\

tm ADVENTURES

AMONG THE

S

W. H.G.KINGSTON

FRED LOCKLEY
RARE WESTERN BOOKS
4227 S. E.Stark St.
PORTLAND, ORE.

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

1936

ADVENTURES
AMONG THE INDIANS
OR.
SCOUTING WITH GEN. CUSTER

By W. H. G. KINGSTON

CHICAGO
A. DONOHUE & COMPANY
407-42g DEARBORN STREET

COPYRIGHT,
Br T. M. Newsom,
1884.

CONTENTS.

Mis-se-jar-ga; or, the Angel Guide  7
Indian Treachery; or a Run for Life  14
Marriage and Death of Minnehaha  24
Birth Place of Minnehaha  28
Indian Diplomacy  30
Minnetooka; an Indian Legend  33
Thrilling Scenes Among the Indians  45
Wenona; Maiden Rock  55
Lake Pepin and Scenery  59
Kis-se-me-pa and Kar-go-ga  62
The Skulking Dog  65
Pick-a-wa-ka and El-mo-na  71
Memory of a Noted Chippewa Chief  75
He-le-o-pa and Nim-pe-wa-pa  78
The Mississippi River; its Scenery  83
The Battle for the Apron  87
A White Indian Queen  92
An Indian's Theory of the Celestial Bodies  93
The Inner Life of the Indian  98
An-pe-tu-sa-pa; Legend of St. Anthony Falls  106
My Last Night in a Sioux Indian Camp  iii
Peculiar Indian Traditions  118
The Game of Ball— a Thrilling Scene  128
Pa-ha Wa-kan; or, the Sacred Descent  135
Old Bets; Romance of Early Life  141
Wa-zi-ya, and the Enchanted Knife  145
Opinions, Beliefs and Customs of the Indians  149

4 CONTENTS.
The Last Man— Strange Beliefs  IS3
General George A. Custer  - •• . 172
Sitting Bull, or Ta-tou-ka-i-y-a-tou-ka  .. 178
The Last Great Indian Battle  184
Sitting Bull's First Visit to Civilization  192
An Interesting Trip  201
A Genuine Scare  208
Fort Snelling  213
Indian Speeches and Indian Council  215
Early Missionary Efforts  221
Indian Poetry.
He Will Come  236
Come Again  236
The Giant's Dance  • . . . . 237
Never, Never  .... 237
Grandfather   238
To the Spirit-land  238
Statistics  > . . . 239

PREFACE.

MOST of the scenes described, and nearly all the
incidents narrated, in the pages of this book,
were a part of my own personal experience of a resi
dence of some thirty years on the frontier, and for
which I can vouch as true, except, perhaps, the incidents
of the last great battle of the lamented Custer with Sit
ting Bull, and for these I am indebted to one who was
early on the ground after the conflict, and who has ob
tained from the Indians themselves what I deem to be
a very accurate picture of the terrible struggle between
the contending forces.
Of the various traditions which are woven in among
the other articles, I can only say, in the language of
Longfellow: "Should you ask where Na-wa-da-ha
Found these songs, so wild and wayward, — '
Found these legends and traditions, —
I should answer, I should tell tell you,
In the bird's nests of the forest,
In the lodges of the beaver.
In the hoof-prints of the bison.
In the eyrie of the eagle.
Here Na-wa-da-ha found these legends.''
The object of this work is to group together some of
the traditions of the past and many of the character
istics of the Indians of the Northwest, and to so weave
in romance and history as to form interesting reading
matter for the general public. Several of the legends

6 PREFACE,
and articles now published have already appeared in
print, and as they were then received with much cor
diality, exhausting the various editions rapidly, the
author feels warranted in the belief that the present
volume will be favorably received by a discriminating
public. All the habits, customs, beliefs, and puculiar<
ities of the Indians can be relied upon as correct.
The Author.
SAnrr Paul, Minn,, 1884.

MIS-SE-JAR-GA;
OR, THE ANGEL GUIDE,

((

WELL," I asked of an old Indian of nearly
one hundred winters, who sat over a camp
fire, smoking his well-worn pipe, " What legend do you
know of a body of water recognized by the white man
as Lake of the Loons?" He gave a grunt, emptied
the ashes from his pipe, refilled it with kinnikinick,
puffed away for a few moments, and then said :
" Many moons long since gone, when my hair was
black and my face was smooth, away off to the east,
where the bright spirit — the sun — rises and washes its
face in the morning dews, dwelt my forefathers, and
the friends of my youth. Just on the border of our
reservation settled a paleface and his family, which at
first made our hearts bad, but they were so good and so
kind that we came to esteem them, and they lived
among us respected. His family consisted of three
boys, and a golden-haired girl of five summers. This
child was 'as fair as Minnehaha, beautiful as sunset,
happy as a bird, gentle as a lamb, sweet as the Great
Spirit. Her winning ways, her golden, curly hair, her
great blue eyes, her innocent prattle, her confidence in
the red man, as she climbed on his knee and toyed with
his long black hair — the contrast between the sweet lily
face and the tawny complexion of our tribe, won for her
the name of Mis-se-jar-ga, or the angel guide."
The old Indian paused, dropped his head upon his
7

8 MIS-SE-JAR-GA;
breast ; was silent for a moment, when, with another
puff from his pipe, he proceeded with his story,
" White mother loved child ; white man loved child.
One Indian loved child better than white man. Child
good. Child angel. Heap big heart for Mis-se-jar-ga,"
A deep, guttural sound escaped from the old Indian,
as he paused again and gazed intently into the fire, and
he was only aroused from his reverie by my asking
him : " Lelia cooler, good friend, what then ? "
" Indian steals up close to white man's wigwam.
Night has covered the beautiful face with darkness;
Mis-se-jar-ga sleeps, but Indian loved Mis-se-jar-ga, He
takes her up like a pure snow-flake, wraps her in his
blanket, and before she is conscious, glides out into the
forest, and ere the morning dawns, is a day's travel
towards the west. Moons come and go, but no Mis-se-
jar-ga. Family mourn, but no Mis-se-jar-ga. Mother
dies from grief, but no Mis-se-jar-ga. Brothers hunt
the woods for the bones of their beautiful . sister, but
ho Mis-se-jar-ga. No angel guide comes to comfort
the weary heart of the white father. Mis-se-jar-ga is
gone forever toward the setting sun.
" Harry was the youngest brother of Mis-se-jar-ga.
Many, many, more moons had passed, since the boy
had grown to manhood. The memory of his golden-
haired sister still dwelt in his heart. He had suspicions
that she still lived. The father had crossed the river
of death and had joined the mother in the spirit land,
and the brothers, disposing of thcir farm, had gone
back to their friends in the east. Harry lived only for
one end — one aim — one purpose — the restoration of his
sister." Again the Indian dropped his head on his breast and

OR, THE ANGEL GUIDE. 9
was silent. I let him remain so, when rousing up, he
continued :
" Harry had come to know the Indian language, the
Indian costumes, the Indian mode of living, and bid
ding good-bye to the old homestead, equipped as a
trapper, he set out for the Mississippi river, where he
had good reason to believe his sister had been carried."
I here interrupt the story of the Indian to explain to
the reader, that the place where Harry's father had
opened his farm, was in the extreme eastern portion of
Wisconsin, where, at that time, no white man but he
had ever dared to venture. The country was wholly
inhabited by the children of the forest, who since then
have been moving rapidly westward, and for hundreds
of miles where they used to roam, are now cities and
cultivated farms. One can form a vivid conception of
how difficult it must have been for Harry to traverse
this wide extent of country, looking for his long-lost
sister. The Indian resumed his narrative.
" Trapping along the streams, hunting game in the
woods, sleeping upon the ground, or occasionally enjoy
ing the hospitality of an Indian tepee. Harry traveled
continually, buoyed up with the hope of meeting the
blue-eyed Mis-se-jar-ga, whose dear little features haunt
ed him night and day. He had forgotten that ten years
had elapsed since her abduction — he had forgotten
that the child had bloomed into the young girl — had
forgotten that her mode of life had changed her — had
forgotten that the clear complexion had merged into
the copper-colored tint of the Indian maiden. All he
saw, all he dreamed of, all he thought of, was the
golden-haired child of his boyhood.

IO MIS-SE-JAR-GA;
" When within about two days' travel of the Missis
sippi river, Harry drew his rifle and fired at a deer as
it bounded past him. Instantly he heard wild war-
whoops, and saw thirteen Indians bearing down upon
him, with uplifted Icnives and tomahawks. In vain he
assured them he was their friend — in vain he talked to
them in their native tongue ; but a white nian had
never been seen in their country before ; to them he
must be a spy, an enemy, so finding it useless to make
a fight, he threw down his gun and surrendered. The
Indians drew near, seized his weapon, his knife, his
hunter's dress, and binding his hands behind him, or
dered him to follow them. They crossed the Missis
sippi and continued on, until they came to a lake, about
whose shores were heavy trees, and here they were met
by other Indians who came to see the prisoner. This
was their camping ground, their home. Harry was
conducted to a small birch-bark tepee, somewhat sepa
rated from the rest, and after his arms were more se
curely bound, and his feet firmly fastened, he was left
alone with only one Indian to guard the door."
The old Indian turned his head quickly, seized his
rifle as it were by intuition, crouched down upon the
ground, and after a moment or two relaxed into his
usual composure, and continued his story.
"That night the Indians gathered in a council of
death, near where lay the white man, listening and
understanding all they said. The old braves advocated
burning at the stake, with a war-dance. The paleface
had invaded their country ; he came to do them harm ;
he had a bad spirit, so sentence of death was passed
upon him; to be executed in two days. The council

OR, THE ANGEL GUIDE. IT
broke up with a wild, weird, thrilling death song, which
fell upon the ears of Harry like leaden bullets.
*' Morning dawned, and with it no hope for the con
demned man ! Harry knew enough of Indian charac
ter to realize that his doom was sealed, so he begged as
a last boon that he might be permitted to stroll along
the shores of the lake and commune with nature before
death ended his career. Oh, if he could see that sister
once more before he died ; if he could but know that
she still lived, it would enable him to endure the terri
ble end which he knew must come. Some distance be
low the lodge where he had been imprisoned, and upon
the borders of the lake, partially hidden by beautiful
trees and creeping vines, was another tepee ; and as the
prisoner walked along the shore natural curiosity in
duced the Indian women to gaze upon him. Harry
looked up, caught the glance of a girl of fifteen years,
with Indian complexion, Indian dress, Indian timidity,
but with golden, curly hair and blue eyes ! Could it be
possible! Was that his sister? His head grew dizzy ;
he tottered, fainted and fell. When he came to him
self, two Indians and several squaws were bending over
him, and among them the young maiden whose image
had frozen his heart. He spoke to her in English, she
heeded him not ; he spoke to her in Indian, telling her
she must be his sister, — he alluded to her hair, her eyes,
so different from the Indian, but her memory was
blank ; he could make no impression. He asked per
mission to lift the scarf that encircled her neck ; be
neath it was pure white. He knew it was his sister, but
how could he make her realize it ? During this inter
view the Indians gazed with astonishment and awe
upon the scene ! They began to get uneasy. The In-

12 MIS-SE-JAR-GA;
dian maiden herself was withdrawing to her tepee,
when Harry, desperate with his desire to have her recog-
,nize him, once more began talking with her in Indian.
He spoke of her childhood ; her brothers, her parents,
her abduction ; but it brought no light to the memory
of the poor giri. Finally he alluded to the name of
Harry, to her early play ground, her baking cakes in
the sand, her romping with her little brother ; and then,
in an instant, came back the light of other days. She
approached him ; asked him to repeat the name of
Harry; asked him to tell her more about the sand
cakes, and then, all of a sudden, uttered a piercing
scream, fell to the earth, and was carried to her tepee,
while Harry was conducted back to his prison hoqse,
amid great confusion in the camp.
" That night there was another council, and in the
midst of it stood the Indian girl, her blue eyes flashing
and her go.Men curls floating down her back. It was
Mis-se-jar-ga, the angel guide, whose influence with the
tribe was unbounded. She plead for the life of the
paleface. It might be her brother, it might not be ;
but why take the life of the white man, who had done
' them no harm ? why incur the ill will of the Great -Spir
it, in doing a great wrong? Her efforts were endorsed
by a young and handsome brave, in an eloquent plea,
not so much for the white man, as for the wishes of
the Indian maiden, and before the council adjourned,
the savages had relented, the death sentence had been
changed to liberty, and that night Harry walked among
the red men, a happy man, for he had gained his life
and found his long-lost sister.
" That memorable spot," said the old Indian, point
ing across the lake, " where Mis-se-jar-ga spent her early

OR, THE ANGEL GUIDE. 1 3
childhood — ^where she was recognized by her brother,
and where she left the Indian camp forever to dwell
among her own people, is over there, yonder, in that
quiet little dell, where the tall trees sing of her beauty
and of her innocence, and the waves of the lake bewail
the absence of the Angel Guide.

INDIAN TREACHERY.
A RUN FOR LIFE.
NINETEEN years ago, while on my way from Ver
milion lake, near the British line, I found that
the spring floods had carried away all the bridges, had
stopped the stages, indeed, had interrupted all travel to
such an extent that pedestrians were obliged to either
walk through water and mud some thirty or forty miles
per day — as the stage stations were then about this dis
tance apart on the traveled road — or lay up at one of
the " inns " along the line. I, with my companion, a
short, duck-legged chap, by the name of Camp, who
had come with me from Vermilion, decided, per force
of necessity, to stop at a place called " Deer Creek;" so
" housing in," we adapted ourselves to circumstances,
and becoming more fully acquainted with the landlord
and his wife, soon whiled away the time in real primi
tive, frontier style. The rain out doors beat against the
window panes, it leaked through the roof, it whipped
in under the door; the swollen stream, after which
the place took its name, roared and foamed, and tossed
close by the little house in which we were huddled; the
good dame had fried her salt pork and slap-jacks, and
was just on the point of calling us to dinner, when two
weary travelers sprung in the door and dripping with
water, tired with walking, exhausted with hunger,
stood before us, objects of our deepest commiseration.
Of course they were soon made comfortable, supplied
with food, and in a short time we found ourselves quite
U

A RUN FOR LIFE. 1$
good 'friends, for nothing binds men together more
closely or cements stronger friendships, than adversity
itself, and as we were all at the mercy of the good peo
ple of "Deer Creek " and the raging storm without, we
became particularly interested in each other and phil
osophers at lai^e.
One pf these men was small and wiry, the other had
a large, heavy frame, and a swarthy complexion. About
cm hour after dinner the small man drew me aside, and
said confidentially — " You see my companion ?" I
answered, "I did." "Well," he remarked, "he is an
Indian, possessed of a great secret, and as I know you
are interested in what I am about to say, I will com
municate something to you of great importance, but I
want it understood as strictly confidential," to which
of course I assented. " Well, then," said my compan
ion, "that Indian, disguised in a white man's dress,
under which is his own garb, knows where there is a
large and rich deposit of metal. You see those ear
rings, those finger rings and that pipe, all of solid sil
ver? Well, he cut that metal right out of the rock,
and he knows just where it is !" " Is that so ?" I
asked. " Yes," said the small, wiry man, " and what is
more, I will get him to go with you and show you
where it is." I said to Camp, " I'm off in the morning
up country, on an important errand ; will you go ?"
To which he replied, " Yes." So, soon after this, mat
ters were arranged with the Indian, whereby I was to
pay him $50 when he had shown me the place from
whence the silver in his possession had been obtained,
and we concluded to commence our journey the next
day. Camp, the Indian and myself started out on foot,
and after traveling for nearly three days, came to the

l6 INDIAN TREACHERY.
spot where the vein was said to be located, but here the
Indian halted, under a superstition, no doubt, of his
race, that if he told^a white man where the " shoon-e-ar,"
or money was, that a spirit would kill him, so he pre-
varicated, stumbled, paused, and finally claimed that
the water was too high ; he could not find the place,
etc., etc. Disgusted, Camp, myself and my " cowin
nisisshin," not good guide, set out to the nearest house,
knowing full well that we must either make it, or re
main all night in the woods. Camp's little duck legs
were put to their utmost capacity, but he kept close on
to my heels in a state of perspiration, as we tripped
through a dense woods, and after a walk of fifteen
miles, emerged into an opening, on the stage-traveled
road, where was an old claim shanty, occupied by one
O'Rally, a clever Irishman, who, seeing our chilled and
tired condition, set before us a hot whisky punch, and
in a short time we were in a placid and pleiisant state
of mind. During our trip through the woods, I had
observed that my Indian guide evidently intended to
detain us in the forest until after dark, and this, with
some other peculiar actions upon his part, especially
after O'Rally had given him some " Scoot-ta-wa-boo,"
or whisky, to drink, led me to suspect that the fellow
was contemplating mischief, but I said nothing to
Camp. While in this state of mind, and undecided
whether I would go on ten miles further that evening
to catch the stage in the morning, or remain over where
we were, I observed peeping into the window, a strange,
hideous Indian face, black, with angry eyes, high cheek
bones, a large, firmly set mouth, and huge jaws. He
gazed at me so ferociously that I actually cowered un
der his penetrating glare. And then I observed that

A RUN FOR LIFE. 1 7
the other Indian who had been with us was talking
with him, and both were armed with knives, tomahawks,
etc., — my guide having doffed his white man's dress for
that of his own — and what made matters still more se
rious, was the fact that they were both under the influ
ence of whisky. I had seen a great deal of Indian
character under various phases, but I had never before
seen a savage that I positively feared so much as that
black, devilish face and those glaring eyes, that ever
and anon peered in through the window upon me.
Fifteen minutes had passed and I had seen no In
dians. Well, I thought to myself, they have gone
home. I went out of the house and looked round —
nobody to be seen. It was getting towards sun-down.
Could we make the next station before dark? It was a
very desolate and dangerous road, but as my especial
fccU" was removed in the non-appearance of the Indians,
I decided to go on; so I said to Camp, " We will make
for the next station. As those devilish Indians have
gone, I have no fear, and we can foot it Hvely." It had
never entered Camp's head that the Indians might
attack and kill us on the road, for if he had had the least
suspicion in this direction, he would not have budged
an inch. Something in my look, however, must have
aroused his suspicion, for he came close to me, and look
ing piteously into my face, asked — " Do you think there
is any danger on the road ?" " Oh, no," I replied. I
didn't like that Indian with a dark face, but I guess we
are now clear of them, and we better go on." " You
know we are not armed," said Camp. " Yes, I know,
but you have that old ax ; better take it along with
you." Bidding good-bye to our friend, we started out on a
2

1 8 INDIAN TREACHERY.
brisk walk just as the sun was climbing down the
mountains, and winding around a curve, struck into a
narrow road that lay at the foot of high hills on the
right, and gorges eight hundred feet deep on the left.
The rocky cliffs frowned down upon us while the dark
chasms below sent back dull, heavy thug sounds, as we
rolled stones over the precipice and heard them gurgle
in the bottom below. Just ahead of us was a descent
in the road, and we could see a little brook bubbling
over the rocks and making its way down, down, down,
amid a dark sea of foliage, one thousand feet below,
and as we drew nearer we observed that the ravine
through which this stream ran, was spanned by a crude,
narrow bridge, and to my utmost horror, on this bridge,
in a partial state of intoxication, sat the two identical
Indians I so much feared. They were talking humor
ously with themselves ; swaying to and fro, and did not
notice us until we were close upon them, when they
broke out in their Indian dialect : " Booshu, neches !
Kersmokerman ogamar, scoot-ta-wa-boo, nisisshin,"
which means in English — " How do you do, friends !
White man chief, whisky is good."
At the same time, the ugly, dark-faced Indian got up,
and approaching me, sought by force to place me on
the bridge between the two. I took in the whole sit
uation at a glance, for once in their clutches, I knew a
knife would soon penetrate my heart, and my body
would go rolling down the deep abyss, while poor Camp
would soon after suffer the same fate ; so, straighten
ing myself up and assuming an air of defiance, I pushed
back the advancing Indian, and uttered in a loud voice,
" Cowin nisisshin," not good, " Cowin ! " I won't
drink. Their hilarity deepened into an ugly scowl.

A RUN FOR UFE. I9
They had been foiled. They were armed with knives
and tomahawks; I had nothing but a pen-knife, and
Camp had an old ax, but we conveyed the impression
that I had a revolver, which no doubt had much to do
in keeping them at bay. Finding that I would not
drink, that I was sullen and still, they passed the bottle
to each other, and then muttering to themselves,marched
on ahead of us.
" Camp," I said, as he crept close to my side, " I am
afraid we are going to have trouble with those Indians."
" Oh ! my God ! " said Camp, " do you think they will
kill us ? Oh, my God, my God ! " " Well, Camp, their
motives are bad, and the only way we can save our lives
is by boldness and strategy. If they knew I was un
armed, they would kill us in a minute. Now do just as
I tell you,oryour life won't be worth ten cents." " Oh,
don't talk so ; for God's sake don't talk so ; I'm tremb
ling all over ! What a terrible place to be in on this
road ! Look into that dark valley below ! If my body
should go down there, my family would never find the
remains of poor Camp. What a fool to come out here
to this horrible place. But do you really think they
will attack us?" " Listen. A certain distance ahead,
they will sit down and await our coming, and then they
will try to induce me to drink again. One of the In
dians, under a pretext of lightening' your burden, will
seek to get your ax, but don't you let it go out of your
hand at the peril of your life. If it become necessary,
swing it and strike that dark visaged Indian dead ; we
can manage the other. They are getting drunker and
drunker, and of course more ferocious. It is darkening
into twilight, and I must confess the outlook is very
serious." Camp's little duck-legs made several circles

20 INDIAN TREACHERY,
for a few minutes, whi'le he ejaculated — " oh ! oh ! oh !"
and then looking more like a dead man than a live one,
promised faithfully to do as I bid him, and we jogged
on. True enough, a little way ahead of us, there sat tbe
Indians awaiting our coming, and as we approached
them, one offered me the bottle of whisky, and the other
sought to take from Camp his ax. He had nearly suc
ceeded, when Camp, turning upon his heel, swung the .
ax high in the air, and it came within an inch of the
head of the ugly savage, which movement I immedi
ately seconded by stepping up to Mr. Indian, and put
ting my fist into his face, ordered him to let that man
alone. Our actions had the desired effect, but we could
plainly see that the infuriated beasts, urged on by
whisky, were getting madder and madder, and that it
needed strategy as well as bravery to carry our point.
We had now made at least about eight miles, and had
two more to make before we reached Damphier's, the
station from which the stage left in the morning. This
the Indfans were aware of as well as ourselves, and if
they intended to bag their game, they knew and we
knew, they had got to do it soon. If treachery was
their point, I intended to meet them on that ground,
so softening my ways, I took the bottle from my dusky
friends and with a loud " Ho ! " drank, that is, I let
most of the fluid slip down under my coat, instead of
into my throat, but it appeased their increasing hatred
and I had gained the point I desired to utilize in our
next heat, which I knew would be the most exciting, if
not the fatal one in our career. The Indians, appar
ently, overjoyed at my friendship — which I knew was
only a feint — brandished their knives high in the air.

A RUN FOR LIFE. 21
glared out into the increasing darkness, and hardly able
to stand up, commenced their terrible war-dance, yell
ing, as only Indians can yell, when on the scent of blood.
Poor Camp stood by trembling like an aspen leaf, when
we both started to move along, but the Indians glided
in ahead of us, and in an excited manner, soon gained
an advance.
"Camp, you see that hill ahead of us?" "Yes."
" Well, just over it is Damphier's. We have got to
make that point on the virtue of our limbs, or we shall
never reach civilization ! " " Oh, my God ! my God,"
exclaimed Camp. " You know I can't run ; I am a dead
man ; those devils will get me sure." " Well, it is our
only course. It is a run for life, so make up your mind
to get over that ground just as fast as the Lord will let
you." Camp gave a low groan. " When we come up
to the Indians again, I will affect to drink with them
and get them thoroughly engaged in narrating some of
their great deeds of valor, and on a given signal you
walk ahead unobserved, and on another signal, throw
aside your ax, take your boots in your hands, or throw
them away, and make for the station house with all the
power you possess. I will catch up with you, and we
may yet be saved." We soon came up to where the
Indians were sitting, and I went in strong with them on
drinking, being careful to let the fiery stuff eat the
lining of my coat rather than the lining of my throat.
They were infuriated drunk, ready for any dark deed,
with courage strong enough to kill a dozen white men,
but I adroitly drew them into a discussion as to the
relative merits of their own deeds ; gave the signals to
Camp ; moved away from them quietly, and in the next
five minutes Camp's short, banty legs were cutting

22 INDIAN TREACHERY.
amusing figures on the brow of the hill, while my own
limbs were making music close behind him. " Go it.
Camp ! " I cried, and Camp was going it — no hat — no
boots — no coat. Just before I reached the top of the
hill, I looked back, and found that the Indians had dis
covered our flight, and were coming for us in the most
horrible manner, wild with whisky, reeking with re
venge for their disappointment, cutting the air with
their knives and tomahawks, screaming, running, howl
ing — presenting one of the most revolting scenes I had
ever witnessed. I had caught up with Camp, and we
were neck and neck. " There's the house," I exclaimed,
" hold out a Httle longer," and away we ran, the Indians
gaining upon us every minute. We could almost feel
their hot breath, and in imagination see the descending
tomahawk entering our skulls, when Camp went head
foremost into Damphier's door, and in an instant it was
fastened by a heavy wooden bar, and the next moment
our frantic foes gave a bang — they were just behind us,
but too late ! Camp went turning over and over on the
floor, trying to gain his breath, claiming he was dying,
while Damphier sent his family into the log part of the
building, and with his double-barreled gun made his
appearance for the fight. Again came bang gainst the
door ! again I saw those glittering eyes — again another
bang, bang, when Damphier told them, through the
window, that just one more bang would cost them their
lives, and after skulking about for several hours, trying
the windows and the doors, all was still. Camp got up
and became composed. The family gathered together,
but there was no sleep that night — we were all on watch
until the gray of the morning, and I was heartily glad

A RUN FOR LIFE. 2$
when the sti^e took us whirling away from this dread
ful spot.
A few weeks later I learned that it was the intention
of these Indians to have killed us on the road, to have
robbed me, as it was supposed by them I had money
on my person, and from all I could gather, the small
wiry man who gave me the first information of the big
Indian at " Deer Creek," was the original instigator in
the whole plot.
I have a vivid recollection of two things, viz : the
glaring eyes of that horrible Indian, and the little duck
legs of Camp as he peeled it over the hill, in A RUN FOR
DEAR LIFE.

MARRIAGE AND DEATH OF MINNE
HAHA.
MINNE (water) ha! HA! (LAUGHING) — LAUGHING
WATER.
THE poet Longfellow has made memorable in song,
Minne-ha-ha, or Laughing Water, a beautiful
little cascade that goes dancing over a precipice, and
then the joyous brook from whence it comes, gurgles
its way onward to the Mississippi river. Previous to
forming the cascade, Minnehaha creek receives its life
from, and is connected with, a lake, and thus meander
ing through forest and glen, and over pebbly shores
and through cultivated farms, it at last, like a young
girl, with wild, flowing locks and sparkling eyes, leaps
over thfe broken rocks and scatters pearls in the dark
chasm below.
The poet has pictured Hiawatha as great in his own
estimation, and who, after having achieved greatness in
the eyes of others, conceived the idea of uniting the
antagonistic Indian elements of two ferocious tribes,
by he, a Chippewa, marrying Minnehaha, a Dacotah
maiden, with whom he is really in love. His soliloquy
on marriage is beautiful. He says :
" As unto the bow the cord is,
So unto man is woman ;
Though she bends him, she obeys him.
Though she draws him, yet she follows —
Useless each without the other."
Having settled this point in his own mind, he per-
34

MARRIAGE AND DEATH OF MINNEHAHA. 2$
sista in his determination to unite himself to a woman
of a different tribe, and in response to old No-ko-mis,
who objects to his union, he replies :
" In the land of the Dacotahs
Lives the arrow-maker's daughter,
Minnehaha, Laughing Water,
Handsomest of all the women.
I will bring her to your wigwam,
She shall run upon your errands.
Be your starlight, moonlight, firelight.
Be the sunshine of your people."
No-ko-mis rejoins:
" Very fierce are the Dacotahs;
There are feuds yet unforgotten,
Wounds that ache and still may open."
To which Hiawatha answers :
" For that reason, if no other,
Would I wed the fair Dacotah,
That our tribes might be united,
That old feuds might be forgotten,
And old wounds be healed forever.''
With this determination he sets off to the land of
his lady-love, who years ago he met and admired, and
after various feats of valor, among which was the kill
ing of a deer, and " at each stride a mile he measured,"
he arrives at the coveted spot. I leave Longfellow to
tell the balance of the story in his own inimitable style :
" At the door-way of his wigwam
Sat the ancient arrow-maker,
In the land of the Dacotahs,
Making arrow-heads of jasper,
Arrow-heads of chalcedony.
At his side, in all her beauty,
Sits his daughter. Laughing Water,
Plaiting mats of flags and rushes;
Of the past the old man's thoughts wtt%.
And tbe maiden's of tbe future.

26 MARRIAGE AND DEATH OF MINNEHAHA.
She was thinking of a hunter,
From another tribe and country.
Young and tall and very handsome.
Who, one morning, in the spring-time.
Came to buy her father's arrows,
Sat and rested in the wigwam.
Lingered long about the doorway.
Looking back as he departed.
I&e had beard her father praise bim.
Praise his courage and his wisdom;
Would he come again for arrows
To the Falls of Minnehaha ?
On the mat her hands lay idle.
And her eyes were very dreamy.
Through their thoughts they heard a footstep,
Heard a rustling in the branches.
And with glowing cheeks and forehead,
With the deer upon his shoulders.
Suddenly from out the woodlands -
Hiawatha stood before them.
Straight the ancient arrow-maker
Looked up gravely from his labor,
Laid aside the unfinished arrow,
Bade him enter at the doorway,
Saying, as he rose to meet bim,
" Hiawatha, you are welcome! "
At the feet of Laughing Water
Hiawatha laid his burden,
' Threw the red deer from his shoulders:
And the maiden looked up at him,
Looked up from her mat of rushes,
Said with gentle look and accent,
" You are welcome, Hiawatha! "
* * » « «
Listened while tbe guest was speaking,
Listened while her father answered,
But not once her lips she opened,
Not a, single word she uttered.

MARRIAGE AND DEATH OF MINNEHAHA. 2}
Yet, as in a dream, she listened
To the words of Hiawatha,
As he talked of old No-ko-mis,
Who had nursed him in his childhood.
And of happiness and plenty
In tbe land of the Ojibways,
In the pleasant land and peaceful.
" After many years of warfare.
Many years of strife and bloodshed,
There is peace among the Ojibways,
And the tribe of the Dacotahs."
Thus continued Hiawatha,
And then added, speaking slowly:
" That this peace may last forever.
And our hands be clasped more closely.
And our hearts be more united.
Give me as my wife this maiden,
Minnehaha, Laughing Water,
Loveliest of Dacotah women! "
And the ancient arrow-maker
Paused a moment ere he answered,
Looked at Hiawatha proudly.
Finally looked at Laughing Water,
And made answer very gravely:
"Yes, if Minnehaha wishes;
Let your heart speak, Minnehaha! "
And the lovely Laughing Water
Seemed more lovely as she stood there.
Neither willing nor reluctant,
As she went to Hiawatha,
Softly took a seat beside him,
While she said, and blushed to say it,
" I will follow you, my husband! "
This was Hiawatha's wooing!
Thus it was he won the daughter
Of the ancient arrow-maker.
In the land of the Dacotahs.
From tbe wigwam he departed.
Leading with bim Laughing Water;

28 MARRIAGK AND DEATH OF MINNEHAHA-
Hand in hand they went together,
Through the woodland and the meadow|
Left the old man standing lonely
At the doorway of his wigwam.
Heard the FaUs of Minnehaha
Calling to them from the distance.
Crying to tbem from afar off,
" Fare thee well, O Minnehaha! "
Time wanes and the famine appears. Hiawatha goes
mto the forest to hunt for food for his starving wife,
but the deep snows prevent him from obtaining game.
While in the woods, in imagination, he hears Minne
haha crying, " Hiawatha I Hiawatha ! " and hastening
home he enters his wigwam, to find his beautiful Laugh
ing Water dead. And this legend, so finely told by
Longfellow, has made immortal Minnehaha!
BIRTH-PLACE OF MINNEHAHA.
The Falls of Minnehaha are in Hennepin county,
Minnesota. On the ground is a good hotel and places
for rustic picnics. The cataract is about thirty feet
wide in an ordinary stage of water, and leaps down
into the ravine sixty feet. The water has a light,
sparkling, foamy appearance, and after reaching the
bottom, ripples along to the Mississippi river.
After entering the ground and reaching the ravine,
just opposite, on the other side, can be seen the spot,
dotted with trees, where once existed the wigwam of
the old arrow-maker, and where was bom and dwelt in
peaceful loveliness, Minnehaha, or Laughing Water,
The place then was more studded with nature's handi
work than now, and the quiet little home of the fair
maiden nestled close to the merry rivulet that kept har
mony with her own sweet voice in her songs of the
forest. But what changes have taken place since then.

MARRIAGE AND DEATH OF MINNEHAHA. 29
Gone are the Indians ! — gone is the beautiful maiden ! —
gone is Hiawatha ! — gone are many of the trees ! — gone
the deer ! and in their places have come culture and
civilization ; and yet Minnehaha lives on, commemorat
ing the memory of one made immortal by the magic
pen of the poet, and the echoes from the past come
back, ever singing, MINNEHAHA ! Minnehaha !

INDIAN DIPLOMACY.
ADROITNESS OF AN INDIAN CHIEF.
THIRTY-TWO years ago, Govenor Ramsey, of
Minnesota, was called upon to adjust serious
difficulties which existed between the two powerful
tribes of Indians existing in the then Territory of Min
nesota, and to this end he called a council of the Sioux
and Chippewa nations to meet at Fort Snelling, where
troops and cannon could be made available in case of
an outbreak. The council was to be held just outside
of the walls of the fort, in the open space where the
old Government stables used to stand, and on the open
prairie between the garrison and the stable buildings.
The tribes were on very good terms with the whites,
but at deadly enmity with each other, to such an extent
that almost daily murders occurred among them, and it
needed the interposition of the strong arm of the Gov
emment to stay the treacherous knife and the fatal
tomahawk; so in June, 1850, the council met at the
place designated. Early in the day the Chippewas
made their appearance, and took up their position, out
side of the walls of the fort, rather enjoying the occasion
as one of fun and frolic. At length the Sioux made
their appearance on the brow of a hill across the St.
Peter, now better known as the Minnesota river, and
on they came, pell-mell, as though they intended to
gobble up — Indian style — fort, troops, cannon, guns
and their inveterate savage foe, the Chippewas, Rev,
E. D. Neill, who was an eye witness to the scene, says:

ADROITNESS OF AN INDIAN CHIEF, 3 1
"The few infantry present, on the approach of the
Sioux, were extended in an open line, nearly from the
fort to the stables, so as to form a separation between
the Chippewas in their rear and the advancing band of
the Sioux, numbering, perhaps, three hundred, a large
portion on horseback, armed and painted, who by this
time were rushing up on to the plateau, screaming and
whooping horribly, themselves loaded with jingling
arms and ornaments, and their horses with bells on, the
whole of them galloping at full speed and making a
feint as if they would pass around the stable, turn the
right flank of the infantry and attack the Chippewas ;
but they were only showing off ; they stood in fear of
those ugly cannon that frowned down from the walls of
the fort. The Sioux soon fell back and formed a line,
discharging their pieces in a scattering fire as they did
so. The Chippewas returned the salute ; the guns from
the fort responded, when a white flag appeared between
the two opposite lines, and the two tribes stacked their
arms. Then returning, the two lines advanced until they
reached the file of infantry which separated them, when
the chiefs and braves met at the centre between the lines,
and, advancing, went through the ceremony of shaking
hands. At a certain point in the council meeting it
was observed that the Sioux had left en masse, and
upon inquiry, it seems that their highnesses had taken
offense at the presence of the ladies in council, and
word came in that they thought they were to meet
Chippewas in council, not women. Hole-IN-the-Day,
the noted chief, turned the matter to his own advan
tage, saying very politely, that he was happy to see so
many sweet women there, and that they were all wel
come with their angelic smiles to a seat on his side of

32 INDIAN DIPLOMACY.
the council. The ladies, however, when they heard
what had occurred, chose to withdraw, the young
Chippewa chief shaking each one cordially by the hand
as they retired. The Sioux having returned, the Gov
ernor rebuked them sharply for their act of disrespect
to the council, saying, that if they withdrew again in
that manner, he would enforce the treaty of 1843, The
two tribes finally agreed to be friendly, and the council
adjourned, but the act of Hole-IN-THE-Day was the
talk of the whites for years afterward, and is remem
bered very kindly even by the ladies of to-day, one of
whom is the wife of ex-secretary of war, Ramsey, of
Minnesota.

