While rambling through the hills northwest of tin town, he stumbled upon the slightly exposed remains of some of the Indians that had fallen when Dull Knife's band had made its break for liberty from the barracks al Fort Robinson. Among his findings was the scalp and long hair of an Indian, and a skull. He decorated his. own head with the wig of the Indian and elevated the skull upon a stick. Thus decorated, he made a spectac ular invasion of the home of his parents, and his mother, in the queer way that mothers have, failed to appreciate the prowess of her son.

Discouraged, but still ambitious, he organized a part}- of embryo archeologists, consisting of Ben I'.. Smith. George Hunt

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

and himself. The work of exhuming was upon a bunch of land about ten or twelve feet above the creek bed, and also there was an abrupt rise of twenty or thirty feet on the side away from the creek, to the plain above. Wild animals had burrowed in the bank of the creek and made runways to the bench upon which the boys were working, and torrential rains which sometimes fell had washed the holes in tunnels large enough for a wolf to pass. One hole of large size started at the creek bed. and came out upon the

bench level at the point where they were excavating. In their work they had dug away a part of the upper end of the runway. Dusk had fallen and the young men were still persevering in the work. The dog started a rabbit along the creek bed and as it reached the lower opening, it darted in with the dog in full pursuit. Up through the hole popped the rabbit and then the dog.