﻿FRIEDRICH 
  KURZ^BUSHNELL 
  525 
  

  

  deer 
  are 
  placed 
  iu 
  the 
  final 
  stage 
  of 
  their 
  preparation 
  over 
  a 
  slow 
  fire 
  covered 
  

   with 
  green 
  sprays 
  of 
  sumac 
  and 
  smoked. 
  Owing 
  to 
  this 
  process 
  they 
  suffer 
  less 
  

   injury 
  from 
  water. 
  They 
  bQcome 
  golden 
  brown 
  in 
  color 
  and 
  retain 
  for 
  quite 
  a 
  

   while 
  the 
  odor 
  of 
  smoke, 
  which 
  repels 
  mosquitoes 
  and 
  moths. 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  coming 
  and 
  going 
  of 
  many 
  Indians, 
  Kurz 
  discovered 
  

   much 
  to 
  interest 
  and 
  amuse 
  him, 
  and 
  the 
  weeks 
  and 
  months 
  passed. 
  

   On 
  Januarj?^ 
  11, 
  1852, 
  he 
  — 
  

  

  saw 
  four 
  Assiniboin 
  squaws 
  playing 
  a 
  new 
  game. 
  They 
  sat 
  in 
  a 
  row 
  before 
  the 
  

   fire. 
  They 
  had 
  four 
  disks, 
  about 
  6 
  inches 
  long, 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  ends 
  of 
  wands 
  

   sharpened 
  to 
  a 
  point. 
  On 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  wands 
  there 
  were 
  disks 
  having 
  the 
  figure 
  

   of 
  a 
  man 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  surface 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  two 
  the 
  upper 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  disks 
  

   bore 
  the 
  figure 
  of 
  a 
  hand. 
  The 
  under 
  surfaces 
  were 
  not 
  marked 
  at 
  all. 
  One 
  

   after 
  another 
  the 
  squaws 
  would 
  seize 
  the 
  four 
  wands 
  at 
  the 
  upper 
  ends 
  and 
  

   throw 
  them 
  on 
  the 
  floor 
  with 
  the 
  points 
  turned 
  downward, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  them 
  

   fall 
  over 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  decorated 
  surfaces 
  of 
  the 
  disks 
  turned 
  upvrard. 
  Whoever 
  

   succeeded 
  iu 
  doing 
  that 
  won 
  double 
  the 
  stakes. 
  If 
  all 
  unmarked 
  surfaces 
  turned 
  

   up, 
  that 
  counted 
  simply 
  a 
  score; 
  if 
  both 
  marked 
  with 
  the 
  figure 
  of 
  a 
  man 
  or 
  

   both 
  marked 
  with 
  a 
  hand 
  were 
  turned, 
  that 
  counted 
  half 
  as 
  much. 
  The 
  stakes 
  

   consisted 
  of 
  grains 
  of 
  corn, 
  a 
  certain 
  number 
  designated, 
  according 
  to 
  agreement, 
  

   stipulated 
  objects 
  such 
  as 
  ornaments, 
  clothing, 
  etc. 
  

  

  The 
  game 
  was 
  plaj-ed 
  by 
  both 
  men 
  and 
  women. 
  

   On 
  January 
  12, 
  1852 
  : 
  

  

  La 
  Gras 
  brought 
  bad 
  news 
  from 
  the 
  Yellowstone. 
  The 
  river 
  is 
  out 
  of 
  its 
  

   banks 
  ; 
  has 
  overflowed 
  and 
  inundated 
  Rotteutail's 
  camp. 
  His 
  largest 
  tent, 
  made 
  

   of 
  25 
  buffalo 
  skins 
  put 
  together, 
  his 
  stock 
  of 
  raw 
  buffalo 
  hides, 
  together 
  with 
  

   those 
  already 
  tanned, 
  his 
  clothing, 
  decorations, 
  everything 
  was 
  carried 
  off 
  by 
  

   the 
  waters. 
  

  

  Late 
  that 
  month 
  it 
  became 
  necessary 
  to 
  secure 
  a 
  greater 
  quantity 
  of 
  

   meat 
  for 
  the 
  ever-increasing 
  number 
  of 
  individuals 
  at 
  the 
  fort, 
  as 
  

   many 
  had 
  come 
  together 
  at 
  the 
  post. 
  A 
  camp 
  was 
  therefore 
  estab- 
  

   lished 
  about 
  12 
  miles 
  distant 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  Yellowstone, 
  but 
  

   later 
  removed 
  nearer 
  the 
  Missouri. 
  Kurz 
  spent 
  some 
  days 
  at 
  the 
  

   camp, 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  fort, 
  and 
  evidently 
  enjoyed 
  sketching 
  and 
  

   drawing 
  Avithout 
  restraint. 
  

  

  Kurz 
  wrote 
  in 
  his 
  journal 
  on 
  January 
  29 
  : 
  

  

  To-day 
  the 
  expressman 
  went 
  on 
  his 
  way, 
  with 
  one 
  companion 
  and 
  a 
  pack 
  

   horse, 
  to 
  St. 
  Louis. 
  A 
  difficult 
  undertaking 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  of 
  year 
  — 
  2,500 
  miles 
  

   on 
  foot 
  to 
  St. 
  Joe, 
  from 
  which 
  point 
  he 
  may 
  travel 
  by 
  steamer. 
  

  

  He 
  wrote 
  on 
  February 
  22 
  : 
  

  

  For 
  a 
  week 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  nothing 
  new 
  to 
  record. 
  Time 
  passes 
  quickly. 
  My 
  

   studies 
  increase 
  in 
  number, 
  because 
  I 
  make 
  a 
  sketch 
  of 
  every 
  little 
  thing 
  that 
  I 
  

   shall 
  use 
  later 
  on 
  in 
  paintings 
  representative 
  of 
  life 
  in 
  this 
  region. 
  Two 
  Cree 
  

   Indians 
  brought 
  more 
  than 
  100 
  robes 
  for 
  which 
  they 
  received 
  a 
  better 
  price 
  

   than 
  is 
  usually 
  paid. 
  This 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  heretofore 
  

   customers 
  of 
  the 
  Opposition. 
  

  

  