242 
J^OREST AND STREAM. 
tSEiPT. 27, 1902. 
A Burning Mountain in Cibiria. 
The scene is on the Attiyp River, in eastern Cibiria 
(the native and only correct way oi spelling what •WdBl- 
erners erroneously write as 'Siberia.') I have said 
'mountain' in the head-line, although the burning ridge 
of gas and coal is more correctly a ridge of hills, but 
quite high hills— from 600 to 800 feet altitude. But sen- 
sational newspaper hacks write in the gutter press of 
''sea waves 'mountains' high" (whereas the highest Avaves 
in the worst storms on record have never exceeded 
forty-five feet above mean sea-level) ; the writer's 
"stretching-it" is a truth in comparison. 
On the Amj'p River, there was a current that ran 
past the steamer so quickly, it made us think at times 
Ave were traveling at greyhound speed; w*hereas in 
reality the vitec (Russian for mileage), was often quite 
sluggish. This may be readily inferred when I state 
that the river journey from Kabapoick, on the Pacific 
side of Cibiria, to CtpeteHck (pronounced Ctretengk — c 
soft, as in fagade, gargon, etc.), on the head-waters of 
the Amyp, in the labloni range, took fourteen days for 
a distance of 2,000 bepcti (versti), or. say, 1,280 miles. 
Less than 100 miles a day cannot be rated among speeds 
of note, although we traveled da3'^ and night, except at 
shallow spots, which were too niuch even for the trained 
river pilots. 
The fuel on these British-built but slaf-manned 
steamers — (there are also a few Belgian-built ones) — 
is always wood; and a richer fuel-wood I never saw in 
my life. It is from the dense fir forests on the river 
banks, and as it lays piled up on the decks in the warm 
mid.summer sun, you can see the solidified turpentine 
in chunks in the wood, softening under old Sol's rays, 
and ready to ooze out, thick as molasses. Keeping up 
steam with such volatile fuel is an easy matter; still, 
the ctirrent Avas too strong against tts to "make a rec- 
ord." The return journey, with the current, is made in 
six or scA^en days. 
During that trans-Asiatic journey, of which mention 
has already been made in these columns, in Locomotive 
Engineering, and in special articles Avhich our public 
library of Manhattan has indexed from the American 
Gas-Light Journal and the Coal Trade Journal into the 
library catalogues as representatiA'e magazine articles 
on exclusive subjects, this steamer trip on the Amyp 
RiA^er Avas the only part of the trans-slaf country 
(stretching from the Pacific Ocean OA'^erland west- 
ward for 8,000 miles to the old Polonia republic on 
the Teuton frontier) that the Avriter coA'ered by con- 
veyance, Avith one solitary exception of a couple of 
hundred versti in the torture-racking tapantac (pro- 
nounced tarantag.)- [Both Russian and American spell- 
ings and pronunciations are herein occasionally given, 
to furnish the reader an idea of the difficulty of grasping 
the slaf idiom — ^the Avords being spelt one way, and 
sounded another.] The tapantaq — the Russian small- 
capital H having the sound of our n — is a springless na- 
tional A^ehicle; and travelers apply to it a vulgar but 
peculiarly appropriate expression, Avhen thej'' refer to it 
as "enough to shake your guts out." This is literallj' 
true — in feeling, as every victim will admit. And yet 
the tapaHtag is said by its undulating motions to be 
curative of heart troubles, nervous diseases, rheumatism, 
kidney and bladder diseases — especially in advanced 
stages. 
But about the burning coal mountain? I haA'e been 
working gradually up to it, to enable the peruser to 
form some opinion of the country and people in Avhich 
it is located. 
The fluvial journey was about ten days through. The 
tOAvn of Blagobeghenck, midway on the Amyp River, 
had been left far behind, and the steamer ran into the 
canons of the sidereal spur-ranges of the labloni moun- 
tains. Winding in and out, from morn till night, the 
scenery is ever changing. You feel like doing nothing 
but sit on deck Avatching the eternal changing pano- 
rama. Scenery! Have you visited the Italian lakes? 
Then imagine a chain or series of Italian lakes a couple 
of thousand miles long, and you will have a good idea 
of the sCener}' of the Amyp River. 
