Whenallthericewaspreparedforthetable,thematterofstoringitmustbedetermined。
Cachesweredugbyeachfamilyinaconcealedspot,andcarefullylinedwithdrygrassandbark。
Heretheylefttheirsurplusstoresforatimeofneed。Ourpeoplewereveryingeniousincover—
ingupalltracesofthehiddenfood。Acommontrickwastobuildafireontopofthemound。Asmuchofthericeascouldbecarriedconvenientlywaspackedinpar—fleches,orcasesmadeofraw—
hide,andbroughtbackwithustoourvillage。
Afterall,thewildIndianscouldnotbejustlytermedimprovident,whentheirmanneroflifeistakenintoconsideration。Theyletnothinggotowaste,andlaboredincessantlyduringthesummerandfalltolayupprovisionfortheinclementsea—
son。Berriesofallkindswereindustriouslygathered,anddriedinthesun。Eventhewildcherrieswerepoundedup,stonesandall,madeintosmallcakesanddriedforuseinsoupsandformixingwiththepoundedjerkedmeatandfattoformamuch—prizedIndiandelicacy。
OutontheprairieinJulyandAugustthewo—
menwerewonttodigteepsinnawithsharpenedsticks,andmanyabagfullwasdriedandputaway。Thisteepsinnaistherootofacertainplantgrowingmostlyuponhighsandysoil。Itisstarchybutsolid,withasweetishtaste,andisveryfatten—
ing。Thefullygrownteepsinnaistwoorthreeincheslong,andhasadark—brownbarknotunlikethebarkofayoungtree。Itcanbeeatenraworstewed,andisalwayskeptinadriedstate,exceptwhenitisfirstdug。
Therewasanotherrootthatourpeoplegath—
eredinsmallquantities。Itisawildsweetpotato,foundinbottomlandsorriverbeds。
Theprimitivehousekeeperexertedherselfmuchtosecureavarietyofappetizingdishes;sheevenrobbedthefieldmouseandthemuskrattoaccom—
plishherend。Thetinymousegathersforherwinteruseseveralexcellentkindsoffood。Amongtheseisawildbeanwhichequalsinflavoranydo—
mesticbeanthatIhaveevertasted。Herstorehouseisusuallyunderapeculiarmound,whichtheun—
trainedeyewouldbeunabletodistinguishfromanant—hill。Therearemanypocketsunderneath,intowhichsheindustriouslygatherstheharvestofthesummer。
Sheisfortunateifthequickeyeofanativewomandoesnotdetectherhiding—place。AboutthemonthofSeptember,whiletravelingovertheprairie,awomanisoccasionallyobservedtohaltsuddenlyandwaltzaroundasuspectedmound。
Finallythepressureofherheelcausesaplacetogiveway,andshesettlescontentedlydowntorobthepoormouseofthefruitsofherlabor。
Thedifferentkindsofbeansareputawayindifferentpockets,butitistheoomenechahshewants。Thefieldmouselovesthissavoryveget—
able,forshealwaysgathersitmorethananyother。
Thereisalsosomeofthewhitestar—likemanak—
cahkcah,therootofthewildlily。Thisisagoodmedicineandgoodtoeat。
Whenourpeopleweregatheringthewildrice,theyalwayswatchedforanotherplantthatgrowsinthemuddybottomoflakesandponds。Itisawhitebulbaboutthesizeofanordinaryonion。
Thisisstoredawaybythemuskratsintheirhousesbythewaterside,andthereisoftenabushelormoreofthepsinchinchahtobefoundwithin。ItseemedasifeverybodywasgoodtothewildIndian;
atleastwethoughtsothen。
Ihavereferredtotheopportunitiesforcourtinguponthewildricefields。Indiancourtshipisverypeculiarinmanyrespects;butwhenyoustudytheirdailylifeyouwillseethephilosophyoftheiretiquetteoflove—making。Therewasnoparlorcourtship;thelifewaslargelyout—of—doors,whichwasveryfavorabletotheyoungmenInanomadiclifewherethefemalemembersofthefamilyhaveentirecontrolofdomesticaffairs,theworkisdividedamongthemall。Veryoftenthebringingofthewoodandwaterdevolvesupontheyoungmaids,andthespringorthewoodsbecomethebattle—groundoflove’swarfare。Thenearestwatermaybesomedistancefromthecamp,whichisallthebetter。Sometimes,too,thereisnowoodtobehad;andinthatcase,onewouldseetheyoungwomenscatteredallovertheprairie,gatheringbuffalochipsforfuel。
Thisisthewaytheredmengoabouttoinducetheaboriginalmaidstolistentotheirsuit。Assoonastheyouthhasreturnedfromthewar—pathorthechase,heputsonhisporcupine—quillembroideredmoccasinsandleggings,andfoldshisbestrobeabouthim。Hebrusheshislong,glossyhairwithabrushmadefromthetailoftheporcupine,per—
fumesitwithscentedgrassorleaves,thenarrangesitintwoplaitswithanotterskinorsomeotheror—
nament。Ifheisawarrior,headdsaneaglefeatherortwo。
Ifhechoosestoride,hetakeshisbestpony。
Hejumpsuponitsbareback,simplythrowingapartofhisrobeunderhimtoserveasasaddle,andholdingtheendofalariattiedabouttheanimal’sneck。Heguideshimaltogetherbythemotionsofhisbody。Thesewilyponiesseemtoenterintothespiritoftheoccasion,andveryoftencapturetheeyesofthemaidbytheirgracefulmovements,inperfectobediencetotheirmaster。
Thegeneralcustomisfortheyoungmentopulltheirrobesovertheirheads,leavingonlyaslittolookthrough。Sometimesthesameisdonebythemaiden——especiallyinpubliccourtship。
Heapproachesthegirlwhilesheiscomingfromthespring。Hetakesuphispositiondirectlyinherpath。Ifsheisinahurryordoesnotcaretostop,shegoesaroundhim;butifsheiswillingtostopandlistensheputsdownonthegroundthevesselofwatersheiscarrying。
Veryoftenatthefirstmeetingthemaidendoesnotknowwhoherloveris。Hedoesnotintroducehimselfimmediately,butwaitsuntilasecondmeeting。Sometimesshedoesnotseehisfaceatall;andthenshewilltrytofindoutwhoheisandwhathelookslikebeforetheymeetagain。Ifheisnotadesirablesuitor,shewillgowithherchaperonandendtheaffairthere。
Therearetimeswhenmaidensgointwos,andthentheremustbetwoyoungmentomeetthem。
Thereissomecourtshipinthenighttime;eitherintheearlypartoftheevening,ontheoutskirtsofdancesandotherpublicaffairs,orafterevery—
bodyissupposedtobeasleep。Thisisthesecretcourtship。Theyouthmaypullupthetentpinsjustbackofhissweetheartandspeakwithherduringthenight。Hemustbeasmartyoungmantodothatundetected,forthegrandmother,herchaperon,isusually\"allears。\"
Elopementsarecommon。Therearemanyreasonsforagirlorayouthtodefertheirwedding。
Itmaybefrompersonalprideofoneorboth。Thewell—bornaremarriedpublicly,andmanythingsaregivenawayintheirhonor。Themaidenmaydesiretoattendacertainnumberofmaidens’feastsbeforemarrying。Theyouthmaybepoor,orhemaywishtoachieveanotherhonorbeforesurren—
deringtoawoman。
Sometimesayouthissoinfatuatedwithamaid—
enthathewillfollowhertoanypartofthecountry,evenaftertheirrespectivebandshaveseparatedfortheseason。Iknewofonesuchcase。PatahTankahhadcourtedadistantrelativeofmyuncleforalongtime。Thereseemedtobesomeobjec—
tiontohimonthepartofthegirl’sparents,al—
thoughthegirlherselfwaswilling。
Thelargecamphadbeenbrokenupforthefallhunt,andmyuncle’sbandwentoneway,whiletheyoungman’sfamilywentintheotherdirection。
Afterthreedays’travelling,wecametoagoodhunting—ground,andmadecamp。Oneeveningsomebodysawtheyoungman。Hehadbeenfol—
