OF THE 
 UNIVEBSIT 
 Of 
 

 
 $ * 
 
 
 •V* AM- • - 
 
 
Marking the Boundary 
 
 EDWARD EVERETT BILLINGS 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY 
 
 JOHN HENDERSON GARNSEY 
 
 ST. PAUL 
 
 The Price-McGill Company 
 
 455-473 CEDAR STREET 
 
Copyrighted 1893 
 
 BY 
 
 THE PRICE-McGILL CO. 
 
 I HINTED AND PLATED BY 
 
 THE PRICE-McGILL COMPANY 
 
 ST. PAUL, MINN. 
 

 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Joe * * * saw the savage spring into the air, Frontispiece 
 
 " Yes, the vacancy has been filled," - Page 17 
 
 He felt the eaves trough begin to give way 
 
 under his weight, - " 28 
 
 A gaunt old savage * * * rushed on the doctor 
 
 with uplifted knife, ------ "58 
 
 "Then don't get in a good man's way," - - " 66 
 
 The\ r all saw an Indian slowly walking toward 
 them, -------.-" 86 
 
 "Ugh! How! How!" " 102 
 
 The scout had scalped the dead Indian, - '- " 128 
 
 What was their astonishment to find themselves 
 
 within twenty yards of the nearest one, - " 142 
 
 In the apex of a pyramid * * * was the nest 
 
 containing Abe and Ben, " 155 
 
 Wolf Voice * * * stood there a lithe and almost 
 
 naked savage, " 174 
 
 It reached the ground, there to be confronted by 
 Joe, "188 
 
 Tom started back, his foot having loosened an 
 immense boulder, which went crashing down 
 below, " 204 
 
 'An accident! The} 7 came near causing one," " 214 
 
 Two loud reports rang out, ... . " 234 
 
 'Why, to wash out a few panfuls of this dirt," " 248 
 
 Nearing the lower end of the rope he went 
 
 slower and slower, " 270 
 
 M578529 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 " Hello! Tom!" 
 
 "Well! is that you, Joe? I'm glad to run 
 across you." 
 
 " And I'm glad to meet 3^011. I've wanted 
 to see you ever since I heard that you were 
 going out to the land of the buffaloes and 
 Indians. Is it actually a fact, Tom ? " 
 
 "Yes, it's true enough; my father has 
 promised that I may go," said Tom, with a 
 gleam of satisfaction flooding his face, 
 which in a measure subsided as he noticed 
 that his companion looked a little disap- 
 pointed. 
 
 "I don't envy you, but I do wish I were 
 going with you," said Joe. 
 
 "And don't I just wish that you were! 
 Why don't you try for a place of some kind, 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 Joe?" said Tom, and the two lads stood 
 discussing the all-absorbing topic of the 
 day, which was the equipping and departure 
 of the United States Northern Boundary 
 Survey. 
 
 "Why, what chance would I have?" 
 asked Joe, rather gloomily. 
 
 "You don't know until you've tried." 
 
 "But I've heard that the partj^ was 
 entirely made up." 
 
 "That will not make airy difference," said 
 Tom, as a sudden thought came into his 
 head. Tom Troxwell was a son of Major 
 Trox well, who was chief in command of the 
 expedition that was soon to start for the 
 north to finish laying off the forty-ninth 
 parallel, which is in part the boundary line 
 between the United States and the British 
 provinces. These two lads were about six- 
 teen years of age, and had been school- 
 mates for several terms in St. Paul, Minne- 
 sota. 
 
 "And why will it not make any differ- 
 ence?" asked Joe. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 " Because I can get you a letter from rm^ 
 father and perhaps it will get you into my 
 party." 
 
 "I thought you were just going along 
 with your father and not as a regular 
 empire." 
 
 "Oh ! no ! there are no idlers allowed, and 
 every one who goes on this expedition must 
 be regularly employed, 1 ' said Tom, rather 
 ostentatiously. 
 
 "Well, what are 3-011 going to do? 
 You don't know any more about surveying 
 than I do, and neither of us went through 
 more than eight books of geometr\\" 
 
 "I'm not expected to know am^thing 
 about surveying. I'm the Second Assistant 
 Bug Catcher; at least that's what Dr. Goon 
 said I was to be. Oh ! he's the jolliest old 
 duffer I ever met, and I'm very glad I'm in 
 his party." 
 
 "Bug Catcher? He said you were to be 
 the Second Assistant Bug Catcher? He 
 must have been making game of you," said 
 
10 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 Joe, contracting his eyebrows in a puzzled 
 way. 
 
 " That's just the berth I'm going 
 to fill, all the same. You see, Dr. Goon 
 is the naturalist from the Smithsonian 
 Institute, and he has to have a lot of 
 fellows catching insects, and hunting 
 up bits of rocks and flowers and all 
 such things. It's going to be a jolly lark. 
 Come on over to father's office with me 
 and I'll get you a letter to Dr. Goon, which 
 I'm sure will get 3^011 in with us, if you 
 want to go." 
 
 " Want to go ! Why, I'd just give him my 
 head for a football to go with } r ou, and Til 
 try; if 3 T our father will be so kind as to give 
 me a letter I'll do nry best to deserve it," 
 said Joe Conklin enthusiastically, as he 
 followed his friend down Third street to 
 Bridge Square. There, in rather a dilapi- 
 dated old building, Major Troxwell had 
 an office, for in those daj T s (it was in the 
 spring of 1874) St. Paul, Minnesota, was 
 not the magnificent city it is now. Fortu- 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 11 
 
 nately Major Troxwell was in his office, and 
 as the two bo}^ entered he looked up from 
 the paper he was reading, saying good- 
 naturedly : 
 
 " Hello, Tom. I suppose 3 r ou ve come in 
 to tell me that you don't like the idea of 
 going up there among the Indians now 
 that Custer is stirring them up in the Black 
 Hills." 
 
 "Not much, sir. I'll chance them if 
 you're going, and I've brought my chum 
 with me. He wants to go along, too," 
 replied Tom, presenting his friend, who 
 acknowledged the introduction in such a 
 graceful way as quite to win the old 
 major's good opinion, and he thought that 
 his son had done well in his choice of a 
 friend. 
 
 " Well, boys, it seems to me that half the 
 people in St. Paul want to go; all the 
 young fellows do, and they certainry can't 
 all go," said the major. 
 
 "Of course not; but, father, I do want to 
 have Joe with me, and we thought, if you 
 
12 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 would only give him a letter— just the right 
 kind of a one, you know, — to Dr. Goon, it 
 might get him into his party." 
 
 "Oh! What a diplomatic young man 
 you are! And you'll be satisfied with that, 
 will you? Well! I'll write you a note to 
 the doctor, but I'm afraid his party is com- 
 plete and it will do you no good," said the 
 major, and, wheeling around in his chair 
 and grasping a pen, he scratched off a few 
 lines, which he folded and handed to Joe. 
 
 "Thank you, major, thank you," said 
 Joe; "even should I be unsuccessful I shall 
 remember your kindness." 
 
 "That's all right, my boy. I only hope it 
 may be of service to you," replied the 
 major, resuming his paper, and the boys 
 withdrew to hunt up Dr. Goon. This gen- 
 tleman was found in his room at his hotel, 
 busily engaged at a table, writing. A gruff 
 "Come in!" responded to Joe's rather 
 timid knock. 
 
 "I believe this is Dr. Goon ? " said Joe. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 13 
 
 "Yes, sir, that's what I'm called," an- 
 swered the doctor, carefully putting his pen 
 behind his ear and leaning back in his chair. 
 He was such a jolh r looking little old man 
 that Joe could hardly refrain from laughing 
 at the sight of him. 
 
 He was very stout and bald, with but a 
 fringe of hair, as white as snow, running 
 around the back of his head, and smooth 
 shaven save for a bushv trim miner of 
 white whiskers under his chin from ear to 
 ear. A wig of heavy brown hair lay on his 
 desk in front of him. His general appear- 
 ance reminded Joe so much of a jack-in-the- 
 box he once had when a little bo}^ that he 
 nearly lost the use of his tongue, but he 
 managed to reply : 
 
 "I have a letter of introduction for you 
 from Maj or Tr ox well . ' ' 
 
 "Humph ! ' Introducing Mr. Joseph Conk- 
 1^,' " said the doctor, reading the superscrip- 
 tion. "How d'ye do, Mr. Conklin? This 
 other young man I believe I've met before, 
 the major's son, eh? " 
 
14- MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "Yes, sir," replied Tom, and the doctor 
 hurriedly glanced over the letter, and then 
 eyed Joe from head to foot. 
 
 "Well, Mr. Conklin, 3^011 think you're 
 especially fitted for this rough kind of 
 work ? " 
 
 "I was brought up on a farm and can do 
 most any kind of work from handling an 
 axe to — to — " and here Joe, hesitating for an 
 appropriate word, was helped out hy the 
 doctor with — 
 
 "To skinning a butterfly, eh?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "And 3 r ou suppose that you could skin 
 and stuff butterflies, I don't doubt; now, 
 don't you know, 3'oung man, that it takes 
 3^ears of practice to do that ? " 
 
 "I can imagine it would, sir." 
 
 "Well, that's so, but we have lots to do 
 besides sticking pins into butterflies. My 
 part3' was entire^ filled three days ago," 
 said the doctor, and Joe's lower lip fell a 
 trifle and his heart sank to the lowest 
 depths, for he had hoped from the doctor's 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 15 
 
 manner that there was a possibility^ of his 
 going upon this great journey of explora- 
 tion. 
 
 "I'm awfully sorry to hear it. I did not 
 know but you might need more assist- 
 ance, and — " 
 
 "And you thought you were just the 
 young man to give it? Well, sir, let me tell 
 you, you are born under a lucky star; cir- 
 cumstances are propitious to } T our very first 
 ambitions. You desire to assist natural 
 histoiw in its endeavors to enlighten this 
 world of ignorance? It is worthy of any 
 man. You have appeared on this scene at 
 the most opportune time. My Third Assist- 
 ant Bug Catcher has been exchanged to a 
 position in the Mound Builder's party, and 
 I'm not sorry; he was too big and clumsy 
 for work of this kind. He was not a man 
 of my choosing, no indeed ! I could not help 
 thinking of the state of mylepidoptera com- 
 ing out from under his heavy hand when- 
 ever I looked at him, and my cryptogamia 
 
16 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 would have looked like chop-feed fit for the 
 mules after his handling." 
 
 "And has his place already been filled, 
 sir?" asked Joe Conklin, almost quivering 
 with anxiety, for the doctor had taken up 
 a small book, written a line or two in it, 
 and had then closed it. 
 
 "That man of whom I've just been speak- 
 ing, will most likely take more solid comfort 
 in pounding stakes into the ground than in 
 any employment he would have found with 
 me," said the doctor, not answering Joe's 
 question, but glancing at him from the 
 corner of his eye. 
 
 "Excuse me, sir, but is his place already 
 filled ? " repeated Joe. 
 
 "That man will most likely be congratu- 
 lating himself the whole time upon getting 
 out of just what you want to get into. 
 Yes, the vacancy he created has been filled," 
 said the doctor, and the boj'S, feeling that 
 further conversation would be useless, were 
 about to withdraw when the doctor with a 
 merry twinkle in his eyes asked : 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 17 
 
 "Have you no desire to know who has 
 filled that vacant berth? " 
 
 YES, THE VACANCY HAS BEEN FILLED. 
 
 "I'm afraid it would not make much dif- 
 ference to our interests, sir," replied Joe, in 
 
 a lugubrious voice. 
 
18 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "Now it might, jou can't tell; 3 t ou must 
 never give up at the first rebuff in this 
 world ; you might find that some diffident 
 young fellow had it, that could very eas- 
 ily be persuaded to resign in your favor," 
 said the doctor, laughing at the expression 
 on the boys' faces. 
 
 "Well, who is the lucky -fellow? I'm sure 
 we'd like to know," asked Joe. 
 
 "Well, I have written the name of Joseph 
 Conklin in place of the man exchanged," 
 replied the doctor, laughing heartily. 
 
 "Oh! thank you, doctor, thank you, and 
 I'm really to go with 3^011 ? I can't begin to 
 thank you enough," cried Joe, too happy to 
 command words. 
 
 "Then don't try, my boy, but wait a bit, 
 and in the near future do it with work." 
 
 "I will, indeed! I'll try to do everything 
 required of me in as faithful a manner as 
 possible," said Joe, earnestly. 
 
 "All right, all right, boys, you'll find 
 enough to do after awhile." 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 19 
 
 " And I've nothing else to do about join- 
 ing the expedition, sir? " 
 
 " Nothing, except to be on hand promptly 
 at the depot the da} r we leave; a week from 
 day after to-morrow is the day now set for 
 our departure, I believe, " replied the doctor, 
 and, after again expressing their thanks, the 
 boys took leave of the jolly old natu- 
 ralist. 
 
CHAPTER IT. 
 
 The da}^s dragged along as da} r s only 
 can to boys desirons of killing time, for the 
 old man with the scythe appears to take a 
 malicious delight in going his slowest pace 
 when boys want him to step along smartly. 
 This week to Joe Conklin had been any- 
 thing but a happy one. His father had 
 refused to give his consent to his going 
 on the expedition, and had forbidden the 
 further mention of the subject. Joe had 
 always been a most dutiful son to a harsh 
 and unloving father, and as yet had never 
 openly disobeyed his commands. The even- 
 ing previous to the expedition's departure 
 had arrived, and once more Joe supplicated 
 his father to allow him to go. This, instead 
 of bringing about the desired result, put his 
 father in a frenzy, and a wordy scene 
 between the two ended in poor Joe receiv- 
 ing a sound thrashing. 
 
 20 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 21 
 
 Alas, for poor Joe's equanimity of mind ! 
 He might have overcome his temptations 
 but for this ; now he vowed he would go in 
 spite of his father's refusal. The tempta- 
 tions had fast rolled themselves into a 
 determination, as the unfortunate lad lay 
 sobbing and moaning on his bed in his little 
 attic chamber, moaning more in the spirit 
 than the flesh, as Joe was one of those 
 tough fellows that could stand a large 
 amount of corporal punishment. He would 
 have laughed at this drubbing from another 
 boy, but from his father, given in the spirit 
 that it had been, it made him sore at heart. 
 Joe pulled himself together with an effort, 
 repressed his feelings and said to himself: 
 
 "He's never been half what a father 
 should be to me." 
 
 This palliated the thoughts of his resolve 
 for a surreptitious leave taking. A mother's 
 love Joe had never known, his mother hav- 
 ing died in his infancy. 
 
 Joe leaned out of the window of his little 
 room and wondered if he should ever come 
 
22 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 back to it, for he had made up his mind that 
 he would leave the house during the night 
 unknown to his father. That gentleman 
 had evidently been thinking of some such 
 similar event happening, for just then, Joe 
 heard a click in the lock of his door behind 
 him. 
 
 " Ha ! " exclaimed Joe, as he turned and in 
 a mad rush threw himself against the door. 
 But to no purpose. It was stout and 
 would have resisted anything but an axe, 
 and this Joe did not have. Joe then listened, 
 and he heard his father's footsteps receding 
 from the door. Yes, he was locked in. He 
 again walked to the window and looked 
 down. Too far for a jump — forty feet or 
 more. Joe looked to the right and then to 
 the left. Tall elm trees extended their 
 branches tantalizingly near, 3-et many feet 
 from Joe's window. He looked out and 
 above. At the far corner of the roof a 
 branch from a large elm all but touched the 
 cornice. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 23 
 
 "Oh! for some way to reach that limb," 
 thought Joe. 
 
 Again he looked above him and noticed 
 that the eaves trough ran along the edge of 
 the roof above his window, extending to 
 the corner of the house and all but touching 
 it. Could he reach the eaves trough from 
 his window, he knew he could swing along 
 hand over hand until he came to the limb of 
 the elm, and from thence to the ground it 
 was an easy road. But to catch the eaves 
 trough from his window! And, then would 
 it support his weight? Here were two dilem- 
 mas. The first he could calculate upon, but 
 the latter was an awful thought. There 
 was an old jointed fishing rod in his room, 
 and with this he measured the exact dis- 
 tance from the window sill up to the trough. 
 He found that he could just reach it; but 
 again that awful thought! If he launched his 
 weight out on it, would it hold him ? There 
 was no way of ascertaining but by making 
 the attempt, and this he decided upon doing 
 as soon as the clock in the court house 
 
24 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 tower struck one. The moon was nearly 
 full and lent her aid in showing him 
 the way out of his troubles. If he were 
 only successful a few hours would find him 
 on his way to the free and untrammeled 
 trails of the prairies. There he would be 
 restricted by no unreasonable father; there 
 he would be a man dependent upon himself. 
 Again, on the other hand, should that old 
 trough overhead — No, no ! He put such 
 dismal thoughts out of his head ; no use bor- 
 rowing trouble. He had determined to try 
 this one and only mode of escape. The pros- 
 pect before him was well worth the risk, 
 and thus he reasoned until the clock chimed 
 the fateful hour. A shudder ran through 
 his frame as his eyes glanced below. But he 
 must look up and on, and trust that 
 he might find the old trough strong and 
 firm. 
 
 Joe lowered the upper sash and then stood 
 out upon the sill, one leg on either side of 
 the window sashes, supporting himself with 
 these as he straightened up and reached 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 25 
 
 above for the edge of the trough. Securing 
 this with his hands took his utmost 
 endeavor, and indeed, as he slowly dropped 
 his weight upon it his toes alone rested on 
 the sill. Then he slowly drew his feet up 
 from the sill. It was solid. Yes, solid and 
 firm there, but what might it be further on 
 where he had no trusty sill? His was the 
 last window, and there was no succor until 
 he reached the -limb. "Faint heart will 
 never win, so here goes," thought Joe, as he 
 swung himself forward, withdrawing one 
 hand and again grasping the edge of the 
 trough a couple of feet beyond. 
 
 Then came the most awful scream — a 
 blood-curdling yell from beneath, and poor 
 Joe almost lost his grasp as his blood chilled 
 to the ver\^ heart within him. A reverse 
 swing, and he was back again with the sup- 
 port of the sill beneath his toes. He was 
 feeling for the inside of his window with one 
 foot when again came that harrowing 
 sound from below, which at the unearthly 
 hour of one seemed intensified a thousand 
 
26 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 fold. Were the demons of trie lower regions 
 in wait for him beneath ? Did their oecult 
 powers tell them that here was a 003^ about 
 to disobey his father, and of a fearful doom 
 soon to be his in consequence? 
 
 The last prolonged yell was followed by a 
 sound more pronounced in its felineintensity, 
 and Joe grinned in the silence of the moon- 
 light as he again boldly swung himself clear 
 of the window. Once launched forth on his 
 perilous journey he did not stop to test or 
 question the strength of the trough, but 
 back and forth his lithe body swung through 
 the air, and each time one of his hands 
 loosed its hold his other was a couple of feet 
 further on. Joe was quite an athlete, and 
 this was no very great feat for him. The 
 strain was only on his nerves. Half the dis- 
 tance safely over and he congratulated him- 
 self that his fears had been needless. The 
 doleful 3 r ells of the cat had portended no 
 direful result. 
 
 On and on he swung himself, almost to 
 the end ; the honest limb of the old elm was 
 
HE FELT THE EAVES TROUGH BEGIN TO GIVE WAY UNDER HIS 
 WEIGHT. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 29 
 
 all but within his grasp, when — Oh ! Great 
 Heavens! What made the eaves trough 
 twist and give? What caused that creak 
 ing noise above him ? His heart sank within 
 him. Was his body going down, pulling 
 the eaves trough along? He felt the boards 
 turn and crack, then slowly sink with him. 
 There was no time to turn back ! Nothing 
 but a convulsive clutching at the board, his 
 finger nails digging into it as a drowning 
 man clutches at a straw. Down! Down! 
 Yes, he was surety sinking! The trough 
 could not sustain his weight; and within an 
 arm's length of the limb ! 
 
 What Joe's thoughts were he hardly knew 
 himself. He felt himself going, and braced 
 himself for the fall, thinking that all would 
 soon be over with him, when to his delight, 
 before the boards entirely gave away and 
 dashed him down to destruction, he felt the 
 leaves and trailing branches of another 
 smaller limb of the tree brush past him and 
 with the energy of despair he let go his 
 hands from the trough and clutched the 
 
30 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 frail branches of the big limb that was just 
 beyond him ! His chances hung by a few- 
 threads! An oriole might have built its 
 nest in these swinging branches and felt a 
 safety in their very insecurity, but with 
 Joe grasping them in his hands it was 
 another matter. Were they going to hold 
 him? He felt that they would have to, and 
 then climbing up hand over hand as if they 
 were an inch rope, and not stopping to 
 question the situation, Joe soon found him- 
 self on a stout limb, and from there to 
 another and then to the main trunk, and 
 quickly sliding down was once more on 
 terra firm a! 
 
 What was there to tell of his escape? An 
 open window and a hanging corner of the 
 eaves trough. Joe might be said to have left 
 the window open and have jumped to the 
 ground, but t e most credulous would never 
 admit that he could have broken the eaves 
 trough. 
 
 " And so your father relented at last, did 
 he?" asked Tom, as he grasped Joe's hand 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 31 
 
 the next morning in the crowd at the rail- 
 way depot. 
 
 "No, he did not, and I've had a hard time 
 to get here, but here I am and I want to get 
 out of sight until the train leaves, for I 
 have had to run away, after being locked 
 up, and I am afraid he'll be after me," said 
 Joe, as he gazed furtively about, although he 
 looked none the worse for his midnight 
 adventure. 
 
 "Then let's get out of here, and into one of 
 the cars, where we can keep a watch from 
 the window," urged Tom, as he hurriedly 
 pulled Joe along after him. 
 
 Eveiwthing was in confusion; men and 
 baggage a tumbling mass. The bo\^s- had 
 no sooner found seats than Dr. Goon came 
 along, evidently looking after his own 
 party. 
 
 "My men are all here save one. Do any 
 of you know whether Mr. Hugill is with 
 us? He is to be a member of my party. Do 
 you boys know anything of Mr. Hugill?" 
 
32 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "No, sir, I don't even know him," said 
 Tom. 
 
 4 'Nor I, sir," echoed Joe. 
 
 "Well, I wish he'd come along; we have 
 only ten minutes left before our allotted time 
 for departing, and I don't want to leave 
 without my First Assistant Bug Catcher," 
 said the doctor, who leaned over the boys 
 and looking out of their window, added hur- 
 riedly: "Here he comes now, we're all 
 right." The boys looked out of the window 
 and saw a very tall and handsomely dressed 
 man step out of a coach the top of which 
 was piled up with trunks and valises. This 
 newcomer had long blonde side whiskers 
 and was dressed in the very height of fash- 
 ion. He paid and dismissed the cabman, 
 and then ordered some men to put his bag- 
 gage on board the train. 
 
 "Only one hundred pounds of baggage 
 allowed to any one man, Mr. Hugill," said 
 a man, stepping out from the crowd, who, 
 the boys found out afterward, was the 
 wagon-master, and had to superintend 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 33 
 
 the bnggage and freight supplies. Mr. 
 Hugill yery quietly adjusted a glass in his 
 right eye, and after surve}-ing the wagon- 
 master for a full minute, drawled out with 
 a most inimitable English accent: 
 
 "Why, bless my soul! man, d'3'e suppose 
 I'm only going to spend the evening with 
 ye?" 
 
 "Can't help it, Mr. Hugill. Major Trox- 
 well himself takes only one hundred pounds 
 with him, and I've strict orders about it." 
 
 "Blawstit! man,ca\vn'tyemakean excep- 
 tion in my case? I'm not used to such 
 things, ye know." 
 
 "You'll have to see the major, and get 
 orders from him," answered the wagon- 
 master, shortly. 
 
 "Blawst this whole beastly Yankee 
 nation! I will see the major," said Hugill, 
 walking hurriedly down the station plat- 
 form to where the major stood talking to 
 some of the officers, and Dr. Goon straight- 
 ened himself up and laughed most heartily, 
 as he said : 
 
34 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "That fellow Hugill is as good as a 
 comedy any day; I'm glad we're not to go 
 off and leave him." 
 
 "Was he out with the expedition last 
 year?" asked Tom. 
 
 "Yes, he was in my party, and a very 
 good man to work, too, when once out in 
 the field," replied the doctor, and a moment 
 after they saw Air. Hugill approach the 
 wagon-master and hand him a slip of 
 paper. The man read it and then giving 
 orders to some others they put all of Mr. 
 Hugill's six trunks and many valises on 
 board the train. The shrill whistle sounded 
 out upon the early morning air of a delicious 
 spring day. The bell rang and the conduc- 
 tor shouted : 
 
 "All aboard!" 
 Mr. Hugill made a rush for the cars, but 
 was intercepted by a short man with a full 
 square cut beard whom Joe had already dis- 
 covered to be his father. That gentleman 
 was much excited, and exclaimed wildly as 
 he grasped Hugill by the coat collar: 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 35 
 
 " Where's Joe Conklin? Where's myjoe?" 
 
 "How do I know where your Joe is? My 
 good man, step aside or I am left ! " 
 
 "Stop this train ! Where's the conductor? 
 Hello, there!" excitedly shouted Mr. 
 Conklin as Hugill rudely tore himself from 
 his grasp and rushed to the now rapidly 
 moving train and sprang upon the rear 
 platform of the car that the boys were in. 
 The train did not stop nor did Mr. Conklin, 
 senior, see fit to get on. Mr. Hugill walked 
 along the aisle looking for a seat and found 
 an unoccupied one next to the boys. 
 Addressing himself to them he said : 
 
 "I wonder who that crazy old duffer 
 might have been that imagined I was kid- 
 napping his Joe— Joe— Joe something, I did 
 not catch the last name, ye know." 
 
 "Some escaped lunatic," replied Tom, 
 winking at Joe. 
 
 Here Dr. Goon came back again through 
 the car with a pleasant word for everj-body, 
 as he steadied himself with a hand on the 
 backs of the seats against the jerking 
 
36 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 motion of the cars. Joe was now fearful 
 lest the doctor had discovered that he was 
 running away, but he soon banished this 
 from his mind. 
 
 "How d'ye do, doctor! Why, bless me! 
 you look 3 r ounger than when we journe3 T ed 
 together last summer; 'pon me word, 3 r e're 
 looking well!" cried Hugill, as he shook 
 hands with the doctor. 
 
 "Thank you, Hugill, I feel as 3 r oung as the 
 rest of 3 r ou, but let me introduce 3 t ou to our 
 fellow- workers, Mr. Tom Troxwell, son of 
 our astronomer, and Mr. Joe Conklin. You 
 might try to acquaint them with their 
 future duties, if you will be so kind, as I 
 must attend to my things in the next car." 
 
 "Right 3^ou are, doctor, I'll do what I can, 
 yeknow," returned Hugill. 
 
 The train was now bowling along at a 
 rapid rate and for the first time Joe felt that 
 he was safeh r on his w T ay to the great 
 unknown country of the Northwest. He 
 had not been able until now to conquer the 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 37 
 
 feeling that something would yet occur to 
 prevent him from going. 
 
 "I believe vou were out with the expedi- 
 tion last year, Mr. Hugill," said Joe, with a 
 shade of deference in his tone, for one who 
 had alread3 r trod the glorious prairies was 
 one to be respected in his estimation. 
 
 "Yes — I went with the expedition lawst 
 year, ye know, and if I had known what 
 beastly arrangements had been made for 
 transportation this summer, I'd have made 
 my arrangements to sta\- home," replied 
 Mr. Hugill, stroking his long blonde side 
 whiskers, with one hand. 
 
 "One hundred pounds of baggage doesn't 
 seem much," said Tom, wondering what kind 
 of a comrade this would prove to be. 
 
 "One hundred pounds! Don't ye know, 
 at home that would be as nothing," cried 
 Mr. Hugill. 
 
 "But how did you manage? I noticed 
 that you had all of your trunks put in the 
 baggage car," asked Joe, thinking that per- 
 
38 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 haps this gentleman had some influence at 
 court. 
 
 "They allowed me transportation for 
 everything to Fort Buford ; that's the point 
 where we leave the Missouri, ye know, and 
 take to wagons. Beyond that I have to 
 furnish my own transportation to Fort 
 Benton ; that's at the head of navigation, 
 so after parting with my boxes at Buford I 
 will not see them again until we reach 
 Benton in the fall. You see, we go due north 
 from Buford to the line where we left off 
 work lawst }^ear. Thence west along the 
 line to the Rock3 r mountains, where we con- 
 nect with the terminus of the survey that 
 was made back in the fifties. After connect- 
 ing with a monument there, we strike south 
 to Fort Benton, ye know, and either disband 
 there or come down the Missouri again, 
 and as I don't intend coming back to St. 
 Paul I've taken all my belongings with me, 
 ye know," said Hugill, in a drawling tone, 
 yet withal in a pleasantly disposed way, to 
 make these novices understand what was 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 39 
 
 the plan of the summer's campaign in as 
 few words as was possible. 
 
 1 ' Oh ! I see, it's a long trip, is n 't it ? " said 
 Joe. 
 
 " It will not seem so long, though it will 
 take us all summer to make it." 
 
 The pine forests and tamarack swamps of 
 Minnesota were rapidly followed b\- the 
 rolling prairies of Dakota and the journey 
 by cars to Bismarck was soon made. The 
 wearisomeness of the ride was lessened by 
 the novelty of the sights from the car win- 
 dows, and in making friends among the 
 men. Bismarck was reached in the after- 
 noon of the next day, and without being- 
 allowed time for the inspection of this 
 frontier town, ever\^ one was ordered to 
 report on board the steamer, or rather the 
 flat-bottomed steamboat, waiting for them 
 at the landing, which was about a mile 
 from the town. 
 
 All was confusion at the boat, as the load- 
 ing had to be done before night. Over one 
 hundred mules were tied up on the lower 
 
40 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 deck, the wagons being lined all about 
 the upper one. The commissary supplies 
 and baggage had to be stowed away and 
 then the men were told that they might 
 make use of the great canvas-covered 
 wagons for their state-rooms. 
 
 "This is pretty jolly, isn't it?" said Joe, 
 as he and Tom threw their rolls of blankets 
 into the bottom of a wagon and made 
 down their bed. 
 
 The next morning with the first streak of 
 daylight the boat was heading up the 
 stream in the muddy and swollen Missouri. 
 The scenery was changeless, cut banks and 
 low bottoms, at which the boys were soon 
 tired of gazing. 
 
 "I wonder what that big sheet of iron is 
 for, up there on each side of the pilot- 
 house," asked Tom. 
 
 "Let's go and ask the pilot," replied Joe. 
 
 "He may not want any one up there with 
 him." 
 
 " Well, he can tell us so. Come on, let's go 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 41 
 
 tip these little stairs and ask him if we may 
 come in awhile." 
 
 " All right, yon go on up and I'll follow," 
 said Tom, and as the boys gained the door 
 of the pilot-house the boat was quite near 
 to the bank, on which the bo\-s saw an 
 Indian running up and down, waving his 
 blanket, evidently signaling the boat ; then 
 the door of the pilot-house suddenly opened 
 and the man at the wheel shouted : 
 
 "Come in! Come in, quick! if 3-011 don't 
 want to get shot, quick ! " and the bo\-s had 
 no sooner stepped inside than the heavy 
 door swung shut behind them. 
 
 What was that peculiar twanging sound 
 that whistled past their ears? and what 
 made the pilot act so excitedly? It was the 
 first time in their lives that a leaden messen- 
 ger of death had flown by within a few 
 inches of their heads, and as yet the\^ were 
 unconscious of their narrow escape. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 " Well, now, if that pesky varmint didn't 
 play it pretty cunning! He don't show 
 himself again so bravely," said the captain, 
 as he peered over the top of the iron screen 
 that had first attracted the boys' attention, 
 holding in his hands a long needle-gun ready 
 for a snap shot. 
 
 "Why! what's the matter?" asked both 
 the boys together. 
 
 ''Matter! That government pet sent a 
 bullet mighty close to you chaps as you 
 came in that door," replied the captain. 
 
 "Is that so? I thought I heard some- 
 thing sing b3 r my ear but was not certain," 
 said Tom. 
 
 "But I'm sure I heard it and could not 
 imagine what it was, but I heard no 
 report," declared Joe, stepping close up to 
 the captain to watch for signs of the Indians. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 43 
 
 "Of course you could not hear it from 
 here, with all the noise of our engines," 
 answered the captain, who then slipped 
 over to the speaking tube and shouted 
 through it to those below: 
 
 "Watch out fur Injuns down there! Lie 
 down all hands and get ready 3 r er guns ! " 
 
 "Do j^ou think there are more of them ? " 
 asked Tom, with a slight tremor of excite- 
 ment in his voice. 
 
