Hunting at High Altitudes 



up by wolves and other predatory animals. Be- 

 sides this, the Indians, until the advent of the 

 white man, possessed no tools of steel or iron. Pick 

 and shovel, the only tools with which a grave might 

 be dug, were unknown among these nomadic tribes 

 at that time. 



My stay at Fort Peck lasted for about a month 

 from July 29 to August 27, on which day I left 

 by the steamer Key West to go further up the 

 river. This was the first vessel that had passed up 

 stream since I reached here. During the whole 

 time of my stay I had been ill and had been treated 

 with the utmost kindness by Major Mitchell and 

 Dr. Southworth, whose conduct emphasized again 

 the lesson learned long ago, that this world is full 

 of good, kind, high-minded people, no matter what 

 their condition and surroundings in life. 



Cow Island Crossing, where we landed four 

 days after leaving Fort Peck, was the only route 

 by which "bull teams" could reach the river. The 

 post was located near the mouth of Cow Island 

 Creek, which comes in from the north, and was the 

 head of low water navigation. By the large freight 

 outfits which came down to the river at this point, 

 was distributed a vast amount of freight over all 

 Montana. The route, after leaving the valley of 

 the river, skirts the foot of the Bear Paw Moun- 



30 



