Io8 RANCH LIFE AND THE HUNTING-TRAIL 



stock from some Piegans, though he himseh had openly admitted its 

 truth. One, an unprepossessing, beetle-browed man, suddenly remarked 

 that he had once met an Indian who was a pretty good fellow, and he pro- 

 ceeded to tell the story. A small party of Indians had passed the wanter 

 near the ranch at which he was employed. The chief had two particu- 

 larly tine horses, which so excited his cupidity that one night he drove 

 them oft" and "cached" — that is, hid — them in a safe place. The chief 

 looked for them high and low, but without success. Soon afterwards one 

 of the cowboy's own horses strayed. When spring came the Indians 

 went awa}^ ; but three days afterwards the chief returned, bringing with 

 him the strayed horse, wdiich he had happened to run across. 'T could n't 

 stand that," said the narrator, "so I just told him I reckoned I knew 

 where his own lost horses were, and I saddled up my bronch' and 

 piloted him to them." 



Here and there on the border there is a certain amount of mixture 

 with the Indian blood ; much more than is commonly supposed. One of 

 the most hard-working and prosperous men in our neighborhood is a 

 Chippewa half-breed ; he is married to a white wife, and ranks in every 

 respect as a white. Two of our richest cattle-men are married to Indian 

 women; their children are being educated in convents. In several of the 

 most thriving North-western cities men could be pointed out, standing 

 high in the community, who have a strong dash of Indian blood in their 

 veins. Often, however, especially in the lower classes, they seem to feel 

 some shame about admitting the cross, so that in a couple of generations 

 it is forgotten. 



Indians are excellent fighters, though they do not shoot well — being 

 in this respect much inferior not only to the old hunters, but also, nowa- 

 days, to the regular soldiers, who during the past three or four years have 

 improved wonderfully in marksmanship. They have a very effective 

 discipline of their own, and thus a body of them may readily be an over- 

 match for an equal number of frontiersmen if the latter have no leader 

 whom they respect. If the cowboys have rifles — for the revolver is useless 

 in long-range individual fighting — they feel no fear of the Indians, so long 

 as there are but half a dozen or so on a side ; but, though infinitely quicker 

 in their movements than regular cavalry, yet, owing to their heavy saddles, 

 they are not able to make quite so wonderful marches as the Indians do, 

 and their unruly spirit often renders them ineffective w^hen gathered in any 

 number without a competent captain. Under a man like Forrest they 

 would become the most formidable fighting horsemen in the world. 



In the summer of 1886, at the time of the war-scare over the " Cutting 

 incident," we began the organization of a troop of cavalry in our district. 