lowinghissweetheartandsleepingout—of—doorsallthattime,althoughthenightswerealreadyfrostyandcold。Hemethereverydayinsecretandshebroughthimfood,buthewouldnotcomeneartheteepee。Finallyherpeopleyielded,andshewentbackwithhimtohisband。
Whenwelivedournaturallife,therewasmuchsingingofwarsongs,medicine,huntingandlovesongs。Sometimestherewerefewwordsornone,buteverythingwasunderstoodbytheinflection。
FromthisIhaveoftenthoughtthattheremustbealanguageofdumbbeasts。
ThecrudemusicalinstrumentoftheSioux,theflute,wasmadetoappealtothesusceptibleearsofthemaidenslateintothenight。Therecomestomenowthepictureoftwoyoungmenwiththeirrobesovertheirheads,andonlyaportionofthehand—madeandcarvedchotanka,theflute,protrud—
ingfromitsfolds。Icanseeallthemaidensslylyturntheirheadstolisten。NowIhearoneoftheyouthsbegintosingaplaintiveserenadeasindaysgoneby:
\"Hay—ay—ay!Hay—ay—ay!a—ahay—ay!\"(This\"Listen!youwillhearofhim——
Maiden,youwillhearofhim——
Listen!hewillshortlygoWasulafeelsthatshemustcomeout,butshehasnogoodexcuse,soshestirsuptheembersofthefireandcausesanunnecessarysmokeintheteepee。Thenshehasanexcusetocomeoutandfixupthetentflaps。Shetakesalongtimetoad—
justthesepointedearsoftheteepee,withtheirlongpoles,forthewindseemstobeunsettled。
FinallyChotankaceasestobeheard。Inamomentayoungmanappearsghost—likeatthemaiden’sside。
\"Soitisyou,isit?\"sheasks。
\"Isyourgrandmotherin?\"heinquires。
\"Whatabravemanyouare,tofearanoldwo—
man!Wearefree;thecountryiswide。Wecangoaway,andcomebackwhenthestormisover。\"
\"Ho,\"hereplies。\"ItisnotthatIfearher,ortheconsequencesofanelopement。Ifearnoth—
ingexceptthatwemaybeseparated!\"
Thegirlgoesintothelodgeforamoment,thenslipsoutoncemore。\"Now,\"sheexclaims,\"tothewoodortheprairie!Iamyours!\"Theydis—
appearinthedarkness。
IV:AMeetingonthePlainsWEwereencampedatonetimeontheSourisorMouseriver,atribu—
taryoftheAssiniboine。Thebuffaloeswerestillplenty;hencewewerelivingonthe\"fatoftheland。\"OneafternoonascoutcameinwiththeannouncementthatabodyofUnitedStatestroopswasapproaching!Thisre—
port,ofcourse,causedmuchuneasinessamongourpeople。
Acouncilwasheldimmediately,inthecourseofwhichthescoutwasputthrougharigidexam—
ination。Beforeadecisionhadbeenreached,an—
otherscoutcameinfromthefield。HedeclaredthatthemovingtrainreportedasabodyoftroopswasinrealityatrainofCanadiancarts。
Thetworeportsdifferedsowidelythatitwasdeemedwisetosendoutmorerunnerstoobservethismovingbodyclosely,andascertaindefinitelyitscharacter。Thesesoonreturnedwiththepos—
itiveinformationthattheCanadianswereathand,\"for,\"saidthey,\"therearenobrightmetalsinthemovingtraintosendforthflashesoflight。
Theseparatebodiesareshort,likecartswithponies,andnotlikethelong,four—wheeledwagondrawnbyfourorsixmules,thatthesoldiersuse。Theyarenotbuffaloes,andtheycannotbemountedtroops,withpack—mules,becausetheindividualbodiesaretoolongforthat。Besides,thesoldiersusuallyhavetheirchief,withhisguards,leadingthetrain;andthelittlechiefsarealsoseparatedfromthemainbodyandrideatoneside!\"
Fromtheseobservationsitwasconcludedthatweweresoontomeetwiththeboisbrules,astheFrenchcalltheirmixed—bloods,presumablyfromthecoloroftheircomplexions。Somesaythattheyarenamedfromthe\"burnedforests\"which,aswood—cutters,theyareaccustomedtoleavebe—
hindthem。Twoorthreehourslater,ataboutsunset,ourearsbegantodistinguishthepeculiarmusicthatalwaysaccompaniedamovingtrainoftheircarts。Itislikethegruntingandsquealingofmanyanimals,andisduetothefactthatthewheelsandallotherpartsofthesevehiclesaremadeofwood。Ourdogsgleefullyaugmentedthevolumeofinharmonioussound。
Theystoppedalittlewayfromourcamp,uponagrassyplain,andtheponiesweremadetowheeltheirclumsyburdensintoaperfectcircle,theshaftsbeingturnedinward。Thuswasformedasortofbarricade——quiteausualandnecessarypre—
cautionintheirnomadicandadventurouslife。
Withinthiscirclethetentswerepitched,andmanycheerfulfiresweresoonkindled。Thegarconswerehurriedlydrivingtheponiestowater,withmuchcrackingofwhipsandoutburstingofim—
patientoaths。
Ourchiefandhisprincipalwarriorsbrieflycon—
ferredwiththestrangers,anditwasunderstoodbybothpartiesthatnothoughtofhostilitieslurkedinthemindsofeither。
Afterhavingobservedtheexchangeofpresentsthatalwaysfollowsa\"peacecouncil,\"therewerefriendlyandhospitablefeastsinbothcamps。Theboisbruleshadbeenlongawayfromanyfortortrading—post,anditsohappenedthattheirinevi—
tablewhiskeykegwasalmostempty。Theyhaddilutedthefewgillsremainingwithseverallargekettlesfullofwater。Inordertohaveanysortofoffensivetaste,itwasnecessarytoaddcayennepepperandalittlegentian。
Ourmenweretreatedtothisconcoction;andseeingthattwoorthreeofthehalf—breedspre—
tendedtobecomeintoxicated,ourbravesfollowedtheirexample。Theymadenightintolerablewiththeirshoutsandsinginguntilpastmidnight,whengraduallyalldisturbanceceased,andbothcampsappearedtobewrappedindeepslumber。
Suddenlytheloudreportofagunstirredthesleepers。Manymorereportswereheardinquicksuccession,allcomingfromthecampoftheboisbrules。EverymanamongtheSiouxsprangtohisfeet,weaponinhand,andmanyrantowardstheirponies。Buttherewasonesignificantpointabouttheuntimelyfiringoftheguns——theywerealldi—
rectedheavenward!Oneofouroldmen,whounderstoodbetterthananyoneelsethemannersofthehalf—breeds,thusproclaimedatthetopofhisvoice:
\"Letthepeoplesleep!Thisthatwehaveheardistheannouncementofaboy’sadventintotheworld!Itistheircustomtointroducewithgunpowderanew—bornboy!\"
Againquietwasrestoredintheneighboringcamps,andforatimethenightreignedundis—
turbed。Butscarcelyhadwefallenintoasoundsleepwhenwewereforthesecondtimerudelyarousedbythefiringofgunsandtheyellingofwarriors。Thistimeitwasdiscoveredthatalmostalltheponies,includingthoseofourneighbors,hadbeenstealthilydrivenoffbyhorse—thievesofanothertribe。
Thesemiscreantswereadeptsintheirprofes—
sion,fortheyhadaccomplishedtheirpurposewithmuchskill,almostundertheveryeyesofthefoe,andhaditnotbeenfortheinvinciblesuperstitionofSlowDog,theywouldhavemetwithcompletesuccess。Asitwas,theycausedusnolittletroubleandanxiety,butafterahotpur—
suitofawholeday,withtheassistanceofthehalf—
breedsourhorseswererecaptured。
SlowDogwasoneofthoseIndianswhoarefilledwithconceit,andboastingloudlytheirpretensionsasmedicinemen,withoutanysuccess,onlybringuponthemselvesanunnecessaryamountofem—
barrassmentandridicule。Yetthereisonequali—
tyalwayspossessedbysuchpersons,amongasavagepeopleaselsewhere——namely,greatperse—
veranceandtenacityintheirself—assertion。SotheblessingofignorancekeptSlowDogalwayscheerful;andheseemed,ifanything,toderivesomepleasurefromtheendlessinsinuationsandridiculeofthepeople!
