v /* ", • 
 
 
 
 »."/o'* A* 
 
 
 C° .<^>. °o 
 
 * *'•''* J> "N»> 
 
 o_ * 
 
 r .."•♦ «. 
 
 » <$> <**' 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 .Of, 
 
 - **o« ! 
 
 jy »lvi/. > v ► «••- <^ 
 
 *«•. C*' ."«SI3l*. «,. A* .'j<\W/k« V. c-V" M 
 
 
 

 ' • - V'V *-**>*" A* V" 
 
 ^/ -ate* v** -ffi& v* 
 
 ^ v .' 
 
 « * 
 
 ^o* ! 
 
 0" • 6 iR^l*. W -i* 
 
 % «,. A* / 
 
 
 
 e « o 
 
 
 ^ .•-•• % 
 
 o * o 
 
 
 
 
 
 Vs*" 
 
 
 
 
 *bV V SSB^. "'W «*-+ 
 
 
 
 4 o 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 
H O T S T A H 
 
 AN INDIAN GIRL 
 
A Cheyenne Baby 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 AN INDIAN GIRL 
 
 S. M. 
 
 BY 
 
 . BARRETT 
 
 author or 
 'qeronimo's stoht or his life,' 
 
 "MOCCO, AK INDIAN BOY," ETC. 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 DUFFIELD & COMPANY 
 
 1913 
 
Copyright, 1013 
 By DUFFIELD & COMPANY 
 
 ©CU85?ft3* 
 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. A Winter's Camp ..... 3 
 
 II. Other Camps 11 
 
 III. The Disaster 21 
 
 IV. Legends 27 
 
 V. Legends (Continued) .... 34 
 
 VI. The Long Trail 45 
 
 VII. The Long Trail (Continued) . . 56 
 
 VIII. End of the Long Trail .... 69 
 
 IX. At Home 81 
 
 X. The Sun Dance 91 
 
 XI. Moni Nieo (Women Who Have Chosen) 102 
 
 XII. Valley of the Arkansas . . . 108 
 
 XIII. Seeking a New Home . . . . 118 
 
 XIV. In Oklahoma 125 
 
 XV. With Her Own People . . . . 131 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 A Cheyenne Baby .... Frontispiece ^ 
 
 Hoistah Facing page 47 V 
 
 Swimming Across After Her . "67 
 
 White Fool's Cabin ... " M 79 
 
t, 
 
HOISTAH 
 AN INDIAN GIRL 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 A Winter's Camp 
 
 More than a hundred years ago a band 
 of Cheyenne Indians once made a winter's 
 camp on the bank of the river which still 
 bears their tribal name. They chose a 
 beautiful spot near the Black Hills, where 
 the woods were abundant and deer and elk 
 would soon be driven in by winter storms. 
 
 The camp consisted of some seventy te- 
 pees made of buffalo hides stretched over 
 poles. Each tepee was the home of a fam- 
 ily, and the whole camp formed a circle, 
 with an opening through which the first rays 
 of the morning sun could come and awaken 
 these primitive people. 
 
 3 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 The rolling, flat-topped mountains called 
 the Black Hills were back from the river. 
 Their western slopes were covered with 
 dark green pines and their valleys sparsely- 
 carpeted with coarse grass. Some of the 
 hills were of lighter coloured rocks and soil, 
 among which, here and there, hills of sombre 
 black arose, or great, blackened rocks stood 
 up like sentinels above the canyons and yel- 
 low sandstone cliffs. 
 
 The tepees were well stored with warm 
 blankets and buffalo robes, and plenty of 
 buffalo meat hung drying in the autumn 
 sun. 
 
 When this camp was all arranged and 
 everything well in order, the chief, young 
 Iron Shirt, called a council of his warriors. 
 The former chief, Wolf Robe, had but re- 
 cently lost his life in a battle with a band 
 of Sioux Indians. The chief and several of 
 
 4 
 
A WINTER'S CAMP, 
 
 his followers had already fallen, and the 
 timely arrival of Iron Shirt and a band of 
 the young warriors saved the day for the 
 band. But the results of the battle after 
 all were bad enough, for besides the loss of 
 their old chief the Cheyennes lost several of 
 their most trusty warriors. It was to con- 
 sider what should be done about this matter 
 that the council had been called. 
 
 When the council arose from its session 
 Iron Shirt gave quick commands, and in a 
 few hours the warrior band, in full war 
 paint, rode away to avenge the blood of 
 their kinsmen and punish their mortal ene- 
 mies, the Sioux. 
 
 Only the old and infirm, or the inferior 
 warriors, were left to guard the camp and 
 protect the women and children. 
 
 Every day the herd boys drove the ponies 
 far out to some river-valley meadow where 
 
 5 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 the grass was still good, and while the herd 
 grazed the boys played at war or hunted 
 wild turkeys and other small game. 
 
 At night the ponies were driven in near 
 the camp, so that the warriors on guard 
 duty might protect them from any roving 
 bands of Crow or Sioux Indians that 
 might try to steal them. 
 
 To keep the ponies from straying, the 
 boys each time would hobble a number of 
 them, usually those which had been ridden 
 that day. The rawhide thong, used to tie 
 the pony's feet in hobbling him, served also 
 as a bridle to ride him with. This primitive 
 bridle was made by fastening one end of 
 the rawhide around the pony's lower jaw 
 and using the remainder as a single rein. 
 AH Cheyenne boys were expert horsemen. 
 
 The women of the tribe were busy too, 
 dressing the skins of deer and buffaloes, pre- 
 
 6 
 
A WINTERS CAMP 
 
 paring the buckskin and leather needed for 
 clothes or tents. Some of the women made 
 garments for winter wear — shirts, dresses 
 and moccasins. Besides they had the corn 
 to gather and the meat to dry. No one 
 was idle — even the smaller children were 
 busy at their play. 
 
 Thus several weeks passed in the lonely 
 camp, and still there were no signs of the 
 return of the Cheyenne warriors. 
 
 According to the old people of the tribe 
 everything indicated a hard winter. The 
 berries had borne plentifully, the leaves in 
 the forest were thick, and the fur on all 
 the wild creatures of the chase was un- 
 usually heavy. Indeed even the falling of 
 the pine cones on the hillsides indicated, 
 to the Cheyennes, an unlucky winter. 
 Worst of all, old White Eagle, the medi- 
 cine man, had prophesied disasters. 
 
 7. 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 At last the coming winter and its rapid 
 approach became the chief topic of con- 
 versation throughout the camp, especially 
 in its probable effect upon the absent war- 
 riors. 
 
 One day an ominous ring was visible 
 around the sun, the air was hazy and mois- 
 ture-laden and the east wind seemed more 
 than chilly as it sighed through the boughs 
 of the scattered trees in the camp. Old 
 White Eagle said, "The snows are com- 
 ing," and the women and children said, 
 "Why do the warriors stay so long? Has 
 evil befallen them?" 
 
 That night the herd boys came with the 
 ponies of the tribe earlier than usual, and, 
 driving them into a narrow, sheltered valley, 
 entered the camp, hungry, of course, but 
 glad to be near the fires in the tepees. 
 
 The camp soldiers drew blankets close 
 
 8 
 
p 
 
 ^ 
 
 r^ 
 
 (■ t 
 
 i 
 
 m 
 
 i 
 
 
 a* 
 
 v 
 
r 
 
 V P p 
 
 
 b 
 
 P 
 
 ^ 
 
 ftk 
 
 5s 
 
 ^ 
 
 uHMm 
 
 & 
 
 
 r 
 
 
 f M J 
 
 n 
 
 * 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 f# 
 
 I? » o r 
 N2 I f * 
 
 H 
 
 
 r 
 
 IS 
 
 Sf 
 
 « 
 
 r 
 
 y p i 
 
 
 o 
 
 D 
 
 
 * 
 
 S 
 
 ? 
 
 $ 
 
 
 fc 
 
 r i ? 
 
 *\ 
 
 & 
 
 "i 
 
 ^ 
 
 Q 
 
 JS 
 
1 
 
 X 
 
 ,« 
 
A WINTER'S CAMP 
 
 about them as, in the gathering gloom, they 
 silently mounted guard to protect the help- 
 less sleeping ones. Women talked to- 
 gether in little groups here and there. Iron 
 Shirt's young wife, Meneah |(Doll 
 Woman), was alone in her tepee, tenderly 
 caring for a new born babe, the newly 
 awakened mother's instincts strangely 
 surging through her soul as she thought of 
 the joys and responsibilities now placed 
 upon her. 
 
 Suddenly a cry "Hoist!" "Hoist!" 
 (Signal lights! Signal lights!) rang 
 through the camp, and a hundred glad 
 voices answered and took it up: "Hoist!" 
 "Hoist!" Distinct but far away, far to the 
 east, four lights had risen, and gone out and 
 reappeared again and again. They were 
 the signals of the victorious warriors return- 
 ing home, and the whole village — all except 
 
 9 
 
 
3 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 K 
 
 "si 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 h 
 
 
 I 
 
 s 
 
 K 
 
 si 
 
 
 
 N 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 Meneah and her tiny babe — joined in build- 
 ing the answering signal lights. When the 
 women, with hearts brim full of joy, went to 
 Iron Shirt's tepee they saw for the first time 
 the little one and Meneah called her (Sig- 
 nal-Light Girl) Hoistah. 
 
 10 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 Other Camps 
 
 In the early dawn of the next day the 
 returning Cheyenne warriors, after having 
 travelled all night through falling snow, 
 reached their camp and told of the glorious 
 victory they had won over the hated Sioux. 
 Chief Iron Shirt was glad to know that his 
 safe return from his first victory was to be 
 
 commemorated in the name of his first-born 
 child. 
 
 The severe winter weather, beginning 
 early in the fall, continued unabated until 
 late in the spring. Thus far the signs noted 
 by the Cheyennes seemed to have been 
 rightly interpreted, and the prophecies of 
 old White Eagle likely to be fulfilled, 
 though no disasters had come yet. 
 
 11 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 In the spring the Cheyennes moved down 
 the river among the green meadows, seek- 
 ing pasture for their ponies and following 
 the deer, elk and buffaloes as they left the 
 shelter of the wooded hills. Protection be- 
 ing no longer needed, the animals entered 
 the open country in the river valleys where 
 the first tender grass springs up, and the 
 warriors sought them there. 
 
 Hoistah, in her Cheyenne cradle, hung 
 at her mother's back and perhaps wondered 
 what all these changes meant. By the next 
 autumn, when the tribe had come again 
 into winter camp in the Black Hills, she 
 was learning to walk, and all day long 
 would toddle about among the tepees. By 
 the next spring and summer she was 
 gathering wild flowers and could play upon 
 the green with the other little Cheyenne 
 children. 
 
 12 
 
OTHER CAMPS 
 
 So passed four summers, and again the 
 winter camp was made on the bank of the 
 Cheyenne River. 
 
 The Cheyennes as usual had come into 
 the Black Hills before it was time for the 
 game to be driven in to seek shelter, but no 
 big game came, indeed it seemed that the 
 big game, elk and buffaloes, would never 
 come. Repeatedly hunting parties had re- 
 turned to camp to report only ill luck. 
 
 One band of hunters, going far down 
 the river, came back with the report that 
 the Crow Indians were encroaching upon the 
 Cheyenne hunting grounds. Whether 
 other Indians were driving the animals away 
 or whether the mild winter weather induced 
 them to remain longer in the open country 
 was an unsettled question in the camp. 
 
 Iron Shirt had about decided to organise 
 a large hunting party and go down the river, 
 
 13 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 with the intention of finding the game or 
 else driving from the hunting grounds of 
 his people any Crow or other Indians whom 
 he might find. A council had been called 
 for the next day to discuss the situation. 
 AH the old hunters had decided that only 
 small game could be found in the vicinity 
 of the winter camp, and as the supply of 
 dried meat was insufficient for the winter, 
 some means must be provided for securing 
 larger game. 
 
 The next day a little Cheyenne boy, Run- 
 ning Wolf, son of sub-chief Yellow Hawk, 
 reported that a large number of wild goats 
 were feeding in a valley about two miles 
 below the camp. Immediately a hunting 
 party was formed and moved out to drive 
 the goats into the river at a bend a mile be- 
 low the camp where a high bank on the 
 opposite shore would make it possible to 
 
 14. 
 
OTHER CAMPS 
 
 prevent escape. In a few hours the skilful 
 hunters had the whole herd in this death 
 trap, and were killing them at leisure, when 
 a party of white men approached. 
 
 An Indian woman and her French hus- 
 band, who were with the white men, acted 
 as interpreters. Through this couple the 
 strangers said they were on a peaceful 
 mission from the great chief of the pale- 
 faces. They had come at his bidding to visit 
 his red children of the western forest. They 
 promised that on the morrow they would 
 visit Iron Shirt's camp and deliver a mes- 
 sage from their chief at Washington. 
 
 The hunters then invited their guests to 
 help themselves to game. The white men 
 killed a dozen or more wild goats and with 
 this supply of meat departed. 
 
 Hoistah, seated on her mother's pony, had 
 seen the white men, and became quite 
 
 15 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 anxious to know more of them. As her 
 mother could not answer all her questions 
 she decided to ask little Running Wolf, 
 whom she thought a very wise person. She 
 must not bother her father with questions, 
 of course. 
 
