mand for fresh meat the steamboats employed on the river added new members to their regular crews in the shape of hunters, whose only duty it was to kill game for the table. The steamboat hunter was never required to perform physical labor of any sort. The vessel tied up for the night as soon as darkness fell, and about midnight the hunter was put ashore.1 From that hour until the middle of the forenoon it was his duty, if possible, to kill enough deer, antelope, bears, bison or ducks to satisfy the company so largely dependent on his rifle. He scoured the country ahead of the boat-which was not due to start until about four o'clock in the morning and whenever he shot any desired animal he hung it up in some conspicuous tree close to a bank of the river. When the boat finally started a sentry was placed on the upper deck whose sole responsibility was to keep a sharp lookout for suspended provender. So, from sunrise until nine or ten o'clock, the sentry in question might occasionally be heard to shout: "Buffalo quarter on the starboard bow"; "Deer on the starboard bow"; "Bunch of ducks on the port bow"; and so on, as the case might be. And whenever he spied any food thus left by the hunter a skiff would be put off from the boat and the trophies quickly brought aboard to be delivered into the hands of the cook. Finally the hunter himself would be observed and sent for, and he then had nothing more to do until the next night.

Allusion has been made to the little railways with which some of the Missouri River steamboats were equipped. The Omega, which was one of the boats that went up the river in 1843, had such a tramway in her hold, and one of her passengers was Audubon, the naturalist. The principal event of the trip that year was a little

1 Or else paddled away himself, in a small canoe.

341. Farthest up-stream point reached during the days of Missouri River steamboat travel, and greatest distance from the sea attained by a steamboat on any water course. Fort Benton, in the present state of Montana, was 3,575 miles from the ocean by way of the rivers, and the boats at that spot rode nearly half a mile above sea level.

drama wherein the leading parts were played by the tramway and the distinguished traveller just named.1

The customary severe Federal laws forbidding the importation of liquor into the countries owned by the Indians were then on the statute books, but were, as ever, disregarded by those white men who traded in such places. It was into lands still owned by Indians that the Omega was running, and she had on board a considerable quantity of the unlawful commodity. The American Fur Company, which owned the vessel and was trying to smuggle the liquor to its trading posts up the river, had to get the contraband material past two places where river cargoes were subjected to Federal inspection. The salient features then characterizing the use of whisky in connection with the Indian trade of the West were thus explained by La Barge to Chittenden :"

"Liquor was the one article above all others that the traders considered indispensable to their business, and they never failed to smuggle it through in some way or other. In the earlier years there was only one place at which the cargoes going up the river were inspected, and that was Fort Leavenworth. Later, when an Indian agency was established at Bellevue that place also became a point of detention. At that particular time it [Bellevue] was the bête noire of the American Fur Company traders. The military authorities at Fort Leavenworth, from long experience in the country and intimate knowledge of conditions prevailing there, exercised their office as inspectors with reasonable judgment and discretion. They understood very well that the small competing traders would smuggle liquor past them in spite of all they could do, and that to deprive the only responsible company on the river of its means of maintaining itself was simply to debauch the trade with the Indians to a reckless and demoralizing rivalry among a horde of irresponsible traders. They were, therefore, very lenient in their inspections, and the company rarely had any difficulty in getting past them. "Not so, however, with some of the newly-appointed Indian agents.

1 The story about to be told is contained in Chittenden's "History of Early Steamboat Navigation on the Missouri River." La Barge was pilot of the "Omega" during the voyage, and his log book of the trip was used by Chittenden, to whom La Barge personally narrated the circumstances. Audubon's journal of his trip also furnishes some testimony regarding the matters here discussed.

2 "History of Early Steamboat Navigation on the Missouri River," pp. 142-3,

It was about this time that the Indian Department tried the experiment of assigning clergymen to the agencies-an example of good intentions. but bad judgment. These new agents showed more zeal than discretion in their work, and although they put the traders to a great deal of trouble, it is doubtful if they lessened by a single drop the amount of liquor carried into the country."

When the Omega reached Bellevue the Indian agent was absent. Captain Sire, delighted with his good luck, hastily despatched his business and continued up the river for several miles in his anxiety to escape inspectionbefore tying up for the night at nine o'clock. But in the morning, just as the boat was getting under way again, rifle shots were fired across her bow and an army officer came on board with information that his captain would later arrive to inspect the vessel.

Audubon then entered the action of the frontier play." He promptly set forth across the country, reached the army camp before the military officer had started to inspect the boat, and talked to the captain for about two hours. In the meantime Captain Sire and his crew had been busy. They loaded all the contraband whisky on the tram-cars which stood on the rails in the dark hold, and pushed them to that part of the boat farthest removed from the hatchway through which it was planned the captain should enter on his work of inspection. No accident spoiled the arrangements. La Barge said: "When Captain B arrived in Audubon's company, he was received most hospitably and treated to a luncheon in which was included, as a matter of course, a generous

1 This statement by a man who was himself a prominent cog in the machinery of Indian trade, indicates that the system previously practised by white men in dealing with Indians east of the Mississippi had been transplanted to the West as soon as the Indians had been removed from their former eastern possessions. From La Barge's narrative it seems presumable that the Caucasian introduction of liquor into Indian relations had attained an importance even greater than before, for he describes liquor as "one article above all others that the [western] traders considered indispensable to their business." 2 Commander of the boat.

Audubon himself had a permit from the government allowing him to carry a quantity of liquor for the use of his party, and encountered no personal difficulty in the To use his own words, he was "immediately settled comfortably."

matter.

portion from the provided store embraced in Audubon's 'credentials.' By this time the young captain was in most excellent temper and was quite disposed to forego the inspection altogether." Captain Sire said: "I insisted, as it were, that he make the strictest possible search, but on the condition that he would do the same with other traders."2

Then the steamboat captain escorted his official guest down through the hatchway, and the inspection began under the illumination of a candle accommodatingly held by a member of the crew. Nothing suspicious was found. As the governmental officer and his escort slowly approached the farther end of the boat the cavalcade of incriminating tram-cars on the other side of the cargo was gently and noiselessly pushed in the opposite direction, and thus the procession completed the circumnavigation of the hold. The boat and her freight emerged virtuous from the ordeal, mutual assurances of esteem were exchanged between the scientist, the army officer and the steamboat captain, and the craft glided on her way up the river in peace.

The annual voyage of 1844 was made by the Nimrod, which was also navigated by the same captain and pilot. The Nimrod had an experience somewhat similar to that just described, and the incident was told by La Barge as follows:

"In passing the Indian agency at Bellevue this year it was necessary to indulge in some more sharp practice to get the annual cargo of alcohol past that point. The new Indian agent at Bellevue was an exMethodist minister of the name of Joseph Miller-as zealous in his new rôle of liquor inspector as he had ever been in the regular practice

1 "History of Early Steamboat Navigation on the Missouri," p. 146.

2 Sire's record of the matter was set down in his log under date of May 10th. The original transcription was in French, as follows: "Je force en quelque sorte l'officier à faire un recherche aussi stricte que possible, mais à la condition qu'il en sera de même avec les autres traiteurs."