 "To be sure! Them fellers never hunts 
 alone. Dare say that pint of brush above 
 is full of them." 
 
 "Goodness! But I wish I had a gun, 
 too! " cried Joe. 
 
 "Do ye? Well, now, my boy, thars a 
 dozen in that ar' long box, back of the 
 wheel. Jest get out a couple, and if ye know 
 how ter shoot ye may have a chance. Keep 
 her head a couple pints out in the stream, 
 Bill." 
 
 "Aye, sir," said the pilot, speaking for 
 the first time, as he made a turn of the 
 wheel but keeping his eyes up the river. 
 
44- MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 The bo}^s found some cartridges in with the 
 rifles, and like all Minnesota bo3<s knew 
 well how to load them. 
 
 "That chap that took a pop at us disap- 
 peared as if he had sunk into the ground/' 
 remarked Joe. 
 
 "He most likety has crawled through the 
 long grass up to that brush," replied Tom, 
 keeping his eyes on that one spot, believing 
 he saw something more than the leaves 
 moving in the wind there. 
 
 "More water here than when we went 
 down, eh, Bill ? " said the captain. 
 
 "Aye, sir," returned that gentleman. 
 
 "We can clear the pint and stand off one 
 pint more? " 
 
 "Aye, sir." 
 
 "Then let her have it, and we'll chance 
 them infernal thieves doing an}- harm as we 
 go by." 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir," answered the pilot, giving 
 a slight turn to the wheel. 
 
 "How slowly we go!" exclaimed Joe, 
 impatiently. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 45 
 
 " Yes, the water is very swift here," said 
 Tom, still keeping his e\ r es on the brushy 
 point that the\ r were slowly nearing. 
 
 "We are gaining now," continued Joe, as 
 the captain had just rung for all the steam 
 that could be crowded on. 
 
 "Do you think there are many Indians in 
 that brush, captain? I am certain that I 
 see something moving." 
 
 "I reckon it's just chuck full of them. If 
 the boys down below had as good a chance 
 as we've got up here, we could make a clean 
 up, but them Injuns '11 keep back of that 
 brush and chance a pop at us," said the 
 captain. 
 
 The boat was now nearly opposite the 
 brush, and the water was getting less 
 rapid, so that their headway was increas- 
 ing. The boys were in a fever of excite- 
 ment, and, when the captain placed his 
 hat on the end of his gun and thrust it out 
 of the doorway the\^ could hardly contain 
 themselves. Several white puffs of smoke, 
 — and this time the boys plainly heard the 
 
46 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 report of the rifles from the bank — told them 
 that their suspicions had been correct. 
 
 " Never touched ! But it's not their fault 
 that they haven't spoilt a new four dollar 
 hat for me, and now let's give it to them, 
 bo\'s! " shouted the captain, as he hauled in 
 and examined his hat. 
 
 "But I can't see a thing to shoot at," 
 declared Joe, peering over the top of the 
 iron screen. 
 
 " Never mind, let's all turn loose on 
 that brush pile. Just as much luck in a 
 chance shot hitting one of them as if we 
 could see them to shoot at," asserted the 
 captain. 
 
 "All right, here goes!" said Joe, and, 
 Bang! Bang! Bang! went the old needle- 
 guns; hurriedly reloading, Bang! Bang! 
 Bang! again went the guns, while a gen- 
 eral fusilade was now started from the 
 lower decks. 
 
 Nor was this received at all quietly by the 
 Indians, as from different quarters of the 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 47 
 
 underbrush the white puffs of smoke arose 
 and the reports of their rifles rang out. 
 
 "Ha! Ha! There's one fellow done for," 
 shouted the captain, as the tall form of an 
 Indian, gaudily bedecked in war paint and 
 feathers shot up into the air with both arms 
 thrown above his head, his rifle flying back 
 from his outstretched hands. 
 
 "Lucky shot, whoever hit him," replied 
 Joe, throwing in another cartridge and 
 again blazing away at the spot where he 
 saw the Indian fall. Tom had not been idle, 
 and from the empty shells scattered about 
 his feet one would think that his chances of 
 having sent some of them to their accounts 
 were not small. 
 
 "Thejr got more than they wanted that 
 time," said the captain, as the boat was now 
 fast leaving the dangerous spot. 
 
 " One of them will never try it again, and 
 more may have been wounded," asserted 
 Joe. 
 
 "The bullets whistled around here pretty 
 lively for a while. We can thank that screen 
 
48 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 for not getting hurt," said Tom, looking up 
 the river for the first time since the first shot 
 was fired. 
 
 " That's what we can, bo\ r s; but, Great 
 Heavens, Bill, they've hit you!" exclaimed 
 the captain. 
 
 "Aye, sir," answered the cool and undis- 
 turbed pilot, with his eyes steadily upon the 
 water course in front of him. 
 
 "Not much, I hope," said Tom, looking 
 uneasiW at the blood pouring down the 
 pilot's cheek. 
 
 "A bit of a scratch, that's all, and,capt'n, 
 if you'll hold her a bit, I'll run down and 
 wash my face and hunt up a bit of sticking 
 plaster," and with this, the longest speech 
 he had made in some time, he ran down the 
 steps. The major now came rushing up 
 much excited, but seeing Tom standing 
 unhurt he became himself again. 
 
 "Hello! major, just too late. I've not 
 had so much fun since I ran on the last 
 sand bar. These kids of yours are good 
 ones! " 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 49 
 
 "Nobody hurt, I'm glad to see. The pilot 
 said a bullet barely scratched his face. He 
 was in luck. Close call, that," remarked 
 the major. 
 
 "Close call, yes, I should say! I gave 
 them a chance at my hat and they couldn't 
 hit it, and then we turned loose on 'em," 
 replied the captain. 
 
 "I hope we'll have no more such work. 
 How long will it take us now to reach 
 Buford ? " asked the major. 
 
 4 'If we have good luck we may reach it in 
 four days." 
 
 "But what may happen, do you think, to 
 delay us?" 
 
 "Most anything you can think of, from 
 running on a sand bar to t3'ing up for dark 
 nights." 
 
 "Oh! that's a fact," said the major, and 
 then the boys followed him down to his 
 cabin. There they spent a few hours with 
 him and then sauntered out between the 
 decks. The shooting match, as it was 
 called, had been talked over and was soon 
 
50 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 forgotten b} r the most of them. The boys 
 hunted about in search of amusement and 
 came upon Mr. Hugill luxuriously ensconced 
 on a pile of mule harnesses, smoking a pipe. 
 He had a red skull cap on his head, his 
 lower limbs were encased in a pair of cordu- 
 roy breeches buttoning from the knees to 
 the ankles, and a blue woolen shirt com- 
 pleted his costume. He did not look quite 
 so aristocratic as on the day before. 
 
 "Well, Mr. Hugill, enjoying a smoke, are 
 you?" asked Tom. 
 
 "Yes, I've my old togs on now, and I just 
 wish my aunt, the Lady Frances Hugill, 
 might see me, just as I am; it would make 
 the old lady squirm in her chair; it would 
 bring her to time, but it's too late now, ye 
 know," drawled Mr. Hugill, between the 
 puffs of smoke issuing from his lips. He 
 pronounced certain vowels very broadly 
 and every word with a strong English 
 accent. 
 
 "What's too late? I don't understand 
 you," said Tom, amused at the figure Mr, 
 Hugill presented. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 51 
 
 "I told the old lady — my auntie know, is 
 the Lady Frances Hmjill — I told her she 
 would have to increase my allowance, and 
 blawst it if she did n't write and say she 
 would not send me another remittance, 
 that she had sent me the lawst penny she 
 was going to! I wrote her if she did not 
 I'd go off again on this beastly surveA', and 
 here I am, the only heir to the Hugill 
 estates, nothing but a bug catcher, blawst 
 the whole Yankee concern." 
 
 " Why did you not go off with the 
 English? They are to have their men up 
 there, too," asked Joe, thinking that if Mr. 
 Hugill did not like this government he 
 would better have staid among his own 
 people. 
 
 "That would never do, ye know; they 
 would all have heard of it at home." 
 
 "I think a^ou might have done worse. It 
 is something to be the First Assistant Bug 
 Catcher. I'm only the second and I'd not 
 change places with a senator," exclaimed 
 Tom. 
 
52 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "I'm only third and I'd not exchange 
 with the president," echoed Joe. 
 
 "That's all very well, now, but wait until 
 we've been out a few months, ye know; 
 then you will pine after the flesh pots of 
 Egypt. Then you will think of a dish of 
 potatoes as a beggar does of a plum pud- 
 ding," said H u gill, puffing furiously at his 
 pipe without getting any smoke. It had 
 gone out. 
 
 "Don't they give us any potatoes when 
 we are up there?" asked Tom, who 
 thought that thefare onboard the boat was 
 simply abominable, and if it were to grow 
 worse he feared he would starve. 
 
 "Nothing to eat and Indians shooting at 
 us alread\ r !" 
 
 "Yes, but we've had the fun of shooting 
 at them," returned Tom. 
 
 "Yes, and what profit is there in that? 
 Had one of the beggars put a hole through 
 you, your father would not have felt com- 
 pensated had we killed the whole Indian 
 nation. He was in a great stew down here, 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 53 
 
 and it took three of us to hold him from 
 running up there when the beggars were 
 peppering the sheet iron of the pilot house," 
 said Hugill, as he puffed away at his pipe. 
 
 Here the conversation was interrupted by 
 the shrill whistle of the boat sound- 
 ing out over the waters, and the roust- 
 abouts were making preparations for a 
 landing. Wood was to be taken on. It 
 was very slow work going up against the 
 heavy current, for here it was strong and 
 turbulent, a mad, surging mass of muddy 
 water, rushing and grinding against the 
 sand}^ banks, constantly cutting under and 
 tumbling down tons of earth that were 
 instantly churned about and dissolved by 
 the greedy waters. 
 
 The boat was nearing the bank. Two 
 bells sounded and the engines ceased their 
 powerful efforts. Nearer yet to the bank. 
 The headway was now gone; in a moment 
 more she was drifting down. One bell! 
 Again the engines labor, and with the pilot 
 rapidly turning the wheel her bow 
 
54 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 approaches nearer; the plank is run out, 
 and a deck hand, more venturesome than 
 the rest, with a small rope in his hand takes 
 a running jump ! Ha ! He scarcely finds a 
 footing, and for a moment all expect to see 
 him fall backward into the water, but by a 
 desperate grasping at the willows he climbs 
 up and pulls his small rope after him! 
 Then all give him a rousing cheer, for it 
 was a fine leap with the chances of a 
 muddy bath if he failed. To his small rope 
 is tied the heavy cable, which he hauls 
 after him, and securing it he runs on up the 
 bank and fastens it to the trunk of a 
 gnarled cottonwood tree. The boat now 
 comes close to the bank and the planks 
 connect them with the shore. Here are 
 long rows of cord wood, and back of the 
 wood the tops of a number of Indian tepees 
 are seen with the smoke curling above the 
 forking lodge poles. The pungent odor of 
 the box elder fires fills the air; the whole 
 atmosphere is laden with that scent so 
 DeculiarLy belonging to an Indian camp, 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 55 
 
 whether it be from the box elder fires, or the 
 red willow — or killikiniek as the\- call it — 
 that the\ r smoke. Then came the faces of 
 the squaws and pappooses peering from over 
 the wood and at the ends of the piles, while 
 the noble red men themselves, in dirty 
 blankets tightened at their waist with belts 
 full of government cartridges, stood in 
 stoical silence at the landing place. A 
 repulsive looking half-breed acted as inter- 
 preter, and the captain soon made a bar- 
 gain with the chief for the amount of wood 
 he wanted. 
 
 "Come, boys," said the doctor to Joe and 
 Tom, "let's go on shore while those fellows 
 are loading on the wood and see what we 
 can find." 
 
 "All right, sir," they both shouted, and 
 followed by Hugill, who had climbed down 
 from his seat on the harness, they all went 
 on shore. 
 
 11 What a dirty looking lot," said Tom. 
 
 "Yes, they are not over particular about 
 some things," replied Joe, as they picked 
 
56 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 their way, avoiding the remnants of deer 
 that lay deca}dng on the ground and over 
 which swarms of flies were buzzing. The 
 ground was littered with chips and bones, 
 bits of buckskin, odds and ends of all kinds 
 of fur, together with old moccasins and 
 worn out rags of blankets. 
 
 They strolled about the camp. Most of 
 the tepees were closed, however, and they 
 were about to return to the boat, when a 
 lodge larger than the rest and standing 
 somewhat away from the others attracted 
 their attention. This had its entrance 
 thrown wide open, the corners of the skin 
 covering pulled back showing the interior 
 to all observers. 
 
 "What kind of a la\ r out is this?" asked 
 Tom, peering inside. 
 
 The far side was divided off from the main 
 interior by a hanging curtain of deer hides 
 nicely tanned and curiously embellished 
 with rude drawings and figures. A curious 
 chain of polished elk's teeth hung down 
 from above, and many eagles' feathers 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 57 
 
 elsewhere adorned the background. The 
 curtain of buckskin was fringed, with porcu- 
 pine quills, and in front of this was what 
 evidently appeared to be a rude altar, 
 although at first sight this did not appear 
 as such to our hunters after specimens. 
 
 The doctor stepped in and looked about 
 him. All was quiet, and no one appeared to 
 be present to take umbrage at this inspec- 
 tion. On the queer structure of willow 
 sticks that afterward proved to be the altar 
 lay many curious things. At either end was 
 a collection of odds and ends that would 
 have defied the pockets of any boy to equal. 
 The rattles from the tails of innumerable 
 rattlesnakes, rabbit's feet, bear's claws and 
 owls' heads seemed to predominate. In the 
 center of the rude table lay an article that 
 the bo\'S would have passed by unnoticed 
 but upon which the doctor's e3^es were 
 fastened. 
 
 "Ha! ha! what's this? A phytolite ! and 
 one of the best and rarest specimens I've 
 ever found," said the doctor, bringing it out 
 
58 
 
 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 for more careful inspection in the sunlight, 
 and in his excitement, forgetting all about 
 the laws of u tneum et tuum" of which, 
 
 A GAUNT OT/D SAVAOB 
 
 RUSHKD ON THE DOCTOR WITH 
 
 'PT.TFTKP KNIFE. 
 
 however, he was most forcibly reminded by 
 a weird and gaunt looking old savage who 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 59 
 
 had followed him out and with a 3^ell of 
 execration now rushed upon the doctor 
 with an uplifted knife. The doctor's con- 
 nection with this story would have here 
 found an end had it not been for the quick- 
 ness and agility of Joe. The infuriated sav- 
 age sprang past Joe, but the lad was yet 
 quicker. Joe's right hand grasped the 
 uplifted wrist of the savage and the fingers 
 of his left seized upon the tangled scalp lock 
 of the murderous redman. Joe's left foot 
 was behind the Indian's heels and with a 
 sudden but dexterous movement the villain 
 w T as thrown sprawling on his back ! The 
 knife which he had clutched so wickedly 
 went flying through the air which was filled 
 with the yells of the Indian. Some one 
 would surely have been hurt had not others 
 of the expedition been close by, and now an 
 excited mob stood about the participants 
 in this incident. All were talking at once. 
 English and the Indian dialect were so com- 
 mingled that neither could be understood. 
 The old fellow that had suffered from Joe's 
 
60 MARKING THB BOUNDARY. 
 
 dexterous handling was haranguing his 
 tribe, and with wild gesticulations pointing 
 at the doctor. Then the half-breed inter- 
 preter was pushed to the front and when 
 silence had been obtained he said : 
 
 "Mena-tonah-haha is the great medicine 
 man of this tribe, the Gros Ventres, and 
 he says that while he was sleeping back of 
 his altar the 'chief-that-has-lost-his-sealp 
 (pointing to the doctor who stood with his 
 hat in his hand ; as it was a very warm day 
 he had left his wig in his state-room) came 
 and stole the god of the Gros Ventres, and 
 that he has it now in his pocket! " 
 
 Then came angry yells from the Indians, 
 the squaws and the pappooses seemed to be 
 the most infuriated. All looked at the 
 doctor for an explanation, and that good 
 man looked rather sheepish as he put his 
 hand in his pocket and produced what 
 appeared to be a smooth conical stone, 
 rounded at the top. 
 
 "That's it," said the half-breed, and then 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 61 
 
 the air was filled with yells, grunts and gut- 
 terals of all kinds from the Indians. 
 
 "Ha! ha! doctor, this bit of iconoclastic 
 robbery will have to be atoned for, ye 
 know; 'pon me soul, ye'll be out a good 
 pound of tobacco now," cried Hugill, laugh- 
 ing, and the doctor, taking the hint, sent 
 Tom back to the boat for a supply of that 
 weed which is more holy in the sight of the 
 Indian than all the gods of his forefathers. 
 
 The doctor then handed the stone that 
 he had pronounced to be a pl^tolite to the 
 interpreter who gave it to the medicine 
 man. That worthy carefully wrapped it in 
 his blanket and disappeared before Tom 
 returned with the tobacco. The doctor dis- 
 tributed this luxurj- in a judicious manner 
 among the Indians and all seemed again in 
 harmony. A few hours after, again on 
 board the boat, puffing and steaming its 
 way northward, found Dr. Goon walking 
 up and down the forward deck in a most 
 disconsolate mood. 
 
62 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "You look troubled, sir," Joe remarked, 
 as he passed him for another turn. 
 
 "Yes, yes. Oh! Joe, that plrytolite! An 
 opportunity of a life time gone ! I should 
 have had that, Joe. No mistake, it should 
 have been mine," lamented the doctor. 
 
 "I knew it, sir, and therefore acted with- 
 out your advice; here it is, sir!" said Joe, 
 taking the stone out of his coat pocket and 
 handing it to the doctor, who when he had 
 satisfied himself that it was the same, the 
 treasure of past generations of Gros 
 Ventres, most likely, and worshiped by this 
 one, fairly danced with joy. 
 
 "Wli3 r , Joe, Joe, my boy! How did you 
 manage it? How did 3'ou secure this 
 treasure?" exclaimed the doctor. 
 
 "Well, sir, when I went back to the boat 
 that time, I thought to myself that the half- 
 breed would certainly not have much rever- 
 ence for the thing, and so I took along an 
 extra pound of tobacco and a pint of alco- 
 hol, to bribe him with. I bought him over 
 very easily, and he gave the medicine man a 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 63 
 
 taste of the spirits, telling the old thief that 
 it was the elixir of life and would make him 
 live for ever. Then it was no trouble to 
 make a trade for the stone. The faithless 
 priest will, with a few lies, make the tribe 
 think that it was stolen, but by that time 
 we shall be far away." 
 
 44 Joe ! Joe ! This is not all fair and honor- 
 able. I can hardly commend such action. 
 Joe, I — I, ah! well, it was done in a good 
 cause, but, mind me, sir, don't you do it 
 again! " 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The days flew by very quickly to Tom 
 and Joe, and before they had become well 
 accustomed to the novelties of the voyage 
 on the upper Missouri they found them- 
 selves at Buford. The trip, however, was 
 becoming tedious, no more Indians had 
 been seen, and only an occasional buffalo or 
 two swimming the river, or the stopping for 
 wood broke the monotony of their lives. 
 Ft. Buford at length came in view, and 
 the cheerful sight of the old stars and 
 stripes waving proudly over the officers, 
 quarters was greeted by cheers from all on 
 board. 
 
 The bustle and confusion of unloading 
 was made more exciting by the braying of 
 the mules. These poor brutes, so delighted at 
 the prospects of terra firma once more, 
 gave vent to the most earsplitting bra}'s. 
 
 The wagon-master was in his element, 
 
 64 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 65 
 
 and gave orders on all sides for the unload- 
 ing of the boat. He was no respecter of 
 persons, and poor Mr. Hugill, looking 
 about among the miscellaneous piles of 
 baggage for a missing valise, his long legs 
 leaping from place to place, attracted the 
 attention of this master of ceremonies. 
 
 44 Look lively, Hugill, and lend a hand 
 with this dunnage here!" said he. 
 
 44 Beg pardon, but } r e cawn't know who 
 3^ou are talking to ! I did not come out 
 here to be ordered about by a blawsted idiot, 
 ye know, nor to lend a hand to an} r one. I 
 never heard of such impudence!" replied 
 Hugill, his arms a-kimbo, and his legs 
 stretched wide apart, one foot on a trunk 
 and the other on a roll of blankets. 
 
 "Then don't get in a good man's way," 
 cried the wagon-master, grasping the trunk 
 by its leather handle, and, with a sudden 
 jerk drawing it out from under Hugill, and 
 tossing it on his own shoulder he carried it 
 to one of the wagons, leaving Hugill sprawl- 
 
66 
 
 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 ing on his back among the luggage. 
 Every one set up a roar of laughter, much 
 to Hugill's annoyance, but as he then found 
 the article for which he had been searching 
 he called to Tom, who stood near him : 
 
 "THEN DON'T GET IN A GOOD MAN'S WAY." 
 
 "Here, } r oung fellow, assist me with this; 
 we want to get our own traps loaded as 
 soon as possible, ye know." 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 67 
 
 "Drag it over 3'ourself. I've got ray own 
 luggage to look after," was Tom's rather 
 ungracious reply, as he did not like the way 
 he had been spoken to, nor had he been told 
 to obey orders from Mr. Hugill. 
 
 ".I'll help you," offered Joe, thinking that 
 it might save trouble. He grasped one 
 handle of the heavy valise and they carried 
 it over to the wagon. 
 
 "Here, Hugill, this is the doctor's wagon," 
 said the wagon-master, who had pretended 
 not to notice Hugill's mishap and calmly 
 pointing to a four-mule team at his right. 
 
 "That one?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Thank 3^ou, Mr. Wagon-boss, I'm glad 
 you've provided a good one for us," said 
 Hugill. 
 
 "And see that 3 r ou don't pile in more 
 than you are allowed," replied the wagon- 
 master, as he walked off. 
 
 "It's enough to make an English gentle- 
 man insane, ye know, to be spoken to by 
 such a fellow. It's a beastly shame, 'pon 
 
68 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 me word," growled Hugill in an undertone, 
 as they put the valise in the wagon. 
 
 "I suppose Tom and I are to put our 
 baggage in here, too," remarked Joe. 
 
 "Yes, and there will be room for all we 
 want to take. I have some things I don't 
 need at present, and I shall ship them to 
 Benton bj' the next boat, but everything I 
 want, I'm going to take, ye know." 
 
 "I have not mo re than twenty-five pounds, 
 and I could claim some of yours and put it 
 in as mine, if you wish." 
 
 "Thanks, awfully; if that cad bothers me 
 I'll fix him, ye know," said Hugill, who had 
 not relished his unlooked-for tumble and 
 had not forgotten it. 
 
 "I think he was very impertinent," ven- 
 tured Joe. 
 
 " Why, the fellow is most likely drunk and 
 doesn't know what he is about," grum- 
 bled Hugill. 
 
 After the wagons had been loaded and the 
 men had stowed everything away they all 
 formed a long line and as the wagon-master 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 69 
 
 expressed it, they " pulled out," and that 
 evening took their first steps overland 
 toward the boundary line. The work of 
 establishing the line was commenced in the 
 fall of 1872 and prosecuted until mid-winter 
 to take advantage of the frozen condition of 
 the ground about the lakes and swamps of 
 Northern Minnesota, through which it 
 extended. 
 
 The summer of '73 was expended in 
 reaching the dividing line between Dakota 
 and Montana, and it was at this point 
 that they were now to resume work. The 
 work was done jointly by the United 
 States and British governments. A com- 
 missioner invested with full powers was the 
 head of each command, which was neces- 
 sarily divided into a number of smaller 
 parties. 
 
 The astronomical party, or, as it was 
 commonly called, the "Star Baggers," took 
 the lead. They — that is, the one of each 
 nationality — would proceed westward by 
 compass and then each, from astronomical 
 
70 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 observations, establish a point as nearly 
 as science would let them as a tangent 
 point on the forty-ninth parallel of latitude. 
 It is needless to say that this point was 
 never identically the same as found by each 
 government, but the difference was always 
 divided, and it is wonderful after all things 
 are considered how close these two points 
 would be — sometimes but fifty feet and sel- 
 dom more than three hundred apart. 
 
 This done the astronomical parties 
 would again proceed westward, and the 
 chief engineer go to work laying out the 
 line between these main points. His busi- 
 ness was to find the correct places for the 
 mounds that were to be built 03' the party 
 called the "mound builders." These 
 mounds were placed at irregular intervals, 
 but so that, standing at any one, you 
 could see one east and one west of you. 
 They would be from half a mile to seven miles 
 apart, according to the surface of the coun- 
 try. The mound builders were to erect 
 mounds at these points twelve feet square 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 71 
 
 at the base and six feet high. They were to 
 be made of stone, when stone could be 
 found, otherwise of sods. A sheet iron 
 plate a foot square, with the letters "U. S. 
 N. B. S." cut in it, was supposed to be 
 buried beneath each mound. The iron for 
 this purpose was brought along. It was in 
 sheets a half inch thick and about three by 
 six feet, and as blacksmithing was done 
 under difficulties on the prairie, it's not safe 
 to say that one will be found under each 
 mound. These mounds were the initial 
 points for the smaller topography parties 
 to work from. There were three or four of 
 these on each side of the line, whose busi- 
 ness it was to get the detail of all small 
 streams, rivers, mountains and hills for a 
 distance of five miles on each side of the 
 line. This would make a map of ten miles 
 of country through this, at that time, 
 unknown region. 
 
 The naturalist's party (to which our 
 young friends belonged), or as it was com- 
 monly called "The Bug Catchers," was 
 
72 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 another feature of this great work. They 
 were to investigate the flora and fauna and 
 collect specimens for the Smithsonian Insti- 
 tute. The expedition, as we have said, had 
 "pulled out," and after about three miles' 
 travel, was on a high table land, giving a 
 grand view of the mouth of the Yellowstone 
 river flowing into the Missouri. The bot- 
 tom lands were a mass of dark green from 
 the foliage of the cotton wood trees, and the 
 level prairie stretched off as far as the eye 
 could reach like a great }^ellow sea. Tom 
 came back and said : 
 
 "The wagon-master says that we are 
 going to pitch camp down in that grove 
 about three miles from here." 
 
 "I'm glad it's no farther, for I'm getting 
 hungry," said Joe. 
 
 "It is not very far, and we will not have 
 to wait long. The wagon-master said that 
 you and I would have to help pitch our own 
 camp, and help the cook to take his stove 
 and provisions out of the wagon; that 
 there is no one else in our party but you 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 73 
 
 and me, and Hugill, the cook, and the doc- 
 tor, of course." 
 
 "The two teamsters. " 
 
 "Yes, I forgot them." 
 
 "We don't seem to have a very large 
 party." 
 
 "No, but from what I have heard we are 
 to travel with the astronomical party; they 
 always stay the longest in one camp." 
 
 "Why is that?" 
 
 "So that we can have time to make col- 
 lections and don't have to be pulling up 
 camp and pitching it again every day." 
 
 "Oh, I see. That will be more pleasant 
 for us, I should think." 
 
 "Yes, the topography parties — and there 
 are three of them — have to move camp 
 every da}V said Joe. 
 
 They now commenced to descend toward 
 the lowlands again, and in less than an 
 hour the great long string of mule teams 
 had been corraled, the mules been taken off 
 and turned loose to find their own feed 
 amid the sage brush growing at the foot of 
 
74 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 the bluff. The doctor's party had a large 
 cook's tent and two smaller wall tents. In 
 one of these was placed the doctor's and 
 Hugill's bedding, the other was taken pos- 
 session ofhy Tom and Joe. It was the first 
 time that the boys had ever slept in a tent, 
 and they were discussing the pleasures 
 entailed, when Hugill put his head inside of 
 their canvass and called : 
 
 "Come out here, Joe, I've got something 
 for you to do, ye know." 
 
 Joe went outside and followed Hugill 
 over to his tent, asking, as they went: 
 
 "What is it, Mr. Hugill?" 
 
 "I want one of you young fellows to 
 make down my bed every night; there's 
 my roll of blankets on that side," 
 and without further words he walked off 
 into the darkness, leaving Joe very much 
 astonished. 
 
 Joe was about to disregard the order and 
 go back to his own tent, but, looking inside, 
 by the dim light of the hanging lantern he 
 saw something on the ground which made 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 75 
 
 him think otherwise, and in a few moments 
 he had HughTs blankets unrolled and made 
 down upon the ground for his bed. When 
 he returned he did not inform Tom what 
 had been wanted of him and the boys 
 were soon asleep. Just how long the\- had 
 slumbered they did not know, but they 
 were aroused by cries and j-ells from the 
 next tent of, — 
 
 "Murder! Oh! Oh! Murder! Help! 
 Help! Ah! Oh! Ouch! Help me, here! 
 Help! Help!" 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 It did not take Tom half a minute to 
 pull on his clothes, but Joe was rather slow 
 about getting out and every man in that 
 part of the camp was about the doctor's 
 tent when he reached it. 
 
 "What's the matter?" asked Joe, quite 
 innocently, for the \ r ells and imprecations of 
 a long legged individual, exceedingh^ decol- 
 lete as to dress, were heard above the hum 
 of many voices. 
 
 "I reckon Mr. Hu gill's gone crazy," said 
 the wagon-master, standing near Joe, for by 
 the fitful glare of a large bonfire burning 
 between the two rows of tents, the excited 
 and gesticulating figure could be seen to be 
 that of Mr. Hugill. 
 
 "Reckon he's gone distracted, 'cause he 
 had ter part with them Saratogers," said a 
 mule driver, laughing. 
 
 76 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 77 
 
 "Throw some water on 'im," suggested 
 another, and it actualh' began to look as if 
 he were in a fit. He stormed, raved, and 
 swore most incoherently, and it was some 
 time before Tom, who was quite near to 
 him, could catch the drift of his speech. 
 
 "Oh! My back! Ah! Ouch! My legs! 
 Oh! Oh! Oh!" yelled Hugill. 
 
 "What's the matter with 3^ou ? " shouted 
 a dozen voices. 
 
 " Oh ! That young scamp ! Oh ! My back 
 feels as if it were on fire," moaned Hugill, 
 quieting down a little. 
 
 "What in the world is the matter with 
 you? You make more noise than all m3' 
 mules," said the wagon-master, crowding up 
 to Hugill to see what was making all the 
 trouble. 
 
 "Oh! For heaven's sake find the doctor! 
 That 3^oung cad has done it on purpose, ye 
 know. Where's Joe? Just let me get hold 
 of him ! Blawst him, I'll break every bone 
 in his bod3' ! " roared Hugill, turning around 
 and t^ing to straighten the pole of his tent 
 
78 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 which he had half knocked down in his mad 
 rush out. Hugill went back into his tent 
 followed by the cook of his party and one 
 or two others who offered to assist him in 
 his trouble. Tom heard Hugill mutter "I 
 wish the doctor were here to pull them 
 out," and then he hunted around to find 
 Joe. This young man had kept quite on the 
 outside of the crowd, prepared to bolt 
 should anyone attempt to lay hands on 
 him. Seeing Tom approach, he asked : 
 
 " Is he much hurt, do you think ? " 
 
 i 'He doesn't seem to be, but no one can 
 find out what's the matter with him. He's 
 yo wing vengeance on you; what did you do 
 tohim? ,, 
 
 "I did not do anything to him; on^ did 
 just what he told me to do. Ha! Ha! Ha" 
 
 4 * What was it ? Tell a fellow all about it, 
 can't you? " 
 
 u Ha! Ha ! Ha ! Did n't he cut a pretty 
 figure? You see it was this way: he called 
 me out there and told me to make down his 
 bed for him. Well, I didn't come out as his 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 79 
 
 servant, but I happened to see some prickly 
 pears growing in his corner of the tent and 
 I thought I would do as he told me to," and 
 then both of the boys again laughed in 
 blissful contemplation of Mr. HugilPs dis- 
 comfiture. 
 
 "Oho! What a jolly go! I wonder if it 
 will lay him up? " said Tom. questioningly. 
 
 44 Oh, no; he had two heavy blankets 
 under him; the cacti could not much more 
 than have just pricked through; he's more 
 scared than hurt," replied Joe. 
 
