4 6 



RECREA TION. 



ment of the sportsman. With such sur- 

 roundings, we were loath to depart and 

 leave behind such magnificent sport as 

 awaited us. However, the fates seemed to 

 be against us. Reports came that the coun- 

 try just beyond was alive with Indians, who 

 were slaughtering the elk by hundreds. 

 Every messenger would add something ad- 

 ditional to the already distorted facts, un- 

 til it was believed that every person in the 

 surrounding country was fleeing for the 

 settlements below in order to save his scalp. 

 It was reported that 5 Indians had been 

 killed by the whites, and as a result the 

 Indian was on the war path in earnest. 



Exaggerated reports were telegraphed 

 throughout the world. The war depart- 

 ment, took prompt action, and ordered 

 Companies D, E, H and I from Fort 

 Robinson, Neb. It did not take long for 

 these troops to begin their march toward 

 the towering Tetons, and it was at that 

 time I met and had a long talk with Captain 

 Jim, Chief of the Shoshones. 

 ' Captain Jim is an aged and trusted Ind- 

 ian, who has been a scout for the Govern- 

 ment for 30 years. He has been intrusted 

 with many important missions in his time. 

 When I met him, the gray haired buck 

 seemed to be in his element, as he sat on his 

 pony and was piloting General Coppinger 

 and his colored troops to the scene of the 

 Indian depredations. 



Asked as to the method of Indian war- 

 fare, the old chief replied: 



" One Injun alle same 3 whitee man, 

 when Injun know country. In Nez Perce 

 war, Injun had 700 warriors, and whitee 

 man had 4,000. Injun scared whitee man 

 alle time 4 months, and kill 150 whitee man, 

 and Injun lose only 4 men." 



When Captain Jim was asked what he 

 thought of the present disturbance, he 

 said, " Injun Agent telle me no talkem 

 now. Pretty soon, heap lot fight. May- 

 be Injun heap killem nigger soldier, maybe 

 all of 'em. Injun maybe go back home; 

 me tink so. Maybe he fight now, me don't 

 know. Whitee man, he killem 5 Injun. In- 

 jun heap mad now, bad heart. Me go see, 

 and maybe bring him home to reservation. 

 He no come, maybe Big Father bring more 

 soldier man." L- M. E. 



GAME A NUISANCE. 



In his annual report to the secretary of 

 the interior, Acting Superintendent Young, 

 of the Yellowstone national park, says: 



" The prevailing impression is that game, 

 buffalo excepted, is increasing in numbers. 

 The black bears have increased rapidly, and 

 have become very annoying. Complaints 

 have come in from Norris Lunch station, 

 Fountain hotel, Thumb Lunch station, 

 Lake Hotel, and from the station of a de- 

 tachment of soldiers at the canon, that bears , 



have broken into their storehouses and de- 

 stroyed meat and other provisions in large 

 quantities. It is a common occurrence to 

 see from 6 to 12 bears, any afternoon, feed- 

 ing on the garbage dumps within a hundred 

 yards of the Fountain hotel. . Among the 

 number is one large grizzly. At Norris, 

 Fountain, Thumb, Lake and Canon lunch 

 stations and hotels the bears feed daily on 

 the garbage from the kitchens. At least 12 

 bears might be disposed of to responsible 

 zoological gardens, where desired, for the 

 expense of capturing, which would be 

 small. 



" The number of buffalo is estimated at 

 24. An expert hunter, equipped with a 

 good knowledge of the park, as well as of 

 the habits of the game therein, is engaged 

 in making thorough observations with a 

 view of estimating closely the number of 

 each species within the park boundaries, 

 including the annexed timber reserve. 



" I have consulted with Dr. Frank Baker, 

 superintendent of the National zoological 

 park, at Washington, as to the advisability 

 and practicability of corraling the remain- 

 ing buffalo in the park with a view to their 

 preservation and increase, and our concur- 

 rent conclusion is that it has been the ex- 

 perience of most persons engaged in the 

 capture and domestication of wild animals 

 that, while the young of 2 classes, to one of 

 which the buffalo belong, may be caught 

 and confined with usually successful results, 

 it is otherwise with adult animals, a large 

 proportion of which fail to adapt them- 

 selves to even slight restraint, and die in 

 consequence. As to the practicability, the 

 buffalo remaining in the park are now 

 scattered in very small herds at a number 

 of points far remote from each other. They 

 are mostly in rough, ragged regions, where 

 they could not safely be captured alive, and 

 their ranges are separated by mountains, 

 streams, and canons of such impassible 

 character that their transportation could 

 not be accomplished without great injury 

 and loss. Even were the advisability of the 

 project free from doubt, the difficulties in 

 the way of its successful accomplishment 

 appear to be insuperable. 



" The coyotes are numerous and bold. It 

 is estimated that of a herd of 500 antelope 

 that wintered in the valley of the Gardiner, 

 and on the slopes of Mount Evarts, 75 (15 

 per cent, of the herd) were killed by coyotes 

 during the past winter, and many antelope 

 fawns, elk calves, and broods of grouse 

 have been destroyed by them this season. 

 The opinion has been advanced by a few of 

 the friends of the park that if the coyote is 

 exterminated the gopher in time would 

 eradicate the grass from the winter valley 

 ranges. I do not concur in this opinion, 

 and request authority to reduce the num- 

 ber of coyotes so that they will not hunt in 

 packs." 