NowSlowDoghadloudlyproclaimed,onthenightbeforethisevent,thathehadreceivedthewarningofabaddream,inwhichhehadseenalltheponiesbelongingtothetribestampededanddrivenwestward。
\"ButwhocaresforSlowDog’sdream?\"saideverybody;\"noneofthereallygreatmedicinemenhavehadanysuchvisions!\"
Thereforeourlittlecommunity,givenastheyweretosuperstition,anticipatednospecialdanger。
Itistruethatwhenthefirstscoutreportedtheapproachoftroopssomeofthepeoplehadweak—
ened,andsaidtooneanother:
\"Afterall,perhapspoorSlowDogmayberight;
butwearealwaystooreadytolaughathim!\"
However,thisfeelingquicklypassedawaywhenthejovialCanadiansarrived,andtheoldmanwasleftalonetobrooduponhiswarning。
Hewasfaithfultohisdream。Duringallthehilarityofthefeastandthedrinkingofthemockwhiskey,beactedasself—constitutedsentinel。
Finally,wheneverybodyelsehadsuccumbedtosleep,hegatheredtogetherseveralbrokenanddiscardedlariatsofvariousmaterials——leather,buffalo’shairandhorse’shair。Havinglength—
enedthisvariegatedropewithinnumerableknots,hefastenedoneendofitaroundtheneckofhisoldwar—horse,andtiedtheothertohiswrist。In—
steadofsleepinginsidethetentasusual,herolledhimselfinabuffalorobeandlaydowninitsshadow。Fromthisplacehewatcheduntilthemoonhaddisappearedbehindthewesternhori—
zon;andjustasthegreydawnbegantoappearintheeasthiseyeswereattractedtowhatseemedtobeadogmovingamongthepicketedponies。
Uponacloserscrutiny,hesawthatitsactionswereunnatural。
\"Tokaabedo!tokaabedo!\"(theenemy!theenemy!)exclaimedSlowDog。Withawar—
whoophesprangtowardtheintruder,whoroseupandleapeduponthebackofSlowDog’swar—
steed。Hehadcutthehobble,aswellasthede—
viceoftheoldmedicineman。
TheSiouxnowbenthisbowtoshoot,butitwastoolate。Theotherquicklydodgedbehindtheanimal,andfromunderitschesthesentadeadlyarrowtoSlowDog’sbosom。Thenhere—
mountedtheponyandsetoffatfullspeedafterhiscomrades,whohadalreadystarted。
AstheSiouxbravesrespondedtothealarm,andpassedbythedaringoldwarriorinpursuitoftheirenemies,whohadstampededmostofthelooseponies,theoldmancriedout:
\"I,braveSlowDog,whohavesooftenmadeapathforyouonthefieldofbattle,amnowabouttomakeonetothelandofspirits!\"
Sospeaking,theoldmandied。TheSiouxwerejoinedinthechasebythefriendlymixed—
bloods,andintheendtheBlackfeetwerecom—
pelledtopaydearlyforthebloodofthepooroldman。
OnthatbeautifulmorningallNatureseemedbrilliantandsmiling,buttheSiouxweremourn—
ingandwailingforthedeathofonewhohadbeenanobjectofridiculeduringmostofhislife。TheyappreciatedthepartthatSlowDoghadplayedinthislastevent,andhismemorywashonoredbyallthetribe。
V:AnAdventurousJourneyITmustnowbeaboutthirtyyearssinceourlongjourneyinsearchofnewhunting—grounds,fromtheAssiniboinerivertotheUpperMissouri。Thebuffalo,formerlysoabundantbetweenthetworivers,hadbeguntoshuntheirusualhaunts,onaccountofthegreatnumbersofCanadianhalf—
breedsinthatpartofthecountry。TherewasalsothefirstinfluxofEnglishsportsmen,whosewholesalemethodsofdestructionwroughtsuchhavocwiththeherds。Theseseeminglyintelli—
gentanimalscorrectlyprophesiedtothenativestheapproachofthepale—face。
Aswehadanticipated,wefoundgameveryscarceaswetravelledslowlyacrossthevastplains。
Therewereonlyherdsofantelopeandsometimesflocksofwaterfowl,withhereandtherealonelybullstragglingaimlesslyalong。Atfirstourpartywassmall,butasweproceededonourwaywefellinwithsomeofthewesternbandsofSiouxandAssiniboines,whoarecloseconnections。
Eachdaythecampwasraisedandmarchedfromtentotwentymiles。Onemightwonderhowsuchacavalcadewouldlookinmotion。TheonlyvehiclesweretheprimitivetravauxdrawnbyponiesandlargeEsquimauxdogs。Thesearemerelyapairofshaftsfastenedoneithersideoftheanimal,andtrailingonthegroundbehind。A
largebasketsuspendedbetweenthepoles,justabovetheground,suppliedaplaceforgoodsandasafenestforthebabies,oranoccasionalhelplessoldwoman。Mostofoureffectswerecarriedbypackponies;andanIndianpackerexcelsalloth—
ersinquicknessanddexterity。
Thetrainwasnearlyamilelong,headedbyanumberofoldwarriorsonfoot,whocarriedthefilledpipe,anddecidedwhenandwheretostop。
Averywarmdaymademuchtroubleforthewomenwhohadchargeofthemovinghousehold。
Thepackdogswereespeciallyunmanageable。
Theywouldbecomeverythirstyandrunintothewaterwiththeirloads。Thescoldingofthewomen,thesingingoftheoldmenandtheyelpsoftheIndiandudesmadeourprogressanoisyone,andlikethatofatowninmotionratherthananord—
inarycompanyoftravelers。
Thisjourneyofourswasnotwithoutitsexcit—
ingepisodes。Myunclehadleftthemainbodyandgoneofftothesouthwithasmallparty,ashewasaccustomedtodoeverysummer,toseekrevengeofsomesortonthewhitesforallthein—
juriesthattheyhadinflicteduponourfamily。
Thistimehemetwithacompanyofsoldiersbe—
tweenFortTottenandFortBerthold,inNorthDakota。Somehow,thesesevenIndianssurprisedthetroopersinbroaddaylight,whileeatingtheirdinner,andcapturedthewholeoutfit,includingnearlyalltheirmulesandonewhitehorse,withsuchoftheirprovisionsastheycaredtocarrybackwiththem。NodoubtthesesoldiersreportedatthefortthattheyhadbeenattackedbyalargepartyofIndians,andIdaresaysomepromo—
tionsrewardedtheirtaleofabravedefense!