 At evening she sought the now famous 
 young hunter, Running Wolf, and asked 
 him of the white men, but he could tell little 
 of them except that they had with them a 
 very strange creature — a black man who 
 was as large and strong as a grizzly bear. 
 
 Early next morning the Cheyenne camp 
 was astir, for the guests must be received in 
 proper form. Under the direction of the 
 chief a council lodge was made of twenty 
 buffalo hides stretched over poles arranged 
 in a huge circle with an opening to the east- 
 ward. 
 
 Meneah placed Iron Shirt's war bonnet, 
 
 16 
 
OTHER CAMPS 
 
 spear, bow and arrows, war clubs, and new 
 moccasins in the sunlight, where they lay 
 for an hour or more before the chief called 
 for them. Hoistah followed her every 
 
 m 
 
 where. Next Meneah brought out Iron 
 Shirt's three favourite stone pipes, a pouch 
 of tobacco, and a beautiful blanket and 
 placed these also in the morning sun, to 
 serve at the council. 
 
 Young, fat puppies were killed and pre- 
 pared, to make a delicate feast for the dis- 
 tinguished visitors, and all the Cheyennes 
 awaited the coming of their guests. 
 
 About mid-morning the expected guests 
 arrived and among them Captain Clark, for 
 it was none other than the famous explorer. 
 The captain was received into the council 
 lodge and seated on a buffalo robe by the 
 side of Chief Iron Shirt, who, in war bon- 
 net and all his fine feathered and beaded 
 
 17 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 ornamental dress, welcomed the distin- 
 guished messenger from the great father. 
 After they too were seated the warriors of 
 Iron shirt and the followers of Captain 
 Clark were invited to sit within the circle of 
 the council lodge. Then the lodge was 
 closed. A richly coloured blanket was 
 placed over the shoulders of the two chief- 
 tains and the peace pipe was smoked. After 
 this Captain Clark, upon the invitation of 
 Chief Iron Shirt, arose and spoke as follows : 
 
 "The great chief of the white men, 
 Thomas Jefferson, your white father, sends 
 greetings to you, and advises that you visit 
 him and that all the Cheyennes and other 
 Indians of the west cease from killing each 
 other and live at peace." 
 
 The Indian woman and her French hus- 
 band interpreted what was said. Slowly 
 
 18 
 
OTHER CAMPS 
 
 and with great dignity Iron Shirt arose and 
 answered : 
 
 "We welcome you. You give good ad- 
 vice, but it is hard to follow. If we went to 
 see this great white father in his camp in 
 the land of the rising sun, our enemies, the 
 Crow and Sioux Indians, would steal our 
 ponies and kill our women and children. 
 But if all the other Indians will live at peace 
 it will suit the Cheyennes. Is that not so, 
 my braves?" And a chorus answered, "It 
 is so." 
 
 Again the Indian woman and her French 
 husband interpreted. Then presents were 
 given. After this the white men, declining 
 to partake of the feast, left the Cheyenne 
 camp. 
 
 Among those who did not enter the 
 council lodge were the women and children 
 
 19 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 of the Cheyennes, and the black man, York, 
 who was Captain Clark's servant. 
 
 York wandered about the camp aimlessly, 
 and everywhere he went Hoistah and a troop 
 of other small children followed, though 
 if he chanced to turn back suddenly they 
 all fled in terror. York, perceiving this, 
 frequently made abrupt changes in his 
 course, until once, when he turned about 
 suddenly, little Running Wolf, with bow in 
 hand and arrow tightly drawn, faced him. 
 The negro grinned good-naturedly at the 
 determined little warrior, but thereafter he 
 looked back before he turned lest a boyish 
 arrow should destroy an eye for him. 
 
 20 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 The Disaster 
 
 Thanks to the visit from Captain Clark 
 and his party, a new interest awoke in the 
 minds of the Cheyennes. They, began to 
 think and to talk of the great outside world 
 and of the lands and people far away. 
 
 Old White Eagle, however, could see no 
 good in this new people. This wonderland 
 of the east was, to him, a menace. The 
 visit from the pale-faces seemed to him the 
 beginning of the disaster that, according to 
 his prophecies, for four years had threatened 
 his people. "It is all wrong," said he. "I 
 shall not live to see it, but disaster is near 
 
 us." 
 
 Hoistah, as she brought corn for her 
 
 21 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 mother to pound in the stone mortar, or as 
 she watched the other women melt the finely 
 pulverised glass and thus make beautifully 
 coloured beads, heard them talking, talking, 
 talking of the pretty things the white people 
 wore. 
 
 The dress of the Cheyenne woman at this 
 time consisted of two pieces of coarse leather 
 or perhaps buckskin, front and back, sewed 
 together with rawhide thongs and reaching 
 to the knees. The dresses, of course, had 
 arm-holes, and some of them were decorated 
 with rude pictures or tribal symbols burnt 
 into the leather. These front and back 
 pieces could in cold weather be laced to- 
 gether over the shoulders, but in mild 
 weather they hung down over the belt which 
 held the garment to the body at the waist. 
 Every Cheyenne woman as she thought of 
 the strange people and their fine clothes 
 
 22 
 
THE DISASTER 
 
 wondered if she could ever have a dress 
 made of beautiful cloth. 
 
 Over the plain dresses, the Cheyenne 
 women wore bright blankets or shawls. 
 Necklaces of bear's claws strung on leather 
 strings were abundant. Hoistah had a 
 necklace made of wolf's claws strung in a 
 similar manner. 
 
 Elk teeth were also used for decorations, 
 and one of Hoistah's dresses, a soft doeskin 
 fabric, was decorated with these. Her 
 moccasins were ornamented with glass beads 
 and beautifully coloured, flattened quills of 
 the porcupine, laced or fastened into the 
 buckskin so as to form pretty designs. Her 
 belt was covered with pretty glass beads, 
 and she had a bodice of large, long beads 
 made from the thigh-bones of deer. But 
 one evening as she followed her mother to 
 gather sticks for the tepee fire she said, "I 
 
 23 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 wish I could ever have a pretty cloth dress." 
 Meneah answered, "Perhaps you may, but 
 I do not know how we can get it." 
 
 Not only the women and children were 
 filled with longings for new and strange 
 things but the warriors longed for polished 
 guns such as Captain Clark's men had, for 
 beverages such as the French traders some- 
 times gave them, and for soft clothing and 
 "strong moccasins" such as white men 
 wore. 
 
 While these primitive people were yet 
 busy with preparation for winter the snows 
 came. Old White Eagle passed away one 
 stormy night, and then the Cheyennes said, 
 "This is the disaster that for four years has 
 threatened us." 
 
 On a lonely hill they erected his Burial 
 scaffold the next day, and, wrapping his 
 best blanket about him, placed his body 
 
 24 
 
 
THE DISASTER 
 
 there. Beside the scaffold were placed his 
 sacred implements — the great fire spoon, 
 used to carry the sacred fire at the sun dance ; 
 the world-shield, used in the sacred games; 
 his medicine mortar and his cup in which he 
 measured medicines; an elk horn spoon, an 
 elk horn scraper and his war club. In his 
 hands were placed his medicine bag, spear, 
 and bow and arrows. Near him were 
 placed provisions for his long journey. 
 His favourite pony too was killed and left 
 by his master. Then because White Eagle 
 had always been wise as well as good and 
 kind, and because it was a custom of the 
 tribe, everybody brought some present and 
 left it by his burial place. First his rela- 
 tives brought all they had to him as a sacri- 
 fice; next the other people brought what- 
 ever they chose to bring. It was a funeral 
 befitting the rank and dignity of the aged 
 
 25 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 Cheyenne. That night another snow 
 storm covered over deeply the dead bodies 
 of chief and pony and all that his relatives 
 and friends had left for him. 
 
 26 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 Legends 
 
 The snows that followed the burial of 
 the old medicine man remained unmelted 
 for weeks and weeks. The days became 
 shorter and the evenings longer. This was 
 the season for telling stories around a good 
 warm fire. 
 
 One night Hoistah was permitted to ac- 
 company her mother to the tepee of her 
 grandmother, Little Woman, who would 
 tell some of the legends of her people to 
 several of the younger women gathered 
 around her. As they passed around the 
 outer camp circle on their way Hoistah 
 noticed the beautiful northern lights play- 
 ing just above the horizon, always pale 
 
 27 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 white but of fantastic form. When at last 
 all the guests assembled in the tepee and 
 were comfortably seated, the company 
 would then listen without comment or ques- 
 tion to the monotonous tones of the feeble, 
 wrinkled, old grandmother, as she told the 
 
 legend of 
 
 THE WICKED OLD WOMAN. 
 
 Long, long ago a little girl and her baby 
 brother wandered one day far into a dense 
 forest. They had been told not to go into 
 this forest, but they yielded to curiosity and 
 did what their parents told them not to do. 
 
 When they were tired of walking so far 
 they found berries to eat and water to drink 
 and slept upon the grass for a long time. 
 Then they started home, but soon lost their 
 way and knew they were lost. On and on 
 they went among strange hills and streams 
 of bitter water. The sun went down, but 
 
 28 
 
LEGENDS 
 
 the moon was shining and they went on and 
 on. 
 
 At last the moon too went down and the 
 little boy was so tired he could walk no 
 farther. His sister tried to carry him, 
 but he was heavy for her; she was too 
 tired. 
 
 Presently they saw a light and going up 
 near to it found a lone tepee in which a 
 withered, wicked, old woman lived. 
 
 The little girl realised at once, for she had 
 heard the tale, that this was the wicked old 
 woman of the lonely forests, but now the 
 children knew the old woman had seen them 
 and they had no chance of escape, and so 
 they went boldly in. The little girl said, 
 "Grandmother, I have come to be your little 
 helper. I can bring your water and wood 
 and my little brother will soon be big enough 
 to kill game for you to eat." Surprised be- 
 
 29 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 yond measure the old woman bade them 
 come in and lie down to sleep. 
 
 The little girl closed her eyes, but she did 
 not sleep. Her little brother, however, 
 slept soundly, for he was so tired. 
 
 Soon the old woman arose from the fire 
 and came over near to the children. She 
 had a sharp knife in her hand and her look 
 was evil. The little girl sat up and said 
 calmly, "Grandmother, you are not wise to 
 eat us, for then there will be no one to help 
 you." Surprised more than ever at the 
 watchfulness and wisdom of this child the 
 wicked woman decided to let both children 
 live, at least until morning. 
 
 Next morning she sent the children to 
 bring wood for her, which they did. Then 
 she sent them to the nearby lake for water, 
 but when it was brought she threw it away 
 as unfit to use and sent them back again. 
 
 30 
 
LEGENDS 
 
 This she did three times, and said, "If you 
 cannot bring me good water you will at 
 least serve as a good meal." 
 
 Greatly troubled the children went again 
 to the lake and were starting back with more 
 water when a porcupine came to them and 
 said, "Go in where the moss is thick and fill 
 the basket there. She will like that. Then 
 follow my advice carefully and I will de- 
 liver you from this terrible old woman." 
 The children did as the porcupine told them 
 and sure enough the old woman took the 
 water, though she looked perplexed about 
 it, or something. All day she sat in si- 
 lence, not even answering the questions the 
 children asked, nor eating any food. 
 
 At evening the children were playing in 
 the moonlight when she called them, and 
 they started to the tepee, afraid to disobey 
 her. At that moment the porcupine ap- 
 
 31 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 peared suddenly before the children, and 
 said, "Take these quills and set them up in 
 the path." The children obeyed quickly, 
 and as they did so peeped in and saw that 
 the old woman had removed her moccasins. 
 
 Soon the call came again from the tepee 
 and the children answered, "We are coming, 
 grandmother." But following the porcu- 
 pine they ran away down the path as noise- 
 lessly as they could. 
 
 Soon the voice of the wicked old woman 
 in wrathful tones said, "I'll teach you to 
 loiter when I call," and she sprang out of 
 the tepeje and ran down the path after them, 
 but she soon stopped to take the sharp quills 
 out of the soles of her feet. 
 
 On and on ran the porcupine and the 
 children followed. Presently they came to 
 a river, over which, reaching from bank to 
 bank, a great tree trunk had fallen. When 
 
 32 
 
LEGENDS 
 
 the children were safely across this bridge 
 the porcupine said, "Go on toward that 
 bright yellow star and you will find your 
 home. I shall guard this foot-log. And 
 do not come again into this forest of the 
 evil old woman." 
 
 When her little brother could run no 
 longer the girl carried him, almost fainting 
 though she was from fright and fatigue, but 
 at last they saw the campflre of their home 
 and ran on eagerly, glad to be safely out of 
 the way of the evil designs of the Wicked 
 Old Woman. 
 
 33 
 
CHAPTER Wt 
 
 Legends '(Continued^ 
 
 Little Woman ceased and Meneah arose 
 and brought some more fire-wood from out- 
 side the tepee. As she re-entered Hoistah's 
 dog came in, placed his head beneath his 
 little mistress' hand, and watched the blaze 
 leap up to consume the sticks as Meneah 
 threw them upon the fire. When all were 
 quiet again Little Woman in measured 
 tones began to speak. This time the story 
 she told was called 
 
 THE LEGENDS OF THE CHEYENNES. 
 
 Long ages ago our people lived east and 
 north from here, on the shores of some great 
 lakes. They caught fish and killed birds 
 for food. Their clothing was made of bird 
 
 34 
 
LEGENDS 
 
 skins, and their tepees were made of the 
 bark of trees. The winters were very cold 
 In that country. 
 
