Deadfalls were used to catch wolves, foxes, and other fur animals, and small apertures in the pis’kun walls were provided with nooses and snares for the same purpose.

Another way to catch wolves and coyotes was to set heavy stakes in the ground in a circle, about the carcasses of one or two dead buffalo.  The stakes were placed at an angle of about forty-five degrees, a few inches apart, and all pointing toward the centre of the circle.  At one place, dirt was piled up against the stakes from the outside, and the wolves, climbing up on this, jumped down into the enclosure, but were unable to jump out.  Hugh Monroe tells me that, about thirty years ago, he and his sons made a trap like this, and in one night caught eighty-three wolves and coyotes.

In early times, beaver were very abundant and very tame, and were shot with bows and arrows.

The Blackfeet were splendid prairie hunters.  They had no superiors in the art of stalking and killing such wary animals as the antelope.  Sometimes they wore hats made of the skin and horns of an antelope head, which were very useful when approaching the game.  Although the prairie was pre-eminently their hunting-ground, they were also skilful in climbing mountains and killing sheep and goats.  On the other hand, the northern Crees, who also are a prairie people, are poor mountain hunters.

THE BLACKFOOT IN WAR

The Blackfeet were a warlike people.  How it may have been in the old days, before the coming of the white men, we do not know.  Very likely, in early times, they were usually at peace with neighboring tribes, or, if quarrels took place, battles were fought, and men killed, this was only in angry dispute over what each party considered its rights.  Their wars were probably not general, nor could they have been very bloody.  When, however, horses came into the possession of the Indians, all this must have soon become changed.  Hitherto there had really been no incentive to war.  From time to time expeditions may have gone out to kill enemies,—­for glory, or to take revenge for some injury,—­but war had not yet been made desirable by the hope of plunder, for none of their neighbors—­any more than themselves—­had property which was worth capturing and taking away.  Primitive arms, dogs, clothing, and dried meat were common to all the tribes, and were their only possessions, and usually each tribe had an abundance of all these.  It was not worth any man’s while to make long journeys and to run into danger merely to increase his store of such property, when his present possessions were more than sufficient to meet all his wants.  Even if such things had seemed desirable plunder, the amount of it which could be carried away was limited, since—­for a war party—­the only means of transporting captured articles from place to place was on men’s backs, nor could men burdened with loads either run or fight.  But when horses