2 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[July 28, 1887. 



churn the milk. Well, sir, that dog knew every time 

 when churning day was due, and the night before he 

 would skip out and be gone all day. Finally, it grew so 

 bad they substituted a sheep on the treadmill; "Watch 

 found it out, and he'd stay away until the poor sheep got 

 fairly to work, then he'd come back again, stand there 

 looking at the industrious old ram, and wag his tail and 

 actually wink. You may not call it talking, but we all 

 knew just what the dog thought about it, and if he had 

 spoken he couldn't have said any more." 



"A sheep in a treadmill is the right thing in the right 

 place," said the Fourth Talker. "I have thought so ever 

 since I saw the combination up on the farm of Capt. 

 Sayres in Cairo. Capt. Sayres was an old ship captain. 

 He commanded a vessel in those times when there were 

 ships and ship captains. AfteT a long life at sea he took 

 to farming, and he did it well, too, even when he became 

 blind. Well, he had a sheep to do the churning, whereby 

 the Sayres farm dog always 'took the wall' of the churn 

 dogs of that region. Of course Watch got away. No 

 churn dog loves the drudgery of the mill, and the aver- 

 age animal of my acquaintance can keep account of the 

 days perfectly, and when his count tells him that the 

 morrow is butter day, he just naturally clears for the 

 woods until the butter has been brought by some other 

 agency than a dog- power churn. Out in Orange county 

 there was a big brindle — " 



"Count !" put in the Major, "why of course dogs can 

 count. But for proficiency to the higher mathematics 

 commend me to the crow. I was out shooting once with 

 Dr.W. We were after regular good-to-eat game, but all 

 we had to show for our pains so far was one crow. We 

 were sitting down and the crow was lying beside us just 

 as still as a dead crow ought to lie, when all of a sudden 

 a hawk came sailing over. I up and let him have it, first 

 with one barrel and then after a second with the other, 

 when, sir, just as I shot the second barrel, that crow ups 

 and gets away as lively as any crow ever you saw." 



"Very good, said the Fourth Talker, "but that was be- 

 cause your shots woke him up." 



"No it wasn't," responded the Major, "for Dr. W. said 

 he saw the old bird open his eye on the sly when the first 

 barrel went off, and get all ready and wait for the second 

 one before he started. That bird knew how many barrels 

 there were to that gun. He was no fool. No crow is a 

 fool. Why, I was out crow shooting once — you know 

 how I do it, put a stuffed owl on a stake or in a tree, and 

 every crow and hawk within five hundred miles will 

 come for it — I had grazed an old crow, and instead of fly- 

 ing off, she just rose up in the ah- — out of gunshot calcu- 

 lated to an inch — and circled around there, and every 

 time another crow would start for that owl this old scare- 

 crow up there in the air would sing out 'Man with a gun V 

 and you'd see the new comer turn and scoot. I didn't get 

 another crow that afternoon, but I had just as much fun 

 watching that old lady up there; and she staid just as 

 long as I did, too." 



"They say 'wise as an owl;' I never understood why 

 you should not put it rather 'wise as a crow,' " said the 

 Secretary, and then he related the crow and paper collar 

 story he had written for the Axidubon Magazine. "I've 

 seen them the world over," he added, "and take them all 

 in all, they are as wise as they are black, every time, and 

 I believe a foolish crow is a good deal more of a vara avis 

 than even a white one. The very way they've hung 

 on in spite of your stuffed owls and thousand and 

 one other devices to destroy them proves their circum- 

 spection. By the way, can any of you tell me why the 

 New York Legislature one year makes a law to protect 

 crows, and the next year rescinds it ? Now as a fertilizer 

 of the farmer's landB the crow—" 



"I thought you were talking of dogs," said the Man 

 from Long Island,''' and I was going to tell you about a 

 srnooth-h aired yellow dog we had in the family once 

 that was great on going to the store for meat and vege- 

 tables. We would give him the money, and he would go 

 down to the village all alone and bring back the order all 

 right. Once another dog pitched on to him, and he put 

 down his package and walloped his assailant. 



"Oh, that's been in all the papers; you find it in the 

 school books," said the Fourth Talker, who did not like 

 the way his robin story had been ignored. 



"Well, but this actually happened. That dog did 

 smarter things than that. He pulled my little sister out 

 of the cistern once, when but for him she would have 

 been drowned. We taught him to bring in the coal. 

