LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 347, 23 July 1875, Page 3

LITERATURE.

ON THE PLAINS. ( Concluded .) After leaving Fort Gibson, we struck out into the country between the Falls of the Arkansas and the Vermillion River, where we heard some small herds of buffalo had been lately seen. On the evening of the second day we came to a log shanty built upon the banks of a little stream, one of the tributaries to the Vermillion, where we found a trapper and his wife, a squaw, or Indian woman. The man was a short, redheaded fellow, whose buckskin garments were soaked with blood, fat, and dirt, and who was at once christened * Grease’ by our party. About an hour before our arrival he had come in from the prairie with some buffalo meat and marrow-bones, and wo were invited by him, hospitably enough, to camp and have some supper, and the squaw was ordered to prepare some steak for us; whilst we, having staked out our horses to graze, watched the preparations for our meal, and mentally calculated how large a portion of the inevitable peck of dirt was about to be consumed by us which is said to fall to the lot of all men, for, however hospitably our hostess went to work, she did not seem to have much respect for cleanliness. Supper over, we smoked our pipes, filled with kinuikinic (an Indian preparation of tobacco, willow bark, and sumach leaves), stretched on our blankets, whilst Nemo told of many a strange adventure met with in his wanderings. At last, taking a nightcap of what our host styled genu-wine Irish whisky, the same having been made in Kentucky, to which the smoky taste had been given by creosite, and of w r hich one small glass would give an elephant a headache, though Grease appeared to swallow' large doses of it with impunity, we rolled ourselves up from the night dew, and with our saddles for pillows, we wore soon fast asleep. In the morning, after a second edition of buffalo steaks, wo put our Colt’s revolvers in order for a run at the buffalo, herds of which Grease reported we should find within three or four miles of his shanty. Our host’s preparation for his share of the sport was simple, though effective : a long pole of some light wood, with a fork at the end, had inserted across the prongs an old razor-blade, with which he managed to hamstring the buffalo when the tendon of the hough was as its fullest tension, taking care to cut that of its off leg whilst running with his horse’s head pointed clear of the near side of the quarry, by which means the unlucky animal rolled away from, and not under the legs of his horse, his knowing pony, from long practice, giving a sheer at the instant his master made his thrust. The prairie over ■which we rode was rolling —a succession of long waves—something like the appearance the sea has in a calm in the Bay of Biscay, in which likeness, too, it was assisted by the long grass, which, kneehigh to our horses, bent and recovered itself as a brisk breeze swept over it; nor could you see more than a mile across it from the undulations of the laud. Having ridden about three miles, Grease, who was in advance, suddenly halted, and, pointing in a southerly direction with his pole, we saw about twenty buffalo feeding. The wind was from the south-west, and consequently blowing nearly from them to us, so that we were saved the necessity of riding round, or manoeuvring, to prevent the. keen-scented animals from smelling us. They were in the hollow between two of these prairie swells, from the ridge of one of which they had been sighted our leader, and therefore about eight or nine hundred yards from us, and feeding dow r n, or with the wind. With our horses well in hand, but at a brisk canter, we headed for them, and had lessened the distance one half before we were perceived. The game lost no time in getting under weigh, but with their tails up and heads down, and the roll peculiar to this animal, they started in rapid flight, whilst Grease, flourishing his pole and yelling with excitement, charged full tilt at the herd, followed by the rest of us, and each selecting his victim endeavoured to ride him out;

6nd soon the shouts and pistol shots and clouds of dust—for on the ridge, where we first got alongside of them, the grass was short and the ground hard and powdery — confined each man’s attention to himself.

A loud, clear whocp, with a long quaver to it, sounded something like ‘ How-poo-00-oo !’ but sharp and clear as a trumpet, halted us all, and we perceived a young Indian warrior splendidly mounted, his long scalp-lock, in which was secured a single eagle’s feather, and his gay, many-coloured poncho, the spoil of some Merican foray, floating in the wind, running alongside a cow. Drawing an arrow to the head, he sent it through the animal, which, running a few paces forward, the blood gushing from its mouth, subsided in a cloud of dust on the prairie ; then, wheeling at full gallop, leaned down, and plucked up his arrow, which had passed clean through the cow, and had stuck, quivering, in the prairie sod beyond ; then nding up to Grease, he shook hands with him, casting a glance of great contempt upon his unsportsmanlike weapon, though it had, even in that short, been the means of stretching two buffalo on the plain, which Nemo and myself, after a short greeting with the chief, proceeded to put out of their agony. There was a world of fury in the eyes of the bull I approached, which spoke whole volumes of what, had he the power, he would wreak upon me; but he was now impotent for mischief; so, drawing my revolver from my belt, and holding my horse by the lasso, I knelt upon one knee to give my shot an upward direction, and sent my bullet through the gleaming eye into the brain. Yellow Wolf was a Pawnee chief, from whose tribe our leather-clad companion had selected his squaw, and was consequently well known to him. He had dis covered the game about the same time that we had, and was cautiously working for the wind, when our sudden onslaught had driven them towards him, and he had thus cut in and secured his cow, from which he now leisurely proceeded to cut some of the flesh and attach it to his saddle; this done, he mounted his wild-looking stallion, and with very scant ceremony waved his hand and departed upon his scalp-hunting or horsestealing business. In the run, counting the Indian’s, we had killed seven buffalo, from which we took some of the choicest meat, some of the marrow-bones, and slowly returned to Grease’s hut, who cautioned us that however safe his own ‘ belongings ’ might be from a visit of Yellow Wolf, yet that it would be expedient for us to keep a good look out through the night upon our horses, as that warrior was not unlikely to bring some of his ‘[braves,’ and leave us on foot on the prarie. We therefore took it by turns to watch through the night, but fortunately met with no disturbance.