MIN-NE-TOO-KA.
a LEGEND OF M-DE-A-TON-KA.
WA-KAN — WAR-KA-NON — MAN-I-TOU — MIN-NE-TOO-KA.
IT was a beautiful day in June, 1854, when I arrived
at Lake M-de-a-ton-ka, and taking a small and
rudely constructed boat, was soon to a point midway of
the lake, well known to the old settlers as the dividing
line between the Sioux and Chippewa nations, where
many a bloody battle had been fought, and where
many a warrior had gone down to the sleep of death.
I ascended gradually from the lake to a height of some
thirty feet, winding over an Indian trail, through a
mass of rich foliage, blooming flowers, creeping vines,
singing birds, chirping squirrels, massive trees, cooling
shades, changing scenery, until I reached the top, and
there a grand sight met my view. Stretching off in the
distance was the sparkling water, and from various
knolls ascended the smoke of the wigwam, where the
women were engaged in the sugar bush, while the men
dotted the lake in their light canoes, in quest of game
for their evening meal. The sun shone brightly, and a
thousand diamonds seemed to glitter on the bosom of
the fair lake, as the silvery waves rippled against the
pebbly shore, and darted back again, like a beautiful
maiden toying with her jewels. Here and there were
bays and inlets and promontories ; nooks and quiet,
secluded points; yonder was a dark, forbidding spot,
thickly studded with trees, and as I gazed upon it, I
could see that it was the resting place of the dead, or
d 33

34

MIN-NE-TOO-KA.

the land of the supernatural, where the Man-i-tou and
War-ka-non (Indian spirits) reveled in their nightly
visits to their earthly friends. Just at the right of me,
and near where I stood, ran a bubbling brook, now
quietly nestH.ng under the cover of brush and trees;
now dashing and laughing over the impediments in its
way ; now romping gaily onward to the lake. At my
back was a charming spot, overlooking the whole scene
I have described, and in it, shut out from vulgar gaze
by the thick foliage of the under brush, was an Indian
tepee, with Httle, timid heads peeping out from under
it, and a stalwart chief smoking his pipe near its
entrance. As I approached, the chief arose, took his
pipe from his mouth, greeted me cordially by a shake
of the hand, and with a " How, cooler?" — how to do? —
pointed to a log near him, where I soon was seated.
"Beautiful, lovely, charming spot," I exclaimed
somewhat enthusiastically, to which the chief re
sponded — "ho ! " " Heap big amount of fish — ^heap big
game," again I ventured to remark, to which came back
again the inevitable " ho ! " All was silent.
The reader must remember that the Indian can never
be hurried, except in case of war or dinner. He has no
particular pressing business — no notes to pay — no land
lord to demand his rent — no butcher to poke a bill
under his nose — no groceryman to stop his flour if pay
don't come — -no big parties to give in order to kepp up
appearances — no hired help to dog him about and bore
him for services rendered — no fashionable society to
cringe to — indeed, no particular labor, for the squaws
perform the menial duties of the household, so he is
really independent. If he is hungry, he knows where
the game is, and a few hours' hunt will suffice to

A LEGEND OF M-DE-A-TOW-KA. 35
replenish the larder, at least until the next day.
Beside, he takes no thought for the morrow, as he
knows that if in want the tribe must share with him.
Hence he is lymphatic, not nervous ; stoical, not gush
ing; cool, not ardent; taking his own time — moving
in his own way.
I sat at least ten minutes in silence, smoking the pipe
which the old chief alternately passed to me, when I
broke the stillness by requesting him to tell me some
thing of the early history of the lake, what legend, if
any, pertained to it, what battles had been fought, what
superstitions existed, etc., etc., to which he gave only a
guttural response of " ho," coolly refilled his pipe,
peered out into the sunlight, gave several rapid puffs,
to be sure that the kinnikinick was well lighted, and
then said : INDIAN LEGEND.
Many springs, and many moons, and many leaves
of the forest, and many kinsmen of Ink-pa-go-da have
come and gone, since the Chippewas stealthily crept
down upon a band of Sioux, numbering thirty, near
where we now sit, and in a moment, all unconscious to
our brave warriors, desolated our hunting ground with
the blood of the slain. The slaughter was indiscrimin
ate, men, women and children; but one beautiful
maiden was left, and she, it seems, was hidden by a
Chippewa lover, who, when the fatal tomahawk was
about to descend, arrested the blow, seized her around
the waist, and with the agility of a panther, placed her
safely in a secluded spot, where, when the battle was
over, he intended to return and claim her as his own.
Days passed, but no Indian was visible. Hunger drove
the maiden from her seclusion, to pick berries to sus-

36 MIN-NE-TOO-KA.
tain Hfe, but while in the act, she was met by a Sioux
Indian chief and the Chippewa warrior who had saved
her from death. Terribly frightened, she fled back to
her place of safety, but to her great astonishment the
Indians glided along with her, so that when she had
reached the spot from whence she came, they were
there also. The heart-rending memory of the death
of her whole band ; the fear of the Chippewa, which
she did not at first recognize, caused her to crouch
down in one corner of her hiding place and call upon
Man-i-tou, the gfeat spirit of scalps, to protect her in
this, her hour of dreadful distress. To her astonish
ment, when she looked up, she beheld a kindly smile
upon the chief's face, but a spirit of sadness brooded
over the young Chippewa brave.
" Min-ne-too-ka," said the chief, " fear not. I am
sent by Man-i-tou to aid you. You see me ; you hear
me speak, and yet you cannot touch me. I have come
from the happy hunting ground, and with me is War-
ka-non, who loves you. He loved you when he saved
your life. He loved you when in crossing the lake he
lost his own ; he loves you as a spirit yet, and comes
back to minister to your comfort."
Min-ne-too-ka did not dare to stir. She crept still
closer to her hiding place. Her heart beat violently
and she trembled.
"Fear not, Min-ne-too-ka," said War-ka-non, in a
gentle and sweet voice. My people panted for the
blood of the Sioux, and oh, the horrors of that night.
I could not see you stricken down with the rest, and so
I saved your life in hopes of a union on earth, but I am
now beyond the mere materiality of the world. I walk

A LEGEND OF M-DE-A-TON-KA. 37
» the happy hunting ground, but I am not happy
because you are not there."
"Can it be possible," asked Min-ne-too-ka, "that
these forms that I see before me are mere shadows of
what they once were ? "
" No," said War-ka-non, " we are the living realities
of material men — the real men themselves."
" Tell me," said the maid,en, as she gained confidence
and drew near the two Indians, " if you be what you
purport to be — spirits — if you come from that unseen
land, tell me, where are my father, my mother, my
sisters and my brothers?"
"They are all there, Min-ne-too-ka," replied War-
ka-non. With the red wand they passed the hid spir
its, with the blue wand they passed the tempting spir
its, with the white wand they passed into the beginning
of a higher life."
" Strange," said Min-ne-too-ka, " let me touch you ! "
" No," said the chief and his companion, " that would
not do, because you would dissolve our materiality,
without which you could not see us. We put on this
material dress in order to make ourselves known.
When we pass from you, we become invisible to earthly
eyes, but visible to spiritual eyes."
" Strange ! Very strange ! " said Min-ne-too-ka,
" Follow me," said the chief.
" No, I can't," said the maiden ; " I am too weak, and
must have food."
" Very true," replied the chief, " then remain here
until we return."
In a moment they were gone. Min-ne-too-ka could
not believe her senses ; she must have been dreaming.
Had she been talking with veritable men, or was her

38 MIN-NE-TOO-KA.
brain on fire ? She emerged from her seclusion, looked
out on nature — all was beautiful. Why this affliction ?
Just then the chief and War-ka-non made their appear
ance, and in their hands were fresh fish, duck, and a
piece of deer, " Take, cook and eat," they exclaimed,
and Min-ne-too-ka built a fire, dressed the game,
cooked it, and in company with her companions, eat
heartily of the food so providentially placed before her.
" Come," said the chief, " now follow us," and they
wound down that path, said my informant, crossed that
brook, passed over that trail, all in sight of where you
sit, to the edge of the lake, where they found a canoe,
into which they embarked, and then, without noise or
paddles, the boat skimmed the water and touched the
opposite shore. Entering the woods, they were in the
city of the dead — Wa-kan. They traveled a short dis
tance, when they came to an open space and then
halted. Here lay the bones of their ancestors and their
relatives, especially those who fell by the hands of the
Chippewas. The tall and thick trees shut out the sun
light — all was calm, and silent and grand. The chief
and his companions moved toward the open space and
selecting a somewhat secluded spot, paused,
" Look, Min-ne-too-ka," he said, " but utter no word.
Be not afraid," The coy maiden trembled with fear.
She was in the hands of an invisible power ; she tried
to break away and run, but could not. She tried to
scream, but could not, so, standing between the chief
and War-ka-non, she patiently awaited what might fol
low. Presently a phosphorescent Hght gleamed among
the trees ; she saw her own people quietly reposing in
and about their tepees ; she saw her own self, when all
of a sudden a wild war-whoop burst upon the air ; she

A LEGEND OF M-DE-A-TON-KA, 39
grasped at her companions, but they melted away un
der her hands. She could not endure the revolting
sight ! She tried to speak, but her lips were glued.
Then came the infuriated savages ; then followed the
massacre ; then she saw War-ka-non seize her around
the waist, and then — all was dark. She turned and
looked ; her companions were gone and the scene faded
from her view,
Min-ne-too-ka was almost wild with excitement.
What did all this mean? Was it a reality or a dream ?
How should she get out of this dreadful entanglement ?
Tiiming, she moved a few steps to the right, when her
mother stood before her, so real, so calm, so gentle, so
loving, that she involuntarily stretched out her arms to
greet her, but the voice came back : " Touch me not ; I
am your mother. I come to comfort you ; I come to
assure you that you are in the hands and under the con
trol of Indian spirits. They will protect you. The
scene you have just witnessed will be followed by an
other scene, and in it you can draw a moral lesson of
the results of crime. Be not afraid, your father,
mother, sisters and brothers are about you, and the
chief and War-ka-non will protect you from all harm."
With a smile of sweetness the figure gradually faded
away, and Min-ne-too-ka looked out again on the cold,
black trees, the little mounds that covered the bones of
the dead, and the dismal, brooding darkness, that, like
a black pall encircled her light and beautiful form,
" Min-ne-too-ka is afraid," said the chief, as he and
War-ka-non appeared on either side of her, " No harm
come to Min-ne-too-ka. Min-ne-too-ka is governed,
guided, protected by spirit band. Min-ne-too-ka good.
Look!"

40 MIN-NE-TOO-KA.'
The darkness was dissipated by another flash of phos
phorescent light, when off in the distance could be seen
a beautiful country, with trees, brooks, lakes, deer, birds,
flowers, sunlight, and reposing in peaceful plenty, Min-
ne-too-ka saw the twenty-nine victims of Chippewa
brutality, and standing out in bold relief from all the
rest, was one odd one, which she recognized as War-ka-
non, the Chippewa brave, who had saved her from a
cruel death. The scene was so peaceful, the faces so
happy, as they gazed affectionately upon her, the
country so lovely, that she lost all fear, and looking up
into War-ka-non's face, beseeched him to let her go.
Oh, how she longed to be at rest in that beautiful land.
" No, Min-ne-too-ka," said War-ka-non, smiling se
renely down upon her, " not yet. Your mission is not
yet filled. War-ka-non go with Min-ne-too-ka to the
happy hunting ground when destiny ends her career
here." " See ! Min-ne-too-ka," said the chief, pointing to the
left — " see ! " And off in the darkness Miu'Ue-too-ka
observed a black, rolling river, and across it lay the
trunk of a tree, and on this tree were several dark-
visaged Indians, some trying to walk over to the other
side, others were in the act of faUing; several floun
dered in the water, which was full of toads, lizards and
snakes ; some driven back by the good spirits from the
other shore, but all in turmoil, distress, darkness and
woe ! What a scene ! It chilled the blood of the fair
maiden, and she crept up closer to the side of War-ka-
non and shuddered at the sight before her,
" That rolling water," said the chief, " is the river of
death. In its turbulent waves can be found everything
horrible to the feelings of the Indian, That tree is the

A LEGEND OF M-DE-A-TON-KA. 4I
bridge. When the good Indian dies, he passes over the
bridge in safety into the happy hunting ground, but
when the bad Indian dies, the spirits grease the tree,
and he falls into the stream below. These Indians did
a wanton, cruel wrong, and are reaping their reward."
Min-ne-too-ka's eyes sparkled with excitement; the
warm blood gushed through the tawny skin of her
cheek, and her little frame quivered, as she exclaimed :
" I see clearly ; I see it all ; I will obey your bidding;
I will consecrate myself to the wishes of my spirit
friends, but oh, remove that horrible scene." The chief
gave a wave of his hand and the picture disappeared,
and all was again damp, and dark, and clammy, and
desolate. "Come," said the chief. "Come," said War-ka-non,
looking down into the face of his now more than ever
lovely Indian expectant bride, " come, go with us ; "
and they struck into a small trail that led out from the
city of the dead to the banks of the lake and into the
pure sunshine, where the birds were singing, the ducks
were flying, the deer were bounding, the flowers were
blooming, the trees nodding, and the gentle breeze, as
it came from off the lake, cooled the feverish brow of
the Indian girl as she followed her spirit guides. They
passed westward to the extreme chain of lakes, ascended
gradually a hill covered with tall, noble trees, wound
down around the brow of a mound, at the base of
which, nestling in a bower of beauty, and close to a
rippling stream, were several Indian tepees,
" Go in among your Sioux friends and seek rest,"
said her companions, pointing to the scene below, and
then they instantly disappeared,
Min-ne-too-ka approached the Indian settlement with

42 MIN-NE-TOO-KA.
great timidity, was met cautiously, told her stoty, was
cordially greeted and hospitably entertained ; and here,
amid all this regal beauty of nature's grandest handi
work, with the charm of a quiet retreat, with conscious
ness that she was beyond the reach of harm, the poor,
weary, hungry, desolate orphan Indian girl found many
hours of unalloyed pleasure, and peace, and happiness.
The old chief, who thus graphically gave me this
narrative, stopped several times in the course of his
story, poked the embers of the smoldering fire, refilled
his pipe, gave several " ughs," and seemed deeply inter
ested in the fate of the unfortunate Min-ne-too-ka.
"Over there," said the chief, pointing to the east
side of the lake, "was the home of the Chippewas.
Early in the day of one beautiful May morning, a
Sioux maiden made her way toward their camp, well
knowing that if once discovered her temerity would
cost her her life. As she approached a tepee, inhabited
only by. three of her own sex, her courage failed; she
paused, and turned to retrace her steps, when a Chip
pewa brave stood before her. It was the spirit form
of War-ka-non.
" Why falters Min-ne-too-ka ? " he asked. " No harm
comes to Min-ne-too-ka. Her duty performed, she will
join War-ka-non in the happy-hunting ground."
Min-ne-too-ka was surprised, awed into silence, and,
feeling that she had not shown the faith she ought to
have done in her noble and devoted lover — for she
had now become dearly attached to him — exclaimed :
" I will never falter again ; thy will shall be done," and
pressed forward to the camp of her inveterate enemy.
Strange as it may appear, the Chippewa women re
ceived her, not, however, without great caution, and on

A LEGEND OF M-DE-A-TON-KA. 43
the return of the warriors a council was held as to her
fate. Why let a single member of their hated tribe
Hve? The council decided she should die. Min-ne-
too-ka be^ed one request — that she might appear
among the Chippewa braves and demonstrate that she
was innocent of all harm. The request was granted,
and the next morning the young girl stood in the pres
ence of her savage foes, and told them how she had
been saved by War-ka-non — how she loved War-ka-
non — ^how the great spirit had come to her — had shown
her the happy hunting-ground — how the fate of the
murderers had been pictured, and in most eloquent
tones, begged of the warriors to drop the war-club, the
scalping-knife, and the tomahawk, and deal justly and
fairly with their enemy. She impressed upon them the
sure fate of their bad acts — the reward of their good
deeds, and so wrought upon their savage hearts that
they began to relent, when, in a moment, War-ka-non
stood by her side. When the Indians saw him they
all feU to the ground, for they knew it was his spirit.
He said: "My people, you know War-ka-non! I
come from the spirit land. I saw Min-ne-too-ka. I
loved Min-ne-too-ka. She comes to you to impress
you with the necessity of good deeds. The great
Man-i-tou and War-ka-non are the friends of the lone
Indian girl. Would you take her innocent Hfe?
Would you still make more crimson the river of blood
that flows at your feet? My people, be good. My
people, be just. My people, be kind. My people,
hearken unto the voice of Min-ne-too-ka?"
In an instant he was gone, and left the Indian
maiden standing alone in the council of her enemy.

44 MIN-NE-TOO-KA.
with their heads bowed to the earth and trembling
with fear.
The morning dawned, and in the midst of the whole
band of Chippewas — men, women, and children, who
then occupied the eastern portion of the lake — stood
Min-ne-too-ka. Hatred had turned to love — to adora
tion — to worship — and there, in the presence of tha<.
timid girl, and in the presence of the great spirit, tho
Indians resolved on a new and a better life ; and from
that day to this, said the old chief, the Chippewa
nation have been firm friends of the whites, and brave,
humane enemies of the Sioux.
"You see that tall, high knoll over there?" said the>
chief. "What, the highest point on the lake?" I asked.
"Yes." " Well, tradition has it that the next day after the
marvelous meeting I have described, War-ka-non and
Min-ne-too-ka were seen on the top of that knoll, and
then, clasped together, they rose high in the air and
floated over the lake in the plain view of hundreds of
spectators, and finally entered the happy hunting-
ground ; and from that day to this it has been called
Point Wa-kan, or the Supernatural, and is held in
sacred memory by the Indians of both tribes."
It is thought, by many, that the lake derived its
name from this beautiful Indian girl, who, though left
an orphan and sorely tried by a series of misfortunes,
was finally united to her devoted lover, and together
they joined their many friends in that peaceful land
beyond the river of death. And thus Min-ne-too-krv
became Min-ne-ton-ka, or Beautiful Water.

THRILLING SCENES AND ADVENT
URES AMONG THE INDIANS.
IT was a beautiful morning in June, 1863, when I
asked the commander at our post for a detail of a
company of men, with a captain, to acccompany me
across the river to a place called Beaver Creek, where
a whole white settlement had been cruelly massacred
by the Indians the year before. This camp had been
established for the collection of troops to compose an
expedition against the Indians and drive them across
the Missouri river. My object in making the trip was
to gather information as to the amount of hay, corn
and oats available for camp purposes, as I knew the
Govemment would pay the heirs of the dead parties
for losses incurred in the Indian raid, and that it was
quite proper it should have the effects left behind by
the unfortunate victims, to use for the troops then in
the field. The morning was bright and glorious, and
the company I had asked for was early on h'and, the
men happy in the thought of getting out of the dull
routine of camp life, and eager to encounter any danger
which might present itself. With an admonition from
the commander of the garrison to keep together and
watch every sign of danger (for the hostile Sioux were
constantly hovering about us), the boys were ferried
across the river to the east side, and wound up the hill
to the plateau, which on the right stretched off into an
unlimited prairie, and on the left was belted by woods,
in which had been a settlement of some thirteen white

46 THRILLING SCENES AND ADVENTURES
families, now all dead! — the victims of savage bru
tality! It was my original purpose to go direct to
Beaver Creek with the men, but learning that one of
the soldiers had been in the campaign against the Indi
ans the year previously, and that he knew the ground
covered by the timber, I concluded to send Captain T.
and his company across the prairie to the creek, and
retain two men and reconnoitre for a short distance
in the woods, promising that in an hour or so I would
join the command where another settlement had existed,
but which was now silent under the murderous attack
of the savage foe. The soldiers were soon on their
tramp across the plain, and with the two I had chosen
to accompany me, we turned and entered the point of
woods that skirted the river, and wound our way up tc
a small log house, dimly seen among the trees. Just
before reaching it was a clearing, made by the former
industrious, hardy pioneer, whose plow stood in the fur
row, just where it was left when he was struck down
by the infuriated Indians. Here was his broad-
brimmed hat, cleft in two by the tomahawk ; here was
the whip where it fell; here was the poor, tattered
coat, riddled with buUet holes. We approached the
house. The doors were shattered ; the windows were
broken. We entered ; what a scene ! Here the pooi
victims had fought desperately for their lives. Broken
chairs, broken tables, fragments of dresses, and blood
stained floors, clearly indicated how dreadful had been
the fight of the pioneer to save his wife and little ones
from the clutches of the savage demons who panted
for their blood. Here, too, we found feathers from
the beds that had been ripped open in search of treas
ure. The hay and oats stood in the stacks unmo-

AMONG THE INDIANS, 47
lc£ted ; the houses were grim and silent I All was still,
except the moaning of the wind as it swept through
the tree-tops, and sung a mournful dirge over the
lamented dead.
Interested in these horrible scenes, we pushed on to
the next house, where we found a similar state of
affairs, only with this exception that, in lifting up a
scuttle-door leading into the cellar, we beheld a ghastly
skeleton of a little child, the living body of which had
no doubt been put there by its fond parent for safe
keeping, but whose Httle form had wasted away by
starvation. Its mother never retumed. Again, we
pushed on to the third house, forgetting the promise
to Captain T. to be with him in an hour or so, but
deeply interested in all we saw, when, recalling the fact
that we must join our main body of men before dark,
we retraced our steps and struck out on to the prairie
in a direction, we thought, which led to Beaver Creek.
On we traveled, with nothing to guide us, not even a
twig as big as the finger of a man's hand, until we had
made some three miles, when, conscious that we were
lost, that it was useless to proceed any further, we came
back into the woods, mortified at the blunder we had
made. It was now about two o'clock in the afternoon,
and it would be impossible to reach the creek in time
to intercept Captain T., so I decided, as we did not
know where we were, to make the most of it, go back
to our original starting point, and proceed with my
investigations in the belt of woods that skirted the
river. House after house was passed and inspected,
when we came to a ravine leading down to the river's
edge. Here was pointed out to me, by one of the
men, the spot where thirteen inhabitants had been

48 THRILLING SCENES AND ADVENTURES
overtaken in their flight the year before, murdered, and
piled in one heap. A little distance from this point we
came across the remains of a woman whose body had
no doubt been overlooked by the expedition the pre
vious year, and, after viewing it, we passed on and
came to the last house in the belt. In this house were
wooden shoes, crude wooden chairs, wooden cradles,
clearly showing that the inmates were foreigners ; but
all was still — all had gone! the savage had done his
work most completely — no sound broke the stillness of
that twilight evening !
" Well, boys," I said, as we emerged from the woods
and gazed out on to the wide prairie, broken only by a
Httle rise of hills in the distance, " we are lost ! We
are in the neighborhood of where the Indians have
been seen by our scouts very recently, and we have
got to play our parts pretty nicely to get out of this
bad scrape. How are your guns? All right? I have
no weapon with me, not even a pistol!" "Never
mind, Captain," said one of the boys, " you shall die
behind our bodies." Of course I had to appear bold,
although I trembled for my scalp, for I was conscious
that we were in imminent danger, and how to get Out
of it was my great study. Beside, I had no business
to leave the main command. If these two brave fel
lows, who were so willing to die for me, should fall by
the Indians, I alone would be responsible for their
deaths; and then I began to realize how foolish I
would be considered at camp, and so, wrought up to a
very high pitch of excitement, I was determined to
bafHe the Indians and save the lives of my men as well
as my own.
The sun was just sinking behind the hills, and threw

AMONG THE INDIANS. 49
a glinter across the prairie, when I said to John, " Go
out carefully on to the plain ; look in every direction
and mark what you see, for we must make our way
out from here immediately, and creep along to where
we first entered the timber. Say nothing, but report
privately to me." While he was gone, I ascended a
gradual rise of ground, and with my eye swept the
horizon. Just off to the right I thought I saw an
Indian head bob up and down, but dismissed the
matter from my mind as a part of a distorted imagina
tion. John soon returned, and, in a cool, yet decided
tone, informed me that he saw a human being's head
peep up just over the little rise at the left. "All right,
my boy," I remarked ; " take up a position over there
and listen; tell me if you hear anything." Calling
Bill, who was as true cmd trusty as steel, I said : " Go
out cautiously about a quarter of a mile ; watch every
point of the compass, return, and tell me what you
see." In the meantime I chose what I considered the
best place to get out on the prairie, for if we were
watched we would be obliged to leave the timber at
once. Returning, Bill gave the same information as
John; so, cautioning the boys to keep quiet, mark
every noise, and let nothing escape their attention, I
ventured out myself, and true enough, just over the
brow of a little hiH, an Indian could be plainly seen to
rise, then dodge, then mn and dodge again. We were
watched by the enemy.
"Boys, examine your guns! See if they are all
right. Look to your ammunition. Keep cool. Dark
ness is coming, and with it the red devils. We must
crawl out from here under the cover of night, and then
make our way, as best we can, toward the river, for I
4

50 THRILLING SCENES AND ADVENTURES
am satisfied the Indians are on our track," Each one
separated from the other, and worked his way on to
the prairie, fortunately to a ravine, made by the water
in the spring. In this ravine and under its banks
several places had been worn out by the rain, and into
these places, separately, we all crept, pulling the tall,
dead grass over us, thus shielding ourselves from obser
vation. Soon we could hear the dull, heavy tread of
the Indians — some ten in number — and then the sound
came nearer and nearer ; then it echoed in the woods ;
then it came again out on to the prairie ; then it drew
still nearer; then we could hear the enemy talking;
and I overheard, in Indian, the remark, "they must be
here," Then the heavy tread of a warrior came within
two feet of where I lay. He stopped ; he listened. I
did not breathe. Cold perspiration came out all over
me. He poked his gun within a foot of my body.
He peeked into the hiding places of my comrades, and
then, as if satisfied, gave a grunt and sullenly joined
his companions, who were only ten feet off, in consulta
tion as to what they should do. We had foiled the
Indians, inasmuch as we had crawled upon our stom
achs and left no footprints behind, and yet any minute
might reveal our hiding places. Such agony of sus
pense ! Such a moment of life ! We heard the well-
known savage word, "marshon," and then one after
another they fell into line, and their steady tread grew
fainter and fainter, until entirely lost to the ear. Not
a word had been spokon ; not a quiver made ; still as
death we lay in our places, as if on the verge of the
grave. We did not dare to move or speak, for we
knew Indian character well enough to be assured that
one of their number might be just over us, and instant

AMONG THE INDIANS. 5 1
death follow. Thirty minutes had elapsed, but not a
word had been uttered, when I essayed, in a faint
voice, to call, " Bill? " " All right," said Bill. " John ? "
" Steady," was the reply. We crept out slyly ; gazed
into the darkness ; put our ears to the ground ; moved
cautiously forward, paused, listened, and then satisfied
that our path was clear, made our way back to the old
house in the woods, secreted ourselves until morning,
and then a new surprise met us in the neigh of Indian
ponies. Bill discovered, however, that these ponies
were neither saddled nor bridled, and all at once it
dawned upon our brains that we must be in the vicin
ity of our friendly Indian scouting camp. Leaving our
hiding-places, we ascended a small mound about half a
mile in the distance, and there just beyond we saw
the stockade of our scouts, and in a blessed few min
utes after we were inside the inclosure, the guests of
our trusty dusky friends, who laughed heartily over the
story we told of our hair-breadth escape from the sav
age foe. Night passed, and at early morning, knowing
full well that the camp would be in great commotion if
we did not make our appearance, we mounted Indian
ponies, and accompanied by two friendly Indian guides,
started off in a brisk gallop for the river, hailed the
ferryman, was conveyed across, and entered the camp
just as the troops were leaving in every direction to
search for our dead bodies. Mounted men were imme
diately sent out to recall the soldiers, hundreds of
" boys in blue " gathered about us to hear our story,
and to all appearances there was great rejoicing over
the fact that the Commissary and Quartermaster of the
post and his two faithful men had returned to the camp
safe and sound.

52 THRILLING SCENES AND ADVENTURES
The next day Bill came to me and asked for a piett
of planed board, about four feet high by one aiid a half
wide. " No," I said, " Bill, I can't let you have it.
There are nearly four thousand soldiers in camp, and as
every man wants a piece of board, by granting their
requests I won't have lumber enough to build with."
As he turned to go away, I noticed a peculiar sadness
on his countenance, and I called him back. " What do
you want this board for ? " He replied, " You remem
ber the dead body of that woman we saw yesterday? "
" Yes," " You remember I examined the ring on her
finger, her teeth, her dress?" "Yes," "Well, that
was my mother!" "Your mother! how in heaven is
that ? " " Well, my parents lived here before I entered
the army. Last year we found all my family dead but
my mother. She must have made an effort to fly, was
shot where she fell, and her body has remained until
yesterday undiscovered. I want the board to place at
the head of her grave when I bury her ! " The appeal
was so touching, that I ordered my carpenter to make
the board ; Bill lettered it, and the next day, in com
pany with ten well-armed men, he repaired to the spot
where his mother met her death, buried the body, and
returned to his duty with a solemn resolution to avenge
the murder of his whole family, even if it should take ^
a lifetime. He faithfully kept his resolution, for, years
afterward, when I met him, just returned from the
frontier, he assured me he had killed twenty Indians
and was good for twenty more. Who could blame
him? A recent writer, speaking of this same man, says :
" Commanche Bill, or William Porter, is forty-seven
years of age, but looks much younger. He wears the

AMONG THE INDIANS. 53
proverbial long hair, cropped closer behind than many
who affect this style. He is not over five feet ten
inches in height, wr'th a broad chest and brawny arms,
and an iron frame, which fatigue cannot overcome nor
exertion subdue. He is taciturn almost to a fault, and
loth to speak of himself. In the far West his reputa
tion as a guide, scout and interpreter, is great, and he
looks with scorn on lesser luminaries and other would-
be heroes."
William Porter was bom of Scotch parents, in Iowa,
removed to Minnesota, above New Ulm, and lived
there until the troublesome times of 1862, when his
whole family was massacred,
" Haven't you a sister yet living in Minnesota ? "
" Thar ain't a drop of my blood flowin' in the vfiins
of any living human bein'," was the sad response. Hc
then told the story of the massacre of his mother and
sister, and the eyes of the sturdy plainsman were suf
fused with something which looked like tears.
" I tell you it's enough to make a man a demon," hf.
said ; " father, mother, sister, two cousins, an uncle,
aunt and wife killed at one blow. I remember that
little mother; she wan't bigger'n your fist, and she
loved me as a Scotch mother can love. She used ta
say to father: 'William's getting too big for you to
handle,' but she could do anything with me. I remem
ber she came to me and said : ' Well, there's a kiss
from your mither, lad,' and when I came back she lay
killed by them red devils. I tell you, bbys, it made a
demon out of me," and the strong man pressed his
hands to his head, and threw back his long hair with a
wild gesture in the agony of the awful revelation.
" Who killed your mother, Bill ? "

54 THRILLING SCENES AND ADVENTURES.
" It was one of Cut Nose's band."
" Is he alive yet?"
" Well, I guess he will never scalp any more women."
" Did they kill your wife, too ? "
" Yes ; they tortured her to death ! Oh ! I've had a
scalp for every drop of blood they spilled that day. I
took an oath that as long as I could look through the
hind sight of a rifle, I'd kill every Sioux I got a chance
to shoot at, and you bet I have kept my oath."
And this was Bill, one of the men who was with the
writer and crawled out on to the prairie, and saw that
Indian head bobbing up and down, and who subse
quently arrived, with the author, safe in camp. He
has kept his oath, for he has killed not less than twenty-
five Indians, and, under all the circumstances, who can
blame him ?

MAIDEN ROCK;
OR, " THE lover's LEAP."
SINCE my remembrance," said an old Chief to
Major Long, in the year i860, a large part of the
Sioux Indians of La Feuelle's band, had been in the
habit of making annual visits from the river St. Peter
to Prairie du Chien. When the party in question ar
rived at the hill, now called the Lover's Leap, or,
more properly. Maiden Rock, they stopped to gather
blue clay, which is found near the foot of the hill, for
the purpose of painting themselves. Of this party was
the young Indian maiden who is the subject of this
legend. She had for a long time received the addressed of a
young hunter, who had formed an unconquerable at
tachment for her, and for whom she entertained the
strongest affection. Her parents and brothers were
strenuously opposed to her choice and warmly seconded
the solicitations of a young warrior, who was very much
beloved by the Indian nation, for his bravery and other
good qualities. To obviate her objection to the war
rior as being destitute of the means of clothing and
feeding her in consequence of the life he must lead in
order to perform the duties of his profession, her broth
ers agreed to be at the expense of providing everything
that was necessary for the ease and comfort of a fam
ily, and presented them to the young warrior. This
they did on the day of their arrival at the fatal spot,
with the hope that their sister would readily be pre-
56

56 MAIDEN ROCK;
vailed upon to marry the young man whom all her ob
jections to were thus obviated. She still persisted,
however, in the determination never to marry any but
the object of her sincere affection, while her parents
and brothers finding they could not accomplish their
purpose by gentle means, began to treat her with sever
ity. They insisted upon her compliance with their
wishes, still summoning the argument of filial duty and
affection in aid of their cause. She replied : " I do not
love the soldier and would Hve single forever rather
than marry him. You call me daughter and sister, as
if this should induce me to marry the man of your-
choice and not my own. You say you love me, yet you
have driven the only man that can make me happy, far
from me. He loved me, but you would not let us be
happy together. He has therefore left me ; he has left
his parents and all his friends and gone to bewail in the
woods. He cannot partake of the pleasure of this party.
He can do nothing but mourn. You are not satisfied
with all this. You have not made me miserable enough.
You would now compel rne to marry a man I do not
love. Since this is your purpose, let it be so. You
will soon have no daughter or sister to torment or
beguile with your false professions of love."
The same day was fixed upon as the day of her mar
riage with the warrior, and the Indians were busily oc
cupied in getting clay and painting themselves prepar
atory for the nuptial ceremony. She, in the meantime,
walked aside from the rest of the party, ascended to the
top of the hiU known as Maiden Rock, located on the
Upper Mississippi, called aloud to her parents and
brothers, upbraiding them for their unkind treatment :
" You refused to let me marry agreeably to my own

OR, THE lover's LEAP. 57
choice. You then endeavored by artifice to unite me
to a man I cannot love, and now you will force me to
marry him whether I will or not. You thought to allure
and make me wretched, but you shall be disappointed."
Her parents, aware of her design to throw herself over
the precipice, ran to the foot of the hill and entreated
her to desist, with all the tenderness and concern that
parental fondness could suggest, tearing their hair and
bewailing in the bitterest manner, while her brothers
attempted to gain the summit before she should exe
cute her fatal purpose. But all in vain. She was de
termined and resolute. She commenced singing her
death song, and immediately threw herself headlong
down the precipice, preferring certain and instantan
eous death to a Hngering state of unhappy wedlock.
And thus comes the tradition of " Maiden Rock, or
Lover's Leap."
I leam from other sourceSj outside of the Chief's nar
rative, as given by Major Long, that when the hunter-
lover, Kad-da-lus-ka, heard of the tragic death of We-
no-na, he reciprocated her devotion by jumping into the
river, and according to Indian belief, passed safely over
the barrier of death, and the two lovers were seen after
ward by their friends, traveling hand in hand in the
happy hunting ground.
It is alleged by parties who have remained at the
foot of Maiden Rock all night, that about twelve o'clock
a low, plaintive wail is heard, at first almost inaudible,
but soon after gathering in volume, the sound breaks
out into a wild, unearthly song, which floats out on to
the water and reverberates among the hills, and then a
sHght, beautiful female figure appears on the top of the
rock, and swaying to and fro, for a few moments, keep-

58 MAIDEN ROCK.
ing time with her voice, it plunges suddenly headfore
most, and then a sickening thug sound is heard, and all
is still ! One of the earliest and perhaps one of the
best authenticated Indian legends, is that of MAIDEN
Rock.

LAKE PEPIN AND ITS SCENERY.
LAKE PEPIN is a body of water in the Missis-
,j sippi river — in fact the lake is merely a distension
of the river — some five miles wide and some twenty-
five miles long. Wabashaw is at the lower end of the
lake, and is noted in Indian history as a favorite place
of the Sioux, where, under the leadership of their
chief after whom the city is named, they held their
councils, delared their wars, smoked their pipes, uttered
their outbursts of eloquence, danced their dances, and
otherwise made it the elegant capital of their people.
Frontenac is at the head of the lake, and looking out
from this charming spot, the eye of the traveler rests
upon some of the grandest scenery in the world. We
not only find many traces of the existence of Indians
above Lake Pepin, but we find many relics of a people
far older than even the red men themselves — the
mound builders of a pre-historic age. Indeed, I am
told, that in a mound I visited some three hundred feet
above the Mississippi river, below Winona, the bones
of a gigantic warrior were found, reaching eight feet in
height, and in his skull was a copper tomahawk with. a
tempered edge, showing that the people of that day
possessed an art now lost to the present age, viz : that
of hardening copper, so as to make it available for cut
ting purposes, the same as steel. Evidences of these
mounds, especially near Wabashaw and even below it,
are abundant. So, too, there are evidences of a people
who at one time were engaged in smelting lead ore,
traces of which are quite apparent. 68

6o lake PEPIN AND ITiJ SCENERY,
The high uplifts of rocks, their grotesque character,
the dark ravines, the diversified scenery, which marks
the borders of the river, with the grand river itself.
make a ride on the broad bosom of the Father of
Waters not only delightful, but deeply interesting to
the lover of romance as well as to the lover of research.
The bluffs on the West side of the river rise to a height
of from 475 to 500 feet. About midway ©f Lake Pe
pin (which, as T have already said, is a part of the
Mississippi rivor itself), can be seen a prominent peak,
well known to tourists as MAIDEN RoCK, and here is
the point from whence an Indian maiden precipitated
herself 400 feet to the base below, rather than marry a
man she did not love. Most Indian legends partake of
the fabulous, with only a little tincture of truth to
make them palatable, but it is a fact that an Indian girl
DID throw herself from this rock, and for the reason
already given, but it is NOT a fact that it was an Indian
she loved, but a Frenchman. John Bush, eighty-three
years of age, writes as follows :
" Now, as for Maiden Rock being a legend, it is a
mistake. It was a real thing and no legend. The man
who wanted to marry the girl was a young Frenchman.
He was killed by lightning. I saw him ten minutes
after he was killed. He was a young man then. The
men who knew about it are all dead but myself,"
So this legend, or romance passes out of fiction into
"reality, and of course becomes more interesting as it
becomes known to be a fact, supported by the evidence
of a living witness.
Maiden Rock itself is a peculiar freak of nature. It
appears to have been shot up from below and then
squared by the compass. The surroundings are wild

LAKE PEPIN AND ITS SCENERY. 6l
and weird, with a few straggling, stunted trees, and it
seems to be a fitting place for the spirit of the Indian
girl to roam with her lover — as it is alleged she does —
outside and beyond the tantalizing influences of her
relatives, who, in their day sought to do what the whites
now seek to do, to make proper matches for the young
people, in order to increase the standing, the influence,
and in many cases the wealth of their children.
The tourist, as he ascends the river on the deck of
the steamer, can see Maiden Rock looming up into the
clouds. He catches the rugged scenery, the peerless
buttes, the smooth, grand expanse of the lake; then
the flowing river, the numerous boats and rafts that dot
its bosom, and if he is a lover of nature in her grandest
type, he will become etherealized, as it were, and elec
trified by the surpassing beauty of the American
scenerj', as seen in a trip up the Mississippi river to the
capital city of a great empire which lies beyond.

KIS-SE-ME-PA AND KAR-GO-KA.
EVERY spring, for perhaps a century, or as long
as there has been a nation of red men, an island
in the middle of White Bear lake had been visited by
a band of Indians for the purpose of making maple
sugar.
Tradition says that many years ago, while the Indians
were upon this island, a young warrior loved and wooed
the daughter of his chief, and it is said, also, the maiden
loved the warrior. He had again and again been re
fused her hand by her parents, the old chief alleging
that he was no brave, and his old consort calling him a
woman !
The sun had again set upon the " sugar bush," and
the bright moon rode high in the blue heavens, when
the young warrior took down his flute and went out
alone, once more to sing the story of his love. The
mild breeze gently moved the two gay feathers in his
head dress, and as he mounted upon the trunk of a
leaning tree, the damp snow fell from his feet heavily.
As he raised his flute to his Hps his blanket slipped
from his well-formed shoulders, and lay partly on the
snow beneath. He began his wild, weird love song
but soon felt that he was cold, and as he reached back
for his blanket some unseen hand laid it gently on his
shoulders. It was the hand of his love — his guardian
angel. She took her place beside him, and for the
present they were happy ; — for the Indian has a heart
to love, and in this respect he is as noble as in his own
6a

XIS-SE-ME-rA AND KAR-GO-KA. 63
freedom, which makes him the child of the forest. As
the legend runs, a large white bear, thinking, perhaps,
that polar snows and dismal winter extended every
where, took up his journey southward. He at length
reached the northem shore of the lake which now bears
his name, walked down the bank, and made his way
noiselessly through the deep, heavy snow toward the
island. The lovers had left their first retreat, and were
seated among the branches of a large elm which hung
far out over the lake. For fear of being detected they
had talked almost in a whisper, and now, that they
might get back to camp in good time and thereby avoid
suspicion, they were just rising to return, when the
maiden uttered a shriek which was heard at the camp,
and bounding toward the young brave, she caught his
blanket, but missed the direction of her foot and fell,
bearing the blanket with her into the great arms of the
ferocious monster, which had crawled stealthily under
the tree. Instantly every man, woman and child of the
band were upon the island, but all unarmed. Cries and
wailings went up from every mouth. What was to be
done ? In the meantime this white and savage beast
held the breathless maiden in his huge grasp, and fon-
<iled with his precious prey as if he were used to scenes
like this. One deafening yell from the lover warrior is
heard above the cry of hundreds of his tribe, and dash
ing away to his wigwam, only a few steps distant, he
grasps his faithful knife, returns almost at a single
bound to the scene of fear and fright, rushes out along
the leaning tree to the spot where his treasure fell, and
springing with the fury of a mad panther, pounced upon
his prey. The animal turned, and with one stroke of
his huge paw brought the lovers heart to heart, but the

64 KIS-SE-ME-PA AND KAR-GO-KA.
next moment the warrior, with one plunge of the blade
of his knife, opened the crimson sluices of death, and
the dying bear relaxed his hold.
That night there was no more sleep for the band or
the lovers, and as the young and the old danced about
the carcass of the dead monster and feasted upon his
flesh, the gallant warrior was presented with another
plume, and ere another moon had set he had a living
treasure added to his heart. Their children Jor many
years played upon the tanned skin of the WHITE BEAR
— from which the lake derives its name — and the
maiden and the brave remembered long the fearful
scene and the rescue that made thern one, for Kis-se-
me-pa and Kar-go-ka could never forget their fearful
encounter with the huge monster that came so near
sending them to the happy hunting ground.