 One day he held the scuttle too low, it struck the door- 

 sill and spilled the coal out, and we made him pick it up, 

 every piece of it, and put it back into the scuttle." 



"That reminds me," said the Major, "of a brown and 

 white cur dog I knew when I was ten years old. 

 Stuttering Charley Smith and I were out huckleberry- 

 ing one day and had this cur dog along. He watched us 

 a spell, then he went to a bush, stripped off a lot of berries 

 in his mouth and took them and put them in the pail. 

 Mrs. Smith used to say of this dog that he was the 'most 

 knowledgeable' dog she ever knew." 



"Speaking of picking berries," said the Fourth Talker, 

 "reminds me of an intelligent hen I know out in Orange 

 county — " 

 But here the meeting broke up. 



THE ALL-FRIENDS OF THE BLACKFEET 



IN previous numbers of the Forest and Stream I 

 have described something of the life and customs of 

 the Blackfeet. To those papers I now add one or two 

 more, hoping they will interest the general reader and be 

 of use to the ethnologist. The recent act of Congress, 

 providing for the taking of land in severalty by the 

 Indians, is sure to break up all tribal relations. In a 

 short time the ancient traditions and ' customs will have 

 been forgotten. Before it be too late, then, let those of us 

 who can save from oblivion such accounts of the religion, 

 social fife and language of the different tribes as we may 

 be able to obtain. 



Each tribe of the Blackfoot confederacy once had a 

 society called the E-kun-uh' kah-tse, i. e., All-friends. 

 This society was divided into groups, named respectively: 

 Stum'-lk-lks— Bulls (buffalo). 

 * f-in-ah-kiks — Seizers. 

 St7i-o-paks— Kit-foxes. 

 Kl'-o-iks — Bears. 



Mas-td' -pa-ta-Mks — Raven-Carriers. 

 Milt'-siks — Rashly-Brave. 

 flle'-sins-kiks — Badgers. 

 *E-kiin-Ms-' o- me-taks— All-crazy-dogs. 

 *Su-fa-ksfoks'— Flies, 



"Traditions say that this society is very ancient. In fact, 

 the legends of its origin take us back to the time "when 

 animals could take the shape of men, and speak then- 

 language, at will." For the following account of the ori- 

 gin and objects of this society I am indebted to Almost-a- 

 Dog, the oldest member of the Piegan tribe. 



The people had built a great pis-kan, very strong they 

 made it and very high, so that none might escape; but 

 somehow the buffalo would not jump over the cliff; 

 swerving to the right or left they would go down the 

 sloping hills and cross the valley in sa ety. And because 

 of this the people hungered. Now, one morning early a 

 young woman went to get water, and she saw a herd of 

 buffalo right on the edge of the cliff above the pis-kan. 

 "Oh!" said she, "if you will only jump off into the pls- 

 k&n I'll marry one of you." This she said for nothing, 

 not meaning what she spoke, and great her wonder then, 

 for no sooner had she said than the buffalo came jumping, 

 tumbling, falling over the cliffs. 



"Ah!" said the old man, pausing in his story, "that 

 was a sight; yes, those were times when every one's heart 

 was glad. Many a time, even in my day have I seen it. 

 Then great herds covered the prairie, and when one 

 came grazing toward the cliff a young man went out 

 and he called softly, 'Whoo hoohoo!' and Wah hoo ah!' 

 and lie kept calling and appearing and disappearing, and 

 the buffalo wondered and moved toward him, and those 

 behind crowded and then they ran, and when they had 

 come close to the cliff those who had been concealed on 

 the prairie rose behind and shouted, and the leaders could 

 not stop and they were pushed over the wall and the 

 rest followed and the pis-kan was filled. O, what a glad 

 heart sight! Far up over the edge of the cliff came tumb- 

 ling the great bull and the fat cow, the yearling and calf, 

 and those whose horns had grown two, three and more 

 winters. And some by the fall were killed, and some were 

 leg-broken, and some dragged their hind parts, and others 

 were not hurt at all. The people then sung, and they 

 shot those which were living, and then all helped skin 

 and cut up the meat. Oh, what a sight, there all along the 

 pis-kan walls and on the grass, and hanging on the bushes, 

 and in all the camp, red and white, red and white, sheets 

 of red meat drying, and strips of the white back fat, and 

 the robes and those skins tanned white for the lodgers." 

 Here the old man resumed his story. 



Now much was this young woman afraid, for a mighty 

 bull with one bound cleared the pls-kans walls and ap- 

 proached her, changing into the shape of a young man. 

