m SADDLE AND CAMP 



dried and parched, and no forage was to be had 

 for horses on the open range. After much diffi- 

 culty we found an Indian with some alfalfa hay 

 to sell. He offered it to us at two dollars a 

 hundred — forty dollars a ton. We accepted the 

 terms with enthusiasm and considered ourselves 

 fortunate, though we were paying more than 

 twice the highest market price outside the mili- 

 tary post. We had to have it, and the Indian 

 knew it. After our acceptance of his terms he 

 regretted that he had not demanded more. 



I learned that the government pays exorbi- 

 tant prices for all kinds of forage. It may be 

 easily understood that high prices paid Indians 

 for farm products tend to encourage them to in- 

 creased tillage of the toil, and the custom was 

 initiated with this commendable object in view. 

 But the high prices are not confined to Indian 

 farmers. Contracts are made with outside white 

 ranchers for oats and other provender at several 

 times as much as the same ranchers would be 

 glad to sell the same goods for in open market. 



The Indian schools on the reservation will 

 doubtless ultimately influence the rising genera- 

 tion to a higher standard of thought, though ex- 

 perience with Indians sent to distant schools to 

 be educated is not thus far reassuring. Those 

 who have returned to their old haunts have al- 