However,thefactsarejustasIhavestatedthem。
Myunclebroughthomethewhitehorse,andthefineSpanishmulesweretakenbytheothers。
Amongthethingstheybroughtbackwiththemwereseveralloavesofraisedbread,thefirstIhadeverseen,andagreatcuriosity。Wecalleditaguyapetachangu,orlungbread,fromitsspongyconsistency。
Althoughwhenasuccessfulwar—partyreturnswithsomanytrophies,thereisusuallymuchdancingandhilarity,therewasalmostnothingofthekindonthisoccasion。Thereasonwasthattheenemymadelittleresistance;andthentherewasouroldtraditionwithregardtothewhitesthatthereisnohonorinconqueringthem,astheyfightonlyundercompulsion。Hadtherereallybeenabattle,andsomeofourmenbeenkilled,therewouldhavebeensomeenthusiasm。
Itwasuponthisjourneythatahunterper—
formedthefeatofshootinganarrowthroughthreeantelopes。Thisstatementmayperhapsbedoubted,yetIcanvouchforitsauthenticity。Hewasnotaloneatthetime,andthosewhowerewithhimarereliablewitnesses。Theanimalsweredrivenuponamarshypeninsula,wheretheywerecrowdedtogetherandalmosthelpless。Manyweredespatchedwithknivesandarrows;andamanbythenameofGrey—foot,whowaslargeandtallandanextraordinarilyfinehunter,actuallysenthisarrowthroughthreeofthem。Thisfeatwasnotaccomplishedbymerestrength,foritre—
quiresagreatdealofskillaswell。
Amisfortuneoccurredneartheriverwhichde—
privedusofoneofourbestyoungmen。Therewasnootherman,exceptmyownuncle,forwhomIhadatthattimesogreatanadmiration。Verystrangely,asitappearedtome,heboreaChris—
tianname。HewascommonlycalledJacob。I
didnotdiscoverhowhecamebysuchacuriousandapparentlymeaninglessnameuntilafterIhadreturnedtotheUnitedStates。Hisfatherhadbeenconvertedbyoneoftheearlymissionaries,beforetheMinnesotamassacrein1862,andtheboyhadbeenbaptizedJacob。Hewasanidealwoodsmanandhunterandreallyaheroinmyeyes。Hewasoneofthepartyofsevenwhohadattackedandputtoroutthewhitesoldiers。
Thetroublearosethus。Jacobhadtakenfromthesoldierstwogoodmules,andsoonafterwardwefellinwithsomeCanadianhalf—breedswhoweredesirousoftradingforthem。However,theyoungmanwouldnottrade;hewasnotatalldis—
posedtopartwithhisfinemules。Acertainoneofthemixed—bloodswasintentupongettingpos—
sessionoftheseanimalsbyfairorunfairmeans。
HeinvitedJacobtodinner,andtreatedhimtowhiskey;buttheIndianyouthdeclinedtheliquor。
Thehalf—breedpretendedtotakethisrefusaltodrinkasaninsult。Heseizedhisgunandshothisguestdead。
Inafewminutesthescenewasoneofalmostunprecedentedexcitement。EveryadultIndian,femaleaswellasmale,wasbentuponinvadingthecampoftheboisbrules,todestroythemur—
derer。Theconfusionwasmadeyetmoreintol—
erablebythewailingofthewomenandthesing—
ingofdeath—songs。
Ournumberwasnowtentooneofthehalf—
breeds。Withinthecircleformedbytheircartstheypreparedforadesperateresistance。Thehillsabouttheirlittleencampmentwerecoveredwithwarriors,readytopounceuponthematthesig—
naloftheirchief。
Theoldermen,however,werediscussingincouncilwhatshouldbedemandedofthehalf—
breeds。Itwasdeterminedthatthemurderermustbegivenuptous,tobepunishedaccord—
ingtothelawsoftheplains。If,however,theyshouldrefusetogivehimup,themodeofattackdecideduponwastobuildafirearoundtheoffen—
dersandthusstampedetheirhorses,orattheleastdividetheirattention。Meanwhile,thebravesweretomakeasuddenonset。
Justthenapieceofwhite,newly—tanneddeer—
skinwashoistedupinthecenteroftheboisbruleencampment。Itwasaflagoftruce。Oneoftheirnumberapproachedthecouncillodge,un—
armedandmakingthesignforapeacefulcom—
munication。Hewasadmittedtothecouncil,whichwasstillinsession,andofferedtogiveupthemurderer。Itwasalsoproposed,asanalter—
native,thathebecompelledtogiveeverythinghehadtotheparentsofthemurderedman。
Theparentswereallowednovoicewhateverinthediscussionwhichfollowed,fortheywerere—
gardedasincompetentjudges,underthecircum—
stances。Itwasfinallydecreedbythecouncilthattheman’slifeshouldbespared,butthathemustbeexposedtotheindignityofapublicwhip—
ping,andresignallhisearthlypossessionstotheparentsofhisvictim。Thissentencewascarriedintoeffect。
Inournomadiclifetherewereafewunwrittenlawsbywhichourpeopleweregoverned。Therewasacouncil,apoliceforce,andanexecutiveoffi—
cer,whowasnotalwaysthechief,butamemberofthetribeappointedtothispositionforagivennumberofdays。Therewerealsothewiseoldmenwhowereconstantlyinattendanceatthecouncillodge,andactedasjudgesintherareeventofthecommissionofacrime。
Thissimplegovernmentofourswassupportedbytheissueoflittlesticksaboutfiveincheslong。
Therewereahundredorsoofthese,andtheyweredistributedeveryfewdaysbythepoliceorsoldiers,whokeptaccountofthem。Whoeverreceivedoneofthesesticksmustreturnitwithinfiveortendays,withaloadofprovisions。Ifonewasheldbeyondthestipulatedtimethepolicewouldcallthedelinquentwarriortoaccount。Incasehedidnotrespond,theycouldcomeandde—
stroyhistentortakeawayhisweapons。Whenallthestickshadbeenreturned,theywerere—
issuedtoothermen;andsothecouncillodgewassupported。
Itwasthecustomthatnomanwhohadnotdistinguishedhimselfuponthewar—pathcoulddestroythehomeofanother。Thiswasaneces—
saryqualificationfortheofficeofanIndianpolice—
man。Thesepolicemenmustalsooverseethehunt,lestsomeindividualsshouldbewellprovidedwithfoodwhileotherswereinwant。Nomanmighthuntindependently。Thegamemustbecarefullywatchedbythegamescouts,andthedis—
coveryofaherdreportedatoncetothecouncil,afterwhichthetimeandmannerofthehuntwerepubliclyannounced。
Iwellrecallhowtheheraldannouncedthenearapproachofbuffaloes。Itwassupposedthatifthelittleboyscouldtripuptheoldmanwhilegoinghisrounds,thesuccessofthehuntwasassured。
Theoftenerhewastripped,themoresuccessfulitwouldbe!Thesignalorcallforbuffaloeswasapeculiarwhistle。Assoonastheheraldappeared,alltheboyswouldgivethewhistleandfollowincrowdsafterthepooroldman。Ofcoursehetriedtoavoidthem,buttheyweregenerallytooquickforhim。
Thereweretwokindsofscouts,forhuntingandforwar。InonesenseeveryIndianwasascout;
butthereweresomeespeciallyappointedtoserveforacertainlengthoftime。AnIndianmighthunteveryday,besidestheregularlyorganizedhunt;buthewasliabletopunishmentatanytime。
Ifhecouldkillasolitarybuffaloordeerwithoutdisturbingtheherd,itwasallowed。Hemightalsohuntsmallgame。
