sight of the company. I
went hurriedly on down the river bottom, much of which was covered with
wild rice, very thick and almost as high as my head. The course and
windings of the river here were, as elsewhere, marked by the willows
along the banks. I was now a mile or so from the trail, and coming quite
near where I expected to find the game. Passing cautiously by a clump of
willows I noticed something white on the dead grass, which, upon
investigation, proved to be a human skeleton in a perfect state of
preservation. I picked up the skull, looked it over, and picked off the
under jaw which was filled with beautiful teeth. Putting these in my
pocket and replacing the skull, I moved carefully forward, expecting to
soon see the geese. Picking my way through the stiff mud, I saw several
moccasin tracks. I was just on the point of turning back when I saw the
head of an Indian to my left, within easy range of my rifle. Looking
hurriedly about me, I saw another at my right and quite a distance to
the rear. In a moment they drew their heads down into the grass. I
immediately realized the danger of retreating back into open ground, so
I plunged forward into the wild rice, gripping my rifle with one hand
and making a path through the rice with the other. I ran along in this
way until my strength was nearly gone and the hand I worked the rice
with was lacerated and bleeding. I faced about, dropped to my knees,
and, with rifle cocked, awaited developments. After resting a few
minutes and getting over my scare I started in the direction of the
trail, hoping to get out of the rice and the willows into the open.
Again I had to rest. My hands and arms were now both so lame and sore I
could scarcely use them. When I finally got out of the rice, I
straightened up and ran like a deer, expecting at every jump I made to
be pursued and shot. I made straight for a bend in the slough which was
partly filled with water. The opposite bank being lined with willows,
some of them began to move a little and I concluded some one was coming
through them. Levelling my rifle and with finger on the trigger, I heard
some one shout to me not to shoot. It was a white man, who wanted to
cross the slough. He ran into the water and mud far enough so that I
could reach him and pull him on to the bank. He, too, had encountered
the Indians in the rice and willows, and for a time was unable to stand,
being completely exhausted with fear and his efforts to escape.