NARROW ESCAPE FROM A HORRIBLE
INDIAN MASSACRE.
THE SKULKING DOG.
IN the spring of 1863 I was stationed at Camp Pope,
above Fort Ridgely, on. the Minnesota river, State
of Minnesota, in the double capacity of United States
Commissary and Quartermaster. This was after the
terrible Indian massacre, whereby nearly one thousand
innocent settlers lost their lives by the savages, and
after the Govemment had organized a command of sol
diers, under a competent leader, to pursue the hostile
Sioux, reclaim the white prisoners, but at any rate
drive the enemy into or across the Missouri river, where
arrangements had been made to intercept, and if possi
ble, annihilate them.
Camp Pope was situated above Little Crow's village,
where the chief of that name had resided, and was in
the neighborhood of where the Indian war had been
inaugurated, for it was Little Crow himself who mar
shaled his young warriors to battle, and who was
responsible for the horrid butcheries of the whites the
previous year. The camp was located some distance
from the Minnesota river, overlooked by a ridge of
bluffs, with drift granite boulders on the right, and a
very pretty valley stretching off up toward Yellow
Medicine, the former Indian agency. The place was
devoid of trees and seemed admirably adapted to the
purpose for which it was chosen, with one exception.
5 66

66 NARROW ESCAPE FROM A
On' the right of the camp, looking down toward the
Minnesota river, was a thick clump of bushes, and I
rememSr-glJ^gSrfff' f^ftfS whSnth^-S^mg.Jjas selected,
that the Indians might, under cover of these bushes,
especially after the leaves came out, make an attack
upon it, but men of greater Indian experience than
myself, thought, that by throwing out a guard in that
direction, that all surprise could be anticipated, so the
camp soon became a young city of bustling life and
activity. At last, in June, 1863, the entire command,
comprising 4,000 soldiers, with all the necessary essen
tials for a successful campaign against the hostile sav- ,
ages, set out on its journey, and winding up in the
valley already indicated, and passing over the bluff,
made an imposing and stirring scene.
Never did I experience a more lonely or a more
homesick feeling, as when, towards sundown of that
memorable day, I looked out upon that deserted camp,
v/here, only ten hours before, four thousand soldiers,
with eighteen hundred horses and mules; with the
tread of men, with martial music, with familiar faces,
with burning camp fires, with white tents, and stream
ing flags, were wont to greet my eye — all now gone ! —
desolate, dark, lonely, dreary ! How still ! How I
longed for wings to fly to get away from myself ! —
what a terribLe depression came Upon me ! and with a
shudder I turned and sought mjf Office, where consola
tion was to come only in sleep.
Camp Pope was the rendezVtsSllS for suppHes which
might be needed for the expCC'ltion after it had left,
and for the sick which might be tJnt back from it. Also
for disabled horses and other pfjr ;)erty belonging to the
Government. A small stor Je of 'ogs had been

HORRIBLE INDIAN MASSACRE. (i'J
thrown up in case of an attack from the Indians, and
inside of this defense was Company I, of the Ninth
Regiment, a class of boys who had never smelt Indian
gun-powder, and from what I could learn, who really
never wanted to, and yet they were all brave men. In
the Quartermaster's building was a small squad of sol
diers, called the convalescent corps, unfit for duty, but
who, in case of an emergency, might be made availa
ble. Of eleven horses, not more than two could be put
to any use, whatever, and these were kept in readiness
in case of an attack. An occasional Indian (no doubt
a spy) would peer ih upon the camp, but notwithstand
ing the vigilance of the soldiers, he would contrive to
escape. About ten days after the expedition had left rumors
came from the Indian scout-camp, some miles above
our own, that tracks of Indian ponies had been seen
on the west side of the Minnesota river, and fears were
entertained that an attack might be made upon us at
any moment. These rumors gained credence, because
we all thought it would be a very Indian-like trick to
slip round behind the expedition, and pounce in upon
our small party; and if any considerable number of
Indians had done so, the writer, and many others,
would have been non est, while the savages would have
gained one scalp minus the hair; and therein I always
considered I should get thgs|»etter of our wily enemy,
who, I imagined, would grit his teeth as he held up
his trophy of a bald and shining pate, out of which he
could get no further satisfaction than a — grunt. (In
dians dont like bald-headed men.)
The constant fear of an attack had induced the
commander of the post to take every precautionary

68 NARROW ESCAPE FROM A
measure for defense he could. I had brought the
horses inside the guard-lines; trenches had been dug
about the Commissary and Quartermaster's buildings,
while a camp-fire was kept constantly burning inside of
the stockade, where our most available men were quar
tered. The command was so smaU that only four
guards and reliefs could be employed to protect the
camp, and, as every day brought confirmatory news of
Indians hovering about us, these guards were instructed
to watch carefully, and, on the first appearance of any
object, halt it three times, and, on the last time, if it
did not halt, fire. All parties, being satisfied that an
unexpected attack could not be made upon the camp,
settled down to quietness and to rest.
It was evening. The sky was overcast with black
clouds, and the darkness was almost impenetrable.
The wind soughed around the camp, and moaned like
some lost spirit, anxious to gain admittance into my
little office, where I sat revelling upon the past. Ever
and anon, amid the death-like stillness of the night,
only the click of a musket could be heard to break the
eternal monotony of the blast, as it came in fitful gusts
and painted, in imagination, the unrelenting, wander
ing, dancing skeletons of the red men, who had arisen
from their graves tb take part in the coming conflict !
To me they seemed dodging around the corners, and
peeping into the windows, and gathering at the camp-
fire, and yet, calm and serene, amid all this outside
clamor, I dreamed of home, and friends and loved
ones. In an instant my reveries were disturbed by the
report of a gun, and seizing my pistol, I emerged into
the darkness. In a minute more the camp was all
astir, for aU realized the impending and probable dan-

HORRIBLE INDIAN MASSACRE. 69
ger, and pushing my way rapidly to the camp-fire in
the stockade, I met the officer in command, with his
hair in many kinks, shirt bosom open, coat off, with no
shoes or stockings (it was a warm night in June), and
who hurriedly exclaimed :
"Captain, where do you think that report came
from?" I replied, " Guard No. 4. Think they are after our
horses." " No ; I think it came from No. 3," he answered, and
off he darted into the darkness, leaving me making my
way, as fast as possible, to the stockade. In the mean
time the soldiers gathered around the camp-fire, and as
the Hght shone upon their pale and frightened faces,
the scene was one of a most impressive character.
Here I halted, but no news coming from the commander
of the post, and fearing that not only he but all the
guards had been shot down by arrows, and that any
minute we might see the infuriated redskins rushing in
upon us, with their war-whoops, tomahawks and knives,
I ordered two soldiers to accompany me, and crawling
upon our hands and knees, some distance from each
other (so that we might not be shot at once), we felt
our way in the darkness, to guard No. 4, where we heard
subdued voices, and on drawing nearer, found them to
be that of the guard and the faithful commander, wo
had periled his own life to save that of his command.
An explanation followed, to the effect that the guard,
who was a half-breed Indian, had discovered a large
dog crawling up from the bushes previously alluded to,
and that, after halting him three times, he fired, and
the animal ran back to the spot from whence he came.
We all returned to camp, or rather the stockade, but

7°

A NARROW ESCAPE,

there was no sleep that night. Every man was on the
alert for the enemy.
A few days after this event news came that Little
Crow, who had instigated the war, had been shot near
Glencoe, and that his son, who, in the meantime had
been captured, stated that his father and seventeen
other Indians had decided to take our camp at the
time the animal was seen to ascend the hill, and for
that purpose had sent forward an Indian in a dog's skin,
who was to crawl up to and shoot down the guard with
arrows, and then the other Indians were to surprise the
command and murder every soul ! Had it not been for
the sagacity and faithfulness of this half-breed guard,
the devilish purpose of Little Crow might have been
accomplished, but, finding the camp alarmed through
the report of the gun, he and his men made their way
toward the settlements near Glencoe to steal horses,
where he finally met his death. And thus we escaped
a horrible butchery from the same savages, who, but a
short time before, had murdered one thousand inoffens
ive white citizens, escaped simply through the sagacity
of a half-breed guard, who, knowing Indian character
better than the whites, fired at the dodging animal,
which, in the skin of a dog, proved to be a tried war
rior of the great Sioux chieftain, who was only waiting
with his men to hear that our sentinels had been killed
by the silent arrows from his disguised savage soldier,
to complete the slaughter of the whole camp ! But, in
the language of Webster — " We still live,"

PICK-A-WA-KA AND EL-MO-NA.
MANY moons ago large tribes of Indians used to
roam over the ground now known as Elmo Park,
The tribes were hostile to each other, and never let an
opportunity pass to visit vengeance upon their enemy.
Both were wily and warlike, the Sioux noted for their
cunning and bravery, the Chippewas for their superior
manly qualities, but both were ever on the alert to visit
death upon their deadly foe. Near where a hotel now
stands, and amid a bower of trees and bmsh, was located
a modest, silent tepee, and in it on a bright moonlight
night, singing a low, plaintive love song, was a beauti
ful Sioux maiden. Her subdued, sweet, wild tones
floated over the water, and ever and anon she peered
out into space as though expecting some visitor, and
yet, as she thought of his coming her frame quivered
and she shrank back into her quiet home as though
some dreadful danger was impending. Again she sang.
Again her eye brightened. She placed her ear to the
pebbly shore and listened, and then like a beautiful
fawn she seemed transfixed to the spot. Hark ! How
still ! I^isten ! She hears j^ain ! How her heart
beats ! Away off on the other side of the lake can be
heard the light dipping of paddles ! How faint and
yet how clear to her, his signal !
A 1/ ¦ "« back of her tepee is her band. The warriors
are di -ag over the scalps of the Chippewas. They
are dl with excitement. They hear nothing, know
71

72 PICK-A-WA-KA AND EI^MO-NA.
nothing, but blood; and so, seeking her opportunity
she has gained her silent retreat ; she has made her
presence known to her lover, and he is coming — not
one of her own band — not one of her own tribe, but a
gallant hero of her deadly enemies — no less than a
young warrior of the Chippewa nation ; for love laughs
at all restraints, even among the rude children of tke
forests. Nearer and nearer the light canoe glides
silently to the shore. It stops, and with a bound a
noble youth springs to the side of the maiden. He
clasps her in his arms. Looking down into her dark
eyes, he says :
" El-mo-na ! we have met again, and ere another
moon passes we shall be one. Oh ! my necarnis — (best
friend) — how beautiful to know that amid all the strife
of our tribes, two hearts know naught but love ! "
" Pick-a-wa-ka, be brave !" said El-mo-na. " He comes
among danger! Hear my people? Pick-a-wa-ka's
heart, be big ! See the moonlight kissing the ripples ?
El-mo-na's heart kisses Pick-a-wa-ka ! " And there,
standing upon the shore of this lake, in a spot so quiet,
so beautiful, so secluded, yet so dangerous, with the
waves singing a gentle lullaby, the moonbeams playing
with the foliage of the trees, the Indian lovers pledged
their hearts, and calling upon the Great Spirit to wit
ness their fidelity, clasped each other in an embrace of
eternal love.
List ! a sound is heard in the distance ! El-mo-na
trembles ! She beseeches Pick-a-wa-ka to fly for his
life! They are discovered! The young Chippewa
brave draws his left arm about his love, shielding her
with his person, and with his right hand grasps his
knife. With a wild war-whoop the Sioux are upon

PICK-A-WA-KA AND EL-MO-NA. 73
hitn'i Their tomahawks gleam in the moonbeams!
They draw nearer and nearer ! The fatal stroke de
scends, when, with the agility of a tigress, El-mo-na
glides in front of him and the knife enters her body,
and she falls to the ground. Relieved of his burden,
Pick-a-wa-ka is soon conscious of his power. Desperate
with the belief that his love is mortally wounded, he
dashes at his enemies, and almost instantly the two
assailants lie dead upon the beach. But more of the
band is coming ! He has no time to lose. Picking up
the lifeless body of El-mo-na, he placed it tenderly in
the canoe, and in a moment more was paddHng over
the lake, and when his enemies had reached the shore,
his boat was some distance from land. He rowed with
superhuman power; reached the landing on the oppo
site side of the lake, near where a little stream ripples
in laughter down the bank, bore his sacred trust to the
camp of his tribe, and exhausted, fell senseless by its
side. On recovering, a medicine man was bending over
him, and near him sat El-mo-na, her dark, brilliant eyes
fixed upon his face. Her wound did not prove fatal.
With gentle nursing she fully recovered, married Pick-
a-wa-ka, and years afterwards, when both her own tribe
and the Chippewas were removed far away, and when
eighty moons had silvered their hair with gray, they
visited the haunts of their early love, secured permission
to dwell in peace in a quiet, lovely spot not far from
the present hotel, where they died, greatly esteemed by
what few whites roamed through the country at that
time in quest of game and fur.
It is said that on still moonlight nights a wild, sweet
Indian song can be heard floating over the waters of
the lake, supposed to be the spirit of El-mo-na, while a

74 PICK-A-WA-KA AND EL-MO-NA.
light canoe can be seen gliding noiselessly upon the
waves as they gently dash against the shore. In honor
of this beautiful Indian legend, no wonder the place is
called— Elmo Lodge!

MEMORY OF A NOTED CHIPPEWA
CHIEF— HOLE-iN-THE-DAY.
WHILE sitting in a small office of a hotel in the
West, in the year 1853, or thirty-one years ago,
my attention was attracted by the imposing presence
of a large Indian chief, who, with his blanket about
him, strode into the room with the dignity of a Roman
Senator. He was a large man, with high cheek bones,
a well-poised head, dark, brilliant black eyes and hair.
With a pleasant smile, he exclaimed, as he passed —
" Booshu, neches," or in Indian dialect — " how to do,
friend ?" and took a seat near me. There was a mass
ive characteristic about the man which did not belong
to the ordinary Indian, and yet he had all the Indian
peculiarities. Dinner was soon announced and he took
a seat near me at the table. He ate with ordinary de
liberation, and an ordinary amount of food, but while
thus engaged, orie of the windows was suddenly dark
ened, and on looking up I beheld many grimmy faces
and burning eyes, with war-paint and feathers, the
possessors of which belonged to the Sioux nation — the
deadly enemies of the noted chief. Gleaming knives
and partially concealed tomahawks, made my position
by the side of the warrior rather uncomfortable, so I
moved away, but he continued to eat on, and then the
door opened and thirty Sioux Indians filed along in
front of the foe of their nation, with cHnched rifles and
hearts glowing with revenge. Still, calm, with not a
muscle of his mobile face denoting fear, the chief fin-
75

76 MEMORY OF A NOTED CHIPPEWA CHIEF,
ished his dinner, cooly arose, drew his blanket about
him and with a lordly tread and a compressed lip, and
flashing eyes, walked down in front of these hostile
Sioux, and lighting his pipe, deliberately puffed the
smoke into the very faces of his inveterate foe !
That man was Hole-in-the-Day, the great and noted
chief of the Chippewa Nation, and the thirty Sioux
warriors were on his war-path, but they well knew, and
so did Hole-in-the-Day, that the moment a blow had
been struck, that the white man's troops would dash
down upon them and terminate their career ; so the
chief passed along in safety, and the sullen Sioux soon
after withdrew to their own possessions, which, at that
time, was on the west side of the Mississippi river.
The wily chief well knew that his safety lay in the fact
that he was on land belonging to the whites, while had
he been on the other side of the river, on ground owned
by the Sioux, he would have met a terrible death, as it
was only a short time before he crossed the river, took
two Sioux scalps, right in the face of the enemy and
civilization, and returned glorying over his achievement.
He was a brave, intelligent Indian chief, and his mem
ory is kindly cherished by the whites.
GRAVE OF HOLE-IN-THE-DAY.
About two miles northwest of Little Falls, a town
located on the Upper Mississippi river, in Minnesota,
and on a high hill, known as Hole-in-the-Day's bluff,
lies the body of the great Chippewa chief, and that of
his father, a noted chief before him, both facing south
east, so they can watch the movements of their enemies
— the Sioux. There is a gap between the depression
of the two hills upon which the bodies lie, and in the

HOLE-IN-THE-DAY. ^^
middle of this depression stands a lone tree, conveying
the idea from the road-side, that a sentinel was guard
ing the graves. The view from the top of this bluff is
grand, presenting a scene unrivaled in beauty and
charming naturalness. No other Indians are permitted
to be buried near the remains of these two great Chip
pewa chieftains.

HE-LE-O-PA AND NIM-PE-WA-PA.
THERE is something peculiarly fascinating about
an Indian tradition, handed down, as it it, not in
books, but from father to son, while smoking their
pipes around the wigwam fire ; and there is something
additionally charming in the story as told by the In
dian himself. Some fifteen years ago, while on my
way to the Canadian shore with a company of ex
plorers, we camped on the banks of a beautiful sheet
of water known as Me-de-wa-ka, when our "Ne-car-
nis," or, in the Chippewa language, " our best friend " —
that is, an Indian in the party who had attached him
self to our person — entertained us, through my inter
preter, with the following interesting legend :
" Many moons ago," said the Indian, with a whiff of
his pipe, " a party of Sioux crept down silently to the
shores of Me-de-wa-ka, and, gazing a moment, disap
peared in the thick underbrush that encircled the lake."
And right here the reader should bear in mind that
the Sioux and Chippewas have been at war for a cent
ury past, and that all the country on the east side of
the Mississippi belonged to the Chippewas, while all
the country on the west side belonged to the Sioux.
"A young Chippewa girl," continued the Indian,
" beautiful as the fawn, with features radiant with per
fection, was sitting upon the bank of the lake, toying
with the gentle waves, as they came and kissed her
tawny feet, but when she saw these enemies of her
race, she screamed and ran to the tepee, which was
located a little back from the shore, in a clump of trees.

HE-LE-O-PA AND NIM-PE-WA-PA. 79
Nim-pe-wa-pa, her lover, brave, gallant, affectionate,
Hke a deer dashed from the wigwam, and, catching the
maiden in his arms, asked, 'What fear?' He-le-o-pa
pointed to the brush and trembHngly replied, 'Sioux,' "
The old Indian who narrated this story, was silent.
He gazed upon the blazing fire; gave out a guttural
sound, and then whiffing his pipe several times, con
tinued :
" Nim-pe-wa-pa brave ! Nim-pe-wa-pa no fear Sioux !
Nim-pe-wa-pa's heart be big! Rousing the band, the
Chippewa were soon in pursuit of the fleeing enemy,
led by Nim-pe-wa-pa ; but the wily savages had crossed
the river, passed the boundary line, and could only be
reached by confronting the whole Sioux nation; so,
chafing for revenge the Chippewas returned to their
camp on the silent shores of Me-de-wa-ka,
" It was night ! The full-orbed moon sent a ray of
mellow light down upon the beautiful lake, while on the
shores of the sparkling water, numerous bands of
Indians regaled themselves, either reclining upon the
mossy banks or sailing in their light canoes over the
limpid waves. The prattle and laughter of childhood ;
the ringing, gleeful notes of maidens; the plaintive
songs of mothers, as they lulled their loved ones to
sleep, gave a charm to the scene and presented a
picture unrivaled in beauty and in innocence.
"The stars stooped down and kissed the fair maiden,
He-le-o-pa, as with a soft tread and a light bound, she
skipped among her companions the fairest of them all.
With a perfect figure ; beautiful, soft, black eyes ; jet
bl£ick hair, and clear complexion ; with a merry laugh
and a heart warm and generous in its impulses, no
wonder she was the queen of her sex and the loved of

8o HE-LE-O-PA AND NIM-PE-WA-PA,
her tribe. Just eighteen moons had passed over her
fair head, and still so innocent, still so lovely, still so
charming!" The old Indian paused again, dropped his head
upon his hands, uttered a moan, and then, as if recall
ing something in the long past, became as calm and as
cold as marble, and continued his story ;
" Up a short distance from the lake, embosomed in
the arms of nature, nestling with the flowers, and
listening to the whip-poor-will, wandered He-le-o-pa, all
unmindful of the fright she had received but a short
time before. The noise of the children had ceased;
the moon was high in the blue sky; the quietness
brooded over and about the lake ; the Indians puffed
their pipes, and recalled the stirring scenes of many a
fight, when, all of a sudden, there was a piercing
scream. It broke out again on the evening air, and
the echo came back to remind the peaceful Indian
village that an enemy was in their midst. The women
and children entered their tepees, the men clutched
thcir guns, and, hastening in the direction of the noise,
halted. What means it? Who is missing?
"It seemed that while He-le-o-pa wandered in the
moonUght, talking, as it were, with invisible beings, a
company of thirty Sioux Indians stole in upon her,
seized her, bound her to a pony, and were flying with
her to the camp of the enemy. Before any concert of
action could be devised by those who had congregated
where the noise was heard, Nim-pe-wa-pa had mounted
his steed, and, giving a most mournful wail, bounded
in among them, and, screaming, ' He-le-o-pa, revenge
and death!' dashed into the thicket, followed by his
friends.

HE-LE-O-PA AND NIM-PE-WA-PA, 8 1
The old Indian paused again, when my interpreter
asked^" Kan-e-de-ka, what then?" He refilled his
pipe, then drawing himself up to his full height, ex
claimed — " Nisisshin," which means good, and closed
his story in the following graphic manner :
" Nim-pe-wa-pa's pony sped like an arrow ! Through
the bushes, over logs, jumping ravines, he seemed to
possess the power of the incarnate. He, Nim-pe-wa-pa,
rode the air and his men fled like birds at his com
mand. The retreating Sioux are now in the distance,
dimly seen in the moonlight. Ten of Nim-pe-wa-pa's
men have left the main party to intercept them. On
they rush, pell-mell ! The Chippewas are gaining ; the
Sioux are scattering! With the impetuosity of a hur
ricane, Nim-pe-wa-pa darts down upon them! He
approaches them, and in the full moonlight, fires ! Mad
with revenge, he continues the onslaught ! He draws
nearer ; again he fires ; a Sioux falls ! How he gloats
as he tears the scalp from his head, and then again con
tinues the pursuit. In the meantime his friends have
come up to the rescue, and soon begin one of the
fiercest Indian battles on record. Hand to hand they
meet ; hand to hand they fall ; hand to hand they die !
Where is He-le-o-pa? Death! death! death!
" The party of ten Chippewas have intercepted the
flying Sioux ! They close in upon them ! Red, gory
blood curdles in the moonlight ! Nim-pe-wa-pa rides
like a demon ! Five of the enemy have fallen from his
unerring aim, and still, with loss of vital force from a
dangerous wound, he continues the conflict ! Dashing
into the thickest of the fight, he makes one desperate
effort, and in that effort he confronts the Indian who
has He-le-o-pa bound to his horse, and with an impetu-
6

82 HE-LE-O-PA AND NIM-PE-WA-PA.
OUS plunge, dismounts him, but in the act, the animal
upon which He-le-o-pa is secured, falls dead ! Nim-pe-
wa-pa reels, staggers, drops to the earth ! The conflict
is over I Several Chippewas and eight Sioux lie dead
upon the field 1 Twenty-two of the enemy have es
caped; three Chippewas are lifeless! The bodies of
He-le-o-pa and Nim-pe-wa-pa are brought tenderly back
to the lodge, and there, amid great lamentation, they
repose side by side. All of a sudden there is great
consternation in the camp ! He-le-o-pa breathes ! opens
her eyes! moves! lives! — IS NOT DEAD!"
The old Indian arose from the camp-fire, strode back
and forward for a few moments, and then mournfully
added :
"They buried Nim-pe-wa-pa on a little knoll, over
looking Me-de-wa-ka, near the Ki-e-le-pa (or old tepee
ground), and for fifty moons the faithful He-le-o-pa
visited and planted flowers upon the grave of her
noble, brave, and devoted lover."
Parties who visit the lake can see the spot where
Nim-pe-wa-pa was buried, which is marked by a body
of stones, placed there by the hands of the whole
tribe, who revered the memory of the great and good
Nim-pe-wa-pa. I should also add, that a part of the
old Indian village, where Nim pe-wa-pa and He-le-o-pa
lived, and where the former was killed, is now embraced
in what is known as Central Park, where the shores
slope down gradually to the lake, and where the land
is thickly studded with trees. It is a quiet and seques,
tered spot, and, as one wanders over the knolls and in
the valleys, shadowed by thick foliage, in imagination
he can hear the sweet spirit voice of He-le-o-pa mourn
fully wailing for the loss of her lamented lover.

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS
SCENERY.
THE INFANT RIVER ONLY SEVEN INCHES ACROSS IT.
THIS great river, upon whose broad and capacious
bosom millions of bushels of wheat will yet float
to the Gulf and from thence to Europe, and whose al
most entire surface in a few succeeding years, will be
dotted with steamboats unsurpassed for beauty and
excellence, as many of the boats now are, is, in a
straight line, measuring from its source. Lake Itasca —
to its mouth, the Gulf of Mexico — eleven hundred and
sixty-four miles. By the channel of the river it is two
thousand, eight hundred miles in length. The popula
tion contiguous to the Mississippi river, will exceed
24,000,000, or nearly half of the population of the
United States, and in ten years, with the present in
crease of emigration, the population in the valley and
beyond, will reach 30,000,000, or a preponderance of
power in the American nation. There are about one
hundred cities and towns on the river from St. Paul to
St. Louis ; about eight above St. Paul, and about one
hundred and fifty below St. Louis to the Gulf, making
in all, two hundred and fifty-eight cities and towns on
the river from its source to its mouth. This great val
ley of the Mississippi contains 768,000,000 acres of the
finest lands in the world, sufficient to make more than
one hundred and fifty states as large as Massachusetts.
It embraces more territory than Great Britain, France,

84 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Spain, Austria, European Turkey and Italy combined.
If peopled as thickly as Massachusetts, it would con
tain four times the present population of the United
States ; if as populous as France, it would hold as many
as now inhabit the whole of Europe.
H L. Gordon, in his Legends of the Northwest,
sweetly sings :
" Onward rolls the Royal River, proudly sweeping to the sea.
Dark and deep and grand, forever wrapt in myth and mystery.
Lo, he laughs along the highlands, leaping o'er the gfranite walls ;
Lo, he sleeps among the islands, where the loon ber lover calls.
Still, like some huge monster winding downward through the prairied
plains.
Seeking rest but never finding, till the tropic gulf he gains.
In his mighty arms he claspeth now an empire broad and grand;
In his left hand Io he graspeth leagues of fern and forest land;
In his right the mighty mountains, hoary with eternal snow,
Where a thousand foaming fountains singing seek the plains below.
Fields of corn and feet of cities, lo the mighty river laves,
Where the Saxon sings his ditties o'er the swarthy warriors' graves."
The first boat to ascend the Mississippi river, was the
Virginia, in May, 1823, or sixty-one years ago. She
was a stern-wheeler — length 118x24. Now the fleet of
boats from St. Louis, owned by two companies, num
ber twenty daily, and among them are several which
will easily accommodate five hundred passengers. The
Virginia might have cost $15,000; one of the present
boats alone cost $40,000, and the whole amount invested
in the Mississippi steamboat trade, will reach $2,000,-
000, and everything indicates a vast increase of trade
upon this immense river, which, sooner or later, must
become the thoroughfare for western grain to the sea
coast and to Europe.
Contemplating the past and realizing the present, I

AND ITS SCENERY. -,'5
can appreciate Mr. Gordon's further allusion to the
Mississippi, when he says :
"On thy bosom, Royal River, silent sped the birch ?anoe,
Bearing brave with bow and quiver, on his way to war or woo;
NOW with flaunting flags and streamers — mighty monsters of the
deep,
Lo the puffing, panting steamers, through the foaming waters =weep;
And behold the grain-fields golden, where the bison grazed of eld,
See the fanes of forests olden by the ruthless Saxon felled, —
Plumed pines that spread their shadows ere Columbus spread his sails,
Firs tbat fringed the mossy meadows ere the Mayflower braved th^
gales;
Iron oaks that nourished bruin, wbile the Vikings roamed the main,
Crashing fall in broken ruin for the greedy marts of gain. "
Recent information would indicate that the Missis
sippi river has its source from another lake than that
of Itasca, and which is alleged to be much larger and
handsomer than the historical sheet of water which, for
so many years has been claimed to be the source of the
great Father of Waters.
The first white man who ever saw Lake Itasca, was
Schoolcraft, in the year 1832. Some twenty years
later a party of explorers visited the lake, who describe
it as a three-pointed star, and out of some eight thou
sand lakes in Minnesota, in shape, there is not another
one like it. Within about two and a half miles of the
lake can be seen a little rill of water meandering
through the marsh, and this little rivulet, measuring
only SEVEN INCHES ACROSS IT,
is the infant Mississippi, and the little lake, only a mile
long and not so wide, is where the first drop of water
in the river comes from. It is now claimed that two
other lakes exist above Itasca, and that the furthermost
one is the real source of the Mississippi, but time and

86 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
research will be necessary to establish this assertion
beyond a doubt.
The scenery on the Mississippi river equals anything
the traveler finds in Europe. The many points, bays,
promontories, bluffs, canyons, prairies and beautiful
landscapes which meet the eye, afford a never-ceasing
source of pleasure, and the tourist on the boat, being
free from dust and the jostle of the cars, enjoys
serenely the bracing air, as it invigorates his lungs, or
plays with his hair, or cools his fevered brow, while the
palace steamer plows her way northward, or descends
southward, riding the water like a thing of life. Mill
ions of dollars will yet be expended in improving this
great thoroughfare, which will drain, a vast empire
beyond of its wealth, bring into existence thousands of
miles of railroads, and build up a city at the head of
navigation, unequaled in population and in wealth by
any metropohs in the West. And then, for ages and
ages, as in the past so in the future, the Mississippi will
continue its ceaseless flow, murmuring its lullaby dirge
over thousands of those who, to-day, mingle in the great
throng of our busy life, but whose memories will be
washed away by the waves of the great river as the^?
dash against the shores and obliterate the land marks
of time. " Faintly flow, thou falling river,
Like a dream that dies away,
Down to ocean gliding ever,
Keep thy calm, unrufiled way.
Time, with such a silent motion.
Floats along on wings of air.
To eternity's dark ocean.
Burying all its treasures there."

THE BATTLE FOR THE APRON.
VARIOUS tribes of Indians have various modes or
punishments for the various violations of their
laws ; but it is only among the Indians of the far West
where it is left for the women of the tribe to punish
the males for certain injuries received. Perhaps it
would be a good idea to introduce this custom among
the whites, in which case unprincipled men would be
brought to feel the full force of injured innocence, and
society would be greatly benefited even by the intro
duction of new ideas more radical than our own, re
specting the punishment of men for a crime, which
needs only the Indian mode of treatment to effect a
positive cure. Let us admit that we can learn some
thing even from the savages. A writer for the New
York Sun, pens the following as occuring at Poplar
river, Montana, among a tribe of Indians known as
the Yanktonais :
" Recently there was witnessed here one of the most
singular scenes of Indian life — the punishment by four
Indian girls, the daughters of Polecat, of a young Indian
hunter who had assaulted one of their number." The
following description is that of an eye witness :
" The tribe forms a huge ring in which the savage
who provoked the animosity of the Polecat family, is
summarily thrust. He looks suUen and dogged. He
has a hard fight before him, and he knows it ; but he is
a man of his hands, and he means to wear those girls
out if it lies in his muscle and prompt and effectual
work. He may strike them an3?where above the breast,
«7

88 THE BATTLE FOR THE APRON.
and kill them, if a blow in the neck wiU do it, but bul
lets and arrows are ready for him if he strikes foul.
The girls, on the other hand, must take off his apron.
If they accomplish that, he is disgraced to the utter
most moment of his life, driven from his tribe, left to
starve on the prairie, and all Indians cautioned against
harboring, feeding or associating with him. The in
jured woman is aUowed to have such squaws as she
may select to assist her. But, if she chooses too many
to effect her purpose, it is a disgrace to her; and so
she is careful to select only enough to make the battle
nearly equal.
" The Polecat girls are the belles of the Yanktonais
tribe. If a squaw can be pretty, these girls are beauti
ful ; and, by virtue of their attractions and their fathers'
possessions in horses and other satisfactory property,
they are the aristocrats of the camp. Perhaps for that
reason they ask no help in their present undertak
ing ; and for that reason also, perhaps, their savage sis
ters giggle and exchange whispers as the four girls step
into the ring and. approach the waiting buck. All five
are in full war-paint. Down the hunter's cheeks and
along his neck are alternate sepia and green and yellow
stripes on a background of brilliant red, while his chest,
sides and back are tricked out with rude pictures of
guns, bows and horses. The girls have smeared their
faces with a coating of red, over which lies another of
green, striped with yellow. Their hair is unfastened at
the back, and the front locks are braided with otter
fur. Each wears a skirt and leggings ; but their blank
ets are laid aside, and their muscular brown arms are
displayed. " There are no preliminaries. The girls dash at their

THE BATTLE FOR THE APRON. 89
enemy and attempt to grasp him. If all hands manage
to get hold of him, half the battle is accomplished.
But he meets them squarely and fairly, planting a cruel
blow between the eyes of the girl he had injured, know
ing that if she is finished he can compel her to call off
the rest. She is the general of the attacking forces
and the prime object of attack. Over she goes like a
pin-wheel ; but she is up again, her face streaming with
blood and her eyes swelling. The elder girl has con
trived to secure a waisthold, and locked her hands behind
his back. His fists fall upon her upturned face with
frightful force ; but she keeps her hold. The two other
girls are pressing him hard from behind, but his elbows
work like battering-rams, and one steps back with her
hands pressed tightly to her breast and a look of agony
in her eyes. Now he whirls suddenly, planting ponder
ous blows upon the face and head of the girl who on
her knees still clings to his waist with a death-grip.
He fairly raises her from the ground as he spins, but
her hold never relaxes,
" His earlier victim again dashed at him, and is re
warded by a crashing stroke on the mouth. She reels,
but recovers and darts again to receive his fist on her
neck with a force that whirls her half a dozen paces off
and drops her like a log. Not a word is spoken. The
thud of his fists, and the heavy breathing of the strug
gling contestants, are the only sounds. The last rally
of the prostrate girl has enabled the rear party to catch
the buck, and one has twined her arms around his neck,
while the other hangs to his wrist. His left hand is
still free, and it fairly twinkles in the air as he batters
the maiden at his waist. Her grasp is like iron, but
her head reels and sways as his heavy hand falls on it

9© THE BATTLE FOR THE APRON.
with a noise that reaches the farthest side of the irreg
ular ring. Her eyes are closed and her breath comes
convulsively. Were the fourth girl there to grasp that
arm, the fight would soon end,
" The girl behind is choking him, and he employs new
tactics. Grasping the kneeling girl by the throat, he
pounds the face of the one behind him with the back
of his head. No vanity prompts her to let him go.
She tightens her grip and buries her face in the back
of his neck. The fourth girl is up, staggering and
dazed. Brushing the blood from her eyes with an
angry motion she approaches him, crouching as she
moves. If the blow he has in store for her reaches the
mark he will have another chance — for the girl at his
waist is growing faint, and he can easily dispose of the
other two. She comes at him like a cougar. The
blow is delivered full upon her breast ; but she grasps
his wrist and writhes up his arm.
" Now he is beset with danger. The two at his arms
and the one at his waist pull him forward '.r^ girl
behind, stiU strangling him, throws her weight on his
back. In vain he attempts to straighten. The kneel
ing girl bends in her despairing struggle until her hair
hangs on the ground. The other three show the mus
cles rigid in their arms as they press him down upon
their kneeling sister. Suddenly he springs backward
with a marvelous effort of strength. The fainting girl
at his waist finds her hands torn apart. But that tri
umph was his defeat. With a crash he comes to the
ground, three girls upon him. One plants herself on
his face, and the other two kneel on his arms. There
is a struggle, and then the youngest rises with a wild
yell, waving the apron in her hand. Her yell is echoed

THE BATTLE FOR THE APRON. 9 1
by a low moan, as the mother of the prostrate hunter
staggers out of the circle, and by a grunt of satisfac
tion, as Polecat recognizes the victory of his girls.
"To-morrow, somewhere up the river, that disgraced
buck will be found with a bullet in his brain. Down
in Chief Polecat's lodge four bruised and weary girls
are mending each other's wounds with sisterly solici
tude, and at the outer edge of the camp a bent old
woman looks wistfully away to the North, where the
shadows have swaUowed up the form of the disgraced
warrior."

