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