 "Come," he said, taking hold of her arm. "No, no," she 

 replied, jerking back. "But you said if the buffalo would 

 jump over you would marry one; see, the pis-kan is 

 filled," and without more talk he led her up over the 

 bluffs and out on to the prairie. 



Now when the people had finished cutting up the meat 

 many wondered where the young woman was, and her 

 relations were sad at heart because of her absence. Then 

 quickly grasped her father his bow and quiver saying, 

 "Go I now her to find," and he too went up over the 

 bluff and out on to the prairie. 



After he had traveled some distance he came to a wal- 

 low, and a short distance off saw a herd of buffalo. While 

 sitting by the wallow— for he was tired— and thinking, a 

 magpie came and fit near him. "Ha! ma-mB-at' si-klin-i,t" 

 he said, "help me, help me, go now on your beautiful 

 wings, spread that shining tail, go to yonder herd, and if 

 you find my daughter, tell her 'Your father waits by the 

 wallow.' " . 



Then flew he to the herd, and seeing his daughter he 

 lit near her, and picked here and there, turning his head 

 this way, that way, and coming close, said: "Your father 

 waits by the wallow." 



"Sh-h-h! Sh-h-h!" said the woman in a low voice, and 

 looking around scared, for her bull was sleeping close by. 

 "don't speak so loud. Go back and tell him wait!" 



"She says wait!" said the magpie, flying back to the 

 old man. 



After a while that bull waked up and he said to his 

 wife: "Go get me some water." Then was the woman 

 glad, and taking a horn from his head she went to the 

 „r.,iirt<i7 "Oli wli¥ oamf vnn " rIip, said to her father, 



the wallow, found they that poor man. There they 

 tramped him with their great hoofs, and hooked him and 

 tramped him, and soon not even a small piece of his body 

 could be seen. 



Then cried the daughter: Oh! Ah! NE'-na-ah. Oh! 

 Ah! NB'-na-ah! (My father! My father!). 



"Ah!" said her bull husband, "true, 'tis sad to have a 

 father die. Yet now you see how it is with us. We, too, 

 have seen our fathers die. Yes, we have seen our mothers, 

 fathers, many of our relations, hurled over the rocky 

 walls to become the food of people. Yet now one chance 

 will I give you. If you can bring your father to life, you 

 and he can go back. We will not hai-m you." 



Then said she to the magpie: "Oh, bright eyes! Oh, 

 shining feathers, go now and seek in the trampled ground, 

 find even a little piece of him who was trampled out and 

 bring it to me." 



Quick flew the magpie to the place; with his sharp bill 

 he tore the mud, and his eyes looked in every hole. Once 

 he found something white; pick, pick, and then pulling 

 he got out a joint of backbone, and with this he flew back 

 to the woman. 



Then placed she the bone on the ground and covered it 

 with her robe, and then she sung. Removing the robe, 

 there lay her father, but as if dead. Once more she cov- 

 ered with the robe and sung and then her father breathed 

 and arose. Much surprised were the buffalo, and the 

 magpie called and flew round and round. Then said he 

 who was her husband, " Now, to-day have we seen 

 strange tilings. He whom we caused not to live, who 

 was tramped into many pieces, is in our sight. Very 

 strong is the people's medicine. Now, before you go, we 

 will teach you our dance, and your ears shall not forget 

 our song, and you shall teach it to the people, and t hey 

 will have our iredicine for all the days beyond." [I would 

 that I could put on paper a description of this song and 

 dance. As is fitting to the dance of such monster beasts, 

 the air is slow and solemn, and the step ponderous and 

 deliberate.] 



When the dance was over, the bull said, " Go now to 

 your home, and forget not what you have seen. Teach it 

 to the people, and when you dance you shall wear a bull's 

 head, and a robe ; all who are of the bulls shall wear 

 them, and thus the buffalo medicine will be with the 

 people for all the days beyond." 



Great joy then, when the father and his daughter re- 

 turned, and the people heard his story with wonder. In 

 the-middle-talk-house the chiefs and old men counsel and 

 they chose some young men who were of good heart and 

 brave, and he who had been tramped to pieces and lived 

 again taught them the buffalo song and dance, and 

 named them Stum'-Ik-iks (Bulls), and when one died they 

 chose another good person in his place. 



wallow. "Oh, why came you," she said to her father, 

 "you cannot survive." 