Inthemovabletownundersuchagovernmentasthis,therewasapttobeinconvenienceandac—
tualsuffering,sinceagreatbodyofpeopleweresupportedonlybythedailyhunt。Hencetherewasaconstantdispositiontobreakupintosmallerparties,inordertoobtainfoodmoreeasilyandfreely。YetthewisemenoftheDakotaswouldoccasionallyformlargebandsoffromtwotofivethousandpeople,whocampedandmovedabouttogetherforaperiodofsomemonths。Itisap—
parentthatsolargeabodycouldnotbeeasilysup—
pliedwiththenecessariesoflife;but,ontheotherhand,ourenemiesrespectedsuchagathering!Ofcoursethenomadicgovernmentwoulddoitsut—
mosttoholdtogetheraslongaspossible。Thepolicedidalltheycouldtokeepincheckthosepartieswhowereintentuponstealingaway。
Thereweremanytimes,however,whenindivid—
ualbandsandevenfamilieswerejustifiedinseek—
ingtoseparatethemselvesfromtherest,inordertogainabettersupport。ItwaschieflybyreasonofthisfoodquestionthattheIndiansneverestab—
lishedpermanenttownsororganizedthemselvesintoamoreformidablenation。
Therewasasadmisfortunewhich,althoughithappenedmanygenerationsago,wasfamiliarlyquotedamongus。Acertainbandbecameveryindependentandunruly;theywentsofarastowilfullydisobeytheordersofthegeneralgovern—
ment。Thepoliceweredirectedtopunishtheleaderseverely;whereupontherestdefendedhimandresistedthepolice。Butthelatterwerecompetenttoenforcetheirauthority,andasare—
sulttheentirebandwasannihilated。
Oneday,aswewerefollowingalongthebankoftheUpperMissouri,thereappearedtobeagreatdisturbanceattheheadofthecavalcade——somuchsothatwethoughtourpeoplehadbeenattackedbyawar—partyoftheCrowsorsomeofthehostiletribesofthatregion。Inspiteofthedanger,eventhewomenandchildrenhurriedfor—
wardtojointhemen——thatistosay,asmanyaswerenotuponthehunt。Mostofthewarriorswereout,asusual,andonlythelargeboysandtheoldmenweretravellingwiththewomenandtheirdomesticeffectsandlittleones。
Asweapproachedthesceneofaction,weheardloudshoutsandthereportoffire—arms;butourpartywasscatteredalongforaconsiderabledis—
tance,andallwasoverbeforewecouldreachthespot。Itwasagreatgrizzlybearwhohadbeenboldenoughtooppose,single—handed,theprogressofseveralhundredIndians。Thecouncil—men,whousuallywalkedalittleinadvanceofthetrain,werethefirsttomeetthebear,andhewasprob—
ablydeceivedbythesightofthisadvancebody,andthusaudaciouslydefiedthem。
Amongthesecouncil—men——allretiredchiefsandwarriorswhoseardentzealforthedisplayofcouragehadlongbeencooled,andwhosepresentdutieswerethoseofcalmdeliberationfortheirpeople’swelfare——thereweretwoold,distinguishedwar—chiefs。Eachofthesemenstillcarriedhiswar—lance,wrappedupindecoratedbuckskin。Asthebearadvancedboldlytowardthem,thetwooldmenpromptlythrewofftheirrobes——anevidencethattherestilllurkedwithintheirbreaststhespiritofchivalryandreadycourage。Spearinhand,theybothsprangforwardtocombatwiththefe—
rociousanimal,takinguptheirpositionsabouttenfeetapart。
Astheyhadexpected,thefearfulbeast,aftergettinguponhishaunchesandgrowlingsavagely,cameforwardwithwidelyopenedjaws。Hefixedhiseyesupontheleft—handman,whowasreadytomeethimwithupliftedspear,butwithonestrokeofhispowerfulpawtheweaponwassenttotheground。Atthesamemomenttheright—handmandealthimastabthatpenetratedthegrizzly’sside。
Thebearutteredagroannotunlikethatofaman,andseizedthespearsoviolentlythatitsownerwasthrowntotheground。Astheanimaldrewthelancefromitsbody,thefirstman,havingrecoveredhisown,stabbedhimwithitontheotherside。Uponthis,heturnedandknockedtheoldmandown,andagainendeavoredtoextractthespear。
Bythistimeallthedogsandmenwereathand。
Manyarrowsandballsweresentintothetoughhideofthebear。Yethewouldprobablyhavekilledbothhisassailants,haditnotbeenfortheactivesmalldogswhowereconstantlyuponhisheelsandannoyinghim。Adeadlyrifleshotatlastbroughthimdown。
Theoldmenwerebadlybruisedandtorn,butbothofthemrecovered,tobearfromthatdaythehigh—soundingtitlesof\"Fought—the—Bear\"and\"Conquered—the—Grizzly。\"
XI
TheLaughingPhilosopherTHEREisscarcelyanythingsoexasperatingtomeastheideathatthenativesofthiscountryhavenosenseofhumorandnofacultyformirth。Thisphaseoftheircharacteriswellunder—
stoodbythosewhosefortuneormisfortuneithasbeentoliveamongthemdayinanddayoutattheirhomes。Idon’tbelieveIeverheardarealheartylaughawayfromtheIndians’fireside。I
haveoftenspentanentireeveninginlaughingwiththemuntilIcouldlaughnomore。Thereareeveningswhentherecognizedwitorstory—tellerofthevillagegivesafreeentertainmentwhichkeepstherestofthecommunityinaconvulsivestateuntilheleavesthem。However,Indianhumorconsistsasmuchinthegesturesandin—
flectionsofthevoiceasinwords,andisreallyun—
translatable。
Matogee(YellowBear)wasanaturalhumorousspeaker,andaverydiffidentmanatothertimes。
Heusuallysaidlittle,butwhenhewasinthemoodhecouldkeepalargecompanyinaroar。
Thiswasespeciallythecasewheneverhemethisbrother—in—law,Tamedokah。
ItwasacustomwithusIndianstojokemoreparticularlywithourbrothers—andsisters—in—law。
Butnooneevercomplained,orresentedanyofthesejokes,howeverpersonaltheymightbe。
Thatwouldbeanunpardonablebreachofeti—
quette。
\"Tamedokah,Iheardthatyoutriedtocaptureabuckbyholdingontohistail,\"saidMatogee,laughing。\"Ibelievethatfeatcannotbeper—
formedanymore;atleast,itneverhasbeensincethepale—facebroughtustheknife,the’mysteriousiron,’andthepulverizedcoalthatmakesbulletsfly。Sinceourancestorshuntedwithstoneknivesandhatchets,Isay,thathasneverbeendone。\"
ThefactwasthatTamedokahhadstunnedabuckthatdaywhilehunting,andashewasabouttodresshimtheanimalgotupandattemptedtorun,whereupontheIndianlaunchedforthtose—
curehisgame。Heonlysucceededingraspingthetailofthedeer,andwaspulledaboutalloverthemeadowsandtheadjacentwoodsuntilthetailcameoffinhishands。Matogeethoughtthistoogoodajoketobelost。
Isatnearthedoorofthetent,andthoroughlyenjoyedthestoryofthecomicalaccident。
\"Yes,\"Tamedokahquietlyreplied,\"IthoughtIwoulddosomethingtobeatthestoryofthemanwhorodeayoungelk,andyelledfranticallyforhelp,cryinglikeawoman。\"
\"Ugh!thatwasonlyalegend,\"retortedMa—
togee,foritwashewhowastheheroofthistaleinhisyoungerdays。\"Butthisisafreshfeatofto—day。Chankpayuhahsaidhecouldnottellwhichwasthemostscared,thebuckoryou,\"hecontinued。\"Hesaidthedeer’seyeswerebulg—