 By and by the Cheyennes became dis- 
 contented, and, leaving the shores of the 
 akes, travelled south and west to a great 
 river, on the banks of which they camped. 
 
 Fish and birds were not so abundant here 
 is near the lakes and soon famine began to 
 iestroy the tribe. One youth, in sorrow for 
 ;he distress of his people, climbed to a liill- 
 ;op above a great cave where he fasted and 
 grayed for four days. Then the great 
 jpirit heard him and told him how he might 
 *elieve the distress of the Cheyennes. 
 
 After cautioning his people to wait for 
 lim this young Cheyenne medicine man 
 mtered the cave and through it followed far 
 lown into the earth, until at last the trail of 
 he cave terminated in an immense open 
 
 35 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 prairie. In this prairie was a camp and in 
 the camp the Cheyenne found an old man 
 and an old woman sittin and near by, a 
 boy and a girl playing. 
 
 In the camp too was an abundance of 
 food — stacks of grain and piles of meat, 
 while on the one side were fields of grain and 
 on the other herds of strange four-footed 
 creatures. 
 
 The old man explained to the young 
 Cheyenne that the grain was called corn 
 and the animals in the herd were buffaloes, 
 and he also said, "The corn and meat are 
 abundant, and whatever you desire you may 
 carry back to your people for food." 
 Moreover he kindly invited the young 
 Cheyenne to feast and smoke with him, and 
 while the hungry youth ate of the broiled | 
 buffalo meat and the parched corn he ex- 
 plained to him in detail how to form the 
 
 36 
 
LEGENDS 
 
 camp of the Cheyennes in a circle opening 
 toward the rising sun, how to erect the wil- 
 low pole bearing aloft the nest of the Thun- 
 der Bird, and how to worship the great 
 spirit in the sacred sun-dance. 
 
 When the feast was ended the old man 
 gave the youth all the meat and corn he 
 could carry, and said, "I will always assist 
 you in caring for the Cheyennes in times of 
 distress." 
 
 When the young Cheyenne came again 
 from the cave he found that his people were 
 : faint from hunger and he gave them meat, 
 for which they were grateful. At last he 
 asked if all had eaten. Said he, "No Chey- 
 enne must be allowed to suffer from hunger, 
 Ifor here is as much meat left as I thought 
 I had brought in the beginning." 
 
 Then some one said, "Old Night-killer is 
 *)ld, and his wife, too, is feeble with age. 
 
 37 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 They are still hungry, if indeed they are 
 yet alive, for they were too weak to come 
 with us." At this the young leader said, 
 "It is well that you have thought of the 
 old and helpless for that is commendable. 
 Let strong men go and bring these aged 
 ones here quickly." 
 
 Thereupon young men ran swiftly back 
 and bore the aged couple quickly to the 
 leader. When the two old people had 
 eaten, there remained no more meat. By 
 this time, however, the shadows of night 
 were falling, and the people, thankful for 
 the refreshing food, soon were ready to re- 
 tire to their several tepees to rest and sleep. 
 
 Early the next morning the Cheyennes 
 were all at the great cave as the young N 
 leader had directed, and a large four-footed 
 creature with shaggy head, two strong horns 
 and a mighty body, came out from the great 
 
 38 
 
 I 
 
LEGENDS 
 
 cave and began eating grass. Then the 
 young man said, "This is a buffalo from the 
 under-land; kill him. The meat you ate 
 yesterday was the flesh of a buffalo." 
 
 Quickly the buffalo was killed, his flesh 
 was eaten and his skin was given to old 
 Night-killer for a tepee. 
 
 The next morning at sunrise four more 
 buffaloes came out from the cave. On the 
 following morning ten came. On the 
 fourth morning the people all waited and 
 expectantly watched the mouth of the cave, 
 and at sunrise there rushed forth from the 
 cave not only buffaloes, but also elk, deer, 
 antelopes, coyotes, rabbits, squirrels, chip- 
 munks, beavers, and all kinds of game in 
 abundance, while the young Cheyenne, by 
 the wisdom which the great spirit had given 
 him, told his people the name of every crea- 
 ture which came forth, and for what it was 
 
 39 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 to be used ; in what manner it might be most 
 successfully hunted and what regions it in- 
 habited. 
 
 Next the people brought a large willow 
 pole and their young medicine man taught 
 them the ceremonies of the great sun-dance 
 of which the chief below the cave had taught 
 him. 
 
 The corn which their young leader 
 brought from the under-land the Cheyennes 
 planted and tilled as they were directed, and 
 when winter came again they brought the 
 ears to their camp, and parched the grains 
 and ate them. 
 
 "This," said the grandmother, "is our 
 history, as our old people have told it 
 through all our generations." Then old 
 Little Woman sat in silence, gently sway- 
 ing her body to and fro in the fading fire- 
 light, and no one questioned her. Finally 
 
 40 I 
 
LEGENDS 
 
 little Hoistah said, "Grandma, did dogs 
 come from the cave?" 
 
 The old woman sat still a moment, and 
 then, as if resuming her story, told the 
 legend of 
 
 THE DOG. 
 
 One evening a strange creature came to 
 old Night-killer's lodge ; it looked much like 
 a coyote, but it was larger. The strange 
 animal spoke to old Night-killer and his 
 aged squaw and said, "I am a dog. I came 
 from the northwest to watch your tepee, to 
 draw your lodge poles and to help you in 
 every way I can. I will serve you, but my 
 young shall serve the other Cheyennes." 
 
 When the tribe moved out again they 
 crossed the great river in canoes. When 
 they began to travel by land the dog 
 dragged two poles, one fastened to either 
 side of her body. Over these poles, behind 
 
 41 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 the dog, a skin was fastened from one pole 
 to the other, and into this travois or sledge 
 the camp things of old Night-killer were 
 placed. Old Night-killer and his aged 
 squaw, free from burdens, were then able to 
 keep up with the tribe, as they followed the 
 herds of game far to the west. 
 
 When the tribe, after many years, camp M 
 in these hills, everybody had dogs, all tepe<'j 
 and camps were circular and opened to tiff 
 sunrise, and the great sun-dance was otw 
 served by all Cheyennes. < 
 
 Hesitating for only a moment, old Littlij 
 Woman then began to tell them the legeno 
 of 
 
 THE SACRED ARROWS. 
 
 For a long time our people lived in peace 
 in this western home but the Ho'ha (stone 
 boiler people or Assiniboian Indians) an- 
 noyed them, and finally a great battle was * 
 
 42 
 
LEGENDS 
 
 fought between these tribes, and in the bat- 
 tle the Cheyennes lost. 
 
 One Cheyenne chief, after the defeat, re- 
 fused all comfort, but alone in the mountains 
 he fasted and prayed. He could see only 
 trouble for his people in the future. One 
 day in this forest a stranger approached 
 nim and said, "Go to a cave at the foot of 
 » lis hill and you will find four arrows. 
 l 7ith these arrows the Cheyennes will al- 
 ays win. Never lose them." Then at 
 nee this strange man mysteriously disap- 
 peared, and the Cheyenne went to the foot 
 )f the hill as he had been directed to do, 
 md sure enough the arrows were there in 
 the cave. Again the Cheyennes made war 
 on the Hoha, and the prophecy of victory 
 came true. This prophecy of victory came 
 true not only with the "Stone Boilers" but 
 , with all others, until two of the sacred ar- 
 
 43 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 rows were lost in a battle with Pawnees 
 many years later. 
 
 The Cheyennes always guard these sacred 
 arrows. Even to this day they are kept in 
 a tepee watched over by some wise and able 
 warrior. Down in the valley below this 
 camp all alone, now stands the tepee of the 
 sacred arrows, but we must never, never try 
 to approach it, for it is strictly guarded, and 
 besides it is very sacred. 
 
 As the guests of Little Woman retraced 
 their steps homeward Hoistah noticed again 
 the northern lights, still playing in the sky, 
 pale white in colour and fantastic in form, 
 but tirelessly changing. 
 
 44 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 The Long Trail 
 
 Early the next spring a party of white 
 men came to the Cheyenne camp to trade 
 for horses. The warriors of Iron Shirt's 
 tribe were especially rich in ponies and 
 traded some of them with the strange men. 
 For ten days the trading continued, and 
 then the visitors went on to the west, taking 
 many Cheyenne ponies with them, but leav- 
 ing in exchange guns and ammunition for 
 the warriors, as well as blankets, clothes, 
 beads and ornaments for all the Cheyenne 
 tribe. 
 
 Hoistah, like every other Cheyenne, had 
 been provided with some of these luxuries. 
 She had a dress made of beautiful cloth; 
 
 45 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 not in the style of modern, white women's 
 dresses, of course — but very bright and gay 
 in colour. Over this new dress she wore a 
 large shawl bought from the traders; nor 
 were these all the luxuries she enjoyed, 
 either, for she had a new dolly, and it too 
 had a cloth dress, and its Cheyenne cradle 
 was covered with cloth. Often Hoistah, 
 with her new luxuries, walked over the 
 grassy meadows, or sat among the wild 
 flowers talking to her dolly or singing to it 
 an Indian lullaby. 
 
 One day the Cheyennes decided to follow 
 the elk and buffalo herds down the 
 Missouri River to a trading post of which 
 the white men had told them. It would be 
 a long trail, of course, but they would be 
 able to trade furs, elk teeth and buffalo 
 robes to the white men at the end of it. 
 They still had many ponies too, and perhaps 
 
 46 
 
Hoistah 
 
THE LONG TRAIL 
 
 they could exchange some more of them for 
 other luxuries. 
 
 Hoistah had learned by this time that the 
 Beautiful cloth dress would not stand the 
 rough usage of camp life, in fact, her dress 
 was badly torn and soiled. It had been 
 soiled many times for that matter, and 
 repeated washings had dimmed its bright 
 colours, but the shawl was still as bright as 
 ever. 
 
 So it was that when the Cheyennes were 
 preparing for this journey all the beautiful 
 dresses were stored away in a cache or hid- 
 ing place. Hoistah's cloth dress and her 
 dolly in its cradle were placed in the cache 
 with the others, and again she appeared in 
 her strong doeskin dress ready to mount her 
 sturdy little spotted pony and ride with the 
 tribe. 
 
 The Cheyennes followed the game trails 
 
 47 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 down the valley of the Cheyenne River to 
 the Missouri River, and far out among the 
 immense herds of buffaloes. Every war- 
 rior was well armed and well mounted. 
 Every woman and child was mounted, too, 
 and in addition to the weight of the woman 
 or child their little spotted ponies drew the 
 travois containing the property of the tribe. 
 The best ponies were reserved for the men, 
 however, and they bore no extra burden. 
 Each of these choice ponies bore only its one 
 rider — the warrior. Proudly they gal- 
 loped over the boundless grassy meadows 
 urged forward by the Cheyenne warriors in 
 pursuit of game ; but the other ponies, bear- 
 ing the heavier burdens, kept the straight 
 trail and trudged along tirelessly with their 
 loads. Hoistah rode one of these, with its 
 travois dragging behind it. 
 
 One morning Running Wolf reported 
 
 48 
 
THE LONG TRAIL 
 
 that many buffaloes were grazing on a 
 grassy upland near a cliff and could be 
 easily driven over. He had examined the 
 cliff and knew where to lead the herd if he 
 were allowed to act as decoy. He said he 
 had located a convenient crevice into which 
 he could drop and conceal himself safely 
 until the herd passed over his hiding place to 
 their own destruction. And so a buffalo 
 hide and horns were given him, and the 
 drivers, following his direction, prepared 
 for the roundup. 
 
 Soon the decoy "buffalo" appeared on a 
 high mound or cliff overlooking the river. 
 Quietly, all the time, the buffaloes were 
 grazing in the open meadow, half a mile 
 back from the cliff but in plain view. Sud- 
 denly the mounted Cheyennes appeared in 
 a semi-circle behind the buffaloes and the 
 herd, retreating from them, came nearer and 
 
 49 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 nearer to the decoy. Faster came the 
 Cheyenne hunters, and soon the retreat of 
 the buffaloes became a panic-stricken flight. 
 The leaders of the frightened herd seeing 
 the decoy "buffalo" made straight for him, 
 of course, and as the hunters saw the suc- 
 cess of their scheme they joyfully urged 
 their ponies forward, yelling furiously and 
 firing their guns. On came the buffaloes, 
 up to the decoy and over the deadly fall at 
 full speed. 
 
 The women and children with the ponies 
 and travois of the tribe, from a wooded 
 mound some distance to the south, waited for 
 the success of the enterprise, ready to ride to 
 the slaughter pit for their share of buffalo 
 hides. Hoistah watched with keenest in- 
 terest the whole movement, but when she 
 saw the decoy "buffalo" overtaken by the 
 herd and knocked headlong over the cliff, 
 
 50 
 
THE LONG TRAIL 
 
 followed by the frightened buffaloes plung- 
 ing to their doom, her heart sank within her, 
 for she felt that in some way Running Wolf 
 had miscalculated, and had been run down 
 by the herd in its last desperate struggle. 
 
 Just then the word was given to move 
 forward, and the ponies started on a lope 
 down the long hillside into the valley and 
 up beneath the fatal bluff, where all dis- 
 mounted and began the work of skinning 
 the dead buffaloes and packing the buffalo 
 hides. 
 
