NARRATIVES OF SASKATOON

1882-1912

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After a two days' rest we started for home. On reaching the top of the bill from the old town of Battleford we met a party on horseback who begged for a bite to eat as he was starving. He, it seems was carrying a message from Prince Albert to Battleford. He had arrived on top of the hill on the east side of Eagle Creek and in the distance he had seen two figures on horseback just arriving at the top of the hills, and on the went side. Distance was too great to tell if they were Indians, so he used dis- cretion and made a detour and got lost in the hills and ran out of food. He was only half a mile or so from good company, but under the circum- stances missed it, and put in a few days of misery. The return was unevent- ful and quickly made as snow was largely gone. I was then appointed line Repairer and the military soon arrived and formed a base camp at the Cross- ing. My duties were simple. On a break being reported in the wire, I had to ride out and find it, then come back and report. A patrol would be called out and the military repairer would then go with them and do the repairing. It was their duty as they had taken over control of the line. One day a break was reported. I rode out and found that the wire had been cut. The trail wound back and forth under the line and at times the line sagged very low. It was quite plain, some weary or sleepy transport teamster had bad his hat knocked off or some of his load dragged off by a low wire, so he had just taken his axe and chopped the wire through. I reported in camp "Wire cut." A detachment was called out in double quick time. Horses saddled and equipment gathered and out they rode with the repairer, he to splice the wire and they to scour the country for the Indian who had destroyed communication. Incidents such as above were common and afforded me much amusement, one man to discover and locate the break, a detachment to splice the wire. Clark's Crossing was a busy spot, when reporters from the front would arrive with news and anxious to get the word to their papers. I could only take one at a time across in my small boat to the telegraph office and the one who got first was most liberal, not but what I have kindly memory of them all, and they all treated me generously at all times. There were many amusing incidents among the troops at these times, it was no Un- common sight on Sundays to see a soldier in undress uniform wandering around on the prairie of ten stopping and stirring up something with his loot. When he found what suited him, a nest of large ants, he would re- move his undershirt and top shirt, stir up the ants with his foot and place the removed garments on the hill, then sit down after replacing his coat or wander back to camp, later making a call for the garments. These would I be thoroughly cleaned up in a few hours, all trace of cooties having been Removed by the ants. The clothes smelt rather strong of the ants but this was preferable to the pests. One day a herd of bronchos were driven into camp and a company of horseless scouts proceeded to catch their wild horses and bridle; saddle and mount them. All were good riders but few were horse breakers. In a short time riderless horses with saddles anywhere but where they ought to have been on them were scattered over the prairie and men were going in all directions trying to round up the horses for another trial. There were many bumps but few casualties and in time these bron- chos became manageable. The men were fine young fellows all from the prairies, took it all in good part as part of the game of war. Gen. Middleton was quite conspicuous and was always busy riding round, a large man on a small horse. There was plenty of stir, transport teams arriving all the time, cargoes coming down the river on steam boats, the ferry running night and day taking transport teams across the river. One day in June the river rose rapidly eight or ten feet and thousands of dollars of military sup- plies piled near the water edge started moving down the river. Soldiers worked waist deep in the water removing the supplies to higher ground but the loss was heavy. A load of supplies on two wagons and two carts was being taken across on the ferry, when out in the current, the scow was not headed enough up the river and being too much broadaide to the cur- rent started to swamp. The men got busy, in a few seconds traces were slipped, wagons backed off the scow, horses pushed overboard. The ponies and carts were backed off just as they were. In their struggles sometimes Page 34

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