ingoutoftheirsockets,whileTamedokah’smouthwasconstantlyenlargingtowardhisears,andhishairfloatedonthewind,shakingamongthebranchesofthetrees。Thatwillgodownwiththetraditionsofourfathers,\"heconcludedwithanairofsatisfaction。
\"Itwasasingularmishap,\"admittedTame—
dokah。
ThepipehadbeenfilledbyMatogeeandpassedtoTamedokahgood—naturedly,stillwithabroadsmileonhisface。\"Itmustbeacknowledged,\"
heresumed,\"thatyouhavethestrongestkindofagrip,fornooneelsecouldholdonaslongasyoudid,andsecuresuchatrophybesides。Thattailwilldoforaneaglefeatherholder。\"
Bythistimetheteepeewaspackedtoover—
flowing。Loudlaughterhadbeenheardis—
suingfromthelodgeofMatogee,andevery—
bodysuspectedthathehadsomethinggood,somanyhadcometolisten。
\"Ithinkweshouldhearthewholematter,\"
saidoneofthelatecomers。
Theteepeewasbrightlylitbytheburningem—
bers,andallthemenweresittingwiththeirkneesupagainsttheirchests,heldinthatpositionbywrappingtheirrobestightlyaroundloinsandknees。Thisfixedthemsomethinginthefashionofarocking—chair。
\"Well,noonesawhimexceptChankpayu—
hah,\"Matogeeremarked。
\"Yes,yes,hemusttellusaboutit,\"exclaimedachorusofvoices。
\"ThisiswhatIsaw,\"thewitnessbegan。\"I
wastrackingabuckandadoe。AsIapproachedasmallopeningatthecreekside’boom!’cameareportofthemysteriousiron。Iremainedinastoopingposition,hopingtoseeadeercrosstheopening。InthisIwasnotdisappointed,forim—
mediatelyafterthereportafinebuckdashedforthwithTamedokahclosebehindhim。Thelatterwasholdingontothedeer’stailwithbothhandsandhisknifewasinhismouth,butitsoondroppedout。’Tamedokah,’Ishouted,’haven’tyougotholdofthewronganimal?’butasIspoketheydisappearedintothewoods。
\"Inaminutetheybothappearedagain,andthenitwasthatIbegantolaugh。Icouldnotstop。Italmostkilledme。ThedeerjumpedthelongestjumpsIeversaw。Tamedokahwalkedthelongestpacesandwasveryswift。Hishairwaswhippingthetreesastheywentby。Waterpoureddownhisface。Istoodbentforwardbe—
causeIcouldnotstraightenmyback—bone,andwasreadytofallwhentheyagaindisappeared。
\"Whentheycameoutforthethirdtimeitseemedasifthewoodsandthemeadowweremov—
ingtoo。Tamedokahskippedacrosstheopeningasifhewereagrasshopperlearningtohop。I
felldown。
\"WhenIcametohewasputtingwateronmyfaceandhead,butwhenIlookedathimIfellagain,anddidnotknowanythinguntilthesunhadpassedthemid—sky。
Thecompanywaskeptroaringallthewaythroughthisaccount,whileTamedokahhimselfheartilyjoinedinthemirth。
\"Ho,ho,ho!\"theysaid;\"hehasmadehisnamefamousinourannals。Thiswillbetoldofhimhenceforth。\"
\"ItremindsmeofChadozee’sbearstory,\"saidone。
\"Hiswasmorethrilling,becauseitwasreallydangerous,\"interposedanother。
\"Youcantellittous,Bobdoo,\"remarkedathird。
Themanthusaddressedmadenoimmediatereply。Hewassmokingcontentedly。AtlasthesilentlyreturnedthepipetoMatogee,withwhomithadbegunitsrounds。Deliberatelyhetight—
enedhisrobearoundhim,sayingashedidso:
\"Ho(Yes)。Iwaswithhim。Itwasbyaverylittlethathesavedhislife。Iwilltellyouhowithappened。
\"Iwashuntingwiththesetwomen,NageedahandChadozee。Wecametosomewildcherrybushes。IbegantoeatofthefruitwhenIsawalargesilver—tipcrawlingtowardus。’Lookout!
thereisagrizzlyhere,’Ishouted,andIranmyponyoutontotheprairie;buttheothershadalreadydismounted。
\"Nageedahhadjusttimetojumpuponhisponyandgetoutoftheway,butthebearseizedholdofhisrobeandpulleditoff。Chado—
zeestooduponthevergeofasteepbank,belowwhichthereranadeepandswift—flowingstream。
Thebearrusheduponhimsosuddenlythatwhenhetookastepbackward,theybothfellintothecreektogether。Itwasafallofabouttwicetheheightofaman。\"
\"Didtheygooutofsight?\"someonein—
quired。
\"Yes,bothfellheadlong。InhisexcitementChadozeelaidholdofthebearinthewater,andI
neversawabeartrysohardtogetawayfromamanasthisonedid。\"
\"Ha,ha,ha!ha,ha,ha!\"theyalllaughed。
\"Whentheycametothesurfaceagaintheywerebothsoeagertogettotheshorethateachletgo,andtheyswamasquicklyastheycouldtooppositesides。Chadozeecouldnotgetanyfurther,soheclungtoastrayroot,stillkeepingaclosewatchofthebear,whowasforcedtodothesame。
Theretheybothhung,regardingeachotherwithlooksofcontemptanddefiance。\"
\"Ha,ha,ha!ha,ha,ha!\"theyalllaughedagain。
\"Atlastthebearswamalongtheedgetoalowerplace,andwepulledChadozeeupbymeansofourlariats。Allthistimehehadbeengroan—
ingsoloudthatwesupposedhewasbadlytorn;
butwhenIlookedforhiswoundsIfoundamerescratch。\"
Againthechorusofappreciationfromhishearers。
\"Thestrangestthingaboutthisaffairofmine,\"
spokeupTamedokah,\"isthatIdreamedthewholethingthenightbefore。\"
\"Therearesomedreamscometrue,andIamabelieverindreams,\"oneremarked。
\"Yes,certainly,soareweall。YouknowHachahalmostlosthislifebybelievingindreams,\"commentedMatogee。
\"Letushearthatstory,\"wasthegeneralre—
quest。
\"YouhaveallheardofHachah,thegreatmedicineman,whodidmanywonderfulthings。
Heoncedreamedfournightsinsuccessionoffly—
ingfromahighcliffovertheMinnesotariver。
Herecollectedeveryparticularofthescene,anditmadeagreatimpressionuponhismind。
\"Thenextdayafterhehaddreameditforthefourthtime,heproposedtohiswifethattheygodowntotherivertoswim,buthisrealpurposewastoseetheplaceofhisdream。
\"Hedidfindtheplace,anditseemedtoHa—
chahexactlylike。Acrookedtreegrewoutofthetopofthecliff,andthewaterbelowwasverydeep。\"
\"Didhereallyfly?\"Icalledimpatientlyfromthedoorway,whereIhadbeenlisteningandlaugh—
ingwiththerest。
\"Ugh,thatiswhatIshalltellyou。Hewasswimmingaboutwithhiswife,whowasafineswimmer;butallatonceHachahdisappeared。
Presentlyhestoodupontheverytreethathehadseeninhisdream,andgazedoutoverthewater。
Thetreewasveryspringy,andHachahfeltsurethathecouldfly;sobeforelonghelaunchedbravelyforthfromthecliff。Hekickedoutvigor—
ouslyandswungbotharmsashedidso,butneverthelesshecamedowntothebottomofthewaterlikeacrowthathadbeenshotonthewing。\"
\"Ho,ho,ho!Ho,ho,ho!\"andthewholecompanylaughedunreservedly。
\"HiswifescreamedloudlyasHachahwhirleddownwardandwentoutofsightlikeablueheronafterafish。Thenshefearedhemightbestunned,sosheswamtohimanddraggedhimtotheshore。Hecouldnotspeak,butthewomanover—
whelmedhimwithreproaches。
\"’Whatareyoutryingtodo,youoldidiot?
