THE INDIAN AND THE DEER. 



OLD SILVER TIP. 



Well, here I am awav up among the 

 Whoop-em-up-heap-bad-Indians. I had 

 the honor of being the first pale-face that 

 had ever visited this tribe. I made the trip 

 for the express purpose of studying the way 

 in which the Ways and Means Commit- 

 tee, of the Tribe of Black-tail-Deer, con- 

 ducted themselves. I did this merely to 

 satisfy myself that Wood's Natural History 

 was right, and that I was wrong. Now 

 Mr. Editor I would like you to publish 

 my unabridged edition of the research, for 

 the benefit of the uninitiated. 



After we had pitched our tent — now the 

 pitching of a tent is a thing no man can 

 thoroughly enjoy unless he does it under 

 the following conditions: Use one hand 

 to drive away the billions of mosquitoes 

 and flies and if the other hand is not en- 

 gaged in the same business try to hold 

 up with it a tent-pin, and to drive it at the 

 same time. Gentlemen, this is happiness 

 complete. Well, as I was saying, after we 

 got the tent pitched I threw the Winchester 

 on my shoulder and started out. I soon 

 found a large buck. He was looking right 

 at me, just as saucy as )'ou please. I also 

 saw a buck Indian. So I made up my mind 

 to kill him. Up went the rifle and down 

 went the buck. I noticed he had on his 

 war-paint and a magnificent pair of 6 point- 

 ed antlers. 



As I was cutting his throat I noticed that 

 his hair was long and black. His feet were 

 also black, with some dried mud between 

 the toes. He had a fine coat of fur which 

 was ornamented with beads and buckskin 

 fringe. I noticed that in all cases, when 

 the bucks have their antlers on they carry 

 their heads high, and almost all of them 

 are armed with the 44-40 Winchester re- 

 peating rifle. Their eyes are set promi- 

 nently, one on either side of the head, to 

 enable them to see ahead as well as behind. 



The bucks are, as a rule, fine specimens. 

 They walk erect, chest well extended and 

 their hair gets a little lighter as the season 

 advances. 



As I was taking his hide off, I noticed he 

 wore a necklace of elk teeth and Jbear 

 claws; and a' tobacco pouch about his 

 waist. He must have weighed all of 250 

 pounds. How nice they look when nicely 



dressed and hung in a tree, alongside of 

 one's shack! The bucks are fond of meat; 

 and to see one, as he stands there chewing 

 the soft twigs that are just sprouting up 

 out of the ground, all unconscious that a 

 human eye is upon him, is a picture long 

 to be remembered. It is a very rare thing 

 to find a buck with any deformity, such as 

 lop-horns or 3 horns; although I have 

 seen bucks going about on crutches, with 

 a leg done up in splints. 



As the buck falls at the crack of the rifle; 

 as you walk up to cut his throat and as he 

 rolls up that large, mild eve at you, you 

 will see a scowl come over his face, and he 

 will clutch his knife and try to raise him- 

 self up so as to plunge it into your heart. 

 They are revengeful to the last, and when 

 dying will almost always shout their war- 

 whoop. The does, as a rule, fawn every 

 spring; have one and 2 and have been 

 known to have as many as 5. To see one 

 as she comes toward you, with her fawn 

 on her back, she appears short — about as 

 broad as she is long. The fawns make a 

 magnificent picture as one sees them in the 

 evening, jumping and playing around the 

 old doe. They have no cares in this wicked 

 world of ours, except when old father win- 

 ter spreads his snow all over the earth. 

 It is then they crawl into the tepee and 

 get around the little fire and toast their 

 marrow bones, the oil of which is good to 

 tan buckskin. 



The does are the worst beggars you ever 

 met. They will come around your tent and 

 beg for anything that takes their eye. 

 When the dog chases them, how beautiful 

 they look as over the fallen trees they leap, 

 never so much as touching one of them! 



As they stand looking at you, they will 

 stamp a foot, which I noticed, in all cases, 

 was cased in buckskin. In some cases 

 they were ornamented with beads. They 

 were all clothed alike, although here and 

 there one could see one clothed in a piece 

 of blanket. One old doe that came to our 

 tent, at last, got some flour and went off 

 with it. Their legs are built for run- 

 ning and some of as juicy steaks as one 

 could wish for come from near the hips. 

 The does do not weigh so much as the 

 bucks. 



" The Indian language, they say, is rap- 

 idly dying out/' 



"That can't be true; the dialect writers 

 will keep it going a good while yet." 



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