Volume 1

I04
ANOTHER DRINKING-BOUT BEGUN.
morning and wished to have liquor, but I was determined
they should have none until the two beaver hunters who
went to the hills returned. The men are making chimneys
; but, having no stone, we are obliged to build them
of clay ; it is not of a very good kind for the purpose, being
a coarse black mud, which, having no consistency, cracks
and falls to pieces on drying. On digging a hole eight feet
deep, in hopes of finding clay, we uncovered the carcass
of a buffalo, about 40 feet from the level of the river, on a
bank covered with oak. At ten o'clock Aupersay went out
to hunt buffalo with Crow's mare, but seeing two men
coming from the S. W., he returned at full speed to give
the alarm. All hands flew to arms, and the tops of the
trees were soon filled with people. We soon observed the
strangers to be the two hunters. Crow and Charlo, each
with a good pack of beaver. They gave me their skins,
telling me they were thirsty, and wanted a drink of my
milk to refresh them and give them a good taste for a
smoke. They informed us they had been on the Hair
hills, but had seen no tracks of the enemy. They had seen
several dead buffalo, and some with broken legs, or otherwise
wounded ; in particular, a cow with a broken back,
which could not walk. The wound appeared fresh, and to
have been made by a ball. They had found plenty
of beaver at the hills, but would not kill more than
they could carry on their backs. They traded for
liquor, and all began to drink, men and women. At two
o'clock the wind came from the S., and brought a thick
smoke, which must have come from the enemy. The Indians
grew more than usually troublesome. I quarreled
with Maymiutch, and took his gun away. Crooked Legs'
old wife came to inform me secretly that during the night
she had seen a Sioux at the door of all the Indians' tents,
who peeped in, and counted the number of men in each,
and then retired. I wished to laugh her out of her story,
but she insisted upon it. I suppose this old woman had a
dream, and believed it to have been a fact ; they are