314 VISIT TO THE CEOW CAMP. 



of his arrival. This was very bad luck as they were both of 

 them good shooting-ponies, well trained to stand fire and to 

 remain where they were left. When getting off to stalk any 

 animal, the usual way to ensure your pony's being there when 

 you return, supposing him to be used to hunting, is to throw 

 your reins on the ground, when he will go on feeding till he 

 treads on them, and he will then remain on that spot for 

 hours. 



Fishel said that the thieves were supposed to be Crows on 

 their way to the large Crow camp, about fifty miles from us, 

 so he and I determined to ride there and try and recover 

 them, as the Crows were friendly. We started the following 

 morning, the Colonel saying that he would move camp in our 

 absence to the foot of the Little Snowies, a range lying next to 

 the Judiths. We were a day and a half doing the fifty miles, 

 as the ground was rough and a good many streams had to be 

 crossed. I rode my grey and Fishel the hairy pony, which I 

 christened " Brownie," and we took my third pony to pack. 

 Early on the second day we overtook about twenty Indians 

 going our way, and thought that perhaps they might be the 

 thieves, but on coming up with them, we found that they were 

 a party of Bannocks going to the Crow camp to buy horses, 

 and having ^een me with their chief they were very friendly. 

 On reaching the Crow camp, where there were about twelve 

 hundred warriors, we were given a lodge, and a quantity of 

 buffalo-meat was sent to it for our use. We went to see the 

 chief, whose name was <c Spotted Bear/' in the evening and 

 told him why we had come, and he promised to ride with us to 

 the horse-band in the morning, as the grass being all eaten 