One CA^ening, as the steamer forced its way through 
the river gorges, there burst into vicAv a particularly 
beautiful combination of ravishing river and mountain 
scenery, charmed with all the poetry of distant prospects 
and vast horizons, and in the near distance was a gentle 
curl of smoke arising from one bluff, which ever and 
anon in the gloaming or twilight (which in this sub- 
Arctic zone is lengthened out to 10 P. M.), shed a 
shower of crumbhng ash-sparks down the cinder-strewn 
slope. The pi'rotechnic display was exceedingly pretty, 
and the effect enhanced by the solitude of the region. 
Not a sound — the steamer stopped in this widening-out 
river caiion for the night — except the inimitable 
AA'arblings of the colobei (nightingale). The sight was 
the nearest approach to a small-scale Vesuvio I ever 
saw; and all the passengers looked with silent admiration 
on the scene. 
Explanations were soon forthcoming. One of the 
steamer's officers said the bluff had been afire for many 
years— how long he could not tell; nor could anybody 
else. Year after year, both summer and winter, the fire 
was gradually burning or eating its way along the ridge 
of bluifs, but at so small a rate of speed from year to 
year that its progress was almost imperceptible even to 
the river men. 
It was supposed, said tiie informant, that a forest con- 
flagration originally started the fire. But what was it that 
was burning (the forests about this and immediate 
hill-ridges having been burnt off), was asked. That, 
replied the officer, was the subject of research some 
years ago by a party of Russian geologists Avho went 
over the ground. They reported the fire was burning 
on "kamen lec" (stone forests), that is, petrified forests 
thousands of years old. Coal, I may remark, has never 
been used in this part of the globe. 
The inference is clear. Extensive coal ridges are 
slowly being consuroed, meaning that thousands of tons 
of good fuel affe wasted. And yet the fire Avas certainly 
not So foFhiidable that it could not be extinguished fey 
a pipe line from the nearby river. A couple of days' 
work from a steamer's pumping engine, through half a 
mile of hose, Avould probably suffice. 
In a lengthy foi-mel- paper on fuel in Cibipia (as the 
slafs spell the country, but pronounce it as Ave do), 
mention was made that I never saw any evidences of 
coal during a year's journeyings hither and thither across 
the land. But that burning "stone forest" ridge (al- 
though I have never forgotten it) did not occur to lily 
mind as that article was written. The consuming coal- 
mountain incident, howcA^er, was down on a list of sub- 
jects for treatment in a projected book of travels, Avhich, 
promising to prove a complete financial fiasco (like 95 
per cent, of all books published), AVas abandoned for the 
safer method of getting the special-feature articles pub- 
lished in a representative journal. 
The other day I canVe across in my vest-pocket 
diary the entry that reminded me to write this chapter. 
It is in French — because all American tourists find it 
extremely useful to know that idiom, and, aftfer a lohg 
spell of foreign travel, get to think and AVrite in it. The 
note is as follovAfs: 
19 June (1 July)) WedHtsa'ay.— Isuit, pelit volcan; charbon 
brulant. 
Which means literally: "Night, petty A^olcano; coal 
burning." — The first date is the old-style slaf one, as 
they are always -a dozen days behind us; and almost 
always as many years behind us CA^en in the simplest 
improvements. L. Lodian. 
Tales of the Frontier. 
IIU-The Flight f6r Life. 
FROJt a Woman member of one of the little bands of 
pioneers Who fled from the Avrath of hiercilcss foes on 
the Minnesota frontier at the beginning of the great 
uprising of the SioVlx, iny brother, I. N. Belknap, ob- 
tained the following story, and from him it came to me. 
The full history of the great Indian massacre of 1862 — 
the bloodiest of all savage slaughter in American story — 
has never been written, and never can be written. And 
only occasionally is it possible to add anything authentic 
to our partial knoAvledge of that terrible time. I take 
pleasure in sharing with the readers of Forest and 
Stream this short additional chapter of that tragic story, 
of the truth of Avhich I am fully persuaded: 
Above the town of NeAv Ulm, Minnesota, on the north 
or left bank of the Minnesota River, a small tributary 
creek known as the Sleepy Eye empties into the main 
stream; and a fcAV miles above its mouth its first little 
colony of pioneer settlers made their home near the 
timber that lined its banks. But few in-numbefs — fouf 
families, if I recollect aright — they by common consent 
built their little hamlet on the plan similar to that of the 
Russian peasants — each family on that corner of their 
adjoining "quarter sections" that brought the houses 
closely together — and save for monotony inseparable 
from pioneer life, their days were those of enjoyment 
and pleasurable anticipation, as they toiled in the building 
up of more comfortable homes; and Avere all uncon- 
scious of the coming visitation of savage wrath soon to 
be let loose upon the frontier. 