 "He'll not want you to make down his 
 bed again; he must think we're his valets." 
 
 "Ihopethedoctor'll not be mad about it." 
 
 "No danger of that. He'll enjoy a joke on 
 Lord Hugill as well as the rest. Were there 
 any prickly pears on the doctor's side? " 
 
 "No, there are not many of them any- 
 where here; more just where I laid Lord 
 Hugill's blankets than any other spot about 
 camp," replied Joe. 
 
 The boys went back to their own bed. 
 It was several days before Hugill entirely 
 
80 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 recovered from his mishap, and it was only 
 the most earnest protestations on the part 
 of Joe, who accounted for it by the darkness, 
 that prevented retaliation on Hugili's part. 
 
 This was the first camping out that the 
 boys had ever participated in and they were 
 delighted with it. They remained in this 
 place for four or five daj^s waiting for their 
 escort. They were also much pleased in the 
 improvement in the culinary department. 
 They had a jolly little Irishman, named Pat 
 Mollo}', for their cook, and he prided himself 
 upon doing more with limited resources 
 than any other cook in the expedition. 
 
 "Good morning, doctor. Are we to 
 remain here another day ? " asked Hugill at 
 the breakfast table, the third morning of 
 their encampment. 
 
 "So it seems, Mr. Hugill," replied the 
 doctor. 
 
 "It's beastly stupid here, ye know. 
 Cawn't we take a spin up the river to-day, 
 and see what we can pick up ? " 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 81 
 
 "Yes, we might find something of interest. 
 Sajr, Pat, where did } r ou learn to make such 
 fine cakes? " asked the doctor, as he helped 
 himself for the third time. 
 
 "In the kitchen, sor," answered Pat, as 
 he turned those frying on the griddle, for 
 their dining room and kitchen were one. 
 
 "Ha! Ha! Pat, that's very good. Well, 
 we're going out for a little walk this fore- 
 noon, and we may be late for dinner, so 
 don't worry about us if we are." 
 
 " All right, sor." 
 
 "And, boj^s, you bring a hand net and a 
 few tin boxes which Mr. Hugill will find 
 you, while I hunt up my book. We'll make 
 our first attempt this morning." 
 
 "Yes, sir, we'll be ready in a moment," 
 replied Tom, as he went after the required 
 articles. 
 
 The doctor, accompanied by the two boys 
 (leaving Mr. Hugill behind, busy at some 
 work of preparation for the future), walked 
 up the river bottom toward the bluffs. It 
 was more like a grand picnic to Joe than 
 
82 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 any idea of work he could form. The doctor 
 talked as he gaily trod over the soft grass 
 and mosses. 
 
 "Now, keep your eyes open, boys, and see 
 who will find the first new specimen," 
 said he. 
 
 "All right, sir. I think we can find any 
 number," replied Joe. 
 
 "Why, we've passed no end of queer 
 flowers," exclaimed Tom. 
 
 "It's not so easy as you imagine to find 
 what we want. Last summer gave us a full 
 list of the common plants; now what we 
 want is something rare, or, at least, what is 
 not known to be a native of these regions," 
 said the doctor. 
 
 "See! doctor, what's this? I've never 
 seen a flower like this," cried Tom, holding 
 up a small yellow flower. 
 
 "Oh, that's common enough, and you 
 must have seen them growing in gardens ; 
 it belongs to the order of orchidaceae a 
 species of cypripedium, the common lady 
 slipper; you know it, surely," answered the 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 83 
 
 doctor, and so it was with everything they 
 found. He would tell them all about it and 
 sa3^, "quite common.' ' 
 
 On the\ r went, occasionally resting 
 beneath the shade of some immense cotton- 
 wood. 
 
 "Make the most of this shade, boys, for 
 when we leave this we'll find no more trees 
 for a while," cried the doctor, as he threw 
 himself at full length on the ground. 
 
 "Oh, we surely will find some trees," said 
 Tom, following his example. 
 
 "No, not a shrub large enough to cast a 
 shadow. We may see a bit of stunted 
 juniper on some point of bluff, but once on 
 the prairies we'll find no more trees until 
 we get to the Sweet Grass Hills, and that's 
 almost at the end of our trip." 
 
 "Oh nry ! what a gloom y prospect!" said 
 Joe, who had been searching about on the 
 far side of the tree. 
 
 "Got another rare one, Joe?" asked the 
 doctor, as Joe stood looking at a flower he 
 had just picked. 
 
84 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "It's like all the rest, I'm afraid, quite 
 
 common." 
 
 "Nothing new under the face of the sun, 
 but let's see it," and Dr. Goon raised up 
 to take the flower. 
 
 "It's pretty, any way," said Joe. 
 
 "Well! now, this is something odd. Can't 
 say that I know it. Very strange! Leaves 
 ovate, lanceolate, obscurely reticulated — 
 hum! Yes, yes, column acutely two horned 
 at summit, spike secund, minutely pubescent 
 like the Goodycra repens, I should think. 
 Yes, I'm right about that, but the segments 
 of the perianth arc straight, lateral ones 
 longer than the flower, but that's like the 
 orchis spectabilis. This is certainly very 
 queer, very queer ; must be a sport. This is 
 a find, indeed, quite a find," as he carefully 
 handled the flower. 
 
 "I'm glad we've got something at last," 
 exclaimed Joe. 
 
 44 Say, my boy, see if you can't find 
 another; if not, get the roots and any leaves 
 or branches that this came from," said the 
 
THEY ALL SAW AN INDIAN * * * SLOWLY WALKING TOWARD THEM. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 87 
 
 doctor, carefully pressing the flower in his 
 book. 
 
 Joe did as requested, and then the party 
 returned to camp. Tom went to his father's 
 tent and spent an hour with him telling him 
 of his first day's work in the field of natural 
 history. Tom heard that his party was to 
 have one of the mounted scouts attached 
 to it, and of course lost no time in going 
 back and telling them the news. 
 
 "Yes," said Tom, "we are to have a new 
 addition." 
 
 "Who is he?" asked Joe. 
 
 " I don't know the gentleman's name, but 
 he is a dandy, and no mistake." 
 
 "What do you mean, without joking? " 
 
 "Just what I say. He is not very good 
 looking, but he is a howling swell; here he 
 comes now, and I dare say he wants to see 
 you, Pat." 
 
 Pat looked up from his work over the 
 bread pan, and they all saw an Indian, 
 gorgeously bedecked in paint and feathers, 
 slowly walking toward them. He appeared 
 
88 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 pretty well encased in a government blanket 
 with a belt full of cartridges encircling his 
 waist. From beneath the blanket appeared 
 his moccasined feet, and above stretched 
 as villainous a looking countenance as ever 
 an Indian boasted. He had on an old yel- 
 low broad brimmed hat, the top cut out in 
 such a way as to leave long points hanging 
 down as an adornment. 
 
 "Faith an' Oi'm not goin' to cook fur any 
 sich durty divils ez that," cried Pat, as he 
 now comprehended that this was to be the 
 addition to his mess, of which Tom had 
 spoken. 
 
 "Never mind, Pat, he wont be with us 
 always, and he is to provide fresh meat for 
 us," said Tom. 
 
 "Faith an' av the rid blayguard can hilp 
 us out wid a bit av fresh mate, Oi'll not 
 moind 4m, " returned Pat, who would sacri- 
 fice even his love of country to his pride in 
 cooking. 
 
 "Ugh! Muck-a-muck," said the new- 
 comer, walking up to the cook in the most 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 89 
 
 solemn manner and leaning his rifle against 
 the mess chest. 
 
 "Phat do yer soi, ye bloody spalpeen? If 
 that blunderbuss isloaded3^e can take it out 
 av this," replied Pat, but the only reply of 
 the Indian was to open his mouth as widely 
 as possible and point with his index finger 
 to its cavernous interior. 
 
 "Sure an' ye'd look better if ye'd go 
 an' wash yer face an' kape yer ugly mouth 
 shut," continued Pat, quite seriously. 
 
 "Ugh! Ot-a muck-a-muck," said the scout, 
 with innumerable gutteral sounds, which 
 would have puzzled a phonograph, and cer- 
 tainly defies onomatopoeia. 
 
 "Why don't }^e spake English, ye durty 
 hay then, an' thin Oi could understand ye," 
 exclaimed Pat, not taking his hands out of 
 the bread pan. 
 
 " Me heap speak um ! Me heap big Injun ! 
 Me Chonka-ta-ketchah-ha," (pronounced 
 Shonkaw-taw-ketchaw-haw,)said the scout, 
 who was most providentially prevented 
 from taking offence at Pat's language by 
 
90 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 his utter ignorance of it. He certainly 
 believed in the old adage concerning those 
 who help themselves, for he reached out and 
 took a plate, knife and fork and without 
 the superfluity of an invitation began to 
 fill his plate with cold baked beans from a 
 pan that sat on the table. He then pro- 
 ceeded in the most solemn manner to shovel 
 them down his throat, alternately using the 
 knife in his right, and the fork in his left 
 hand. 
 
 "He has a good appetite," remarked Tom, 
 as the redman reached out and helped him- 
 self to three slices of bread. 
 
 "He'll never starve, if there's anything 
 arou nd to ea t , " said Joe, who noticed a can of 
 axle grease on the ground, and without a 
 word he placed it on the table in front of 
 the Indian, who, thinking it was some 
 white man's delicacy, spread a liberal sup- 
 ply of it on his bread ; from the gusto 
 with which he ate it, nothing could be said 
 against it as a luxury, at least to him. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 91 
 
 "Our mule driver will be out of luck when 
 he finds his can empty," gasped Tom, stuffing 
 his handkerchief in his mouth to keep from 
 laughing. 
 
 "He'll have to settle it with him," 
 answered Joe, giggling in spite of his deter- 
 mined attempt to keep a straight face. 
 
 "If he isn't dead by morning I'll give up," 
 whispered Tom. 
 
 "I don't think there is anything in it to 
 hurt him," replied Joe. 
 
 "You go with us, do you?" asked Tom, 
 when this new addition had satiated him- 
 self, and was giving vent to grunts of satis- 
 faction, as he loosened his belt to the last 
 hole. 
 
 "No sabe," grunted the Indian. 
 
 " Can-you-speak-English? "repeated Tom, 
 speaking very slowly and in as gruff a voice 
 as his age would allow. 
 
 "Heap speak um ! " 
 
 " How-soon-we-find-buffalo ? " 
 
 "No sabe." 
 
 " You sabe— buffalo ? Buf-fa-lo ! " 
 
92 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "Ya-as." 
 
 "You understand everything I say?" 
 
 "Ya-as!" 
 
 "How soon do we find buffalo ? " 
 
 "Ya-as!" 
 
 "Don't you think you are an old fraud ? " 
 added Tom, disgusted with the redman's 
 stupidity. 
 
 "Ya-as, "replied the Indian, as solemnly as 
 ever. Picking up his rifle and hiding it in 
 the mysterious folds of his blanket he slid 
 out from among them, his broad back bear- 
 ing the big letters id on the blanket that 
 covered it. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 A few mornings after they had left the 
 Missouri, Tom was awakened before day- 
 light by the plaintive notes of the cavalry 
 bugle sounding "boots and saddles," which 
 was soon followed by the cooks of all par- 
 ties shouting, "roll out, roll out! " It was 
 a breakfast by candle-light that morning, 
 and then a long day's journej^ before they 
 came into camp again. 
 
 "What creek is this?" asked Joe, as he 
 took a bucket down to get some water. 
 
 "This is Poplar river," replied Tom. 
 
 "You don't think this thing can be Poplar 
 river? " 
 
 "That's what the wagon-boss told me. 
 They say a stream you can't jump over in 
 this country is called a river." 
 
 "Don't say wagon-boss, it sounds so 
 slangy." 
 
 93 
 
94 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "That's what all the mule whackers 
 call him, and if a fellow picks his words 
 here they will think him a pilgrim forever," 
 said Tom, with a show of braggadocio. 
 Joe was a boy who had more mischief in 
 him naturally than Tom could conjure up in 
 his brain, yet he was always studious^ 
 careful in his language. 
 
 "But you are not one of them, and it 
 sounds just as well to sa3 r mule-driver." 
 
 "Oh! Don't preach!" 
 
 "I don't mean to, but if to use gentle- 
 manty language is to be considered a 
 pilgrim, let them think } r ou one." 
 
 "All right, Joe, if 3 t ou ever make a slip of 
 the tongue, I'll lecture you for an hour." 
 
 "You ma}^; it would do me no harm, I 
 dare say. I noticed your father, the other 
 daj% talking about mule-drivers to the 
 wagon-master, and he did not say 
 * whackers' nor 'skinners,' and no one 
 thinks he is a pilgrim," said Joe, as he 
 dipped up a bucketful of water and Tom, 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 95 
 
 taking hold of the other side of it, helped to 
 carry it up to the cook. 
 
 They were three or four da^-s in reaching 
 the line, as the forty-ninth parallel was called 
 by them. They found the monument where 
 the work was discontinued the 3^ear before, 
 and here the command divided up, each 
 going about its own special work. The 
 escort of infantry was divided among the 
 three engineer parties, but he cavalry went 
 with the astronomical division, which was 
 always to be in advance of the others. 
 Each small party had one Indian scout, who 
 was to act as hunter and messenger. 
 
 ''What's going to be done to-morrow, 
 have you heard, Tom? " asked Joe. 
 
 "The astronomical party goes west 
 twenty miles to establish a line point." 
 
 "I wonder if we go with them." 
 
 "I don't know, but I heard that this is 
 the last time that the whole party will be 
 together until fall." 
 
 "I expect we will meet different parties 
 every once in a while." 
 
96 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "I don't much think so, for if the doctor's 
 party goes with father we will be in advance 
 all the time." 
 
 " Where do the mound builders come in?" 
 
 "They follow after the line party and put 
 up the mounds." 
 
 Dr. Goon's party went with Major Trox- 
 well's on the following day. They finished 
 their twenty-mile stretch by noon and 
 encamped at a fine spring, which came out 
 of a bank of earth not far from a large 
 swamp. The water probably came from 
 the swamp, but coming through the earth 
 it was well filtered and cold. 
 
 "I'm going to try to get one of those 
 antelopes we saw yesterday," said Tom, 
 who sat on the edge of his bed, polishing his 
 rifle. The government had furnished all the 
 civilians with Sharpe's rifles and ammuni- 
 tion. 
 
 "I think we could get one just as well as 
 not," replied Joe. 
 
 "Will you go, if the doctor will let us? " 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 97 
 
 "Yes, I don't think he has anything for 
 us to do to-day, but you had better ask 
 him ; he is in his tent now with Hugill, and 
 they are looking over some big books 
 together," said Joe, and Tom laid down his 
 rifle and went to the doctor's tent; return- 
 ing in a few moments, he announced: 
 
 4 'All right, we can go." 
 
 " What did he say about it? " 
 
 "Oh, nothing but 'go ahead and don't 
 shoot yourselves.' " 
 
 "Then we'll try to gQt some antelope 
 meat," replied Joe, and the boys shouldered 
 their rifles, which were very much like the 
 needle guns the soldiers carried, only that 
 thejr were a little shorter in the barrels. 
 They were on a rolling prairie, the surface 
 of the ground being full of shallow ravines 
 cutting the prairie in all directions, and 
 which in that country are called coulees. 
 The boys had not gone more than a mile 
 from camp when Joe, who was a little in 
 advance, exclaimed: 
 
98 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "Crouch down, Tom, there's a lot of ante- 
 lopes just beyond us." Tom dropped down 
 on his hands and knees, and crawled up to 
 where Joe was crouching down in the grass, 
 then whispered : 
 
 "Where are they ? ' ' 
 
 "Right ahead of us, about three hundred 
 yards ; we had best crawl along here in the 
 grass until we think we are within one hun- 
 dred yards of them, and then we can rise 
 up and let them have it," said Joe, in a 
 whisper. 
 
 They both crawled along as stealthily as a 
 couple of coyotes for about fifteen minutes, 
 when Tom whispered : 
 
 " I think we must be right on top of them ; 
 let's stand up an' pump the lead into 'em." 
 
 Raising the hammers of their guns and 
 having everything ready to take aim they 
 sprang to their feet simultaneously, but 
 neither of them put his gun to his shoul- 
 der because the antelopes stood on a 
 rise of ground about half a mile away 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 99 
 
 from them, calmly staring at these strange 
 bipeds encroaching on their feeding grounds. 
 
 "Well, I declare! I thought you said we 
 were within three hundred yards of them," 
 said Tom. 
 
 "And so we were, but they must have 
 scented us; they see us now so plainly, that 
 there is no use trying to crawl upon them," 
 replied Joe, as one of the handsome animals 
 here raised his striped throat, and sniffed 
 the danger in the air. He was an old buck 
 and a beautiful specimen. Again he 
 elevated his delicate nose two or three 
 times, and trotted around the half dozen 
 timid does that stood looking as if their 
 lord and master were needlessl\ r alarmed, 
 for surely those queer-looking strangers 
 could not hurt them. 
 
 "It did not take them long to get over 
 there. Do you know, I've read that the}' 
 can be attracted by any curious thing like a 
 flag waving," said Tom, looking longingly 
 at the game safe beyond his bullets. 
 
100 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 " Yes, I remember in 'The Boy Hunters of 
 South America,' I read that the bo} r s used 
 to stand on their heads, which unusual 
 sight would bring the game close enough to 
 be shot, but I don't believe it, all the 
 same." 
 
 "We might try it. I've a large white 
 handkerchief in my pocket that will do, and 
 we can put it on a ram rod and soon have 
 a flag flying," said Tom; taking the jointed 
 ram rod out of the butt of his gun, and 
 screwing the pieces together he soon had 
 his small flag flying signals of anything but 
 peace. They lay down in the grass beneath 
 the flag, which certainly had some effect on 
 the antelopes for they looked much more 
 eagerly in their direction, and showed all 
 the signs of curiosity. 
 
 "They are feeding this way now," said 
 Joe, who had cautious^ raised his head. 
 
 "I don't think they will mind seeing us 
 now their attention is all taken with the 
 flag." 
 
"ugh! how! how!' 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 103 
 
 "Don't show too much of yourself to 
 them." 
 
 "I want to have a look at them through 
 my field glass." 
 
 "That will make them look close enough 
 to shoot at," laughed Joe. 
 
 The antelopes came cautiously toward 
 them, evidently attracted by the flag, 3^et 
 they were much too distant to shoot at. So 
 intent upon the quarry in front of them 
 were the boys, that they failed to hear 
 the light footfalls of a horse coming 
 from behind, until, hearing a deep gut- 
 teral "Ugh ! How ! How ! " the\- sprang to 
 their feet, much surprised to see the stoical 
 features of their Indian scout. This gentle- 
 man sat upon a pinto kiyus and a long 
 lariat trailed upon the ground behind him. 
 His rifle rested across the pommel of his 
 saddle, while behind him was tied the car- 
 cass of an antelope. He appeared oblivious 
 to the fact that the boj- s had been trying to 
 decoy the game that now scampered off 
 
104 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 across the prairie, showing their white 
 rumps like the sails of so many miniature 
 boats. 
 
 "Aha! You've got one," exclaimed both 
 of the boys together, and the Indian smiled 
 complacently as he responded : 
 
 "Tush." 
 
 "Shot him through the head," remarked 
 Tom, touching the ugly wound with his 
 finger. 
 
 "Tush." 
 
 "That word must mean 'yes/ " said Tom 
 to Joe, in an undertone. 
 
 "I expect so. I wonder what tribe this 
 fellow belongs to," replied Joe, and as the 
 scout appeared to be in rather a good- 
 natured mood, Tom looked very wise and 
 pointed at him, sajang interrogatively: 
 
 "Sioux?" 
 
 The Indian shook a negative with his 
 
 ugly head. He then raised his right hand, 
 
 the palm extended upward as a man might 
 
 raise some water ; bringing it to his lips he 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 105 
 
 threw his head backward as if drinking; he 
 then placed a hand at each side of his head 
 and flapped them both slowly. 
 
 "Oh! I know that sign; father has told 
 me the tribal signs of lots of different bands 
 of Indians. You're a River Crow ? " 
 
 " Tush," assented the Indian, smiling what 
 might have been considered among his own 
 people a pleasant smile, but which to the 
 bo3'S looked like a ghastly grin. 
 
 "That word 'tush' means 'yes,' you see, 
 and he is a River Crow." 
 
 "Tush, fodder Sioux (here the Indian drew 
 his finger across his throat, making the sign 
 of that tribe), muclder (and again his first 
 pantomimic performance) ; Sioux — seeche — 
 me no Sioux," said the Indian. 
 
 "He has renounced his father's people for 
 some reason and claims to be a River Crow ; 
 they are always friendly, father says," 
 interpreted Tom, quite grandly. 
 
 "I think that word, 'seeche,' must mean 
 bad; ask him, Tom," said Joe, who, see- 
 
106 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 ing that Tom was doing so well as 
 interpreter, did not like to interfere himself. 
 
 " Sioux bad, — Sioux se-chee? " asked Tom, 
 most grandiloquently. 
 
 "Tush! tush! Sioux see-chee-nepo-otah- 
 wasechee, nepo otah ekeechetah." 
 
 "I suppose you understand all that," said 
 Joe, laughing. 
 
 "He's coming a little too fast for me 
 now; look where the antelope's horn has 
 dug a hole in his pony's flank," cried Tom, 
 pulling the beautiful head of the animal 
 around, which calamit}^ being seen by the 
 Indian put him in a frenzy. He jumped off 
 and untying the carcass let it fall to the 
 ground. He then took a couple of turns 
 around the antelope's head with his lariat, 
 and, tying it to the pommel of his saddle, 
 dug his moccasined heels into the flanks of 
 his kiyus, and galloped off over the prairie 
 dragging his game on the ground as if it 
 were a bundle of old rags. The condition of 
 the meat on reaching the cook's tent need 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 107 
 
 not be described. There was no hair left on 
 the carcass, and the meat looked blue 
 through the skin. When the boys reached 
 camp they found everybody in a fever of 
 excitement. All were getting out their rifles 
 and buckling on their cartridge belts. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 " I wonder what's the matter," said Tom. 
 
 "I don't know ; the cavalry are all drawn 
 up in line over there," replied Joe, as the\- 
 came into camp. 
 
 " Hello, Pat, what's the matter?" 
 
 " Faith, an' they soi there's a million rid 
 divils, comin' ter take the scalps av us, but, 
 begorrah, Oi'll scald ivery muther's son av 
 thim afore they git moin." 
 
 " Injuns on the warpath, bo3's; this 
 beastly government's going to catch it now, 
 ye know, not a man left to tell the bloods' 
 tale. You've abused the poor redman until 
 he is going to turn!" roared Hugill, danc- 
 ing about on his long legs, and whirling his 
 carbine around his head. 
 
 "What is it, Mr. Hugill? What is it all 
 about? Are there really any hostile Indians 
 coming? " asked Tom, not looking quite so 
 
 108 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 109 
 
 belligerent as when he had talked of taking 
 scalps a few days before. 
 
 "Hostile Indians? The cavalrymen say 
 the prairie is black with them, ye know; 
 they estimate that there are not less than a 
 thousand of them. We are to have a little 
 fun and no mistake, ye know." 
 
 " Whereabouts are they all ? " 
 
 "About three miles from here." 
 
 "Do they know we are here? " 
 
 "Well, I should say, so; ye know there 
 was a company sent out this morning to 
 reconnoiter, and after a while the}^ ran into 
 a camp of a couple of hundred lodges ! " 
 
 "Did they have any fight with them ? " 
 
 "No! The blood}?- cowards turned and 
 scampered back home, ye know ! " 
 
 "It's lucky they had sense enough not to 
 shoot at them ; they may prove to be peace- 
 able Indians," said Tom, hoping sincerely 
 that they would. 
 
 "We'll soon find out; they have sent the 
 scouts out to have a look at them. The 
 poor brutes are awfully frightened ; they are 
 
110 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 afraid they may be some of the Sioux that 
 Custer has run out of the Black Hills, ye 
 know." 
 
 "I hope they are not; they may be River 
 Crows." 
 
 "Oh, no fear of that; they will turn out 
 to be Sioux, ye know," said Hugill,and here 
 the attention of all was directed to the 
 scouts riding back as fast as their ponies 
 could carry them. 
 
 "Sioux! Sioux! Sioux!" the}' yelled, as 
 they came dashing through the line of cav- 
 alry. 
 
 This added to the general excitement, and 
 the scouts had hardly had time to make 
 their reports, when Indians were seen com- 
 ing up from all directions, but as soon as 
 they came within half a mile, they stopped 
 and appeared to take counsel among them- 
 selves. 
 
 "There's an awful lot of them," said Joe, 
 looking at them through Tom's field 
 glass. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. Ill 
 
 " Yes, but I don't think there's any dan- 
 ger, do you? " asked Tom. 
 
 "No, we're enough for them." 
 
 "I wonder what that fellow means riding 
 around in a circle that way." 
 
 "I don't know; there goes my father; 
 let's go over and ask him if he thinks there's 
 going to be a fight." 
 
 "All right, if we can get with him we'll 
 have a chance to find out all about it," 
 assented Joe, as he followed after Tom to 
 overtake Major Tr ox well. 
 
 "Hello, boys, you're not frightened, I 
 hope?" 
 
 "No, sir, not at all, but then — you see — 
 we wanted to know — if there was any dan- 
 ger," said Tom, and although he was pos- 
 sessed of as much courage as is found in 
 most boys, yet he could not suppress a 
 slight quaver in his voice. Joe did not say 
 anything, but there was an ugly frown upon 
 his face and a look of determination about 
 him that portended no good to the Indian 
 that molested him. 
 
112 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "Well, there's no danger at all, bo}'s; 
 we've sent a scout back after some of the 
 infantry to come in wagons, and we've 
 cavalry enough here to hold this mob 
 at bay for awhile." 
 
 "What is that Indian riding around in a 
 circle for? " 
 
 "I don't know; you boj'S come over with 
 me to where those officers are, and we'll 
 find out," replied the major, and when they 
 had joined these the major said to the half- 
 breed interpreter: 
 
 "Well, Marcello what does that fellow 
 mean riding around in a circle so many 
 times?" 
 
 "He means that some of them want to 
 come and have a big talk with us," 
 answered the half-breed, grinning. 
 
 "Oh, that's it, and here the deputation 
 comes," said the major, as he held his field 
 glass to his eyes. 
 
 The cavalry were drawn up in regular line 
 of battle and the civilians were told to keep 
 inside the circle of wagons under which had 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 113 
 
 been piled all the harness, chains and com- 
 missary supplies as fortifications. About 
 ten or a dozen Indians came riding up, 
 gaudy in their gay trappings, red paint, and 
 flying feathers. There was a general chorus 
 of "How! How! How!" and then they 
 had to shake hands with the officers. 
 
 They were making pantomimic gestures 
 of friendship, but every one of those tall, 
 grand warriors, representatives of that 
 fast-fading race, had an expression of undy- 
 ing hatred plainly discernible on his face. 
 They shook hands with all, including Tom 
 and Joe. This performance was about con- 
 cluded when the very last Indian, a great, 
 gaunt, ugly specimen, shook Tom's hand, 
 and took umbrage at the fact that he had a 
 glove on. He grasped Tom's hand and 
 pulled the glove off, spat upon it, threw it 
 on the ground, and ground his heel down 
 upon it, saying: 
 
 "Tush, wa-seeche washita." 
 Poor Tom was thunderstruck, and knew 
 not what to do or say, but a voice from 
 
 8 
 
114 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 behind saying, "Good enough for you, you 
 young fool, he'll teach you manners," told 
 Tom that Hugill had been a witness to his 
 mortification, and on looking around he 
 saw that ubiquitous individual perched on 
 the top bows of a canvas-covered wagon, 
 his long legs dangling down below and his 
 luxuriant side whiskers floating in the 
 breeze. The Indians commenced a general 
 chattering among themselves, casting 
 covert glances at Hugill ; then a tall Indian 
 stepped out and made a speech which the 
 interpreter Marcello quoted as follows: 
 
 "The whites are not going to oppress us 
 further. The great long-haired white brave 
 has burnt the prairies of the Black Hills. 
 The poor red man has come a long way to 
 find some buffalo, to put away for the next 
 snow — " 
 
 Here he was interrupted by Hugill who 
 shouted from his perch of vantage: 
 
 "Louder ! We cawn't hear, ye know ! " 
 
 "Mr. Hugill, please don't interrupt 
 again," said Major Troxwell, and again the 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 115 
 
 Indian spoke in his own language, being 
 interrupted by Marcello : 
 
 "We are not going to allow you to pass. 
 I am Lone Wolf, chief of the Yanktonee 
 Sioux, and I have said it. You cannot pass. 
 We know that our great-grandmother 
 across the water, and our great-grandfather 
 in Washington have put their heads 
 together, and are going to lay an iron trail 
 along here to carry off our buffalo, and we 
 are not going to let you pass ; you whites 
 are all dogs, and sons of dogs. Lone Wolf 
 has spoken." 
 
 There were many gutteral grunts of sat- 
 isfaction among the chiefs after these words, 
 but Hugill again attracted the attention of 
 all b}' shouting from his wagon top : 
 
 "Who are you calling a dog? You're a 
 cad, and if 3^011 will step out with me I'll 
 punch 3'our bloody head, blawst 3'our 
 beastly e3 r es ! " 
 
 "Come! Come! Hugill if jon cannot 
 refrain from interfering, you had best come 
 down," said Major Troxwell, angrily. 
 
116 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 This chief was followed by speeches from 
 the others to the same purport, each taking 
 particular pains to state that he was a big 
 brave, great chief, and a wonderful fellow 
 altogether. The cavalrj^ officers and Major 
 Troxwell talked the situation over, and 
 they concluded that, as Major Troxwell 
 was chief in command, it were better that 
 he should address them and explain their 
 intentions in a manner to suit the occasion, 
 and appease their minds on the railroad 
 question. The major, stepping out into the 
 open circle, said : 
 
 "Come, Marcello, you must try to do me 
 justice. Tell them — " 
 
 Here he was interrupted by several of the 
 Indians stepping forward and pointing up 
 toward Hugill. They all spoke together 
 and excitedly. It was apparent to all it 
 was about Hugill they were talking, but 
 what they said, of course, was not under- 
 stood, until Marcello said: 
 
 "Thejr say they want the big chief with 
 the two scalps on his face to speak first." 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 117 
 
 This of course caused ever}- one to roar 
 with laughter, and it took considerable 
 explanation on Marcello's part to convince 
 the Indians that Hugill was not a big chief 
 at all. 
 
 "Tell them that I consider them all our 
 friends and brothers." 
 
 " Please leave me out of that categor\ r , 
 major, if you will, as notwithstanding the 
 great esteem in which I hold any friends of 
 yours, I could not, in honor to my feelings, 
 ye know," said Hugill, but he was inter- 
 rupted by the major, who said in a voice of 
 thunder: 
 
 "This is the last time, Mr. Hugill. You 
 may consider yourself under arrest. Get 
 down from that wagon and go to your 
 tent!" and Hugill climbed down, muttering 
 imprecations upon Yankee officers imposing 
 upon English gentlemen, while the major 
 continued: 
 
 "Yes, they are our brothers, and their 
 great-grandfather in Washington thinks so 
 much of them that he has compelled their 
 
118 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 great-grandmother across the big water to 
 come here, and mark a line so that the 
 Indians belonging be\ r ond the line cannot 
 come below it and kill their buffalo. We 
 are here to mark this line with mounds of 
 rock, and when we have done this we go 
 home, and no iron shall be laid down here." 
 
 This was received with grunts of approval 
 and one immense chief who had several 
 scalps dangling at his belt came forth from 
 the group of silent braves, and with his 
 knife commenced drawing something on the 
 dusty ground. 
 
 "Look at those scalps he's got there, 
 Tom," whispered Joe, whose blood boiled at 
 the sight. 
 
 "Yes, and one of them looks like the hair 
 of a woman," said Tom, in an undertone. 
 
 " What is that fellow doing ? " 
 
 "I don't know. It looks as if he were 
 drawing a map ; no, it is the American flag; 
 he is drawing another, wait a minute — yes— 
 that is the British flag, now." 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 119 
 
 " That's what the3 r are, and well drawn 
 too ; the fellow is quite an artist. What's 
 he doing now?" asked Joe, who hardly 
 understood the sentiment intended to be 
 expressed by the Indian, for he stooped 
 down and pretended to pick up the Ameri- 
 can flag and then waved the imaginary 
 banner over his head. 
 