Having plenty of meat, and having been for four consecutive days upon our horses, we allowed them to have a day’s rest, and amused ourselves by fishing in the creek and by putting all our things in order for a start upon the following morning, We also did not neglect to guard our horses. The next morning, having said good-bye to our rough but kindly host, we started in a southerly direction for the Falls of the Arkansas, intending, after making that point, to work round to the eastward for Wood’s traping-house-We presented Grease with half a dozen plugs of honey-dew tobacco, which much delighted him, and in return he gave us several directions as to the different routes, for he knew the country well, aud the following caution:— ‘ You’d best keep your eyes skinned pretty sharp, I tell you. Them dod rotted skunks o’ Injians ain’t a-going to let you slide clear so easy pree-haps as you mout suppose. 1 seed him give a good look at your bosses, and they’re kinder the sort an Injian likes. Ef it does come to a muss, jest you slip right away into the cusses ; ef you goes to jawin’ you’re gone ’coons. I knowed a chap in old Kentuck, whar I wur raised, as had had many’s the brush with them painted saiyents, and he alius used to say he shot an Injian fust, and argefied the matter with him after, ef so be he wanted to. Ef ever you do get into a fight with ’em do your darndest; there ain’t no mussy in them chaps you’d better believe.’ For two days nothing particular occurred. We found small herds of buffalo, but were not far enough to the west to see them in those immense droves as they are sometimes found, and we killed and cooked as much as we wanted. Each night we watched our horses, and each passed undisturbed ; but Green knew Indian habits too well to be lulled into any false security by this, and strongly insisted that a vigilant wateh was necessary, and particularly the morning one, as the redskins prefer making their attack just before day, when the camp generally is hushed in the profoundest repose. And this ‘sentry go’ Geeen always selected as his own.

On the third morning Green called us, holding his finger on his grizzled moustache to impress silence. * Boys, there is something up; the horses are pricking their ears, and are fidgetty. It may be only prairie wolves, but it’s most likely Indians,’ He said this in a low voice, scarcely above a whisper. * Crawl out, and get the end of your lassos, and bring in the horses. Quiet’s the word; no noise, no haste, but be smart, We’ll saddle up. If they try to stampede our horses they shall find ns on their backs. Never mind the ponies : if we win, we can Eick them up when it’s over; if we lose, and ave to run for it, we shan’t want them.

‘l’ve never fought Indians,’ said Nemo, coolly, as a quarter of an hour later he sat composedly in his saddle, a large six-shooter resting quietly across his thigh. * But old Grease is right, you may bet your bottom dollar; for whether it’s red humans or white ones the first shot is half the battle.’

‘I hav’u’t time to say much,’ Green answered, ‘for they’ll be on us in two two’s ; I can hear the dull gallop of horses. Keep your mustangs moving; they can’t shoot worth a cuss ; and make sure of each shot if you can. If we are obliged to run, skirt the timber to the east, and make for the tradinghouse. Charge ! give them hell ! he shouted, as nine or ten dark objects came through the gloom at full speed shouting like demons.

It was a short but sharp affair whilst it lasted, and quite unlike riding at buffalo, as we had been doing the last few days, those animals not being able to shoot back again as our opponents could. But they had failed in their surprise ; and, as usual, when not having it all their own way, were soon routed.

War-whoops were answered by fierce oaths, which, though not so loud, were more detejmined j and the twang of the bow and

the sharp whistle of the arrow were replied to hy sharp whip-like cracks of the pistol. The conflict did not probably last five minutes, though it seemed an hour to some, perhaps ; but at the end of it the Indians drew off, leaving five warriors on the field.

Green had escaped unhurt, whilst Nemo had two slight wounds in the upper part of his right arm; but I had an arrow pass through my upper lip under the nose, cutting clean to the upper jawbone. However, it was neither *so deep as a well, nor as wide as a church door;’ and Green, after cutting the moustache away, drew it together as well as he could, and with a strip of my handkerchief drawn across to hold it together, and brought round over my ears and tied behind my head, I managed very well till we got to the trading house, where we rested a few days; and we were speedily, except the scars, as well as ever.

At Fort Gibson we disposed of our horses, and again taking the boat reached New Orleans in safety. Here, after spending a few days together, we separated, never, as it happened, to meet again either for business or pleasure.