As time went on, and the wandering bands of Sioux, 
passing back and forth, became familiar objects to their 
curious eyes, they were occasionally visited by aged 
and partially decrepit members of the tribe Avho came 
on various begging errands; and among them was one 
old woman who appeared to be more than usually Avill- 
ing to be helpful to them in any of their Avork which she 
could understand, and Avhich she promptly volunteered to 
do in return for the little kindnesses of the Christian 
white Avomen who pitied the hard lot of the poor old 
creature, and who vied Avith each other in small favors 
to the one member of the savage race w^ho appeared 
capable of gratitude. 
Months came and Avent, and little by little the old 
Indian woman grew to be a more familiar object in the 
little hamlet; and she, having become fully convinced 
that the mode of life of the white people was better than 
that of the Indians, and that the comforts of their ever}^- 
day life, which they kindly shared with her, were much 
greater than any she could hope for in the teepees of her 
own people, finally, and' with the full consent of all in the 
little settlement, took up her abode with them. 
Little did they then imagine that in extending Chris- 
tian charity to the poor old creature, they Avere really 
casting their bread upon the Avaters, and Avere to find it 
again "after many days." 
Her defection from the tribe Avas promptly noticed, 
and scowling looks and muttered imprecations of her 
former associates soon convinced the old woman that 
Avhatever she might afterward knoAv of friendship could 
be expected only among the whites. 
In the early part of the fateful year of 1862 the settlers 
became gradually aware of something of change in the 
demeanor of the savages, but so cunning were these 
crafty sons of deceit and treachery that only a slight 
uneasiness was noticeable among the settlers as the 
days drew on. 
It was a lovely summer evening. As the stm sank 
lo w in the west and the cool of the evening came on 
and the breeze was sighing itself to sleep among the 
wild flowers of the prairie, all the white members of the 
lonely little colony on the Sleepy Eye were gathered on 
the common in front of their little hamlet in quiet en- 
joyment of tlie peaceful evening. The old Indian woman 
remained in one of the houses alone. 
And now what nameless dread began creeping into 
their hearts? Had the breeze from the north been 
Avhispering some terrible story— all too unintelligible to 
the dull ears of the listening white people — of an un- 
speakable terror brooding over all the land; and were 
the drooping Avild flowers of the prairie nodding only 
in mute recognition of the awful tale? 
A glance to the northward from one of the party de- 
tected a moving object in the distance which seemed to 
be fajpidly growing larger, and as all eyes were now 
turned in that direction it was soon made out to be a 
mounted man urging his horse to its utmost speed. 
Wondering at the Gauge of such precipitate flight, they 
Avatched the I'idcrg approach alohg the i-oad leaditig 
down the cteek. When lie eahife bppbSite theiti, iii- 
stead of tnminig ih.tDwafd thcm, lie dfeW up his foahl- 
ing hor^^e and erled,, "'Qei y'ouf Wagohfe and horses just 
as quick as you can! Mount ^Ind ride for your lives tb 
NcAV Ulin! War has btpken out, find they wei-e figHi:* 
mg at the Agenty all daj^ yeste!:>l.ay. tfie Sioli^.afe 
swarming evpryVVhteffe; killing evei-ybody th^y can find. 
Go just as. quick aS yoLi .can, and spl-ead the Avarhln^ 
as you go." , And aigaih the hoi-Se was spurred to i-apid 
liight, and the ridel" disappeared dOAvn the road. 
Turning frohi the last gliinpSe of the vanishing mes- 
senger, they Stared in blank ahiazeinent into eich others 
feyeS, foi-.it was on the molnent impossible to realize thie 
hori-oi- of it all! And even, iti the hurried coUnSll tliat: 
followed, it Avas urged thaf tlie .hian was pi-obably iiH- 
necessarily excited and frightened, and it .was finally de- 
cided that while it Was doubtless best to heed the warn- 
ing, that as night was now at hand, they Avould wait 
and take an early start on the folloA\'ing morning. 
At this moment the old Sioux woman, coming out of 
the house, saw the little group in earnest council and 
hurried up to learn the cause of their apparent excite- 
ment. The story was repeated to her, together with 
their decision to begin their flight on the following 
morning. Instantly the old creature fairly danced with 
excitement. "O you go now! You go now!" she 
screamed. "You don't know Dakotas. I do! You g© 
noAv! You go now. Thev not AVait for morning." 
