ing here in abundance. In times gone by the forest was the home of the grizzly bear, the panther, mountain lion, mountain sheep, elk and antelope, deer and wolf. The beaver built his villages along the creeks, and the prairiedogs had their towns along the foot-hills. The buffalo was king of the prairie, and the fox, prairie-wolf and a thousand other animals made their home here. The creeks and rivers were filled with nutritious fishes. Abundance of game, abundance of skins, abundance of everything which could satisfy the desire of the untutored red man. Here his chieftains ruled and warrior braves fought and hunted. The smoke of their wigwams and the fires of their councils rose in every canyon from Beaver Creek to Redwater. The shouts of victory and the war-dance rung through the mountains and the glades. The thick arrow and the deadly tomahawk whistled through the forest. Here once the warriors stood in their glory. Mothers played with their infants and gazed on the scene with the warm hopes of the future. The aged and weak sat down but they wept not. They would soon be at rest in the regions where the Great Spirit dwelt, in a home prepared for them beyond these western skies.

But this region, the last one they called their home, they could not long call their own. Before the greed of the pale-face and the steel they faded as the snow melts away before the vernal sun.

CHAPTER II.

THE CROWS.

The first inhabitants of the Black Hills and of whom we have any authentic information are the Crows.

They were called "Belantsea" by their neighbors, but called themselves “Absaroka” — anything that flies. They have left their foot-prints in the numerous trails

which cross the hills, and the inscriptions found on the rocks in Bear Butte Canyon, along Rapid Creek, Elk Creek and Minnekata; in the remnants of their wigwams found where now stand the prosperous towns of Rapid, Sturgis, Custer, and Hot Springs.

According to their tradition they formerly occupied the whole range of the Rocky Mountains with the beautiful valleys on both sides, from the Saskatchewan in the north and as far south as the mountains continue. Alexander v. Humboldt and other reliable authorities are of the opinion that the Crows are a branch of the original Toltecs. The history which establishes the migration of the Toltecs and Aztecs from the mountains of the northwest is extremely vague as to time. But from the similarity of their monuments it seems certain that the Aztecs and the Toltecs were portions of the same race. The different names were given them from the different periods of their migration or from the position to which they respectively went. Some of the people in Mexico to-day apply the term "Toltec" (Toh-tec) - mountaineers to the people of the mountains, and "Aztec" (or Ah-na-tec) — lowlanders to the people of the plains. Most probably the Crows, as a branch of the Toltec family in their southward migration, left the main group and crossed the Rocky Mountains about the year 1200 A. D., and gradually extending their meanderings as far east as the Missouri.

The following is their story of creation, to which they owe their existence. The same has been told by one of their number.

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Long ago there was a was left, whom we call the so long ago and we have Old Man' was a god. Come here, my brother.' He was sitting on a high hill — Bear Butte. He said to the duck: Go down to the water

great flood and only one man Old Man,' because it happened talked of him so much. This He saw a duck and said to it:

and get some clay and I will see what I can do with it.' The duck went away and stayed a long time. Coming to the surface it had a small bit of mud. The god said he

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would make a something out of it, and added: We are here by ourselves; it is bad. Holding the mud in his hands till it dried, then blowing it in different directions, there was dry land all about it. The god, the duck and the

ground was all that existed. He then made the mountains and creeks. After that they asked each other to do certain things. The duck asked the god to do certain things and among them to make Indians for the prairie. The god took some dirt in his hand, blew it away and there

stood a man and a woman. A great many crows sprung up at once from the dirt, but they were blind. The first man created pulled open one eye and saw the streams and the mountains. Then he pulled open the other eye and cried out that the country was fine. The first woman created did the same and they told the rest to do as they had done, and to this day the peculiar mark about the eyes shows the manner of opening them. The god called the first man and said to him: Look, here are antelopes, deer, elk and buffalo. I give you these to eat.' The god killed one buffalo for them. Then he took up a rock, threw it down, broke it and with one of the pieces cut open the buffalo. He showed the man how to make a bow and arrow, explained the parts of the buffalo, the location of the sinew and its use, the use of the skin for a robe; in fact, all that was necessary. Then he commenced dividing up the people, Crows, Sioux, Cheyennes and the rest, and gave them the country to live in. The people asked him if they were to eat the meat raw. The god then took two sticks and rubbed them with a little sand, and said: There, my children, is a small fire for you. Get some wood and keep it burning always.' But the first man said: Father, no. We want to move around. We cannot pack fire with us. Make it so we can get fire;' and it was done. Then the first man asked for vessels to cook in and to carry water, and the god showed him how to dig out the black rocks for those purposes. The god then told him how to tan the skins of animals by means of the brain and liver, and how to grain it with the bone of the foreleg of the animal. He showed them how to prepare the skins for a lodge, etc., how to take the hair off, how to make the poles, and marked out upon the ground the shape to make the lodge. The god then said: Name yourselves, children; ' and the first man said, 'We will name ourselves after the black bird,-Crows.' Then the god said, As I made you, I am going to tell you what to do. Cry; and as the tears drop on the ground you will know what it is.' The first man said That is not much to do, to cry; tell us

I have made the Cut a piece out of

Fast, and Fast, and you will what to do.'

The

sweat-houses. If

something else.' The god then said, high mountain for you; go up there. the flesh of your arms and give to me. have visions, which will tell you god explained in regard to the they did not cure them when sick they would carry them to some other good hunting grounds. He then said: I have showed you how to make all these things; how to live. Among all the buffalo I have made a few white ones. When you kill one of these, sing three songs, place the skin on a hill; give the skin to me, I like them.' He also said, I like the black-tail deer-skin, and the hawks with white tails. Give me once and awhile some of these.' The god then told them how to get horses; he told them to go over the hill and not look back. They started; one man was behind the rest; the horses came up behind, whinnying and prancing. The man behind could not resist; he looked back, and the horses vanished. If it had not been for this we would have had many horses. They then went to the Yellowstone river. The god said: This is your country; the water is pure and cold; the grass is good; it is a fine country and it is yours.' He then said, 'I made all this country around you; I have put you in the center; I have put these people around you as your enemies. They will fight you, and keep fighting you, until you are greatly reduced in numbers, and then I will come and help you.' He said, Kill He said, Kill your enemies; take their scalps; blacken your faces with fire-coal, and when any of your people are killed, let your tears fall to the ground, and cry out in your distress and mourning.' He also said that he would not help foolish people, but would assist those that were good. He said, I have put red paint in places in your country. Get this and make your faces and bodies

red.'

After this he went to a tree, struck it, and the whites came out like mice out of a hole. He said, I have sent these whites to show you how to make iron. Do not fight them, shake hands with them. At eighty years you will