 " Three cheers ! " shouted a sergeant, who 
 stood holding his horse between the chief 
 actors in this scene and his company. 
 
 "Hip! Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!" rang 
 out hundreds of voices, and the gratified 
 Indian then jumped upon the British emblem 
 and obliterated it in the dust. 
 
 "Major Troxwell, if you will let me punch 
 that villain's beastly head 3^ou may put me 
 in irons," said Hugill, having again come 
 to the front, forgetful of the major's orders. 
 
 "Mr. Hugill, you are not here to uphold 
 the English principles and you must stay in 
 y our tent! Remember, }^ou are under 
 arrest ! " said the major, sternly. 
 
120 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "Under arrest! I'm an example of the 
 fact that worth is seldom recognized and 
 virtue rarely rewarded. Under arrest! It's 
 a beastly shame, 3^e know! Great Caesar's 
 ghost! What would my aunt, the Lad}^ 
 Frances Hugill, say now? " growled Hugill, 
 as he slowly went back to his tent. 
 
 This exhibition of loyalty and good will 
 on the part of the Indians was followed bj' 
 more speeches from their chiefs given in the 
 most grandiloquent styles and it was uncer- 
 tain whether the major was not about to 
 invite the chiefs to dine with him, when at 
 this point in the conference fifty or more 
 Indians came galloping from the main body 
 to within long rifle range of them and 
 there set up a yelling that sounded much 
 like the chorus of a pack of hungr\- co\-otes. 
 
 "What's the matter with those fellows, 
 I'd like to know? " asked Tom. 
 
 "They are getting impatient, and want 
 to find out what's going on," answered Joe, 
 laughing. Then to the surprise of all, the 
 dusky commissioners sprang upon their 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 121 
 
 kiyuses and took the most unceremonious 
 leave imaginable. Away they rode thump- 
 ing the flanks of their ponies with their 
 heels, and pounding them over the backs 
 with their quirts; away like the wind, a 
 cloud of blinding dust thrown up behind 
 tliem, almost obscuring them from view. 
 
 All the time that they had been partici- 
 pating in this conference no one had seen 
 any signs of weapons about the Indians, as 
 the}- had been closely wrapped in their 
 blankets, but when they went flying off in 
 such a mad haste the}' threw their blankets 
 to one side waving them in the air with one 
 hand while in the other each was seen to 
 carry his rifle. 
 
 "What in the world made them skip like 
 that?" asked Tom. 
 
 "It must have been from something those 
 other fellows were 3^elling," replied Joe. 
 
 "There they all go off together to join 
 that big crowd." 
 
 " What a lot of them there are! I'd hate 
 to be caught out b}^ that gang." 
 
122 marking The boundary. 
 
 "I think I'll have my hair cut close to my 
 head." 
 
 "That would be a good idea. What's all 
 that yelling from them now? " 
 
 "They thought that perhaps the cavalry 
 might give them a voile}' and a chase, and 
 then the}' would have turned and had a 
 reserve fire," remarked an old frontiersman 
 belonging to the major's party. 
 
 "But they know too much for that. 
 Look! They are dividing up into small 
 squads and are coming about us in all direc- 
 tions," cried Joe, pointing to the west. 
 
 Such was indeed the case, and it became a 
 serious question, if these Indians were to 
 make am' determined attack, whether the 
 small party with its escort of cavalry 
 would be able to cope with them. The 
 wagons had been changed from their first 
 position to help as a defense from stray bul- 
 lets, being now in a circle about the tents. 
 
 There was no mistaking the hostile 
 intentions of the Indians now, for one small 
 squad, a little more bold than the rest, had 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY 123 
 
 ridden within long rifle range and given the 
 camp a volley. This was not effective and 
 again they came nearer, riding round and 
 round the camp ; but as yet the cavalry had 
 made no demonstration. The Indians were 
 now scattered about singly in all directions, 
 riding still nearer to show their bravery and 
 contemptforthe whites, but they took good 
 care to keep their persons on the far side of 
 their ponies. 
 
 All this maneuvering had been silently 
 witnessed b\^ the whites, but as yet they had 
 not fired a shot. A great waste of endeavor 
 on the part of the Indians and what would 
 they do next ? Orders had been given to all 
 not to fire, and Joe and Tom were panting 
 under this restraint. 
 
 44 1 think I shall know that villain that 
 pulled off my glove, and I'm going to do 
 my best to teach him a lesson, this time," 
 muttered Tom, who had not ceased chafing 
 from the insult. 
 
 "What are they going to do now? See! 
 See ! Here they come in regular line of bat- 
 
124 Marking the boundary. 
 
 tie!" exclaimed Joe, and so they did, but 
 it was not in an Indian's nature to make 
 any fair and bold charge upon an enem}'. 
 It was plain to all that the}- were up to 
 some mischief. 
 
 44 The cavalry are getting ready. They 
 are going to make a charge on those fel- 
 lows," cried Tom, as an officer was seen to 
 give some orders. 
 
 "That's Major Reno, over there, he's in 
 command of all, and I'm glad he's here him 
 self; they say he's a great Indian fighter! " 
 
 And now a bugle sounded and the cavalrj^- 
 mcn all in the same instant swung them- 
 selves into the saddle. 
 
 "I hope they wall not be drawn into a 
 trap." 
 
 "No fear. Reno has seen lots of service. 
 They say he rose from the ranks, and if 
 that's so he must know what he's about." 
 
 "That looks like smoke, or is it only dust 
 beyond the Indians there? " said Tom. 
 
 What the boys had just discovered had 
 been already observed by the eagle eye of 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 125 
 
 Reno. Another note from the bugle and 
 away dashed the cavalry. Away and 
 together, on horses trained to jump at the 
 bugle's blast! What a gallant sight! An 
 even line of bluecoats over the shining backs 
 of well fed and fiery steeds, tearing up and 
 scattering the sod and dust with their heels 
 as they flew straight at the mass of the 
 enemy. The wind was blowing direct from 
 the Indians to the camp, and the red fiends 
 had fired the long grass bej^ond where they 
 had been enmassed, so that it would get 
 good headway before it would be noticed. 
 
 On dashed the cavalry, faster and 
 faster. Reno was determined, if possible, 
 to give them a bit of punishment where 
 the}' stood and put out the fire at the same 
 time. But the Indians did not relish any 
 such idea, and without waiting for the cav- 
 alry to get within decent range, they fired a 
 scattering volley and then fled in all direc- 
 tions. The fire was put out without 
 trouble and the cavalry were resting to 
 allow their horses to regain their wind. 
 
126 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 Reno did not care to pursue with his hand- 
 ful of men as he had the welfare of the camp 
 in his charge. As yet the cavalry had not 
 discharged a carbine. 
 
 All had been watching the charge of the 
 cavalry, and the rear of the camp had been 
 forgotten until a rattling discharge of fire- 
 arms and the whistling of bullets from that 
 quarter called th.m to turn their heads. 
 The mules had been corraled between the 
 circle of wagons, and were now greatly ter- 
 rified as several had been struck by this 
 volley. 
 
 "This way!" shouted the major, but 
 before he had called, the single report of a 
 rifle rang out from one of the wagons in the 
 rear. 
 
 "I've hit one! I've hit one of 'em ! Look! 
 quick ! I've downed his horse too ! " shouted 
 Joe, for it was he, who of all the crowd had 
 taken the thought of an attack in the rear 
 into his head. Joe had climbed up into a 
 wagon, and was just in time to see about 
 twenty of the Indians make a dash from 
 

 c*' 
 
 r' tf' I .•' 
 
 >>••$.' 
 
 if: M |„^/; 
 
 
 V 
 
 / <I IV 
 
 
 >>' U 'V' 
 
 l.%J*» 
 
 
 
 ,k m^ 
 
 THB SCOUT HAD SCALI'UD THIS DEAD INDIAN.— Page 130. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 129 
 
 the banks of a sheltering coulee and give the 
 camp a volley from pretty close quarters. It 
 was too close as it proved for one of them, for 
 as the} r were remounting their ponies after 
 shooting from the ground for a better aim, 
 Joe's bullet had done its deadly work. It 
 struck the Indian fairly in the back, going 
 through him and striking his pony in the 
 neck, killing it also. The two fell in a heap, 
 the pony pinning the dead Indian to the 
 ground. The nearest Indians made frantic 
 efforts to pull their dead comrade from 
 under the pony, but as now all hands from 
 the camp were pouring a galling fire upon 
 them the}' fled, leaving the dead Indian 
 behind! Whether any more were hit they 
 could not tell, but one certainly lay there, a 
 silent witness to the evil-minded and treach- 
 erous nature of the Indian. 
 
 The cavalry, hearing the shooting, came 
 dashing back to the camp. The Indian 
 scout Chonka-ta-ketchah-ha had mounted 
 his pony and now rode out to the dead 
 Indian. He was seen to dismount and bend 
 
130 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 over the body. The gleam of a sharp knife, 
 a hard pull and he waved something in the 
 air. Horrors ! Tom and Joe both shud- 
 dered. The scout had scalped the dead 
 Indian ! It was one thing to read and hear 
 about such things but to actually see this 
 horrible deed performed made their blood 
 boil, although it was on one of the enemy. 
 It was more than they cared to talk about. 
 The killing of a dozen Indians would not 
 have bothered them half so much. 
 
 Major Reno came over to where Tom 
 was talking to his father, and said : 
 
 "Well, Troxwell, your men have laid one 
 out; that's a good beginning." 
 
 "Yes, but how's this thing going to end ? 
 There are several hundred of those Indians," 
 answered Major Troxwell. 
 
 "One of my scouts went for the infantry 
 before those fellows came up, as I thought 
 we might have some trouble. But look, I 
 think the whole mass is leaving us for 
 good now," returned Reno, and, sure 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 131 
 
 enough, they appeared to be making off as 
 fast as the}- could. 
 
 "Let's get up where we can see ever\-- 
 thing," cried Tom, and the boys climbed on 
 top of a wagon to get a better view. 
 
 "It's our infantry' coming in the wagons, 
 and that's what has scared those Indians." 
 
 "They most likeh^ thought it was time 
 the}' were leaving. " 
 
 "They must have thought Custer was 
 after them again." 
 
 The teams came dashing in, covered with 
 foam from hard driving, but it was a case 
 in which it was hard to tell of what 
 importance a few minutes might be. An 
 extra guard was placed that night, and the 
 scouts watched the country well for the 
 next few daj-s, reporting that their trouble- 
 some neighbors had all gone south in the 
 direction of the Bear Paw mountains. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Shortly after this little trouble with the 
 Indians Dr. Goon remarked : 
 
 "Mr. Hugill, you and the bo} r s may get 
 our traps together and we will investigate 
 the surroundings of our new camp." 
 
 "Good!" exclaimed Joe, "and I vote we 
 go toward that glittering hill over there; 
 my curiosity has kept me thinking about it 
 all the morning." 
 
 This new camp had been reached the 
 evening before, and was on the bank of a 
 small sluggish stream called, by way of 
 courtes}', or by the exaggerated apprecia- 
 tion of anything like moving water in a 
 prairie country, " Poplar River." Why pop- 
 lar, except from the absence of that tree as 
 well as of all others, the bo3 r s could not tell. 
 There may have been such trees nearer its 
 influx into the Great Muddy, but up here at 
 
 132 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 133 
 
 its head there was neither bush nor shrub. 
 Before them a level, rolling prairie stretched 
 as far as the eye could reach, conveying the 
 same impression of vastness as does the old 
 ocean when one stands on its beach. The 
 glittering hill, of which Joe spoke, was the 
 only break in the dull, and uninviting sur- 
 roundings. This was a slight elevation 
 above the level horizon, and glittered and 
 scintillated in the morning sun like the piles 
 of scraps and waste back of a tinshop. 
 The doctor and Hugill walked in front of 
 the lads, who were watching for anything 
 that might be of interest. While it seemed 
 much nearer, the hill proved to be at least 
 five miles distant before they reached it, so 
 deceptive is the clear atmosphere of the 
 prairies. 
 
 " Here's something! " shouted Joe, and he 
 and Tom bent their heads over a small but 
 very curious creature that Joe had espied 
 sunning itself on a stone. 
 
 4 'What in the world can it be? Don't 
 touch it!" cried Tom. 
 
134 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "I'm not going to, but I want to get him 
 in my box before it crawls down some hole," 
 replied Joe. 
 
 "Why, it's a horned toad," exclaimed 
 Hugill, who had turned back to see what 
 they had found, while the doctor strolled on 
 to examine the cause of the glittering 
 appearance of the hill just beyond them. 
 
 "A horned toad!" 
 
 "Yes, nothing but a horned toad, and I 
 don't think the doctor will want it." 
 
 "I'll take him along and see," said Joe, 
 when a shout from the doctor attracted 
 their attention. That gentleman was seen 
 to be dancing about and fanning himself in 
 the most vigorous manner with his hat. 
 
 "What's the matter with the old chap 
 now? 'Pon me soul, I believe he's struck a 
 wasp's nest," declared Hugill. 
 
 "It looks that way," chimed in Tom. 
 
 "Why doesn't he run from them, then?" 
 asked Joe, as they hurried on to where the 
 doctor stood like one bewildered, fanning 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 135 
 
 himself as if his life depended on it, his 
 hat in one hand and his wig in the other. 
 
 "Ha! Ha! Ha!" roared Hugill, "why 
 don't you leg it ? Skip ! Run ! Go it for all 
 you're worth, doctor! " 
 
 "What's the matter, sir, hornets or a 
 wasp's nest?" asked Tom, but now that 
 they had reached the spot where the doctor 
 stood they saw no signs of these insects. 
 
 The old gentleman looked somewhat 
 dazed and very pale as he gasped : 
 
 "Ugh! Ach ! I can hardly breathe yet. 
 Ugh! I'm suffocating! Don't you see it? 
 Kill him, Joe ! you've got the gun, kill him !" 
 
 "Kill what, sir? " asked Joe, wondering if 
 the doctor had gone crazy or was suffering 
 a sunstroke, as it was now intensely hot. 
 
 "Kill that reptile! It is a blow snake!* 
 He's just over there, and I stepped right 
 over him. Oh, how sick I feel! I could 
 hardly see a minute ago. I was suffocating, 
 and it seemed impossible to get any air. 
 That's what I was fanning myself for. He's 
 just beyond you, Joe." 
 
 •This incident and peculiarity of the snake are facts. 
 
136 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "Yes, I see him!" exclaimed Joe, as he 
 raised his gun. 
 
 "Hold on! Don't spoil him!" cried the 
 doctor, but he spoke too late. 
 
 Bang! went Joe's rifle, and the bullet, 
 striking the snake about a foot from his 
 head, fairly cut him in two pieces. 
 
 "I'm afraid I've spoiled him," said Joe, as 
 the writhing creature twisted its tail in all 
 directions. 
 
 "Never mind, we must have him; we lose 
 an inch or two here, but you can make it up 
 in feet when }^ou tell this story in the 
 future," replied the doctor, recovering. 
 
 "Snake stories are always barred," 
 remarked Hugill. 
 
 " Gracious ! I shall not get over the shock 
 of this for some time. I was walking 
 along rather fast when right at my feet I 
 saw him coiled, a great, yawning red mouth 
 extended up toward me. I heard a hissing 
 sound as I sprang over him, and the air all 
 about me seemed permeated with a sweet, 
 overpowering, suffocating odor. It took 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 137 
 
 my breath away and I thought I should 
 fall. It was awful ! " shuddered the doctor, 
 making a grimace at the remembrance. 
 
 "I've heard of blow snakes, but never 
 thought they existed," remarked Tom, as 
 he helped to dump the loathsome creature 
 into a tin Id ox they carried for such pur- 
 poses, and then all trudged on to the hill. 
 
 This slight elevation from the surround- 
 ing prairies was formed of earth that was 
 loose as ashes and of a brownish red color, 
 a formation like the bad lands. Strewn 
 about through this were pieces of mica from 
 an inch cube to slabs as large as a man's 
 hand, and an inch thick, and this was what 
 had glittered so in the sun. Specimens of 
 this were taken and then they returned to 
 camp, where the rest of the clay was spent 
 in putting away the results of the day's 
 labor. 
 
 Thus the daj^s flew b}^ Their life was like 
 one prolonged holiday, Joe would often 
 remark, and the time passed so quickh^that 
 two months had elapsed before the boys 
 
138 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 realized it, and mid-summer found them 
 camped in the Bad Lands. 
 
 "I say, Joe, don't you think we could kill 
 a buffalo just as well as those soldiers did 
 the other day without being on horse- 
 back?" asked Tom, as he pressed a bunch 
 of flowers into position for the herbarium. 
 
 "I think so. What kind of a shrub is 
 that you've got there? " replied Joe. 
 
 "Dr. Goon said it had campaniform 
 flowers, and belonged to the genus hya- 
 cinthus, but it was something he had never 
 seen before and would have to look it up. 
 What do you saj r if we have a try at one 
 to-day?" 
 
 "All right; 3^011 are breaking off too 
 many of those flowers." 
 
 "There are too many on this branch. 
 Now these things are all done let's go and 
 tell the doctor where we are going, and be 
 off," said Tom, putting the big book away, 
 and soon the boys were hurrying toward 
 some high bluffs, where buffaloes were gener- 
 ally to be found, as they appeared to dislike 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 139 
 
 the loose, ashen soil composing what is gen- 
 erally termed "bad lands". It might have 
 been that the rough formation of immense 
 mounds of earth, suggesting hidden terrors, 
 caused them to avoid such places. 
 
 "We'll go up on that butte and then we 
 can get a good view of the prairie for miles 
 around," suggested Tom. 
 
 "A good idea, but that is no small climb ; 
 that butte will surprise us by its height." 
 
 " It's not over five hundred feet." 
 
 "That's enough on such a hot day; you 
 will think so before we get there," and so 
 they did, as Joe had predicted. 
 
 "What a grand view! It is well worth 
 the climb ! My ! Just look at the buffaloes ! 
 There are squads of them as far as the eye 
 can reach! " 
 
 "This is the butte that the doctor and 
 Hugill climbed the other day; they said we 
 could see the Sweet Grass Hills, and those 
 little blue ridges to the west must be they." 
 
 "They are nearly one hundred miles from 
 
140 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 here; that shows how clear the air must be, 
 or we could not see so far." 
 
 "They are a long way off. Oh! what 
 herds of buffalo ! Joe, there's one bunch not 
 a great distance from here, all around the 
 head of that coulee there. We can go 
 back the way we climbed up and then go 
 around the end of this butte and up the 
 coulee until we are right into them! What 
 do you say?" 
 
 "Just the thing; we'll never get a better 
 chance," and the bo} r s lost no time in 
 retracing their steps. 
 
 It was much easier than climbing up, and 
 they never stopped for the need of a breath- 
 ing spell until they reached the bottom. 
 
 "Now, Joe, you are certain, are 3 r ou, that 
 the coulee the buffaloes were in, is the same 
 one that opens out at the end of the 
 butte?" 
 
 "I am positive of it, for I followed it down 
 with my eyes to make sure, so that when 
 we reached it we could keep in the bottom, 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 141 
 
 and not have to show ourselves until we 
 reached its head." 
 
 " That's what I was thinking, and when 
 we get in the coulee we must keep as quiet 
 as we can, and not talk ; we want to keep 
 down in it until we get as far as we can 
 without being seen." 
 
 " Yes, but we want to pick out some fat 
 young cows, for the bulls are too tough." 
 
 "It's all tough enough except the humps, 
 but all we want are the tongues." 
 
 The boys had now reached the coulee and 
 had turned into it, proceeding without 
 speaking a word. This shallow depression 
 in the prairie grew narrower as they fol- 
 lowed its winding course, and filial^ they 
 had to crouch down as they went forward. 
 Its depth had been growing correspond- 
 ingly less, until they were obliged to crawl 
 along on their hands and knees, as they 
 wished to get as close to the herd as possible 
 before they exposed themselves to shoot. 
 It was slow work, and the restrained excite- 
 ment was telling on their nerves. The boys 
 
142 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 had had so much practice with their rifles 
 that they were excellent shots by this time. 
 
 " We must be close enough now," ventured 
 Tom. 
 
 "All right," replied Joe, and the boys 
 arose to their feet, their rifles ready cocked 
 in their hands, prepared for any emergency. 
 As they reached their feet they were in hopes 
 of being within rifle range of the nearest of 
 
 V*^>v* *^fc* u4uJ . 
 
 WHAT WAS THEIR ASTONISHMENT TO FIND THEMSELVES WITHIN 
 TWENTY YARDS OF THE NEAREST ONE. 
 
 the straggling herd, but what was their 
 astonishment to find themselves within 
 twenty yards of the nearest one, while in 
 front, on each side, and behind them were 
 dozens of these monstrous brutes, feeding 
 innocently, unconscious of the danger in 
 their midst. The boys had exceeded their 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 143 
 
 intentions and were actually in the very 
 center of the herd. The two nearest ani- 
 mals were lying down. Two old bulls! 
 They were quietly chewing the cud of liberty 
 and independence, and were not more than 
 twenty yards from the boys. The ungainly 
 brutes were on their feet in an instant, and 
 sounded a loud sniff of warning which 
 caused every animal to turn his head, and 
 soon scores joined in this manifestation of 
 their sense of danger. Tom threw his rifle 
 to his shoulder and took aim at the great 
 ungainly brute, which looked more weird 
 than ever from the naked appearance of its 
 back and hind quarters. 
 
 "That's an old bull! Don't shoot!" 
 exclaimed Joe, singling out a young cow. 
 Two rifles rang out with loud report, and 
 the cow fell mortally wounded, but the bull 
 stood pawing the dirt and throwing dust 
 in clouds over his back. Tom had taken 
 aim at the center of the bull's forehead, and 
 quite likely hit his mark fairly, but the mass 
 of hardened alkali mud entangled in his 
 
144 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 great locks of hair made an additional pro- 
 tection to his almost impenetrable skull. 
 The frightened animals came running up 
 from all directions and again two rifle shots 
 rang out. This scattered the approaching 
 buffaloes, and set the entire herd in motion, 
 with the bo}'S standing in their midst. On 
 the frightened animals came threateningly 
 near, and now the bo} r s shot at the on- 
 coming brutes with the intention of break- 
 ing their ranks, for who could tell what 
 was to be the end of this sport should the 
 buffaloes come en masse ? 
 
 "Run with the herd, Tom, run with the 
 herd!" shouted Joe, who was standing a 
 little nearer the approaching buffaloes than 
 Tom, and away the boys went in the cen- 
 ter of an open space kept clear by their con- 
 stant shooting. It was a cannonading of 
 their rifles, a thundering of the buffaloes' 
 hoofs and a stifling cloud of dust. 
 
 Buffalo in front of them, on each side of 
 them, and coming from the rear ! Joe was a 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 14-5 
 
 trifle behind Tom, when to his horror, he 
 saw through the dust an old bull leave the 
 ranks and make a maddened charge from 
 behind upon Tom, who was wholly uncon- 
 scious of his approaching danger. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The sight of that infuriated bull, bleeding 
 from a ghastly gun shot wound, and about 
 to toss his companion, all but froze the 
 blood in Joe's veins, and had the deafening 
 thunders of a thousand hoofs allowed of 
 Tom's hearing a warning word, Joe's throat 
 would have been unable to utter it. His 
 tongue had momentarily lost its power, but 
 his brain was quick to suggest, his arm to 
 respond. His rifle was thrown to his 
 shoulder and with an instantaneous but 
 certain aim at a mortal spot, he pulled the 
 trigger. "Click" sounded the hammer, 
 striking steel. There was no report, no dis- 
 charge from Joe's rifle. In his excitement 
 he had forgotten to reload it ! At the very 
 moment that the bull was on the unsuspect- 
 ing Tom, the latter stopped for a second 
 and discharged his rifle at one of the luuu 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 147 
 
 bering animals on the right. The proximity 
 of the explosion to the ear of the belligerent 
 bull, frightened him more than a bullet from 
 Joe's rifle would have done, for he turned of 
 his own accord and swerved by Tom so 
 closed that he could have touched the 
 frightened animal with his hand had he 
 been so inclined, and if Joe had planted a 
 bullet in the brute's heart the force of his 
 unimpeded momentum would have crushed 
 Tom in the downfall. When Joe's rifle failed 
 to respond the poor fellow closed his e\ r es 
 for the moment to shut out the sight of the 
 seemingly inevitable result. What was his 
 surprise and delight a moment later 
 to behold his comrade yet upon his feet and 
 the last of the buffaloes beyond them. They 
 stood alone, holding the heated barrels of 
 their rifles in their hands, their hearts beat- 
 ing at a lively rate from their violent run- 
 ning and not a dead buffalo in sight. Joe 
 ran up to Tom with tears in his eyes, 
 saying: 
 
148 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "Well, old fellow, that last one gave you 
 an awful close call ! " 
 
 "Didn't he, though? I might have 
 touched him, and I never saw him until 
 after I had shot at a cow on the other side 
 of me." 
 
 "I never was so frightened in my life. I 
 tried to shoot him but I had forgotten to 
 reload ; and then I shut my eyes. I never 
 expected to see you alive again, old boy. 
 Oh, I'm awfully glad you didn't get hurt." 
 
 "So am I, for that matter, but it's a pity 
 we didn't hurt more of them after all the 
 shooting we've done. I shot away nearly 
 all of my cartridges," said Tom, feeling 
 around to the back of his belt, "only seven 
 or eight left!" 
 
 "And no wonder my rifle did not go off. 
 I couldn't have loaded if I'd wanted to; 
 mine are all gone." 
 
 "But where is all our game? I can't say 
 positively that I saw a single one fall, but I 
 saw plenty of them bleeding from wounds." 
 
 "Your bullets hit too far back ; they have 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 149 
 
 an awful tough anatomy and can carry lots 
 of lead before they die; but I know of three 
 or four falling that will not get far." 
 
 "Are you sure? It would be too bad to 
 get nothing after all that shooting; we 
 must have run two miles or more." 
 
 "I don't doubt it; that's one for a cer- 
 tainty over there," exclaimed Joe, pointing 
 to a dark object on the prairie. 
 
 "Yes, that's one, and I think there is 
 another just be^^ond," added Tom, as they 
 hurried along back to where they found 
 lying dead their first buffalo. Approaching 
 this great monarch of the plains, they were 
 both filled with awe and reverence for the 
 noble brute so ruthlessly slain, for this great 
 animal that would soon belong to the past. 
 
 "It does seem a pity now that we've killed 
 him, that so much meat is to be wasted," 
 said Joe. 
 
 " We might as well kill a few as to let the 
 Indians have them all." 
 
 "They use them and waste nothing, and 
 kill no more than they want." 
 
150 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "Well, we can't carry more than his 
 tongue and the next thing is to get that 
 out. What a monstrous brute he is!" 
 exclaimed Tom, taking hold of one of the 
 animal's short, black horns and trying in 
 vain to move his head. 
 
 "He's a big fellow and no mistake/' 
 replied Joe, looking at him admiringly. 
 
 " He looks like an elephant, and his hide is 
 as thick as an elephant's," commented Tom, 
 having thrust his knife into the animal's 
 mouth and trying to cut the hide back 
 toward its jaw, while pulling at the brute's 
 tongue with the other hand. 
 
 "Ha! Ha! Ha! That's a fine way to 
 take a tongue out! It's plain to see that 
 3^ou never butchered anj 7 ," cried Joe. 
 
 "Well, how else would you do it? " 
 
 "Not that way!" 
 
 "Well, how? This fellow seems to have 
 awful teeth ; if it were not for those ivories 
 I could manage," said Tom, having only 
 succeeded in getting the animal's tongue 
 half out. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 151 
 
 "Come, let me take the knife; yon must 
 slash under the throat from near the muzzle 
 to the windpipe, and through this long slit 
 you must pull the tongue down, then you 
 can cut it off, so, getting its full length," 
 and Joe most dexterously removed the 
 tongue and held it up proudly to Tom's view. 
 
 "Number one! Cut a little hole in the tip 
 end of it and I can carry it on one finger." 
 
 After hunting the trail thoroughly back 
 to where they had started to shoot they 
 found only three more, and one of these was 
 the 3 r oung cow that Joe had killed at the 
 first shot when they came into the herd. 
 
 " We did an awful lot of shooting to get 
 only four," said Tom. 
 
 "Yes, but I am afraid that we have 
 wounded a great many that will eventually 
 die," replied Joe, as he finished taking out 
 the last tongue. 
 
 "I can carry these tongues if you will cut 
 out a piece of the hump, Joe. Do try ; the 
 hump that the scout brought in the other 
 dav was* fine." 
 
152 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "I can get all we can carry very easil}^ if 
 you say so. It will seem less wasteful to 
 take all we can," and this choice morsel was 
 soon added to their plunder. 
 
 Shouldering their rifles the bo}^ tramped 
 back to camp, delighted with the result of 
 their exploits. After depositing the spoils 
 of the chase with the cook they gave most 
 glowing accounts of their hunt to the 
 others. 
 
 "You young fellows would better have 
 been here at work, ye know, than hunting 
 like bloody Indians. There's a lot of pack- 
 ing to be done this afternoon. We 've orders 
 to move camp to-morrow, }^e know," piped 
 Hugill. 
 
 "No, we didn't know it; why did you 
 not tell us before we left ? " 
 
 "Just heard it nryself, half an hour ago, ye 
 know." 
 
 "I'm glad of it. Three cheers for leaving 
 this dusty hole!" shouted Tom gleefully. 
 
 "I don't think any body will be sony to 
 leave. What do you say, old Wolf Voice, 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 153 
 
 glad to go? " asked Joe, of the scout, who 
 stood beside a large compass that was on 
 its tripod in front of the tent. The scout 
 was much amused at the way the needle 
 followed his hunting knife as he moved it 
 about over the top of the glass, but he made 
 no reply and Joe repeated his question. 
 
 "Glad to go, Wolf Voice ?" 
 
 "No," grunted that member of Uncle 
 Sam's defenders, for Wolf Voice was a reg- 
 ular^ enlisted scout. 
 
 "Don't want to move, eh?' , 
 
 "No," was again his laconic reply. 
 
 " Well, what makes 3^011 like to stay here?" 
 
 "Good water — heap meat, — good," 
 grunted Wolf Voice, still giving his attention 
 to the compass. 
 
 "More good water, more heap meat," 
 asserted Joe, hoping that his predictions 
 would prove true, but the stoical Indian 
 simply shrugged his shoulders, and no fur- 
 ther remarks could be elicited from him. 
 
 The preliminary packing was done in an 
 
154 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 hour, notwithstanding Hugill's allusions 
 to its immensity, and then Tom remarked : 
 
 " Well, Joe, I'm sorry to leave Abe and 
 Ben." 
 
 "So am I. How I wish we could take 
 them along with us, but Dr. Goon says he 
 can't be bothered with them." 
 
 "It seems too bad to be obliged to leave 
 them." 
 
 "Yes, it is." 
 
 "Let's go up and see them, and say good- 
 D3'e to the lads for the last time." 
 
 "And I'll take a part of that hump 
 along." 
 
 "All right, you get the meat and I'll get 
 the poles," assented Tom, going around to 
 the back of the tent where he found a couple 
 of surveyor's rods; these were tall, slim 
 poles and painted red and white. 
 
 The poles the boys used first to assist 
 them in climbing, and then as weapons of 
 defense, for although Abe and Ben were 
 always very glad to see them, yet their 
 feathered parents always resented their vis- 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 155 
 
 its as unwarranted intrusions, and took 
 particular pains to show their dislike with 
 force of wings and claws, dashing through 
 the air in dangerous proximity to the boys, 
 faces. In the apex of a pyramid of loose 
 alkali-ashy earth was the nest containing 
 
 IN THK APEX OF A PYRA.MTO, * * * * WAS THE NEST 
 CONTAINING A2E AND BEX. 
 
 Abe and Ben, which were half grown 3^oung 
 eagles and great favorites of the bo} T s. It 
 was an arduous climb to reach the nest, as 
 that soft pile of peculiar earth was many 
 hundreds of feet high and one's feet would 
 sink into it several inches. 
 
 "There are the old birds now," cried Tom, 
 as he stopped for breath and leaned on his 
 
156 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 pole, which sank to a considerable depth in 
 the ashy earth. 
 
 "Where?" asked Joe. 
 
 "Over that way, to the right of the sun. 
 Can't you see them sailing around ? They 
 are so near the sun it almost blinds me to 
 look at them." 
 
 "Oh, yes, I see them now. How high up 
 they are! I can just see them now, and 
 that's all.' 
 