 Hoistah helped until it seemed her arms 
 were almost broken and her back ached. 
 At last the hunters came and with them, 
 a greater hero than ever, Running Wolf. 
 He explained how he had run to the edge 
 of the bluff and quickly fastened the buffalo 
 hide on a bush just at the edge of the peril- 
 ous cliff, and then dropped into a crevice 
 
 51 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 safely as the first buffaloes came up. 
 Hoistah admired and praised his skill, as 
 with renewed vigor she resumed her work 
 as her mother's helper. 
 
 In two days the Indians moved forward 
 again, the ponies hardly strong enough to 
 draw the added weight of hundreds and 
 hundreds of buffalo hides. The wolves 
 feasted and fattened for weeks on the re- 
 mains left behind. 
 
 Once at the trading post the Cheyennes 
 soon disposed of their wares and again 
 moved forward, this time across the plains 
 into the valley of the Platte River. They 
 stayed there several weeks and then the main 
 body of the Cheyennes went on toward the 
 Black Hills to make their winter camp — 
 only Iron Shirt and a small band lingered 
 for several days and followed leisurely up 
 the Platte valley, expecting every day to 
 
 52 
 
THE LONG TRAIL 
 
 meet some traders who had promised to 
 meet them in the upper Platte valley at the 
 end of the hunting season. 
 
 The grass was dry, and most of the game 
 had sought other pastures, so that Iron 
 Shirt thought the traders had disappointed 
 him, and hence he decided to leave the valley 
 and go directly home as fast as he could, 
 in order to avoid being caught in the winter 
 storms before he should reach camp. 
 
 One evening a lone buffalo was killed, 
 and Meneah was deputed to bring the meat 
 on to camp. Hoistah stayed to help her. 
 They had just loaded the choice meat on 
 Meneah's travois and the hide on Hoistah's, 
 when they beheld a prairie fire, which had 
 broken out to the southward and was sweep- 
 ing rapidly toward them. The wind was 
 strong, so that the flames came on rapidly, 
 and though the two belated travellers urged 
 
 53 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 their sturdy ponies forward, the flames 
 crept up closer and closer to them. 
 
 Meneah saw at last that they must leave 
 the open prairie where tall grass impeded 
 their ponies' progress and take to one of 
 the numerous buffalo trails leading to the 
 river. If the flames came too close to them 
 they would have to leave their loads, and 
 let the ponies be unimpeded in making the 
 run for safety. So Meneah and Hoistah 
 started on parallel paths for the river. 
 
 But soon Hoistah noted that their paths 
 diverged, and before long she was far away 
 from her mother. She thought the trails 
 would again approach each other, or at least 
 each lead to the river, so she rode on and on. 
 Alas, she observed before long, that her path 
 had gradually turned away from the river 
 and the flames cut her off from safety. 
 They were close upon her, and escape 
 
 54 
 
THE LONG TRAIL 
 
 seemed impossible. But she did not hesi- 
 tate. Quickly she dismounted, and free- 
 ing the pony from its load, lashed it away 
 from the hot breath of the flames, to seek 
 safety in flight as best it could. For her- 
 self, taking the fresh buffalo hide, she placed 
 it furry side up over the path and rolled 
 herself up in it, and the wild prairie fire 
 roaring and leaping up passed harmlessly 
 over her in its mad race of destruction. 
 
 55 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 The Long Trail (Continued) 
 
 Hoistah's pony ran for life along the 
 path it had been following, and just ahead 
 of the coming flames, plunged into a 
 shallow prairie lake among a band of Kiowa 
 Indians, who had taken refuge there, 
 mounted on their ponies. 
 
 The Kiowas knew at once that this new- 
 comer was a Cheyenne pony and that they 
 must be close to their most dreaded foes — 
 the Cheyennes of the Black Hills. 
 
 Not waiting for the prairie to cool or 
 even for the fire to die out in the burnt 
 stubble, they quickly encased the feet of 
 their ponies in pieces of fresh buffalo hide, 
 for protection, and started for the south. 
 
 56 
 
THE LONG TRAIL 
 
 One of their scouts, Bear Tongue, saw 
 Hoistah, who almost as soon as the flames 
 passed, had begun to retrace her steps, fol- 
 lowing the path, in which of course there 
 was no burning stubble. Knowing her to 
 be a Cheyenne and fearing that he had been 
 seen by her, the warrior was quick to decide 
 that the safety of his people depended upon 
 his capturing her before she could tell her 
 own people that the Kiowas were near. He 
 overtook her easily, and soon Hoistah, 
 bound securely, found herself again on a 
 pony, in front of a Kiowa squaw, the band 
 riding at a furious rate southward over the 
 scorched plains, with Hoistah a captive. 
 To make matters worse for her, just at dark 
 a downpour of rain cooled the earth and 
 obliterated the telltale trail which the re- 
 treating Kiowas had followed with her. 
 
 Camp was made finally and sentinels 
 
 57 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 posted. What should she do ? Hoistah for 
 a long, long time feigned sleep. At last she 
 tried ever so gently to untie one of her hands. 
 A quick rude jerk at the rawhide thong told 
 her that the squaw who held it was not 
 asleep and that prisoners in the hands of 
 Kiowas could not easily escape. At last 
 she slept herself, worn out. 
 
 After several hours a sudden tumult 
 roused her, and she sat up just as a wounded 
 Kiowa guard was borne into camp and 
 brought before the medicine man at the 
 camp-fire only a few paces from her. At 
 a single glance Hoistah saw the sign of three 
 notches framing a triangle on the shaft of 
 the arrow which had wounded him and in- 
 stantly she knew that it had been Irion Shirt 
 that directed the fatal missile ; she knew too 
 that he had used a bow and arrow, not be- 
 cause he had no better weapon, but in order 
 
 58 
 
THE LONG TRAIL 
 
 to avoid noise. The continuous tumult told 
 her that the Kiowas were out after him. In 
 a little while a gun, the sound of which she 
 thought familiar, told her that another 
 Kiowa was down. During the dead silence 
 that immediately followed the rapid hoof 
 beats of a lone pony sounded over the 
 prairie. Hoistah rightly guessed that Iron 
 Shirt had come alone on the Kiowa trail, 
 and, failing to rescue her, had nevertheless 
 dealt a blow to his enemies. Now, mounted 
 on his favourite black and white stallion in 
 the open prairie, gun in hand, he was really 
 out of danger and away. Still, she was 
 there yet, and as the camp tumult again 
 arose and evil glances were directed toward 
 her a sense of loneliness stole over her in 
 spite of herself. The little girl would have 
 hardly borne it had not the proud Cheyenne 
 spirit of her people asserted itself. Quietly 
 
 59 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 she lay down again upon the wet earth be- 
 side the buffalo robe of her custodian — a 
 prisoner in the hands of bitter enemies, but 
 free from fear, a true Cheyenne, Hoistah, a 
 signal-light-girl, in the darkest time she had 
 known as yet. 
 
 The body of the second Kiowa, at whom 
 Iron Shirt had aimed when she heard his 
 shots, Hoistah never saw again, by which 
 she knew that he had no need of the 
 medicine man, that one touch of the 
 Cheyenne warrior's vengeance had been 
 enough. 
 
 The next day the Kiowa squaws beat 
 Hoistah several times and were so threaten- 
 ing in their attitude that Bear Tongue, fear- 
 ing they might kill her and thus deprive him 
 of a valuable slave, took her as prisoner into 
 his own custody. 
 
 Thereafter, when his duties called him 
 
 60 
 
THE LONG TRAIL 
 
 from the camp, his son, young Standing 
 Elk, took charge of the captive. 
 
 In two weeks the Kiowas reached their 
 own winter camp, and Hoistah's drudgery 
 began in earnest. Old Bear Tongue never 
 abused her, and often spoke kindly to her, 
 but her life was hard all winter. 
 
 The next summer a band of Kiowa 
 hunters, w T hile in the Platte valley, were 
 set upon by Iron Shirt's warriors and only 
 three came back to camp. Bear Tongue 
 was one of these three, and he had two 
 fingers missing from his left hand and there 
 was an ugly scar on his face that he bore 
 always thereafter. He never again pro- 
 tected Hoistah and her lot was not an easy 
 one, under her other guardians, but as she 
 grew and gained in strength she was de- 
 termined that some day she would defend 
 herself and make an escape. 
 
 61 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 Two winters and two summers passed. 
 The third summer of Hoistah's captivity the 
 Kiowas visited the Wichitas, in their village 
 of grass houses in the south, and Hoistah ac- 
 companied them there. One of the young 
 warriors of the Wichitas offered a pony for 
 the girl but old Bear Tongue refused the 
 offer, as her captor thought she would be 
 fully grown in another year or two and be 
 worth three or four ponies, and, in the mean- 
 time, her work was worth her keep. 
 Hoistah, of course, had no part in this pro- 
 posed exchange, and only learned of it 
 through young Standing Elk. By this time 
 Hoistah could understand and speak the 
 Kiowa language, and communication was 
 easy, for good or bad news. Standing Elk 
 told his companion, young Black Duck, too, 
 of the young Wichita's offer of a pony for 
 Hoistah and its refusal and Black Duck 
 
 62 
 
THE LONG TRAIL 
 
 secretly decided to possess the pretty Chey- 
 enne girl for himself. 
 
 One day not long afterward Bear 
 Tongue's squaw, dissatisfied with some of 
 Hoistah's work, struck her, and Hoistah re- 
 sented the chastisement. In the height of 
 the excitement that followed young Black 
 Duck, who happened to be riding by, 
 quickly intervened in the combat, and sent 
 the old squaw, smarting from the lashes he 
 gave her, to the tepee. From this time on 
 he began to pay noticeable attention to Hois- 
 tah, so much so that all the Kiowas derided 
 him. Bear Tongue's squaw said to Black 
 Duck's mother, "Your boy is a fool. He is 
 trying to steal our slave, but you know the 
 Kiowa law. Whenever I catch him with 
 her I am coming straight to your tepee and 
 take your Navajoe blankets and your 
 beaded belt." "No," said the other squaw. 
 
 63 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 "He is not a fool. He may steal the girl, 
 but you are not smart enough to catch him ; 
 if you do, I agree to abide by our ancient 
 custom. Whenever you are smart enough 
 to catch my son love-making come on and 
 help yourself." 
 
 Young Black Duck did in a way make 
 love to Hoistah, watched out for her and 
 championed her ; but she, though grateful to 
 him for his protection, did not really care for 
 him. 
 
 Four years had almost passed in her 
 captivity for Hoistah before something of 
 importance to her came about. In council 
 one morning the Kiowas decided that, since 
 they could no longer hunt in the Platte 
 valley in peace because of the attacks of the 
 Cheyennes, they would go to the valley of 
 the Arkansas and take the whole tribe with 
 them for the hunting season. 
 
 64 
 
THE LONG TRAIL 
 
 Bear Tongue as camp crier was still call- 
 ing in heavy tones at different points of the 
 camp, "To-morrow the whole tribe will move 
 to the valley of the Arkansas River to hunt," 
 when from a clump of bushes near her Hois- 
 tah at her work heard Black Duck say to her, 
 "To-night you will find a pony tied beneath 
 the big cottonwood tree at the third bend of 
 the river below our camp. At the foot 
 of the tree are a blanket and dried meat. 
 On the second morning from now you can be 
 at the double mountain half-way from here 
 to the Wichita village. I will be there wait- 
 ing for you. What say you?" Hoistah an- 
 swered : "It cannot be worse than this life. 
 I thank you. Go quickly." 
 
 As all the Kiowas, in the confusing times 
 following the camp crier's announcement, 
 were busy in their various ways they did not 
 notice young Black Duck, within an hour or 
 
 65 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 so, leaving the camp on one pony, leading 
 another with a pack upon its back. Neither 
 did they notice Hoistah at dusk disappear 
 into the grove by the river bank. 
 
 Hoistah had fully made up her mind as to 
 what she was going to do before she left the 
 camp, and when she found the pony and 
 the provisions in the place Black Duck had 
 told her of, she took them as her own and 
 rode in the opposite direction, away from the 
 double mountain — toward her own people. 
 All night she rode, crossing and re-crossing 
 the river to cover her trail should any one 
 pursue. But no one followed. In the 
 Kiowa camp every one said, "I thought so. 
 Black Duck has stolen old Bear Tongue's 
 slave girl." 
 
 As for Black Duck he knew that Hoistah 
 cared little for him, but he thought to 
 get a wife, and an industrious one too, at 
 
 66 
 
Swimming Across After Her 
 
THE LONG TRAIL 
 
 small cost. All the next day and far on into 
 the night he rode on to the double mountain, 
 but nowhere found the trail of Hoistah. 
 After two days waiting in vain he sought the 
 tribe again in the valley of the Arkansas and 
 learned that Hoistah was not with them. 
 Black Duck never told how Hoistah escaped, 
 but he could never give a satisfactory ex- 
 planation as to his other pony. However, 
 he told what no one could disprove, and what 
 was in a way partly true, when he said it had 
 strayed away while he was on the road to the 
 country of the Wichitas. 
 
 When Hoistah left the Kiowa camp she 
 was followed by her faithful dog, a little 
 four-footed friend who had been more kind 
 to her than any one else in camp, not ex- 
 cepting Black Duck. Try as she would she 
 could not induce the doggy to cease follow- 
 ing her. Whenever she crossed the river at 
 
 67 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 night or by day she would be sure to see him 
 swimming across after her, always keep- 
 ing out of harm's way in hie ; mrsuit of her. 
 