''I came to take my daughter home; come, let us hurry. ' 

 "No, no," she said, "not now, they would chase and kill 

 us; wait till he sleeps again and I will try to get away," 

 and filling the horn with water she went back. 



Then drank the bull one swallow. "Ha!" said he, 

 "some person is close here." 

 "No one," replied the woman, but her heart rose up. 

 A little more drank the bull, and then rising up he bel- 

 lowed B-d-u-ti! m-m-tih-h-o-o-o! Oh! fearful sound! up 

 rose the bulls, raised their short tails and shook them, 

 tossed their great heads and bellowed back. Then rushed 

 they here, there, shaking their angry tails, and coming to 



* An account of these groups, owing to vulgarity, cannot be pub- 



+The meaning of this word is "fish black," a queer name for a 

 bird. Why so named no one can telh 



After a smoke, the old man resumed : 

 For a long time the buffalo had not been seen. Useless 

 were the pls-kans, and the hunters found nothing for the 

 living of the people. Then a man who had two wives, a 

 daughter and two sons, said, "I shall not stop hereto die; 

 to-morrow we will move toward the mountains, there we 

 will find perhaps deer and elk, sheep and antelope, or, if 

 .not, at least we will find the beaver, and those who fly 

 [meaning grouse, etc.]. Thus will we sm-vive." 



When morning came they packed thetravois and lashed 

 them on the dogs and then moved out. It was yet winter 

 and they traveled slowly. The second night came and 

 they sat in the lodge; but no one spoke; those who are 

 hungry care not for words. Then those who watch the 

 night 'barked loudly, and soon, pushing aside the door 

 curtain, a strange young man entered. "Welcome!" said 

 the old man, and he motioned the stranger to a sitting 

 place. Now looked they with surprise and fear at him 

 who had entered, for there was a black wind [the "chi- 

 nook"] and the snow had melted and water was all over 

 the prairie, yet his moccasins and leggings were dry. 

 They sat in silence a long time. Then said he, "Why 

 this? Why set no food before the stranger guest?" 



"Ah!" replied the old man, "you behold those who are 

 truly poor. No food have we. Many days the buffalo 

 came not in sight, and the hunters shot the deer and 

 others which people eat, and when all these had been 

 killed the people starved. Then said I, not here will I 

 starve to death; and we started for the mountains. Now 

 you behold us two nights on our journey," 



"Ah!" said the young man, "then is your journey 

 ended. Near by are we camped by our pis-kan. Many 

 buffalo have been run in, and the parfleches are filled 

 with dried meat. The pis-kan is red with that freshly 

 cut. Let me go now, and ere the night is far gone, I will 

 return with some for you." True his words. Soon here- 

 turned and brought the meat and pls-tsI-kO'-an* three. 

 Then said he, "To-morrow move you to our lodges. What 

 you see there fear not. All will be your friends. Now, 

 one thing I tell you, be careful, touch not an arrow, those 

 you may find in the pis-kan, or on the ground outside, 

 touch not, neither you, nor your wives nor children." 

 And having spoken he departed. 



Then took the old man his pipe, and having smoked he 

 prayed, saying, "Hear now Sun! Listen Above People. 

 Hear Ground and Under-Water People! Now you have 

 taken pity. Now you have given, us food. Now we go 

 to those strange ones who walk through water with dry 

 moccasins. Protect us among those to-be-feared people. 

 Let us survive. Man, woman, child, give us long fife; 

 give us long life." , ■, ^ 



Once more the smell of roasting meat, and glad the 

 children played. Talked and laughed those who had 

 been so silent. Not far above the sun when they arrived 

 at the strange lodge. Much then their wonder. There 

 by the pis-kan, and far up and down the valley, and m 

 the timber, were the lodges of those who eat meat. There 

 was the Bear gens, there the Fox gens, there the Badgers, 

 all the gens were there. The young man who had given 

 them meat, his father was chief of the Wolf gens, and by 

 that band they pitched their lodge. Ah! That was a 

 happy place; food there was, plenty. All day and far in 

 the night, shouted they the feast invitation. And every- 

 where the sound of drum and song and dancing. 



Then went the newcomers to the pis-kan for meat; and 

 one of the children found an arrow lying on the ground. 

 It was a beautiful arrow, long and sharp the stone point, 

 round and straight the shaft. All around the people 

 were busy: no oie was watching; quickly the boy 

 snatched the arrow and hid it under his robe. Then 

 rushed the wolves at him and the coyotes, and they would 



*An unborn buffalo calf. Considered a great delicacy. 