 "I don't think they have seen us \ r et." 
 
 " What old fools they are ! I should think 
 they would understand by this time that 
 we don't want to hurt them. ,, 
 
 "They have no more sense than a goose." 
 
 "They are coming this way now; they 
 are going to give us one parting battle." 
 
 "Well, let's hurry up to the top and then 
 we can have more fun with them," and Tom 
 twisted his pole around to get it out of the 
 soft earth, and once more they climbed 
 upward, losing half as much ground as they 
 gained at every step. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 157 
 
 When they reached the summit they 
 enj<yyed seeing the 3 r oung eagles eat the 
 meat, bit by bit. The old ones soared above 
 them at a respectable distance either fearing 
 to again attack them or else having come 
 to an understanding of their motives. This 
 was their last visit to the eagle's nest, and 
 it is safe to say that the eagles remembered 
 the boj^s for many a day, as no more tender 
 morsels ever went down the throats of the 
 incipient emblems of this great nation than 
 were fed to these. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 The sun was doing its utmost to show 
 its power, and although the timid prairie 
 dog sought a refuge in its cool underground 
 retreat yet the stranger within its gates 
 writhed its shining coils and reveled in the 
 heat. 
 
 " There's another," shouted Tom, stretch- 
 ing his neck out of the rear end of one of 
 the wagons as they slowly toiled along 
 over the prairie . 
 
 It was a large rattlesnake coiled up near 
 a prairie dog's hole, and Joe, trudging 
 along on foot, had in his hand the mule 
 driver's whip, with which he had been try- 
 ing to hit an unwary prairie dog. 
 
 "He is going down the hole," replied Joe, 
 and without a moment's thought he rushed 
 to the fast disappearing reptile and with 
 all a boy's recklessness grasped it bv the 
 
 158 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 159 
 
 end of the tail, but dropped it in almost 
 the same instant, and with a blanched face 
 eagerly examined his hand. 
 
 44 Did he bite yer?" asked the driver, 
 jumping off from his saddle mule without 
 stopping his team, and running over to 
 where Joe stood. 
 
 "No, I think not, but as I was pulling on 
 his tail his head flew out, and he snapped 
 at my hand, coming close enough to scare 
 me pretty badly. " 
 
 "That'll teach yer not ter meddle with 
 them pesky things, fur they can turn in a 
 pretty small hole," was the driver's 
 answer, running back to his team and 
 remounting his mule. 
 
 It is just such little incidents that make 
 up the daily life of a trip across the plains, 
 where nearly every hour produces some- 
 thing of interest to an observant mind. It 
 was a three days' steady journey to the 
 Sweet Grass Hills, making nightly camps 
 with the poorest of water for man and 
 beast, as the scout had predicted. 
 
160 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "To-morrow night we shall be in the 
 hills," commented Tom. 
 
 "Yes, and won't we enjoy a good drink 
 once more ! They say there is the best of 
 water there." 
 
 "This stuff is awful! I can't drink it at 
 all; we'll have to get along with tea 
 again." 
 
 "One must be actually deprived of good 
 water to appreciate the blessing." 
 
 "Pat said last night it was full of red bugs, 
 even after he had strained it through mus- 
 lin." 
 
 "He ought to have given the bugs to the 
 doctor," said Joe, laughing. 
 
 "I believe the doctor would have wanted 
 them had he known it." 
 
 "We 've put away some pretty small ones 
 already." 
 
 "What do you suppose they do with all 
 these things we are picking up? " 
 
 "Put them on exhibition in that big build- 
 ing they call the Smithsonian Institute, I sup- 
 pose." 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 161 
 
 Here the call for supper interrupted them, 
 and no time was lost in responding to it, 
 except by the Indian scout, whose name, 
 as translated into English, the boj-s had 
 long since found out to be Wolf Voice, and 
 this gentleman's appetite was most erratic. 
 He often ate but once a day, and at other 
 times, when lying about camp, he was 
 munching upon something from morning 
 till night, and, as Pat Molloy graphic- 
 ally explained it, "He was fillin' his 
 bread basket forninst hard toims." On this 
 particular evening, as all had finished their 
 supper and were moving back from the 
 rough board table, Wolf Voice made his 
 appearance, very much excited, saying : 
 
 4 'Bear! Bear! Bear!" 
 
 " Phat's the matter wid ye? Come in an' 
 ate yer supper, ye omadhaun," spluttered 
 Pat. 
 
 "Bear! Bear! Bear!" again exclaimed 
 the Indian, pointing to the south and 
 beyond the little swamp on which they were 
 encamped. 
 
162 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "See here, my worthy heathen friend, we 
 haven't lost any of bruin's family, ye 
 know, and blawst me eyes if I'm going to 
 look for any," drawled Hugill, slowly filling 
 his pipe. 
 
 "Sch!" hissed the scout through his 
 teeth, for although he did not understand 
 the words, his innate keenness told him that 
 Hugill was trifling with him, as usual. 
 
 " Where?" asked Joe, thinking that a 
 change from their buffalo steaks might be 
 acceptable. 
 
 "Bear ! Good ! Bush ! " were all the Eng- 
 lish words that Wolf Voice could command 
 which were applicable to the occasion, but 
 his tongue finding a loose vein in his excite- 
 ment sought relief in volumes of his native 
 language, unintelligible to all. 
 
 "He has run a bear into some brush and 
 wants help to get him out, that's what he 
 means," suggested Tom, and the quick intel- 
 ligent face of the Indian responded with a 
 smile of satisfaction. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 163 
 
 \ 
 
 " That's just what I think. Let's go with 
 him ; he can go through the brush on his 
 kiyus and we can get a shot at the bear 
 when he runs him out," suggested Joe, buck- 
 ling on his cartridge belt. 
 
 "You don't suppose it could be a grizzl\% 
 do you ? I would not want to be on foot 
 when one of those fellows comes after me." 
 
 "No danger of that, they never leave the 
 mountains; it's probably some small black 
 bear; they are the only kind that run over 
 the prairies, at least that's what I've been 
 told." 
 
 "Well, I'm going with him ; what do you 
 say, Joe?" 
 
 "Oh! I'm going, every time," replied Joe, 
 as he ran into his tent for his hunting knife. 
 
 "You j^oung cubs had best stay here, ye 
 know; 3'ou'll begetting killed some day, fol- 
 lowing that copper-skinned rascal on that 
 pinto kiyus with the crockery optics, "called 
 out Hugill, who w r as always making fun of 
 the Indian's wall-eyed pony. 
 
164 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "Don't you worry over our mishaps," 
 retorted Tom. 
 
 "Very well, very well; it's none of my 
 fu n er al , 3^ e k now." 
 
 "Nobody is going to get hurt you'll enjo3^ 
 a bit of fat bearsteak as well as any one." 
 
 "Yes, when you catch him, ye know. Do 
 you think that bear is going to be such a 
 bloody fool as to run out for you chaps to 
 kill him ? Blawst me, if I ever saw such 
 idiots." 
 
 "We'll tell you all about it when we come 
 back." 
 
 " Faith, bhoys, an' ye'd better take a mule 
 wid ye; if the durty baste should see ye he 
 moight bite ye," shouted Pat, but without 
 replying the bo3 r s hurried on after the scout, 
 who had mounted his kiy^us and was leav- 
 ing camp. The grass was quite rank about 
 the swamp, and the mules were enjo3 r ing 
 themselves in the excessive verdure, for in 
 their former campings in the Bad Lands feed 
 had been scant. The three hunters followed 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 165 
 
 around the edge of the swamp and then 
 went up a ravine about a mile. 
 
 " We'll have to lose no time for the sun 
 will be down in an hour or so." 
 
 " That's a fact, but this must be the place. 
 Ho! Wolf Voice! This the place?" called 
 Tom, pointing to some brush which 
 extended over many acres of ground, and in 
 most places w r as so dense as hardly to allow 
 an3 r one to go through it. The Indian 
 nodded his head and motioned for Tom to 
 go on one side of the brush and for Joe to 
 station himself on the other. 
 
 " All right, I'll get behind that little point 
 of rock, which will hide me, and if you can 
 get the bear to follow you come toward 
 me," replied Joe, with many gestures which 
 the Indian understood much better than his 
 words. 
 
 "Run him over toward me and give me a 
 chance," said Tom. Whether he understood 
 him or not he made no answer, but spurred 
 his ki3 T us into the thickest of the scrubby 
 brush. Up and down he rode, leaping his 
 
166 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 kiytis over a tall patch of undergrowth, 
 dashing through an open spot, here and 
 there, and everywhere, yelling and whoop- 
 ing, pounding his nimble beast whenever the 
 little animal failed to respond, but as yet no 
 signs of bruin. 
 
 The boys were wild with excitement, and 
 eagerly watched for some indications of the 
 bear. Suddenly the Indian stopped short 
 in his w T ild career, and looked intently ahead 
 of him, his wiry little pony crouched back 
 upon its haunches, with its neck arching, 
 its ears thrown forward, and its dilated 
 nostrils giving vent to snorts of terror. 
 Wolf Voice had discovered the bear nearly 
 hidden from sight in a mass of dead brush. 
 
 " He sees him ! " shouted Joe, who was on 
 a little higher ground than Tom. 
 
 The Indian raised his gun, and, although 
 he knew it was impossible to make a sure 
 shot on account of his kiyus, that had com- 
 menced dancing around in affright, yet he 
 discharged it, hoping either to wound the 
 brute or to frighten it out of its retreat. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 167 
 
 "Did you hit him ? " shouted Tom, but in 
 another moment the bo}^s both saw that, if 
 the shot had taken effect, it had done no 
 serious harm, for now the Indian was urg- 
 ing his pony on to more desperate exertions 
 than ever, but this time to get away from 
 the bear. 
 
 "Come this way," Joe cried out, and, as 
 he was nearer to him than to Tom, he did 
 so. It was an exciting run, for in the brush 
 the bear had the advantage. Crashing over 
 the thick bushes, blindly dashing into ever} r - 
 thing, it was soon close enough to have 
 done the ki} T usan injury had it not lost just 
 time enough in rearing upon its hind feet, in 
 order to strike with its fore paw, to allow 
 the pursued to get a length ahead of it. 
 Several times the boys thought that the 
 bear had gotten his claws into the flanks of 
 the noble little kiyus, that was now so thor- 
 oughly imbued with the sense of danger 
 that it needed no encouragement to do its 
 utmost, but each timethe bear fell just short 
 of its prey. 
 
168 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 Wolf Voice extricated himself from the 
 maze of the thicket and, taking advantage 
 of a slight open spot, gained considerably 
 on the bear. Determined to lose none of 
 this advantage he induced the animal to 
 follow him up the ravine, but getting 
 nearer to the outskirts of the thicket; then 
 making a quick turn he doubled on the 
 infuriated brute and came dashing down 
 past Joe, with bruin about twenty feet in 
 the rear. Joe was a good shot, but in this 
 exciting prelude his nerves had become 
 strained to their utmost tension, and the 
 difference between shooting at a mark and 
 live game on the run, now became exempli- 
 fied. His hand trembled slightly and his 
 bullet struck just far enough back to send 
 the bear rolling head over heels but not to 
 kill it. 
 
 The scout had been looking behind him 
 and had witnessed the effect of Joe's shot. 
 Thinking that now the infuriated beast 
 would turn and attack Joe, he wheeled his 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 169 
 
 kivus and dashed to his side. Then sliding 
 from his saddle as only an Indian can slide, he 
 struck the animal a sharp blow with his 
 qnirt which sent it scampering off, trailing 
 his long lariat. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Wolf Voice threw his blanket on the 
 ground and stood there, a lithe and almost 
 naked savage, his rifle in one hand and his 
 sharp knife in the other. The light and fire 
 of many past generations of braves flashed 
 from his dark eyes, a smile of satisfaction 
 played about his face and a look of delighted 
 anticipation came in gentle contrast to his 
 usually ugly and sardonic expression. 
 
 "Shall I shoot again ?" queried Joe, who 
 had, before this, reloaded his rifle and stood 
 determined to hold his ground. The bear 
 lay on its side groaning and biting at its 
 wounds, and although it was not a grizzlv, 
 yet it was one of the largest of the species 
 known as the cinnamon, and often mistaken 
 for the grizzhy. It was a large brute, but 
 after the exaggerated stories Joe had heard 
 
 170 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 171 
 
 of the size of bears, he did not appreciate 
 the dimensions of this one. 
 
 "No!" exclaimed Wolf Voice, keeping his 
 piercing eyes on the great ugly brute, that 
 was yet in its blind rage totally unconcious 
 of its enemies. 
 
 "He's getting awfully mad," said Joe, 
 who could see no reason, as he afterward 
 told Tom, for not pumping the lead into 
 him right there. 
 
 "Heap bad medicine, heap bad," said 
 Wolf Voice, his base gutterals toned down 
 to almost sylvan chords at the prospect of 
 the blood so soon to flow. 
 
 "Well, why not shoot now? Wlw not 
 both shoot together?" continued Joe, rais- 
 ing his rifle to his shoulder to add signifi- 
 cance to his words. 
 
 "No! No! No!" 
 
 " Why not? " repeated Joe, who was a little 
 impatient, not being quite able to conquer 
 a Nimrod's selfishness as he now saw that 
 Tom was hurrying around the lower end 
 of the brush. 
 
172 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "No! Him stand— Wolf Voice shoot.'' 
 
 "What do you think I'm going to do? 
 Stand here and see you have all the fun? 
 Him stand and me shoot, hey, old Wolf 
 Voice? " cried Joe, tapping the stock of his 
 rifle. 
 
 This was much for the Indian to relin- 
 quish, but there was something so brave in 
 Joe's frank boyish face that it appealed 
 to the savage instinct of the Indian. There 
 was no time for further reflection, as the 
 bear now discovered the two standing 
 within forty } r ards of it and began to 
 advance. When half of the distance was 
 accomplished it reared upon its hind feet, 
 looking to them nearly as large as an ox. 
 
 "Shoot!" exclaimed Wolf Voice, holding 
 his rifle in readiness to shoot should Joe's 
 bullet fail to find a vital spot, for lead often 
 takes a vicarious course through these 
 tough brutes. 
 
 "Bang!" went Joe's rifle, and as he had 
 taken a cool and careful aim at the brute's 
 throat the bullet went crashing through 
 

 f 
 
 mm 
 
 %^^LS^^- 
 
 WOLF VOICE * * * STOOD THERE, A LITHE AND ALMOST 
 
 naked savage. — Page 170. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 175 
 
 its spinal column and it fell dead in its 
 tracks. 
 
 Tom now came running up quite out of 
 breath, and as Wolr Voice drew his sharp 
 knife across the animal's throat, allowing 
 it's warm heart's blood to gush over his 
 hand bathing it in the scarlet fluid to his 
 wrist, he gave forth a deep "Ugh," which 
 seemed to express his entire satisfaction as 
 to the result. 
 
 "Did you drop him, Joe?" asked Tom, 
 panting from his run. 
 
 " Yes, it was getting so dusky that I was 
 afraid I would miss him ; it was more luck 
 than anything else," answered Joe, looking 
 at the huge brute with a thrill of delight. 
 
 " All your good shooting, Joe. I wish I'd 
 had a chance at him too." 
 
 "Yours next time, Tom. He chased Wolf 
 Voice this way and there was nothing else 
 for him to do but to come toward me." 
 
 "Yes, I know, but I would like to have 
 had one shot at him. What shall we do 
 
176 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 with him ? It is getting too dark to take 
 the insides out of him now." 
 
 " What say yon, Wolf Voice ? " 
 
 "No good," said that gentleman, going 
 back to where he had dropped his blanket 
 and again wrapping it around him. 
 
 "Not good! Wliat's the matter with it, 
 I'd like to know?" inquired Tom, and then 
 the Indian pretended to cut a piece out of 
 the dead bear's flank, put the imaginary 
 morsel into his mouth, and with mighty 
 endeavors and ludicrous antics failed to 
 shut his bright and wolfish teeth upon it. 
 
 "He means that the bear is too old and 
 tough; that we could not eat it," interpre- 
 ted Tom, laughing. 
 
 "He probably saw the bear run in here 
 and could not tell whether it was a young 
 one or not;" then turning to the Indian, 
 Joe said: "Isn't that so, Wolf Voice?" 
 But Wolf Voice most likely did not under- 
 stand, as he made no reply but started after 
 his kiyus which was now grazing on the 
 hill at some little distance from them. Joe 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 177 
 
 and Tom did not wait for him but started 
 back to camp. 
 
 The shooting of the bear was very exciting, 
 but the boys found the subsequent recount- 
 ing to breathless listeners even more so, and 
 after they had made the others fully cogni- 
 zant of every item of their adventures of 
 the evening, it is not surprising that they 
 had marvelous dreams of ursine monsters. 
 
 The next evening, after an arduous day's 
 travel they encamped at the foot of the 
 northwest group of the mountains known as 
 the "Sweet Grass Hills." This cluster of 
 mountains, the tallest one of which they 
 afterward found to be thirt\^-five hundred 
 feet above the level of the prairie, was 
 almost on the forty-ninth parallel, the line 
 running across its northern slopes. Here 
 was a beautiful place for a camp, plenty of 
 w r ood and water and good grass for the 
 mules and horses. The doctor's party 
 came trailing in nearly an hour behind the 
 others, whose stock was already feeding 
 out upon the hills in charge of the Indian 
 
178 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 scouts. The white tents of the cavalrj^men 
 glittered in the sun, and as the doctor now 
 had the choice of positions they went about 
 a quarter of a mile above all the others, 
 thus getting the first usage of the mountain 
 brook which only too soon lost its chief 
 attractions in the more level land below. 
 
 "Oh! How jolly to be near a mountain 
 like this!" cried Tom, gazing joyfully at 
 the grand heights beyond. 
 
 "Yes, indeed, and to-morrow we'll be on 
 the top of one of those peaks, eh, Tom ? " 
 
 "That's what we will. There we can 
 load ourselves down with flora and fauna 
 without trouble." 
 
 "Everything grows in the mountains; 
 that's where I want to live when I grow 
 up." 
 
 "I'd not complain of an}*- place if I were 
 not compelled to live on a prairie," and Tom 
 shook his head decisively, as he rolled 
 over a big bundle of white canvas which 
 was soon transformed into a domicile for 
 the delectation of the cook. After this others 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 179 
 
 soon took form to themselves, and the doc- 
 tor's camp was soon again a thing of per- 
 fection. 
 
 "How do 3 r ou like this water, boys?" 
 called Dr. Goon, as he stood by the side of 
 the rippling brook the next morning, hold- 
 ing a cup of the crystal fluid in his hand. 
 
 "It's delicious, sir," answered Tom. 
 
 "Nothing like good, pure water," and 
 again the doctor gulped down great swal- 
 lows of it. 
 
 "No, indeed, sir." 
 
 "It's hard to improve on nature's most 
 excellent beverage, but just think of the stuff 
 we've had to drink in the last three da} T s. 
 Bah!" and throwing the last few drops 
 on the ground he added, "it's a wonder 
 some of us were not made sick." 
 
 "Mighty little of it I drank, or I would 
 have been sick," said Tom. 
 
 "It was bad, and no mistake, and now 
 you boys would like to go up into the 
 mountains, I know." 
 
 "Yes, sir! Yes, sir!" 
 
180 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 " Well, you must take care of yourselves 
 and not get hurt, and I want you to prom- 
 ise me to let all bears alone ; } r ou might not 
 come off so luckily a second time." 
 
 "Oh! now, Dr. Goon, that's too bad! I 
 do want to get a bear," returned Tom, lugu- 
 briously. 
 
 " Well, there ma}^ be some bear that wants 
 to get}rou, sol want you boys to both prom- 
 ise me you '11 not trouble any bears should 
 you see them." 
 
 44 That's pretty rough." 
 
 " You must give me your promise or 1 '11 
 have to put you to some other kind of 
 work." 
 
 41 All right, sir, we'll promise." 
 
 44 The Institute doesn't want them, and 
 and I don't want them. We only want 
 those things that we have no specimens of, 
 and every known species of bruin's family is 
 standing about in some position in the 
 Smithsonian Institute." 
 
 44 We '11 promise not to shoot at a bear if 
 he's a mile off," laughed Joe, but it was 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 181 
 
 something of a disappointment to Tom to 
 be thus deprived of a chance to vindicate 
 his prowess as a hunter. 
 
 The bo3 r s were accustomed to being sent 
 off on these rambling trips together to secure 
 am^thing in the shape of new specimens, and 
 as Hugill had no great relish for tramping 
 over the country, and much preferred stay- 
 ing in camp and skinning the birds and 
 small animals preparatory- to mounting, 
 the boys performed that part of the work 
 that suited them best. Tom and Joe fol- 
 lowed up the ravine on which they were 
 encamped, for about a mile. The ascent at 
 this point became quite steep, and here the 
 first few trees were met. 
 
 4 * Isn't this a beautiful pine, Joe? Let's 
 sit down here and rest and enjoy the view 
 below us a few minutes," said Tom, throw- 
 ing himself on the ground in the shade. 
 
 "I had no idea we were getting up so 
 high; what a grand view we shall have from 
 the tops of these mountains ! " 
 
182 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "I think we shall be able to see Milk river 
 from the top." 
 
 "Milk river! Well, I should say so! I 
 dare say we shall be able to see the Sas- 
 katchewan, but much will depend on the 
 clearness of the atmosphere." 
 
 "Dr. Goon said this morning that we 
 could see the Rocky mountains from the 
 highest of these peaks if it were clear, and 
 they are one hundred and fort3'-five miles 
 from here to where the line strikes them. 
 What makes these cones keep dropping 
 down? That's the second one that's hit 
 my hat." 
 
 "I was just asking myself that same ques- 
 tion. If we can see the Rockies from here 
 that sight alone is worth the trip out here. 
 Just think of seeing a great range of moun- 
 tains one hundred and forty-five miles 
 away! There's another cone !" cried Joe, 
 looking up into the branches of the tree. 
 
 "I believe there's something up in this 
 tree, Joe." 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 183 
 
 ''Those cones don't drop right here on us 
 of their own accord and no place else," 
 remarked Joe, getting up and walking back- 
 ward a few feet and looking up in the 
 branches of the tree. 
 
 "That's what I think, and I believe there 
 is something up there," replied Tom. 
 
 "And there is as sure as you live, some 
 queer looking animal about half way up the 
 tree, right over our heads." 
 
 "Where?" 
 
 "Stand back here near me, and you can 
 see him." 
 
 "Yes, that's a fact! What is it? It looks 
 like a young bear. The doctor did not sa3 T 
 an3'thing about cubs, eh, Joe?" and Tom 
 raised his rifle. 
 
 "Oh ! I would not shoot, Tom, } t ou know 
 we promised." 
 
 "But this is only a cub." 
 
 "That doesn't make any difference; the 
 old one might be around and we might have 
 to shoot to save ourselves if we bother the 
 cub." 
 
184 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 " All right, Joe, we won't break our prom- 
 ise, but the doctor did not say anything 
 against taking one alive, and I'm going to 
 get that youngster down out of there as 
 sure as you are born." 
 
 This new phase of their instructions 
 seemed quite reasonable, and without fur- 
 ther discussion Joe gave Tom the use 
 of his shoulder to assist him to reach the 
 lower branches of the immense pine. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 As soon as Tom had reached the first 
 branches strong enough to hold his weight, 
 it was much like going up a ladder for him 
 to mount from limb to limb. 
 
 ' ' Do n't let the little brute bite you , ' ' called 
 Joe. 
 
 "Oh! He's too small to bite; he may 
 scratch a little. You look out for the old 
 one; she may come back and catch you." 
 
 "I'll look outforher. ,, 
 
 "Oh! Joe!" 
 
 "Hello!" 
 
 "I don't think this thing is a cub after 
 all." 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
 "Well, sir, I don't know just yet, I can't 
 get a very good look at him from here, but 
 I think it's a porcupine." 
 
 "You want to look out for him if it is." 
 
 185 
 
186 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "I can tell when I get np on this next 
 limb. Yes, it is a porcupine, and he has 
 just discovered that I am coming after 
 him." 
 
 "Look out that he doesn't throw his 
 quills at 3-011." 
 
 "Oh, I don't believe that old fable! But 
 I've got to come down again, and get some 
 kind of a pole to shove him down with," 
 exclaimed Tom, who climbed down again 
 to the last large limb, which was not more 
 than fifteen feet from the ground. Sitting 
 on this he said : 
 
 "I say, Joe, if we get him out of the tree 
 what are we going to do with him? I 
 think I had better take my rifle up with me 
 and shoot him." 
 
 "Oh, no; they are quite harmless if you 
 don't touch them; let's try to take him 
 back alive." 
 
 " How can we?" 
 
 "I've got a stout cord in my pocket about 
 ten or twelve feet long; if we could get it on 
 his neck we could drag him back to camp." 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 18? 
 
 * * I'll drive him down out of this tree if 
 you will hand me that long dead limb for a 
 pole." 
 
 "It's pretty heavy to handle and not very 
 stout." 
 
 "Never mind, reach it up and I'll man- 
 age it." 
 
 "Now, catch the end of it." 
 
 "All right, 3^ou hold^^our hat when I poke 
 him; he may fall right into it." 
 
 i 'Yes, I will — not," answered Toe, as Tom 
 climbed up again, lugging his unwield}^ 
 limb after him. It was no ver\ r easy mat- 
 ter to disengage the bristling porcupine, as 
 it showed but little fear, and lent all its 
 endeavors to holding on to the limb, but 
 finally it had to surrender to Tom's con- 
 stant punching. 
 
 "Here it comes!" shouted Tom, from his 
 lofty perch, and Joe could see the strange 
 animal slipping and sliding down, jumping 
 and leaping from branch to branch, and 
 then with one long slide and a jump, its 
 long sharp claws let go of the rough bark 
 
188 
 
 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 and it reached the ground, there to be con- 
 fronted by Joe, who with another dead 
 branch disputed its departure. 
 
 "Don't let him get away!" cried Tom, 
 
 IT REACHED THE GROUND, THERE TO BE CONFRONTED BY JOE. 
 
 climbing down in a less expeditious manner 
 than did the porcupine. 
 
 "He can never get away, for he doesn't 
 seem very nimble on his feet," replied Joe. 
 
 "If we can only get the cord on his foot 
 or neck!" 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 189 
 
 "I can put it on all right if you will hold 
 him," laughed Joe, and the bristling animal 
 backed up toward the tree as if to prevent 
 attack from the rear. 
 
 "I could hold him down with this pole if 
 he wouldn't throw his quills at me." 
 
 "I don't think he can do anything of the 
 kind. Chance him anywa3 r ; they wouldn't 
 hurt much — Oh! Ouch!" yelled Joe, as he 
 jumped back. 
 
 The little animal had assumed the offen- 
 sive and settled one point in natural history, 
 at least to Joe's satisfaction, for the porcu- 
 pine had dropped down on one hind quarter, 
 and with a jerk of his short tail much as 
 one would snap a whip he sent half a dozen 
 or more quills to the four points of the 
 compass, one taking effect in the calf of 
 Joe's leg. 
 
 " Ha ! Ha ! Ha ! " laughed Tom. 
 
 "That hurts, I can tell you, if you do see 
 so much fun in it," said Joe, as he pulled out 
 the quill, which certainly could not have 
 
190 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 penetrated very far, as he made no attempt 
 to examine the wound. 
 
 ''There's another quill sticking in the bark 
 of the tree ; he's a regular Gatling gun." 
 
 "Rather promiscuous firing; they went 
 in all directions." 
 
 "It settles the fact that they can throw 
 their quills." 
 
 "Not much like a throw, it was more like 
 a jerk." 
 
 "Well, here's one way over here, at least 
 fifteen feet from him, and I suspect more 
 went in the grass.* 
 
 "Look out! He's going up the tree again ! " 
 shouted Joe, as they both rushed to the tree 
 and with their sticks prevented the porcu- 
 pine from climbing up again. 
 
 "Now, Joe, I can hold him here tight to 
 the tree if 3 r ou can slip that cord on his hind 
 leg ; it hangs down below his quills, " directed 
 Tom, and without ari3' trouble Joe had the 
 stout cord on the hind foot of the porcupine, 
 which was now at their mercy. 
 
 *Notr— -This ability of the porcupine is mentioned by Pliny and 
 often ridiculed by moderns ; yet is a fact, and has been observed by 
 the author. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 191 
 
 "We can drive him right clown to camp," 
 said Joe. 
 
 "Yes, and I have heard they are Yery 
 good eating, just like pork. Poke him along, 
 Joe! Don't let him stop to sit down, or he 
 will give that tail another shake. " 
 
 " I just wish he would send one into your 
 leg; that hurts yet.' ' 
 
 "I can imagine it does." 
 
 "I hope the doctor makes Hugill skin it 
 and doesn't ask us to." 
 
 "Oh! what fun! Wouldn't he rave and 
 tear! The doctor will be sure to want this 
 fellow stuffed, and I don't think he would 
 trust it to us ; he has not forgotten the slash 
 you put in that black fox skin yet," 
 exclaimed Tom. 
 
 When the boys reached camp they found 
 it quite deserted, save for the cook, Pat 
 Mollo3% and tying the porcupine to one of 
 the wagon wheels, thej^ told Pat to keep an 
 eye on the wild pig they had caught. 
 
 "Faith, an' Oi'll moind 'im, but Oi niver 
 saw the likes of sich bristhles in me loife," 
 
192 ' MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 returned Pat, stooping down quite close to 
 the animal to examine him better, which 
 the fretful brute resented by the same 
 maneuver as when first disturbed by the 
 boys. 
 
 "Ach! Oh! Tare an' 'ounds! Whist! The 
 divil take his bristhles ! He's got 'em in me ! 
 bad 'cess to 'im ! " -shouted Pat, springing to 
 his feet and jumpingup and down like a mad- 
 man, knocking at several quills sticking 
 into him much as an excited person does at 
 a lot of angry hornets. 
 
 "Stand still, Pat, stand still, and I'll pull 
 them out," called Tom. 
 
 "Whoop! Musha! Ye may sthand still 
 as ye loike wid a dozen hot petaters down 
 yer back but Oi'm half human meself, 
 avick!" howled Pat, who had nevertheless 
 ceased his antics, and allowed the sharp 
 quills to be pulled out. 
 
 "You don't want to go near him when 
 you feed him, and he w^ill be quiet enough." 
 
 "Faith, an' Oi'll feed him wid a club an' 
 then he'll be aisy enough." 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 193 
 
 "Oh, we don't want to kill him until the 
 others have seen him. The doctor may 
 want to make some experiment on him." 
 
 "Faith, thin, an' Oi wish he would, to 
 pay the ugly gossoon for the experiment he 
 played on me." 
 
 "Ha! Ha! Ha! Well, never mind, Pat, 
 but if you will give us a bit of lunch, we 
 will eat and be off again," and after they 
 had refreshed themselves with their early 
 lunch, they started forth again, as boldly as 
 if they had the entire day yet before them. 
 
 "I don't think we had best try and climb 
 the mountains to-day; what do \^ou think, 
 Joe?" 
 
 "I'm a little afraid we would not more 
 than get to the top of them before dark; 
 we might go around the base of the first 
 peak and see what kind of looking place 
 there is between this and the next one." 
 
 " Very well, we will keep a little more to 
 the right and go around that slope; we 
 can keep up a little, striking just below that 
 green spot," said Tom, pointing to a patch 
 
 13 
 
194 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 of small firs. This was their objective 
 point, and they walked rapidly until they 
 reached it. Beyond them to the left was 
 a gulch, which came from between two 
 mountains. 
 
 "Let's follow up this and see what we 
 shall find," suggested Tom, and on they 
 went, chatting merrily about the fun they 
 were going to have with the porcupine, 
 before the poor animal should be executed. 
 They saw several bands of mountain sheep 
 climbing over steep trails up the sides of the 
 mountains, for now the ravine had become 
 a deep, gloomy canyon, whose rocky sides 
 were the haunt and delight of these sure- 
 footed beasts. The boys had been getting 
 pretty well up, although the ascent had 
 been so gradual they had hardly noticed it. 
 
 "We have gone about far enough from 
 camp," remarked Tom. 
 
 Stopping to rest and turning about, they 
 looked down the ravine through which they 
 had just come. There on the prairie, and 
 heading right in the direction of the mouth 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 195 
 
 of the ravine, the boys saw six or seven 
 Indians. 
 
 "My goodness! Tom, what if those were 
 to be hostiles, coming up here? " exclaimed 
 Joe. 
 