"No," replied one of the men, "avc thirtk Ave know 
What We ai-e doing. We can't travel well in the night; 
but in the mbfnmg M^e can go faster, and see v^hat Ave 
are doing." . . . 
. "Well, .gfeiod-by!" said the, old woman, "t go how." 
Aiid suiting the action to tlie word, she drcAv up her 
blanket over her shoulders and started off at a rapid 
pace doAvn the creek. 
"Hold on, there, old lady." cried another of the men; 
' wait a moment. Boys, this old woman knoAvs more 
about these things than we do. I move that we go with 
her — right noAV." 
The wisdom of his proposition was at once .so ap- 
parent tliat it Avas instantly agreed to, and in a moment 
more all AVere in hurrying preparation for flight. 
Wliile the men and boys ran for their guns and am- 
munition, threw saddles and harness upon the horses, 
opened corrals, pig-pens and chicken houses, turning 
everything loose to care for itself, and brought the 
Avagons to the doors of the houses, the Avomen gath- 
ered food, bedding and extra clothing, and a few min- 
utes later the little band of fugitives were moving 
rapidly doAvn to the mouth of the Sleepy Eye, Avhere 
they forded the Minnesota River, and drove south across 
the river bottom and the wagon road leading down the 
"ver to NcAv Ulm and out upon the high prairie land to 
the southAvard, and camped for the night in the darkness 
of the prairie. "And," said the narrator, "we had not 
got out of hearing of our homes when there came to 
our ears the sound of guns, as the Sioux were killing 
our cattle." 
Sleep Avas a long time in closing the eyes of our fair 
informant that night When she awoke her first glance 
Avas toward the river, when, out from the edge of the 
nearest timber came two of the boys of her own party 
bending low over the necks of a pair of the swiftest 
horses of the fugitives, urging them to their best speed, 
Avhile a short distance behind them raced three mounted 
Sioux in the endeavor to cut them off. But the ponies 
of the Indians were no match for tlie horses of the white 
settlers, and soon the savages gave up the chase and 
rode back into the timber. The boys had risen very 
early and gone on a scout of their own, with the result 
of fully satisfying their curiosity. 
All Avas now^ excitement in the little camp. A mouth- 
ful of breakfast Avas hastily swallowed, and the horses 
were soon in harness ready for the forward movement. 
'^'Where you go noAv?" inquired the old Sioux woman. 
"To NcAV Ulm," was the reply. 
"Which way?" she persisted. 
'•Right down the main road along the river," said one 
of the men. 
"No, no! You no go that way," earnestly entreated 
the old woman. "Dakotas lie in the tall grass along the 
river, and they shoot you all!" she cried. 
A tumult of discussion noAV arose. The wisdom of 
the old woman's counsel seemed evident, as she pleaded 
for them to keep out on the high upland prairie, away 
from the river, and follow a course parallel Avith it. But 
the smooth wagon road along the river bottom— where 
they could travel so very fast. It proved too great a 
temptation, and in spite of her frantic gestures and im- 
passioned pleading in broken English, the decision was 
at length made to take the river road. 
"Well, then, good-by! I no go that way," said the old 
creature, and again her blanket was drawn up over her 
shoulders in preparation, and again she turned her back 
upon her new friends and started off on the prairie 
"Hold on! Llold on, there! Wait a minute!" cried 
one of the men. Turning to the anxious group, he said. 
"Here, now, listen to me. This old woman was born 
and raised among the Sioux, and it stands to reason that 
she knows how they act in "war better than we can pos- 
sibly know. And now, I just make a move that she be 
made the general of this expedition right here now, and 
that every man, Avoman and child be put under her 
orders; to do just exactly as she says in everything." 
This was promptly agreed to. and the old woman called 
back and iuA^estcd with the full command. 
Mounting to the top of the highest load of the things 
piled in the Avagons she now directed the course of the 
little caravan, and with a vigilance which never for a 
moment relaxed, and an eye that instantlv detected every 
moA'ement of bird or beast in the distance, she marched 
her Small force along the prairie highlands, Avhere the 
short grass of the prairie afforded no screen for am- 
bushed foes. 
The sound of guns began to come to their ears, and as 
the direful day drcAV on, the sound of firing grew more 
continuous, The world was up iu arms around them 