A WHITE QUEEN.
HOLE-IN-THE-DAY, a noted Chippewa chiel, al
ready alluded to in these pages, when on a visit
to Washington, fell in love with one of the servant
girls at a hotel — I think the National — and on pro
posing, in regular white man's style, he was accepted
and the two lovers were married. The white wife re
turned West with the chief and was duly installed
queen of the tepee at his home, which act aroused the
ill-will of his several squaws, and soon after, as Hole-in-
the-Day was riding along the road leading to his dwell
ing, he was assassinated and kiUed ; and thus ended
the career of one of the most celebrated Chippewa
warriors who ever held power over an Indian tribe.
Soon after the death of her husband, the white queen
abandoned the Indian mode of living, and for aught
we know, may have married again, and probably has,
but history wUl give her the credit of being the only
white Indian queen who was ever elevated to an In
dian throne — such as it was — and that is fame enough
for any ambitious girl, either American or Irish.
93

AN INDIAN'S THEORY OF THE CELES
TIAL BODIES.
HAN-YE-TU-WE (NIGHT SUN), AN-PE-TU-WE (DAY
SUN), AND THE STARS, WHO ARE THEIR CHIL
DREN.
THE Indians have a very peculiar idea of the heav
enly bodies, and the theory they advance has in
it, to the unsophisticated mind, a good deal of common
sense and some reason. Of course a p.erson of intelli
gence rejects their ideas, knowing them to be erroneous,
and yet, the untutored savage, drawing his notions
from nature, reasons out a very plausible and a very
satisfactory solution — to them — of the heavenly visi
tants as they come and go in their seasons and startle
them with their changes. Every tribe has its great
man who gives these subjects his especial study, and
the common Indian receives them as emanations from
the Great Spirit.
H. L. Gordon, in his interesting work, says :
" Wa-zi-ya, pronounced Wah-zee-yah, is the god of
the North or winter ; a fabled spirit who dwells in the
frozen North in a great tepee of ice and snow. From
his mouth and nostrils he blows the cold blasts of win
ter. He and I-to-ka-go Wi-cas-ta — the spirit or god of
the South, literally the south man — are inveterate ene
mies and always on the war-pach against each other.
In winter Wa-zi-ya advances southward and drives I-to-
ka-go before him to the summer island ; but in spring
98

94

AN INDIAN'S THEORY OF THE

the god of the South, having renewed his youth and
strength in the happy hunting grounds, is able to
drive Wa-zi-ya back again to his icy wigwam in the
North. Some Dakotas say that the numerous granite
boulders scattered over the prairies of the West, v/ere
hurled in battle by Wi-zi-ya from his home in the
North, at I-to-ka-go Wi-cas-ta.
" He-o-ka is one of the principal Dakota deities. He
is a giant, but can change himself into a buffalo, a
bear, a fish, or a bird. He is called the anti-national
god or spirit. In summer he shivers with cold; in
winter he suffers from heat ; he cries when he laughs
and he laughs when he cries. He is the reverse of
*iature in all things. He-o-ka is universally feared and
fevered by the Dakotas.
"All Northern Indians consider the East a myster
ious and sacred land whence comes the sun. Their
name for the East, is Wee-yo-hee-yan-pa, the sunrise.
The Chippewas call it Waub-o-nong — the white land,
or land of light, and they have many myths, legends
and traditions relating thereto.
" The Dakotas believe that the Aurora Borealis is an
evil omen and the threatening of an evil spirit — perhaps
Wi-zi-ya, the winter god — some say a witch, or a very ugly
old woman ! When the lights appear, danger threatens
and the warriors shoots at and often slay the evil spirit,
but it rises from the dead again."
Most Indians believe that the stars are the spirits of
their departed friends; that thunder is produced by the
flapping of the wings of an immense bird ; that the
milky way is the bridge of stars that spans the vast sea
of the sky, and the sun and moon walk over on it.
Mr. Rigg.s, in his " Tah-hoo Wa-kan," says, " that the

CELESTIAL BODIES. 95
Indians believe that the sun and moon are twin broth
ers, but that An-pe-tu-wee — the sun — is the more pow
erful. The moon receives its power from his brother
and obeys him. He watches over the earth when the
sun sleeps. The Dakotas believe that the sun is the
father of life. Unlike the most of their gods, he is
beneficent and kind ; yet they worship him in the most
dreadful manner."
Other tribes of Indians have similar beliefs, among
which are the Piutes, and this brings us to the legerid
of the celestial bodies, as narrated by an old Piute med
icine man, who, being called upon to express his opin
ion of a moving comet, filled his pipe, stirred up the
embers of a smoldering fire, and in broken English,
said: "The sun rules the heaven. He is the big chief;
the moon is his wife and the stars are his children.
The sun he eat him children whenever he can them
catch. Theyare all the time afraid when he is passing
through the above. When he, their father, the sun,
gets up early in the morning, you see all the stars — his
children — fly out of sight, go away into the blue, and
they do not make to be seen again till he, their father,
is about for going to bed — down deep under the
ground — deep, deep, in a great hole. Here he go into
this hole, and he crawl and he creep till he come to his
bed ; so then sleep there aU the night. This hole is so
little and he, the sun, is so big, that he cannot turn
round in it, so he must, when he has had all his sleep,
pass on then through, and we see him next morning
come out in the East. When he so comes out, he begins
to hunt up through the sky to catch and eat any that
he can eat of the stars, his children. He, the sun, is

96 AN INDIAN'S THEORY OF THE
not all seen ; the shape of him is like a snake or a liz
ard. It is not his head that we can see, but his stom
ach stuffed with stars he has times and times devoured.
His wife, the moon, she goes into the same hole as her
husband, to sleep her naps. She has always great fear
of him, the sun, that have her for his wife, and when
he come into the hole to sleep, she long not stay there
if he be cross,
" She, the moon, have great always fear of him, the
sun, that have her for his wife, and when he come into
the hole to sleeep, she long not stay there if he be cross.
She, the moon, have great love for her children, the
stars, and is happy to be traveling up where they are.
And they, her children, feel safe, and smile as she passes
along. But she, the mother, cannot help but that one
must go every month. It is so ordered by Pah-ah, the
Great Spirit, that lives above the place of all. Every
month he do swallow one of his children. Then the
mother moon feel sorrow. She must to mourn. Her
face she do paint it black, for child is gone. But the
dark you will see wear away from her face — little, little,
little every day ; after a time we see all the face bright
of the mother moon. But soon he, the sun, her hus
band, swallow another child, and she put on again her
face the pitch and the black."
" But how about the comet ? " we inquired, to which
he replied :
" Well, sometimes you see the sun snap at one of the
stars, his children, and not get good, fast hold — only
tear one hole and hurt it. It get wild of pain and go
fly away across the sky with great spout of blood from
it. It then very fraid, and as it fly, keep always its
head turned to watch the sun, its fither, and never

CELESTIAL BODIES. 97
tum away from him his face till he is far out of his
reach." The old Indian picked up his stick, wrapped his
blanket about him, and was soon out of sight, leaving
queer impressions of his peculiar theory.
7

THE INNER LIFE; OR, THE BEST
PART OF THE INDIAN.
WHILE I have hitherto given, in my articles, one
side of the Indian character, which is the brutal
part of his nature, it would be wrong in me not to give
the other side in as glowing colors as the facts will
admit. The reader should remember that the Indian
male child is taught in early life, to hunt, fish, kill,
travel, roam from place to place, and to exist free from
labor, as we view it, while the female child is drilled in
the arduous duties of camp life ; dressing and cooking
the food, taking care of children, gathering and chop
ping wood, and performing all the menial duties
incident to savage existence. The Indian who travels
day after day in search of game, considers that labor,
and this is so deemed by the squaws theraselves, so
that when the game comes into camp the women
receive it, dress it, cook it, and thus the labor is equally
divided between the males and females, who are called
upon to provide for the necessities of growing families.
What is particularly impressive to a white man, is the
heavy burdens which are borne on the backs of the
women, while the men carry nothing but their guns.
And yet the men are kind to their wives and consider
ate to their children. Of course woman occupies an
inferior position among the savages, and she gracefully
submits to it as a law of their- race. As one tribe of
Indians is constantly preying upon and fighting another
tribe, so, in self-defense, all the males are educated for

THE INNER LIFE ; OR, THE 99
war, in order that they may be able to protect their
defenseless women and children from their enemy ;
and hence a warrior must spend his time in perfecting
himself for battle, instead of demeaning himself by
work. Nothing presents a more pleasing or a more affec
tionate picture, than an Indian village on the banks of
some loved Icike, where all the social qualities of the
savage are brought out in bold light. The men usually
indulge in smoking and talking of their exploits in the
field, while the old women sit about the smoldering
embers of the tepee, and dwell in recounting exciting
tales of the past, and the children gambol on the
grassy slopes, or amuse themselves in their light canoes.
There is a degree of tenderness shown in these scenes
which is not visible generally to the casual observer,
and hence, the inner life of the Indian is the best part
of him.
It was a dark, stormy night in June, 1863, when I
heard a most unearthly sound, resembling, somewhat
the bowlings of a dog, though more shrill and more
doleful ; and leaving my office, then located on [the
frontier, I strolled out over the deserted camp of our
troops — ^just left for a campaign against the savages — ¦
and proceeding along in the darkness, followed the
sound toward a friendly Indian lodge near by, where were
the women and children of the scouts of the little army
which was then on its way to chastise the Indians for
their murderous deeds, committed the year before.
Again came that horrible, thrilling sound, electrifying
my system and raising my hair on my head, but I kept
on in the direction from whence it emanated, until I

100 BEST PART OF THE INDIAN.
ran against the bayonet of one of our guards and heard
the sudden challenge — " Who goes there ?"
In the excitement of the moment, I forgot where I
was, but soon regaining consciousness, made myself
known to the faithful soldier, passed the lines, pene
trated the almost impenetrable darkness, entered a
dingy tepee, and there confronted two squaws, one of
whom held in her arms a bundle and was swaying to
and fro over the slowly burning embers of a few sticks
of half-consumed wood, and ever and anon sending up
one of the most mournful sounds ever heard from a
human' throat. It swept out into the beating storm
like the incoming of a great wave from the ocean,
which, when it has reached a given point, breaks, and
then subsides again into the element from whence it
came. Starting in a low, gurgling sound, this " death
wail " ascended gradually higher and higher, until at
last it culminated in a shrill break of a female voice,
and then, before the sound had entirely ceased, it was
taken up again by the other squaw; and so, during
that long and stormy night, came, and broke, and went,
and came, and broke, and went again, above the raging,
tossing, soughing winds, the moanings of that Indian
mother, and her friend, over the little bones of the Ht
tle child, encased in its little blanket that lay in its
parent's arms. Above the raging elements I could hear
the following sorrowful wail: (Translated from the
Indian.) " Swing, swing, little one, lullaby;
Thou'rt not left alone to weep;
Mother's cares for you — sbe is nigb;
Sleep, my little one, sweetly sleep;
Swing, swing, little one, lullaby;
Mother watches you— she is nigb;

THE INNER LIFE; OR, THE IOI
Gently, gently, wee one, swing;
Gently, gently, while I sing,—
E-we-wa-wa-lullaby.
E-we-wa -wa-luUaby . "
To-morrow would see it pass away from her sight
forever! Her grief was simple, pure, deep, unaffected.
Neither of these mourners noticed my intrusion, and so
knowing that I could do them no good, I went out
again into the darkness, threaded my way to, and passed
the guard, sought my office and my couch, and dreamed
all night of a golden-haired Httle girl whom I had left
with her mother inside of the limits of civilization, and
whose imaginative little prattle made me smile in my
sleep as I dreamed of home, of loved ones, and of
friends. The Indians have a peculiar and very interesting
custom of buryihg with their children, all their little
trinkets and play-things, believing that they will want
them in the happy hunting ground beyond the river of
death. They also have a custom of so preserving the
bodies of their children after death, that they will ap
pear natural for some time, and when this naturalness
has disappeared, and the skin becomes drawn down
tighly over the features, then a night is set apart for
the " death wail," and the next day the little one passes
out of their sight, and with it, all its tiny, earthly pos
sessions, wrapped up together, sometimes the body to
be elevated in the air on poles, as protection against
wild beasts, and sometimes to be buried in the earth
beyond human vision forever !
The morning after the occurrence to which I have
alluded, two lone Indian women moved out from their
humble wigwam, carrying the bones of the dead child,

I02 BEST PART OF THE INDIAN.
and chanting a low, mournful sound, slowly wound up
the hiU on to the plateau, and in plain sight of the
whole camp, deposited in the ground the body of their
little darling, and then affectionately bending over the
wee mound, and leaving food for the nourishment of
the child on its journey, they kissed the soil, and
wended their way back again to their lonely lodge, to
no longer hear the patter of the little feet, or the music
of the little voice, or the clasp of the little hand, or the
touch of the little lip, but to feel an unutterable, incom
prehensible void in the aching heart, as much so to the
Indian mother as to that of the white.
A Mr. Farney, who has but recently returned from a
visit among the Sioux, says that he never saw a jollier
camp in his life than a Sioux village. The men sit in
their tepees and smoke, and talk over their battles, and
relate jokes that are received with unrestrained grunts
and gurgles of laughter. The squaws are soft-voiced
and graceful, and show a genuine mother love for their
children. He met a squaw when out on a sketching
tour with his Indian guide, who was running to fetch a
medicine man, thirty miles away, to cure her sick baby.
He told her to get into the wagon, and he would take
her as far on her way as he was going, and he says the
woman's grief was the most pathetic thing he ever saw.
Her face was covered close with her blanket, and she
sobbed and wept every moment of the way, nearly an
hour's ride. The Indian Rachel refusing to be com
forted, and the dusky girls singing softly in the moon
light, are what strike the artist's vision.
The Sioux pluck out every vestige of eyebrows and
paint their faces a bright vermilion red and a ghastly
yellow ; they move without a sound of their moccasin-

THE INNER LIFE; OR. THE I03
clad feet, and wrap their blankets about them so as to
conceal their face, all but the brow and nose and a pair
of luminous black eyes, rendered the more horrible by
lack of eyebrows. Many of the beardless and full-
featured braves have a certain serenity of manner that
reminded the artist of nice old ladies. The old squaws,
who bear the burdens of life, are horribly wrinkled and
worn. A little girl, six years old, was arrayed for com
pany in the following manner : She was painted a fine
vermilion, daubed with yellow, and wore a cape studded
with elk teeth, worth some hundreds of dollars.
He assisted at a Sioux musicale that would have
delighted the society for the prevention of music. A
young Indian of some quality sat in the center of the
tepee with a big drum before him, on which he beat
occasional discords. His young friends dropped in by
twos and threes, and each hammered out his discord,
smoked a pipe, took a cup of hot dog soup, and went
his way. This thing was continued all the afternoon,
and was a swell event in the village.
The outward, or exterior life of the Indian, is war,
revenge, death, brutality, conquest ! He is so educated
from childhood. Traditionary history teaches him to
never forget a wrong, especially on the part of another
tribe, and these ideas are inculcated in the young, and
so one generation after another possesses this blood
thirsty element. His inner, or domestic life, is different.
It is seldom or ever we hear of wife-murder among the
Indians, or of divorces, or wrangling in his family, al
though this sometimes does occur. To a great degree
he lives and shares in common with his fellow Indians,
is dependent one upon the other, and hence it is for his
interest to be kind to his family and to his neighbors

I04 BEST PART OF THE INDIAN.
Prior to the introduction of the customs of the whites
among them, no nation was more victorious, and no peo
pie have a stronger or a more settled belief in the ex
istence of a Great Spirit, and in the hereafter, than the
Indians. Aside from his war-like proclivities, which, as
I have already said, come from his education, he is
kind, generous, faithful to his word, brave, affectionate,
truthful, and yet, lurking beneath all these, is a spirit
of treachery, which seems to be a part of his existence.
He draws his inspiration from nature and is therefore a
child of nature ; and if the whites had never wrdnged
him, he would have been their best friend, as this is
abundantly proven by the early history of these In
dians when in a primitive state. His attachments are
strong and his friendships lasting. Of course when war
has been declared by the chiefs, all have to come under
the rules of their mode of fighting, just as the people
of the South sided with the Southern Confederacy;
and while, therefore, some may be opposed to the in
discriminate slaughter and torture of the enemy, yet
all must conform to the general rule ; and yet, in the
great massacre, in Minnesota, in 1862, Other-Day and
Old Bets, and their companions, defied this rule at the
risk of being killed, and very materially aided in saving
the lives of a great many whites.
It is pleasant to contemplate, that for several years
past, the Indians have been making rapid progress
toward civilization, and in the next ten years it is fair
to presume that they will become an agricultural and
herding people with many of the accessories and some
of the accomplishments of the whites, capable of self-
government as a state by themselves. "They are rap-

THE INNER LIFE OF THE INDIAN. IDS
idly drifting toward that way. Apropos to this, I find
the following paragraph in a late Western paper:
" Who win doubt that our Indians may be civilized ?
Young Hole-in-the-Day, son of the old Chippewa chief
of that name, has, with a number of Indians from the
White Earth reservation, been industriously working
among the farmers in this vicinity during harvest.
They bear the reputation of being good, steady labor
ers at binding, shocking, etc. And now, as we write,
Hole-in-the-Day is doing the band-cutting for a thresh
ing outfit, while the rest of the Indians are teaming
and pitching equally well with the white men on the
same job. Hole-in-the-Day has ten acres of wheat of
his own at White Earth, and the others there have as
high as twenty or twenty-five acres each, and their
crops will, from all accounts, compare favorably with
any in this section."
Hole-in-the-Day, the Chippewa chief, to whom fre
quent mention is made in these pages, was the father
ojf the present young man to whom the above reference
applies. A quarter of a century, even in the experience
of the author, has made great and material changes in
the character of the Indians of the Northwest, and
everything indicates a more rapid advance to civiliza
tion in the future than in the past.
When the exterior life of the Indian has been out
grown, the interior man will develop, and this develop
ment will bring to the surface, a bright diamond, now
hid amid the vast rubbish of decaying barbarism and
unparalleled wickedness on the part of the whites.

AN-PE-TU-SA-PA.*
A LEGEND OF ST. ANTHONY FALLS.
VARIOUS writers on Indian history concede the
fact that away back in the past, an Indian wom
an committed suicide with her children, by floating her
canoe over the Falls of St. Anthony, and the legends
seem to be well authenticated. Among the many ac
counts given of this tragical event, we find the state
ment of Shoot-from-the-Pine-Tree, an old Indian whose
mother witnessed the scene, as the most truthful. It
is told by Major Stephen H. Long, of the United
States army, and is no doubt a true history of a painful
event. The narrator says :
" A young Indian, of the Sioux nation, had espoused
a wife, with whom he had lived happily for a few years,
enjoying every comfort of which a savage life is sus
ceptible. To crown the felicity of the happy couple,
they had been blessed with two lovely children, on
whom they doted with the utmost affection. During
this time the young man, by dint of activity and per
severance, signalized himself in an eminent degree, as a
hunter, having met with universal success in the chase.
This circumstance contributed to raise him high in the
estimation of his fellow savages and to draw a crowd
of admirers about him, which operated as a spur to his
ambition. At length some of his newly acquired
friends, desirous of forming a connection which must
* Clouded Day. Ha ! Ha ! or Roariag, or Loud Laughing Water, is the In
dian name for the Falls of St. Anthony. 10«

AN-PE-TU-SA-PA. IO7
operate greatly to their advantage, suggested the pro
priety of his taking another wife, as it would be impos
sible for one woman to manage his household affairs
and wait upon all the guests his rising importance
would call to visit him ; that his importance to the na
tion was everywhere known and acknowledged, and
that in all probability he would soon be called upon to
preside as their chief. His vanity was fired at the
thought ; he yielded an easy compliance with their
wishes, and accepted a wife they had already selected
for him.
" After his second marriage, it became an object with
him to take his new wife home and reconcile his first
wife to the match, which he was desirous of accom
plishing in the most delicate manner that circumstances
would admit. For this purpose he returned to his first
wife, who was yet ignorant of what had taken place,
and by dissimulation attempted to beguile her into an
approbation of the step he had taken. 'You know,'
said he, ' I can love no one so much as I love you ; yet
I see that our connection subjects you to hardships and
fatigue too great for you to endure. This grieves me
much, but I know of only one remedy by which you
can be relieved, and which, with your concurrence, shall
be adopted. My friends, from all parts of the nati6n,
come to visit me, and my house is constantly thronged
by those who come to pay their respects, while you
alone are under the necessity of laboring hard in order
to cook their food and wait upon them. They are
daily becoming more numerous, and your duties are
becoming more arduous every day. You must be sen
sible that I am rising high in the esteem of the nation,
and r have sufficient grounds to expect that I shall, be-

I08 AN-PE-TU-SA-PA.
fore long, be a chief. These considerations have in
duced me to take another wife, but my affection for
you has so far prevailed over my inclination in this
respect, as to lead me f o solicit your approbation before
I adopt the measure. The wife I take shall be subject
to your control in every respect, and will be always
second to you in my affections.'
"She listened to his narrative with the utmost anxiety
and concern, and endeavored to reclaim him from his
purpose, refuting all the reasons and pretences his du
plicity had urged in favor of it, by unanswerable argu
ments, the suggestions of unaffected love and conjugal
affection. He left her, however, to meditate upon the
subject, in hopes that she would at length give ovei
her objections and consent to his wishes. She, in the
meantime, redoubled her industry, and treated him in
variably with more marked tenderness than she had
done before ; resolved to try every means in her power
to dissuade him from the execution of his purpose. She
still, however, found him bent upon it. She pleaded
all the endearments of their former life, the regard had
for the happiness of herself and the offspring of their
mutual love, to prevail on him to relinguish the idea of
taking another wife. She warned him of the fatal con
sequences that would result to their family upon his
taking such a step. At length he was induced to com
municate the event of his marriage. He then told her
that a compliance on her part would be absolutely
necessary ; that if she could not receive his new wife as
a friend and companion, she must admit her as a neces
sary incumbrance; at aU events, they must live to
gether. She was determined, however, not to remain
the passive dupe of his hypocrisy. She took her two

AN-PE-TU-SA-PA. K09
children, left his house and went to reside with her
parents. Soon after she returned to her father's family,
she joined them and others of her friends in an expedi.
tion up the Mississippi to spend the winter in hunting.
" In the spring, as they were returning laden with
peltries, she and her children occupied a canoe by them
selves. On arriving near the Falls of St. Anthony, she
lingered by the way till the rest had all landed, a little
above the chute. She then painted herself and her
children, paddled her canoe immediately into the whirl
ing eddy of the rapids, and commenced singing her
death song, in which she recounted the happy scenes
she had passed through, when she enjoyed the undi
vided affection of her husband, and the wretchedness
in which she was involved by his inconstancy. In his
interesting legends of the Northwest, the author gives
this death song in the following lines :
' Mi-bi-hn-a ! * Mihihna ! my heart is stone;
Tbe light has gone from my longing eyes;
The wounded loon in the lake alone
Her death-song sings to the moon and dies.
' Mihihna ! Mihihna ! the path is long.
The burden is heavy and hard to bear;
I sink — I die ! and my dying song
Is a song of joy to the false one's ear !
' Mihihna ! Mihihna ! my young heart flew
Far away with my brave to the bison chase;
To tbe battle it went with my warrior true,
And never returned till I saw his face.
' Mihihna ! Mihihna ! the boy I bore —
When the robin sang and my brave was true,
I can bear to look on his face no more.
For he looks, Mihihna, so much like you.
<* Mee-heen-yah— My husband.

I ID AN-PE-TU-SA-PA.
' Mihihna ! Mihihna ! the Scarlet Leaf
Has robbed my boy of his father's love;
He sleeps in my arms — he will find no grief
In the star-lit lodge in the land above.
' Mihihna ! Mihihna ! my heart is stone;
The light is gone from my longing eyes;
The wounded loon in the lake alone
Her death-song sings to the moon and dies.''
" Her friends, alarmed at her situation, ran to the
shore and begged her to paddle out of the current,
while her parents, in the agonies of despair, rending
their clothes and tearing out their hair, besought her to
come to their arms. But all to no purpose ; her wretch
edness was complete, and must terminate only with
her existence. She continued her course till she was
borne headlong down the roaring cataract, and instant
ly dashed to pieces on the rocks below. No traces of
either herself and her children, or the boat were ever
found afterward. Her brothers, to be avenged of the
. the untimely fate of their sister, embraced the first
opportunity and killed her husband, whom they con
sidered the cause of her death, a custom sanctioned by
the usage of the Indians, from time immemorial."
It is alleged that the spirit of An-pe-tu-sa-pa sits upon
the island below the FaUs, at night, and pours forth
her sorrow in song; and it is also stated, with a consid-
• erable degree of certainty, that there are parties who,
on moonlight evenings, can see the fated canoe, with
the unfortunate mother and her innocent children,
rushing swiftly along into the jaws of death.

MY LAST NIGHT IN A SIOUX INDIAN
CAMR
THE year foUowing the great Indian massacre,
wherein nearly one thousand innocent settlers
lost their Uves, Gen. Sibley was authorized to fif out an
army of troops then ready for the South, and pursue
the guilty savages and annihUate them, if possible, but
at any rate, drive them into and across the Missouri
river. The latter point he accomplished, and he was
sagacious enough to see, that previous to starting out,
it was essentially necessary to have Indian scouts to
pilot his army over the trackless plains and detect the
movements of the enemy ; so he chose from those sav
ages then at his command, such a number as he could
trust, and in order to secure good faith on their part,
they agreed to leave their women and children in his
possession as hostages, during their absence. The
camp of these friendly Indians was located several
miles from our own, for various reasons, among which
were, that they would be removed from the viciousness
of the soldiers, and would act as an outlying or alarming
post to the main camp. The only man among these
friendly Indians, was a fat, pussy half-breed, by the
name of Le Rock, who had general charge of their
wants, and as none of the soldiers had permission to
enter the Indian line, of course they were as secluded
as though a thousand mUes away. My duties as Com
missary and Quartermaster, brought me in daily con
tact with these Indians, and I had, therefore, more
111

112 MY LAST NIGHT IN A
favorable opportunities for observation than others;
and to their credit, let me say, I never had occasion to
find fault with any of their acts. The women used to
come into my office, and by way of banter, call me
" squaw foot," a name they gave me in consequence of
the smallness of my feet ; but they were never trouble
some, never meddlesome, never impudent.
An Indian girl is the very essence of timidity, and
this is especially so, if she is beautiful, and when con
fronting a white man, she will cringe and dodge and
peep from behind her mother, and even blush as the
eye of the spectator is fixed upon her. The older
women were modest and retiring, and I never knew one
to enter my office unless invited, which, I must confess,
was an exception to a general rule in Indian character,
for they usually bob in and out, when and where they
please. Perhaps the fact that I fed these Indians, and
that they received full and good rations, led them to
suppose I was " Wa-kon," or sacred, for they well knew,
from actual experience, that the general run of Govern
ment officers was to steal from them all they could.
Be this as it may, they entertained the highest regard
for me, and I can only account for it on the ground
that I dealt fairly and justly by them.
The rush, the bustle, and the excitement of the
camp, had come and gone! Three thousand soldiers
were trudging over the plains in search of the savages,
while only a few men were left to guard the fort ; and
then, after several weeks, came the order to " vacate,"
and myself and brother officers began picking up the
odds and ends of the camp, preparatory to a stampede
toward civUization. While in the midst of this duty,
appeared Le Rock, who, having heard of our contem^

SIOUX INDIAN CAMP. II3
plated moving, came to invite me to spend the last
night of my frontier duty in his tepee. Indeed, he
conveyed the gratifying intelligence that the whole
Indian outfit had extended the invitation; and so,
reasoning that probably this would be my last oppor
tunity to mingle with the uncouth, yet kindly-hearted
red people — and time has demonstrated the correctness
of my conclusions — I consented to go.
The afternoon of the evening before we broke camp
was beautiful. I buckled on two loaded pistols, slipped
a large knife into my belt, and, calling for my favorite
horse, mounted and turned his head in the direction
of the Indian camp. Nothing was more lovely than
the scene that met my view. Stretching off for five or
six miles was the Yellow Medicine valley, and from the
top of the hills that lined it on either side the land
scape was of a most charming character. I now was
on ground but lately traversed by Indian war-parties ;
on ground where sickening scenes had transpired ; on
ground owned by the Indians; and on ground but
recently the home of Little Crow, the great Sioux
chief, who had instigated the war. On the brow of a
hill to the left, in imagination, I could see the family
of Joe Reynolds fleeing from the infuriated savages;
could hear the screams of the females, as the red devils
made hot pursuit ; could hear the crushing of the
tomahawks into the skulls of two of the women ; could
see the strugghng Miss Williams, trying to get free
from a fate worse than death ; could almost feel the
presence of the enemy at my side. My courage failed
me, and I turned back ; and yet, how beautiful ! how
still! how grand! Nature never looked more charm
ing, more inviting, more lovely. " No," I soHloquized,
8

114

MY LAST NIGHT IN A

"I will go ahead; it is my last chance, and if I faU
by the bullets of some Indian spy, who may be lurking
in the neighborhood, my wish is to die at once ; not by
a lingering death of torture; and then, plucking up
courage, I turned my horse's head, and was soon on a
brisk canter up the valley.
Arriving at the camp, the first to greet me were
about fifty dogs, whose furious barking was echoed
back from the hills ; then foUowed the imposing figure
of Le Rock; then fifty newly-painted female faces,
with large, luminous black eyes, peeping out from
under shawls and blankets, and tepees ; and the low
giggle and soft voice announced my coming. Le Rock
treated me with great cordiality, and the women would
look down on the ground and laugh at my feet. There
might have been some twenty-five tepees in all, located
near the edge of a forest and contiguous to water, but
with no rule as to regularity. I was conducted to each
one of these tepees and formally introduced, and then,
later in the evening, was invited to a singing-school, at
which all the women were present, except those either
unwell, or detained at home by sickness in the family.
This singing-school was an imposing scene in Indian
life, and was intended to show me how the Indians
were progressing in civilization, for during the evening
" Mary, to the Savior's Tomb," " Old Hundred," and
other familiar religious hymns, translated into the In
dian language, were sung by the girls, and apparently
greatly enjoyed by them. Then followed an address
by myself, in which I recapitulated the pleasures I expe
rienced in attending singing-school in New England,
and going home with the girls, coupled by compliment
ary allusions to their exceUent behavior and the rapid

SIOUX INDIAN CAMP. II5
progress they had made. A good many eyes sparkled,
a good many lips smiled, a good many ears tingled,
and a good many cheeks blushed when the interpreter
conveyed to my hearers what I had been saying ; and
altogether it was an enjoyable evening, for I had for
gotten that the husbands and fathers of these very
people had been engaged in the massacre of the whites
the year before ; had forgotten the peculiar feelings in
the afternoon as I rode to their camp ; had forgotten
the dangerous position I was then in, when only a few
savages could have killed us all ; forgotten that I had
yet a night to pass through before morning would put
me inside of the circle of safety. I consoled myself,
however, with the thought that whatever might hap
pen it was of my own choosing, and what was to be
would be.
At about eleven o'clock Le Rock escorted me to his
" grand " lodge which differed from the others only in
size, aad pointing to the post of " honor" — opposite to
the entrance — directed my eye to a feather bed, with
pillow-cases, sheets, etc. In the center of the tepee
was a poor apology for a fire, while on the right was
the bed of an old woman — a widow and her child — and
on the left was the inviting couch of my entertainer,
which consisted of an old Buffalo robe, a soiled pair of
blankets, and a greasy pillow. My bed had belonged
to one of the unfortunate white settlers who had fallen
a victim to savage revenge, and had been carefully
manipulated for my use. As it was a very warm even
ing in June, and as I had a strap buckled about my
body, in which were two heavy pistols, and there was
a fire in the tepee, the outlook for a cool and refreshing
sleep, was anything but pleasant ; in addition to which.

}l6 MY LAST NIGHT IN A
I was determined that my pistols should never leave
my side, and consequently could not disrobe, so that,
after I had thrown myself upon the feather bed and
swaUowed a half-dozen whiffs of smoke, which was
driven down into the lodge, I began to sweat and to
mentally swear over the awful pHght I was in, and yet
I could not abuse the hospitality of one who had been
so kind. Le Rock bundled in with his squaw — a poor,
half-frightened-to-death, over-worked creature — and in
one minute was in a sound sleep, his heavy breathings
being like the swells of the ocean; and when he got
fully under way, his snoring absolutely shook the lodge
pole and dispelled all sleep from my thoughts.
And there I lay, sweating, and thinking and listening,
the smoke making the water run from my eyes, and the
noise outside forcing me to imagine that the hostile
Indians were about to make an attack upon the camp,
until, all of a sudden, about twelve o'clock, the woman
on my left shot up as straight as though pulled by a
string, crossed her limbs, took her pipe, gave several
puffs, uttered a grunt, and instantly the son foUowed
the example of his mother. Passing the pipe to the
lad, the old squaw arose, stirred up the dying embers,
filled the tepee full of smoke, put on a huge iron pot,
and gathering up a double-handful of the entrails of an
ox, given to them the day before, placed them in the
pot, filled it with water and began stirring for the even
ing meal. " Good Heavens," I said to myself mentally,
" can this be for me ? How shall I elude this terrible
catastrophe?" Arid while thus devising some means
to escape the ordeal, up came Le Rock like an arrow,
who seized the pipe, gave a puff and immediately after
foUowed his wife, going through with the same antics.

SIOUX INDIAN CAMP. II 7
And then the water in the pot bubbled and boiled and the
old woman stirred in the dirt and more smoke swept
down upon my unfortunate head and the sweat poured
off me in great drops, but I had made up my mind
what to do — / would never touch that dish — and if
invited to do so, I would be sound asleep, " just as sure
as shooting ! "
Tme enough, Le Rock approached my bed, shook
me — I was lost in the arms of Morpheus — but, finally
came to consciousness, plead sickness, was very sorry,
etc., and at last was permitted to go on with my
pleasurable sweating, while my companions "waded
in," and disposed of the contents of that six quart pot,
inside of thirty minutes ; and then, tumbling over like
logs into their beds, snored until moming. I can truth
fully say, I never passed a more terrible night in my
life than on this occasion, not that the Indians were to
blame — for it was their modes, their habits, their cus
toms — but I could not conform to them. Had I divested
myself of all fear in the first place, settled my mind that
all was right in the second place, partook of their food
in the third place, smoked their pipe in the fourth
place — as most men would have done — it is quite likely
I should have passed a pleasant time, but memory now
only recalls one of the most horrible nights — and I am
glad it was the last — that I ever spent in a Sioux
Indian camp.

PECULIAR INDIAN TRADITIONS.
THEIR BELIEF IN THE SUPERNATURAL — ALL SORTS
OF SPIRITS THAT ROAM EVERYWHERE —
SPIRITUAL MEDIUMS.
ONE who is familiar with Indian history cannot
but be impressed with the universal belief that
prevails among all the savage tribes of the existence
of spirits that dwell everywhere, and roam throughout
the domain of this material world ; nor can he forget
that they have an abiding faith in a future, which they
term the "happy hunting ground." They say that the
" bridge of souls " leads from the earth, over dark and
stormy waters, to the spirit land. The Indian deity is
supposed to be invisible, yet everywhere present ; he is
an avenger and searcher of hearts. They also aver
that the Indian has three souls, and that after death
that which has done well goes to the warm country,
that which has done evil goes to the cold region, and
that the other guards the body. When a Dakota is
sick he thinks the spirit of an enemy or some animal
has entered into his body, and the principal business of
the " medicine man " is to cast out the unclean spirit
with incantations and charms. Nearly all the Dakotas
believe in witches and witchcraft ; and they hold that
the "milky way" in the heavens is the pathway of the
spirits; and also believe that over this pathway the
spirits of the dead pass to the spirit land.
Unk-te-hee is the Great Spirit of all, who created the
earth and man, and who formerly dwelt in a vast cav-
118

PECULIAR INDIAN TRADITIONS. 1 19
em under the Falls of St. Anthony, which, they be
lieved, were in the center of the earth, and from which
a path led to the great beyond. This Deity sometimes
reveals himself in the form of a huge buffalo bull. From
him proceed invisible influences. Previous to forming
the earth, he assembled in grand conclave, all the
aquatic tribes, and ordered them to bring up dirt from
beneath the waters, proclaiming death to the disobe
dient. The beaver and otter forfeited their lives. At
last the muskrat went beneath the water, and, after a
long time, appeared at the surface, nearly exhausted,
with some dirt. From this Unk-te-hee fashioned the
earth into a large circular plane. The earth being fin
ished, he took a deity, one of his own offspring, and
grinding him to powder, sprinkled it upon the earth,
and this produced many worms. The worms were then
collected and scattered again. They matured into in
fants, and these were then collected and scattered and
became full-grown Dakotas.
Some hold to the theory that the evil or bad spirit is
what is called a Thunder Bird, while others, that it is a
great black spider, which inhabits fens and marshes, and
lies in wait for his prey. At night he often lights a torch
— evidently the jack-o-lantern — and swings it on the
marshes to decoy the unwary into his toils. The Great
Unk-te-hee and the Great Thunder Bird, or Great Spider,
had a terrible battle to determine which should be the
ruler of the world, but Unk-te-hee conquered.
Carver's cave was called by the Dakotas, " Wa-kan-
Tepee " — sacred lodge. In his book of travels, Carver
says : " It is a remarkable cave, of an amazing depth.
The Indians term it ' Wakan tepee,' that is, the ' dwelU

I20 PECULIAR INDIAN TRADITIONS.
ing of the Great Spirit.' It is now the receptacle for
lager beer."
A beautiful belief is, that the stars are the spirits of
their departed friends, and that meteors are messengers
from the land of spirits, warning off impending danger ;
that the evening star is the Virgin Star, and is the spirit
of the Virgin wrongfully accused at the feast.
The sun they consider the Father ; so they believe
the earth to be the mother of all life. The Indian
swears by the Father as — " An-pe-tu-wee — hear me ;
this is true." They also pray thus : " Wa-kan ! Ate,
on-she-ma-da ! Sacred Spirit — Father ! have mercy upon
me!" Toon-Kan, or Inyan, is the stone idol or god of
the Dakotas. This god dwells in stone and in rock,
and is, they say, the oldest god of all — grandfather of
all living things. Some writers think, and with consid
erable reason, that the stone is merely the symbol of
the everlasting, all pervading, invisible Ta-koo-wa-kan
— the essence of all life — pervading all nature, animate
and inanimate. Rev. Mr. Riggs, says:
" The religious faith of the Dakotas is not in his god
as such. It is an intangible, mysterious something of
which they are only the embodiment, and that in such
measure and degree as may accord with the individual
fancy of the worshiper. Each one will worship some
of these divinities, or neglect, or despise others, but the
great object of all their worship, whatever its chosen
medium, is the Ta-koo Wa-kan, which is the super
natural and mysterious. It comprehends all mysterj',
secret power and divinity. Awe and reverence are its
due, and it is as unlimited in manifestation as it is in
ideas. All life is Wa-kan ; so, also, is everything which

PECULIAR INDIAN TRADITIONS. 121
exhibits power, whether in action as the winds and
drifting clouds, or in passive endurance, as the boulder
by the wayside. For even the commonest stick and
stones have a spiritual essence, which must be rever
enced as a manifestation of the all-pervading, mysterious
power that fiUs the universe."
God, in the Dakota tongue is Wa-kan Tan-ka, which
means. Big Spirit, or the Big Mysterious. The medi
cine men claim to be aided by unseen spirits, and hence
are called — "men supernatural." They assert they are
the sons or disciples of Unk-te-hee. The sacred 0-zu-
ha, or medicine sack, must be made of the skin of the
otter, the coon, the weasel, the squirrel, a certain kind
of fish, or the skin of serpents. It must contain four
kinds of medicine (or magic), representing birds, beasts,
herbs and trees, viz : — The down of the female swan,
colored red, the roots of certain grasses, bark from the
roots of cedar trees, and hair of the Buffalo. From
this combination proceeds a Wa-kan influence, so pow
erful that no human being, unassisted, can resist it
Mr. Riggs says : " By great shrewdness, untiring in
dustry, and more or less of actual demonical possession,
they convince great numbers of their fellows, and, in
the process are convinced themselves, of their sacred
character and office."
The Good or Great Spirit is called " Mi-cha-bo." " In
autumn, in the moon of the faUing leaf, ere he com
poses himself for his winter's sleep, he fills his great
pipe and takes a god-like smoke. The balmy clouds
from his pipe float over the hills and woodlands, filling
the air with the haze of Indian summer." The Jossa-
keeds are soothsayers, who are able, by the aid o-f
spirits, to read the past as well as the future.

122 PECULIAR INDIAN TRADITIONS.
^' Ka-be-bon-ik-ka " is the god of storms, thunder,
lightning, etc. By his magic, the giant that lies on the
mountain was turned to stone. He always gives war
nings before he finally sends the severe cold of winter,
in order that all creatures may have time to prepare
for it. There are also water spirits, that dweU in cav
erns in the depths of the lake, and in some respects re
semble the Unk-te-hee of the Dakota. This is a Chip
pewa spirit.
It is somewhat remarkable, that nearly every spirit
ual medium in this country and in Europe, claims that
he or she is guided by an invisible Indian chief, and
that the so-called human forms that are materialized in
spiritual circles, are produced by Indian spirits. The
reasons assigned for this are, that the Indian, Being
more closely allied to nature than to any other race, and
believing in the spiritual theory, having never been
hampered with religious bigotry, as are the whites, have
less to overcome when they pass away, and have greater
power to return at the option of their will. This idea
I have woven into my Indian legend called " Min-ne-
too-ka," and by perusing it the reader will get a very
correct idea of the spiritual beUef that pertains to all
Indian tribes, no matter how savage their natures, or
how domesticated their tastes.
Major James W. Lynd, in his MS. history of the Da
kotas, in the Minnesota Historical Society, says :
" The belief in the powers of some of the Dakotas to
caU up and converse with the spirits of the dead, is
strong, though not general. They frequently make
feasts to their spirits and elicit information from them,
of distant relatives or friends. Assembling at night in
a lodge, they smoke, put out the fire, and then draw-

PECULIAR INDIAN TRADITIONS. 1 23
ing their blankets over their heads, remain singing in
unison, in a low key, until the spirit gives them a pict
ure. This they pretend the spirit does, and many a
hair-erecting tale is told of spirits' power to reveal hid
den things and to communicate unknown facts.
" In 1830 a war-party of Sioux went in search of the
Chippewas, and those left at home became anxious for
their return, when an old woman, ninety years of age,
said she would consult the spirits ; so a lodge was
cleared, a small fire kindled, and the old woman en
tered, closing the door after her tightly. Seating her
self she lighted the black pipe, and after smoking for a
time, laid it aside, beat out the fire, and then drawing
her blanket over her head, she commenced to sing in a
low key, in anticipation of revelations from the spirits.
Crowds of women and children, with a few old men,
surrounded the lodge, awaiting anxiously for what
should happen. Suddenly the old woman was heard
to cry out as if in extreme terror, and hastily throwing
open the door they found her lying upon the ground
in a swoon. On coming to, she related that she had a
terrible picture. Fourteen men rose up from the west,
bloody and without their scalps, and thirteen rose up
up from the east with blood upon their forms, and were
in the act of falling. This referred to the advanced
body of the Sioux that had gone ahead. Four days
after this revelation the Sioux came home with four
teen scalps, but with thirteen of their own party on
biers, which confirmed the old woman's statement in
every respect. ' Certain men also profess to have an
unusual amount of the Wa-kan, or divine principle in
them. By it they assume to work miracles, laying on
of hands, curing the sick, etc., and many more wonder-

124 PECULIAR INDIAN TRADITIONS.
ful operations. Some of them pretend to recollect a
former state of existence, even naming the particular
body they formerly lived in. Others again, assert a
power over nature, and their faculty of seeing into
futurity and of conversing with the deities.' "
The Arabs believe that when a man rises up from
sleep in the morning, the spirit of God sits upon his
right shoulder, and the Devil on his left. A Turi-Arab,
therefore, on awaking, invariably repeats the exercising
formula: "I seek refuge in God from Satan accursed
with stones," sprinkling himself, when possible, with
water, as he utters the words. Without this precaution
they believe the good spirit would take flight and the
evil one would remain with them throughout the day.
At sunset the same ceremony is repeated.
For some information contained in this article, out
side of my own knowledge, I am indebted to H. L.
Gordon, Revs. Riggs, Neil and Pond, all of whom are
excellently well posted on Indian history, and are the
very best authorities from whom I could quote as
to the beliefs and peculiar traditions of the Indians of
the Northwest.
An old soldier, whose name I cannot obtain, gives to
the press some interesting information that was con
veyed to him by the celebrated Indian Missionary,
Father De Smet, who for years mingled with the
Indians on the Missouri river, and v.ho was among the
very first in the countiy to discover gold in the Black
Hills — after whom the celebrated Father De Smet
mine was named — but who studiously kept his dis
covery a secret, fearing that, if known, it would demor
alize the Indians. The old officer and the good father
sat down together on the banks of the muddy Missouri,

PECULIAR INDIAN TRADITIONS. 125
on a moonlight night, in 1S70, and from some of the
experiences of his thirty-five years of missionary life,
he gave the follovving :
"I have heard a great many traditions among the
Indians from their own mouths, speaking and under
standing, as I do, many of their languages. Some of
these traditions are verj/ poetical, and suggestive of
chapters in the Scriptures. The Indians all believe in
spirits, good and evil, who again are subordinate to the
one Great Spirit. When the young man becomes about
sixteen years of age, he is placed under penance. That
is, he is put by himself, generally in the woods, and is
obliged to fast as long as his constitution can stand It.
Some of these aspirants for future fame go without
eating for seven or eight days. They do nothing
during this time but sleep and dream. Toward the
end, when they become feverish, they speak aloud in
their dreams. The aged parents then listen, and if the
young man, among his wandering words, mentions any
particular plant, tree, bird, or animal, the name of such
plant, tree, bird, or animal will be that of his particular
spirit all through life. This name will be given to him
after some appropriate adjectives have been added
thereto. He will wear something suggestive of it
about his person, and it is firmly believed by him that
this special spirit will assist him in battle, and in hunt
ing excursions, and that he will stand between him and
danger. "All the Indians believe, in their own crude way, of
a future. Their idea of the hereafter is that when one
of them dies he is piloted by his own individual spirit,
toward an immense island, which, far off to the \.'est,
rises into a high mountain, reaching into the clouds,

126 PECULIAR INDIAN TRADITIONS.
and upon the summit of which sits the Supreme Spirit.
From this point of observation the Great Spirit over
looks the universe. Here He puts the sun to bed every
night and sends out his moon and his stars, and hence
he launches forth when angry his thunder and his
lightning. On the island are the most beautiful rivers
filled with fish, and the woods are alive with buffalo,
and other desirable game. But it is not every departed
brave who is permitted to enter this Garden of Eden.
To reach the same the Indian has to cross a very wide
and rapid stream by means of a dead tree lying across
the same. In the middle of the stream and a few feet
from the natural bridge, just beyond the reach of the
wanderer, hangs a grape-vine, with clusters of ripe
grapes. A good and brave Indian will cross the log
without reaching for the grapes, for he is strong-hearted
and needs no refreshments to help him along in his
journey, but the faint-hearted, cowardly, lazy and bad
Indian will go upon the log frightened and tired out;
he will grasp for the grapes, fall into the torrent and be
carried to a marshy place, where there are neither fish
nor game, save a few coyotes and frogs.
" The origin of the human race some of them explain
as follows : The Great Spirit first created a little boy
who was upon the earth all alone for many years, but
the boy felt lonesome, became melancholy and began
crying until he feU asleep. The spirit then sent to him
a little girl and she was called his sister and they lived
as such together for many years. After the little girl
grew up to be a woman she fell asleep one day and had
a dream — that five men came to her hut and knocked
for admittance, but that she took no notice of them, or
opened the door to any of them except the last caller.