 "They might be, but I hope not; no 
 matter whether they are on the war-path 
 or not, the chances are they are none too 
 good," answered Tom. 
 
 "Look! They have discovered our tracks. 
 They are getting off their ponies now!" 
 
 "Yes, they certainty have seen our foot 
 prints; seethe motions that fellow is mak- 
 ing for them to come up this way." 
 
 "That is just what he is doing. How 
 many do you make of them? " 
 
 "There are seven of them, 1 think: one 
 looks like a half-breed ; at least, he is all 
 dressed in buckskin and seems to be giving 
 orders to the rest," replied Tom, who held 
 the field glass to his eyes. 
 
 "We are in a fix now." 
 
 "That's what we are." 
 
196 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 " My goodness! What are we going to 
 do? " and the boj^s looked blankly at each 
 other, neither being able to answer the 
 important question, and the frowning rocks 
 on either side looked worse than discourag- 
 ing. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 "We are caught like mice in a trap," 
 sighed Tom, ruefully. 
 
 "Not yet, though; they are over a mile 
 away yet," replied Joe, looking longingly 
 up the sides of the almost perpendicular cliff 
 on the left, which prevented them from 
 starting immediately back to camp. 
 
 "Not that way, we have either to go on 
 up this canyon until we can climb up to the 
 left, or else we had best climb up here, to 
 our right, as it's not too steep now." 
 
 "That will take us further from camp." 
 
 "We can climb up here to the right easily 
 enough and when we get to that ledge up 
 there, we may find better footing back of it, 
 and possibly, we can then see our way out 
 of this," said Tom, hurriedly. 
 
 "That's the best we can do." 
 
 "It's all rock here, and those • Indians 
 
 197 
 
198 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 can't see our tracks as they could down 
 there in that sand." 
 
 "They can't ride up there on their ponies, 
 and with this start we have of them, if the 
 ground above is not too bad, we can give 
 them the slip; no use getting frightened, " 
 said Joe. 
 
 "Well, come on, and be careful not to 
 move a rock nor touch a bush, and they'll 
 never know we've left the bottom of the 
 canyon," and with renewed courage the 
 boys sprang nimbly from rock to rock, and 
 were soon up on the ledge they had seen 
 from below. 
 
 "Whew ! That's a climb ; here is splendid 
 traveling, and if we were only on the other 
 side of this canyon we could soon run over 
 that slope there and be in camp in no time," 
 cried Joe. 
 
 "But we are not, and we've no time to 
 lose in tiwing to get there; we must hurry 
 along to the head of this can3 T on, without 
 their being able to get up. These narrow 
 canyons alwa} T s start abruptly," replied 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 199 
 
 Tom, as he dashed along after Joe, for they 
 had now hastened into a quick run, as the 
 footing was exceedingly good. 
 
 "This side of the can\^on is getting as 
 steep as the other," remarked Joe. 
 
 "Oh, if the canyon only has perpendicular 
 walls at the head of it, we are all right ; it is 
 fast growing narrower." 
 
 "Yes, and I think ahead, there, it surely 
 ends, where all that green timber is ; those 
 trees don't grow in mid air." 
 
 "I hope so, I'm getting tired," replied 
 Tom, who was straining his eyes so 
 intently ahead, that he stumbled and nearly 
 fell. 
 
 "Look out where you're going," called 
 Joe, who stopped to permit Tom's catch- 
 ing up to him. 
 
 "I hope we can get around there, and I 
 hope the Indians did not see us climbing 
 up." 
 
 " Oh ! They never saw us, I'm sure." 
 
 "I hope not; if they did we will know it 
 when we get to the head of this canyon." 
 
200 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "If they did we can give them the slip 
 among those rocks and trees," added Joe, 
 who was more self-reliant than Tom. 
 
 On the boys ran, whenever the ground 
 would allow of it, and at length they 
 reached the green timber they had seen. 
 Fortunateljr, the canyon had as abrupt a 
 beginning as they had hoped for. If they 
 had kept in the bottom of it, the} r would 
 have been run into a corner, from which the 
 perpendicular walls would have permitted 
 no escape. Where the\ r went around the 
 head of this canyon the ground was very 
 rough, consisting of washed granite 
 boulders which might have been the bed of 
 a stream, and it is quite probable that rush- 
 ing torrents from melting snowbanks in the 
 spring found an eas} r course along here and 
 delighted in the perpendicular plunge of 
 several hundred feet, to the basin of the 
 canyon down below. 
 
 " Hurrah! What luck," shouted Tom, 
 joyfully, as he skipped from rock to rock, 
 for, as he afterward confessed, when down 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 201 
 
 in that dark, gloomy canyon his feelings 
 were of the most somber shade. 
 
 "Keep quiet, Tom, don't hoot till yon 
 are out of the woods/' whispered the cau- 
 tious Joe. 
 
 "But they can't possibly catch us now; 
 that side of the canyon has been too steep 
 for a cat to climb up, and this side we have 
 been following has been almost perpendicu- 
 lar ever since we left that place we came 
 up." 
 
 "If we have no mishap, we are all right." 
 
 "Come on, let's run where we can! " and 
 away they went, making as good use of 
 their legs as they knew how, never going 
 near to the edge of the cliff until they had 
 reached a point nearly opposite to the place 
 they had climbed up. 
 
 "About here we Avant to strike over for 
 that slope, and then I think we'll have a 
 bee line to camp." 
 
 " I'm going to crawl close to the edge here 
 and have a look down to see what's 
 
202 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 below," said Tom, as they both stopped to 
 breathe a moment. 
 
 "I don't think I would, those fellows 
 might be looking up and they have eyes 
 like hawks, } r ou know," replied Joe, leaning 
 against the trunk of a tree and wiping the 
 perspiration from his forehead. The day 
 was exceedingly warm, and he had exerted 
 himself to the utmost. 
 
 "I'll not expose mj^self at all, but I'd like 
 to know what they are doing; they must be 
 below us by this time." 
 
 "Be careful, now, and don't knock any 
 rocks down," cautioned Joe, but his words 
 were uttered at the very instant that Tom 
 started back, his foot having loosened an 
 immense boulder, which went crashing 
 down below, carrying tons of rock before 
 it, that had needed but a slight touch to 
 tumble. Down the mass went, crashing! 
 smashing! sending a thousand echoes 
 through the quiet camion and as many 
 fears through the boj^s' hearts. 
 
A 
 
 1 ■ ■■ ^im, 
 
 
 
 TOM STARTED BACK, HIS FOOT HAVING LOOSENED A HUGE BOULDER 
 "WHICH WENT CRASHING DOWN BELOW. — Page 202. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 205 
 
 "I knew 3^ou'd do it," exclaimed Joe, 
 snatching up his rifle which he had laid at 
 his feet. 
 
 "Yes, 'I told yon so,' why don't you 
 say?" 
 
 "It's no use awing over spilt milk. We 
 can't be more than four or five miles from 
 camp, and after we get over that slope, I 
 know we'll have a smooth down grade run, 
 and no fear of them following us ver} r close 
 to camp." 
 
 "That's so; I wish now I'd stopped to 
 see down in the canyon after all." 
 
 "It's better to waste no time; those 
 fellows can run a pretty good foot race." 
 
 "Hurry on, then! No time to tarry!" 
 shouted Tom, as he dashed ahead of Joe. 
 
 The top of the slope was soon reached 
 and the bo3 r s saw that the^- had kept the 
 lay of the country pretty well, for down 
 below them, lay the camp and in a short 
 space of time, considering the exertions they 
 had undergone, they found themselves in 
 the midst of their companions. 
 
206 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "Ha! Ha! Ha! " laughed Hugill, after 
 the boys had told of their adventure, "3'ou 
 fellows must have been badly frightened, 
 ye know. I'm blessed if I think 3^ou saw 
 any Indians at all, not more than one, }'e 
 know. Come, now, own up, honor bright, 
 lads." 
 
 "Oh! I could count them easily through 
 my field glass, and could see them making 
 signs." 
 
 "'Ten men in buckram,' said Falstafif. I 
 think it's one on you fellows, ye know. 
 Why didn't you kill a few of them, instead 
 of tumbling rocks down at them, as if they 
 were frogs in a pond ? " taunted Hugill. 
 
 "I am very glad you did not come to 
 grief, and it shows me that I was very care 
 less in letting you go off until our scouts 
 had reconnoitered the country to see that 
 there were no prowlers about," said Dr. 
 Goon, seriously. 
 
 " We might ask for a company of infantry 
 to escort them the next time, ye know," 
 said Hugill, with a sneer. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 207 
 
 "It were better to do so than to have 
 harm befall them. You may dispatch that 
 poor brute under the wagon and take his 
 hide off as carefully as you can," returned 
 the doctor. 
 
 " That's a beastly job! Why not let the 
 bo}^s tackle him? " growled Hugill, looking 
 at the porcupine with a frown. 
 
 "Oh! 'Ten men in buckram !' He'll not 
 hurt you any; hire a soldier, Mr. Hugill," 
 laughed Tom, jumping over a couple of 
 sacks of grain that had been used as a seat 
 at the supper table. 
 
 "I want the boys to go down to the 
 astronomical part}''s camp and bring up 
 the remains of a big reptile that some of the 
 men there killed to-day. I saw it there. You 
 can ask them about it. It is a very peculiar 
 looking snake; we have nothing like it, nor 
 have we given much attention to ophiology 
 of late," said the doctor. 
 
 "All right, doctor, shall we go now?" 
 asked Tom, winking at Joe. 
 
208 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 ' 'Can't we wait half an hour or so? " 
 
 "What do you want to wait here for?" 
 asked the doctor, removing his wig and 
 rubbing his hand around and around his 
 bald head as if to give it an extra polish. 
 
 "I wanted to wait and see Mr. Hugill 
 skin that porcupine," replied Tom, laughing 
 uproariously. 
 
 "Run on, run on, you rascals, and mind 
 your own business, or I'll skin it myself." 
 
 After the boys reached the camp they had 
 no trouble in finding the snake, and were 
 about returning when Major Troxwell 
 came riding in, with a half dozen or more of 
 their Indian scouts trailing along single file 
 behind him. The major recognized his son, 
 and at once called to him : 
 
 "Hullo, Thomas! This way, sir ! " 
 Tom dropped his end of the pole on 
 which they were canwing the snake, allow- 
 ing the reptile to slide to the ground, and 
 hastened to meet his father. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 209 
 
 "Well, father, did you want me? " 
 
 " Yes, sir, I wanted the privilege of a few 
 moments' conversation with you," replied 
 the major, sternly, but with that quizzical 
 look of good nature commingled with a 
 father's admiration for an only son, which 
 always robbed his severest tones of their 
 poignancy when speaking to Tom. 
 
 "Well, sir?" said Tom, respectfully, for 
 when his father spoke thus he was the 
 soldier in every sense of the word, much to 
 his father's hidden delight. 
 
 "Don't ' well, sir,' me! If it were anyone 
 else I'd have you both put in irons and 
 allow you to carry the log on your 
 shoulders for twenty-four hours ! " 
 
 "Why, sir, I don't understand you. What 
 do you mean?" asked Tom, looking very 
 much perplexed. 
 
 "What did you do it for? Don't you 
 know that jokes of that kind often get 
 people into trouble ? " 
 
 "But I assure } r ou, sir, I don't know 
 
210 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 what you mean," said Tom, recalling all 
 past capers but feeling certain that even 
 those which might have reached his father's 
 ears would not have been remembered 
 over night. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 " You will be telling me next that you boys 
 did not roll those rocks down on us. I saw 
 you with my glass going up in that ravine 
 and recognized you! " said the major, look- 
 ing at Tom, and wondering if he had been 
 mistaken after all. 
 
 "Good gracious! father, was it you with 
 those Indians? " 
 
 "It was, sir, and it made no difference 
 who it was, it might have killed some of us 
 if we had been a moment later in passing 
 that spot. You ought to have known bet- 
 ter ; a bit of rock as large as a walnut fall- 
 ing that distance might kill a man." 
 
 "I'm awful glad you weren't hurt, but I 
 assure you, sir, the rocks were an accident." 
 
 "An accident! They came near causing 
 one." 
 
212 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 " Well, I assure you, we did not intend 
 rolling those rocks down ; }-ou see it was 
 this way : Joe and I went up the ravine, 
 and when we got to where we could look 
 down on the prairie, we saw you coming 
 up, and } r ou, in that suit of buckskin, I 
 mistook for a half-breed, with some hostile 
 Indians. I knew, of course, you had a suit 
 of buckskin, but 3'6u have not been wearing 
 it lately." 
 
 "Then, as I look like a half-breed in it I 
 think I had best not wear it any more." 
 
 "Now, father, you know I did not mean 
 that, but with those Indians away over 
 there, where we thought we were all alone, 
 and-" 
 
 "Yes, I see, you fellows were frightened, 
 and hurried out of there. But how did you 
 get up out of that miserable place ? We lost 
 your tracks on the rock}' ground, and the 
 scouts were all certain that }'ou were just 
 ahead of us. We could not get up when 
 we came to the end nor could a squirrel.' ' 
 
AN ACCIDENT? THEY'CAME NEAR CAUSING ONE ! "—Page 211. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 215 
 
 "We climbed up on the far side about 
 opposite to where the rocks fell and then 
 went around." 
 
 "Oh! That was it. I depended on the 
 Indians and they kept saying you must be 
 just ahead of us until we had to turn back, 
 but you must have traveled prettj' briskly.' ' 
 
 "You know what we took your party for. 
 I think the joke is decidedly on us," said 
 Tom, with a smile, and his father broke out 
 into a hearty laugh. 
 
 "I'm afraid you've incurred the ill will of 
 m3' scouts, for they were very much fright- 
 ened when those rocks tumbled." 
 
 "I don't care anything about their ill 
 will." 
 
 "But you should. It is better to have the 
 good opinion of all." 
 
 "That's where you and I differ, father. I 
 think you care the least for the good 
 opinion of anybody, yet strive the hardest 
 to obtain it, of any one I know." 
 
 "Rather an anomalous disposition you 
 seem to think I have. But you will find it's 
 
216 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 the way of mankind. In our youth we care 
 most for it, yet do the least to deserve it. 
 If you boys actually mistook us for hostiles 
 you have certainly had the worst of it. 
 You may go, my son." 
 
 " If you'd seen us getting away from there, 
 3'ou'd have thought we were in earnest," 
 declared Tom, as he left his father and hur- 
 ried back to where Joe stood contemplating 
 the snake. 
 
 " What's the matter ? Your father looked 
 provoked about something," questioned 
 Joe, as he slid the small pole under the snake 
 to carry it. 
 
 "Oh! no, that's just his way, but we've 
 got our foot into it, now. Who do you 
 think our hostile Indians were, that chased 
 us to-day ?" 
 
 "Who?" 
 
 "Father and some of his scouts, who 
 were prowling about there, to find a good 
 place to set up his instruments, to take 
 observations." 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 217 
 
 "Well, I declare!" exclaimed Joe, raising 
 his hands in surprise, forgetting that one of 
 them held the pole. 
 
 "Oh! Ah! Don't! You'll have the nasty 
 thing on me!" shouted Tom, dropping his 
 end entirely and jumping back. 
 
 "He'll not hurt you, but Tom, you really 
 don't mean that, do you? You're only 
 joking; I know you, like a book." 
 
 "No, I'm not joking, it's true enough, and 
 when those rocks fell, they were right below 
 us, and came very near getting hurt. 
 Father recognized us with his glass, and 
 followed up the canyon to the end of it, and 
 then thej- had to go back ; he did not know 
 how we got out, that's the best of the 
 joke." 
 
 "The best of the joke we'll hear from 
 Hugill. He'll say, 'only one man in buck- 
 skin', now." 
 
 "That's so! What fools we've made of 
 ourselves! " groaned Tom, looking clismalh- 
 at Joe, who was trying to balance the snake 
 over the pole, but every attempt proved one 
 
218 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 half or the other to be the heavier, and 
 made the reptile slide to the ground again. 
 
 "Run over and beg your father not to 
 tell it," suggested Joe. 
 
 "That would do no good; wild horses 
 would not keep him from telling the joke to 
 the doctor," and now the snake appeared 
 satisfied in its adjustment and the boys 
 started on again. 
 
 "Then we must take the wind out of his 
 sails by telling Dr. Goon, and throwing our- 
 selves on his mercy, beg him not to tell 
 Hugill of it for he will plague us forever 
 about it." 
 
 "That's the best way; we must play the 
 amiable to Mr. Hugill for a few days, and 
 if he should hear of it he would not be so 
 spiteful." 
 
 "All right, we might offer to skin this 
 snake for him to-night; that would make 
 his heart warm toward us," suggested Joe. 
 
 "Ugh! I'll never try to skin another snake; 
 the last one I cut into made me sick for three 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 219 
 
 days," replied Tom, making counterfeit indi- 
 cations of being very ill. 
 
 " Well, I'll skin him. I'd just as lief skin 
 him as to skin an eel." 
 
 " You would ? Well, you may." 
 
 "All right, I will," and he was faithful to 
 his word, for as soon as they deposited the 
 specimen on a wide board back of the doc- 
 tor's tent, that they called the dissecting 
 table, Joe went to work at him and deprived 
 him of his scaly hide. 
 
 The doctor was so pleased, that after 
 hearing Joe's confession he readity consented 
 to refrain from speaking of it to Mr. Hugill, 
 and in this way the boys evaded his sarcas- 
 tic remarks and taunting jeers. 
 
 "This is a wonderful group of mountains, 
 and many might envy you your good for- 
 tune, in being the first explorers of them," 
 remarked Dr. Goon the next morning at the 
 breakfast table, as he helped himself to a 
 piece of antelope steak. 
 
 "Why, doctor, you don't suppose we're 
 the first explorers here, do you?" queried 
 
220 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 Joe, his big eyes opening wide with aston- 
 ishment. 
 
 " No, not exactly the first w T hite men in 
 here, but it is safe to say that very few have 
 been here before; some stray hunter may 
 have hunted here a da\ r or two, but this is 
 the great disputed hunting ground of the 
 Indians, it being claimed by the Sioux 
 nations on the south and the confedera- 
 tions of Blackfcet and Crows on the north, 
 smaller tribes like the Mandan, Gros 
 Ventre, and Crees never daring to come so 
 near. By the way, the major told me last 
 night that a scout brought in news of the 
 finding of where quite a battle has taken 
 place, within a month, and there are 
 twenty-one dead Indians lying on the spot 
 now." 
 
 " Where? Where ?" exclaimed all. 
 
 " About twenty miles west of this." 
 
 "Twenty-one dead Indians! That's 
 twenty-one good Indians, and it would be 
 quite a sight to see, ye know," said Hugill. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 221 
 
 "A horrible sight, most likely, and I hope 
 we don't have to go near it," answered 
 the doctor. 
 
 "Faith, an' more's the pity the durty div- 
 ils didn't end it loike the Kilkenny cats, bad 
 'cess to the spalpeens," contributed Pat, as 
 he replenished the large platter with hot, 
 juicy steaks from that nimble little animal 
 that furnishes the finest meat of any game. 
 
 " I'm going to try one more of those steaks, 
 Pat. Antelope cooked over a wood fire dis- 
 counts buffalo hump cooked over that abom- 
 inable fuel we've had to use lately." 
 
 " Pat sa\ r s that he is going to give us a 
 famous roast to-daj' if that porcupine is 
 anything like a pig." 
 
 " If not, it may remind you slightly of the 
 pork you pine for, eh, boys? Ha! Ha! Ha!" 
 laughed the doctor. 
 
 u I consider that a base usurpation of 
 power, ye know, a despotic thrust at our 
 liberties ; blessed if any one else would have 
 dared to make such a pun, ye know, "cried 
 Hugill. 
 
222 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "I must beg pardon for it, and shall pay 
 the fine agreed upon." 
 
 "Oh, we'll let you off this time, doctor," 
 said Tom. 
 
 "Yes, if he'll promise not to do it again," 
 added Hugill, as they all left the table. 
 
 Tom and Joe made no remonstrance when 
 told to prospect about the mountains dur- 
 ing the day b}- the doctor, and Hugill notic- 
 ing this strange incongruity, remarked to 
 the doctor that the boys must have been 
 frightened at their shadows the day before, 
 or they would not be so well pleased at 
 having to revisit the spot so soon, but the 
 merry twinkle in the doctor's e}'es as he 
 adjusted his wig more to his satisfaction on 
 his head, as was his wont when thinking 
 deepW on a subject, disclosed nothing. It 
 was nearly noon when the boj^s found them- 
 selves beyond the first mountain peak 
 which had, as yet, disclosed no favorable 
 ascent, and a deeply timbered slope beyond 
 looked so inviting that they entered it, 
 walking carefully along, watching for a 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 223 
 
 startled deer or elk whose tracks were very 
 plentiful. 
 
 "I think we've gone far enough," 
 remarked Joe, as they came to an opening 
 in the timber. 
 
 "Well, let's cross this place and have a 
 look down that gulch over there," sug- 
 gested Tom. 
 
 "Agreed, and then we turn back." 
 
 "All right," and they continued on their 
 journey of exploration; coming to the gulch 
 they found the timber less dense. 
 
 " What's that down there, Joe? " 
 
 "That's so; looks like some Indian te- 
 pees to me." 
 
 "No false alarm this time." 
 
 "Those are queer looking lodges, and now 
 they seem to be made of buffalo robes. I 
 declare, they are made of robes, and the 
 finest kind of ones, too," cried Joe, looking 
 through the glass. 
 
 "But there are no signs of any one about, 
 are there? " 
 
224 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "No, not the slightest, no signs of a fire 
 or anything else about; it is perfecth- 
 deserted." 
 
 "We can go down to that next point of 
 rocks and crawl up close, to make sure, and, 
 if it is a deserted camp, we may as well have 
 those fine robes," saying which the boys 
 picked their way carefully to the next point 
 of rocks, and cautiously creeping along, 
 hiding behind the large trees, they managed 
 to get quite close. 
 
 "How still it is! If any Indians were 
 about we'd hear their dogs or pappooses 
 making a noise," said Joe. 
 
 " Good gracious, Joe ! Look ! Look at the 
 robes now!" 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 " The robes ! Well, for goodness sake, what 
 queer looking buffalo robes ! How the curly 
 hair seems to shake and tremble in the 
 wind!" exclaimed Joe, standing up in full 
 view. 
 
 "I'll risk there being am^one here," 
 declared Tom, advancing, with his rifle at 
 full cock. 
 
 "Two of those tepees are very small." 
 
 "Yes, but those robes are the queerest 
 looking things I ever saw. I don't believe 
 they are robes at all, they are nothing but 
 dried leaves! " 
 
 "Well! That's a fact; they have woven 
 willows with the leaves on, into the lodge 
 poles!" 
 
 "That's all they are. I thought it funny 
 if they were buffalo robes." 
 
 "Well, they looked just like robes; but I 
 don't see any openings in these things." 
 
 15 225 
 
226 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "No way to get into them at all." 
 
 "You see there are no signs of any one's 
 having lived here; the grass shows no signs 
 of a path, nor even having been stepped on." 
 
 "No, nor is there a trace of any fire ever 
 having been made." 
 
 "Not a trace!" 
 
 "This looks mighty queer." 
 
 "Mighty queer," assented Joe, looking 
 about him for a solution to the mystery. 
 
 "This has been made by Indians," Tom 
 declared, looking very wise. 
 
 "Of course it has, but when and what for, 
 is the question." 
 
 "It can't have been done more than a 
 month ago or these leaves would not be 
 hanging yet, nor much less or they would 
 not be so dried." 
 
 "What's that hanging to the long pole of 
 this big one?" asked Joe, pointing up to 
 one long slim pole that pointed off to the 
 east. 
 
 " It looks like a bundle of old rags." 
 
 "These tepees are like wicker baskets, and 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 227 
 
 I'm going to see what's inside of them," and 
 Joe, going up to one of the small ones tore 
 an opening in the closely woven willow 
 withes. 
 
 " Nothing in this but dried leaves," reported 
 Tom, who followed Joe's example and was 
 tearing into the other small one. 
 
 "That's all I've iound here; let's tackle 
 the big one." 
 
 "We are putting modern improvements 
 in them, in the shape of windows," laughed 
 Tom, as they went over to the largest tepee 
 and with little ceremony tore a hole in it 
 that would have done very well for a door. 
 
 "We'll show the architect of these struc- 
 tures that he did not know it all." 
 
 "I don't see what they could have used 
 these for, certainh^ not to live in." 
 
 "Rather ethereal castles." 
 
 "Some romantic Romeo of a Blackfoot 
 may have eloped with a dusky Juliet of a 
 Sioux, and spent the honeymoon here," 
 suggested Tom, laughing. 
 
 "Quite likely, and killed and buried old 
 
228 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 Capulet right under this wicker monument, 
 for here's a gun, which looks as if it were 
 used in his time," cried Joe, dragging a rust} r 
 old flint lock musket oiit from among the 
 pile of dried leaves inside. 
 
 " Hurrah for Guy Fawkcs ! " shouted Tom, 
 seizing the gun, and in trying to take it away 
 from Joe he pulled the old stock from the 
 barrel. 
 
 "These things are graves, and ifanlndian 
 were to catch us here, he would kill us; even 
 one of our own scouts would make a great 
 fuss." 
 
 " Goodness ! I'm more afraid of the defunct; 
 he may have died of small pox! " 
 
 " Whew ! That's so,let'sleave these things 
 and make tracks out of this." 
 
 "I'm glad I was vaccinated lately; were 
 you?" 
 
 "Yes, only last spring. Oh, I don't care 
 for that, but do you suppose these are really 
 graves? " 
 
 "Of course they are; that's the way they 
 bury their dead. That bunch of rags repre- 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 229 
 
 sents scalps taken by a big brave. They 
 kill a couple of horses so that he will have 
 something to ride in the happy hunting- 
 grounds, and \ay his best rifle on the grave, 
 but as I've been told they don't leave it; 
 his relatives sneak in and change it for a 
 worthless one." 
 
 "Well, let's get away from here; those 
 dead fellows are worse than the live ones," 
 repeated Joe, and then they hurried down 
 the gulch. 
 
 "I think this will bring us out on the west 
 side of the mountains again, don't you, 
 Joe?" 
 
 "It is sure to take us out of the mountains 
 if we keep following it down hill." 
 
 " Of course, but it may be taking us in the 
 wrong direction." 
 
 "Well, we can climb up toward that pass 
 between those two peaks over there, and I 
 think from there we can go down the other 
 side and straight to camp." 
 
 It was much farther than the boys had 
 supposed, and in places very rocky. When 
 
230 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 they reached the main divide they found 
 themselves on a beautiful grassy spot, 
 between two rough, jagged peaks. In the 
 narrowest place this level spot was not 
 more than two hundred feet wide. 
 
 "We are up pretty- high, here/' remarked 
 Tom, as he glanced up at the mountain tops 
 on either side of them, and then took a sur- 
 vey of the immense stretch of prairie rolling 
 out for hundreds of miles beyond them, dot- 
 ted here and there with herds of buffalo. To 
 the west of them, they could see the grand 
 old range, which few have seen to greater 
 advantage than from this particular point. 
 
 "What a view ! What a magnificent view ! " 
 exclaimed Tom, removing his hat as if the 
 solemn grandeur called for some mark of 
 reverence. 
 
 "Oh, what a magnificent sight! One hun- 
 dred and fort3 T -five miles due west from us, 
 and those peaks to the northwest sinking 
 out of sight from the mere immensity of dis- 
 tance must be two or three hundred miles 
 away. Who can tell how far those distant, 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 231 
 
 hazy mountains are?" said Joe, who took 
 an artist's delight in a scene like this. 
 
 "What lots of snow on those to the 
 north!" 
 
 ''Yes, those peaks tip there must be much 
 higher than those on our side of the line. I 
 suppose that snow never melts. " 
 
 "Probably not; that must be Chief 
 Mountain, that big square topped one due 
 west of us." 
 
 "Yes, that must be it from the descriptions 
 I've heard of it, and what a monument to 
 mark our boundary ! " 
 
 "Nature anticipated the subdivision of 
 these two great countries." 
 
 "Yes, it looks that way. Look! See that 
 band of mountain sheep coming this way! 
 They intend coming through this pass. We 
 can hide in this long grass and they are sure 
 to come within easy range of us," cried Joe, 
 and they both secreted themselves in the 
 long grass. 
 
 "How sweet this grass smells, Joe; just 
 rub some of it on your hands." 
 
232 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "That is more than fragrant, just like 
 some perfumes," replied Joe, in a whisper, 
 as he plucked a handful of the long, yellow- 
 ish green grass. 
 
 "That's the sweetest thing I ever smelled 
 of, and I would not wonder if that is what 
 gives the name to these hills." 
 
 "These are pretty fair sized mountains, I 
 should think." 
 
 "Only hills compared to those massive 
 heights over there," replied Tom. 
 
 "Raise up a little and see if those sheep are 
 heading this way." 
 
 "Yes, they are out of the rocks now, and 
 are heading this way all right, and scatter- 
 ing out, too," whispered Tom. 
 
 "There must be a hundred of them." 
 
 "More than that, it's the largest band I've 
 seen \ r et." 
 
 "The doctor says that these arenot moun- 
 tain sheep at all, but properly speaking the 
 big horn." 
 
 "If we can kill one of them we '11 find out 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 235 
 
 what they are; I dare say they don't taste 
 much like mutton." 
 
 "I should think they would." 
 
 "Keep quiet; don't speak so loud; the 
 wind is blowing from them to us and we'll 
 have a splendid ehanceatthem. They do n't 
 seem to be eating this grass at all but are 
 walking right along." 
 
 "How close are they now?" whispered 
 Joe. 
 
 "Close enough, now. Get ready; you 
 shoot to the right and I'll pick one out to 
 left," replied Tom, asthey both raised them- 
 selves and with one knee on the ground took 
 deliberate aim at the startled animals. It 
 was a. fine sight, this magnificent band of 
 bighorns, their massive heads thrown into 
 the air, giving warning to the unconscious 
 members in the rear to turn and fly. 
 
 Two loud reports rang out into the still- 
 ness of the mountain heights and two of 
 the noblest of the brute creation stumbled 
 and fell ! A few useless struggles and all 
 was over for them. Death had met them in 
 
236 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 a form never dreamed of in their most timid 
 moments. That remaining taint of our 
 former barbarism showed itself in the pleas- 
 ure experienced by the boys, at the result of 
 their shots. 
 
 " Do n't shoot any more, Tom !" exclaimed 
 Joe, but Tom was deaf to all entreaties. 
 Bang! Bang! Bang! went the report of 
 his rifle, but whether he hit any or not he 
 never knew ; the entire herd leaving as if on 
 the wings of the wind. 
 
 " What a band of them ! We ought to have 
 killed a dozen," exclaimed Tom, in a disap- 
 pointed tone. 
 
 "And what for? We have more than we 
 want," responded Joe, as they went over to 
 where their noble quarry lay, staining the 
 sweet scented grass with their crimson life- 
 blood. 
 
 " We may never get another such chance 
 to shoot them." 
 
 ''It does seem a pity to kill such beautiful 
 creatures. What magnificent horns ! " 
 
 "That buck's make two complete turns." 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 237 
 
 "Look at the size of it, here, close to his 
 head — at least seven inches thick." 
 
 "What will the doctor say? He will be 
 delighted." 
 
 "We have not gotten them back to camp 
 yet," observed the practical Joe, taking out 
 his knife and severing the main artery in 
 their throats. He then proceeded to clean 
 them. 
 
 "We've got to find a way to get out of 
 here that a mule can pack over," said Tom, 
 as he held the animal balanced on his back. 
 
 "I think if we follow the same trail that 
 the band came up here on, it will prove the 
 best way down." 
 
 "We'll try it, and if it takes us down to 
 the prairie, we can soon find our way back 
 to camp, for we will be on the north side of 
 the hills.' ' 
 
 "There, that will do for the present; we 
 will leave them piled up here, one on top of 
 the other, and I'll tie my handkerchief to 
 this fellow's horn; that will keep the wolves 
 away," and then they both pushed forward 
 
238 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 to find the trail on which the sheep had 
 come up. 
 
 It is seldom the downward path is not 
 taken without regret, but as the path the 
 boys were now traveling was one approved 
 of hy the dumb brutes, it brought about 
 the most happy results. 
 
 "This trail would be a good one for a 
 pack train," remarked Tom. 
 