Doyouwanttokillyourself?’shescreamedagainandagain。
\"’Woman,besilent,’hereplied,andhesaidnothingmore。Hedidnottellhisdreamformanyyearsafterward。Notuntilhewasaveryoldmanandabouttodie,didHachahtellanyonehowhethoughthecouldfly。\"
Andatthistheyalllaughedlouderthanever。
XII
FirstImpressionsofCivilizationIWASscarcelyoldenoughtoknowanythingdefiniteaboutthe\"BigKnives,\"aswecalledthewhitemen,whentheterribleMinnesotamassacrebrokeupourhomeandIwascarriedintoexile。Ihaveal—
readytoldhowIwasadoptedintothefamilyofmyfather’syoungerbrother,whenmyfatherwasbetrayedandimprisoned。WeallsupposedthathehadsharedthefateofthosewhowereexecutedatMankato,Minnesota。
Nowthesavagephilosopherslookeduponven—
geanceinthefieldofbattleasaloftyvirtue。Toavengethedeathofarelativeorofadearfriendwasconsideredagreatdeed。Myuncle,accord—
ingly,hadsparednopainstoinstillintomyyoungmindtheobligationtoavengethedeathofmyfatherandmyolderbrothers。AlreadyIlookedeagerlyforwardtothedaywhenIshouldfindanopportunitytocarryouthisteachings。Mean—
while,hehimselfwentuponthewar—pathandre—
turnedwithscalpseverysummer。SoitmaybeimaginedhowIfelttowardtheBigKnives!
Ontheotherhand,Ihadheardmarvelousthingsofthispeople。Insomethingswedespisedthem;
inothersweregardedthemaswakan(mysterious),aracewhosepowerbordereduponthesuperna—
tural。Ilearnedthattheyhadmadea\"fire—
boat。\"Icouldnotunderstandhowtheycouldunitetwoelementswhichcannotexisttogether。I
thoughtthewaterwouldputoutthefire,andthefirewouldconsumetheboatifithadtheshadowofachance。Thiswastomeapreposterousthing!
ButwhenIwastoldthattheBigKniveshadcre—
ateda\"fire—boat—walks—on—mountains\"(aloco—
motive)itwastoomuchtobelieve。
\"Why,\"declaredmyinformant,\"thosewhosawthismonstermovesaidthatitflewfrommoun—
taintomountainwhenitseemedtobeexcited。
Theysaidalsothattheybelieveditcarriedathunder—bird,fortheyfrequentlyheardhisusualwar—whoopasthecreaturespedalong!\"
SeveralwarriorshadobservedfromadistanceoneofthefirsttrainsontheNorthernPacific,andhadgainedanexaggeratedimpressionofthewon—
dersofthepale—face。TheyhadseenitgooverabridgethatspannedadeepravineanditseemedFirstImpressionsofCivilization281
tothemthatitjumpedfromonebanktotheother。
Iconfessthatthestoryalmostquenchedmyardorandbravery。
Twoorthreeyoungmenweretalkingtogetheraboutthisfearfulinvention。
\"However,\"saidone,\"Iunderstandthatthisfire—boat—walks—on—mountainscannotmoveexceptonthetrackmadeforit。\"
Althoughaboyisnotexpectedtojoininthecon—
versationofhiselders,Iventuredtoask:\"Thenitcannotchaseusintoanyroughcountry?\"
\"No,itcannotdothat,\"wasthereply,whichIheardwithagreatdealofrelief。
IhadseengunsandvariousotherthingsbroughttousbytheFrenchCanadians,sothatI
hadalreadysomenotionofthesupernaturalgiftsofthewhiteman;butIhadneverbeforeheardsuchtalesasIlistenedtothatmorning。ItwassaidthattheyhadbridgedtheMissouriandMiss—
issippirivers,andthattheymadeimmensehousesofstoneandbrick,piledontopofoneanotheruntiltheywereashighashighhills。Mybrainwaspuzzledwiththesethingsformanyaday。
FinallyIaskedmyunclewhytheGreatMysterygavesuchpowertotheWashechu(therich)——
sometimeswecalledthembythisname——andnottousDakotas。
Forthesamereason,\"heanswered,\"thathegavetoDutatheskilltomakefinebowsandar—
rows,andtoWachesnenoskilltomakeanything。\"
\"AndwhydotheBigKnivesincreasesomuchmoreinnumberthantheDakotas?\"Icontinued。
\"Ithasbeensaid,andIthinkitmustbetrue,thattheyhavelargerfamiliesthanwedo。IwentintothehouseofanEashecha(aGerman),andI
countednolessthanninechildren。Theeldestofthemcouldnothavebeenoverfifteen。Whenmygrandfatherfirstvisitedthem,downatthemouthoftheMississippi,theywerecomparative—
lyfew;latermyfathervisitedtheirGreatFatheratWashington,andtheyhadalreadyspreadoverthewholecountry。\"
\"Certainlytheyareaheartlessnation。Theyhavemadesomeoftheirpeopleservants——yes,slaves!Wehaveneverbelievedinkeepingslaves,butitseemsthattheseWashechudo!Itisourbeliefthattheypaintedtheirservantsblackalongtimeago,totellthemfromtherest,andnowtheslaveshavechildrenborntothemofthesamecolor!
\"Thegreatestobjectoftheirlivesseemstobetoacquirepossessions——toberich。Theydesiretopossessthewholeworld。ForthirtyyearstheyweretryingtoenticeustosellthemourFirstImpressionsofCivilization283
land。Finallytheoutbreakgavethemall,andwehavebeendrivenawayfromourbeautifulcountry。
\"Theyareawonderfulpeople。Theyhavedividedthedayintohours,likethemoonsoftheyear。Infact,theymeasureeverything。Notoneofthemwouldletsomuchasaturnipgofromhisfieldunlesshereceivedfullvalueforit。
Iunderstandthattheirgreatmenmakeafeastandinvitemany,butwhenthefeastisovertheguestsarerequiredtopayforwhattheyhaveeatenbeforeleavingthehouse。ImyselfsawatWhiteCliff(thenamegiventoSt。Paul,Minne—
sota)amanwhokeptabrassdrumandabelltocallpeopletohistable;butwhenhegottheminhewouldmakethempayforthefood!
