she remains with it, as her tracks can not be 
concealed. She therefore hides her fawn in the grass, where it is almost 
impossible to see it, even when very near it, goes off to some neighboring 
thicket within call, and makes her bed alone. The Indian pot-hunter, who 
is but little scrupulous as to the means he employs in accomplishing his 
ends, sounds the bleat along near the places where he thinks the game is 
lying, and the unsuspicious doe, who imagines that her offspring is in 
distress, rushes with headlong impetuosity toward the sound, and often 
goes within a few yards of the hunter to receive her death-wound.

   This is cruel sport, and can only be justified when meat is scarce, 
which is very frequently the case in the Indian's larder.

   It does not always comport with a man's feelings of security, 
especially if he happens to be a little nervous, to sound the deer-bleat 
in a wild region of country. I once undertook to experiment with the 
instrument myself, and made my first essay in attempting to call up an 
antelope which I discovered in the distance. I succeeded admirably in 
luring the wary victim within shooting range, had raised upon my knees, 
and was just in the act of pulling trigger, when a rustling in the grass 
on my left drew my attention in that direction, where, much to my 
surprise, I beheld a huge panther within about twenty yards, bounding with 
gigantic strides directly toward me. I turned my rifle, and in an instant, 
much to my relief and gratification, its contents were lodged in the heart 
of the beast.

   Many men, when they suddenly encounter a deer, are seized with nervous 
excitement, called in sporting parlance the "buck fever," which causes 
them to fire at random. Notwithstanding I have had much experience in 
hunting, I must confess that I am never entirely free from some of the 
symptoms of this malady when firing at large game, and I believe that in 
four out of five cases where I have missed the game my balls have passed 
too high. I have endeavored to obviate this by sighting my rifle low, and 
it has been attended with more successful results. The same remarks apply 
to most other men I have met with. They fire too high when excited.

THE ANTELOPE

   This animal frequents the most elevated bleak and naked prairies in all 
latitudes from Mexico to Oregon, and constitutes an important item of 
subsistence with many of the Prairie Indians. It is the most wary, timid, 
and fleet animal that inhabits the Plains. It is about the size of a small 
deer, with a heavy coating of coarse, wiry hair, and its flesh is more 
tender and juicy than that of the deer. It seldom enters a timbered 
country, but seems to delight in cropping the grass from the elevated 
swells of the prairies. When disturbed by the traveler, it will circle 
around him with the speed of the wind, but does not stop until it reaches 
some prominent position whence it can survey the country on all sides, and 
nothing seems to escape its keen vision. They will sometimes stand for a 
long time and look at a man, provided he does not move or go out of sight; 
but if he goes behind a hill with the intention of passing around and 
getting nearer to them, he will never find them again in the same place. I 
have often tried the experiment, and invariably found that, as soon as I 
went where the antelope could not see me, he moved off. Their sense of 
hearing, as well as vision, is very acute, which renders it difficult to 
stalk them. By taking advantage of the cover afforded in broken ground, 
the hunter may, by moving slowly and cautiously over the crests of the 
irregularities in the surface, sometimes approach within rifle range.

   The antelope possesses a greater degree of curiosity than any other 
animal I know of, and will often approach very near a strange object. The 
experienced hunter, taking advantage of this peculiarity, lies down and 
secretes himself in the grass, after which he raises his handkerchief, 
hand, or foot, so as to attract the attention of the animal, and thus 
often succeeds in beguiling him within shooting distance.

   In some valleys near the Rocky Mountains, where the pasturage is good 
during the winter season, they collect in immense herds. The Indians are 
in the habit of surrounding them in such localities and running them with 
their horses until they tire them out, when they slay large numbers.

   The antelope makes a track much shorter than the deer, very broad and 
round at the heel, and quite sharp at the toe; a little experience renders 
it easy to distinguish them.

THE BEAR

   Besides the common black bear of the Eastern States, several others are 
found in the mountains of California, Oregon, Utah, and New Mexico, viz., 
the grizzly, brown, and cinnamon varieties; all have nearly the same 
habits, and are hunted in the same manner.

   From all I had heard of the grizzly bear, I was induced to believe him 
one of the most formidable and savage animals in the universe, and that 
the man who would deliberately encounter and kill one of these beasts had 
performed a signal feat of courage which entitled him to a lofty position 
among the votaries of Nimrod. So firmly had I become impressed with this 
conviction, that I should have been very reluctant to fire upon one had I 
met him when alone and on foot. The grizzly bear is assuredly the monarch 
of the American forests, and, so far as physical strength is concerned, he 
is perhaps without a rival in the world; but, after some experience in 
hunting, my opinions regarding his courage and his willingness to attack 
men have very materially changed.

