76 



THE ARCTIC PRAIRIES 



Cranberry 



Not only Kiya, but Pierre Squirrel, the head chief, 

 seemed to harbour a more kindly spirit. He now 

 suddenly acquired a smattering of English and a fair 



knowledge of French. He 

 even agreed to lead us 

 through his own hunting- 

 grounds to the big Buffalo- 

 range, stipulating that we 

 be back by July 1, as that 

 was Treaty Day, when all 

 the tribe assembled to re- 

 ceive their treaty money, and his presence as head 

 chief was absolutely necessary, 



We were advised to start from Fort Smith, as the 

 trail thence was through a dryer country; so on the 

 morning of June, 24, at 6.50, we left the Fort on our 

 second Buffalo hunt. 



Major A. M. Jarvis, Mr. E. A. Preble, Corporal Selig, 

 Chief Pierre Squirrel, and my- 

 self, all mounted, plus two 

 pack-horses, prepared 'for a 

 week's campaign. 



Riding ahead in his yellow 

 caftan and black burnoose was 

 Pierre Squirrel on his spirited 



charger, looking most picturesque. But remembering 

 that his yellow caftan was a mosquito net, his black 

 burnoose a Hudson's Bay coat, and his charger an 

 ornery Indian Cayuse, robbed the picture of most of 

 its poetry. 

 We marched westerly 7 miles through fine, dry, 



Uva ursi 