 On the afternoon of the first day she hob- 
 bled her pony and turned him loose to graze. 
 After eating of the dried meat and giving 
 a portion of it to her obstinate, faithful dog 
 she wrapped herself in the blanket and slept. 
 When she awoke it was nearly morning 
 again as she could tell by the moon. 
 
 Again she ate of the meat, fed the dog 
 his portion, found the pony, and mounting 
 left the timber of the river valley to ride 
 straight across the open prairies toward the 
 north star — toward the dear old Black Hills 
 and home. 
 
 68 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 End Of The Long Trail 
 
 When the morning sun came out and 
 warmed the earth, Hoistah dropped the 
 blanket from her shoulders, and rode 
 steadily forward through the great sea of 
 waving grass, often looking back to see if 
 she were being pursued. When she could 
 urge the tired pony no farther she dis- 
 mounted, ate her share of the dried meat as 
 before, gave a small portion to the dog and 
 slept in the w'arm sun. 
 
 Late in the afternoon she awoke and 
 started onward, but the pony was tired and 
 lame and could hardly go. Lucky it was 
 for the dog too, for if Hoistah had travelled 
 at the same rapid rate as on the first night 
 
 69 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 and day the dog would have had to fall be- 
 hind and be eaten by the wolves. As night 
 settled down the pony seemed to recover 
 somewhat his usual strength but he was still 
 lame. Very slowly the little group moved 
 on over the plains, the coyotes, disturbed by 
 the travellers, howling dolefully as they 
 passed. Far into the night they travelled, 
 and at last, almost overcome with sleepi- 
 ness, Hoistah was about to decide to camp 
 for the night when a huge dark moving mass 
 far ahead of her claimed her attention. In 
 a second she had stopped her pony and 
 recognised by the sounds that the moving 
 object was a herd of buffaloes passing 
 across her trail. The trail would be blocked 
 for miles and miles ahead of her, and so 
 she dismounted to await the coming of day- 
 light and the passing of the herd. She ate 
 a little more of the dried meat, but could 
 
 70 
 
END OF THE LONG TRAIL 
 
 give none to the dog, so very little of it all 
 remained. 
 
 Morning came and the buffaloes were 
 just passing out of sight, leaving the way 
 open to resume her journey northward. 
 She had no water that morning, nor had the 
 pony or the dog had anything to drink since 
 the morning before. 
 
 She ate a little of the meat as she rode 
 along, but the unusual heat of the sun and 
 her thirst distressed her. That day she did 
 not look back so frequently, for she felt 
 certain no Kiowas were trailing her. Sev- 
 eral times during the forenoon she was com- 
 pelled to stop that the pony might rest. 
 About ten o'clock she saw signs of rain. 
 As soon as she was sure she dismounted, 
 and, with the knife she had brought with 
 her, quickly dug up the earth, scooping it 
 out with her hands into a kind of basin, with 
 
 71 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 a little ravine to form a pool and catch as 
 much as possible of the water. The rain 
 came and she took shelter beneath her pony ; 
 the clouds passed by and the three thirsty 
 travellers drank long at the little pool, Hois- 
 tah first, and then the dog and the pony 
 both at the same time. Hoistah ate what 
 was left of her dried meat and the pony, 
 refreshed, ate of the grass. There was no 
 food for the dog — but he did not need it, 
 for soon, in accordance with the due law of 
 need and Cheyenne custom he was con- 
 verted into meat. The choice portions of 
 him were prepared and taken, and Hoistah 
 with her supply of dog meat rode on over the 
 great plains northward. 
 
 Gradually the pony recovered from the 
 lameness caused by the first hard riding and 
 each day found the travellers some thirty or 
 forty miles further to the north. 
 
 72 
 
END OF THE LONG TRAIL 
 
 No flint was to be found on the plains, 
 therefore Hoistah could make no fire or 
 cook her meat. She was compelled to keep 
 on travelling and so she could not dry the 
 meat and it soon spoiled; then starvation 
 again threatened. Turning from the open 
 plains, Hoistah rode westward toward the 
 mountains where some small game, some 
 berries or wild fruit might be found. Sub- 
 sisting upon what fruit and berries she 
 could find she went on northward through 
 the foot-hills. 
 
 Late one evening she discovered some 
 mountain quail in their covey beneath 
 a bunch of grass, and striking at them with 
 a heavy stick she killed three of them. She 
 found a flint too and with her knife handle, 
 she obtained sparks by means of which she 
 ignited some small fragments of dried bark 
 and started a fire. She broiled her game at 
 
 73 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 the fire and for a time again knew no 
 hunger. 
 
 The night winds were cold in the foot- 
 hills, she found, and she kept up the fire. 
 Well for her she did that night, for the 
 wolves, smelling the game, came about her 
 camp in great numbers, and but for the 
 fire and their fear of it would no doubt have 
 caused her trouble. She gathered a great 
 pile of wood and all night kept the fire 
 blazing. When she slept, leaning against 
 a large boulder, the fire at her feet protected 
 her, for wolves will not come very close to 
 fire at night. At intervals she would awake 
 and replenish the blaze. Several times she 
 threw burning brands among the hungry 
 pack of wolves and routed them. 
 
 She had a good breakfast of more quail 
 and rode on, but found no dinner and no 
 supper. At night she again built a fire 
 
 74 
 
END OF THE LONG TRAIL 
 
 at her camp though no wolves came. Rid- 
 ing on again, early the next morning she 
 came upon a trail in which the prints of the 
 "strong moccasions of the white man" 
 showed. She followed this and presently 
 came to a lone cabin. Long she sat on her 
 pony before the cabin patiently. At last a 
 smoke appeared over the cabin, noise came 
 from within, and a man came out. 
 
 The man, a frontiersman, quickly got his 
 long rifle, and spoke to Hoistah gruffly. 
 
 "What ye want? Be keerful — no foolin' 
 round here — I know you Kiowas." 
 
 Hoistah, recognising the word "Kiowa" 
 and guessing that he thought her one, shook 
 her head and quickly made the sign for 
 Cheyenne — three strokes across the left 
 wrist with the fingers of the right hand. 
 The white man then addressed her in the 
 sign language and also spoke a few 
 
 75 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 words of the Cheyenne tongue. Easily he 
 understood her story, and knew she 
 wanted to find her own people, the 
 Cheyennes. 
 
 He brought her dried vension in great 
 quantities and of most excellent quality, also 
 some bread, a smaller quantity but not of 
 such excellent quality. Next he gave her 
 the skin of a mountain sheep partly filled 
 with water. When these were packed on 
 her pony he directed her, in sign language, 
 to ride northeast into the plains about four 
 days' journey. There, according to his be- 
 lief, she would find the Cheyennes hunting 
 buffaloes. 
 
 As Hoist ah rode away he said, "Well, 
 she's only a chile but she sartainly must be 
 Cheyenne; no Kiowa about that Injun gal. 
 Guess I'll jist stick around the shack to- 
 day and keep my ammunition handy any- 
 
 76 
 
END OF THE LONG TRAIL 
 
 how." Hoistah passed out of sight. On, 
 with a heart full of hope and gratitude, she 
 rode, the little Cheyenne maiden, into the 
 northern part of the upper Platte valley, to 
 the hunting grounds of her people. 
 
 Packed on her pony she had now a good 
 supply of food and plenty of water for a 
 long journey. The pony could get enough 
 water to keep him alive from the dew he got 
 with the grass at night and early morning, 
 and from occasional drinking at streams 
 and prairie lakes. 
 
 On the morning of the third day Hoistah 
 thought she caught a glimpse of something 
 that moved in the grass not far in front of 
 her, and stopped her pony quickly, but she 
 could see nothing plain. Knowing the risk 
 she ran if a Cheyenne scout should mistake 
 her for a Kiowa, as the white man at the 
 cabin had, she made the sign of the Chey- 
 
 77 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 enne, and that sign perhaps saved her life, 
 for the best scout of Iron Shirt's young 
 Cheyenne braves at that very instant had 
 levelled a long rifle at her at a distance of 
 some sixty yards. It was the movement of 
 this same scout she had noticed in the grass, 
 and he had carefully concealed himself im- 
 mediately thereafter. 
 
 Soon Running Wolf, for this famous 
 scout was no other, looked closely at 
 Hoistah, lowered the deadly piece, and 
 placing his hands to his mouth imitated the 
 hooting of an owl four times in succession. 
 Hoistah answered in Cheyenne, "Dzi'- 
 tsista's!" (Our own people.) "I am 
 Hoistah." 
 
 At once a tall Cheyenne arose from his 
 hiding place and came forward to the 
 weary wanderer. Hoistah, calling him by 
 name, drew his hand to her cheek. Run- 
 
 78 
 
White Fool's Cabin 
 
END OF THE LONG TRAIL 
 
 ning Wolfe said, "It is well," and he drew 
 Hoistah's blanket about them; thus, as she 
 sat on her pony and the tall Cheyenne stood 
 beside her, they were drawn face to face and 
 lip to lip in the primitive marriage ceremony 
 of the tribe. 
 
 Hoistah related the story of her four 
 years as briefly as she could, and a signal 
 from the scout soon brought the Cheyenne 
 hunting party to them. 
 
 Iron Shirt took his lost child's head be- 
 tween his hands and held her for a long 
 time. Then he said to Running Wolf, 
 "Keep her with my blessing." 
 
 Hoistah noticed that her father bore a 
 deep scar on his breast and that one arm 
 had been mangled. He looked much older, 
 and thus she knew that he had fought the 
 Kiowas not only bravely but recklessly and 
 relentlessly. But she could not speak, lest 
 
 79 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 she should disclose unseeming emotion 
 to him. 
 
 That night she told of the white man and 
 his kindness, and the old chief said, "It is 
 'White Fool.' We saved him from death 
 at the hands of the Sioux Indians once. 
 He was digging gold then ; he is still at that 
 foolishness." 
 
 Some days later Iron Shirt found the 
 white man and gave him a pony. 
 
 The hunting trip was cut short presently 
 because there were no prospects for Kiowa 
 scalps, and the party returned to the Black 
 Hills and Hoistah's "Long Trail" ended 
 at home. 
 
 80 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 At Home 
 
 When the Cheyenne hunting party came 
 home and Hoistah's return was made 
 known there was great rejoicing in the 
 camp. Her marriage to the popular young 
 warrior, Running Wolf, was a bit of news 
 for the squaws at least to revel in further. 
 
 Running Wolf's people brought skins 
 and poles for a tepee, and Hoistah's peo- 
 ple brought blankets, buckskin, and house- 
 hold implements, so that the new home was 
 soon completed in all details. Drying 
 meat in abundance hung on rawhide strings 
 stretched from tree to tree about the 
 new tepee. Running Wolf was a skilful 
 hunter, but the labours of the husband did 
 
 81 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 not in any wise surpass those of his mate, 
 for the industry and skill of Hoistah in 
 domestic duties were remarkable even 
 among Cheyenne girls. 
 
 When the corn and pumpkins were ripe 
 Hoistah, with her pony and travois laboured 
 with the other women till all the homes were 
 provided with plenty. Next the deer 
 hides were dressed, and in this labour 
 Hoistah excelled and helped too. In the 
 fall the warriors went to a trading post that 
 had lately been established on the upper 
 Missouri River to get blankets, cloth, guns, 
 ammunition and such other supplies as 
 might be needed. Running Wolf went with 
 them; he had many furs, skins and ponies 
 to exchange, and promised to bring back 
 some bright cloth for Hoistah. He would 
 bring her some pretty beads too, he said, 
 that during the stormy weather she might 
 
 82 
 
AT HOME 
 
 lse in decorating moccasions and clothes, 
 rhe traders were gone for several weeks, 
 Hoistah and the other women remaining 
 )ehind, busy in their various ways at home. 
 
 One day Hoistah, with several other 
 vomen, went far westward from camp to 
 rather nuts. They were gone all day, so 
 hat they were not in camp when, about 
 riidday, the traders returned with their sup- 
 dies from the trading post of the white 
 len. 
 
 Running Wolf had brought back all he 
 ad promised to bring and much more. 
 Lmong other luxuries he had bought a 
 anvas tepee. Eagerly he took the skins 
 rom the tepee poles and placed the new 
 anvas thereon, proud that he had now a 
 ew tepee made by white men. In this 
 ew tepee were placed the many things he 
 ad brought from the trading post, and 
 
 83 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 around it grazed his tired ponies glad to be 
 relieved of burdens. 
 
 Several times during the afternoon he waj 
 seen standing by the new tepee and looking 
 for Hoistah, who just at sunset returned 
 with the other women of the nutting party, 
 Their ponies each bore t\*o baskets, one on 
 either side fastened together by a strip oi 
 rawhide, and every basket was rilled witl: 
 nuts. 
 
 That night, as darkness settled over th^ 
 valley, a large camp fire was lighted, glad 
 voices joined the rhythmic sounds of the tom« 
 toms, and hundreds of tireless feet moved 
 in unison with the fantastic music. 
 