\"Iamalsoinformed,\"saidmyuncle,\"butthisIhardlybelieve,thattheirGreatChief(President)
compelseverymantopayhimforthelandhelivesuponandallhispersonalgoods——evenforhisownexistence——everyyear!\"(Thiswashisideaoftaxation。)\"Iamsurewecouldnotliveundersuchalaw。
\"Whentheoutbreakoccurred,wethoughtthatouropportunityhadcome,forwehadlearnedthattheBigKniveswerefightingamongthemselves,onaccountofadisputeovertheirslaves。ItwassaidthattheGreatChiefhadal—
lowedslavesinonepartofthecountryandnotinanother,sotherewasjealousy,andtheyhadtofightitout。Wedon’tknowhowtruethiswas。
\"Thereweresomepraying—menwhocametoussometimebeforethetroublearose。Theyob—
servedeveryseventhdayasaholyday。Onthatdaytheymetinahousethattheyhadbuiltforthatpurpose,tosing,pray,andspeakoftheirGreatMystery。Iwasneverinoneofthesemeetings。Iunderstandthattheyhadalargebookfromwhichtheyread。Byallaccountstheywereverydifferentfromallotherwhitemenwehaveknown,fortheseneverobservedanysuchday,andweneverknewthemtopray,neitherdidtheyevertellusoftheirGreatMystery。
\"Inwartheyhaveleadersandwar—chiefsofdifferentgrades。Thecommonwarriorsaredriv—
enforwardlikeaherdofantelopestofacethefoe。
Itisonaccountofthismanneroffighting——fromcompulsionandnotfrompersonalbravery——thatwecountnocouponthem。Alonewarriorcandomuchharmtoalargearmyoftheminabadcountry。\"
Itwasthistalkwithmyunclethatgavememyfirstclearideaofthewhiteman。
IwasalmostfifteenyearsoldwhenmyuncleFirstImpressionsofCivilization285
presentedmewithaflint—lockgun。Theposses—
sionofthe\"mysteriousiron,\"andtheexplosivedirt,or\"pulverizedcoal,\"asitiscalled,filledmewithnewthoughts。Allthewar—songsthatIhadeverheardfromchildhoodcamebacktomewiththeirheroes。ItseemedasifIwereanentirelynewbeing——theboyhadbecomeaman!
\"Iamnowoldenough,\"saidItomyself,\"andImustbegmyuncletotakemewithhimonhisnextwar—path。IshallsoonbeabletogoamongthewhiteswheneverIwish,andtoavengethebloodofmyfatherandmybrothers。\"
IhadalreadybeguntoinvoketheblessingoftheGreatMystery。ScarcelyadaypassedthatI
didnotofferupsomeofmygame,sothathemightnotbedispleasedwithme。Mypeoplesawverylittleofmeduringtheday,forinsolitudeI
foundthestrengthIneeded。Igropedaboutinthewilderness,anddeterminedtoassumemypo—
sitionasaman。Myboyishwaysweredepart—
ing,andasullendignityandcomposurewastakingtheirplace。
Thethoughtoflovedidnothindermyambi—
tions。Ihadavaguedreamofsomedaycourtingaprettymaiden,afterIhadmademyreputation,andwontheeaglefeathers。
Oneday,whenIwasawayonthedailyhunt,twostrangersfromtheUnitedStatesvisitedourcamp。Theyhadboldlyventuredacrossthenorthernborder。TheywereIndians,butcladinthewhiteman’sgarments。ItwasaswellthatI
wasabsentwithmygun。
Myfather,accompaniedbyanIndianguide,aftermanydays’searchinghadfoundusatlast。
HehadbeenimprisonedatDavenport,Iowa,withthosewhotookpartinthemassacreorinthebat—
tlesfollowing,andhewastaughtinprisonandconvertedbythepioneermissionaries,Drs。Wil—
liamsonandRiggs。Hewasundersentenceofdeath,butwasamongthenumberagainstwhomnodirectevidencewasfound,andwhowerefinallypardonedbyPresidentLincoln。
Whenhewasreleased,andreturnedtothenewreservationupontheMissouririver,hesoonbe—
cameconvincedthatlifeonagovernmentreserva—
tionmeantphysicalandmoraldegradation。There—
forehedetermined,withseveralothers,totrythewhiteman’swayofgainingalivelihood。Theyac—
cordinglylefttheagencyagainstthepersuasionsoftheagent,renouncedallgovernmentassistance,andtooklandundertheUnitedStatesHomesteadlaw,ontheBigSiouxriver。Afterhehadmadehishomethere,hedesiredtoseekhislostchild。
ItwasthenadangerousundertakingtocrosstheFirstImpressionsofCivilization287
line,buthisChristianlovepromptedhimtodoit。
Hesecuredagoodguide,andfoundhiswayintimethroughthevastwilderness。
Asforme,Ilittledreamedofanythingun—
usualtohappenonmyreturn。AsIapproachedourcampwithmygameonmyshoulder,IhadnottheslightestpremonitionthatIwassuddenlytobehurledfrommysavagelifeintoalifeun—
knowntomehitherto。
WhenIappearedinsightmyfather,whohadpatientlylistenedtomyuncle’slongaccountofmyearlylifeandtraining,becameverymuchex—
cited。Hewaseagertoembracethechildwho,ashehadjustbeeninformed,madeitalreadytheobjectofhislifetoavengehisfather’sblood。
Thelovingfathercouldnotremainintheteepeeandwatchtheboycoming,sohestartedtomeethim。Myunclearosetogowithhisbrothertoinsurehissafety。
MyfaceburnedwiththeunusualexcitementcausedbythesightofamanwearingtheBigKnives’clothingandcomingtowardmewithmyuncle。
\"Whatdoesthismean,uncle?\"
\"Myboy,thisisyourfather,mybrother,whomwemournedasdead。Hehascomeforyou。\"
Myfatheradded:\"Iamgladthatmysonisstrongandbrave。Yourbrothershaveadoptedthewhiteman’sway;Icameforyoutolearnthisnewway,too;andIwantyoutogrowupagoodman。\"
Hehadbroughtmesomecivilizedclothing,Atfirst,IdislikedverymuchtoweargarmentsmadebythepeopleIhadhatedsobitterly。Butthethoughtthat,afterall,theyhadnotkilledmyfatherandbrothers,reconciledme,andIputontheclothes。
InafewdayswestartedfortheStates。IfeltasifIweredeadandtravelingtotheSpiritLand;
fornowallmyoldideasweretogiveplacetonewones,andmylifewastobeentirelydifferentfromthatofthepast。
Still,Iwaseagertoseesomeofthewonderfulinventionsofthewhitepeople。WhenwereachedFortTotten,Igazedaboutmewithlive—
lyinterestandaquickimagination。
Myfatherhadforgottentotellmethatthefire—boat—walks—on—mountainshaditstrackatJames—
town,andmightappearatanymoment。AsIwaswateringtheponies,apeculiarshrillingnoisepealedforthfromjustbeyondthehills。
Theponiesthrewbacktheirheadsandlistened;
thentheyransnortingovertheprairie。Mean—
FirstImpressionsofCivilization289
while,Itoohadtakenalarm。Ileapedonthebackofoneoftheponies,anddashedoffatfullspeed。Itwasaclearday;Icouldnotimaginewhathadcausedsuchanunearthlynoise。Itseemedasiftheworldwereabouttoburstintwo!
Igotuponahillasthetrainappeared。\"O!\"
Isaidtomyself,\"thatisthefire—boat—walks—
on—mountainsthatIhaveheardabout!\"ThenIdrovebacktheponies。
MyfatherwasaccustomedeverymorningtoreadfromhisBible,andsingastanzaofahymn。
Iwasaboutveryearlywithmygunforseveralmornings;butatlasthestoppedmeasIwaspreparingtogoout,andbademewait。
Ilistenedwithmuchastonishment。ThehymncontainedthewordJesus。Ididnotcomprehendwhatthismeant;andmyfatherthentoldmethatJesuswastheSonofGodwhocameonearthtosavesinners,andthatitwasbecauseofhimthathehadsoughtme。Thisconversationmadeadeepimpressionuponmymind。
Lateinthefallwereachedthecitizensettle—
mentatFlandreau,SouthDakota,wheremyfatherandsomeothersdweltamongthewhites。
Heremywildlifecametoanend,andmyschooldaysbegan。