Time as I said, "This is Mr. Indian and this Mr. Horse
Thief!" Faye was almost speechless over my having caught two such
large trout, and started to camp with them at such a pace I had to
run, almost, to keep up. He thought of something of great importance
to say to the first sergeant, simply because he wanted to show them to
the company. Some beautiful trout have been brought in by the enlisted
men who went up the river, and I am so glad, for now they will have
such a nice supper.
The horse thieves undoubtedly knew this country well, when they
selected this valley for their hiding place. They have an abundance of
delicious fish the year round at their very door, and there is any
amount of game near, both furred and feathered, and splendid
vegetables they can certainly raise, for they have just sent Faye a
large grain sack overflowing with tender, sweet corn, new beets,
turnips, cabbage, and potatoes. These will be a grand treat to us, as
our own vegetables gave out several days ago. But just think of
accepting these things from a band of desperadoes and horse thieves!
Their garden must be inside the immense stockade, for there is nothing
of the kind to be seen outside. They probably keep themselves in
readiness for a long siege by sheriff and posse that may come down
upon them at any time without warning. And all the time they know that
if ever caught stealing horses, their trial will last just as long as
it will take to drag them to a tree that has a good strong branch.
Charlie says that he is a mason and reads every evening in a book that
is of his own printing. It is really wonderful. Every evening after
dinner he sits out in front of his tent with a large silk handkerchief
over his head, and perhaps another with which to fight the
ever-present mosquitoes, and reads until dark. He is the only literary
person in the command and we are quite proud of him. He is a great
comfort to Faye and me, for his cooking is delicious. The doctor has a
camp appetite now and is not as finicky as when we started on the
trip.
FORT MAGINNIS, MONTANA TERRITORY,
September, 1880.
IT is almost one week since we got here, but I have not written before
as no mail has been sent out. I hope that the letter left with Junot
has been received, also the two or three notes that were given to
horsemen we met on their way to Fort Benton.
At first, Faye did not tell me all that he knew about those horse
thieves in the Judith Basin, but it finally came out that the trader,
Junot, had told him a most blood-curdling tale of events to come.