 "Yes, but I believe it's more tiresome 
 going down than it was climbing up," 
 answered Joe, as they both rested them- 
 selves on the trunk of a fallen fir tree. 
 
 "We shall have no trouble coming up 
 here with the pack mule, shall we? " 
 
 "No, if the rest of the way be as good as 
 it has been so far. How many times the 
 sheep and deer must have trodden this trail 
 to have marked it out so plainly ! " 
 
 " But will not the doctor be delighted at 
 our game? " 
 
 "He will indeed." 
 
 "I think they will prove to be the big 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 239 
 
 horn, and that is what he is anxious to 
 get." 
 
 Then being sufficiently rested the bo\^s 
 picked up their traps and followed the trail 
 on down but found themselves when they 
 reached the prairie several miles from camp. 
 Their anticipation of the doctor's delight 
 found a complete realization, and the next 
 morning he sent them back with a mule 
 and teamster under their orders. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 It is easier to find a camp on the prairie 
 than it is to find the indistinct termination 
 of a mountain trail, and the teamster was 
 thoroughly disgusted before the bo3 r s found 
 the path that had brought them down out 
 of the heights the evening before, but when 
 found and fully satisfied that they were on 
 the right one they lost no time in commenc- 
 ing the ascent. Here and there they stopped 
 to pick ierns and flowers that grew in great 
 profusion in the rich earth of the mountain 
 ravines. The tall fir trees lent a grateful 
 shade, and innumerable springs contributed 
 to form the ice cold rivulets from which all 
 were frequently drinking. The poor water 
 of the prairies made them appreciate this, 
 the greatest of nature's gifts — good water. 
 
 Although the boys had grumbled at 
 coming down that long trail, yet they 
 
 240 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 241 
 
 found much more objection to it when they 
 made the ascent. 
 
 "Wall, boys, whar be they?" asked the 
 teamster, who was a rough specimen of the 
 Missouri backwoods type, as he drew a 
 long- breath, on reaching the top of the 
 divide. 
 
 "Oh! we're almost there now; they lie 
 about the center of this grassy spot," 
 rejoined Tom, who was himself puffing like 
 a young grampus ; indeed the only one that 
 had any breath left was the mule, and this 
 intelligent animal was tiwing to express his 
 opinion of the sweet smelling grass about 
 his feet with grunts of dissatisfaction, for to 
 him it was as the apples of Sodom. The 
 dJicious perfume arising from this peculiar 
 grass was not attractive to the mule in a 
 gastronomic light, and the disappointed 
 brute sniffed about among the roots, but 
 never took a mouthful of it. 
 
 " Yeou don't seem to like it eny too much, 
 eh, old pard?" drawled the driver, address- 
 ing his remark to the mule. 
 
 16 
 
242 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 " He does not, for a fact, nor did the sheep 
 yesterday when they crossed it; they seemed 
 to be walking along smelling of it and not 
 eating it," remarked Tom. 
 
 "That stuff ain't no good, nohow. If a 
 mule takes one smell of enythin' an' don't 
 bite at it, spech'ly as old a mule as that, an' 
 he's all of forty, then nuthin' '11 eat it, an' 
 that's what I say," said the driver, giving 
 this logical conclusion to his remarks in the 
 most learned wa} r . 
 
 "Forty 3'ears! That's pretty old for a 
 mule, is it not ? " asked Joe. 
 
 "No, 'taint; mules live ter be a hundred, 
 right along, if eny count was kept of 'em. 
 Yeou never see a mule die of old age? No, 
 nor nobody else," continued the driver, 
 catching up the mule's halter rope and start- 
 ing him along. 
 
 " Can't say I ever did, that's a fact." 
 
 "When I was out with Custer, last sum- 
 mer, I had a mule in my outfit, they called 
 'Old Humpy,' and the men counted him up 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 243 
 
 from the different years we had all druv him 
 an' he came nigh bein' a hundred." 
 
 4 'And were }^ou really out with Gen. 
 Custer? " asked Tom. 
 
 "Yes, I was out with him last summer 
 and drove the menag'ry wagon." 
 
 " What kind of a wagon ? " 
 
 "The menag'ry wagon. Yeou see Custer 
 was allers pickin' up wild cats an' porky- 
 pines and sich truck, an' he kept 'em in the 
 wagon I drove." 
 
 "You must have had a nice time with 
 such passengers." 
 
 "Purty soft berth, I tell yeou; most as 
 easy as y r eou ' bug catchers ' have." 
 
 "And that was why it was called the 
 menagerie wagon? " 
 
 "Yes, that's it, and I'm getting thirsty 
 again. D' yeou fellers see any springs on 
 top of the divide when up here yesterday? " 
 
 "Yes, there is a large spring right on top 
 of the divide." 
 
 "I'll bet that's whar them sheep was 
 a headin' fur." 
 
244; MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "Yes?" 
 
 " That's what they was after; about 
 noon, wasn't it?" 
 
 "A little after." 
 
 " That accounts for it all." 
 
 "They were going ior a drink, you 
 think?" 
 
 " Yes, an' thar's 3 r er game, eh?" as they 
 came upon the two fine carcasses just as 
 they had left them the clay before. 
 
 " Yes ; fine ones, aren't they ? " 
 
 "Humph! Fair." 
 
 "Why, did you ever see larger ones?" 
 exclaimed Tom, opening his eyes wide in 
 astonishment at this slight appreciation. 
 
 "Wall, naow ! I should jest smile." 
 
 "With larger horns than that fellow's?" 
 asked Tom, as he took the handkerchief off 
 from it, and handed it to Joe. 
 
 "Wall, yes. I've seen 'em in the Black 
 Hills, so big that these 'ere would be little 
 kids compared to 'em." 
 
 "Oh! yes." 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 245 
 
 "Fact, 'pon my word. I seen one big fel- 
 ler killed down thar, with horns that 
 twisted round makin' a circle as big as the 
 hind wheel of a Murphy wagon." 
 
 "I should think you would be thirsty think- 
 ing up such a fish story as that. It's made 
 me feel thirst\ T to hear it," retorted Joe, 
 laughing. 
 
 "I vote we go over to the spring and get 
 some water; we can eat our lunch there," 
 suggested Tom. 
 
 "I don't keer so much fur mj^self but the 
 mule must have a drink." 
 
 "Well, he can have one, too." 
 
 "All right, I'm with yeou, as soon as I 
 clrap this 'ere pack saddle, no use ter take it 
 along," added the teamster, arid, after tak- 
 ing it from the mule's back he piled it with 
 its trappings on top of the sheep ; then lead- 
 ing the mule along he followed after the 
 boys. Over by the spring they found good 
 grass for the mule. 
 
 "Old Jack will fare sumptuously," 
 remarked Tom. 
 
246 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "The quantity will pass muster but the 
 quality of it won't do 'im no good." 
 
 "Mules are tough, they can stand it." 
 
 "Neow that's just like a bug catcher! 
 Yeou fellers get so used ter stickin' pins in 
 butterflies and bottlin' toads that 3 r eou 
 don't think a mule is near half human." 
 
 "Well, not quite half." 
 
 "Neow, thar yeou mistake; a mule knows 
 what's good treatment better'n am r man 
 livm' 'cept his driver, and that proves it." 
 
 "They ought to know between them." 
 
 "You empty the lunch basket, Tom, I'm 
 going to have another drink," said Joe, 
 handing the basket to Tom. 
 
 They ate and drank, enjoying themselves 
 as only bo3 T s can. The teamster sharing 
 everything equal^ had somewhat the best 
 of them as he had but one mouth to feed, 
 and as he thrust the last half biscuit into his 
 capacious mouth, having eaten one half of 
 the provisions brought, he mumbled some- 
 thing, which lrom the crowded state of that 
 
'why, to wash out a few panfuls of this dirt? " 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 249 
 
 cavernous orifice was entirely unintelligible 
 to the boj^s. 
 
 " What did von sa} r ? " asked Tom. 
 
 " Why, — I said — as how I'd like — to pros- 
 pect this 'ere little stream a bit." 
 
 "Prospect! How? I don't know what 
 you mean. 
 
 "Why, to wash out a few panfuls of this 
 dirt." 
 
 "What for?" 
 
 "To see if there is any gold in it." 
 
 "Do they ever find gold in this kind of a 
 place?" 
 
 " Why, I thought as eve^ one knew whar 
 they found gold." 
 
 "Well, I don't; is this a promising spot? " 
 
 "Wall, I should say so! This 'ere bar is 
 full of washed gravel deposit, and the 
 chances are good ; we found it in the Black 
 Hills in a poorer lookin' spot nor this." 
 
 "I wonder if we could find some if we 
 looked about us a little." 
 
 "Ho! Ho! Ho! That's purty good. I 
 thought bug catchers were pretty smart! 
 
250 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 Ha ! Ha ! Ha ! Wall, I never ! Did ye think 
 it was on top of the dirt to be picked up ? " 
 
 "I did not suppose it was very plenty, 
 but you said this was a good place to find 
 it, and I did not know but what we might 
 pick up a very small bit, just for a speci- 
 men." 
 
 "Oh! 3^es, but yeou see it's most allers 
 found on bed rock or near it. I've seen it in 
 the grass roots, but it was when the bed 
 rock was near ter the surface." 
 
 "Did you ever dig out much gold ? " asked 
 Tom, putting the question as mildly as 
 possible in deference to the fact that his 
 question so much as implied a doubt. 
 
 "Did I ever dig out eny gold? Wall, 
 neow, I should smile! Why, tons an' tons 
 of it. I went ter Californy in '60 an' have 
 been miniiv an' prospectin' ever since." 
 
 " That's a long time at it." 
 
 "Yes, an' I can tell at a glance what the 
 chance is ter find gold, an' I think right here 
 it's good!" 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 251 
 
 " What's the first thing to do to get some 
 of it? I don't mind filling my pockets 
 while I'm here," said Joe, who was rather 
 sceptical concerning this class of stories. 
 
 "Wall, I'll tell ye, the main thing is ter 
 find a likely spot an' then sink a shaft, an' 
 when yeou come ter pay dirt, pan it out and 
 see if thar's anything in it. Down below us 
 whar that ridge of rock sticks up, thar's 
 a channel an' if its gravel thar, like this 'ere 
 spot, I reckon gold can be found by diggin' 
 fur it," replied the teamster, nodding his 
 head as he gave this graphic description. 
 
 "Let's go down and have a look at that 
 place," proposed Tom. 
 
 "We can take this cup and wash out 
 some sand aiw way," assented Joe, picking 
 up their tin drinking cup and starting down 
 toward the place, followed by the others. 
 
 Here they walked about the sand and 
 gravel, vaguely building castles in the air 
 as to what they would do if they could only 
 find a great big nugget of gold. 
 
252 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "I don't see any signs of gold here," 
 began Tom. 
 
 " Why, can't 3^ou understand we've got to 
 dig for it ? " replied Joe. 
 
 "Well, we've not the tools to dig with 
 nor the time cither," retorted Tom. 
 
 "Neow look 'ere, boys, I'm goin' to wash 
 out some of this sand," declared the team- 
 ster, as he scooped up a cupful of mud and 
 gravel. "This is a mighty mean thing ter 
 pan in, but I ma}' get a color or two," he 
 added, as he stooped down beside a little 
 pool in the rocks, and with a gentle rocking 
 motion kept the dirt in commotion, allow- 
 ing all the coarse grains of sand and rock to 
 escape, keeping the fine back to the last. 
 When it was all gone but a spoonful of 
 black sand he turned the cup to the sun 
 and, after one glance into it, sprang up and 
 shouted : 
 
 " Whoop! Hurrah! Jest look at that! 
 Jest look at that! Jeemses River! Look at 
 that!" 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 "Let's see it," exclaimed both Tom and 
 Joe, grasping the cup at the same instant. 
 
 "Hold on, don't be so previous, 3'oung 
 fellers; yeou can both see it if yeou take 
 time," replied the teamster, twisting the 
 cup away from them. 
 
 "Well, do let's see it." 
 
 "All right, look at it, but don't tear the 
 handle off the cup." 
 
 "I don't see anything but black stuff in 
 it," cried Tom. 
 
 "Neither do I," chimed Joe. 
 
 "Thars a good big payin' prospect in 
 that ar' cup, an' don't yeou forgit it." 
 
 "Well, get some more of the sand out of 
 it, and let's see it then," growled Joe, and 
 the teamster after giving the cup a few 
 mystic shakes, canted it up to the sun, and 
 then the boys could plainly see a yellow 
 
254 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 streak nearly covered with the black sand. 
 
 "Is that gold ? " asked Tom. 
 
 "Course 'tis! Whatever did yeou think 
 were heavier nor black sand ? " 
 
 "I don't pretend to know anything about 
 it, as I told you at first." 
 
 "Wall, that's gold, an' thar's lots of gold 
 right under us. Yeou see, I scraped this 
 dirt up from the creek bottom, right on this 
 granite strip here; wall, that's the reg'lar 
 bed rock, just the same as if we'd dug a 
 hun'red foot for it." 
 
 "If that stuff is gold I wish we could come 
 up here and dig up a lot of it." 
 
 "That ar' is a thing we can't do now, 
 but I'll tell yeou what, we must keep dark 
 about it an' tell nobody, an' when we get 
 through with this outfit we'll come back 
 an' make a stake right here." 
 
 "Why not tell of it?" 
 
 " Cause somebody '11 jump our claim. We 
 want ter keep quiet an' claim this 'ere spot, 
 an' we'll come back some day an' work it." 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 255 
 
 "All right, I'll agree to that; will you, 
 Joe?" 
 
 "Oh, yes." 
 
 "Wall, that's a go, an' nobody's to give 
 it away ; if we do we'll never get nothin' 
 out of it." 
 
 "All right, we'll never do so much as to 
 mention it to a soul ; but as we can't do 
 anything now, I think we'd better get the 
 mule and go back and pack up our game ; 
 it's near noon." 
 
 " Move it is, then ! Yeou bug catchers are 
 in command of this 'ere expedition an' I'm 
 willin' ter obey orders." 
 
 "Well, come on, Joe, don't stand there 
 fooling with that cup all day," called Tom, 
 as Joe made no attempt to move. 
 
 "Go ahead, I'll catch you," returned Joe, 
 as he stood for a few minutes with the cup 
 in his hands, fascinated with its contents. 
 Then washing out the cup he hurried on 
 after the others. 
 
 It took them but a very short time to 
 pack the two carcasses on the mule, as the 
 
256 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 teamster was an adept with the diamond 
 hitch, the intricacies of which the bo3 T s 
 failed to discern although explained to 
 them several times, by the accommodating 
 teamster. 
 
 4k I don't think we need to go back the 
 way we came up ; we can let him go back 
 with the mule, and you and I can take a 
 turn through that gulch beyond and come 
 out of the mountains to the east; what do 
 you say, Joe? " 
 
 "I'm willing; we may find something 
 worth picking up down there." 
 
 "Well," said Tom, speaking to the team- 
 ster, "you can go on back the way we came 
 up and we'll take a spin down the other 
 gulch." 
 
 "All right, all the same ter me; yeou are 
 the boss, young feller," replied that indi- 
 vidual, and then, picking up the mule's 
 halter, he led him away. 
 
 The boys turned their backs on him and 
 disappeared in the other direction. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 257 
 
 "What do you think of that stuff we 
 found in the cup, Joe ? " 
 
 "I don't know what to think of it; the 
 more I looked at it, the more it puzzled me." 
 
 "Do n't you think it was gold ? " 
 
 "No, and I think that teamster is an old 
 fraud." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 "I can't say why, nor can I sa}^ that stuff 
 was not gold, but I don't think it was, 
 that's all." 
 
 "What was it, then?" 
 
 "That I don't know. I'm not sure it's 
 not gold ; it was queer stuff, but I've read 
 that there are many things that look like 
 gold that are worthless, and as that man 
 said this was gold I simply believe it's not." 
 
 "That 'logical deduction,' as old Prof, 
 used to say, is not very flattering to the 
 teamster, and I'm inclined to believe it's the 
 pure thing." 
 
 "It might have been." 
 
 "I really think so, or he would not have 
 wanted us to keep so quiet about it." 
 
 17 
 
258 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "I think he just said that to make us 
 want to tell somebody, and then when we 
 made a big excitement about it, we would 
 be laughed at nicely, and he'd have his little 
 joke, don't you see? " 
 
 "I shouldn't wonder if that was just it," 
 answered Tom, in no wise anxious to be 
 laughed at. 
 
 "Shall we follow down the gulch or keep 
 up to the left?" 
 
 "I think we would better keep in the bot- 
 tom of the gulch and follow it down; if we 
 come out on the east side, we will have a 
 long walk back to camp." 
 
 The timber was dense, making a most 
 delicious shade after the burning heat of the 
 prairies, and they both enjoyed the change. 
 Magnificent pines stood about in profusion, 
 some of them being perfect giants of their 
 species. On they went for some four or five 
 miles, and then the gulch widened out into 
 quite a valley, the timber being only on the 
 hills at the side. 
 
 "What a beautiful spot," cried Joe. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 259 
 
 " Yes, this will make a man a fine farm 
 some day." 
 
 " Everything handy, wood, water and a 
 good soil." 
 
 " Everything indeed, except that it's 
 beyond civilization." 
 
 "That condemns it." 
 
 " Yes; I think we would better shape our 
 course toward that point of timber to the 
 left and then we can skirt around to the 
 north side of the mountains," said Tom, 
 pointing to a small grove of pines about 
 a mile below them. They walked without 
 changing their course to this little grove 
 and here Tom proposed to rest, saying: 
 
 " I don't know how you feel, but I'm get- 
 ting tired." 
 
 "Well, we can rest for half an hour." 
 
 "Don't you feel tired?" 
 
 "No, I can't say that I do." 
 
 "Oh ! You are never tired." 
 
 "Yes, I am very often tired, but not just 
 now. There's a tree over there that seems 
 
260 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 to have a lot of the bark cut off from it; I 
 wonder what could have done that.'' 
 
 "Where?" 
 
 "Away over beyond those rocks; you 
 rest here, and I'll walk over and investigate 
 it," said Joe, and when within a few feet of 
 the tree, he at once discovered that the bark 
 had been carefully cut away for at least 
 two feet square. A closer investigation dis- 
 closed the fact that this had been done 
 many } r ears ago ; and in the solid wood of 
 the tree thus exposed, had been cut by the 
 hand of man the elate 1850; under this 
 the letters "W. A. C." Below this were 
 cut four circles, each one being below and 
 to the right of the one above, the top one 
 being the largest, each growing smaller as 
 they descended. Each of these circles was 
 connected by two lines drawn as closely to 
 each other as the rough work would allow, 
 and below this curious device were the 
 unmistakable representations of a pick and 
 shovel. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 261 
 
 "Oh! Tom, bestir 3^our lazy bones and 
 come over! " shouted Joe. 
 
 "What is it? I'm too comfortable here 
 to move," replied Tom, making no effort to 
 change his position. 
 
 "Come on over and see; something is cut 
 in this tree." 
 
 "Bear's scratching, most likely. " 
 
 "No, it's not; come here." 
 
 "You just want to get me up," growled 
 Tom, but his curiosity was sufficiently 
 excited to cause him to leave his comfort- 
 able position at the foot of the tree and to 
 join him. 
 
 "Well, what is it, Joe?" 
 
 " Here is something of interest. This has 
 been cut by some white man; the date and 
 his initials are plain but what the rest of 
 those hierogh^phics mean I can't imagine." 
 
 "That date is plainly 1850, and those big 
 letters 'W. A. C must have been his 
 initials," said Tom, placing his hand on the 
 scarred tree trunk which was protected by 
 
262 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 a corrugated coating of resinous exuda- 
 tions. 
 
 "Yes, that's all plain, but what does the 
 rest of this mean? That is a pick and 
 shovel down there.' ' 
 
 "That means that the man was here in 
 1850 and that he was a miner or prospector 
 looking for gold." 
 
 "And perhaps he found a lot and buried 
 it under this tree ! " 
 
 "Not likely; he might have hidden it 
 about here somewhere but he would not 
 have marked the spot so plainly." 
 
 "But what can all these circles mean con- 
 nected in this way? " asked Joe. 
 
 " Ask me an eas\ r one. We can't find out 
 the mystery by standing here looking at it; 
 it was done a good man}' 3'ears ago, by the 
 way the bark of the tree has grown around 
 this blaze." 
 
 "It must have been done in just about 
 that 3 r ear. Ma}^be the poor fellow was 
 killed by Indians." 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 263 
 
 "I shouldn't wonder, but we had best 
 start for camp, we'll not get back before 
 dark now." 
 
 ''Well, I'm ready, go and get your rifle 
 and come on." 
 
 "It must be ten miles to camp." 
 
 "Yes, and more," agreed Joe, as they 
 resumed their journey. 
 
 They were getting away from the tim- 
 bered hills and the scorching heat above the 
 sunburnt prairies was very severe, and the 
 ground was fairly radiating with its 
 intensity. They were walking along rap- 
 idly, avoiding here and there spots where 
 the cacti grew so dense and thick that the 
 leather of their shoes was no protection to 
 their feet, when they both suddenly stopped, 
 as directly in front of them was a round 
 hole in the earth of some four feet in 
 diameter, which went down like a well. 
 
 "What in the world made this here?" 
 exclaimed Tom. 
 
 "Somebody dug it probably," replied Joe. 
 
264 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "That could hardly be, as there's no trace 
 of any dirt thrown about here." 
 
 "Maybe it's a bear's hole! " 
 
 "No! How could any bear climb up out 
 of such a perpendicular shaft? " 
 
 "Well, I give it up ; if I had a rope I'd go 
 down and find out what it was." 
 
 "I'd hate to go down into that horrible 
 hole. How do you know what might not 
 be down there? " 
 
 4 'Nothing ver\' r dangerous; it doesn't 
 look as if it were ever made b\' the hand of 
 man. This is a hard clay soil below the 
 first few inches of top dirt and I think it's a 
 cave," replied Joe. 
 
 "We can mark the spot and come here 
 to-morrow with a rope." 
 
 " All right, I'll tie my handkerchief to my 
 ram rod and leave it sticking up here, as in 
 no other way could we ever find this hole 
 again even if we were to hunt about here for a 
 month," said Joe, and, after making a 
 respectable flag of his handkerchief, they 
 both hurried on back to the camp. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 The discovery of this mysterious shaft 
 caused much commotion in the naturalist's 
 camp, and even Mr. Hugill evinced other 
 than his usual blase interest in the proposed 
 exploration. The doctor's belief that it 
 was in some way connected with the sym- 
 bols on the tree was shared by him. His 
 willingness to make one of a party to inves- 
 tigate may have been augmented by the 
 stories of hidden gold dust and buried nug- 
 gets that had been started by the teamster 
 who was now sailing under the sobriquet 
 of ''the old '49er! " All wanted to go, but 
 the doctor willed otherwise, and proposed 
 that he himself and Joe should go over on 
 a couple of the mules with a rope and some 
 candles and see the bottom of the hole if it 
 were possible, and, as the doctor said, "It 
 will most likely prove to be but a shallow 
 
 265 
 
266 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 affair; there will be no need of more of us." 
 
 And so the matter was settled. Joe had 
 no difficulty in finding the place. The doc- 
 tor was somewhat disappointed, but just 
 what he had expected to find he did not 
 say, only that, — 
 
 "This is a mighty small hole to make 
 such a talk about." 
 
 "You could not have thought to find a 
 hole like the Mammoth cave of Kentucky," 
 rejoined Joe, laughingly. 
 
 "No, no, but I'm afraid we'll have but 
 little use for our rope." 
 
 4 ' We can't tell, sir; I'd not like to jump 
 down without a rope." 
 
 "No, of course not; we must take no 
 chances," acquiesced the doctor, as Joe was 
 untying the rope from his mule. They both 
 then looked down into the shaft and 
 thought it pretty deep after all. 
 
 Meanwhile the two saddle mules, finding 
 themselves free from restraint, took to their 
 heels and made back to camp on the run. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 267 
 
 "Well! well! That's too bad. How care- 
 less of me, sir!" exclaimed Joe, with a 
 serious look on his face. 
 
 "Never mind, Joe, it can't be helped now, 
 and we'll not mind the walk home." 
 
 "The walk is nothing to me, sir, but quite 
 a long one for you." 
 
 "No matter, we can take it leisurely and 
 we'll get there all right." 
 
 "It is unfortunate, to say the least; but 
 now I've dropped the rope down and I 
 think it touches bottom. If you can hold it, 
 I'll slide down." 
 
 "I don't know; 3 t ou are pretty heavy, 
 you see." 
 
 " Keep back from the edge pretty well and 
 the edge of the hole will take the most of 
 the weight," said Joe, and after further 
 instructions he grasped the rope and gave it 
 a shake, saying: 
 
 "I think it's on bottom." 
 
 "All right, I'm reacW, Joe, are you?" 
 cried the doctor, twisting his end into a 
 
268 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 knot, and then bracing himself in a manner 
 to be the most effective. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Then do be careful." 
 
 " Oh ! I will, don't you worry about me," 
 replied Joe, as he sat down on the edge of 
 the black yawning pit, and taking hold of 
 the rope with both hands swung himself 
 clear. Sliding down, he kept himself in 
 position and away from the walls with his 
 feet. 
 
 Down! Down! Down! he went, until all 
 that could be seen of him by the doctor was 
 the gleam of his white hands holding to the 
 rope. Joe was an athletic lad, and could go 
 up and down a rope equal to any sailor, 
 and an adventure like this was very agree- 
 able to his intrepid disposition. 
 
 Nearing the lower end of the rope he went 
 slower and slower until he thought he 
 surely must be near the end. Then a little 
 farther and he thought his feet must be near 
 the bottom and yet they were not, but he 
 
NEARING THE LOWER END OF THE ROPE HE WENT 
 SLOWER AND SLOWER. — Page 268. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 271 
 
 could feel that he was near the end of his 
 rope. The end of it was at his knees! 
 
 " Lower down a bit, sir," he shouted as 
 loudly as he could, and the doctor, hearing, 
 came yet a little closer. 
 
 "How's that now, Joe?" yelled the doc- 
 tor, coming nearer the edge. 
 
 " More 3'et, if you can," responded Joe. 
 
 "How's that? " from the doctor between 
 his teeth, as in nearing the edge of the hole 
 he had more weight to sustain, and it was 
 becoming all he could do to hold on. 
 
 "Not enough," came up from the bottom 
 of the pit, and what was the doctor to do? 
 He dared not even confess it to himself that 
 his own strength was giving out and that 
 to come nearer the hole might cause Joe's 
 weight to drop him down too if he did not 
 let go. But what was he to do? A foot 
 nearer and Joe might gain a footing. He 
 would try it, although he realized the seri- 
 ousness of the situation. 
 
 Puffing and straining with this unaccus- 
 tomed exertion he stepped a foot nearer. 
 
272 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 Great Heavens ! It seemed as if there were 
 a ton on the end of the rope. He tried to 
 gasp out another question to Joe. His foot 
 slipped ! The rope dragged harder ! The 
 doctor stumbled, threw out his hands and 
 barely saved himself from going down the 
 hole. But he had let the rope slip ! It dis- 
 appeared down the shaft ! 
 
 Joe, at the bottom, holding to the rope 
 did not realize how short a reserve of that 
 article the doctor had retained, and as he 
 felt himself being let down a couple of feet 
 at a time in a jerky manner lie employed 
 himself in sliding down just as far as he 
 could at his end. Then without a moment's 
 warning he found himself on his back 
 descending with a velocity that he was 
 unable to check, into impenetrable darkness. 
 How far he went he could not conjecture. 
 He had not even had time to think about 
 calling out before he found himself in a 
 stifling cloud of dust and dried grass, shoot- 
 ing down into that unknown region below. 
 The shaft had gone down perpendicularly 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 273 
 
 as far as the length of the rope but from 
 there it had made quite an angle. 
 
 His fall was broken gradually by the 
 incline becoming less steep, and after com- 
 ing to a stop, his first move caused him to 
 slide yet a little farther. This of course 
 made him cautious as in that impenetrable 
 darkness there was no telling what a few 
 feet of further advance might mean. He 
 turned his head cautioush r to look behind 
 him as he slid his hand into his pocket for 
 his candle, but no light came down from 
 above and he knew that his impromptu 
 descent must have carried him some dis- 
 tance from the bottom of the shaft. Joe 
 was about to strike a match, when his 
 blood was chilled and the yqtj marrow of 
 his bones seemed turned to ice by what felt 
 like a cold damp hand being placed on his 
 cheek. It was an impulse born of the 
 moment that caused him to drop his candle 
 and dash his hands frantically about his 
 head in a mad determination to lay hold of 
 something, but all such endeavors were 
 
 18 
 
274 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 productive of no tangible results, and he 
 questioned himself if it were not all his own 
 imagination. The timidity which no 
 powers of will could drown, and the hor- 
 rible uncertainty of what might be in front 
 of him caused his hand to tremble percept- 
 ibly as he fumbled in his pockets for another 
 match. This he lit and carefully held above 
 him, to enable him to find his candle, when 
 to his amazement and horror, before he 
 was able to discern his surroundings by its 
 feeble glare, it was blown out and he was 
 again in darkness ! 
 
 It had been to him the darkness of mid- 
 night, but now it was darkness so somber 
 and dreadful that his boy's heart beat in 
 great thumps against his ribs, as he with 
 trembling hand sought another match. A 
 realizing sense of his position down in the 
 bowels of the earth had not as yet presented 
 itself to Joe, as the dread of this unseen and 
 ghostly tenant had absorbed his entire 
 attention. Dark and quiet as the grave, 
 and Joe thinking that there might be virtue 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 275 
 
 in his own voice to uphold his courage, even 
 if it did not daunt his mysterious tor- 
 mentor, shouted as loudly and gruffly as he 
 could, "You do that again and I'll knock 
 your head off," but his voice had an 
 unnatural sound, reverberating back to him 
 with unholy intonations which would in 
 themselves have frightened him, had he not 
 in the next instant felt a faint puff of wind 
 fan his face and a lock of his hair experi- 
 ence a decided pull ! 
 
 Again he dashed his arms frantically 
 about, but there was nothing to lav hold 
 of. Once onh^ had he imagined his fingers 
 touched something in mid air, and yet he 
 was not certain, but now, distinctly hear- 
 ing a diabolical chattering, he had no desire 
 to verify the idea by again striking in that 
 direction. It was a shrill chattering, or 
 more of a hissing noise, keen and piercing- 
 like the sharpening of a saw with a file, 
 which now added its terrors to the situ- 
 ation. 
 
276 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 Another match, thought Joe, and now 
 with the greatest care he lit two or three at 
 the same time determined to have light 
 enough to find his candle. After striking the 
 matches he guarded them carefully with his 
 hands, and it was only by using the great- 
 est precaution that the\ r were not blown 
 out at once, as he could feel puffs of wind 
 from all directions. Before the matches 
 were fairly ablaze the very atmosphere 
 about him seemed to be in commotion, he 
 was in the center of a whirlwind, the air 
 went round and round, so that he could 
 feel his jacket drawn out straight behind 
 him as if the wind were in a twisting, 
 whirling mood bent only upon cutting- 
 capers of an evil sort, and again he was in 
 darkness, but with it the noise ceased. His 
 utmost endeavors had proved futile and he 
 had been unable to keep the matches burn- 
 ing. His first inclination was to cry out, 
 as now a feeling of helplessness came over 
 him, but he knew that it would be useless 
 to expect any one could hear him. He then 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 277 
 
 placed one hand down to feel about him as 
 to the security of his position, when to his 
 delight he felt the candle. 
 
 "Ha!" thought Joe, "this time I'll 
 know enough not to drop it," when to his 
 consternation he heard a rustling move- 
 ment in the dead grass and dirt behind him, 
 and then something came sliding down, 
 lodging at his back. Joe's grasp was no 
 very mild squeeze, for a certain amount of 
 frenzy was mingled with a grim determina- 
 tion to become master of the situation, as 
 he sank his fingers deep into the soft coat of 
 his assailant in the rear. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 When a situation getsbe3 r ond the powers 
 of a narrator it is customary to say that 
 it is easier imagined than described, and 
 had not the doctor afterward told the 
 writer just how he felt when the rope was 
 drawn away from his unwilling hands, the 
 author would here resort to the same 
 expedient in speaking of the unhappy man's 
 feelings at that time. For a few minutes he 
 was without the power of moving. His 
 brain was in a whirl and refused to suggest 
 the slightest loophole out of this awful pre- 
 dicament. There he stood gazing down 
 into the depths of that black, yawning hole. 
 No sound came up, not even a groan to tell 
 him that Joe was yet alive ! When the doctor 
 had recovered sufficiently to speak, he 
 shouted down the hole: 
 
 278 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 279 
 
 "Hello! Joe!" No answer came back. 
 "Oh! Joe, are 3^011 hurt?" and although 
 the doctor listened intently he heard noth- 
 ing. 
 