PECULIAR INDUN TRADITIONS. 127
After awakening, the girl thought constantly of this
dream, and, strange enough, in the course of time five
men came to her cabin and i sked her to go with them,
but she refused all but tht fifth and last one, who
became her husband. They had at first but three chil
dren, one was called the G ood Spirit and intercessor
with the Great Spirit and the jpecial friend ofthe Indian
race ; the second was called (he Spirit of Fire and de.
struction and the great enen y of the white race ; the
third was called the White Ra bbit, and ran away as soon
as it was bom. Upon the ascendancy of the white
race, the first one fled, the s( £ond is now with them in
their wars, and renders them brave ; and the third occa
sionally appears and makes them fleet in their hunts.
They are now awaiting the return of the first spirit.
When he comes he will righ; the wrongs of his people
and they will conquer all the<r enemies."

THE GAME OF BALL.
A THRILLING SCENE — TREACHERY OF THE INDIANS
OUTWITTED.
NOTHING conduces so much to the pleasures of
the Indians as an exciting game of ball, or a
downright good dance. In these games their peculiar, -
excitable characteristics are fully developed, and both
sexes iridglge in the athletic sports. A game of ball is
played in this way: A small place is prepared, and
stakes are set for bounds, radiating from the center,
when two parties are chosen, with leaders, who appear
upon the field with bats or sticks about thirty-two
inches long, to catch and throw the ball as the game
progresses. "When one succeeds in getting the baU
fairly in the pocket of his bat, he swings it aloft and
throws it as far as he can toward the goal to which his
party is working, taking care to send it, if possible,
where some of his own side will take it up. Thus the
ball is thrown and contended for till one party succeeds
in casting it beyond the bounds of the opposite party.
A hundred players on a side are sometimes engaged in
this exciting game. Betting on the result often runs
high. Moccasins, pipes, knives, hatchets, blankets,
robes and guns are hung on the prize-pole. Not
infrequently horses are staked on the issue, and some
times even women. Old men and mothers are among
the spectators, praising their swift-footed sons, and
young wives and maidens are there to stimulate their
138

THE GAME OF BALL. 1 29
husbands and lovers. This game is not confined to the
warriors, but is also a favorite amusement of the Dakota
maidens, who generally play for prizes offered by the
chief, or warriors."
This reminds me of a most thrilling scene which
occurred at a game of ball at Fort Mackenzie during
the time when the French and English were contending
for territory now belonging to the United States, and
had it not been for the keen sagacity of the commander
of the post, a most horrible massacre would have fol
lowed. It seems that the early French traders were
favorites with the Indians, while the English were
looked upon as interlopers, so that when war was
declared between the two nations, the Indians sided
with the French, and thus combining, made sad havoc
with their enemy. Three forts had been established in
the Indian country by the English, and two of these
forts had been burned by the treacherous savages, and
every soul kUled. Flushed with the recent victory, the
blood-thirsty Indians, with a large number of men,
women and children, appeared in front of the third
fort, and asked for an audience, as they desired peace.
The commander, anxious to hear what the chiefs had
to say, made his appearance on the ramparts and
learned from the wily foe that they were tired of blood
shed ; that they desired to bury the tomahawk and the
scalping-knife, and to ever after live in harmony with
the whites ; so an arrangement was made to the effect,
that on the moming of a beautiful day, stipulated by
both parties, all the tribe should appear on the plateau
below the fort, men, women and children, unarmed,
and while the chiefs were negotiating a peace inside of,
the fort, the warriors outside were to engage in a game

I30 THE GAME OF BALL.
of ball. The conditions were explicit, that neither the
soldiers, nor the Indians were to be armed, and this
agreement was made as an earnest of good faith. The
fort was located on a high rise of land, with a deep
ditch encircling its base and a draw-bridge leading to it
at a given point, over which parties must pass to get
inside of the inclosure.
The plain below was level and beautiful, and the can
non of the fort frowned down upon it. The day for
negotiations arrived, and with it came a large number
of Indians with their squaws, headed by their chiefs ;
the bridge was swung; the soldiers appeared unarmed
and listless, lying upon their guns ; the Indians laughed
and joked ; the chiefs passed over the bridge, which
was to be kept down as a passage-way to and from the
fort, during the council meeting ; the glittering eyes of
the warriors glanced at the situation, as they entered
the fortification, and then passed to the room of the
commander, where they were met with the dignity
which became their station. The room was a long one,
on either side of which were blue curtains, and at the
end of which, on an elevated seat, sat the commander.
As is customary with the savages, they squat upon the
floor, and after several had smoked the pipe of peace,
commenced to discuss the terms upon which they had
decided to agree. In the meantime the game of baU
had been started. Hundreds of Indians were whoop
ing and yelling and running now toward the fort, now
from it ; now clustering closer and closer to the draw
bridge, always preceded by the squaws, who drew their
blankets closely about them ; now receding, now coming
back again, like a great wave of the ocean ; while the sol
diers gazed upon the scene and laughed at the grotesque

THE GAME OF BALL. 13I
figures moving about dotting the plain below. All the
chiefs had smoked the pipe of peace in the council
chamber but one. He halted ; seemed anxious to gain
a little more time and better terms, when the game of
ball on the outside became more exciting ; the Indians
rushed toward the inclosure, when, with a terrible yell,
which came from the tallest of the warriors in the
crowd, and with terrific power, the baU was sent into
the fort, and then, with another yell on the part of the
rushing Indians, the squaws threw off their blankets,
displaying weapons of war, which the Indians seized,
and were soon clamoring over the draw-bridge, wild
with a taste for blood.
In the meantime, when the last yell was given, the
old chief in the council chamber, who had not yet
smoked the pipe of peace, jumped to his feet and an
swered it ; then the commander of the fort instantly
gave a shrill whistle, and every gunner had his torch
ready to discharge the cannon that pointed down upon
the crowd below ; every soldier was armed ; every man
was at his post ; the blue curtains parted instantly, and
two rows of guns confronted the treacherous chiefs !
The old Indian, seeing that he was baffled, sent out an
other whoop, when the infuriated devils who were now
crowding upon the bridge, suddenly fell back, and when
still another yell came from the lips of the old chief, it
was evident tothe Indians on the outside, that their plan
of massacre had been discovered! Not a muscle
twitched in the face of the commandant ; not a soldier
stirred in his position ; not a gunner moved who was
commanded to dispute the passage of the bridge ; when
another whistle from the commander brought the men
to a rest, and with it the bridge was drawn, the fort

132 THE GAME OF BALL.
was saved, and the chiefs were prisoners, at the mercy
of the whites ! The commander paused for a moment,
and then addressing his mortified foe, said: "You
came to me with a lie upon your lips ! You came to
me with the belief that I would trust your lying
tongues, so that, in a moment of confusion, you could
dash upon my defenseless men and massacre them all
in cold blood ! But, thank God, your plans have failed,
and I have only to give the word, and both you and
your warriors and your women and your children, will
be blotted from the face of the earth forever ! See my
. big guns pointing down upon them ? See twenty bul
lets aimed at your hearts ! Mark my power ! Treach
erous, lying, deceitful dogs ! the paleface has met you
with your own weapons ; shall he deal out to you that
which you intended to deal out to him? No; if the
paleface is brave, he is also magnanimous ! If the pale
face has beaten you by precautionary measures, he is
also generous ! If the paleface has you and your people
in his power, he can afford to be great, grand and mer
ciful ! "
Then rising and waving his hand, he said to his
astonished enemies: "Go!" A universal "ho! ho!"
(yes, yes; bravo!) followed the remark of the officer,
when the Indians arose and, marching boldly to the
commander, the head chief said :
" You have saved the lives of our people ! You have
saved our own lives! You have taught us how to
live ! You have shown us that the heart of the pale
face is good — that the heart of the Indian is bad. We
come no longer to you with two tongues. We come
to you in the presence of the Great Spirit, whom we
wish to bear testimony to the fact, that from this day,

THE GAME OF BALL. 1 33
and forever after, we shall always be the friends of the
whites, who have not only convinced us that they are
brave and merciful, but that they are wise and mag
nanimous. We lay our lives at your feet. Nis-is-
shin ne-car-nis i-to — (Good best friends forever) ! "
"Go!" again uttered the commander. "Tell your
people the paleface desires only peace, truth, man
hood, justice, right, and if they will come to him with
one tongue, and be governed by the principles here
enunciated, that then we can bury the tomahawk and
the scalping-knife, and live kindly together as one
people. Go ! "
The chiefs moved out into the open space of the
fort with a bold step, and passed down on to the draw
bridge, and across it to the plateau below, where they
were received with great joy by the baffled warriors,^
who supposed that their head men had been put to
death ; and when it became known how magnanimously
they had been treated by the commandant, they burst
into a wild, weird shriek, that went booming through
the fort and died in echoes among the hills.
• The sun went down that night on many happy
hearts within the fortification and on a happy tribe of
Indians who had resolved to lead a different and a bet
ter life, which resolution was faithfully kept for many
years afterward.
Then there was another game of ball on the same
plateau below the fort ; another scene of mirth ; an
other contest for victory ; and among the participants
were the soldiers and the warriors, the commander and
the chiefs ; and then hands of friendship were grasped ;
and words of kindness were spoken and farewells were
uttered, and the fort W£is vacated and the soldiers de-

134 THE GAME Of I^ALL.
parted, and the red men of Khe forest gathered in sad
ness about their tepee fires and recounted over again
the memorable scenes of a most remarJ^ble event —
THAT Game of Ball.

PA-HA-WA-KAN.
the sacred descent, or onk-to-mee — bad spirit
ne-be-nau-baig — water spirit, or
devil's lake.
THIS is not a Sioux legend, but was told to Tac-
angi by a Blackfoot woman, who had been long a
prisoner among the Sioux. Formerly all that country
lying between the Missouri river on the east, and the
Rocky mountains on the west, is said to have been a
garden of paradise overflowing with game, etc., but as
this legend runs, was changed in three days to what it
now is. The point designated is no doubt what is at
present known as the Bad Lands, including the buttes
which appear in that country, and the legend has more
in it than the casual observer would at first suspect.
The Blackfoot squaw says :
"An Indian band, camped upon the banks of the
Missouri, had sent to a few of their brethren who were
located at the foot of a very large mound, some dis
tance from them, to say that for three days the Proph
et, or Medicine Man of their band had been in a swoon,
and that they had watched him during that time and
his lips had never ceased to move as in prayer, and
begged them to join them in offerings to the Great
Spirit, as they feared some calamity was about to befall
them. The mound Indians were a desperate class — a
band mostly murderers, and knowing their own wick
edness, this information made them feel sad. Calling
ail his braves together, the chief told them the news—
135

136 PA-HA-WA-KAN.
what he had heard from the other Indians — and be
sought them to go each one at once and make offer
ings. All did so, and donning gay garments, went into
mourning. That same night, at 12 o'clock, the few
who slept were awakened by terrific peals of thunder,
the rain falling like knives upon their tepees, the light
ning darting apparently into their very lodges, and a
wind blew that threatened every moment to tear their
homes to pieces.
" All at once there was a great noise as of crying in the
camp. Amid confusion and bustle, all ran out to see
what it was, when, suddenly, as it were, the whole
heavens gave way, and fell upon the top of the mound,
whUe the Indians threw themselves upon the ground,
not daring to look up. Again the heavens seemed to
fall and close upon the mound, and this time accom
panied with great darkness. Then a sudden panic
seized upon them all, and with one accord, they rushed
into their wigwam. What happened furthermore no
one knew, as they recollect, until morning, when awak
ened as it were from sleep, although they had not
slept, that a strange sight met their view! The mount
ains were black , as if scorched by lightning ; whole
country deadened, and smoke issuing from the top of
some of the mounds. One night had rendered the
county a desert. They looked for their horses — all
were dead ! Then in camp loud mourning sounds came
from the women ; their meats and provisions were all
full of worms ! They knew then they must now starve
unless they moved on, and amid universal lamentations,
they took up their trail and marched south. Every
where the country was the same. At nig^t some of
their mounds spit out fire, and will-o'-the-wisps floated

PA-HA-WA-KAN. 1 37
around eveiywhere, trying to lure them to destruction.
The earth rumbled and the air was thick with sOlphur.
"For three days they traveled thus, when all of a
sudden they came to a large body of water, where
formerly they had roamed amid a luxuriant sea of
tropical plants, and where birds of gay plumage sang
their morning songs. All was now dark, gloomy, and
dead. Gone were the forest songsters and the young
gazelle with its dove eyes ; gone the flowers ; gone the
game; gone the grand trees, and the gentle summer
breeze ; and in their places were a vast sheet of water,
with upheavals of rock, and black, smoldering ruins,
and dark clouds, and curling smoke, and gloomy fig
ures, dancing in the distance. They changed their
course, and, winding around the lake, came to a mound
which- hid the water from their view, and here they
heard what appeared to them to be human voices.
They listened, and the song was so wild and so weird
that they could not stir — they were spell-bound.
' Changing, swinging, singing, ringing,
Dancing Devils all are we;
Piping, peeping, peering, creeping.
How we mingle in our glee.
Ho! ho! shovel them in!
Shovel them in!
Tis the reward of early sin!
' Now we laugh and now we grin,
He! he! and ho! bo!
Pitch th'em up and pitch them in,
He! he! and ho! ho!
Along the slimy banks we go,
With our he! he! and ho! hoi'
" Several of the Indians stealthily crept to the top of
the mound and peering over beheld a scene of the most
startling character. On the shore but a short distance

1 38 PA-HA-WA-KAN.
from them was a very large animal, apparently resemb
ling the human race — with enormous, protruding fears,
peculiar hoofs, a dark swarthy face, horribly distorted ; a
gay fiery sash about his loins, a long caudal extremity
resting upon the ground, and in his hands a wooden
pitchfork, which he used with great dexterity. Gath
ered about him were no less than a thousand young
figures resembling the older one, and when they sang
they all swayed to and fro, pitching into the lake what
appeared to be human bodies. At the end of each
verse of the song the earth rumbled with a loud noise,
fire belched out from the many small mounds surround
ing the lake ; dark, pitchy smoke filled the atmosphere
and all the region round about was dense with the
smell of sulphur; and at this point the song became
demoniacal, and the dancing figures opened up to the
imagination a vivid picture of hell itself, especially as
they swayed back and forth and sang ' He ! he ! and
ho! ho!' Confused, frightened, horrified at what they
had seen, the Indians ran down the mound, over the
blackened earth, screaming as they ran ' Oonk-to-mee,
Ne-be-nau-baig ! ' Devil's lake! Devil's lake, and from
that day to this the lake has ever borne this peculiar
name. They continued rapidly on their march south
for three days, when the country appeared to grow bet
ter ; and, finally, when they approached a game section,
they all stopped, offered sacrifices, and then only did
the earth cease to rumble and the air begin to be pure.
But the Indians never after could remain in that
country. " Thus, for the sins of a smaU portion of a nation, was
a whole people made to suffer, and a country, which
before was a paradise, became a desert,"

pe-ha-wa-kan. 139
This legend contains more tmth than fiction, for I
have traveled all over this land and have marked its
peculiar characteristics. After leaving Bismarck, on the
one side, and Cheyenne and Sidney on the other, great
plains stretch out before the eye, broken only by
immense masses of rock, which are lifted high up in
the air, and then the vision is again uninterrupted for
miles and miles. How these huge piles of stones came
upon these vast plains, isolated, as it were, without a
cause, is accounted for only on the ground, that at
some period in the past, a great volcanic eruption took
place in the northeast, and passing along southwest,
broke through the thinnest crust of the earth; and left
these heavy deposits of rock. In corroboration of this
theory, I note the fact that all these buttes come along
in a straight line from the northeast to the southwest ;
that is, here would be a large uplift, some three or
four hundred feet high, while several miles southwest,
would be another, and so on, for miles and miles, across
these great plains. These uplifts, at a distance, present
the appearance of houses and barns, but as you approach
them, the illusion disappears.
Then, again, we find mounds, beneath which is rock,
the volcanic force not having been strong enough to
throw the stone to the surface. Following these buttes
to the Missouri river on the east side, we discover where
the volcanic fires have spent their fury on the edge of
the river, great peaks or mountains appearing, upon the
tops of which I found black, scarified rocks, mixed with
sulphur, mica and iron slag, very clearly indicating that
the volcanic wave from the northeast was arrested in
its progress by the river, and hence left its mark. No
(Ic- ubt, at the time this eruption took place, the sun

140 PA-HA-WA-KAN.
was darkened, the earth shook and rumbled, and the
air was full of sulphur and falling stones, and it was
probably at or about this period that this legend orig
inated, based upon a fact instead of fiction. So, too, I
may say of the previous beauty of the country and its
surroundings ; its animals, its foliage, its game. The
remains of some of the largest turtles ever known have
been found in this region ; also of defunct wild beasts,
of gigantic size ; trunks of great trees have been dis
covered in the bowels of the earth. Petrified wood is
obtained here in great abundance ; the soil is very rich
— a vegetable mold — all going to show, that at one
period in the history of this country it was a paradise —
the loved home of the Indian, or the mound-builders —
but that suddenly its beauty was destroyed ; its ani
mals killed ; its contour changed ; its pure water turned
to alkali ; its flowers and shrubbery obliterated ; not
by an act of the Great Spirit, as is believed by the In
dians, but by a law of nature, producing just exactly
what the exterior surface of the earth demonstrates,
has been produced by NATURAL CAUSES. No one who
has traveled that country and knows anything of its
history, can arrive at any other conclusion ; so that this
legend is especially interesting as opening up a new
train of thought of vast importance for further re
searches in the Great Northwest.

OLD BETS.
AZA-YA-MAN-KA-WAN ; OR BERRY PICKER.
THE familiar face of Old Bets, an Indian squaw,
peered in upon my vision for about twenty years,
when, all of a sudden, it disappeared, and the news came
that she was dead ! Very few who met her wrinkled
face, her laughing eyes, her grotesque figure, or heard
her whining voice asking for " kosh-poppy," or money,
knew of the romantic history attached to that old
squaw, as she almost daily paraded the streets of a
frontier city and sold her moccasins or begged for aid.
The weight of years, the burden of trouble, silent grief,^
patient forebearance, all leave their impress behind, and
the Indian is not exempt from the general law. Who
knows, or can divine the history of that old man,
tottering under the load of a life of suffering? Who
could realize that in his early days he stole the hearts
of women, electrified men, and moved the masses with
his eloquence ? Now, how useless ! Who could imagine
even, the early triumphs, the bewitching beauty, the
imcomparable charms of that young girl, who, thread
ing life's thoroughfare, drew after her hundreds of ad
mirers ? Now, that bent-over, gray-haired, bowed-down
form ! how changed ! So each and every one has a his
tory and must, in turn, pass out of youth and vigor,
and beauty, and manhood, and womanhood, into the
silent, stealthy tread of old age, groping down the val
ley of death, hoping to catch a glimpse on the other
shore of that light which burns forever !
141

142 OLD BETS.
Old Bets was once young and handsome, and she
drew after her many lovers. Born at the confluence of
two rivers — the Mississippi and the Minnesota — her
childhood was passed among the scenes of her final
death ; but her early girlhood was out among the wild
scenery of her tribe, where danger confronted the red
men of the plains, and acts of valor crowned the warrior
with undying fame! Young Bets was greatly loved,
not only for her beauty, but for her kind disposition, as
well as for her bravery ; so it came to pass that a young
man who had won great renown in the tribe, sought
the hand of the young girl in marriage, and in tum she
looked upon his attention, with favor. Her brother,
however, being himself a warrior and a medicine man,
objected to the match upon the ground that his
sister's suitor had, in the past, wronged him, and he
should never darken the door of his tepee, even if he
did — as he was willing to — make amends for the injury
given. The merry laugh of the maiden gradually died away.
Her joyous nature turned to soberness, as she thought
of the young heart which beat only for her, and, in
turn, before she was aware of it, her tenderest feelings
were wrapped up in the welfare of the young and
ardent lover, whose image had become a part of her
own existence. She besought her brother to forgive
the young warrior. She assured him her happiness
depended upon her union with him, but the stoical
face and the hardened heart would not relax, and
she turned away with great sorrow and entered the
forest near by, where, unexpectedly she met Chig-go-nia,
her best and dearest friend.
Here the interview terminated with a solemn resolve

OLD BETS. 143
to die for each other, and on the morrow the two were
to quietly meet, bid good-bye to the old associations,
and mounted on ponies, pass away west as man and
wife. With the rising of the sun the young and lovely
Berry Picker had fled, and with her Chig-go-nia. Her
brother whose name was He-in-da-koo, was soon aware
of what had occurred, and mounted on one of his fleet
est ponies, and well armed, he started in pursuit.
About noon he overtook the flying couple, who, con
scious of his desperate hatred and unrelenting ferocity,
redoubled their speed; the warrioc, however, gained upon
them until their horses were all soon neck and neck,
and speeding rapidly over the plain together. Young
Bets' brother then rode in front, and drawing his
horses head across the path of the lover, sought to cut
him down with his tomahawk. His sister pleaded for
his life, but seeing that her pleadings were all in vain,
she reigned in her pony, brought him close to the side
of her lover, and with one spring from her animal
landed in his lap. With one arm about the waist of
his love, the young man fought bravely for his life,
but encumbered with the maiden, he fought to great
disadvantage; when, all of a sudden, his antagonist
struck him with his tomahawk on the head from be
hind, and the young man sank to the earth, and in
the arms of his sweetheart breathed out his last fare
well. The maiden was carried back into camp, and
though she subsequently married a man of note in her
tribe, yet the great sorrow of her early love never left
her, and traces of that sorrow could be seen upon her
face, even in her old age.
Old Bets was born at a place called Mendota, and

144 OLD BETS.
died a few years ago at the age of seventy-five years,
although, from her weather-beaten and care-worn appear
ance, many supposed her to be over one hundred years.
She married Iron Sword, and had several children, one
of wliom, Ta-opi, became converted to Christianity
and aided very considerably toward elevating and civ
ilizing his tribe.
For many years this inoffensive old woman traveled
the streets of the white man's city, and became a
a marked character both to the citizens and to stran
gers. I remember her as the possessor of a wrinkled
face, peculiar eyes, disheveled hair, large mouth, un
covered neck, uncouth form, but always with her cheer
ful "ho-hos,"as she plodded along under the weight of
years, and of her great, unknown sorrow. She was a
kind and devoted friend of the whites ; was the means
of saving several lives during the massacre in Minne
sota, in 1 86 1, and before her death became quite poor,
but it is a credit to humanity to be able to state, that
she was aided by pecuniary help during her sickness,
and finally died in the Christian belief, and was accord
ed a Christian burial. The portrait of her, which we
present, is an excellent one, and was taken only a short
time before her death. Good-bye, Old Bets.

WA-ZI-YA* AND THE ENCHANTED
KNIFE.
ONCE upon a time there was an old woman, who
had an only son, and what is remarkable, he was
born with a handkerchief about his neck, and was
jcdnsidered by the Indians, a great prodigy. The child
grew to be a genereil favorite with everybody, and at three
years of age, could hunt and fish as well as any Indian.
When about thirteen years of age, the camp broke up
and moved down the river to trade with an old medi
cine man who kept roots, etc., for sale, and also to lay
in their medicines for the hunting season. The old
woman was sick at the time, arid consequently she and
her little boy were the only ones left on the old camp
ground. It was during this solitude and time for
thought, which sickness offers, that the tales of the
wild and rapacious Wa-zi-ya floated across her memqry ;
and there was scarcely an evening that she did not take
occasion to wam her boy about going in a northerly
direction in his rambles. " My son,'' she would say,
"thou art the only prop of my old age. If I lose thee
I may well mourn. Whilst rearing thee I have always
endeavored to instruct thee, and now, as thou art big
enough, warn thee against those cruel demons who
inhabit the North. The Wa-zi-ya is ever a foe to the
homes of our people, and should one suddenly meet
thee, death would be your reward."
* The god of the North, or Winter, a fabled spirit who dwells in the frozen
North in a great tepee of ice and snow. From bb mouth and nostrils he blows the
cold blast of winter..
10 145

146 WA-ZI-YA AND THE
The youth hung his head in silence; he could not
realize the existence of such cruel monsters as his
mother had depicted, and it awakened in him a curiosity
to know more of them. "WeU," thought he, "if Wa-
zi-ya be such a foe to mankind, why don't they kill
him? Is he too big for them to kUl?" And he half
wished that he could ate one, just to know what kind
of beings they were. It is thus that curiosity draws us
on to our own destruction. The more he thought of
it, the more intense became his desire to see one, and
by degrees this thoughtless curiosity grew so upon him
that he would wander for miles toward the north, then
suddenly become alarmed and return. The subject so
preyed upon his mind that he made a resolution to go
and see for himself. Accordingly, one evening, after
his mother had recovered from her sickness, he took
his bows and arrows and started out, determined not
to come back untU he had seen and learned more of
the dreadful Wa-zi-ya. Thoughtfulness never fails of
its punishment. Throughout the whole day he trav
eled, never dreaming of eating — in fact forgetting that
he had no food whatever with him, until night fell
upon him, and he lay down with his blanket around
him and was soon fast asleep. In the morning early
he awakened, and, as usual, his first thought was of
Wa-zi-ya ; but it was only for a fejv moments that his
mind ran in that direction, for hunger soon made him
conscious of its terrible pang. It was only then that
he began to realize his situation. A long day's travel
from home, with no food in his bundle, and to aU
appearances, no game of any kind around him — in a
moment these thoughts impressed themselves upon
him, and then, throwing himself upon the ground, he

ENCHANTED KNIFE. I47
burst into tears. Unbinding the handkerchief (rom his
neck — the same he was born v,'ith — he attempted to
put it to his eyes, but a blast of wind carried it out of
his hand, and it alighted some distance from him, He
mns to get it ! - Great Spirit ! — it lies spread out, and
upon it food of all kinds. Drying his eyes he eats,
then rises and pursues his journey.
Toward noon he sees what appears to be a fort and
he approaches it, finding it to be an immense building,
and to his wondering eyes the home of Wa-zi-ya. Look
ing in at the open door he sees no one ; he enters and
a horrible sight meets his view! Around the room
were the heads of those slain ; skulls nailed to the wall
and under each head was fastened a hand severed al
the wrist. His blood ran cold, and while meditating
what he should do, he heard a noise like thunder, and
in comes Wa-zi-ya. " I smell something," said the
great monster ! The boy hides behind a post, but Wa-
zi-ya smells him out and takes him in his hand. " Naw-
a-pesk-ta, se-ce-ca ! " "I will eat you up!" Boy re
gains courage; begs him not to eat him. " Hungry! —
must," said the monster. Boy says : " I will give you
plenty to eat." The great giant laughs and says — "Wi-
ca-ka-wo ! " You can't do it. But the boy spreads his
handkerchief upon the ground and immediately it is
covered with food. Wa-zi-ya fills himself, and then
turning to the little stranger, says : " Ha ! my boy, this
will do ; now you may go home unharmed." Boy starts
to go, but is called back. Wa-zi-ya wants the handker
chief, but the boy is unwilling to part with it. The
giant says he must have it ; he will give him a flute
for it.
" What can I do with the flute?" asked the boy.

148 WA-ZI-YA AND THE ENCHANTED KNIFE.
Call an army of genii when in need. The boy will not
consent ; goes home ; does not tell his mother, but at
the first favorable opportunity, goes again. Wa-zi-ya
asks him for more food, for he has come to like the
boy, but the boy pretends not to hear him. The giant
asks again, and says: " If you will produce a supper as
good as the last, I will give you this," showing him a
knife. "And what good wiU this do me ? " asks the
boy. " Oh, it does whatever its possessor teUs it to."
Boy consents and receives the knife. Wa-zi-ya imme
diately falls to eating the provisions, and while thus
engaged the boy walks off a short distance, takes out
knife, tells it to cut Wa-zi-ya's head off, and off it
comes ! Boy runs home, tells his mother, and then
there is great rejoicing, and amid it all orange trees
spring up and bear oranges ; figs grow in great abund
ance ; flowers bloom ; birds sing ; all sorts of game
cluster in the bushes ; fishes sport in the rivers and in
the lakes ; buffalo surround the camp ; the air is mild
arid balmy; the Indians gather in immense numbers,
and there is a great feast, for the boy, born with a
handkerchief about his neck, has killed the god of the
North, or Winter ; has broken down his great temple
of ice and snow; has turned his cold and cheerless
blasts into perennial summer; has brought joy and
happiness and plenty to the Dakota nation.

OPINIONS, BELIEFS AND CUSTOMS
OF THE INDIANS.
WE all have supposed that the Indians draw direct
ly from nature their beliefs, their opinions and
their customs, as we have no knowledge that a people
existed on the American Continent, anterior to them,
except the vague conception of a pre-historic race,
about which we know but very little ; hence, whatever
their customs and beHefs may be, they are original with
themselves. And yet we can trace their peculiar char
acteristics to the Arabs, and many of their religious
ceremonies to the Jews, leaving one to infer that at a
remote period in the past, the so-called American
Indian, or rather his descendants, were inhabitants of
the Old World, and transplanted to the new, many
customs and beliefs supposed to belong solely to them
selves, but which have a greater antiquity than the
American continent itself. Donnelly in his "Atlantis,"
recently published, advances some cogent reasons and
authorities, to prove, that at one time the two oceans
were connected by land, and that on an island called
"Atlantis," then existing in the ocean, there lived a
race of people much more intelligent than the American
Indian, and from whom the Indians sprung ; or, if he
did not originate there, he came into the western hemi
sphere over this land, and brought with him some of
the beHefs and traditions of the Old World. Donnelly
claims that Atlantis was sunk in the ocean, and totally
destroyed. US

15© OPINIONS, BELIEFS AND CUSTOMS
When among the Bois Fortes Indians years ago, my
camp was visited by two sons of the chiefs, accom»
panied by their squaws or wives, and after the usual
salutation — " Booshu Nechee," how to do, friend (the
Indian never says good-morning or good-evening, but
it is either friend or foe), we set before them a good,
solid dinner of bread, coffee, pork and beans, and of
which they partook plentifully. One of the women
had in her arms a bundle, and I observed that every
time she eat, she passed a piece of bread or a few beans
to the mysterious something she cuddled to her bosom
so affectionately. After she had left, I said to my in
terpreter — "What did that squaw have in her arms?"
to which he quickly replied — " Why the bones or skele
ton of a baby!" "Is that their habit?" I inquired.
" Oh, yes," he replied. "When a child dies, through a
process known to these Indians, the body is preserved
until the flesh is all gone, and the skin is drawn tightly
over the bones ; then the remains are decorated in its
little garments, embroidered with beads, its wee play
things are sewed up among the clothing and the mother
is obliged to carry the child wherever she goes — or
rather the skeleton — until another baby is born or the
father dies, when it is put away. At every meal the
mother feeds the inanimate remains, believing that this
is necessary to sustain its existence on its way to the
spirit world, and hence what you have seen, is only a
religious duty of a p'vent to its offspring."
Indian adults are buried with their wands of red,
white and blue, to be used soon after death to keep
off the bad and tempting spirits, when they reach
the shores of the happy hunting ground (see legend of
Min-ne-too-ka) ; so also are they buried with their guns.

OF THE INDIANS. I5l
their blankets, etc.; and if a warrior of note dies, his
ponies are killed at his grave, so that he may have
horses to ride in the other world. Food is also left at
their tombs for their sustenance. Their belief in the
future is very strong, as these incidents would indicate.
A feeling exists between a mother and her children,
by which, no matter how far apart they may be, she
can tell when they are suffering or in danger. There
are not a few Sioux women who do not in some measure
believe in this, and many are the tales that are told of
the exercise of this strange power. There are also
many white women who believe in this influente, for
they have had considerable experience in this direction.
The Indians formerly elevated their dead upon poles or
scaffolds, where they remained for one year ; now they
bury them in the ground, and they are always disposed
of with their heads to one of the four cardinal points of
the compass. Many inter them with their heads to the
north and feet to the south, since they believe that the
spirit of the Indians will travel south to the land of
ease and comfort ; yet, many imagine that their spirits
will go west ; others think that the east is the final
abode of mortality, made immortal by some invisible
power. The idea that everything on the earth is acted
upon by spirits pervades all the action of the Dakotas.
They believe that the "wangi's" spirit — though the
same word means skeleton — inhabits the ravines and
hollows, and for that season they bury their dead
usually upon the edge of some coolie or ravine, that
the spirit may return to the body at pleasure. They
also believe that good and evil spirits walk the earth
and influence their actions.
The divinities of the Sioux are legion. The air, the

152 OPINIONS AND CUSTOMS OF THE INDIAN'S.
earth, the water, the heavens, and even fire itself, all
have their separate divinities and spirits of evil. Ev
erything is linked with darkness and terror, except the
one great, the incomprehensible, the silent God. Dei
ties whose sole object is evil, are ever around them,
^nd a sudden death calls them up in all their terror,
working upon the minds of a few, and bringing fear to
children and to old women. The Wa-kan-tan-ka, or
Great Spirit of the Sioux, is the same being as the god
of the Saxon, the Goda of the Persian, the Khoda of
the Sanscrit, and the Koda of the Sioux. Did these
deities originate among themselves? They agree in
attributes with the divinities of foreign mythologies,
but how did the Indians know of these mythologies
if they were the first and only original inhabitants on
the American continent ? Whence came their idea of
deities and mythology, except that they originated in
the long past, and have been handed down from a re
mote age to the present ? I am forced to believe that
such is the fact, and that the Indian is the descendant
of a race of people who formerly lived in Europe, but
which is now extinct.

