172 FOURTH EXPLORATION, 1880 



until we reached a trail that was crossing the hills at right angles 

 to our line of travel. An examination of our map showed that 

 this was the Police trail from Maple Creek to Fort Walsh. As 

 our next point was Fort Walsh, I decided to follow the trail to 

 that point and, in a short time, we were off the hills and proceeding 

 to the south-west on a very good trail. In due time, we reached 

 Fort Walsh and rested there some time from our tiresome journey. 



When we reached Fort Walsh, I was warned that the Indians 

 were stealing horses in the neighborhood and to be careful or I 

 would lose mine as all the trappers' horses had been taken the 

 night before I reached there. By the advice of Col. Irwin, who 

 commanded at the Fort, I put my horses with those belonging to 

 the Police and they were quite safe. After remaining with the 

 Police for a number of days, we started on the 1 5th of August on 

 the last part of our trip. I was instructed, when I left Fort Walsh, 

 to go north to the sand hills that lay to the south of the Saskat- 

 chewan and proceed from that point in a straight line by compass 

 to Humboldt in the north, on the trail leading from Carlton. 

 When we left Fort Walsh, we climbed up on to the hills and came 

 to a camp of the Assiniboines, who were then holding a sun dance. 

 It was a very large camp in a beautiful valley surrounded by hills. 

 Many of the young braves were being initiated into the status of 

 "Braves," and we enjoyed the sport very much. Amongst other 

 things that were going on, was that of small boys shooting at marks 

 with bows and arrov/s and my men and a number of the young 

 Indians gathered at one point and I put up some tobacco and 

 gave a plug to each one who could hit the mark. The shooting 

 was the worst I had ever seen, both by the Indians and the 

 white men. The head Chief was named "The man who stole a 

 boat," and he was about the poorest shot of the lot. 



After we left the Indians, we began to descend into the plain 

 to the north and, at the foot of the hills, we pitched our camp for 

 the night. I may mention here that, owing to the fact that the 

 plains at this time were unsafe, owing to Sitting Bull and his 

 Sioux being at Wood Mountain, I took the precaution to carry 

 the Union Jack on a stick in my front cart so that, when we 

 camped at night or travelled in the day, the Union Jack showed 



