Trail and Camp-Fire 



"In the fall of 1864 the American Fur 

 Company, at Fort Benton, sent me with a 

 stock of trade goods to winter with the Pie- 

 gans, who were camped on the Marias River. 

 Early in February a man was sent out to 

 assist me, and I lost no time in going on a 

 hunt with the Indians, for I had been cooped 

 up in a lodge all winter and wanted a change. 



" One day we ran a large herd of buffalo, 

 which we found a mile or two north of where 

 Cutbank Stream joins the Marias. I had a 

 splendid horse, but as soon as I killed a cow I 

 stopped, for that was all the meat I wanted, 

 and more too. I had reached the herd some 

 time before the Indians did, and when they 

 saw me dismount one of them asked me to 

 exchange horses with him, as he wanted to 

 make a big killing. ! let him have it, and 

 tying his horse to the horns of the buffalo, I 

 proceeded to skin it. In less than five min- 

 utes the wolves began to gather about me. It 

 was the running season, and each bitch v^as 

 surrounded by a number of dog wolves play- 

 ing and fawning about her, and quarreling 

 with each other just like a lot of dogs. The 

 wolves kept about fifty to sixty yards from 



me, but one coyote came up quite close, and a 



162 