THE LAST MAN !— STRANGE BELIEFS.
THE Mandan Indians, many years ago, had a very
clear conception of the flood, and celebrated the
event in quite an interesting manner. Many of these
Indians were really white — it seems a paradoxium to
call them Indians — with hazel, gray and blue eyes, for, ,
no doubt, they were the descendants of a white race.
Catlin, in a recent work, says : " On the day set apart
for the commencement of the ceremonies in commem
oration of the flood, a solitary figure is seen approach
ing the village. During the deafening din and confusion
within the pickets of the village, the figure discovered
on the prairie, continued to approach with a dignified
step, and in a right line toward the village; all eyes
were upon him, and he at length made his appearance
within the pickets and proceeded toward the center of
the village where all the chiefs and braves stood ready
to receive him, which they did in a cordial manner, by
shaking hands, recognizing him as an old acquaintance
and pronouncing his name, Nu-mohk-muck-a-nah, the
first, br only man. The body of this strange personage,
which was chiefly naked, was painted with white clay,
so as to resemble, at a distance, a white man. He
enters the medicine lodge and goes through certain
mysterious ceremonies. During the whole of this day,
Nu-mohk-muck-a-nah, traveled through the village,
stopping in front of each man's tepee, and crying until
the owner of the lodge came out and asked who he was
and what was the matter? To which he replied by
153

154 THE LAST man! — STRANGE BELIEFS.
narrating the sad catastrophe which had happened on
the earth's surface by the overflowing of the waters,
saying that he was the only person saved from the
universal calamity ; that he landed his big canoe on a
high mountain in the west, where he now resides ; that
he has come to open the medicine lodge, which must
needs receive a present of an edged tool from the owner
of every wigwam, that it may be sacrificed to the
water; for, he says, if this is not done there will be
another flood and no one wUl be saved, as it was with
such tools that the big canoe was made.
" Having visited every lodge in the village during
the day, and having received such a present from each
as a hatchet, a knife, etc., he places them in the medi
cine lodge ; and on the last day of the ceremony they
are thrown into a deep place in the river — sacrificed to
the spirit of the waters."
The Dakotas have a similar belief, clearly showing
that the aborigines or this country must have had, at
least, traditionary information of the Old World.
The Dakotas believe that the earth is an extended
plain. This belief, alone, is evidence of nothing, for aU
rude nations have formed exactly such an idea of it,
but when the Dakota adds to this his belief that the
further north you go, the higher the ground becomes,
until it terminates in lofty mountains, behind which
the sun is hid in the night as he travels east to resume
his diurnal course to the west again, it is easy enough
to recognize in this the general beUef of ancient India,
that " the sun revolves around a lofty northern mount
ain, producing day when on one side and night when
on the other."
To have the hair cut short, is esteemed by all Indians

THE LAST man! — STRANGE BELIEFS. 1 55
a great disgrace. The Dakotas especially deem it so,
since it was a part of the punishment of a murderer,
and was also the reward of treachery. A Dakota
woman, however, and sometimes a young brave, wiU
vow to cut off her or his hair in case an earnestly
wished-for event transpires happily ; but even under
such circumstances they do not cut it off short, but
merely clip a few hairs. An Indian's face painted
black, indicates his desire to kill somebody. (See ar
ticle, "A Run for Life.")
Praying or invoking and vowing are quite common
among the Sioux. A brave starts upon a war-party and
is suddenly surrounded by the enemy with but little
hope of escape. Making a vow to Ta-kux-kanx-kan, or
some other divinity that he will make a certain number
of beasts in his honor, or that he will go upon so many
war-parties during the ensuing year, if the God will
only assist him, or some other vow, he plunges into the
fight. If he escapes he is sure to keep his vow, for it is
a thing sacred, in his mind, and not to be trifled with.
An Indian hunting in the woods loses his way, becomes
frightened and thinks he is in great danger. He im
mediately makes a vow, that if he is saved, he will as
sume this or that character for such a length of time ;
and on reaching home in safety he at once does so. In
fact the Mohammedan pUgrims or the Hindoo faquirs
are not more earnest in their vows nor more scrupulous
in performing them than are the Dakotas. They are
superstitious in the extreme, and look upon a broken
vow as irreparable and certain to call down the anger of
the spirits upon them. It was this superstitious feeling
which found vent when they heard for the first time,
the report of a rifle, upon which they cried out ; " Wa-

156 THE LAST man! — STRANGE BELIEFS.
kan-c," this is supernatural ; and the same spirit was
evinced when they first saw the mariner's compass.
The chief would frequently call for a sight of it, and
tell his braves that the white men were spirits, capabb
of doing everything. They believe in the existence of
numbers of Wan-a-gi-dan, or spirits, whose sole business
is to plague and torment poor humanity. They do not
b'Jieve that these spirits are able to cause death, but
give to them nearly the same attributes that we do to
our elf-sprites or fairies.
Previous to the time when they obtained horses —
scarcely a century ago — the lot of the Dakota woman
was hard indeed. Upon a journey they were forced to
pack all the household stuff, including their tents, upon
their backs ; and though they used the large wolf-dog
for packing, by placing transverse poles across his back,
fastened together over the shoulders — the other ends
trailing upon the ground — ^yet the main packing had to
be done upon their own shoulders. Before starting in
the morning, the men usually point out the place at
which they are to camp for the night ; and for that
point the squaws and children, each with their packs
upon their backs, start at once, while the men make a
detour over the prairie through the woods, in search of
game. My own horse was the first animal of the kind
the Indians on Vermilion lake, in the northem portion
of Minnesota and near the Canadian line, had ever
seen and when he appeared in full view, they became
greatly excited and frightened ; ran, screamed and hid,
as they thought it was a Great Spirit. This was in the
year 1865.
Among the Yankton Indians, the first who obtained
a gun, endeavored to make it go off, as he supposed

THE LAST man! — STRANGE BELIEFS. 1 57
the white man of whom he bought it made it go— without
loading — and after repeated failures, he became enraged,
and broke it over the head of his wife. Another In
dian, having been taught how to load it, put in too
much powder, with a foot of wadding, and he was very
much surprised to find himself upon his back, after the
discharge, and thinking one near him had struck him,
he pitched into the crowd promiscuously and got beau
tifully thrashed !
The young Indian women have a peculiar kind of
broth which they give the men to make them fall des
perately in love with them. Various tricks are devised
to conceal the nature of this medicine, and to induce
the warrior to drink it. When mixed with " Scoot-a-
wa-boo," or fire-water, it is irresistible, as all whisky
toddies are.
An Indian who had been wounded and was about to
die, requested that his horse might be gaily capari
soned and brought to his hospital window, so that he
might touch the animal. He then took from his med
icine bag a large cake of maple sugar, and held it forth.
It may seem strange, but it is true, that the beast ate
it from his hand. The invalid's features were radiant
with delight as he fell back upon the piUow exhausted.
His horse had eaten of the sugar, he said, and he was
now sure of a favorable reception and comfortable
quarters in the other world. Half an hour later he
breathed his last.
Jonathan Carver, one of the early explorers, says :
" Oi« formality among the Nan-dow-essies in mourn
ing for the dead, is very different from any mode I ob
served ia the other nations through which I passed.
The men, to show how great their sorrow is, pierce the

158 "MIE LAST man! — STRANGE BELIEFS.
flesh of their arms above the elbows with arrows, and
the women cut and gash their legs with broken flints
until the blood flows plentifully.
" After the breath is departed, the body is dressed in
the same attire it usually wore ; the face of the de
ceased is painted, and he is seated in an erect posture
on a mat or skin, placed in the middle of the hut, with
his weapons by his side. His relatives seated around
him, each in turn harangue the deceased ; and, if he
has been a great warrior, recount his heroic actions
nearly to the following purport, which, in the Indian
language, is extremely poetical and pleasing:
" ' You still sit among us, brother ; your person retains
its usual resemblance and continues similar to ours,
without any visible deficiency, except it has lost the
power of action. But, whither is that breath flown,
which, a few hours ago sent up smoke to the Great
Spirit ? Why are those lips silent, that lately delivered
to us expressions and pleasing language? Why are
those feet motionless that a few hours ago were fleeter
than the deer on yonder mountains? Why useless
hang those arms that could climb the tallest tree or
draw the toughest bow? Alas, every part of that
frame, which we beheld with admiration and wonder,
has now become as inanimate as it was three hundred
years ago ! We will not, hower, bemoan thee as if
thou wast forever lost to us, or that thy name would
be buried in oblivion ; thy soul yet lives in the great
country of spirits, with those of thy nation that have
gone before thee ; and though we are left behind to
perpetuate thy fame, we will one day join thee.
" ' Actuated by the respect we bore thee whilst living,
we now come to tender thee the last act of kindness in

THE LAST man!— STRANGE BELIEFS. 1 59
our power ; that thy body might not be neglected on
the plains and become a prey to the beasts of the fields
or fowls of the air, we will take care to lay it with those
of thy predecessors that have gone before thee, hoping
at the same time that thy spirit wUl feed their spirits,
and be ready to receive ours when we shall also arrive
at the great country of souls.' " Toon-hay-hay means
" woe is me," a lament for the dead.
In the " Desert of the Exodus," by Palmer, I find
a simUar ceremony over the death of a member of one
of the Arab tribes, which leads me to conclude that the
Indians obtained this ceremony from the Arabs, or it
originally came from the Old World. The writer says :
" When a Bedouin dies the corpse is at once taken
out of the tent to a convenient place, washed with soap
and water and shrouded. A bag containing a little
corn is placed beside it, and it is immediately buried.
As soon as it is placed in the grave the friends of the
deceased beat upon the ground with a stick, recite the
Fatihah and cry out : ' Oh, thou most compassionate !
have mercy upon us, gracious God ! ' Then they tap
with a small pick-ax at the head of the grave and ad
dress the deceased in these words : ' When the twain
Green Angels shall question and examine thee, say:
' The feaster makes merry, the wolf prowls, and man's
lot is still the same, but I have done with all these
things. The side tree is thy aunt and the palm tree
thy mother.' Each one then throws a little dirt into
the grave, exclaiming as he does so : ' God have mercy
upon thee,' and the party adjourns to a feast in the
tent of the deceased. Another entertainment is given
jn honor of his memory after the lapse of four months.
When a death occurs in an encampment the women of

l6o THE LAST MAN ! — STRANGE BELIEFS.
the family at once go outside of the tent, and taking
off' their head dresses, commence a loud and impas
sioned wailing, which they continue throughout the
day." The Indians call a steamboat " the house that walks
on the waters," and a humming bird they declare comes
from the land of the rainbow.
Each feather worn by a warrior represents an enemy
slain or captured — man, woman or child. Feathers
among the Dakotas have very different significations
according to the way in which they are painted or
notched. The only feathers thaTt have any meaning
attached to them, are those of the eagle. Each
feather stands for an enemy killed, but very frequently
one feather only is used to designate the number slain.
Then an eagle feather with a round dot of red paint
upon it, the size of a bullet, denotes that the wearer
has slain an enemy by shooting with a bullet, and as
many dots of this kind as there are upon the feather, so
many enemies have been slain.
The Chippewas tell this story : The various birds met
together one day to try which could fly the highest.
Some flew up very swift, but soon got tired and were
passed by others of stronger wing. But the eagle went
up beyond them all, and was ready to claim the victory,
when, the gray linnet, a very small bird, flew from the
eagle's back, where it had perched unperceived, and,
being fresh and unexhausted, succeeded in going the
highest. When the birds came down and met in coun
cil to award the prize, it was given to the eagle, because
that bird had not only gone up nearer to the sun than
any of the larger birds, but it had carried the linnet on
its back. For this reason the eagle's feathers became

THE LAST MAN ! — STRANGE BELIEFS. l6l
the most honorable marks of distinction a warrior could
wear. Indians not only pick out aU the hair from their
faces, but from their bodies. I have seen Indians, how
ever, with good beards, but they are rare. It is a pecul
iar feature in the history of the race, that they totally
abhor hair, except upon the head, and this custom of
pulling it out, has a deeper significance than appears
upon the surface. Did the savages originate from a
people who once wore beards, and did some great
event prejudice them against hair, or, are they a distinct
race, descendants only from themselves?
It is worthy of remark, that a chief, in speech, always
calls the country owned by his nation — "Ma-ko-ee
Mi-ta-wa " — my country ; while the braves usually say,
" Ma-ko-ee un-kit-a-wa-pi," — our country, a distinction
which some have imagined is a relic of the old regal
claim to all the national domain, as it was among the
ancient Hindoo and other eastern nations.
The Indians have many feasts. Indeed, fighting,
feasting and dancing are the prominent elements of
their nature. The Virgin feast, however, is a sacred
right and has much to commend it. None but Virgins
are permitted to engage in the ceremony, and it is in
tended to compliment, retain and perpetuate the chas
tity of Indian maidens. Only unpolluted girls are
permitted to touch the sacred armor of the Dakota
warriors, and during the ceremony, they use white
cedar, which is considered wa-kan, or sacred. Mrs.
Eastman says that the " Sacred Ring " around the feast
of the Virgins, is formed by armed warriors sitting, and
none but a Virgin must enter this ring. The warrior
who knows, is bound on honor and by old sacred
11

1 62 THE LAST MAN! — STRANGE BELIEFS.
custom, to expose and publicly denounce any tarn
ished maiden who dares to enter this ring, and his word
cannot be questioned — even by the chiefs.
The mode of courtship among the sexes differs some
what with the various tribes of Indians of the North
west, but the ultimate end of obtaining a wife — by
purchase — is almost universal. Among some of the
tribes of the Chippewas, the courtship is usually in this
way : The loving girl, if she favors a young man, re
moves from the side of her mother in the tepee, where
she usually sleeps, and cuddles up in her blanket on the
left of the entrance to the wigwam. The young man
goes round the tepee three times, and if she does not
move during these trips, he is assured that his overtures
are acceptable. He goes home, and at the expiration
of three nights comes again, and finding his girl still in
the place where he left her, he slips in under the
blanket, where the courtship is carried on during the
greater portion of the night. Then, if everything is
agreeable, he formally asks the father for the hand of
his daughter, and proffers certain articles of value, a
horse, or canoe, or blanket, and when the trade is conv
pleted, the two are married.
'Some tribes on the Missouri river insist that the man
who wants his girl, must catch her while on horseback,
and for this purpose a very fleet pony is obtained, the
girl placed upon it, and the contending lovers are
obliged to follow, and the one who catches the flying
maiden first, can claim her as his wife, whether she
loves him or not. Of course woman's wits usually win,
for, knowing who they want, they guide their horses
so ks to fall into the hands of their lovers, irrespective
of the speed of the various animals.

THE LAST MAN !— STRANGE BELIEFS. 163
There is a striking resemblance between the mode of
courtship and marriage of a tribe of Arabs, called the
Bedouin, and the North American Indians. Palmer,
in his work, says :
" The intending bridegroom, with five or six friends,
call upon the father of the girl, who prepares and sets
before them a bowl of food and some coffee, and when
they have partaken of the refreshments, the bridegroom
opens the conversation by expressing a desire for a
more intimate relationship with the family. ' Wel
come,' replies the father ; ' and I, in turn, require a thou
sand piastres of you as a dowry.' After a great deal of
noisy discussion, he consents to an abatement of 500
or 600 piastres of the sum, and the bargain is con
cluded. This is the signal for great rejoicings and the
young men of the party amuse themselves with various
games and trials of skill, shooting at an ibex head set
over the tent door as a mark, being one of the most
favorite pastimes. The public notary of the tribe is
then called in ; he takes a piece of herb and wraps it
up in the turban of the intending bridegroom. Tak
ing both of their hands in his own, he places the folded
turban between them, and, pressing them closely to
gether, addresses the father of the bride : ' Are you
wilHng to give your daughter in marriage to such an
one,' to which he replies : ' I am.' The bridegroom is
asked: 'Do you take the girl to wife for better or
worse ? ' On his replying, ' I do take her,' the notary
says : ' If you ill-treat her or stint her in food or rai
ment, the sin be on your own neck.' The questions
and answers are repeated three times, and the betrothal
is then considered complete. The girl herself is kept
until this time, in ignorance of the transaction, and,

164 THE LAST man! — STRANGE BELIEFS.
should she get an inkling of it, it is considered etiquette
for her to make a show of escaping to the mountains.
"When she returns in the evening from tending the
flocks, and sits down in her father's tent, they place
incense on some lighted embers behind her, and fumi
gate her surreptitiously as a protection against the evil
eye. At this moment the notary comes stealthily be
hind her with the bridegroom's mantle in his hand,
which he suddenly throws over her, exclaiming: 'The
name of God be with thee ! None shall take thee but
such an one, ' naming her intended husband. There
upon the girl starts up and tries to escape, calling upon
her father and mother for help, with loud cries and
shrieks ; but she is seized by the women who have col
lected round her, while they repeat the notary's words
in noisy chorus, and utter the shrill cries, called Zogha-
rit ! A tent is next erected for her in front of her
father's habitation, to which she is conducted, . and
then sprinkled with the blood of sheep, sacrificed for
the occasion. Here she remains for three days, at the
end of which time she is conducted by a procession of
women to ' a spring of living water,' and after per
forming her ablutions, is led home to the house of her
husband, who makes a great feast in her honor. The
neighbors also sacrifice a sheep as a contribution to the
entertainment, and receive, as well as the women who
have assisted in the ceremony, a trifling present in
money from the father of the bride. When a girl who
has bestowed her affection on the man of her choice, is
compelled by her friends to espouse another, she takes
advantage of the three days' grace allowed her, to
escape to the tents of some of the neighbors, and
throwing herself upon their protection, refuses to leave

THE LAST MAN ! — STRANGE BELIEFS. 165
until the unwelcome suitor relinquishes his claim, and
an arrangement entered into between the lover and
her relatives. Two girls who were to be married to
men they did not like, escaped to the mountains and
perished of hunger, rather than prove faithless to their
lovers." The usual mode, however, among the Indians, of ob
taining a wife, is by purchase. It is alleged, by those
who know, that when an Indian maiden falls in love
with a white man, which is sometimes the case, her love
is more ardent and more lasting than when she gives her
heart to one of her own tribe. It is a historical fact,
that several Indian women have committed suicide be
cause they were not permitted to marry white men,
whom they devotedly loved.
The Indians have very few gambling games. One,
however, resembles our game of dice, and is largely in
dulged in. It consists of plum stones, painted black
on one side and red on the other. They are placed in
a dish and are thrown up like our dice. Hennepin
says: "There are some so given to this game that
they will gamble away their coats. Those who conduct
the game, cry at the top of their voices when they rat
tle the plates, and they strike their shoulders so hard
as to leave them all black with the blows." The game
is something like " keno."
All Indians are susceptible to kindness as well as re
venge. Charka, who attached himself to George H.
Spencer, a trader on the frontier, saved his life at the
beginning of a Sioux outbreak, at the risk of his own.
Amid the buUets of his red brothers and the burning
timbers of the building which the savages had fired, he
boldly confronted the infuriated demons and his white

1 66 THE LAST man! — STRANGE BELIEFS.
friend was saved from death, after having been shot
through the lungs. So, too, of Other-Day, a good In
dian, who interfered in behalf of the whites during the
massacre and saved nearly a hundred lives. But, at the
same time they remember a wrong.
An Indian was in the habit of coming to a. trapper's
camp aind begging for food. One day he made his
appearance as usual, when the trapper, out of all
patience with him, took from his pot over a gallon of
hot bean soup, which he had just made, and pouring
the whole of it into a tin pan, told the Indian to eat, at
the same time he brought his gun to bear upon his
head and assured him that if he didn't eat all he would
blow his brains out ! The Indian tugged, and sweated,
and munched, and gulped, and moaned, and stretched,
until the whole gallon was gone, when he took his
departure and was never known to come to that camp
again. Some time after this, the trapper became lost
in a terrible snow storm, and tired and weary, and
hungry, he wandered around until he struck an Indian
tepee, and on entering, he found he was in the presence
of his lately insulted guest ; but hunger was superior
to good manners, or even ordinaiy discretion, so he
asked for something to eat, when the Indian brought
him a large dish of maple sugar, and seizing his gun,
told him if he did not eat every bit of it he would kill
him. Fortunately the trapper's appetite was ravenously
good, and he got away with most of it, but found it
extremely hard to get to the end. He pleaded with
the Indian to let him off, but it was no use. "Paleface
make Indian eat hot soup; Indian make paleface eat
sugar, or paleface dies ! " So the poor trapper struggled
through his bountiful repast, and more dead than alive,

THE LAST MAN ! — STRANGE BELIEFS. 1 67
left the tepee impressed with the conviction that it
was "more blessed to give than receive," especially
when a bushel of sugar was crowded down his throat at
the end of a loaded gun, held firmly in the hands of a
defiant, revengeful Indian!
The real, genuine amusement of the Indian, is his
various dances. He has the Sun Dance, the Dog
Dance, the Beggar Dance, the Bear Dance, the Sacred
Dance, the Medicine Dance, the War Dance, and many
other dances too numerous to recapitulate.
Long, describing his expedition in 1817, writes;
" When we hove in sight, the Indians were engaged
in a ceremony called the Bear Dance, a ceremony which
theyare in the habit of performing when, any young
man is desirous of bring himself into particular notice,
and is considered a kind of initiation into the state of
manhood. There was a kind of flag made of fawn skin
dressed with the hair on, suspended on a pole. Upon
the flesh side of it were drawn certain figures, indica
tive of the dream which it is necessary the young
man should haye dreamed before he can be considered
a proper canditate for this kind of initiation ; with this
a pipe was suspended by way of sacrifice. Two arrows
were stuck up at the foot of the pole, and fragments of
painted feathers, etc., were strewn about the ground
near it. These pertained to the religious rites attend
ing the ceremony, which consists in bewailing and self-
mortification, that the Good Spirit may be induced to
pity them and succor their undertaking. Of course, all
this time the dance is going on.
"At the distance of two or three hundred yards from
the flag, is an excavation, which they call the Bear's
hole, prepared for the occasion. It is about twp feet

1 68 THE LAST MAN !— STRANGE BELIEFS.
deep, leading across it at right angles. The young
hero of the farce, places himself in this hole, to be
hunted by the rest of the young men, all of whom, on
this occasion, are dressed in their best attire and painted
in their neatest style. The hunters approach the hole
in the direction of one of the ditches, and discharge
their guns, which were previously loaded for the pur
pose with blank cartridges, at the one who acts the part
of the bear ; whereupon he leaps from his den, having
a hoop in each hand and a wooden lance, the hoop
serving as fore feet to aid him in characterizing his part,
and his lance to defend himself from his assailants.
Thus accoutred, he dances round the place, exhibiting
various feats of activity, while the other Indians pursue
him and endeavor to trap him, as he attempts to return
to his den, to effect which, he is privileged to use any
violence he pleases with impunity against his assailants,
and even to taking the life of any of them.
" This part of the ceremony is performed three times,
that the bear may escape from his den and return to it
again through three of the avenues communicating
with it. On being hunted from the fourth or last ave
nue, the bear must make his escape through all his
pursuers, if possible, and flee to the woods, where he is
to remain through the day. This, however, is seldom
or never accomplished, as all the young men exert
themselves to the utmost in order to trap him. When
caught, he must retire to a lodge erected for his recep
tion in the field, from all society through the day, ex
cept one of his particular friends whom he is allowed
to take with him as an attendant. Here he smokes
and performs various other rites which superstition has
led the Indian to believe are sacred. After this cere-

THE LAST MAN !— STRANGE BELIEFS. 169
mony is ended, the young Indian is considered qualified
to act any part as an efficient member of their commu
nity. The Indian who catches the bear is promoted on
the first suitable occasion."
The Dog Dance is only a solid feast, being a " flow of
soul" with very little reason. Dog meat is held in
great esteem, and hence a dog feast brings out the finest
qualities of the Indian's appetite. It is really a time
of gayety, and the dance indicates a good time gener
ally. The War Dance is, perhaps, in one sense, the most
horrible of aU the dances. A pole is erected, on which
are hung the scalps of the enemy, and around which the
warriors, profusely painted, dance more energetically
than on any other occasion. They form a ring, and in
the midst of this ring are the musicians with their
drums, who commence beating them slowly, and the
Indians then inaugurate their peculiar hops, ever and
anon uttering their "hos" and "hi-yis," increasing
their motions constantly as they pass round in a circle.
Then the drums beat faster, and the warriors dance
faster, and their yells become louder, until, when, in a
state of terrible frenzy, their eyes glitter, their faces
become hideous, and they brandish their knives and
tomahawks in close proximity to the brains of their
companions, seemingly to almost strike them in their
wild and determined actions. Their war-whoops now
become simply terrific ! They increase the rapidity of
their movements ! They yell, they wiggle, they throw
their arms in the air, and on a moonlight night present
all the features of Pandemonium broke loose. This is
kept up until nature is completely exhausted, when
some one of the warriors steps into the ring and tells what

170 THE LAST MAN! — STRANGE BELIEFS.
he has done, and what he intends to do, climbing up
into the grandiloquent style, being loudly cheered by
his companions ; and then the dance is over.
The Beggar Dance is peculiar to itself and has con
siderable significance. The Indians gather about in a
dejected manner, and the drum begins its slow, monot
onous tones, at the same time the Indians begin to
bob up and down, as though one leg was shorter than
the other ; then the dance increases in earnestness, and
the Indians divest themselves of their clothing, first
throwing off blankets, then other garments ; finally
they are almost in a state of nudity. Some Indiani
who visited my camp and performed this dance, wert
only prevented from divesting themselves of all theii
garments, or such as they had on, by my timely inter
ruption in arresting their intentions by having placed
in their midst two sacks of flour and an abundance of
tobacco. When once supplied they slowly dance until
their clothing is replaced, and then gently move away,
being always sure of taking their presents with them.
The most sickening of all is the Sun Dance. An
unknown writer, who is well posted, has described it so
well and so accurately that I append his account :
" The ceremony begins at sunrise and lasts till sun
down. During all this time the candidate for honors
has to look straight at the sun and dance without an)'
interruption, except to lake an occasional puff at the
pipe, handed him by the Medicine man. The relatives
of the victim sit around the circle, beat the drum — a
tin kettle covered with buckskin — and sing of the deeds
of great warriors, in order to stimulate to great exer
tion and pluck, for such is indeed needed by the poor
devil during this trying ordeal. Many of the young

THE LAST man!— STRANGE BELIEFS. I7I
men faint away during the dance and fail to graduate.
The ceremony is as follows :
" There are long strings of rawhide or rope tied to a
high, upright pole or tree, upon which the scalps of
slaughtered enemies, buffalo skulls, skunk's tails and
medicine bags are fastened. The victim takes his posi
tion within convenient proximity to the pole, when the
Medicine man, with a large double-edged knife or
arrowhead, makes two parallel slits in the skin, then
runs the sharp point of a stick of wood about four
inches long, into one of the slits or cuts, underneath
the sinews and out of the other slit or cut. The ends.
of this stick of wood are then fastened to the strings.
This process is inflicted in four places upon the breast
and shoulders of the aspirant, who then commences
dancing and turning himself around and about, occa
sionally throwing the whole weight of his body upon
the stirrup by which he hangs suspended, dangling and
swinging in the air, with the sole object of succeeding,
at the earliest possible moment, of tearing out the
stitches, sinews and all. As soon as this is accom
plished — usually before sundown — the successful grad
uate is declared a great warrior, and he is given many
presents, consisting of guns, pistols, horses, buffalo
robes, calico and rings." It is a sickening sight, and
partakes of the quintessence of barbarism.

GENERAL GEORGE A. CUSTER.
KILLED IN THE INDIAN FIGHT WITH SITTING BULL.
AS this gallant soldier was engaged for some years
in successfully fighting the Indians on our frontier
and finally lost his life in the last great Indian battle
on the American continent, it seems proper that I
should briefly inform the reader who this hero was, and
how he became .the terror of the red men of the plains.
He was the son of a hard-working Ohio farmer, active,
bright, amiable, with a fair English education, and who
at the age of sixteen years, taught school in his native
town. Once determined to go to West Point, he ap
plied to the member of Congress from his own district,
and although unsupported by outside influences, he suc
ceeded in gaining the position. His record at the
Academy was not a brilliant one, nor was his behavior
of the "goody-goody" style, for he was full of mis
chief and hated restraint. He graduated at the foot of
a class of thirty-four. At the breaking out of the re
bellion, Custer was ordered to report to General Scott,
and when active military events followed he was put on
duty with the army which was ingloriously defatted at
Bull Run. He was on the staff of several Generals,
but finally took his position at the head of a cavalry
regirfient, and here is where he exhibited those grand
traits of character which made him the Marshall Ney
of the American army. Nothing seemed to daunt or
check him. He, swept down upon the foe with the im
petuosity of a whirlwind, and the southem soldiers
178

GENERAL GEORGE A. CUSTER. 1 73
cowered before his victorious troops. With his long,
flowing hair hanging down his shoulders, his slouch
hat, his embroidered pants, set off with gold ; his
bright-colored shirt and necktie, he rode at the head of
his column and inspired the greatest confidence in his
men, so that they, partaking of the leader's spirit, never
faltered in the discharge of their duty and never lost
a battle. For one of his heroic and daring achievements,
wherein the confederated forces were driven back in
confusion, he was promoted from a first lieutenant to
a brigadier-general, and, from that time onward, he
rapidly ascended the military ladder, until he reached
the topmost round — a major-general — and this at the
early age of twenty-six years ! What is remarkable is
the fact, that, amid all the dangers of war— wild, hor
rible, and terrific — he was only wounded once. One
of the last actions in which General Custer was en
gaged, while fighting for the Union, was his attack
upon General Lee's army, and this, with the solid
gleaming bayonets of our infantry under the leader
ship of Sheridan, brought out the white flag, the enemy
surrendered, and the war was brought to a close.
In 1 867 Custer was ordered to enter the field in pur
suit of the Indians, or, rather, at this period, he became
identified with the military movements which were
then projected for the defense of the frontier. Strong,
self-reliant, self-willed, disgusted with restraint, he left
Fort Wallace without orders, and, it is alleged, made a
journey on private business, for which he was court-
marshaled, with suspension of pay and . rank for one
year, at the end of which time he was recalled into
active service, and from thence onward to the period

174 GENERAL GEORGE A. CUSTER.
of his death, he became a marked character among the
many eminent generals who have conducted our Indian
campaigns. In his onslaughts, in the far West, Custer never
stopped to think. His idea was — "Go in and clean
them out; they are only Indians! " This is Ulustrated
in his stealthly attack upon an Indian village, where
Black Kettle, the chief, was killed, whom General
Harney and Colonel Boon declared was as good a
friend of the United States as thcy were. Had Custer
paused a moment, this noble old Indian's life might
nave been saved. But the peculiarities of the boy
were well demonstrated in the growth of the man, and
this element of character finally cost him his life. In
1873, General Custer came to the new Northwest and
with troops escorted the engineers and surveyors of the
Northern Pacific railroad into the Yellowstone valley.
Here he became acquainted with the fact, that an
Indian had killed two elderly men of the expedition.
and he had him arrested, and he was imprisoned in Fort
Lincoln, where he confessed the deed. His name was
Rain-in-the-Face, and he subsequently escaped from
the fort, joined the forces of Sitting Bull, and what is
singular, on the hotly-contested battle-field, avenged
himself by killing the great white chief! And such is
fate ! After his expedition to the Yellowstone valley,
Custer was ordered to proceed to the Black Hills,
where he located his troops in a place that now bears
his name ; and then, following this, he was delegated,
by General Terry, to take his seventh cavalry regiment
and follow the traU of Sitting Bull, so that three bodies
of troops, moving from different directions, might
encompass the savages arid destroy them, but how he

GENERAL GEORGE A. CUSTER. 175
performed this part of his last march I shall reserve for
my article on the final great Indian battle on the
westem plains.
The foUowing from the pen of a gentleman who ac
companied General Custer on his Yellowstone expedi
tion, gives a more exceUent insight into the man's char
acter, than anything I have seen, and with it I conclude
my notice of this remarkable military hero, only regret
ting that he could not have lived to a hale ahd hearty
old age.
" General Custer was a born cavalry man. He was
never more in his element than when mounted on
Danby, his favorite horse, and riding at the head of his
regiment. He was the personification of bravery and
dash. If he had only added discretion to his valor, he
would have been a perfect soldier. His impetuosity
often ran away with his judgment. He was impatient
of control. He liked to act independently of others,
and take all the risk and all the glory to himself. He
frequently got himself into trouble by assuming more
authority than really belonged to his rank. From the
time when he entered West Point, to the day when he
fell on the Big Horn, he was accustomed to take just
as much liberty as he was entitled to. For this reason,
Custer worked most easily and effectively when under
general orders, when not hampered by .special instruc
tions, or his success made dependent on anybody else.
General Terry understood his man, when, in the order di
recting him to march up the Rosebud, he very liberally
said : ' The Department Commander places too much
confidence in your zeal, energy and ability to wish to
impose upon you precise orders which might hamper
your actions when nearly in contact with the enemy.'

176 GENERAL GEORGE A. CUSTER.
But General Terry did not understand Custer if he
thought he would wait for Gibbon's support before
attacking an Indian village. Undoubtedly he ought to
have done this; but with his native impetuosity, his
reckless daring, his confidence in his own regiment,
which had never failed him, and his love of public ap
proval, Custer could no more help charging this Indian
camp, than he could help charging just so many buf
faloes. He had never learned to spell the word
' defeat ; ' he knew nothing but success, and if he had
met the Indians on the open prairie, success would un
doubtedly have been his ; for no body of Indians could
stand the charge of the seventh cavalry, when it swept
over the plains like a whirlwind.
" With all his bravery and self-reliance, his love of
indepedent action, Custer was more dependent than
most men, on the kind approval of his feUows. He
was even vain ; he loved display in dress and in action.
He would pay forty dollars for a pair of trooper boots
to wear on parade and have everything else in keeping.
On the Yellowstone expedition he wore a bright red
shirt which made him the best mark for a rifle of any
man in the regiment. On the next campaign he ap
peared in a buckskin suit. He formerly wore his hair
very long, letting it fall in a heavy mass upon his
shoulders, but cut it off before going out to the Black
Hills, producing quite a change in his appearance. But
if vain and ambitious, Custer had none of those great
vices which are common and so distressing in the armyt
He never touched liquor in any form ; he did not
smoke, or chew, or gamble. He was a man of great
energy and remarkable endurance. When he set out
to reach a certain point at a certain time, you could

GENERAL GEORGE A. CUSTER. 277
be sure that he would be there if he kUled every horse
in the command. He was sometimes too severe in
enforcing marches, but he never seemed to get tired
himself and he never expected his men to get so.
Whatever he did, he did thoroughly. He would over
shoot the mark, but never fall short of it. He fretted
in garrison sometimes, because it was too inactive ; but
he found an outlet here for his energies in writing
articles for the press.
" He had a remarkable memory. He would recall, in
its proper order, every detail of any action, no matter
how remote, of which he was a participant. As he was
apt to overdo in action, so he was apt to exaggerate in
statement, not from any willful disregard of the truth,
but because he saw things bigger than they really were.
He did_ not distort the truth ; he magnified it. He
took rose-colored views of everything. He had a his
torical memory, but not a historical mind. He was no
philospher ; could read off from his mind better than
he could analyze or mass them. He was not a student,
or a deep thinker. He loved to take part in events
rather than to brood over them. He was fond of fun ;
genial and pleasant in his manners; a loving and de
voted husband. He had many most excellent traits of
character which will live long after the memories of
other men are forgotten."
12

MAJOR GENERAL TA-TON-KA-I-G-O-
TON-KA; OR, SITTING BULL.
THIS Indian deserves the rank of Major General
in the army of the savages, for, of all the chiefs,
he was the most implacable, the most unrelenting, the
most hostile, the most sagacious, and the most desper
ate foe of the whites of any chief of modem times.
He never assented to the control of the United States
Government over the people, but persistently fought
our troops whenever they came in his way. He did,
however, agree to make a treaty with the good Father
De- Smet, but the treaty was violated. He claimed
that the country belonged to the Indians; that they
had a right to hunt and fish wherever they pleased ;
that the white man had wronged them; and thus
appealing to the feelings of the younger portion of his
race, induced a large number to follow him, and for
twenty years carried on his war, until he finally surren
dered to the United States forces, on the 19th of July,
1881. From the earliest history of the man, down to the
time he yielded his power, he had been a vindictive and
determined enemy of the whites. His successful raids
and savage victories ; his unfaltering purposes to harrass,
rob and kill the settlers; his undaunted courage and
wily reasoning; his successful battles and wise coun
sels, soon elevated him to the highest pitch of a leading
and powerful chief, and he gathered about him men of
the same peculiar cast of mind, and continued to march
178

TA-TON-KA-I-G-O-TON-KA, OR SITTING BULL. 179
forth to success and to victory, until his name became
well known in every part of this country and in Europe.
These successes, on the part of Sitting Bull, inspired
the Indian heart, so that many who were li\'ing on the
bounty of the Government at the various agencies, left
and joined his forces, and hence he v/as a constant
source of disturbance, even outside of his own imme
diate command. Indians who were peacefuUy inclined,
flocked to his ranks, and for a time he put at defiance
that portion of the army of the United States then
operating on our frontier.
His influence had become so great and was working
such deleterious effect among the agency Indians, that
finally the Department at Washington was obliged to
take prompt measures to prevent a general outbreak
among the friendly Indian tribes, and to this end Sit
ting Bull and his followers were ordered to come in on
to the Reservation, or they would fall under the con
trol of the military power. Sitting Bull laughed at
these commands of the Indian Department, and still,
continued his raids ; and then followed the campaign ¦
of 1876, inaugurated by General Sheridan, wherein three
powerful columns of troops were to move simultan
eously upon the enemy and force them either into civil
ization or extermination. In the attempt to carry out
this movement, which was a wise one, it will be remem
bered General Crooks was repulsed, and General Custer,
in his eagerness to make an attack without proper sup
port, which could have been obtained, brought on a
fight in which he and his men were all killed, leaving
Sitting Bull and his warriors complete masters of the
field. No such Indian battle was ever known before
in this country; and such a complete Indian victory has

l8o TA-TON-KA-I-G-O-TON-KA, OR SITTING BULL.
no parallel in history, and we are forced to the conclu
sion that it could have been avoided had General Custer
not been misled as to the number of Indians in the vil
lage, or had he refrained from an attack, or had he
promptly informed General Terry when he first discov
ered the Indian camp, and waited for his support.
After this battle the savages crossed into Canada,
and, notwithstanding there were several Indian fights
on this side of the boundary line subsequently, yet
Sitting Bull took no part in them for a year. Then
the old chieftain began again to commit depredations
among the Americans, and, finally a commissioner was
appointed by the United States Government to cross
the Hne and try to effect, by diplomacy, what had
failed by force of arms. In the meantime Sitting
Bull's forces had greatly decreased by the return of the
outlaws back into the agencies whence they originally
had come ; and here they were fed and petted again
by a great Government, which had failed to subdue
them, and which, when these renegades were in its
power, had failed to punish them. Through the inter
cession of British officers, the Peace Commissioners
were ushered into the presence of the august chieftain,
who disdainfully refused to shake hands wilh them,
and arrogantly demanded that they should come out
from behind the table they were sitting around, and
speak the truth to his chiefs. No such audacity was
ever shown before in the history of the Indian race ;
and then, after all the humiliating promises made by
the Government, Major-general Sitting Bull sneeringly
rejected every overture for peace, and the Commission,
having marched up the hill, marched down again, and

TA-TON-KA-I-G-O-TON-KA, OR SITTING BULL. l8l
the grim old soldier quietly smoked his pipe inside of
the walls of his greasy tepee.
Matters now continued quiet with Sitting Bull for
nearly one year and a half, when, in 1879, he broke out
again and commenced his depredations upon the .set
tlers. He was met by General Miles and a battle ensued,
Sitting BuU being in command in person, but fearing
that the whites would be reinforced, he wisely with
drew his warriors and retreated to the British posses
sions, where he remained peacefully until he gave up
his arms to the American forces. Then followed the
surrender of Rain-in-the-Face, Crow Wing, Chief Gaul,
and many thousand Indians, leaving Sitting Bull with
only a few disheartened warriors, and finally, sullenly
and in a defiant manner, he succumbed to the inevit
able march of the white race, came within our lines and
everybody felt better and breathed freer when he sur
rendered. J. E. Walker, Esq., who witnessed the capitulation of
Sitting Bull, says :
" With the last remnant of his people, some two hun-
dred souls, old men, women and children, the old war-
chief arrived at Fort Buford, Dakota, at noon on July
19, 1 88 1. At the head of the mournful cortege rode
Sitting Bull, Four Horns, Red Thunder, and other sub-
chiefs on their ponies, and following came six army
wagons loaded with the squaws and children, and be
hind them came some twenty-five Red river carts con
taining their baggage. They presented a forlorn and
pitiful appearance, the great Sitting Bull himself being
very dirty and very hungry ; his face wearing a suUen,
bull-dog expression ; his dress and appearance bearing
marks of the hardships and destitution he had recently

l82 TA-TON-KA-I-G-O-TON-KA OR SITTING BULL.
experienced. Yet, until called upon to surrender his
arms, he preserved under this the most trying ordeal to
a savage, a dignified and unbroken silence. Thus
ended the Indian war in the Northwest — the closing of
the five years' campaign against the most remarkable
Indian leader of modern times.
" While the last act of the drama, the final scene in
Sitting Bull's career as a warrior, was enacted at noon,
July 20, 1881, and when, by the h^nd of his little son,
he delivered up the rifle he had carried throughout so
many bloody fields, the great chieftan spoke as follows :
' I surrender this rifle to you through my young son,
whom I now desire to teach in this manner, that he has,
become a friend of the American people. I wish him
to learn the habits of the whites and to be educated as
their sons are educated. I wish it to be remembered
that I was the last nian of my tribe to surrender my
rifle. This boy has given it to you, and he now wants
to know how he is going to make a living. Whatever
you have to give and whatever you have to say, I would
like to receive or hear now, for I don't wish to be kept
in darkness longer. I have sent several messengers in
here from time to time, but none of them have returned
with news. The other chiefs. Crow Wing and Gaul,
have not wanted me to come, and I have never received
good news from. here. I wish now to be allowed to
live this side of the line, or the other, as I see fit. I
wish to continue my old Hfe of hunting, but would like
to be allowed to trade on both sides of the line. This
is my country, and I don't want to be compelled to
give it up. My heart was very sad at having to leave
the mother's country. She has been a friend to me,
but I want my children to grow up in my native

TA-TON-KA-I-GO-TON-KA, OR SITTING BULL. 1 83
country, and I wish also to feel that I can visit two of
my friends on the other side of the line whenever I
wish, and would like to trade with Legare, as he has
always been a friend to me. I wish to have all my
people live together upon one reservation of our own
on the Little Missouri. I left several families at Wood
Mountain and between there and Qu'Appelle. I have
many people among the Yanktonaise at Poplar Creek,
and I wish all of them and those who have gone to
Standing Rock, to be collected together upon one res
ervation. M\- people have, many of them, been bad.
All are good now, that their arms and ponies have been
taken from them. (Speaking to the ofiicer :) You own
this ground with me, and we must try and help each
other. I do not wish to leave here until I get all the
people I left behind. I would like to have my daugh
ter, who is now at Fort Yates, sent up here to visit me,
as also eight men, and I would like to know that Legare
is to be rewarded for his services in bringing me and
my people here.' "
Sitting Bull, Rain-in-the-Face, Gaul, Long Dog,
Spotted Hom Bull, Eagle, Grey Eagle, Flying By,
Crow Eagle and other chiefs of his tribe, with some
three thousand of his people, are now at Standing Rock
agency, Dakota, on the Missouri river, and thus ends
the unparalleled career of this greatest of modern
Indian chiefs.