 As Hoistah joined in the social dance i 
 seemed to her a long, long time ago thai 
 she had been a slave girl in old Beai 
 Tongue's camp on the Washita River. Bu 
 she rejoiced that the old Kiowa had not ad 
 
 84 
 
AT HOME 
 
 ?pted the young Wichita's offer and 
 oomed her to a life in a grass house among 
 le plains and mountains far to the south, 
 sometimes she thought of Black Duck and 
 fished that she could, in some way, have re- 
 paid him for the protection he gave her. 
 jhit, she thought ' , he is a Kiowa. 
 |Lgain the voice of Iron Shirt drew her 
 yes to him, as by oral commands he directed 
 lie dance, and the mangled arm and the 
 ( eep scar on his breast appeared; then her 
 } eart hardened toward the whole Kiowa 
 ribe. 
 
 } Soon the swell of the singers' voices, the 
 eroic words telling of the valour of the 
 ^heyennes of old, or the deep tones of Run- 
 ning Wolf's voice as he spoke to her in pass- 
 r ig, filled her soul with so much joy that she 
 jOrgot all her past sufferings, almost forgot 
 ,ven her enemies. 
 
 85 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 When the eastern sky was lighted by the 
 rising sun the Cheyenne said, "We are sat- 
 isfied," and Hoist ah walked with Running 
 Wolf to their new tepee. Once at home 
 they spread before themselves the presents 
 they had received at the dance, and Hoistah 
 said, "I never thought in the days of my 
 bondage that I should be so rich." All 
 day they slept. 
 
 That night and many other nights dur- 
 ing the winter the Cheyennes sat in groups 
 about their camp-fires and told of adven- 
 tures, or repeated legends and traditions of 
 their tribe. 
 
 Hoistah's home was often sought upon 
 these winter evenings, when she would re- 
 late the adventures of her captive life and 
 the traditions of the Kiowas. One winter's 
 night there was among her guests her very 
 feeble and withered old grandmother, Little 
 
 86 
 
AT HOME 
 
 Woman, now childish and ill, who had asked 
 Meneah to take her to Hoistah's tepee that 
 she too might hear some of the legends of 
 the Kiowas. 
 
 Tenderly Hoistah received the feeble old 
 woman, and, at her bidding, related the 
 legend of 
 
 THE KIOWA MEDICINE MAN. 
 
 Once an old woman of the Kiowas was 
 neglected by her children, so that she often 
 suffered for want of food. 
 
 One evening there came to her tepee a 
 
 poor boy who had neither parents, home, 
 
 nor tribe. "Good old lady, may I live 
 
 in your tepee?" asked the boy. "I have 
 
 only a handful of parched corn and a 
 
 few berries but I will divide with 
 
 you," said the old lady. The boy lived 
 
 with her, but they were still poor and 
 
 : neglected. 
 
 87 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 When the boy became a youth he provided 
 food and shelter for the old lady. 
 
 One year there was a famine, and the 
 chief, Sitting Bear, in a final effort to re- 
 lieve distress, passed through all the camp 
 asking if any one could suggest a way of 
 securing food, for he said his people must 
 soon have relief or perish. 
 
 Now the youth who lived with the poor 
 old woman was favoured by the great spirit, 
 so he called the chief and said, "If you and 
 all the Kiowas will follow my directions you 
 will get plenty of food soon." And old 
 Sitting Bear agreed. 
 
 First the youth caused a lone tepee to 
 be erected in a river valley. Before the 
 tepee a stone boiler filled with water was 
 placed over the fire and the aged men were 
 sent into the tepee to sing sacred songs. 
 Then the youth, bearing a wand and dressed 
 
 88 
 
AT HOME 
 
 in an untanned deer skin worn as a robe, 
 came in. Plucking some of the hairs from 
 his robe he threw them into the boiling 
 water. Then over the water he waved four 
 times in succession first his medicine bag 
 and then the wand. Finally he twisted the 
 leg of the deer-hide robe he wore, and a 
 deer was heard to bleat. 
 
 Next he sent the old men back to camp 
 and told them to assemble the whole tribe 
 in a circle down by the river bank just be- 
 fore daylight on the following morning. 
 Each Kiowa was instructed further to bring 
 a certain wild flower as an offering. 
 
 When they assembled it was still dark, and 
 a dense fog filled the air. The youth 
 directed them to cast their presents of wild 
 flowers within the circle and join hands. 
 Following his directions they danced around 
 this magic circle singing a sacred song. 
 
 89 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 When the fog arose the flowers were gone, 
 but the circle was filled with deer and the 
 famine was over. By that the Kiowas 
 knew that the great spirit was with this 
 youth who lived with the poor old woman. 
 
 Old Little Woman said that, although the 
 Kiowas were an evil tribe, this was a good 
 legend. 
 
 Other visitors came to Hoistah's tepee, 
 and she would always tell them some legend, 
 or relate some adventure that never failed 
 to satisfy her guests. So passed the winter 
 at home, until the snows melted. 
 
 Early in the spring, when the elk shed 
 their horns, the Cheyennes moved down into 
 the valleys. 
 
 90 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 The Sun-Dance 
 
 On the night following the prairie fire in 
 the Platte valley, when Iron Shirt failed to 
 rescue Hoistah from the Kiowas, he had 
 retreated alone, bearing a slight arrow 
 wound himself and leaving one Kiowa dead 
 and another dying. His warriors had pre- 
 ceded him to the North, and the two old 
 men and three boys in his party, ten or 
 twelve miles from the Kiowa camp, knew 
 that they could not, even when directed by 
 the chief's skill and led by his valour, hope to 
 overcome thirty or forty Kiowa warriors. 
 
 As the disappointed chief rode back to 
 his camp after his unsuccessful attempt 
 he vowed to the great spirit that if ever 
 
 91 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 he could rescue Hoistah from the Kiowas he 
 would make the "Lodge of the Willow 
 Dance," that is, he would give the tribal 
 sun-dance. This of course would put him 
 to enormous expense, and yet it would be 
 worth the almost unparalleled favour of 
 the great spirit in permitting him an act 
 that both his valour as a warrior and his par- 
 ental instinct urged upon him. 
 
 His tribe never knew the vow he had 
 made, but had they known they would not 
 have thought the warrior rested his case too 
 completely upon the power of the Deity, for 
 more than ample evidence was shown that 
 Iron Shirt gave his full strength to the task. 
 It seemed that the Cheyenne chief had de- 
 termined upon a long war of extermination 
 against the Kiowas. 
 
 Thus it came about that one night, soon 
 after Hoistah's return, Iron Shirt called his 
 
 92 
 
THE SUN-DANCE 
 
 war band, the Dog Warriors, together in 
 council. When the members were all as- 
 sembled in the warriors' lodge, Iron Shirt 
 came in, his hands and face covered with 
 red paint. He smoked the council pipe 
 with the brothers of this ancient Cheyenne 
 military order, and then arose and said: 
 
 "One dark night all alone I trailed the 
 Kiowas and watched their camp that I 
 might recover my child they had stolen. 
 Stealthily I approached their sentinel and 
 my arrow pierced his body, but the aim 
 was not good, for he raised his voice to his 
 fellows. When I reached my pony I shot 
 another of their warriors with my long rifle. 
 As I rode back to my camp I promised the 
 great spirit that if I could rescue my child 
 from her captors I would make the Willow 
 Lodge. I did not directly rescue her, but 
 she is here. By my vow I am bound. 
 
 93 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 Every year I have fought the Kiowas, and 
 I am far from rich. All that I have I now 
 give to make the lodge, but it is not 
 enough." 
 
 Silence reigned for a full minute, and 
 then old Yellow Hawk said: "Brothers of 
 the Ancient Dog-Warrior Band, Iron 
 Shirt's heart is true. He is our brother and 
 our sworn companion. He has often led 
 us to bloody victory. Shall this band of 
 brothers help him make the Willow Lodge?" 
 A chorus of voices answered, "Be it so," 
 and then the band of warriors passed 
 silently out into the night. 
 
 One week later the band feasted and dis- 
 cussed the time and place where the Willow 
 or Sun-Dance Lodge should be raised. It 
 was decided to make it as soon as the grass 
 was full height and the willow and cotton- 
 wood were in full leaf. The place desig- 
 
 94 
 
THE SUN-DANCE 
 
 nated was the lower Cheyenne River valley- 
 near the south bank of the stream. 
 
 All winter Iron Shirt collected paints, 
 jerked meat, pipes, robes, medicine roots, 
 feathers, and such other articles as would 
 be needed, and his brothers of the Dog 
 Band too contributed liberally. 
 
 When due time arrived all was in readi- 
 ness, and the man-sticks (forty- four 
 brightly painted small willow sticks) were 
 sent to the forty-four sub-chiefs of the tribe. 
 Iron Shirt himself visited the leaders of all 
 the sacred and military bands with special 
 invitations. 
 
 When the grass was full height and willow 
 and cottonwood leaves were fully grown 
 Iron Shirt and his brothers of the Dog- 
 Warrior Band went to the valley of the 
 Cheyenne River previously designated, and 
 marked off a circle more than a mile in 
 
 95 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 diameter, indicating the places for each of 
 the bands in the order of their impor- 
 tance. 
 
 The opening of the circle to the eastward 
 was about a quarter of a mile wide. Im- 
 mediately to the south of this opening a 
 place was indicated for the sacred Aorta 
 Band and the Dog- Warrior Band. At the 
 north of the entrance a space was reserved 
 for the Hive Band and the Buffalo-Bull 
 Warrior Band; on the western rim of the 
 circle were spaces for the Fur-Men Band, 
 and for the Sutai or adopted people. Be- 
 tween these several centres lesser bands were 
 to be located. There were places for all, 
 even the outlaws. 
 
 The ancient order of the Sacred Arrow- 
 Medicine led by Lame Bull came early the 
 next morning, and before night Blue Horse 
 had led in his band of Fox Warriors, and 
 
 96 
 
THE SUN-DANCE 
 
 in turn all the different bands, sacred and 
 military, had arrived and their tepees were 
 placed within the mighty circle — more than 
 six hundred tepees. 
 
 On the first day the tepee of Running 
 Wolf was dedicated as the warrior tepee, so 
 he and Hoistah moved out to give place for 
 the secret councils. Black Wolf was 
 selected High Priest on the second day, and 
 the warrior tepee, being moved in toward 
 the centre of the circle, became known as 
 the Lone Tepee, and was thereafter given 
 up to the priests. 
 
 On the third day the priests and the 
 Lodge Maker, Iron Shirt, abandoning the 
 Lone Tepee, came into the open of the circle 
 with their ceremonies. 
 
 On that day Running Wolf in full war 
 paint, armed and mounted, searched in the 
 woods until a suitable tree for a lodge pole 
 
 97 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 was found, and then he addressed the tree 
 as follows: "I went into the plains of the 
 Platte River. I trailed the Kiowas. 
 Three scalps hung at my belt. I was a boy 
 then. Again as a young man I went into 
 the same region and trailed the Kiowa war- 
 riors. I rode with a band of young braves 
 against them and few escaped our ven- 
 geance. Seven Kiowa scalps were at my 
 belt. I have trailed you far. You too shall 
 fall!" Then he struck with his tomahawk 
 four times, thus marking the tree for the 
 great centre pole of the Willow Dance. 
 Others following hewed it down, painted it 
 and placed it upright for the centre pole of 
 the mighty lodge. But first a bundle of 
 willow branches was fastened to the top end 
 of it as a nest for the great Thunder Bird. 
 At the foot of the centre pole was the altar 
 of branches, foliage, rainbow-sticks, and 
 
 98 
 
THE SUN-DANCE 
 
 sacred relics. Thus the Willow Lodge was 
 completed. 
 
 Then the priests and the Dog- Warrior 
 Band in fantastic costumes — limb and 
 bodies painted — danced the great sacred 
 Sun-Dance, and the people joined in the 
 worship. 
 
 Running Wolf had been deeply inter- 
 ested in Hoistah before her capture. He, 
 too, during her captivity had made a vow. 
 He had pledged that if he could rescue 
 Hoistah from the Kiowas he would, at the 
 next Sun-Dance of the tribe execute a dance 
 suspended by the skin of his back from the 
 lodge pole. He too, felt bound to fulfil 
 his vow. Thus it was that old Red Shield, 
 whom Running Wolf took into his con- 
 fidence, went with the young warrior aside 
 and cutting the skin on the young warrior's 
 back fastened skewers therein and attached 
 
 99 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 new rawhide thongs to these. By these 
 thongs, fastened to the lodge poles above, 
 Red Shield drew Running Wolf up until 
 his toes could just touch the ground. Thus 
 Running Wolf danced. The skin tore 
 loose from his back more and more. The | 
 fresh rawhide finally stretched so that 
 within an hour's time the warrior could 
 dance back and forth for several paces. 
 No shadow of pain crossed his face during 
 the four long hours he danced to the music 
 of the sacred songs and joined in the sing- 
 ing, suspended by the skin of his back with 
 rawhide thongs. 
 
 When all vows were fulfilled and all cere- 
 monies ended the great Cheyenne Tribe 
 again separated into bands, and Iron Shirt's 
 Band returned to their camp on the bank 
 of the Cheyenne River among the Black 
 Hills. 
 
 100 
 
THE SUN-DANCE 
 
 i When Iron Shirt's family, last to leave 
 khe grounds, started home, Meneah had only 
 one robe to carry of all she had brought; 
 Iron Shirt would have been compelled to 
 walk home had not a pony been given him. 
 But in their ceremonies they had symbolised 
 the re-creating of all things or the making of 
 a new life ; and with his lost child recovered 
 and his vow fulfilled the chief faced stoically 
 the necessity of making a new start in 
 everything. 
 