 Great heavens ! what had become of Joe ? 
 How far had he fallen before he could have 
 reached the bottom of this awful hole? 
 Now in an agony of suspense the doctor 
 walked about its treacherous edge, calling 
 incessantly to Joe but receiving no answer. 
 He felt himself in a most miserable plight. 
 The mules gone, and Joe lying at an 
 unknown depth in the bowels of the earth 
 and most likely dead. There was the doc- 
 tor without a rope or even a stick. Per- 
 fectly helpless! There was no use in stand- 
 ing there ; he must hurry back to camp for 
 help. Determining that this was the only 
 thing to be done, he turned and started 
 back to camp. The doctor had not gone 
 more than a hundred yards from the hole 
 when up from the long grass sprang three 
 Indians who rushed upon him. The}' were 
 savage fellows with but little on them save 
 
280 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 paint and feathers and more like the old 
 aborigines than any of the tribes that the 
 doctor had seen. They were simply armed 
 with bows and arrows, and war clubs. It 
 afterward proved that the\ r were Stonej'S 
 and belonged on the head waters of the 
 Saskatchewan river. The Stoneys were a 
 tribe that had alwa3 r s been considered quite 
 peaceable, but these were a few of a war 
 party skirmishing a long way from their 
 own hunting grounds. 
 
 The poor old doctor, terrified with the 
 horror of an awful death impending, turned 
 and ran, but age and his own corpulency 
 were against him and he was handicapped 
 in this race for life. Short, indeed, was the 
 course, for with \ T ells of an awful kind and 
 with bounds that a race horse would have 
 had trouble to excell the three savages were 
 upon him swinging their clubs in the air as 
 they ran ! One demon, a little in advance 
 of the others, struck the fated naturalist a 
 glancing blow on the side of the head and 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 281 
 
 felled liim to the earth, unconscious now of 
 all that was to befall him ! 
 
 Gutterals and grunts, grins and gesticu- 
 lations from the three savages told of their 
 delight at their success, and they fairly 
 danced up and down as they circled about 
 their victim. The one that had dealt the 
 fateful blow seemed to express his pro- 
 prietorship in the victim, and, drawing his 
 scalping knife reached over the prostrate 
 form with a whirl of the knife, and with the 
 other hand he gave most powerful jerks at 
 the doctor's heavy brown hair. There was 
 more power expended than was needed, and 
 the unnecessary force sent the savage 
 sprawling over on his back with the wig of 
 the doctor in his hand! More yells from 
 the savages, and then, as they more care- 
 fully examined the bald head now exposed 
 to their view for the first time they 
 expressed their veneration for this great 
 chief that must have done much fighting to 
 have been scalped and have lived through 
 it. There was a deep coulee not far from 
 
282 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 the hole and the Indians had left their 
 kiyuses in this, having been riding along at 
 the bottom of it the better to keep them- 
 selves out of sight and they had come quite 
 unexpectedly upon the doctor, just as he 
 had dropped the rope. They had been 
 silent witnesses to his after trouble, but not 
 having arrived upon the scene previously to 
 that, the\r were unaware that Joe was at 
 the bottom of the hole. 
 
 One of the Indians went back after their 
 kiyuses, while one went to examine the spot 
 where the doctor had been standing when 
 first seen, leaving the third standing over 
 his prostrate form examining the material 
 composing the wig. The Indian that found 
 the hole was as surprised as the boys had 
 been when the\ r first came to it. After 
 much talking and gesticulating they threw 
 the unconscious doctor over one of the 
 kiyuses and carried him to the edge of the 
 hole, then dumped him as unceremoniously 
 on the ground as if he had been a sack of 
 salt. Much talking followed this, and it 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 283 
 
 was finally decided to leave the doctor there 
 securely bound while they rode back to their 
 camp for an extra kiyus, as none of the 
 three would consent to walk. 
 
 One of the savages tossed a stone down 
 the hole. It sounded as if it struck bottom. 
 Ha ! A bright idea struck him. He uncoiled 
 a long hair lariat from his saddle, and, as 
 the other Indians had securely tied the doc- 
 tor's hands behind his back, he now passed 
 one end of the lariat about his body under 
 his arms and explained to his fellows, that 
 to prevent anyone else finding their victim 
 they had best lower him down out of sight. 
 This was agreed to, as no chance must 
 be run of being balked of the pleasure they 
 anticipated in putting so great a chief to 
 the torture. One of them took an iron 
 picket pin from his kiyus and with his war 
 club drove it securely into the ground a foot 
 or two from the hole. Then they rolled the 
 inanimate form of the doctor over the 
 edge and let the lariat slide down! It was 
 well that it was a long lariat for their 
 
284 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 unconscious burden did not stop until it had 
 lodged against Joe's back. The Indians 
 securely tied the lariat to the iron pin, and 
 then seated themselves a few rods from the 
 hole to enjo\- a lunch of raw buffalo hump 
 that one of them had taken from the back 
 of his saddle. 
 
 * * * * * * * 
 
 We must now go back to Joe, left down 
 at the bottom of this unlucky shaft clutch- 
 ing at the doctor's soft woolen shirt that at 
 first he had taken for another horrible 
 enemy, of some unknown nature. 
 
 Joe's nerves had been severely strained 
 already and he felt a great sense of relief 
 that this unknown object was remaining 
 quiet under his hands. He thought of bears 
 and mountain lions, but it felt like nothing 
 of this sort, and his mind could conjecture 
 no images that might be as this unknown 
 intruder felt, but he believed that now he 
 had the mischievous author of all the 
 pranks that had been played upon him. 
 Joe was quickly on his knees bending over 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 285 
 
 the object beneath him. Carefully striking 
 a match and sheltering it with his hands he 
 managed to light the candle; and to his 
 amazement he beheld Dr. Goon lying at his 
 feet bound and insensible ! Then again his 
 candle was blown out but this time he had 
 seen the shadowy wings of innumerable 
 bats flitting about his head ! The mystery 
 was solved, it had been they that had put 
 out his light ! 
 
 A faint groan from the doctor told Joe 
 that he was alive, and without stopping to 
 light his candle again fearing it would only 
 be blown out he commenced feeling all over 
 him with his hands. It was the doctor and 
 securely bound with thongs ! These Joe cut 
 with his hunting knife, that he had in his 
 belt, together with a large army revolver 
 that in his utter impotence he had pre- 
 viously not so much as thought of, and 
 quite fortunately so for the doctor, for had 
 Joe had them in his hands he would have 
 used them. Joe then rubbed the doctor's 
 hands and chafed his wrists. A more pro- 
 
286 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 nounced groan rewarded him and then the 
 doctor feeblj' asked : 
 
 "Where am I?" 
 
 "You're right here with me, sir. How do 
 you feel? Are you hurt?" asked Joe, 
 eagerly. 
 
 " But where am I ? It's so dark ! Is that 
 you, Joe? Oh! my head!" 
 
 "Is your head hurt? You are down in 
 the hole with me. Who tied \ r ou? How did 
 it happen?" asked Joe, breathlessly. 
 
 "Yes, my head feels sore. The Indians 
 chased me. Oh! How I ran and then I 
 remember no more. Yes, it comes to me 
 now, how I let the rope slip! Were 3'ou 
 hurt, Joe?" 
 
 "No, no, never mind about me; I'm all 
 right." 
 
 "But how did you get me down here with 
 you, Joe? Did you run the Indians off?" 
 
 "No, sir, they must have thought that 
 they had killed you and lowered you down 
 here. There was a hair rope tied about 
 you." 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 287 
 
 "Is that so? But why don't 3^ou light 
 your candle, Joe? Oh! How my head 
 aches ! There is an awful bruise on the side 
 of my head and it's all wet. Strike a light, 
 Joe. This darkness is awful." 
 
 "I've done so half a dozen times, sir, but 
 can't keep it alight; the place is full of bats 
 and they blow it out. This hair rope that 
 was tied about j^ou seems to have been 
 fastened to something above, I'm pulling 
 all my weight on it." 
 
 "Don't doit, Joe! Let it alone! Strike a 
 light." 
 
 "All right, sir," replied Joe, and he struck 
 a match and lighted the candle which he 
 protected with both hands. Its fitful glare 
 showed the doctor lying at his feet, a most 
 pitiable object, with his clothes a mass of 
 dirt and the blood covering the side of his 
 face. He lay on a heap of dried grass and 
 dirt, while the innumerable bats flitted 
 savagely about their heads. 
 
 "If you can hold this candle in your 
 hands away from the bats I'll see if I can't 
 
J*?38 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 knock over a few of them with the butt of 
 this old revolver," said Joe. 
 
 "It will do no good. Joe, we're in a very 
 bad plight.' ' 
 
 "Oh, nonsense! If you're not hurt we're 
 all right. We can whip a regiment of them 
 if they should try to come down here after 
 us, and as soon as we fail to appear at 
 camp at the usual time they will come out 
 and look us up. Don't borrow trouble, I 
 can lay out a few of these bats and then 
 they will let me alone. I owe them one for 
 the fright they gave me." 
 
 ''Did the}' frighten you, Joe ? " 
 
 "I tell you truly, doctor, that I believe I 
 never knew what it was to be frightened 
 before in mj' life. I've alwa3^s found that 
 the excitement incident to all danger keeps 
 one's courage up. But down here alone 
 with those awful things blowing about my 
 face and touching me with their clammy 
 wings, I actually could feel my knees 
 tremble." 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 289 
 
 "It was too bad, but I'm keeping you 
 company now." 
 
 "Yes, and I wish you were safely back in 
 camp." 
 
 "But where do you wish you were? " 
 
 "Oh, I'd not mind being there with \ r ou, 
 but if help doesn't come before night it's 
 sure to come in the morning." 
 
 "I hope so; I wonder what time it is 
 now; it must be night," continued the doc- 
 tor, as he felt for his watch. 
 
 "Oh, no! It's not half an hour since I 
 slid down the rope." 
 
 "Possible! But, Joe, my watch is gone! 
 Those scoundrels must have stolen it!" 
 exclaimed the doctor, not finding his valu- 
 able repeater. 
 
 "That's too bad! but you may get it 
 back. Hold the the light steady ! " 
 
 Whack! went Joe's clubbed revolver 
 against a big bat that fell to the ground 
 with a dull thud. Joe looked about him as 
 he was watching for a chance at another, 
 and saw that they were in a regular cave 
 
 19 
 
290 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 some twenty feet ,high and about twice as 
 wide. It was nearly spherical in shape and 
 at the far side appeared another hole. 
 Again a bat came close to him and then 
 another dull thud. This one fell to the 
 ground only maimed, and set up the most 
 terrible screeching imaginable. The noise 
 started every other bat in the place to 
 flying and now Joe had all he could do, lay- 
 ing about him in gran style with his revol- 
 ver for a club. The air was filled with 
 them, and in the darkness so feebly illumi- 
 nated by the shaded candle the\ r looked as 
 large as hawks. Their screeching now was 
 terrible. They flew about in clouds, and 
 Joe stood there for full ten minutes knock- 
 ing them to the floor of the cave; then 
 suddenly the bats flew to the roof and 
 crawled into innumerable small holes up 
 there. 
 
 " They did not get the candle out that 
 time, but my, what a lot I've killed! The 
 floor is covered with them ! " cried Joe, 
 taking a long breath after his violent 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 291 
 
 exertions. "How does \^our head feel now, 
 sir?" 
 
 "Much better, I'm not much hurt, and if 
 I were only out of this I'd be all right," 
 replied the doctor, touching the bruise on 
 his head tenderly. 
 
 "All in good time, sir, and while we are 
 waiting I'm going to explore this place 
 a bit. There is a large hole over there lead- 
 ing somewhere." 
 
 "Well, do be careful. We've got into 
 trouble enough for one day." 
 
 "I shall take no more chances, and if the 
 traveling's not good I'll come back. You 
 may keep this light and I'll fire another." 
 
 "Now, mind what I say, and take care." 
 
 "All right, sir," responded Joe, as he went 
 across the cave and looked beyond him, 
 holding his candle above his head as he 
 leaned against the side of the aperture. He 
 saw before him the interior of another 
 chamber much like the one they were in but 
 only half as large. Into this he walked 
 without hindrance. It was empty and 
 
292 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 Joe was about to return when lie noticed a 
 hole at the far side of this one, so on he 
 went. This led to a third chamber, still 
 smaller, which, like the other, was einpt}^. 
 At the far side of this was a similar hole 
 leading to the fourth chamber, yet smaller. 
 In fact, Joe had to almost crawl to get in. 
 This cave was quite a small one and 
 evidently the last of the chain of caverns. 
 Joe looked about him and saw on one side 
 the bleached and whitened bones of a skele- 
 ton. It was that of a man of immense size 
 and gave Joe a thrill of horror as he stood 
 looking at the ghastly relic. On the wall 
 above this, deeply cut in the chalk}- earth, 
 were the initials "W.A.C." and beneath 
 the elate 1850. 
 
 " The same that were cut on that tree; how 
 very odd! Those circles must have referred 
 to this chain of caves. The poor fellow 
 must have been wounded and died here. He 
 must have had a rope to help him out. Per- 
 haps some Indians found it and pulled it up 
 leaving him to starve down in here like a 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 293 
 
 rat in a hole ! Here is the iron of a pick and 
 shovel; the wooden part must have rotted 
 and decayed. Why, his very bones are 
 crumbling! " exclaimed Joe, to himself, as he 
 touched the skeleton with his foot. 
 
 "Some poor miner or prospector has lost 
 his life here for the hopes of gold never found, 
 and here's his camp kettle," continued Joe 
 again, hitting this article a kick, but instead 
 of tumbling over as an emptor pot should it 
 did not move and Joe felt his toes had 
 received the worst of the blow. 
 
 "What's in the thing, anyway?" ques- 
 tioned Joe of himself, as he stooped down 
 and moved the dust covered top with one 
 hand holding his candle carefully with the 
 other. 
 
 "Ha! What's this? It's gold!" he 
 exclaimed, starting up in amazement. 
 
 Yes, it was gold ; gold in its most alluring 
 form ; gold just as it had been taken from 
 the hands of nature; gold, bright, alluring, 
 enchanting gold ; gold in beautiful yellow 
 
294 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 dust and nuggets! and the pot was full to 
 the brim ! 
 
 Joe thrust his hands into it and allowed 
 the bright particles to sift through his fin- 
 gers, to persuade himself that he was not 
 dreaming. 
 
 Then he took the pot b} r the handle and 
 ascertained its weight to be close to seventy- 
 five pounds, as he carried it on back as fast 
 as the load would allow him, to where he 
 had left the doctor. Dr. Goon was even 
 more excited than Joe had been, for he more 
 thoroughly understood the value of the find. 
 
 "You will be a rich man, Joe, when you 
 get all this back to civilization; it's all yours, 
 you know 7 , as there is no way of telling who 
 that poor unfortunate may have been, nor 
 who his heirs may be." 
 
 "If that be the case of course we shall have 
 to keep it." 
 
 "But it's all \-ours : you found it." 
 
 "Well, indeed, we'vefound ittogether, and 
 we share alike or I carry it back," cried Joe, 
 indignantly. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 295 
 
 " All right, Joe, but we're not out of here 
 yet." 
 
 "I know that, but it can't be more than 
 an hour, now, that we've been down here, 
 and you're sure there were only three 
 Indians ? " 
 "Yes, only three; was notthat enough?" 
 "Three too many; but I don't think they 
 will sta\ r about the hole long; I think I'll 
 climb up the rope and see if they are gone," 
 replied Joe. 
 
 "What do you say? You're crazy." 
 
 "But I'm not, lean crawl up there and 
 
 reconnoiter. There can be no danger. If 
 
 they were close to the edge of the hole I 
 
 could slide down the rope like a flash. You 
 
 see, the last half of this shaft slopes at an 
 
 angle of about forty-five degrees, and is so 
 
 full of the dead grass blown down that if 
 
 one were to fall, he'd hardly get hurt." 
 
 "Nonsense! don't talk of such a thing." 
 
 "I want to try it, there'll be no harm. If 
 
 I hear them before I get to the top I'll slide 
 
 down again, so here goes," persisted Joe, as 
 
296 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 he grasped the rope and started up despite 
 the protestations of the doctor. 
 
 The first half of the way was easy enough 
 with his feet on the footwall of the incline, 
 and pulling hand over hand on the rope he 
 was soon up to where he could see the light 
 of day shining down from above. The 
 rest of Joe's journey was a more difficult 
 feat, but little by little he approached the 
 top. Every few feet he would stop and 
 listen intently. On he went, not hearing 
 anj^thing to alarm him. His feet were 
 employed in climbing as well as his hands. 
 Reaching the top he again listened for 
 several moments before peering over the 
 edge of the hole. All was quiet and Joe 
 cautiously brought his head above the 
 ground. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 As he first glanced about him he saw 
 nothing. The country was free from all 
 intruders, Joe thought, and so, reaching out 
 his hand, he grasped the picket pin that was 
 firmly driven into the ground and raised 
 himself carefully out. This brought his 
 head above the grass, although he still 
 crouched as low as he possibly could. This 
 brought into view the welcome sight of 
 Tom coming galloping toward him, leading 
 the two runaway mules. Filled with joy 
 Joe was about to spring to his feet when to 
 his consternation he discovered lying in the 
 grass about a hundred yards from him the 
 naked forms of the three savages ! And the 
 unconscious Tom was galloping directly 
 toward them ! 
 
 Joe was quick to think and quicker still to 
 act. He drew out the long armv revolver 
 
 297 
 
298 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 from the belt strapped about his waist and 
 carefully examined it as he crawled a few 
 yards toward the Indians. On came Tom, 
 shouting and yelling as loudly as he could, 
 and the Indians carefully raised themselves 
 a trifle. Joe approached the murderous 
 villains with his revolver at full cock, resting 
 the long barrel in his left hand to make 
 his aim even more certain. 
 
 At any other time it would have seemed a 
 most horrible thing to Joe to shoot a 
 human being down from the rear without 
 so much as giving him a chance for his life, 
 but now, with three of them to contend 
 against, and the}^ lying in wait to slay his 
 best friend, not the slightest compunction 
 troubled him ; he was onh r anxious lest he 
 might miss his mark. On came Tom, hunt- 
 ing for the hole in the ground, and although 
 there was nothing to mark the spot at any 
 distance } r et his bump of location was good 
 and he was making a most remarkable 
 guess. The Indians were each now on one 
 knee holding his long bow tightly drawn, 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 299 
 
 with a deadly arrow at the string. A few 
 steps nearer to them and Joe, taking care- 
 ful aim at the back of the Indian in the cen- 
 ter of the group, pulled the trigger. 
 
 Bang! rang forth the heavy revolver, and 
 Joe, jumping to one side to clear himself of 
 the heavy cloud of smoke that rested about 
 him in the still air, saw the savage spring 
 into the air, both arms extended and fall 
 over backward. The other two turned 
 upon their unknown assailant in the rear 
 and instantly let fly the arrows that had 
 been intended for Tom. It was done at the 
 same instant that Joe's second shot was 
 made which took effect, disabling the right 
 arm of one of them, crushing the bone, while 
 their arrows flew wide of the mark. Joe 
 dropped low in the grass to avoid the next 
 arrow, not knowing that but one of his 
 assailants was left able to continue the 
 
 fight. 
 
 Tom had stopped short at this unlookecl 
 for encounter and instantly jumped from 
 his mule and unslung his carbine from the 
 
300 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 saddle. Tying the bridle reins of the three 
 mules together to prevent their running 
 away, he took a shot at the two savages. 
 
 Finding themselves between two fires was 
 too much for the equanimity of the Indians, 
 onl3 r armed with bows and arrows, and 
 turning, they left the field in possession of 
 the boys, running like deer to the coulee, 
 where the\^ had left their ponies. Tom ran 
 to where Joe was standing. 
 
 "You're not hurt, I hope, are 3 r ou? But 
 where's the doctor? " he cried. 
 
 " No, I'm all right and so's the doctor," 
 answered Joe. 
 
 "Then let's follow those fellows on our 
 mules and give them another voile y; we can 
 catch them ; what do 3-ou say ? " 
 
 "No, they've got their ponies hidden over 
 there, and the chances are that they are 
 getting away too fast for us to catch them; 
 but how did you happen to come with our 
 mules? " 
 
 "But where's Dr. Goon? Tell me that 
 first." 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 301 
 
 "Oh, he's down the hole; those Indians 
 nearly killed him, but he's all right now. 
 I've laid out one of them." 
 
 "How lucky I came! I was in the hills 
 over there with Hugill after specimens, and 
 your mules came up to where ours were 
 picketed and so I knew the\- must have left 
 you in the lurch, and catching them I lost 
 no time in hunting after you. I thought 
 you would be at the hole for some time and 
 be glad of a ride back." 
 
 "Yes, we will be, for we've got quite a 
 load to take back. The first thing to do is 
 to get the doctor up out of this hole; he can 
 never climb up." 
 
 "How did he get down ? " 
 
 "Those Indians nearly killed him when I 
 was down at the bottom ; you see, the doc- 
 tor dropped the rope on which I went clown, 
 and the\ r came upon him all alone and 
 nearly killed him," and here he briefly 
 related their troubles. 
 
 Joe again slid down the rope and found 
 the doctor nearly in despair. All kinds of 
 
302 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 disaster had flitted through his mind, and 
 the old fellow almost cried for joy at seeing 
 the lad again before him, sound and well. 
 Now to get the doctor out. The first part 
 of the journey he managed to perform with- 
 out assistance. Here Joe tied the rope about 
 him, and then climbing up again, he and 
 Tom by the most violent exertions arranged 
 to draw him to the surface. 
 
 " Thank Heaven! I am again in the light 
 of day," gasped the doctor, for the rope had 
 cut into him to such an extent that he had 
 almost lost his breath. Joe had one more 
 trip to make and this time they hauled up 
 the pot of gold. 
 
 " I never forget the Institute," remarked 
 Joe, slyly pulling a couple of the bats from 
 his pocket. 
 
 14 Good for 3 r ou, Joe, but I shall enjoy a 
 wash," said the doctor, as he tried to brush 
 some of the dirt from his clothes. 
 
 "Never mind the dirt; you are out of it, 
 most luckily, with only that bruise on 3'our 
 head." 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 303 
 
 "We must hurry and get away from here. 
 Those fellows will lose no time in coming 
 back with more to avenge this fellow's 
 death ; but we will have our cavalry after 
 them ; we will teach them a lesson," growled 
 the doctor, savagely. 
 
 It was with much trouble that their treas- 
 ure was packed on one of the mules, but at 
 length the\ r all found themselves safeh^back 
 at camp, but the secret of their most impor- 
 tant find was religiously kept by the three, 
 from all the others. 
 
 The next day the cavalry searched the 
 prairies but could not find anything of hos- 
 tile Indians. All were greatly indignant 
 that the venerable doctor should have been 
 treated in such a manner. Then came 
 orders to move camp. The new station, 
 that they now established, was about half 
 way between the Sweet Grass Hills and the 
 Rocky mountains, and on the broad rolling- 
 prairie again. The astronomical party and 
 the others went on west to the main range, 
 but the naturalist's party and commissary- 
 
304? MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 department remained here, with a portion 
 of the escort. The doctor and Joe insisted 
 upon dividing their treasure equally with 
 Tom, as he had been with Joe when he dis- 
 covered the bats' hole. 
 
 Their labors here were much the same as 
 the}' had been and thus the balance of the 
 summer and early fall slipped by them, their 
 duties being more like a continued round of 
 pleasure than anything else, and when with 
 the shortening days came the news that 
 the expedition was getting ready to return, — 
 each party having about finished its labors, — 
 both Tom and Joe felt a pang of regret at 
 having to leave the broad prairies, and 
 return to civilization. 
 
 A three days' journey due south brought 
 them to a government post called Fort 
 Shaw; here their large escort of cavalry 
 and infantry had orders to report for duty, 
 leaving the civilians to proceed to Fort 
 Benton without them, as they were now in 
 a country settled sparseh^ b\ r the whites. 
 Fort Benton, as the place was yet called, 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 305 
 
 was not a military post, although soldiers 
 had formerh- been stationed there, and it\ r et 
 retained its old appellation. It was a 
 trading post, at the extreme head of naviga- 
 tion of the Missouri river, and then boast- 
 ing of five hundred inhabitants. 
 
 At this point, a general disorganization 
 of the expedition took place, for as many 
 decided to remain in the country as chose 
 to return. Such a number of men scattered 
 about Fort Benton could but enliven it for 
 the time. Those who had elected to cast 
 their fortunes in that distant land were 
 buying ponies to carry them to the capital, 
 Helena, the famed city of the Northwest, 
 and our ever venturesome Joe was among 
 the latter. 
 
 "You've actually made up your mind to 
 
 leave us, have 3-011, Joe?" asked Tom, as 
 
 the two boys strolled along the main street 
 
 of the town, which ran along the river bank 
 
 and had but a row of buildings on the one 
 
 side of it, facing the river. 
 20 
 
306 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 "Yes, I'm going to Helena to try my 
 fortunes there. There is no opening for a 
 fellow in St. Paul, and I have got to carve 
 my own way in this world, and I think I'll 
 find a place for myself at something," 
 answered Joe. 
 
 They were slowly walking along on the 
 rough board sidewalks, casually observing 
 the crude style of the buildings, the most of 
 which were made of hewed logs, and nearly 
 eveiw other one being occupied by a vender 
 of spirituous liquors. They were now pass- 
 ing a barber's shop, and were almost 
 knocked over by a round, fat-faced barber, 
 who with a towel in one hand and a razor 
 in the other, dashed out of the door, mak- 
 ing no cessation in his rapid flight until he 
 reached the middle of the street. The boys' 
 attention was next given to the pursuer, 
 who had followed him closely through the 
 door, but stopped on the sidewalk. He 
 was an exceedingly tall, long-legged individ- 
 ual, with a short stumpy beard on his 
 chin, his cheeks showing that they had been 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 307 
 
 just shaved. They did not recognize him 
 until he spoke, and his wrath prevented him 
 from doing this for several seconds. 
 
 It was Hugill ! 
 
 But where were his beautiful long side 
 whiskers — those rivals of Lord Dundreary's ? 
 A realizing sense of the metamorphosis 
 dawning upon the boA^s they broke out into 
 smiles, then into uncontrollable fits of 
 laughter, and Hugill sputtered, fumed, and 
 rayed, mingling imprecations on the Dutch 
 barber, with his lamentations for his lost 
 treasures. 
 
 "Oh! The blooming idiot! He has made 
 a bloody Yankee of me, 3 r e know," howled 
 Hugill, as he felt of his chin. 
 
 "Oho ! Why, how— Ha ! Ha ! Ha ! " roared 
 Tom, who had lost all powers of speech, 
 laughing at the ridiculous plight of Mr. 
 Hugill. 
 
 "Why, ye know, if I didn't want to 
 avoid a row, I'd punch his mulish head, ye 
 know ! I was up nearby all last night, and 
 I fell into a doze, } r e know, and instead of 
 
308 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 scraping me chin as I told him, Oh! con- 
 found the bloody fool ! " 
 
 "Oh! Lordy! Lordy! What— Ha! Ha! 
 Ha! " Here Joe's laughter got the better of 
 him, and his sentence was unfinished. 
 
 "Yes, this is the trick he's played me, 
 tricked me out like a nasal twanging Yan- 
 kee, ye know! " stormed Hugill, shaking his 
 fist at the trembling barber in the middle of 
 the road ejaculating many apologies. 
 
 "Oh! Lord, what would your — Ha! Ha! 
 Ha!" roared Joe, as Hugill clutched at the 
 hirsute appendage on his chin as if in mad 
 endeavor to have it torn off. 
 
 "I was in great luck that I stopped him 
 in time to save my moustache, \^e know." 
 
 "Oh! dear! I shall die! But what would 
 your — your aunt, say now? Ha! Ha! 
 Ha! " gasped Joe. 
 
 " Yes, the Lady Frances Hugill ! Ha ! Ha ! " 
 
 "Yes, I think so. Come back here, 3^011 
 grinning ape, and take this thing off my 
 chin! You're in luck I don't punch your 
 mulish head, ye know! " thundered Hugill, 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 309 
 
 and the poor barber, striking up a truce 
 with the irate Hugill, proceeded to finish 
 his contract, and the boys went on down 
 the street. 
 
 "That barber has got the best joke of the 
 season on Hugill; it will take him a long 
 time to recover those beauties. That bar- 
 ber has been a Delilah to him." 
 
 "He'll not be so conceited now; I hear he 
 is going to Helena, too." 
 
 rt Company for you, Joe." 
 
 "No, I thank you, I shall go alone. I 
 want to cut adrift from them all, for, as 
 you can see, they are already trying to 
 spend their monev- as fast as they can, and, 
 as I am going to send mine home, I don't 
 care to keep airy of them company, unless I 
 find some one of them as soberly disposed as 
 myself." 
 
 "That's right, Joe, but I do wish you 
 were going down the river with us in the 
 boats. It seems as if we ought not to part 
 until we got back to the place we started 
 from." 
 
310 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 " I am only doing what I think is the best 
 tiling for me to do for im^self." 
 
 "Of course, of course, and I hope it will 
 turn out to be so." 
 
 "I trust it will," replied Joe, earnestly. 
 Some half dozen large boats had been 
 built for them, and were now lying on the 
 river bank, and in them, all those who chose 
 to return found transportation down to 
 Bismarck where the\- were to take the cars 
 for St. Paul. Hugill had found all of his 
 trunks stored in the only warehouse in the 
 place, and a freight and storage bill of such 
 a length as to appall him. He also found 
 himself in a land of limited transportation 
 facilities. Just what to do he did not know 
 until he was struck with the brilliant 
 expedient of auctioning them off. This he 
 did, and most successfully, being his own 
 auctioneer. He gave the most graphic 
 account imaginable of every garment, the 
 very street in London in which it had been 
 purchased, and just the number of pounds, 
 shillings and pence that it had cost him. 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 311 
 
 This lucid description convinced them all 
 that they were buying imported goods, and 
 they were willing to pay well for such. 
 Hugill afterward confessed unblushingly to 
 Joe that this was all a fabrication on his 
 part as he had purchased everything in St. 
 Paul, "but it was such fun to get a jolh T 
 price from the grasping Yankees, ye know." 
 It was a question which of the two lads 
 felt the worse at parting, and although it is 
 alwa3^s accredited to the one that goes away 
 as being happier than he who sta} r s behind, 
 yet in this instance it is safe to say the old ad- 
 age was reversed. Joe, with the world before 
 him, had the excitement of expectant inci- 
 dents to sustain him, while Tom could 
 onh r see the possibilities of misfortunes for 
 his comrade. The flat-bottomed boats 
 floated down the rapid current, and as long 
 as they were in sight Tom kept his hand- 
 kerchief waving to signal kind wishes and 
 farewells to the one that stood on the bank, 
 and it was not until the last bend of the 
 
312 MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 
 
 river served to hide them all from view for- 
 ever, that Joe's fortitude gave way and the 
 tears rolled down his cheeks. 
 
 This all happened many 3 r ears ago, and 
 Joe has never had cause to regret the tears 
 shed there, on the banks of the upper 
 Missouri for his departing friend. Tom 
 soon after this was admitted to West Point, 
 where he afterward was graduated with 
 honors, and is now a first lieutenant, serv- 
 ing his country on the frontiers of Texas, 
 a young officer respected by his superiors 
 and idolized by his men. JoeConklin landed 
 his share of the gold dust safely in Helena 
 where he found that it was worth much 
 more than he had dreamed. His disposition 
 of this sudden wealth did credit to the lad. 
 He sent a greater part of it back to his 
 father to pay off a mortgage that he knew 
 had long been standing on their homestead, 
 which had often been accredited by Joe as 
 the cause of his father's irritable disposi- 
 tion. Joe's business transactions at the 
 
MARKING THE BOUNDARY. 313 
 
 bank resulted in securing him a position in 
 it, and should any of the readers of this 
 story have occasion to transact business at 
 the Fourth National Bank at Helena, they 
 will find in the genial and business-like cash- 
 ier the original of my sketch. 
 
 THE END.