THE LAST GREAT INDIAN BATTLE
ON THE AMERICAN CONTINENT.
IN WHICH GENERAL CUSTER LOST HIS LIFE AND
SITTING BULL BECAME THE VICTORIOUS CON
QUEROR.
" Ye've trailed me through the forests,
Ye've tracked me o'er the plain.
But with your bristling bayonets,
Ye ne'er shall track again."
THE reader who has perused the pages of this
book, treating of the lives of General Custer and
Sitting Bull, must now be pretty well prepared to learn
of the final conflict between two of the most noted
warriors of modern times — the one the representative
of civilization, the other the representative of bar
barism. As has already been narrated. General Terry sought to
mass three columns of troops upon the savages, from
three different points, for two reasons : First, to pre
vent the Indians from escaping; and second to force
them to surrender or annihUate them. To this end
2,700 men, divided into three columns of 1,300, 400
and 1,000 each, started out in the year 1876, in pursuit
of the savages under Sitting BuU, then supposed to be
somewhere in the Yellowstone valley, and numbering
about 3,000 warriors. These columns of troops were
to gradually encircle the Indians, and to pounce down
upon them with such irresistible force as to completely
overpower them, General Gibbons coming in from one
IU

THE LAST GREAT INDIAN BATTLE. 1 85
direction. General Terry from another, and Custer from
another. The latter officer was to be at the head of his
favorite regiment, the seventh cavalry, consisting of
28 oflficers and 747 men, then pronounced in splendid
condition ; and when, therefore. Major Reno came in
from his scouting expedition, reporting a heavy Indian
trail, ten days old, General Terry decided upon his mode
of attack and the disposition of his forces. Custer was
to ascend the valley of the Rosebud, turn toward the
Little Big Horn river, keeping well to the south, while
Gibbons was to cross the Yellowstone at the mouth of
Big Horn river, and march up the Big Horn to its junc
tion with the Little Big Horn, to co-operate with Custer.
The general's Indian fighting qualities were so well
known to Terry, that in giving his orders to him, he
distinctly stated — "that he would not impose upon
him precise orders which might hamper his actions
when nearly in contact with the enemy ; " and hence I
think herein was the great mistake of the expedition,
for, had Terry given positive instructions to Custer,
first to hunt out the Indians, then to inform him where
they were, then to come to a halt and await support,
there is no doubt but Custer would be alive to-day, and
Sitting BuU would be dwelling in his happy hunting
ground, beyond the reach of the white man's bullets.
But these orders were not given, for reasons best
known to General Terry, and Custer, acting out the im
petuous impulsiveness of his nature, after discovering
the Indians, ordered Major Reno, with three companies,
to cross the Rosebud river on the left, attack the enemy
in the rear, while he, with five companies, numbering
upwards of three hundred men, would move forward on
the right and make an attack in front. TWo other

1 86 THE LAST GREAT INDIAN BATTLE
companies were ordered to make a detour south of
Reno. In the meantime General Terry, with his cavalry
and the battery, had pushed on with the hope of opening
up communication with Custer, as Terry no doubt fully
believed that Custer would refrain from making an at
tack on the Indians viUage until he (Terry) was within
supporting distance, and he was hurrying forward to
effect this result, when three Crow Indians, who started
out with Custer's regiment, came into camp and re
ported that a battle had been fought and the Indians
were killing white men in great numbers.
It seems that Major Reno entered the woods on the
left of the Rosebud and made the attack as ordered,
but he was overpowered by great numbers of Indians,
and finally retreated across the river under a galling
fire, and gained a rise of ground, where he rapidly
threw up retrenchments and put himself on the defens
ive. The other two companies from the south soon
joined him, and here a desperate effort was made bj'
the enemy to dislodge him, but without success
While this was going on, General Custer had passed
down the north banks of the river, and had made twc
unsuccessful attempts to cross it, but was repulsed by
the Indians, who outnumbered him some fifteen to one
and after stubbornly contesting this point, he fell had
to a smaU eminence, and there the battle raged most
terrifically. Soldiers and horses fell from the unerring
bullets of the Indians like wheat under the stroke ol
the scythe. The brave men, led by their brave but
deceived leader, continued to close up the gaps made
by the enemy, until not a living soul was left upon the
field ! AU was still ! All was gone ! Three hundred
men! hundreds of horses! the most gallant cavalry

ON THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 1 87
officer America ever produced, had passed out of life,
out of activity, out of reality, down into the shadow of
death !
Sitting Bull and his chiefs, satiated with the copious
blood of the pale faces, and fearful of the advancing
troops, called off their men from any further attack on
Reno ; gathered up their scattered village and moved
outside of the limits of harm, while Terry, coming up
with his reserved forces, found only a beseiged camp
(Reno's), a silent battle field, mutiliated bodies, an
Indian victory, a triumphant chief moving securely out
side of the range of civilized guns, and gloating over
the ruin he had made !
Curley, a Crow Indian, who was with Custer, two
other scouts, and " Comanche," one of the officers',
horses, were the only living beings and creatures that
escaped from that doomed battle field. Curley gives
his story as follows :
" Custer kept down the river on the north bank four
mUes, after Reno had crossed to the south side above.
Thought Reno would drive down the valley to attack
the viUage at the upper end, while he (Custer), would
go in at the lower end. Custer had to advance further
down the river and further away from Reno than he
wished, on account of the steep bank along the north
side ; but at last he found a ford and dashed for it. The
Indians met him and poured in a heavy fire from across
the narrow river. Custer dismounted to fight on foot,
but could not get his skirmishers .over the stream.
Meantime hundreds of Indians on foot and on ponies,
rushed over the river, which was only about three feet
deep, and fiUed the ravine on each side of Custer's men.
Custer then feU back to some high ground behind him

1 88 THE LAST GREAT INDIAN BATTLE
and seized the ravines in his immediate vicinity. The
Indians completely surrounded Custer, and poured in a
terrible fire on all sides. They charged Custer on foot
in vast numbers, but were again and again driven back.
" The fight began about two o'clock and lasted almost
until the sun went down over the hUls. The men fought
desperately, and after the ammunition in their belts
was exhausted, went to their saddle-bags, got more,
and continued the fight. Custer lived until nearly all
his men had been killed or wounded, and went about
encouraging his soldiers to fight on. He got a shot in
the left side and sat down with his pistol in his hand.
Another shot struck Custer in the breast, and he fell
over. The last officer kiUed was a man who rode a
white horse.
" When he saw Custer hopelessly surrounded, he
watched his opportunity, got a Sioux blanket, put it on
and worked up a ravine, and when the Sioux charged,
he got among them and they did not know him from
one of their own men. There were some -mounted
Sioux, and seeing one fall, he ran to him, mounted his
pony and galloped down as if going toward the white
men, but went up a ravine and got away. As he rode
off he saw when nearly a mile from the battle field, a
dozen or more soldiers in a ravine fighting with Sioux
aU around them. He thinks all were killed, as they
were outnumbered five to one and apparently dis
mounted. The battle was desperate in the extreme,
and more Indians than white men must have been
killed." Kill Eagle, who was in Sitting Bull's camp at the
time of the battle, describes the village as six miles
long and one wide. He then speaks of Custer's ap-

ON THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 1 89
proach and fight, with its tragic details as an anwilling
spectator rather than as a participant, who, during its
progress, remained quietly in his lodge in the center of
the Indian village. The fight with Reno commenced
about noon, the Indians all rushing to oppose his ad
vance until the approach of Custer toward the end of
the village was announced, when the wildest confusion
prevailed throughout the camp. Lodges were struck
and preparation made for instant fight. Vast numbers
of Indians left Reno's front and hastened to the assist
ance of their red brethren engaged with Custer, who
was steadily forced back and surrounded until all were
swept from the field by the repeated charges of the
Indians. He descri'oes the firing at this point as simply ter
rific, and illustrated its force by clapping his hands
together with great rapidity and regularity. Then
came a lull in the fearful storm of iron and hail, and
his hands were still again. The storm beat fast and
furious, as the thought of some loved one nerved the
arm of each contending trooper. Then the movement
of his hands slackened and gradually grew more feeble.
A few scattering shakes, like the rain upon a window-
pane, and then the movement ceased, as the last of
Custer's band of heroes went down with the setting
sun. It was dark when the successful Indians returned
to camp, littered with their dead and wounded. " Wc
have killed them all," they said; "put up your lodges
where they are." They had just begun to fix their
lodges that evening, when a report came that troops
were coming from toward the mouth of the creek.
When this report came, after dark, the lodges were ali

1 90 THE LAST GREAT INDIAN BATTLE.
taken down, and the Indians started up the creek. It
was not to the Indians a bloodless victory. Fourteen
had fallen in front of Reno, thirty-nine went down
with Custer, and fourteen were dead in camp. Over
one hundred were wounded. There were no white
men among the Indian forces, in the fight, or on the
field. The bugle caUs were sounded by an Indian. No
prisoners were taken. The troops were all killed on
the east side ; none crossed the river.
Little Buck Elk was present at the fight and said :
" The Indians were as thick as bees and there were so
many of them that they could not all take part. The
soldiers were all brave men and fought well ; some of
them, when they found themselves surrounded and
overpowered, broke through the lines and tried to make
their escape, but were pursued and killed miles from
the battle-field. The Indians captured six battle flags.
No soldiers were taken alive, but after the fight the
women went among the dead bodies and robbed and
multilated them."
It is a mistaken idea that Indians do not understand
the paraphernalia of war. They have out their spies,
their scouts and their skirmishers, and are generally
well posted on the movements of their enemy. For
instance, a spy overlooking the rendezvous of soldiers,
Lonveys the information by running to another Indian
stationed a certain distance from him, of how many
troops there are, etc., and he, in turn, runs to another,
and so on, until the news reaches the camp of the chief,
chough it may be many miles away. Then they form
coalition with the other bands, as in the case of the
Custer fight, and on the battle field they have signs by
which they move their men, one of which is the " Hi-

ON THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 191
yi-yis " of their chiefs which means " follow us." Again
they convey significant signs great distances, both by
smoke and by the reflection of the looking glass, or by
some bright metal.
The great major-general of the Sioux army, Sitting
BuU, was weU informed as to the action of Terry's sol
diers, long before. they left for an attack, and as he had
been drawing from the agency Indians, not only men
but means to prosecute the war, and had made alliances
with other bands, he was well prepared to meet the
issue ; and Custer, instead of confronting 2,000 warriors,
as he expected to, feU into the hands of 5,000 ! If Gen
eral Terry had not come up just as he did, Reno and
his men would have shared the same fate as Custer, be
cause the Indians would have pitched their tepees near
the battle-field and in the morning would have renewed
the attack and with entire success. Hearing that rein
forcements were coming to the whites, they moved
away and finally crossed into the British possessions.
Taken all together history will point to this as the
greatest Indian battle on American soil, and especially
so, as involving the gallant fighting characteristics of
two of the greatest warriors of the nineteenth century,
the one nobly and heroically meeting his death upon
the battle-field, against superior numbers, the other
now a captive in the hands of the whites, against whom
he had so long and so successfully fought.
Now, after aU this, if Major-General Sitting Bull de
sires civilization for his people — desires education for his
children — desires sincerely to adopt the habits of the
whites, let us give him the helping hand. He was great
in his last battle, and he may yet prove greater still in
elevating his own race.

SITTING BULL'S FIRST VISIT TO
CIVILIZATION.
STRANGE events transpire in aU phases of Hft,
In the eternal revolution of the wheel of time,
even the Hon and the lamb will lie down together, and
the day is rapidly approaching when Barbarism and
Civilization wUl shake hands over a common cause, a
common destiny, a common country. A few years ago,
and the great Indian war chief. Sitting Bull, was the
unrelenting, implacable enemy of the whites. He
turned his back upon civilization ; scorned all overtures
for peace, except in one instance, and feeling that he
had been wronged, he marshaled his forces and com-
batted every opposing power. He was an"*Untutored
child of nature ; honestly believed that the whites had
wronged him, and in some respects they had, and thus
feeling, he expected to live and to die, as it were, an
outlaw. He was moving with his warriors toward the
Canadian line, where he intended to live the remainder
of his days, when, of a sudden, he was attacked by
Custer, and in the engagement that followed, not a
white soldier of over three hundred was left to tell the
story of that dreadful battle. He crossed the line. Ne
gotiations followed. Efforts were made to bring Sit
ting Bull within the power of the United States. He re
fused to come, and remained on Canadian soil untU his
leading chiefs consented to surrender, and after many
of them had done so, he finally yielded and came within
the American lines. Only on one occasion besides this
1»3

SITTING BULL'S VISIT TO CIVILIZATION. I93
did Sitting Bull assent to be a representative to a treaty
with the whites, and that was about the country includ
ing the Black Hills, and as this treaty was not respected,
of course he felt indignant, and continued to feel in
dignant until his surrender to the United States forces,
as narrated in these pages. At the council held by the
good Father De Smet, Sitting Bull came forward and
said: SPEECH OF SITTING BULL.
" Father, you pray to the Great Spirit for us, and I
thank you. I will and I have often besought the kind
ness of the Great Spirit, but never have I done so more
earnestly than to-day, that our words may be heard
above and to all quarters of the earth. When I first
saw you coming, I had evil thoughts and my heart
beat, caused by the remembrance of the past. But I
bade it be still, and it was so ; when I shook hands
with you, my comrade, and my sister, in the prairie, I
felt a change and hardly knew what to say, but my
heart was glad and quickly formed a decision. I am
and I have always been a fool and a warrior. My peo
ple caused me to be so. They have been confused and
troubled for several years past, and they look upon
their troubles as coming from the whites, and became
crazy as it were and pushed me forward. I have led
them for the past four years in bad deeds. The fault
is their's as much as mine. I will now say in their
hearing, welcome, father, messenger of peace, and I
hope quiet and more to our country, As I am not full
of words, I will now thank you in the presence of our
chiefs and braves for your kindnes.s, and I accept the
tobacco as a token of peace, trusting that you will
always continue to wish us well. I have now told you
13

194 SITTING BULL'S FIRST VISIT
all, and all is said that can be said. Some of my peo
ple will return with you to meet the chiefs of our great
father, who are sent to make peace. I hope it will be
all accomplished and whatever is done by them 1 will
accept and remain ever a friend to the whites."
After shaking hands with us all he turned to the
crowd and asked them if they had heard his ivords.
"How! how!" ran through the crowd. A moment
after he returned and said he had forgotten three
things. He wished all to know that he did rot pro
pose to sell any part of his country, nor did he wish
the whites to cut his timber along the Missouri, and
especially the oaks. He was particularly fond of look
ing at the little groves of oaks and had a reverence for
them. They had withstood the wintry storms and
summer blasts and, not unlike themselves, seemed to
flourish by them. His last request was that the forts,
peopled with soldiers, should be abandoned, as there
was no greater source of grievance to his people. With
applause from young and old he took his seat.
SITTING BULL IN SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA.
The person who conceived the excellent idea of
introducing Sitting Bull for the first time to civihza
tion, was Major James McLaughlin, Indian agent at
Standing Rock, and in this conception he carried out a
bold idea, the results of which will prove greatly bene
ficial to the Indian tribes over which Sitting Bull has
an influence. Like the old Roman soldier, BuU could
say — '^veni, vidi, vici" — "I came, I saw, I conquered —
not armie-H of men ; not a chieftain of the Great Father,
or a foe &f my own race ; but I conquered my own
prejudif ,and the prejudices of the white people, and

TO CIVILIZATION. 1 95
saw — not emblems of war, or revenge, or blood, or car
nage, but evidences of peace, of harmony, of industry,
commerce, schools, churches, kindness, friends, civiliza
tion. I came among a people who had been taught to
believe that I was the most brutal savage on the face
of the earth, and I must confess I felt for a moment
uneasy as to my personal safety, but the great heart of
the paleface made my own heart quiet and grateful for
its generosity and magnanimity, and I went back to my
people deeply impressed with the vastness of the white
race and the power of civilization." Such was the
feeling of this great uncivilized warrior after he had
seen civilization for the first time in his life, and on
returning to Standing Rock, where his people are
gathered, he gave them such a glowing account of what
he had seen, that a number of the chiefs would not
believe him, and others have become so deeply inter
ested in the elevation of their race that they have sig
nified their desires to abandon barbarism and adopt
the modes and the habits of the whites. So much for
Sitting Bull's visit.
WHEN AND WHERE BORN — ORIGIN OF NAME.
Ta-ton-ka-i-g-o-ton-ka, or Sitting Bull, was born in
1834, on the banks of the Grand river, within the
boundaries of the present Great Sioux Reservation,
near the mouth of Stonewall creek, and about forty-five
miles southwest from Standing Rock Agency in Dakota
Territory. He states that he was born in the spring
and is now in his fiftieth year, but he looks much older.
His sister, however, who is six years his senior corrob
orates his statement, and says that he was born fifty
winters ago, or in the spring of 1834. He was first

196 SITTING bull's FIRST VISIT
named " Wakan-you-najin," — Standing Holy, which
name he retained until he was fourteen years old, when
his father, whose name was Sitting Bull, took him
along with him on the war-path into the Crow country
(the inveterate enemies of the Sioux), and he, the
fourteen year old boy, counted his first coup or victory,
by kiUing a Crow Indian. After returning to their
home, his father threw away three ponies in honor of
his brave son's achievement, at the same time announc
ing that he had changed the name of his son from
Standing Holy to that df Sitting Bull, bestowing his
own name upon him. His father was subsequently
killed by the Crows near the forks of Grand river.
In person Sitting Bull is a solidly-built Indian, not
quite so tall as an ordinary savage, yet heavier in many
respects. His features are strong, and, when he walks,
he turns his toes inward, strikes the ground with a
heavy, jarring tread, and moves along rapidly, like a
man of business. His general look is heavy, while
that of Little Crow, the leader of the great Indian
outbreak, and Hole-in-the-Day, the great Chippewa
chief, were more refined, but, none the less, true In
dians. The Dakotas believe that they must imitate
their Hay-o-kah, or undemonstrative god, who incul
cates the idea that it is not dignified, nor manly, nor
great to evince lively emotions of grief or joy, but,
under all circumstances, even of torture and death
itself, the Indian must show a stoical, impassive face,
and, hence, the immovable features of sitting Bull, or
any other Indian who lays claim to power among his
tribe. It is alleged that BuU is not so able a man in
intellect as Gaul, Antelope, and others, but he is very
self-willed, one might say obstinate, and here is where

TO CIVILIZATION. 197
he gets his strength and his fame. And yet this very
stubbornness of character has made him a name second
to no other chief in Indian history, as the same element
of character made Grant the greatest warrior of mod
ern times.
Major McLaughlin and his two little sons (one acting
as interpreter), with Sitting Bull, One Bull and others
arrived at St. Paul, Minnesota, on March 14, 1884, and
in consequence of the great crowd at the depot, gath
ered to see the famous Unkapapa, he took a hack to
one of our principal hotels. That evening was spent
by the chief in examining type setting, newspaper
making, telegraphing, telephoning, steam-heating, etc.,
in which he took great interest. The next day he inves
tigated several grocery and commission houses, saw the
process of coffee roasting and grinding, and for the first
time rode in an elevator. The next day he called on
Bishop Grace, and talked for some time in his own
tongue, with Father Ravoux ; passed through the cathe
dral, and the Assumption Catholic churches ; visited the
State capitol ; examined the portraits of the governors ;
said of General Sibley, " Had hoped to meet him, and
was sorry that he must return without seeing him, as
he was the true friend of the Indian race, and trusted
that the trip South would bring him back strong and
healthy again."
He then rode through the city and saw its fine resi
dences and business blocks ; returned to the hotel, and
on Sunday morning attended mass at the Assumption
church ; later, saw the action of the fire department,
and was so pleased with its workings that the perform
ance was repeated for his benefit, he touching the elec
tric signal for the call. He then, on invitation, visited

198 SITTING bull's FIRST VISIT
one of the largest cigar factories in the city, and after
witnessing the process of manufacturing the article,
was presented with two twelve-inch cigars, made in his
presence ; went through the public schools ; saw 1,000
pupils issue from one buUding in two minutes after the
fire alarm had been given ; strolled through a large
millinery establishment ; opened his eyes very wide
when inside of a wholesale boot and shoe manufactur
ing establishment, especially when his measure was
taken and he had a complete pair of shoes made and
handed to him, in twenty minutes after the leather had
passed into the hands of the first workman. He fol
lowed the process all through, and was more astonished
at this, than at anything that he had seen that day.
He has not worn the shoes yet, but keeps them to show
and explain to his visitors how they are made.
He became an Irishman on St. Patrick's day, and
attended an entertainment in the evening and made a
speech ; spent several hours in a wholesale dry goods
house; saw a pair of pants made in two minutes; ex
tended his visit to Fort Snelling ; dined with his old
antagonist. General Terry; graced the Grand Opera
house with his presence ; was delighted with the play,
and especially when the actors took off their wigs;
"went through" one of the principal banks; took in
his hands a parcel containing $400,000 in United States
bonds, and, being uncivUized, he carefully handed it
back ; shuffled through the post-office ; saw the mails,
and some of the females ; made for the railway oflSces ;
attended another theater in the evening; sat for his
picture; -called on friends of his benefactor. Major Mc
Laughlin; made a tour of the mills at Minneapolis;
saw the city, and took the train for home that evening,

TO CIVILIZATION. I99
having been fourteen days from the agency, which was
acknowledged by Sitting BuU to be the most pleasant
and beneficially spent of any days of his life.
THE MOTIVE FOR VISITING CIVILIZATION.
We leam from Indian Agent McLaughlin, that the
object in inducing Sitting Bull and his nephew to visit
St. Paul, was to show them the greatness and the
power of the whites ; to see how they live ; the many
comforts they enjoy, and to impress upon them the im
portance of the introduction of industrious habits
among the Indians and the education of their children,
and great pains were taken to explain to them that all
the comforts the whites enjoyed, and every convenience
they had, cost labor and thought, and thus seeing all
this, it was suggested, would be more convincing than
years of theoretical education, and this was deemed es
pecially important in the case of Sitting Bull. It has
turned out as was expected. His eyes have been
opened by his recent visit to civUization, and it is ex
hibiting itself in many ways since his return. He is
now more ready to believe what he is told him about
the whites than formerly. As a great leader his influ
ence is now somewhat limited, and his followers are of
the most unenlightened class. Whatever power he has,
however, is being turned in the right direction, and his
recent trip to the marts of civilization has been largely
instrumental in bringing this about. He never tires of
talking, of what he saw and the kind treatment he re
ceived from all whom he met, and no fears need now
be entertained of any further trouble from him, or
through him among the Sioux. And thus we close an
interesting chapter of an interesting chief of an inter-

200 SITTING BULL'S VISIT TO CIVILIZATION.
esting people who are gradually emerging out of bar
barism into the full glare of civilization, and we trust,
and we have reason to hope, that this little volume has
had something to do toward the consummation of so
desirable an end.

AN INTERESTING TRIP.
WHERE NO WHITE MAN HAD EVER BEEN BEFORE.
IN the year 1865, when on the north boundary line
of the United States, I met an Indian who at
tached himself to me as my necarnis, or best friend, and
who desired that I should go with him some forty miles
from that point, to examine what he claimed was a bed
of coal; so, asking him how much, and receiving the
reply, " $50," I consented to give it, and began prepa
rations for the journey. It was winter, and VermiHon
lake was frozen over, so that my " shebang," as I called
it, consisting of a horse and covered sled, could easily
make the trip. The Indian was to meet me some dis
tance from the camp, so as not to excite the suspicion
of our exploring party, and in the morning, bright and
early, myself and Porter, the interpreter, started out,
and soon Nar-go-ba-da was seen in the distance, await
ing our coming. Indian-Hke, he wanted a gallon of
" scoot-a-wa-boo," or whisky, before he would budge
an inch. I positively declined to give him this, but I
told him that I would give him a drink then, and as
the fatigue of the journey increased, he should have
more; so, satisfied, he gave the lead, and we followed.
It was a crisp, bright, sharp winter morning, and the
wide expanse of the frozen lake stretched out before
us. Nar-go-ba-da loomed up ahead ; I followed ; Porter
was behind. When about eight miles from our point
of departure, I was startled with the vision behind me
of a large body of men and horses following Our trail,
and the more I looked the more distinct they became.
201

302 AN INTERESTING TRIP,
"Porter! for heaven's sake," I asked, "what is the
meaning of that body of men and horses behind us? I
thought we were alone on the lake. Look ! " Porter
~ looked; the Indian looked; I looked; there the men
and horses were, just as I had described them, but I
could see a smile play over the features of the Indian
and Porter, while on my own were evidences of sur
prise. " Who are you! where are they going?" I asked eagerly.
By this time Porter had come up, and Nar-go-ba-da had
returned from the advance, and as we were then all
looking at them I observed that the immense regiment
as it were, halted, and when Porter, with- his lame leg,
moved, I saw one of their men with a lame leg move
also, and then I began, as the boy did — " to smeU a
mice," but what this strange vision was I could not yet
comprehend. " WeU," said Porter, " Maria." "What
do you mean by that? " I asked. " A grand display of
our own persons and horse multiplied into hundreds ; a
reflection of ourselves, produced by the peculiar con
dition of the atmosphere." Can it be possible that I
had been thus deceived? Yes, when we moved, they
moved, and what was more convincing to me, was the
fact of Porter's game leg, for one of the other party
was in the same fix.
These delusions occur quite frequently on this lake,
especially on a frosty morning. Some parties have been
absolutely frightened by seeing others following them,
and have started out on a run — of course the others
after them — and have not stopped until they have
reached their camp, and then they have turned to find
nothing but their own shadows.
Quiet and order being somewhat restored in our ranks

AN INTERESTING TRIP. 203
Nar-go-ba-da took the lead, and on we sped over the
slight snow which covered the lake. Suddenly our In
dian caime to a halt, and I with him, and here we found
a circle made in the snow, and at a given point in that
circle was a mark, indicating at what time and which
way a party of trappers had passed that morning,
clearly showing the sagacity of the Indian in not only
telling time, but also in indicating the points of the
compass. Our Hne of march was as follows : the Indian
first, myself and horse next, Porter last. The snow
was deep, so we had to keep in the beaten track of the
trappers, and thus, in the order named, we pushed
on. Presently we heard a loud yell from Nar-go-ba-da.
I thought a thousand Indians were on my path, and
requested Porter to hurry up, and we together ap
proached the Indian, who, we found, had discovered the
hunting ground of his friends, and there lay before us
a huge lynx, with a rope around his neck and the other
end attached to a long limb of a tree.
The Indian's primitive mode of trapping is interest
ing, especially when the snow is deep. He first passes
over the track of the animal on snow shoes. That
night this track freezes. He then gathers small sticks,
as an Irish woman would make a hen yard; these sticks
he places across the track a foot or two out from it on
cither side, leaving in the middle and directly where
the snow is hard a small aperture, and in this aperture
is hung a slipping-noose of fine but very strong twine,
the other end tied to a limb of a tree. Now, in the
morning the lynx comes out for his breakfast ; he trots
along down the hardened track ; he snuffs the hunter's
evening meal ; when, aU of a sudden, he comes to the
little sticks in his path ; they look natural enough ; he

204 AN INTERESTING TRIP.
puts his paw to one side ; it sinks in the snow ; he tries
the other side, that sinks ; he hesitates ; when he sees a
smaU opening and a fine string hanging therein, he tries
the snow on either side of the path again ; it is too deep ;
he makes a plunge into the opening, is caught by the slip.
ping-noose around his neck ; he pulls, he struggles, he,
growls, he bites, and the harder he pulls the tighter
grows the string around his neck until the fellow is
dead. The animal before us was a large, splendid
creature, with huge limbs of immense power, a small,
round head, and covered with a beautiful garment of
winter. This mode of trapping keeps the fur in a fine
condition ; unpolluted by poison and uninjured by
bullets. My necarnis was delighted with the "find,"
and so on again we pushed in our journey.
We had been traveling about an hour, when again I
heard the Indian scream more terribly than ever before,
and this time I drew my revolver and called to him to
halt, as at the time he was approaching me, and he
halted, and I halted, and there we stood looking at
each other until Porter came up, when the Indian
broke out in the most excited gibberish, the tenor of
which was, that he had suddenly approached Spirit
Island, where he saw a large ox and a horse appear,
and he was greatly alarmed. He had heard of this
place but he had never before seen it, and even while
he spoke, he pointed to the island, and insisted that
the animals were there, he could see them, but we
could discover none. The fevered condition of his
mind, or of his imagination, had much to do in making
it appear to him real, when to us, it was only a myth.
And yet, Porter says it is the universal belief of the
Indians, especially the Brules in this section, that spir-

AN INTERESTING TRIP. 205
its of Indians, horses, ponies, oxen, etc., inhabit this
island. This second scare over, we again took up our line
of march, and, just at sundown, struck the borders of
an island, some thirty-five miles from whence we had
come. Here a small camp-fire was made on the island,
our supper cooked, and early I turned into my covered
sled, some three hundred feet from where the Indian
and Porter lay. In my sled I had a Henry rifle and
two revolvers, and felt pretty safe ; and yet I did not
like to be so far from my friends. I looked out into
the night ; the moon was shining brightly ; and then,
fastening down the covers of my "shebang," I gath
ered the clothes about me, and was soon in a sweet
sleep. About midnight I was awakened by a noise
near the sled. To me it seemed like the tread of
Indians, and I knew, that if this was the case, there was
no hope for me, for they were there for a bad purpose ;
so I lay with my finger upon the trigger of my Henry
rifle, when presently something poked its nose under
the cover, and I saw at once I was surrounded by four
or five lynxes, which had been attracted to my sled by
the smell of provisions. Should I fire? No! That
would infuriate the pack, and they would pounce upon
me in a minute; so I carefully guarded every loose
place, determined that, if they should commence to
tear the covering, I would then do my best ; and thus
I lay, until the wee hours of morning, listening to
their walking about my bed, and growling at each
other. It certainly was not a very pleasant place to be
in, and I have faint recoUections of being just a little
frightened. In the morning I discovered the tracks of six animals,

206 AN INTERESTING TRIP.
and my necarnis, or best Indian friend, was consider
ably exercised over the danger I had been in. After a
frugal breakfast, as the thermometer was thirty degrees
below zero, we moved out to the place where no white
man had ever trod before, but the Indian had been de
ceived ; there was no coal there, so rather sedately we
trudged along home. About noon we saw in the dis
tance a group of Indians hurriedly making towards us,
and as we were then on Indian ground we apprehended
a small bit of danger, but in what shape it would come
we did not know. " Hoist the American flag," I said to
Porter, and he threw its waving folds over the sled, and
we moved slowly along. Up came the Indians as though
they would eat us all up, but we didn't scare worth a
cent, as they soon saw. After rudely pushing things
about, they concluded to divest us of our provisions,
but Nor-go-ba-da, my best friend, simply put his finger
on the trigger of his gun and told them that the Ameri,
can flag shielded us from all harm, besides which I was
his friend, and nobody must injure a hair of my head.
The Indians swung their guns from their backs, and in
a moment more I expected death, but Nor-go-ba-da
cooly remarked, " I have a spirit gun here which shoots
eighteen times in a minute ; let any man molest my
schersmokerman (white man chief) and he dies." The
Indians grunted, looked sullen, and went on their way.
Just as the sun was sinking to rest, we wound into a
little bay or inlet, and in a few moments more were in
the home of our Indian friend. The post of honor was
given me, opposite the opening of the tepee — the best
robe had been spread for my comfort ; the women were
gaudily painted, and the pot was on the fire boiling.
My friend was on the right ; my interpreter just back

AN INTERESTING TRIP. 207
of me, two quite comely women with their children, on
the left, and an old woman, the grandmother, and a
young girl of about eighteen years of age, in front
of us.
Soon after our entrance one of the women got up,
left the tepee, retumed with a big fish, unsealed and
undressed, put it into the pot, stirred it up ; no salt,
no seasoning, except the dirt on it, to make it palata
ble. " Good heavens ! Porter," I said, " do they intend me
to eat this dish ? "
"Of course they do," he remarked.
" What, with the scales on and undressed ? "
" Yes."
I simply ejaculated — " Lord," and awaited events.
True enough, the head of the fish was presented to
me as a mark of honor ; and forgetting all my friends
and all the past, and everything good, I, had ever
tasted in life, I gave one gulp and down went the
fish's head to my great satisfaction. I felt like an
immense chief, having accomplished so great a deed.
But other pieces of the fish came along, and having
bravely done the honor of my station and won the
kind regard of my Indian friend, we exchanged bushu-
nechees, or good-byes, and Porter and myself went out
on to the broad lake, and into the pure night, and in
the shimmering rays of the full moon wended our way
to our camp on Vermilion lake, where the boys were
rejoiced to see us, and where we were glad to clasp
many friendly hands, having had a somewhat tedious
but an exceedingly interesting trip.

A GENUINE INDIAN SCARE.
IT WAS a bright morning in June, 1863, warm,
sultry, with nature dressed in her loveliest attire,
when the commander of Camp Pope — now a member
of congress — and all his subordinate ofiicers retired to
the river near by to bathe their limbs in the limpid
water, and to fulfill the injunction of the scriptures —
"wash and be cleaned." Coney Island, N. Y., could
not have presented a more animated scene than this,
with officers and men disporting in the stream, all alive
with animation and fun. The quartermaster of the
post with some six of his clerks were there, while a
small guard was left at the stockade to give warning in
case of danger. One can realize the supreme happiness
of the moment when he comes to consider that these
men had been cooped up in their temporary barracks
for a long time, and were tired, and weary, and dirty,
and now the " sounding aisles of the dim woods rang
to the anthems of the free," as they laughed and
sported in the warm water that enveloped their nude
forms. Across the river was a dense forest of trees, and
up the river on this side where the camp was located
was a rise of ground gradually ascending until it
reached the buildings of the soldiers' rendezvous. On
went the sport ; some had completed washing thor
oughly, while others had half of their bodies cleaned,
and resembled tattooed men in dime museums, when, all
of a sudden, Le Rock, the fat half-breed, who had in
charge the families of our friendly scouting Indians,
SOS

A GENUINE INDIAN SCARE. 209
located a mile or two out, was seen on a pony, dashing
furiously toward us, and aa he approached we observed
his hat and shoes were gone, his shirt bosom was open,
and his hair was flying in the wind. Down the hill he came
like a whirlwind, and addressing the commander (then
in the water) in a loud voice and in an excited manner
exclaimed, " Indians coming ! Indians coming ! " As
Le Rock was himself half Indian of course we had every
reason to believe that his statement was tme, and as
the Indians were about to make their attack in the
broad glare of day, we could arrive at no other con
clusion than that they were in large force, and hence
the stampede of our water nymphs was of the most amus
ing character. One of the writer's clerks seized his
clothing, and only partially washed and entirely naked
tripped it up the hill at the rate of 2:40, while others,
fearing a fire from the woods opposite, crept behind
some bushes or a few old logs and dressed themselves
as well as they could. Major S. and myself hurried to
the camp as fast as possible, and while he put the men
in fighting order I mounted the best horse I had and,
in company with one of my clerks, galloped up the hill
to reconnoitre. Another messenger was sent out on a
fleet horse to inform a party who had gone to Red
Wood falls to fish to return with all possible speed, as
there was danger ahead. Another soldier was mounted
ready to go to Fort Ridgely for aid if it were deemed
necessary. Presently the fishing . party came in, their
animals on a full gallop ; the men had made all the de
fense they could for the attack, and we calmly awaited
the approaching Indians. Major S. was everywhere
animating the men, while I, with my companion, was
inspecting the surrounding country with a field-glass to

2 ID A GENUINE INDIAN SCARE.
see if we could discover the enemy. Riding back into
camp I said to Major S.:
" We have scanned the country in every direction,
but we see no Indians."
" Did you look up the valley? " inquired the major.
"Yes." " See anything ? "
"No."" Go out again ; gain the highest point you can,
look carefully, and return the instant you make any dis
covery." Again we were off, and soon gained a high hill and
looking up the valley, we saw two men on ponies.
Could they be Indians? Let us watch and see. The
glass showed that one was Le Rock, and the other was
one ofour own men whom Major S. had sent out to meet
Le Rock, and learn the worst. They were talking
dehberately together, and then they turned their horses'
heads toward us and jogged leisurely down the valley.
As they approached we saw plainly enough that Le
Rock was all broken up. He looked like a man who
had passed through a terrible battle. His dejected and
forlorn expression would have made an excellent pict
ure for an artist.
"Well, Le Rock," I inquired, "where are those
horrible Indians ? "
" Oh, Major," he replied, " me so sorry. We terribly
scared in our camp; women hide ; we see Indians com
ing ; heap big lot ; see Indian on the hill ; on ponies —
sure. But — but great big heap Indians, only hungry
dogs of dead white people, chasing the game over the
hUls. Look just like Indians on ponies. Me much de
ceived. Me sorry."

A GENUINE INDIAN SCARE. 211
And we four rode into camp, gave the major the
news and aU laughed heartily over this, our first Indian
scare. In the night we were somewhat alarmed by the yell
ing and firing of guns by the guard around our lodge,
but on inquiring we found it was only caused by a mule
trying to kill a young colt, and could not be driven off
with clubs, and the guards had to try powder and lead
before it would let loose its hold. At the same moment
a woman, the owner of the mule, reached the spot and,
finding they had killed the mule, commenced a mourn
ful cry, which still more alarmed the camp ; and this
being near our lodges, everybody at once rushed to the
spot ; but, on finding out the truth, they commenced
laughing and singing, and kept up their mirth till day
light. Everything was ready at 4:30 a.m. for leaving, and
on telling our landlord that we were ready to start, he
at once ordered several of his young men to accompany
us as far as Powder river, and he promised he would
come up himself to bid us farewell, which he did ; and
we halted and he made a short speech to us and to his
people, reminding them only of what he had said he
would do the day previous. Then he shook hands
with us all and cried with a loud voice, " Now all is
said," and he left with the escort for his camp.
We continued our route until 12 o'clock; weather
very hot, but everyone rejoicing to be once more on
our homeward way.
The distance we traveled to reach the camp was
about three hundred and twenty-six miles. We found
the road pleasant [it was in a direct western course]
over rolling prairies till we reached the dividing ridge

212 A GENUINE INDIAN SCARE.
of the Yellowstone and Missouri waters. The re
mainder of the road was filled with artemisia, or worm
wood, which made our course unpleasant and difficult.
In twenty-seven days we traveled six hundred and
seventy-two miles and reached the fort safe and sound.
Most respectfully,
P. J. De Smet, S. J.

FORT SNELLING.
THIS is one of the oldest fortifications in the
Northwest, having been established in the year
1819, and built in 1822, or sixty-two years ago. It is
located on a high plateau at the junction of the Missis
sippi and Minnesota rivers, and overlooks one of the
finest landscapes in the West.
The first white child born in what is now known as
Minnesota, was at Fort Snelling. The first white child
that died in Minnesota, was at Fort Snelling. The
first early settlers in what is now known as Minnesota,
were here. The first three white women in this section
of country, were at Fort Snelling. The first boat, the
Virginia, that ascended the Mississippi river, in the year
1823, stopped at Fort Snelling. Here General Grant,
after the surrender of Lee, and Mrs. Grant, were received
by the oflScers and ladies of the fort and partook of a
collation in what was known as the bastion, near head
quarters building, which has since been torn down.
Here the late Charles Sumner, General W. T. Sher
man and the writer received an entertainment at the
commanding officer's quarters, in 1854. Here have
been exciting Indian treaties made. Here was desig
nated the rendezvous of the troops for the war, and
here is, even now, being expended by the government,
not less than $250,000 in laying out streets, erecting
excellent buildings, beautifying the land and making
the old fort grounds one of the most attractive and most
beautiful of any military reservation in the West. A
huge bridge, costing about $125,000, now spans the
m

314 f^^"^ SmtLUWG.
Mississippi at the fort, and the tourist whe fails to
visit this renowned spot and catch a view from its com
manding position, or witness the troops there stationed,
or leam something of its early history, loses that which
he can never replace after he has returned to his East-
em home.
While stationed at the fort in the year 1863, I fre
quently met and conversed with two Indian prisoners
— Shak-pe-dean and Medicine Bottle, two noted Sioux
chiefs — who were awaiting the sentence of death for
their crimes committed during the terrible Indian mas
sacre in 1862. Among the other atrocities which it is
alleged they did, was that of holding a mother, while
they baked her babe in the oven of the kitchen stove.
But I win not stain these pages with their deeds ; suf
fice it to say that they were captured, tried, and con
demned to be executed. The good heart of Abe Lin
coln, however, shrank from signing the death warrant,
but when Andrew Johnson came into power, he ordered
their execution, and they were hung just outside of the
walls of the fort. They belonged to the lower band
of Sioux, and not to the Unka-papas tribe, headed by
Sitting BuU.

INDIAN SPEECHES AND AN INDIAN
COUNCIL.
PERHAPS we could not find better specimens of
Indian oratory than those which follow. These
speeches were delivered at a council with the good
Father De Smet and the chiefs, at Powder river, in
1868: SPEECH OF BLACK MOON.
" Listen weU to what I am going to say." Address
ing his people, he raised the pipe to the heavens, and
pointed it to earth. Then addressing the Black Gown,
he begged him to touch it with his lips, and let his
hand rest on the stem. While doing so he said, " let
us smoke," which was done, and passed round from us
to others. Then in a loud voice he exclaimed : " The
Black Gown came far to meet with us. He looks fa
tigued and careworn. I am glad to see him, I welcome
him here with all my heart. His words are good and
full of meaning and tmth. He speaks well. Every
thing he says is the desire of my heart. But there are
many sores in our bosoms to heal. Our country is des
olated and impoverished by cruel war, of which begin
ning I claim no part. The Eastern Sioux and Chey-
ennes commenced it. It has been forced on us, and now
when we travel over our country we frequently behold
red spots, and they are not the red spots of the slaugh
tered buffalo, but of our fellow-comrades, or the white
men. Our country was once full of game, but since the
war the animals seem to detest their native homes, and
SIS

2l6 INDIAN SPEECHES.
I beUeve it is in consequence of the human blood that
they have been driven far away. Again, the whites
have been cutting our country up with roads, building
forts at different points and frequently and unkindly
put our people in prison, and that for little or no cause.
They ruin our country and cut our timber with impun
ity. I have always told them that I did not want
remuneration for roads, nor would I sell my country,
as some of my people have done. My father lived and
died here and so would I. And if my white brothers
did right, I don't think we should have, or ever have
had, troubles. I have always liked to have goods to
trade, but I cannot bear the idea to have the country
filled with white men. Some are good ; a great many
are bad ; they frequently treat us badly, and frequently
have our people been shot by the travelers over the
plains, while they were seeking food for their children,
which the Great Father gave them and has taught it
was their own. We have been cruelly treated and
many times treacherously deceived, and this whUe under
the protection of the white chief. But these things are
past, and I now hope will be forgotten from this day.
I will say no more, but will conclude my speaking by
thanking' you, the Black Gown, in the hearing of all my
people for the truly welcome news that yoii have so
kindly brought us. We will accept of your tobacco
and the kind advice ©f @ur Great Father, and extend
our hand in the presence of aU, and the Great Spirit,
as the hand of peace." And then turning to the as
sembly, he said, " Let the past be forgotten. Some of
my young men will accon;pany you to the fort to ac
complish this most of aU others desired event." He
then resumed his seat.