 101 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 Moni'nieo 
 (women who have chosen) 
 
 No form of household work was neglected 
 by Hoistah, but in the making of moccasins 
 and dress patterns she greatly desired to ex- 
 cel. This desire was heightened, too, by the 
 necessity of providing clothing for her 
 child, little Elk Robe, who had come into her 
 life the previous winter. Her wish to join 
 the Guild of Decorative Art becoming 
 known to the members of that industrial 
 order she was permitted to become a mem- 
 ber. 
 
 Prospective members were always ex- 
 pected to give presents to the individual 
 members of the guild and to prepare a feast 
 
 102 
 
MONI'NIEO 
 
 for all. The feasting and the presents pro- 
 vided for the members by Hoistah were of 
 the usual kind, and without attracting un- 
 due attention she became in time a full 
 member. Soon, however, it became ob- 
 vious to the mistress of the order that the 
 new member was destined to achieve more 
 distinction than her own in the chosen 
 handicraft, for not only did Hoistah ex- 
 hibit anxiety to learn but she showed great 
 originality in designing. 
 
 One day when the guild met, Hoistah ex- 
 hibited to the members a pattern for a baby 
 dress. It consisted of beaded work in four 
 colours forming a simple cross and appear- 
 ing four times in the pattern. Each part of 
 each of the four designs contained four 
 colours. 
 
 Discussion of the proposed design became 
 general, and finlly the leader said, "I can 
 
 103 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 see no merit in the pattern, but before a de- 
 cision is given Hoistah may explain the 
 symbolism of her design. She is now a full 
 member of this guild and we must hear her, 
 even if her design is poor and her arguments 
 are worse." When the leader had ceased 
 speaking, but before Hoistah had time to 
 rise and reply, an old squaw said spitefully, 
 "Possibly Hoistah can tell us how she 
 borrowed that pattern from her friends 
 the Kiowas." At this several members 
 laughed, but when Hoistah arose all were 
 silent. 
 
 Unmindful of the thrust of this old 
 querulous woman, Hoistah in a clear, calm 
 voice and in an oratorical style that would 
 have done credit to her illustrious father, 
 said, "Sisters of this ancient Guild of Dec- 
 orative Art, hear me patiently and then 
 judge my design. This pattern is not bor- 
 
 104 
 
MONFNIEO 
 
 rowed from any one, but designed for my 
 own little babe, as you know. Its symbol- 
 ism is thus explained: 
 
 "The four points composed by two lines 
 crossing each other (at right angles) repre- 
 sent the four directions, North, South, East 
 and West. These directions should guide 
 the child in all its travels; the four colours 
 represent the four phases of each recurring 
 day, daylight, night, dawn and twilight ; the 
 cross occurs four times, representing the 
 four phases of human life, infancy, youth, 
 manhood and old age; collectively they in- 
 dicate the hope of a mother that her child's 
 conduct through life shall be true in each 
 of the four parts of every day throughout 
 the four possible periods that man may live. 
 The centre of this symbolism is the sacred 
 number four. It was on the fourth day 
 after our first medicine man wxnt into the 
 
 105 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 cave of the earth that he returned with food 
 for the starving Cheyennes; the fourth day 
 from that time, game was given into our 
 people; four is the number of sacred arrows 
 that have often led our people to victory." 
 Then pausing she said, "What is your judg- 
 ment?" and a chorus of voices answered, 
 "It is to be as your wisdom has designed." 
 When Hoistah's pattern had been ap- 
 proved by unanimous vote, and the judg- 
 ment of their leader disapproved by the 
 same vote, that meant a desire to change 
 leaders. Then the former mistress of the 
 guild and the old squaw who had made 
 the disparaging remarks arose to leave 
 the tepee, but Hoistah said, "Hold! Your 
 vows as true Cheyennes keep you here and 
 enjoin your co-operation; besides I need 
 your help, the help of all my sisters and the 
 approval of the great spirit if I in my early 
 
 106 
 
MONI'NIEO 
 
 womanhood must in obedience to these 
 voices assume the direction of this Guild. 
 Stay with us and help us." Then the for- 
 mer mistress of the guild sat at Hoistah's 
 feet, but the old squaw sat at the outer edge 
 of the circle and all was again harmonious. 
 
 Thereafter Hoistah studied that she 
 might help her sisters who trusted her. The 
 symbol of the sacred number "four" in 
 various forms appeared more and more in 
 the decorative art of this band of Cheyennes, 
 and all were glad that Hoistah had been 
 chosen as the leader of the guild. 
 
 Under Hoistah's guidance the guild pros- 
 pered. No new undertaking was begun 
 except after prayer. The symbolism, too, 
 always thereafter, was of a sacred nature, 
 and the old, old people of the tribe said that 
 Hoistah was best of all the leaders of the 
 Mon inieo they had ever known. 
 
 107 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 Valley of the Arkansas 
 
 For three winters more, after Hoistah 
 became the mistress of her industrial guild, 
 this band of Cheyennes camped in the Black 
 Hills. Then the Cheyenne tribe made a 
 treaty with the United States government, 
 one of the terms of which was that all 
 Cheyennes should leave the Black Hills and 
 live in the valley of the Arkansas River. 
 They were told that in this new locality they 
 would be unmolested by hostile Indians and 
 find plenty of game, and that the national 
 government would contribute to their sup- 
 port. 
 
 It was understood, therefore, that when 
 the tepees were taken down once more in the 
 
 108 
 
VALLEY OF THE ARKANSAS 
 
 Black Hills they would not again be placed 
 in permanent positions until they came to 
 southeastern Colorado. The old home was 
 accordingly abandoned forever, and all the 
 Cheyennes moved out over the plains to 
 make a new one. Slowly they travelled, 
 taking all their belongings with them, re- 
 gretting the parting from the land of their 
 fathers, but trusting the promises of the 
 white man that peace and prosperity should 
 be found in the valley of the Arkansas. 
 They went on and on, day after day, week 
 after week, until at last they camped on the 
 bank of the Arkansas River in a new home 
 — a land of promise. 
 
 In their new home these Cheyennes fre- 
 quently saw white men, traders, freighters 
 on the Santa Fe trail and gold seekers, and 
 learned much of their ways. The members 
 of Iron Shirt's band were always glad to 
 
 109 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 be known as friends to the pale-faces and 
 tried to adapt themselves to a new environ- 
 ment, but not all of them succeeded. 
 
 The skill of Running Wolf in hunting 
 supplemented by occasional help from the 
 Agency, kept Hoistah and her little ones 
 from want, but many of the Cheyennes at 
 this time actually suffered on account of 
 a lack of proper food, shelter and clothing. 
 
 Because of the presence of so many white 
 men in their new home, and because the 
 allotted hunting grounds w r ere too small, 
 Cheyenne hunting parties frequently went 
 far to the south. One party of Cheyenne 
 hunters, about forty in -number, while in the 
 south once, camped on the Washita River 
 and were surprised and massacred by the 
 Kiowas. 
 
 When news of this atrocity reached the 
 Cheyenne camp Iron Shirt at once led his 
 
 110 
 
VALLEY OF THE ARKANSAS 
 
 braves into Kiowaland to avenge the blood 
 of his tribesmen. To the women left be- 
 hind, no tidings came from them for several 
 weeks, and Hoistah as well as the others of 
 the camp began to fear that Iron Shirt's 
 warriors too had become victims of Kiowa 
 treachery and cruelty. 
 
 No news came until, late one night, a 
 tumult arose in camp and Running Wolf 
 was carried wounded into his tepee in 
 silence. In silence Hoistah brought her 
 husband food, and silently he ate it. Then 
 without a word he drew a blanket over him, 
 reclined upon a buffalo robe and slept. 
 With true Indian stoicism Hoistah had 
 questioned him nothing, but as soon as she 
 knew he was sound asleep she arose with a 
 heavy heart and sought her mother's tent. 
 Her mother never spoke or even looked up 
 as Hoistah entered her tepee, but just sat 
 
 111 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 in silence. Hoistah, almost overcome with 
 wonder and emotion, stole away home and 
 on the path met her younger sister and 
 heard how their father had fallen while 
 leading a charge against the Kiowas and 
 how Running Wolf had brought the chief - 
 tian's body out before the Kiowas could take 
 the scalplock, and, returning, had led the 
 Cheyennes to victory — a dearly bought vic- 
 tory but a decisive one. Hoistah heard also 
 that Running Wolf had been chosen chief 
 of their band of Cheyennes. She could not 
 trust herself to speak for fear of showing 
 the emotions she felt, as she entered her own 
 home again. Long she sat in her tepee that 
 winter's night, listening to the laboured 
 breathing of her wounded husband, and, 
 gazed at the dying embers of the tepee 
 fire, pondering over the future of the 
 Cheyennes. 
 
 112 
 
VALLEY OF THE ARKANSAS 
 
 In the morning Running Wolf told her 
 at last of her father's death — such a death 
 as an old warrior would desire — in the red 
 battle. Then he added: "In death he 
 wore his scalplock untouched by enemies." 
 As to the chieftainship, he said: "To be 
 chief now that we are subjected to laws not 
 our own, and at a time when our old cus- 
 toms are dying out, is not a glorious priv- 
 ilege, but a duty. I shall serve." 
 
 A few weeks later Running Wolf was 
 able to leave his tepee and take up his new 
 duties. The traders, the gold hunters, the 
 freighters on the Sante Fe trail, and pass- 
 ing strangers knew him as the lame Chey- 
 enne chief, but they all trusted him. 
 
 At last peace was made between the 
 Kiowas and their allies, the Comanches, and 
 wars in the south ceased. When the white 
 men called a great peace council at Fort 
 
 113 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 Laramie a few years later, Sioux, Assini- 
 boian, Crow, Mandan, Arikara, Cheyenne 
 and Arapahoe warriors sat in council with 
 white soldiers. The "lame" Cheyenne's 
 voice was for peace, and peace was agreed 
 to by all the western tribes present, before 
 Running Wolf returned to his people. 
 Soon after this an epidemic of cholera swept 
 away many of the band of Cheyennes to 
 which Hoistah and Running Wolf belonged, 
 just as a few years before an epidemic of 
 smallpox had destroyed fully half of their 
 number. Among the victims of the later 
 epidemic was the "lame" Cheyenne chief, 
 Running Wolf, friend of the pale-face. 
 Too few of the band remained now that they 
 did not elect another chief, but joined with 
 other Cheyenne bands. Hoistah and her 
 children lived with Black Kettle's band who 
 still trusted in the pale-faced people. 
 
 114 
 
VALLEY OF THE ARKANSAS 
 
 Several years later still these friendly 
 Cheyennes were attacked by Chivington's 
 Colorado Volunteers. The attack was un- 
 warranted and unexpected; many Chey- 
 ennes were ruthlessly killed 1 — women and 
 children as well as warriors. In the list of 
 killed were the only living children and 
 grandchildren of Hoistah. 
 
 Afterwards Black Kettle fell fighting 
 "pony soldiers" and Hoistah was without a 
 home. Then her heart turned against the 
 pale-faced people forever. In her old age, 
 widowed, childless and homeless, she learned 
 to distrust the great government from which 
 she had always hoped for help and guidance. 
 
 A general peace among the plains Indians 
 west and south having been established, the 
 Cheyennes, in accordance with Indian cus- 
 toms, often made formal tribal visits to 
 other Indians. On none of these tribal 
 
 115 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 visits to the Kiowas did Hoistah accompany 
 her people, but through others she learned 
 that old Bear Tongue was killed in the same 
 battle in which Iron Shirt lost his life, that 
 Black Duck and a band of his comrades 
 were slain by "pony soldiers" and trampled 
 under the "iron moccasins" of their ponies 
 far down in the south land. Neither kin- 
 dred, old friend, nor old-time enemy of 
 Hoistah was among the living. She was 
 indeed alone in the world and out of har- 
 mony with her times. 
 
 It was small wonder that Hoistah now 
 first evinced disrespect for the teaching of 
 the missionaries. Once when some one ad- 
 vised her to follow the teachings of the mis- 
 sionaries and adopt some custom of the 
 white people she said: 
 
 "When I die I hope I shall be wrapped 
 in a robe and hoisted on a scaffold. Per- 
 
 116 
 
VALLEY OF THE ARKANSAS 
 
 haps whistling winter winds will soon blow 
 me down to earth, and my bones will be 
 rattled over the plains by wild beasts. But 
 until my bones are separated one from the 
 other I shall remain a Cheyenne and continue 
 to despise the pale-faced people and all their 
 ways." 
 
 117 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 Seeking a New Home 
 
 As white men continued to establish 
 homes, build cities, and in every way oc- 
 cupy the valley of the Arkansas, the Chey- 
 ennes found their only vocation, hunting, 
 becoming less and less profitable, and at last 
 they decided to leave this region and return 
 to their former home in the Black Hills. 
 Under constraint from the national govern- 
 ment, however, they altered their decision, 
 and agreed to move southward to the region 
 in Oklahoma lying between the Cimarron 
 and the North Canadian Rivers. 
 
