Volume 1

NEW HAIR HILLS POST—GOOD ASSINIBOINES. 241
with Mr. Langlois and three men to summer there and
build a new fort. I pitched upon a delightful situation on
rising ground in the entrance of the 'plains; the view from
the house will be charming. I found here 15 Assiniboine
tents,—Old Frog, Chef des Enfants, etc.,—but I thought
proper to select a chief of my own. I chose a young man
who was a famous hunter, much respected among his own
people, and who, having committed some recent crime in his
own lands, I was fully persuaded would neither breed disturbance
with the Saulteurs nor wish to leave me. He had
command of ten tents, all excellent beaver hunters and provision
makers— in a word, the best little band of Indians I
ever met ; honest, industrious, and easy to please. Nau-
I gave him
bonostouog, or Man with One Ear, is his name ;
a chief's dress, a flag, and a large keg of liquor.
April ijth. I came off alone ; chased several herds of
buffalo, and killed three cows and several calves ; but I was
near leaving my bones in the plains, a prey for the wolves.
This was occasioned by my horse stumbling while at full
speed. I was just drawing my gun from the belt to fire,
holding it by the barrel near the muzzle, when the sudden
shock caused the priming to fire the gun
; the ball passed
near my hip and struck in the ground and the gun flew
some distance. I was in the midst of the herd ; a fine
large calf passing near me, I
dismounted, caught him by the
tail, and held him fast ; he began to bleat, when instantly
the mother turned and rushed at me ;
I was glad to let go
and run to my horse. As I reflected on my narrow escape,
it brought to mind a similar affair which happened to
me some years ago at Michipicotton, when shooting wild
fowl in the spring, in a small canoe. In attempting to
shift my gun from my left to my right side, passing the
muzzle behind my back, the cock got fast to one of the
bars, and, on my pulling the gun forward from behind me,
she went off ; the load grazed my right side, taking a piece
of my belt and capot away.
April i6th. My men began to inclose our potato field.