EXPERIENCES OF A TRAPPER AND HUNTER 
FROM YOUTH TO OLD AGE 
By T. ALEXANDER 
CHAPTER XII. 
After breakfast Bill and I saddled our ponies and I asked my 
friend VanArsdell what was the damages. He said. “No damages— 
If you are ever through these parts again stop with me, you are wel¬ 
come.” We bade the happy couple farewell and went on our way to 
the Sack and Fox Reservation. We crossed the North Canadian River 
about noon. After staking our ponies we built a camp fire and got a 
lunch while we were there. Five Sack and Fox Indians rode uo to 
our camp and as they recognized Bill they dismounted, shook hands 
with him and seemed to be glad to see him. I, of course, stood like 
a dummy and I could not understand one word that was said. Finally 
Bill turned to me and said, “This is my friend Alexander, shake 
hands with him.” They did. but the handshake was light, with no grip 
to it and they gave me that “don’t fool” look that Indians always give 
strange white men. Only one of the five could speak good English, and 
he was a tall, good looking Indian by the name of Henry Miller. Prob¬ 
ably Henry was a halfbreed as he did not look to be a full blood. Bill 
went on to tell the Indians that 1 was really a white Indian, but was 
born when it was snowing and hence was white. Of course, I could not 
understand the language but I know that he was trying to impress the 
Indians with me and I guess he succeeded as I could see their counten¬ 
ance change. 
I prepared lunch for all of us and played cook for the bunch 
though I did not relish it, for policy sake I did my best. 
Henry Miller addressed me saying, “Cherokee Bill tells us that 
you are a white Indian and a great hunter and trapper. If Bill hasn’t 
lied to us, we are glad to have you with us as we have had a number 
of ‘would-be’ white Indians at different times, and they often turned 
out to be horse thieves or traitors, but Bill assured us that you were 
all right and we will take his word for you and you can stay in our 
country as long as you want to—that is to say, you can if you are the 
kind of a man Bill claims you to be. 
I assured Henry that I would make good and that if I didn’t he 
was at liberty to tie a tin can to me and set the dogs on. This brought 
a hearty laugh. After lunch I passed my tobacco. They all accepted 
and we mounted our horses and rode away.” 
— 57 — 