   In passing over the elevated table-lands lying between the two forksof 
the Platte River in 1858, I encountered a full-grown female grizzly bear, 
with two cubs, very quietly reposing upon the open prairie, several miles 
distant from any timber. This being the first opportunity that had ever 
occurred to me for an encounter with the ursine monster, and being imbued 
with the most exalted notions of the beast's proclivities for offensive 
warfare, especially when in the presence of her offspring, it may very 
justly be imagined that I was rather more excited than usual. I, however, 
determined to make the assault. I felt the utmost confidence in my horse, 
as she was afraid of nothing; and, after arranging every thing about my 
saddle and arms in good order, I advanced to within about eighty yards 
before I was discovered by the bear, when she raised upon her haunches and 
gave me a scrutinizing examination. I seized this opportune moment to 
fire, but missed my aim, and she started off, followed by her cubs at 
their utmost speed. After reloading my rifle, I pursued, and, on coming 
again within range, delivered another shot, which struck the large bear in 
the fleshy part of the thigh, whereupon she set up a most distressing howl 
and accelerated her pace, leaving her cubs behind. After loading again I 
gave spurs to my horse and resume the chase, soon passing the cubs, who 
were making the most plaintive cries of distress. They were heard by the 
dam, but she gave no other heed to them than occasionally to halt for an 
instant, turn around, sit up on her posteriors, and give a hasty look 
back; but, as soon as she saw me following her, she invariably turned 
again and redoubled her speed. I pursued about four miles and fired four 
balls into her before I succeeded in bringing her to the ground, and from 
the time I first saw her until her death-wound, notwithstanding I was 
often very close upon

   her heels, she never came to bay or made the slightest demonstration of 
resistance. Her sole purpose seemed to be to make her escape, leaving her 
cubs in the most cowardly manner.

   Upon three other different occasions I met the mountain bears, and once 
the cinnamon species, which is called the most formidable of all, and in 
none of these instances did they exhibit the slightest indication of anger 
or resistance, but invariably ran from me.

   Such is my experience with this formidable monarch of the mountains. It 
is possible that if a man came suddenly upon the beast in a thicket, where 
it could have no previous warning, he might be attacked; but it is my 
opinion that if the bear gets the wind or sight of a man at any 
considerable distance, it will endeavor to get away as soon as possible. I 
am so fully impressed with this idea that I shall hereafter hunt bear with 
a feeling of as much security as I would have in hunting the buffalo.

   The grizzly, like the black bear, hybernates in winter, and makes his 
appearance in the spring with his claws grown out long and very soft and 
tender; he is then poor, and unfit for food.

   I have heard a very curious fact stated by several old mountaineers 
regarding the mountain bears, which, of course, I can not vouch for, but 
it is given by them with great apparent sincerity and candor. They assert 
that no instance has ever been known of a female bear having been killed 
in a state of pregnancy. This singular fact in the history of the animal 
seems most inexplicable to me, unless she remain concealed in her brumal 
slumber until after she has been delivered of her cubs.

   I was told by an old Delaware Indian that when the bear has been 
traveling against the wind and wishes to lie down, he always turns in an 
opposite direction, and goes some distance away from his first track 
before making his bed. If an enemy then comes upon his trail, his keen 
sense of smell will apprise him of the danger. The same Indian mentioned 
that when a bear had been pursued and sought shelter in a cave, he had 
often endeavored to eject him with smoke, but that the bear would advance 
to the mouth of the cave, where the fire was burning, and put it out with 
his paws, then retreat into the cave again. This would indicate that Bruin 
is endowed with some glimpses of reason beyond the ordinary instincts of 
the brute creation in general, and, indeed, is capable of discerning the 
connection between cause and effect. Notwithstanding the extraordinary 
intelligence which this quadruped exhibits upon some occasions, upon 
others he shows himself to be one of the most stupid brutes imaginable. 
For example, when he has taken possession of a cavern, and the courageous 
hunter enters with a torch and rifle, it is said he will, instead of 
forcibly ejecting the intruder, raise himself upon his haunches and cover 
his eyes with his paws, so as to exclude the light, apparently thinking 
that in this situation he can not be seen. The hunter can then approach as 
close as he pleases and shoot him down.

THE BIG-HORN

    The big-horn or mountain sheep, which has a body like the deer, with 
the head of a sheep, surmounted by an enormous pair of short, heavy horns, 
is found throughout the Rocky Mountains, and resorts to the most 
inaccessible peaks and to the wildest and least-frequented glens. It 
clambers over almost perpendicular cliffs with the greatest ease and 
celerity, and skips from rock to rock, cropping the tender herbage that 
grows upon them.

    It has been supposed by some that this animal leaps down from crag to 
crag, lighting upon his horns, as an evidence of which it has been 
advanced that the front part of the horns is often much battered. This I 
believe to be erroneous, as it is very common to see horns that have no 
bruises upon them.

   The old mountaineers say they have often seen the bucks engaged in 
desperate encounters with their huge horns, which in striking together, 
made loud reports. This will account for the marks sometimes seen upon 
them.

   The flesh of the big-horn, when fat, is more tender, juicy, and 
delicious than that of any other animal I know of, but it is a bon bouche 
which will not grace the tables of our city epicures until a railroad to 
the Rocky Mountains affords the means of transporting it to a market a 
thousand miles distant from its haunts.

   In its habits the mountain sheep greatly resembles the chamois of 
Switzerland, and it is hunted in the same manner. The hunter traverses the 
most inaccessible and broken localities, moving along with great caution, 
as the least unusual noise causes them to flit away like a phantom, and 
they will be seen no more. The animal is gregarious, but it is seldom that 
more than eight or ten are found in a flock. When not grazing they seek 
the sheltered sides of the mountains, and repose among the rocks.