INDIAN SPEECHES. 217
SPEECH OF TWO BEARS.
Friends : I heard of the coming of this good Black
Gown months ago, and on arriving welcomed him to
our country, east side of the Missouri, where I was born
and raised. And as our country is common to aU, I
have come along with him, not alone to see some of
my comrades with whom I once trailed the war path,
but to hear you talk, to witness how you treat this, of
all others, in my opinion, our truest and best friend.
The whites love and respect him, and so do I and my
people the Yanktonais, and I pray to the Great Spirit
that I may always continue in the same sentiments. I
wish you to understand fully what I say, for I mean it
all. I do not come here to beg of you any favors on
the strength of our relationship, but I have come here
with a few of our chieftains and braves of the eastern
Sioux, who represent some seven hundred lodges, to
tell you that our minds are made up and we will be
guided by his advice and the great men (the commis
sioners), sent by the President to accomplish something
definite for our future welfare. I have listened with
care and attention to all you have said in this, the most
important council ever held in our country. I say the
most important because it is foreboding of future weal
or woe, and headed by the best of men, and seven of
the greatest chiefs of the whites. It cannot be other
wise than tend to our future good and prosperity. I
tell you on this occasion, one and all, that my mind is
made up, and it shall be guided in the future by thc
advice of these men. I have been weary, fatigued and
confused, troubled and perplexed with the various re
ports that I have heard from this source for the last two

2l8 INDIAN SPEECHES.
years. But seeing you all here, and having heard you
all talk, and treat this party so kindly, I must thank one
and all for your wise and brave conclusion. I shall
leave you with a heart full of joy, and with hopes that
you shall ever continue as friends to the whites, and
that the dark cloud of war that has been hanging over
us may be dispeUed. I thank this good man, and raise
my hand to the Great Spirit, that he may pity us and
carefully guide our steps through all coming time.
RUNNING antelope's SPEECH — UNKAPAPA.
Friends and Relations: I have heard this day with
pleasure your welcome words to our true friend, who
has been traveling for three months for no other pur
pose than to bring blessings upon our people and peace
to our country, for which you all seem to feel inclined.
for my part I have been listening to the words of the
whites for these many years past, and particularly so
since our late troubles — caused more by our neighbor
ing bands (the Santes) than by ourselves. But now is
not the time to talk about the past ; it is high time to speak
and act for the future. I have seen you and have been
with you several times since our troubles, and have
always talked as you now hear me. I had, on leaving
the post, made up my mind to ask you once more to be
at peace with the whites — and that is why you see me
here to-day— but, as the request is not necessary— you
having with your own good wUl seen the propriety of so
doing, all that now remains forme to say is, I thank you
in the name of the Great Spirit for your kind treat
ment and attention to the Black Gown and his party.
For myself, I am one of you [he was an Unkapapa],
and can candidly declare that this day's council has

INDIAN SPEECHES. 219
given' me more satisfaction than I have experienced for
many years. I return to our camp at the fort with a
glad heart, and when I shall be with the great men our
great father has sent, I shall talk as you have talked to-day;
and when cdl our troubles are settled, which I hope
soon to be, then shall I turn my eyes upon the Unka
papa camp and watch with eyes and ears that you are
faithful to your promises made to-day before the Great
Spirit and the flag of peace, which is now with you
and will be left here to remind you of what you have said
to the best friends of our race. Four Horns, Black^
Moon, Sitting BuU, Jane, White Gut, Bull Owl, No
Neck, and all others — ^you this day by your good words
and promises have set an example to follow for all
other bands. Now look well to your young men, and
often remind them of the advice and course pointed
out to you by the Black Gown. With this truthful and
only safe assurance to our future happiness, the men
whom you wiU send to hear what the great men of the
great father will say and do for our future good will
be pleased, and for my part they shall not return dis
pleased. I shaU make peace and I trust shall never
break it."
Here the council ended, and we returned to our
lodge amidst shouts of songs and joy. The very earth
seemed to shake with their dancing.
Father De Smet continues his narrative of this in
teresting council as follows: Sitting Bull then said
when he first saw us with the flag his heart fluttered,
but he bid it to be quiet ; and now that he heard that it
was the flag of peace, he felt easy and undisturbed.
He then told the braves to take charge of us and to
see that we had water and food, and requested them

220 INDIAN SPEE<MIB6.
not on any circumstance to allow us to go far from the
lodge, and to attend to the safety of our animals. They
shook us heartily by the hand. Mr. Jalpin was called
to almost every lodge in the village and was treated
with great respect and kindness. [Sitting Bull's speech
on this occasion is given elsewhere in the pages of this
book.] At 5:30 p.m. we commenced putting our effects in
order to make an early start on the next day. The
same caution and the same attention were given to all
as before. After supper all the chiefs came to the
lodge and passed the night with us, and all seemed
pleased at the day's council.

EARLY MISSIONARY EFFORTS AMONG
THE INDIANS.
THE REV. JOHN ELIOT was styled by his con.
temporaries, and he is known to posterity, as
"the Apostle to the Indians." A truer philanthropist
than he did not exist among the early New Englanders.
In his day the feeling toward the Indians was not
kindly. It seems as if the opinion prevailed then,
which has since been embodied in the discreditable
phrase, that " the only good Indian is a dead one."
The Puritans pronounced the Indians children of the
devil, and thought they did a service in ridding the
world of as many of them as possible. Yet the con
version and civilization of the natives of America were
among the professed objects for which the Puritans left
England. The charter of Massachusetts granted by
Charles I. contains an expression of the hope that the
settlers to whom it is granted " may win and incite the
natives of the country to the knowledge and obedience
of the only true God and Savior of mankind and the
Christian faith, which is our royal intention, and the
adventurers' free profession is the principal end of this
plantation." The first seal of Massachusetts repre
sented an Indian giving utterance to the words, " Come
over and help us."
John Eliot was a native of Nasing, in Essex, where
he was born in 1604. Little is known about his family
and his early years. It is unquestionable that he
received a good education, but where or by whom is

222 EARLY MISSIONARY EFFORTS
uncertain. His own words imply that his family were
God-fearing persons who trained him with care. About
the year 1630 he became usher in a school kept by the
Rev. Thomas Hooker at Little Baddow, near Chelms
ford. Hooker was one of the most popular Puritan
clergymen of his time. His preaching at Chelmsford
had been very effective ; but his eloquent tongue was
silenced by Laud, because he would not conform on
certain points of ritual upon which Laud set great
store. At the request of several influential members
of his congregation, he took pupils, and engaged John
Eliot as usher. The result was that Eliot became
imbued with Hooker's opinions, and inspired with a
desire to become a preacher of the gospel. Referring
to his sojourn in Hooker's house, he wrote that " to
this place I was called through the infinite riches of
God's mercy in Christ Jesus to my poor soul; for here
the Lord said unto my dead soul, Live ; and through
the grace of Christ I do live, and I shall live forever.
When I came to this blessed family, I then saw, and
never before, the power of godliness in its lively vigor
and eflficacy."
Eliot, having apparently incurred the suspicion of
the ecclesiastical authorities, and finding insurmounta
ble obstacles interposed to his following the profession
of teacher, resolved to cross the Atlantic. He was one
of sixty passengers in the ship " Lyon," which arrived
at Boston on the 3d of November, 1631. Among the
passengers were the wife, the eldest son, and other chil
dren of Governor Wintrop. The congregation of the
first church of Boston earnestly desired that Eliot
should become their pastor. Before leaving England
he had promised to be the pastor in America of several

AMONG THE INDIANS. 223
families of Puritans, who contemplated emigrating
thither, and, as they fulfilled their intention and set
tled at Roxbury, he kept his promise by settling there
also. A year after landing at Boston he was married,
his wife being a lady whose acquaintance he had made
in England, and who followed him to America.
In a work published in 1654, entitled the "Wonder
working Providence of Sion's Saviour in New England,"
the following account is given of the founding of the
church at Roxbury, of Roxbury itself, and of Eliot :
" The fifth church of Christ was gathered at Roxbury,
situated between Boston and Dorchester, being well
watered with cool and pleasant springs issuing forth
from the rocky hills, and with small freshets watering
the valleys of this fertile town, whose form is somewhat
like a wedge, double-pointed, entering between the two
fore-named towns, filled with a very laborious people,
whose labors the Lord hath so blessed that in the
room of dismal swamps and tearing bushes they have
very goodly fruit trees, fruitful fields and gardens, their
herd of cows, oxen, and other young cattle of that
kind about three hundred and fifty, and dwelling-
houses near upon one hundred and twenty. Their
streets are large, and some fair houses, yet have they
built their house for church assembly destitute and
unbeautified with other buildings. The church of
Christ here is increased to about one hundred and
twenty persons. Their first teaching elder called to
office is Mr. Eliot, a young man at his coming hither
of a cheerful spirit, walking unblamable, of a godly
conversation, apt to teach, as by his indefatigable pains,
both with his own flock and the poor Indians, doth
appear, whose language he learned purposely to help

224 EARLY MISSIONARY EFFORTS
them to the knowledge of God in Christ, frequently
preaching in their wigwams and catechising their chil
dren." Few incidents of importance are preserved as to
Eliot's Hfe as pastor at Roxbury. The most note
worthy relates to an early stage in his career there,
when he was taken to task by the rulers of Massachu
setts for having improperly reflected upon their con
duct. His offense consisted in censuring them in a
sermon for having made peace with the Pequot Indians
without consulting those among the people who were
entitled to vote. Three clergymen who were appointed
to " deal with him," brought him to acknowledge that
he had erred in holding that the magistrates could not
conclude a peace on their own authority, and he made
public acknowledgment of his mistake. He was one of
the clergymen who actively took part against Mrs.
Anne Hutchinson. He was as uncharitable as any of
his colleagues in treating that unfortunate woman, who
was punished for her independence of spirit with excom
munication and banishment.
In the year 1646, fifteen years after he had settled in
New England, Eliot began to preach to the Indians in
their own tongue. Before so doing he had spent some
time in mastering their language. He learned it from
a young native employed in his house, whom he de
scribes as " a pregnant-witted young man who had been
a servant in an English house, pretty well understood
his own language, and had a clear pronunciation."
Irrespective of the philanthropy which prompted
EHot to render service to the Indians, there was an
influence which specially moved him. While others
held these Indians to be children of the devil, he firmly

AMONG THE INDIANS. 225
believed them to be descendants of the lost tribes of the
house of Israel. To raise these people from their fallen
and degraded state was, in his opinion, a sacred duty. He
was not singular in thinking that the Indians were of
Jewish descent ; the same theory stUl finds adherents
The origin of the North American Indians is involved
in as great mystery in our day as it was when Eliot
lived. Anj^hing may be conjectured about them with
plausibility, because so very Httle is known with cer
tainty. Yet it is no longer doubtful that these Indians
were not the first or only inhabitants of the country
before the advent of white men. Another race, called
Mound BuUders, which has long been extinct, possessed
the land before the Indians, and they were either driven
from it southward or exterminated. The lot of the
Indians, owing to the conduct of the white men who
have mastered and supplanted them, cannot, at the
worst, be more deplorable than that of the Mound
Builders whom these Indians subdued and succeeded.
After laboring for two years to obtain a colloquial
command over the tongue spoken by the Indians of
Massachusetts, Eliot considered himself qualified for
preaching to them. The first Christian sermon in the
Indian tongue delivered on the North American con
tinent was delivered by Eliot at Nonantum on the
28th of October, 1646. His text was the 9th and loth
verses of the 37th chapter of Ezekiel — " Then said
he unto me. Prophesy unto the wind, phrophesy, son
of man, and say to the wind. Thus saith the Lord God :
Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon
these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as He
commanded me, and the breath came into them, and
they lived, arid stood up upon their feet, an exceeding

226 EARLY MISSIONARY EFFORTS
great army." In his sermon he explained the character
of Christ, the purpose and manner of His appearance
upon earth. He told them of the judgment day, when
the wicked are to suffer and the good are to be
rewarded. He urged them to repent of their sins as
fallen children of Adam, and to pray to God and accept
Christ as their Savior. He invited questions after his
sermon, and he found it as difficult to return satis
factory replies as in our day Bishop Colenso did in the
case of the inquiring Zulu.
After satisfying their curiosity, Eliot received their
thanks. He neither spared himself nor them. His
sermon lasted an hour and a quarter, and the confer
ence three hours. As a reward for their patient atten
tion, he distributed tobacco among the men and apples
among the children. This was the beginning of a course
of teaching which Eliot kept up during forty years, in
addition to discharging his duties as pastor of Roxbury.
He underwent many dangers as well as severe toil.
What he sometimes endured, and the spirit which
always animated him, can be gathered from his own
words to Mr. Winslow : " I have not been dry, night
or day, from the third day of the week until the sixth,
but so traveled, and at night pull off my boots, wring
my stockings, and on with them, and so continue. But
God steps in and helps. I have considered the Word
of God, II. Timothy, ii. 3, ' Endure hardship, as a good
soldier of Jesus Christ.' "
One of the first fruits of his teaching was to excite a
desire on the part of the Indians to have their children
educated in the English fashion. A convert named
Wampas brought his own son to Eliot, and three other
children, of whom the youngest was four and the eldest

AMONG THE INDIANS. 227
was nine, with the request that they might be brought
up by him in the fear and knowledge of God. The
same Indian and two others sought and found situa
tions in English families, with a view of being better
instructed in religion. Difficulties of various kinds had
to be overcome. In addition to accepting the religious
faith offered to them by the English missionary, the
Indians copied the English fashion of cropping their
hair. This exposed them to the derision of their uncon
verted brethren. But they had a still harder trial to
undergo. Speaking for his fellow converts, Wampas
told Eliot that "on the one hand, the other Indians
hate and oppose us because we pray to God ; on the
other, the English will not put confidence in us, and
suspect that we do not really pray." Eliot admitted
that such a suspicion was entertained by some of the
English, adding that, for his part, he considered it
groundless. It was natural that the Powaws, or priests, should
have objected to Eliot's work and have placed obstacles
in his path. He had the triumph of converting one
Powaw, but he found it hard to satisfy another who
asked him how it happened that the English were-
twenty-seven years in the country before attempting
to teach their religion to the Indians. The Powaw
urged that if this had been done sooner much sin might
have been prevented ; " but now some of us are grown
old in sin." All that could be said by way of defense
and explanation was that the English had repented
them of their neglect, as was evinced by the efforts
which Eliot and others were then making. As a con
sequence of the adoption of Christianity, the Indians
had to change many old habits and customs, and in

228 EARLY MISSIONARY EFFORTS
doing so they were often perplexed. They were en
joined to renounce polygamy; but they asked which of
their wives should they put away? They were told
that gaming was sinful ; but they asked was it permis
sible to repudiate debts contracted before their conver
sion through gaming with non-praying Indians ? This
last question gave Eliot great concern. He could not
reply that gaming was lawful, nor would he counte
nance the breach of a promise. He found a way out
of the dilemma by urging on the creditor that gaming
was sinful, and persuading him to reduce his claim by
one half ; by informing the debtor that, though he had
sinned by gaming, yet that he must fulfill his prom
ise, and by inducing him to pay one half of what he
owed. This compromise was adopted in all cases of
the kind, but it led to the result of a winner at play
counting upon receiving and the loser of paying half
the amount in each case, so that the change was no
real improvement.
The conversion of Cutshamakin, an Indian Sachem,
was one of Eliot's triumphs. He did not find this
Sachem a very meek or tractable Christian. On the
contrary, the Sachem was not gratified to see the mem-
, bers of his tribe walking in new paths. He complained
bitterly that the converts ceased to pay tribute to him
as in the old time, and feared that he might eventually
be left without any revenue. His complaint was dili
gently investigated. The Indians alleged that they had
paid the accustomed tribute to their chief; that at one
time he had received from them six bushels of maize,
and twenty at another; that he had obtained their ser
vices in hunting for several days ; that fifteen deer had
been killed for him ; that two acres of land had been

AMONG THE INDIANS. 229
broken and a large wigwam built for him. Eliot held
that this was an ample payment for one year. He
eventually learned that the Sachem's real grievance was,
that the converted Indians were not so ready as the
others to comply with aU his orders and submit to his
despotic rule.
Eliot's labors to benefit the Indians were so much ap
preciated in Massachusetts that, on the 26th of May,
1647, the General Court passed the following resolu
tion : — " It is ordered that ;£'io be given to Mr. Eliot as
a gratuity from this Court in respect of his pains in in
structing the Indians in the knowledge of God, and that
order be taken that the ;£'20 per annum given by the
Lady Armine for that purpose may be called for and
employed accordingly." The tidings of his work crossed
the sea and became the subject of deliberation in Par
liament. It was held to be the duty of " the godly and
weU-affected " to aid the enterprise, and a resolution
was passed on the 17th of March, 1647, desiring the
committee on plantations to prepare an ordinance
" for the encouragement and advancement of learning
and piety in New Engiand." No result followed till
the 27th of July, 1649, when an ordinance to the same
effect being passed, a corporation was founded for the
propagation of the gospel in New England : a general
collection was ordered to be made in the churches of
England and Wales, and the clergymen were required
to read the ordinance from their pulpits. The univer
sities of Oxford and Cambridge issued an appeal in sup
port of the undertaking. Though the sum placed at
the disposal of the corporation was not large, yet it suf
ficed to establish schools for the Indians, to supply them
with implements of husbandry, and to defray the cost

t^O EARLY MISSIONARY EFFORTS
of printing Eliot's translation of the Bible and other
books into the Indian tongue.
When Charles II. became king it was feared that the
corporation for propagating Christianity among the In
dians would share the fate of other institutions estab
hshed during the commonwealth. Happily, the corpo
ration for the propagation of the gospel found a warm
supporter in Robert Boyle, through whose representa
tions Lord Chancellor Clarendon advised the king to
grant a new charter to it. Under this charter, Boyle
was appointed governor, and he directed the affairs of
the corporation with great zeal, earning Eliot's heartfelt
gratitude. It was Eliot's conviction that, unless the praying In
dians, as the converts were always styled, lived in the
European fashion there was a fear lest they should
lapse from the right path. Accordingly, he planned a
town where they might live together. It was caUed
Natick, being situated on the banks of the Charles
River, eighteen miles to the southeast of Boston.
Natick is described as a town covering six thousand
acres, wherein one hundred and forty Indians dwelt.
It had three long streets, two on the north side and
one on the south. A bridge, built by the Indians,
spanned the river. There was a fort for their protec
tion. Some families dwelt in wigwams; others in houses
on the English model. A large building served as a
place of meeting on Sundays and a school-house on
week-days. It had an upper floor, in one corner of
which a room was partitioned off to serve as a bed
chamber for Eliot.
After the praying Indians had taken up their abode
at Natick they applied to Eliot to devise a plan of mu«

AMONG THE INDIANS. 23 1
nicipal government for them. He had previously in
duced the converts to agree to the following, among
other conditions : — " Powawing" and drunkenness were
to be punished with a fine of 20s. for each offense ; the
person convicted of stealing was to restore fourfold the
amount taken ; the profaner of the Sabbath was to be
fined 20s. ; a wife-beater was to pay the same fine ;
while murder and monstrous crimes were to be punished
with death. The converts likewise agreed to pray in
their wigwams, to say grace before and after meat, to
cease howling, greasing their bodies, and adorning their
hair, and to follow the English fashions.
Eliot held that all governments should be founded
on the pattern given in the Old Testament ; he was
anxious that England should set an example in this
respect, holding that " it would be a blessed day in
England when the word of God shall be their Magna
Charta and chie^ law book, and when aU lawyers shall
be divines and study the Scriptures." It was natural,
then, that he should give effect to his views at Natick,
and should persuade the Indians there to divide the
community into hundreds and tithings, and should ap
point mlers over hundreds, rulers over fifties, and rulers
over tens, or tithing men. He enjoined the payment of
tithes on strictly scriptural grounds, and the Indians
consented to do as he desired. Having settled the
manner in which, subject to the General Court of Mas
sachusetts, these Indians should govern themselves,
Eliot induced them to enter into a solemn covenant.
On the 6th of August, 165 1, they assembled together,
and, after divine service, the following declaration re
ceived their assent : —
" We are thc sons of Adam. We and our forefathers

232 EARLY MISSIONARY EFFORTS
have a long time been lost in our sins ; but now the
mercy of the Lord beginneth to find us out again.
Therefore, the grace of Christ helping us, we do give
ourselves and our chUdren to God, to be His people.
He shall rule us in all our affairs, not only in our relig
ion and affairs of the church, but also in all our works
and affairs in this world. God shall rule over us. The
Lord is our Judge ; the Lord is our law-giver ; the Lord
is our King, He will save us. The wisdom which God
hath taught us in His book, that shall guide us and
direct us in the way, O Jehovah ! teach us wisdom to
find out thy wisdom in thy Scriptures. Let the grace
of Christ help us, because Christ is the wLsdom of God.
Send thy Spirit into our hearts, and let it teach us.
Lord, take us to be thy people, and let us take thee to
be our God."
Nine years after these proceedings a further step was
taken in the direction of putting the praying Indians
on a footing of equality with their white brethren. A
church on the congregational model was founded there,
so that the Indians of Natick enjoyed the same civil
and religious privileges as the Puritans of Boston. In
the strict observance of their religious duties the In
dians were patterns to many of their white brethren.
They even complained, not without reason, that white
men did not seem to be sufficiently scrupulous in their
religious observances. On the other hand, the white
men expected the Indians to be faultless, and regarded
any error on their parts as the evidence of an ineradi-
cably perverse nature.
The most grievous trial which the praying Indians
had to endure, and the most desponding period in
Eliot's dealings with them, was during the year of thc

AMONG THE INDIANS. 233
war, commonly called King Philip's war, which began
in 1675. This was the most vigorous effort as well as
the last combined attempt of the Indians to exter
minate the white men in New England. The loss of
life was great on both sides ; as many as six hundred of
the settlers were slain. Much property was destroyed.
Thirteen towns were laid in ruins ; hundreds of dwell
ings were bumed to the ground. Whilst the hostili
ties between the Indians and white men were in pro
gress, the position of the praying Indians was very
trying. Their brethren in race regarded them as en
emies ; the white men did not count them as friends.
Indeed, all Indians were not only regarded as foes at
heart, but every Indian's life was in danger at the hands
of the exasperated and panic-stricken whites. The
General Court, unable to withstand the pressure of public
opinion, ordered that the Indians at Natick should be
transported for safe custody to Deer Island. They
quietly submitted to their fate. After the death of
Philip the Indians were permitted to return, at their
own expense, to their old homes. Such as did return
keenly felt that the .love and charity, which they had
been enjoined to practice, were not displayed towards
them. King Philip's war proved the hopelessness of
any stmggle in the field between Indians and white
men, while it gave a blow to the spread of Christianity
among the Indians. The latter were indisposed to
listen to teachers whose.brethren flagrantly violated the
precepts which they inculcated.
In 1797, one hundred and twenty-one years after the
war which ended with Philip's death, the Rev. Stephen
Badger, minister at Natick, was asked to give an ac
count of the Indians there. He was then in his seven-

234 EARLY MISSIONARY EFFORTS
ty-second year, and had beheld many changes. The
white men had ousted the Indians from their property
and offices at Natick before the time that Mr. Badger
wrote ; the church members had been reduced to two
or three ; one of them was an aged Indian woman, who
could stUl understand the tongue of her people, but
could not speak it. At the present day not an Indian
in existence can speak the language which Eliot learned
in order to preach the gospel, and into which he trans
lated the Bible. His translation of the Bible is a monu
ment of vast labor. The only practical value of that
translation now consists in the service it renders to the
philological students who investigate the dead tongue of
an extinct race. Besides the Bible, Eliot translated the
catechism and Baxter's " Call to the Unconverted " and
the "Practice of Piety." He labored zealously and
without ceasing during a long life. In 1688 he wrote
to Boyle, saying, " I am drawing home," and on 20th
May, 1690, he pBssed away, in his eighty-sixrti year,
uttering the words, " Welcome, joy."
Eliot's wife, whom he married the year after he set
tled in New England, died three years before him. He
had six children, of whom a son and a daughter alone
survived him. He owed much to his wife, who managed
his household admirably. He was not exacting in
domestic affairs, and his tastes were so simple that he
was very easily pleased ; he Hked the plainest food, and
he drank water from choice. He had two great aver
sions — wigs and tobacco. Wearing wigs he regarded
as ^ lust of the flesh, and tobacco he considered a weed
produced by satan for man's injury.
The blunders with which EHot is chargeable are few
and trivial, while his good deeds are innumerable. His

AMONG THE INDIANS. 235
character is without reproach; he was one of the small
band of Puritans in whom there was no guile. Unhap
pily, he could not leave behind him a body of men im
bued with his spirit and fitted to continue his work
from generation to generation. Had the Indians on
the North American Continent been constantly treated
in the spirit which animated Eliot, the history of the
United States would be free from many grievous stains.
It was not Eliot's fault that the Indians of New Eng
land faded away till the land wherein they were once
supreme did not contain a single survivor. His memory
is still held in honor as that of one who loved his fellow-
men, and who devoted a long and laborious life to their
service.

INDIAN POETRY.
HE WILL COME.
E-ye-he-kta! E-ye-he-kta!
He-kta-ce ; e-ye-ce-quon.
Mi-Wamdee-ska, he-he-kta;
He-kta-ce ; e-ye-ce-quon,
Mi-Wamdee-ska. TRANSLATION.
He will come! he will come?
He will come, for he promised,
My White Eagle, he will come ;
He will come, for he promised,—
My White Eagle.

COME AGAIN.
Ak6 u, ake u, akd u ;
Ma cintb mas6ca.
Akd u, akd u, akd u ;
Ma cant^ mas6ca.
TRANSLATION.
Come again, come again, come again ;
For my heart is sad.
Come again, come again, come again,
For my heart is sad.
9S6

INDIAN POETRY. 237

THE GIANTS' DANCE.
They dance- to the tune of their wild "ha-ha!"
A warrior's shout and a raven's caw —
Circling the pot and the blazing fire
To the tom-tom's bray and the rude bassoon ;
Round and round to their hearts' desire,
And ever the same wild chant and tune —
A warrior's shout and a raven's caw —
=' Ha-ha, ha-ha, ha-ha-ha!"
They crouch, they leap, and their burning eyes
Flash fierce in the light of the flaming fire,
As fiercer and fiercer, and higher and higher
The rude, wild notes of their chant arise.
They cease, they sit, and the curling smoke
Ascends again from their polished pipes.
And upward curls from their swarthy lips
To the god whose favor their hearts invoke.

NEVER! NEVER!
My father ! my father ! her words were true ;
And the death of WiwSstfe will rest on you.
You have pledged me as wife to the tall Red Cloud;
You will take the gift of the warrior proud ;
But I, Wakawa, I answer — never!
I will stain your knife in my heart's red blood,
I will plunge and sink in the sullen river.
Ere I will be wife to the fierce Red Cloud.

»iZ INDIAN POETRY.

GRANDFATHER.
Tunkinsidan pejihiita wakdn
Micigfe — he wicagfe
Mimydta it6 wakdnd^ makii
Tankclnsidan ite, n^pe dii-win-ta-woo,
Wahut6pa wan yiiha, nipfe du-win-ta-too.
TRANSLATION.
Grandfather made me magical medicine;
That is true !
Being of mystery — grown in the water —
He gave it me !
To the face of our Grandfather stretch out your hand^
Holding a quadruped, stretch out your hand I

TO THE SPIRIT LAND.
At last, when their locks were as white as snow.
Beloved and honored by all the band.
They silently slipped from their lodge below,
And walked together, and, hand-in-hand.
O'er the shining path to the spirit Ismd.

NUMBER OF INDIANS IN THE UNITED

STATES IN 1880.
THE aggregate Indian population in the United
States in the year 1880, exclusive of Alaska, was
255,938, as follows:

Arizona  18,700
California  4>ioo
Colorado  2,530
Dakota  27,168
Idaho  3,420
Indian Territory  17,398
Indian Territory, (civilized
tribes)  59,187
Iowa  355
Kansas  684
Michigan  10, 141
Minnesota  6,198

Montana  21,650
Nebraska  4>3o6
Nevada  6,800
New Mexico  23,452
NewYork  5, 139
Oregon  4,555
Utah  450
Washington Territory  14,189
Wisconsin  7.637
Wyoming  2,063

240,139

There are sixty agencies in the United States, and
not under government control, 15,802 Indians. Total,
255.938. CIVILIZED INDIANS IN THE UNITED STATES IN 1880.
There were 66,407 civUized Indians in the United
States in 1880 — ^males, 33,985 ; females, 32,422, as fol
lows :
Alabama  213 Missoviri  113
Montana  1,663
Nebraska  235
Nevada  .2,803
New Hampshire  63
New Jersey  74
New Mexico  .9,772

Arizona  3>493
Arkansas  195
California  .16,277
Colorado  154
Connecticut  255
Dakota  1,391

240

NUMBER OF INDIANS IN THE

Delaware  5
District of Columbia  5
Florida  180
Georgia  124
Idaho  163
Illinois  140
Indiana  246
Iowa  466
Kansas  815
Kentucky  50
Louisiana  84S
Maine  625
Maryland  I5
Massachusetts  3^9
Michigan  7,249
Minnesota  2, 300

New York  819
North Carolina  1, 230
Ohio  130
Oregon  1,694
Pennsylvania  184
Rhode Island  77
South Carolina  131
Tennessee  352
Texas  992
Utah  807
Vermont  ir
Virginia  85
Washington Territory  4,405
West Virginia  29
Wisconsin  3,l6i
Wyoming  140

lyiississippi  1,850
Five civilized tribes of Indians cultivated the follow
ing number of acres and raised the following crop in
1880.

Tons of hay cut  125,500
Number horses owned. . . .61,453
Number mules owned  5.138
Number cattle owned  297,040
Number of swine  400,282
Number of sheep  34.032

Number of acres  314,398
Number bushels of wheat . 336,424
Number bushels of corn . 2,346,042
Number bushels oats and
barley  124,568
Number bales of cotton. . . i6,8oo
Number buls. vegetables. 595,000
Some of the unciviHzed Indians broke 27,105 acres of
ground ; raised 604,103 bushels of corn ; 408,812 bushels
wheat, besides many bushels of vegetables.
It will be observed that the wild or uncivilized
Indians owned 211,981 horses, while the civilized
Indians owned only 61,453.
The number of houses occupied by the Indians in
1880, was 12,507. SCHOOLS.
Sixty boarding and one hundred and ten day schools

UN'tft;- r-TA-[V'-: :h ^2%,

v.>

were In operation in 1880, for the use of the tribe*.
exclusive of the five civilized tribes in the Indian terri
tory. Seven thousand children attended these schools,
and they were taught by 338 teachers.
Indians should have land in severalty like the whites
and be held subject to the laws of the whites, and pro
tected by the same laws. A great demand for land in
severalty, is now being made by the Indians, and their
demand should be complied with.
NUMBER OF SIOUX.
There are about 32,282 Sioux in the country. The
report of the Indian commissioner says: "They are
located in severalty, live in houses, wear citizen's dress,
send their children to school, own farming implements
and stock, and their crops during the year 1880 will
average ten bushels of wheat, five of corn, and sixteen
bushels of vegetables to each member pf tribe. They
also act as freighters and have public regulations like
the whites. The progress of the Indians in civilization,
during the past five years, is highly gratifying and satis
factory.

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the statement that there is money in poultry. Why? Be
cause they are not up to the new and improved ideas in
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and tend to convince the most skeptical that there is money
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It is the best and cheapest Poultry Book on the market.
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PATRIOTIC
REOITATIONS AND READINGS
Compiled by Chejrles WaLlter Brown, A. M.
This is the ohoiosst, newest and most complete
collection of Patriotic recitations published, and
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OOMPLETE GUIDE TO DANCING
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PiCTURESouE American Biographies
"In John Paul Jones and' Ethan Allen, Mr. Brown fonnd two of the
most picturesque figures in the life of the country, and he has shown
himself able to deal with them as historical persons, without debracfe-
ing anything from the romantic qualities of their individuality. Ho
competes Vith historical fiction Dy developing the superior interest
of the facts as they grew out of the life of his heroes and the life of
their times. Few biographies intended for popular reading and tha
widest general circulation illustrates this same faculty of measuring
statement and giving its governing value to fact while developing the
picturesque and the romantic as it lies latent in history." — WlUJAII
Vincent Btaks in The St. Louis Star.

LIFE AND gTHAN ALLEN

DEEDS OF

AND THE GREEN
MOUNTAIN BOYS

Bv ebarlct VWttt Bttm, n. VH.
Author of "John Paul Jones," "Nathan
Hale," "Lafayette," "Pulaski," "Wash
ington," "Abraham Lincoln," "Sherman."
ie ILLUSTRATIONS
"It is the best 'life' of Ethan AUen pub
lished." — Chicago Chronicle.
"It abounds in incidents, anecdotes and ad*
ventures." — Louisville Courier Journal.
"It is a painstakilig and accurate biog^
raphy, possessing the fascination of ro
mance."— S<. Louis Sepublic.
"The account of tho expedition into Can
ada and Allen's lamentable capture by tho
British, near Montreal, holds the reader's
attention with all the force of a vrork of
fiction." — Chicago JmimaU
12mo, cloth, size B%-z7%, nearly 800
pages. Price, Postpaid  SI.OO

LIFE AND
DEEDS OF

PAUL JONES "'""^^•^

FAME

Bv ebarlet ipaiter Brown, H. IR.
12 ILLUSTRATIONS
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house." — Detroit Free Press,
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mendable one."— Chicago Journal.
"The public will readily welcome this
new and valuable biography of John Paul
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"Mr. Brown is a faithful biographer and
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nation of his host of readers." — Literary
Life, New York.
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By BRACBBICIDaE: HEMYNG

• "Jack Harkaway's School Days" is
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and should be read by 6ve?y boy ha-
fore his 15th year. After reading
this book the otner 14 should be read
in the order in which they are given
since each is a continuation of the
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^ V»

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PRICB PER VOLUME, 75 CENTS
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1 Jaek Harkaway's S(duxd
Days
a Jack HaAaway After
School Says
3 Jack Harkaway Afloat
and Ashore
4 JacJc Harkaway at Oxford,
Parti
5 Jack Harkaway at Oxford,
Part 2
6 Jack Harkaway Among
tbe ^igands. Part 1
7 Jack Harkaway Among
the Brioands, Fart 2
8 Jack Ha&away's Adveu-
tures Aroun4 the World

9 Jack Harkaway in Amer •
ica and Cuba
10 Jack Harkaway's Adven
tures in China
11 Jack Harkaway's Adven
tures in Greece, Part 1
12 Jack Harkaway's Adven
tures in Greece, Part 2
13 Jack Harkaway's Adven
tures in Australia
14 Jack Harkaway and His
iJoy Tinker, Part 1
15 Japk Harkaway and His
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¦.^|Ji»ww.>i

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THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO
Blacksmitbing, Rorsesboeing,
CARRIAGE AND WAGON BUILDING
AND PAINTING

For all gener;''. mechanical work, this is the
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partment on Blacksmithing is based on tha
various text books by Prof. A. Lungwitz, Direct
or ofthe Shoeing School ofthe Eoyal Teterinaiy
College at Dresden, while the chapters on Cir-
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ing, are by Charles F. Adams, one of the
most successful builders in Wisconsin. The
language employed is so simple that any young
man of average ability can, in a short tim'e, be
come proficient in all of these useful and profit
able occupations. !Each chapter is fully illus
trated, there being more than 50 drawings
throughout the book.

THtCOMPLETE,

HORSESHOEIH® eARRIAG£.'ATiD
'WAGON'BUIiDmG

Pull Cloth Binding. Price, $1.00

tu Complete Rouse Builder
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rORTUNE TELLING. MAGIC. TABLEAUX,
PANTOMIMES. PLAYS. SPEAKERS. ETC.

Twentieth Century
- Wonder
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A store-honse ot wonderful things for tbe
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how to delineate character, signs, omens,
fortune telling, etc., etc. Tbe most won-
derfnl book ever compiled.
BoCSD IN CtATB  600.
BocNO IN Piu-Ba  ....25ft

Deatrbom Speak.kei-

tSz Paobs
I2MO. Clotb

Embradng original and select readings, recitations, declamatione
and dialogues, with introductory observations of eminent elocution
ists and dramatists on tbe study and practice of elocution. Printed
from new plates, substantially botmd, with title stamped in gold.

Pricb..

760.

Tommy's First
Spesiker iCo paoes, izuo. clotb
Containing selections for boys and girte
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ant and so short that they can be easily
memorized. Over 300 selections, bound in
art vellum cloth, titles stamped on tbe front

Pbice..

,.60C.

Tommy's Second
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cover in ink bom ornamental design, p^^^ __ 5Qq^

A. DONOHVC & CO.. CHICAGO.

!»• »iKaafcreBeffir.;?«'«*T«Bjr-«

Comic Rsadings and Recitations
CsmplUd by CHARLES WALTER. DROWN. A. M.
Few of the selections contained in this book
have ever before appeared in prist. Copyright
matter has been procured at great expense frrai
the greatest wits of the age. SudJ delightftu
entertainers as Ezra Kendall, Lew Dockstadter,
Josh Billings, James Whitcomb Eiley, Marshall
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together with the best from "Puck," "Judge,"
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The American Star Speaker
and Modei Elocutionist
By CHARLES WALTER. BROWN. A. H.
Many Speakers ara advertised to be the
best, but a comparison is all that is neo- ~
essary to convince anyone that our claim
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Elocutionist is beyond all question the
best from an Elocutionary point of view.
Of the 500 or more selections there is
not one that is not available for reading
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on Acting, Delsarte, Elocution, Oratory
. and Physical Culture is by the professor
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text and half-tone illustrations are the
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HOIA/ TO BECOA^E RICH.
A TREATISE ON
PHRENOLOGY
A Choice of Professions and Matrimony - A Self-Instructor
By Pbof. William Windsoe, Ph. D.
FuUy illustrated.
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early manhood, confers upon him the greatest favor
within the gift of knowledge, from a financial standpoint. That
a knowledge of Phrenology does this, and more, this book proves
beyond all question. Paper, 184 pages. Price, 25 cents.

FACIOLOGY
OR, THE SCIENCE OF CHARACTER = A SELF-INSTRUCTOR
Bt L. B. Stevens, LL. B.
9B Illustrations
"Faciology" opens up an old, familiar and ijic-
turesque field of observation in a new and scientific
light; it gives one a mortgage on man, a quasi-
ownership in every creature and individnai that
comes within our range of contemplation; this
science stimulates our obsorvatioa and augments
our reason ; it teaches us to interrogate the causes
and meaning of human actions, !ntnnsifles our inter
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and more ardent devotion to philanthropLy.
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Webster's Handy American Dictionary.
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DONOMUE'S WEBSTER'S SCHaOL DICTIONARY
AND AMERICAN PICTORIAL HANDY
LEXICON OP THE ENGLISH LANQUAGE.
Revised, enlarged and corrected to date by Charles Walter
Brown, A. M. Over 50,000 words, 300 illustrations. The latest
and best dictionary for the price published. Nearly 400 pages.
Full cloth. ^^ ,, ^ .,
Price, 35 Cents.
Popular American
Dictionary of tlie English Language.
Illustrated and compiled on the basis of Webster, Worcester,
Johnson and the most eminent English and American authoritaes.
Containing over thirty-two thousand words with accurate deflni-
tions, proper spelling and exact pronunciation, and contains a
special department of Law, Banks and Banking. Complete
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Law, Constitution of the United States, etc.; 544 pages, 12mo;
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DONOHUE'S WEBSTER'S FAVORITE DICTIONARY
OP VALUABLE INFORMATION
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Vital Statistics ; Synonyms, Words and Phrases, Federal Consti
tution, Mercantile Law, Interest Tables, etc., etc., together with
an up-to-date Biographical Dictionary of distinguished persons,
with notes of their works, inventions or achievements. Revised
from the more comprehensive work of Noah Webster, LL. D.
12mo. Near 800 large pages. Price, 50 Cents.

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YALE UNIVERSITY

a39002 00356;