JACKSON’S SURPRISE. 95 
still upon our noisy bivouae. Paddy Thompson came in to 
report that he had found “ an ould citizen feller’—as he ex- 
pressed himself—in the woods and brought him in, and— 
“sowl,” said he, “I wouldn’t ha’ got him at all, only he 
kaughed in the grass, then I knowed it was a humin.” He 
proved to be a poor, squalid-looking, half-clad and half- 
crazed creature, who had been a soldier. He was now 
wandering about half starved, trying to find his way to 
Fort Belknap. The officers told him to keep with the com- 
mand, but as soon as he had supped off the contents of a 
haversack, he disappeared and we saw no more of him. 
In an hour we were again under way, and reaching the 
prairié we pitched our tents, picketed our horses, and all, 
except the sentinels, were soon wrapt in sleep. *: 
July 8th.—This morning Jackson was missing. He soon 
came in, however, and with a most lugubrious countenance, 
related his story of the night. 
He said—“ Me see de fire light, den me tink, may be so 
he cans here. Me take blanket, lie down, go sleep; me 
git up, no man is dere; may be so all gone; now is day 
light, me see trail, come on.” This he said in reference to 
our camp fire half way. It was a perilous nap for him, but 
one, no doubt, he was accustomed to. 
Indians always speak in the masculine, third | person 
singular, when alluding to persons or things, and the 
‘phrase “may be sd” is sounmeta! aaa into eegaal 
conversations. a 