 To make sure that the Cheyennes did not 
 
 alter their last decision, United States 
 
 118 
 
SEEKING A NEW HOME 
 
 cavalry under command of General Lawton 
 was sent to escort them to their new home. 
 Old Hoistah's proud spirit revolted at the 
 thought of "pony soldiers" and she de- 
 clared she would never obey any military or- 
 ders from them. As she could not live 
 alone she had of course to prepare to move 
 south with the Cheyennes, but protested 
 strongly against being taken to this new 
 home by United States soldiers. 
 
 At last the soldiers came. Several days 
 of preparation followed and then southward 
 along or near the Kansas-Colorado line the 
 Cheyennes moved under their military 
 escort, and southward along the same line 
 Hoistah went at the same time, but she was 
 not moving under any orders from the 
 troopers. Her tepee poles were fastened 
 on either side of her faithful spotted pony 
 and all her possessions were placed in the 
 
 119 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 travois, while she herself mounted and rode 
 as fast or as slow as she pleased. 
 
 On the first day of travel Hoistah's con- 
 duct was noticed by one of the officers, who 
 upon making inquiry heard that this "old 
 squaw" was "harmless but peculiar." The 
 interpreter assured the officer that he need 
 have no concern for squaws, though he had 
 better carefully watch the movements of the 
 warriors, some of whom contemplated escap- 
 ing to join the Sioux. Thus it was that 
 without molestation Hoistah travelled pretty 
 much as she pleased. 
 
 At the edge of the Cheyenne reservation 
 the party stopped for the night and Hoistah 
 pitched her tepee near by. Next morning, 
 when the tribe, still escorted by the cavalry, 
 moved on she remained behind and could 
 not be induced to move. She was tired, she 
 said, and besides she thought that, as the 
 
 120 
 
SEEKING A NEW HOME 
 
 tribe had reached the Cheyenne reservation 
 the soldier escort should return. Late in 
 the afternoon she moved on southward, fol- 
 lowing the wide trail made by the Cheyennes 
 and the "pony soldiers," but not rejoining 
 them. The trail presently led close to the 
 North Canadian River, where they were 
 camped, but here Hoistah turned aside 
 and rode up the valley several miles to 
 a bend in the river and camped by her- 
 self, alone. 
 
 In a little cove by a small lake, beneath 
 the wide branches of a giant elm tree, she 
 erected her tepee. South and east of her 
 tepee were dunes fringed with cottonwood 
 trees; east and north was the lake girdled 
 with trees and west of her, just near enough 
 so that she could faintly hear the low mur- 
 mur of waters in its wide sandy bed, flowed 
 the North Canadian River. The willows 
 
 121 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 along the river bank screened her camp on 
 all sides. 
 
 About noon Hoistah stopped in this cove 
 and by evening her camp was well in order, 
 not to be suspected by the soldiers, so com- 
 pletely was she hidden behind the willows, 
 the cottonwoods and the dunes. 
 
 At evening she gathered dried sticks from 
 beneath two dead trees near her tepee and 
 started a camp-fire in a bend of the dune, 
 so that no one could see it from any direc- 
 tion. Here she cooked and ate some of the 
 half-dried meat she had brought. Until 
 daylight had completely died out Hoistah 
 sat by her little camp-fire listening to Na- 
 ture's voices. Her pony, securly hobbled, 
 grazed near her, and ever and anon the 
 raincrow called from the thickest of the 
 nearby grove. By and by some little 
 coyotes, left alone while their mother went 
 
 122 
 
 
SEEKING A NEW HOME 
 
 in search of food, began to run up and down 
 the sandy banks along the river, loud in 
 their frolicsome exercise ; the moon, full and 
 round, arose in the east, and the hoot of an 
 owl in the dense forest across the river an- 
 nounced that the reign of night had begun. 
 Then Hoistah tie4 her pony among the 
 willows and entering her tepee closed it and 
 slept soundly until dawn. 
 
 At dawn the quail's "bobb white" awoke 
 her. The "tit-tit-tit-twig" of the scissor- 
 tail bird, the lark's glad song and the dis- 
 cordant voice of the crow in the dead Cot- 
 tonwood tree on the river bank called her 
 forth into a new day. She put the pony 
 grazing again while she cooked her meat. 
 The fatigue of her long journey had been 
 great. And for two or three hours she 
 rested before she mounted her pony again 
 and rode on to the neighbourhood of the 
 
 123 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 main Cheyenne camp. There to her relief 
 she saw the "pony soldiers" leaving. Back 
 again she rode to her tepee, without a word 
 to any one, and packing up again she came 
 in to the Cheyenne camp just before night 
 and placed her tepee there near to the main 
 camp, but by itself. Here, just where 
 woodland and prairie meet, alone but near 
 her tribe, she established her new and com- 
 fortable, though somewhat lonely, home. 
 
 All the Cheyennes knew what troubles 
 she had borne and were kind to her. 
 
 124 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 In Oklahoma 
 
 During the winter months Hoistah did 
 not stay far from her own tepee. Cheyenne 
 children brought sticks for her camp-fire; 
 food and clothing were provided for her by 
 the tribe, so that she lived comfortably. 
 She was thankful, too, that the pale-faced 
 people seldom came about. 
 
 When the sun shone warm and bright, as 
 it did for days and days during the winter 
 months, she would sit on the south side of 
 her tepee, or in some other sheltered spot, 
 and nod as she thought and dreamed of 
 olden times. When Arapahoes or other 
 neighbouring Indians came to visit her tribe 
 she would attend the feasts, and always en- 
 
 125 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 joyed watching the dancing upon these oc- 
 casions. 
 
 On winter evenings she would sit by her 
 fire and tell the legends and traditions of 
 her people to those who visited her; almost 
 every day she talked of olden times in the 
 Black Hills. But the sacred legends she 
 never repeated except at night. 
 
 The early summer season was what 
 Hoistah most enjoyed. At that time she 
 could ride over the reservation at will and 
 live much in the open. One day in early 
 June she rode out over the prairie to the 
 North Canadian River to be alone and think 
 and dream of the past uninterrupted. 
 Through the billowy sea of bluestem grass 
 she rode until the shade of a cottonwood tree 
 by the river's bank invited her to rest. 
 Turning her pony loose to graze she spread 
 her blanket in the shade and sat down for 
 
 126 
 
IN OKLAHOMA 
 
 a good quiet hour. At her side a sensitive 
 rose bloomed, and for a time she toyed with 
 this plant, touching its leaves first on this 
 branch and then on that to see them wither 
 temporarily. Just at her back some wild 
 poppies in bloom seemed to signal to the 
 other flowers as they stood on the wind- 
 blown prairie ; all around her the diminutive 
 sun-flowers bowed gracefully to the flower 
 people of the meadow, but constantly 
 turned as Clyte of old to follow the sun-god 
 in his daily journey. Yellow cone-flowers, 
 stiff and unyielding, stood sentinel-like all 
 around; here and there the morning asters 
 displayed their dainty white umbrellas, and 
 prairie primroses peeped out from the deep 
 grass everywhere. 
 
 The warm south wind, the perfumes of^ 
 the blossoming prairie, the rustling of the 
 leaves of the nearby tree and the quietude 
 
 1271 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 of this primitive place appealed to the aged 
 Cheyenne woman to lie down and rest. 
 
 Lying quietly in the shade she looked up, 
 and began unconsciously to watch some 
 hawks that circled far up in the blue above. 
 Soon she was only conscious of their silent 
 circlings and could not distinguish one from 
 the other; then in dreamland she again 
 played as a little girl on the bank of the river 
 in the far away but still beloved Black Hills. 
 The sun moved on westward, but only the 
 eye of the sun-flower followed him in his 
 journey. 
 
 When Hoistah awoke the shade of the 
 cottonwood had long since left her, though 
 the prairie flowers still clustered near. Her 
 pony was nowhere to be seen, and taking up 
 her blanket she began to follow the dim 
 trail, first picking up the rawhide thong she 
 had used as a bridle, with which she would 
 
 128 
 
IN OKLAHOMA 
 
 have hobbled the pony but for a trick of 
 failing memory that was coming on her. 
 Down the mesa from the prairie into the 
 river valley went the trail at last, and Hois- 
 tah, climbing down still followed. Soon 
 she found a place where the pony had stood 
 in a thicket a long time for relief from the 
 annoying flies, but again the trail led on 
 toward the river. Presently she met the 
 pony returning from getting a drink at 
 the river. Scolding her for "running 
 away" and at the same time patting the 
 beautiful spotted creature kindly, Hoistah 
 mounted her pony and rode back again 
 across the prairie to the edge of the wood- 
 land-home. 
 
 But again, when she dismounted. When 
 released the pony kicked up her heels and 
 ran far out over the prairie to join the 
 herd. Hoistah said: 
 
 129 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 "You foolish pony! I have ridden you 
 for ten and five summers; you should be an 
 old, old pony, but you are more foolish now 
 than any of your numerous descendants. 
 You and I are old nevertheless and soon 
 must pass on to another land — an unknown 
 region. We shall not follow, now or then, 
 the way of the pale-faced people, but the 
 way of the true Cheyenne." 
 
 130 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 With her own People 
 
 So Hoistah passed the summer riding 
 about the reservation, visiting the feasts and 
 the social dances and frequently sleeping 
 among the wild prairie flowers; then winter 
 came again. 
 
 This winter Hoistah, during the stormy 
 days, never left her tepee, and seldom re- 
 peated now, the legends of her people; 
 in fact, she seemed to have forgotten them. 
 But she talked freely of the old life in the 
 Black Hills. 
 
 By mid-winter she had gradually become 
 too weak to walk about even in her own 
 tepee, and some of her friends wanted to con- 
 
 131 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 suit a white physician at the Indian Agency 
 for her, but she would not consent. The 
 Cheyenne medicine man (**A frankly that he 
 could not help her. "It is old age," said 
 he; "she is going beyond." 
 
 Watchers stayed night and day at her 
 tepee, and often, half awake and half asleep, 
 she would talk of games and scenes as if 
 she were a child playing again by the Chey- 
 enne River. One stormy night she lay still 
 a long, long time, and then the watchers saw 
 her make the sign of the Cheyenne feebly 
 as she murmured, "Dzi'tsista's." ("Our 
 own people.") What more she tried to say 
 they could not understand. She was silent 
 again for a long time, and they knew her 
 life was ended. 
 
 The next day they brought her pony to 
 the tepee and attached a travois to him. 
 Hoistah's body, wrapped in a bright robe, 
 
 132 
 
WITH HER OWN PEOPLE 
 
 was placed therein, and friends accompanied 
 her as her body was thus drawn up on a high 
 mesa overlooking a deep canyon, where a 
 grave, deep and wide, was dug. The agent 
 of the national government had forbidden 
 the burial scaffolds which had been the 
 Cheyenne custom hitherto. Into this new 
 grave Hoistah's body was lowered. The 
 pony that had been so faithful during life 
 was killed and placed beside her mistress to 
 be of service to her in the spirit land. There 
 were also dried herbs, plaits of sweet grass, 
 and implements of the industries of her 
 people, as well as foods of various kinds. 
 Over her body were thrown her shawls and 
 her heavy buffalo robe. 
 
 Having done all this the friends withdrew 
 from the grave and sat apart. Every little 
 while some one would leave the group with 
 an offering and deposit it in the open pit, 
 
 133 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 addressing Hoistah as the token of love and 
 respect was lowered. 
 
 When at last shadows were lengthening 
 toward the east the oldest Cheyenne of all in 
 the tribe arose and asked if every one had 
 "made offerings' ' who wished to do so. 
 
 Receiving no reply he himself went for- 
 ward and placed in the grave a beautiful 
 blanket saying: 
 
 "True Cheyenne, enter the shadows of 
 the unknown world in comfort, and know 
 that we who remain behind are ready to 
 serve your needs. May these offerings help 
 you to pass with safety and comfort through 
 the dangers of the long trail you are now 
 to follow in the spirit land, and may you 
 reach in safety the happy hunting grounds 
 of your own people." 
 
 Then over the grave, now almost filled 
 
 134 
 
WITH HER OWN PEOPLE 
 
 with offerings, the friends piled a great 
 heap of stones. Thus was Hoistah's body 
 protected from the wild beasts of the plains. 
 At sunset the tribe departed, leaving the 
 dead alone, but trusting that her spirit 
 should find its way through the unknown 
 world to her own people. 
 
 By a lone tree on the mesa, overlooking 
 the deep canyon in the Cheyenne country, is 
 the sunken stone heap, marking the grave 
 of Hoistah. The unwearied winds sweep- 
 ing through the dried leaves of the tree sing 
 a requiem in winter time. In summer the 
 voices of nature sing their songs, and all 
 around the flower people of the prairie smile 
 and nod and beckon kindly above the resting 
 place of Hoistah, the true Cheyenne — the 
 Signal-Light- Woman. 
 
 Hoistah's life ended more than a genera- 
 
 135 
 
HOISTAH 
 
 tion ago, but her memory and the spirit of 
 her unyielding nature, as well as her distrust 
 of the way of the pale-faced people, still 
 exist among the Cheyenne Indians. 
 
 THE END 
 
 <: 
 
 R C-96 
 '136 
 
V ** ** -Ajgv / ^ 
 
 o •* o 
 
 ^o 1 
 
 *°«* 
 
 4°^ 
 
 
 *°* 
 
• 'J j * ^t/M~~* i 
 
 
 D - c 81 ^*>* V.iii- V-V 
 
 ST. AUGUSTINE J^^lfik* ***> A 
 
 ^2084