WAN NET.
HE SIC
WARREN K.HOOREHEAD
Wanneta, the Sioux
By
WARREN K. MOOREHEAD
New York
Dodd, Mead and Company
Publishers
Copyright, 1890,
BY
DODD, MEAD & COMPANY
^0 mg i^car fatljer,
WILLIAM G. MOOREHEAD, D.D.,
WHOSE KIND ADVICE, ASSISTANCE, AND PARENTAL INSTRUCTION HAVE BEEN
OF INESTIMABLE VALUE, THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE
LOVINGLY DEDICATED.
9G9910
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
PAGE
Wanneta I
CHAPTER H.
Scenes about the Village. — The Buffalo DaxNce, — Wanneta
MEETS Strong Heart i8
CHAPTER HI.
The Day at the Cliffs 27
CHAPTER IV.
The Scalp Dance. — Wanneta goes to see Strong Heart . . 46
CHAPTER V.
Trouble with the Medicine-Man 61
CHAPTER VI.
The Tribe arranges its Annual Bison Hunt 73
CHAPTER VII.
Wadaha and Spotted Eagle turn Traitors 91
CHAPTER VIII.
Strong Heart and Wanneta at the Agency I06
iv CONTEA'TS.
CHAPTER IX.
The Scene at the Agency 120
CHAPTER X.
Wadaha and Spotted Eagle in a Tight Place , . , .134
CHAPTER XI.
The Debate over the Medicixe-Max 148
CHAPTER XII.
The Fate of the Medicine-Man 163
CHAPTER XIII.
The Marriage of Wanneta 176
CHAPTER XIV.
Custer's March through the Black Hills . , . • . . 196
CHAPTER XV.
The Illness of Minnehaha 209
CHAPTER XVI.
The Death of Minnehaha 222
CHAPTER XVII.
General Custer hears of the Tragedy . . « • • 229
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Plan of Wanneta and Strong Heart 23S
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XIX.
PAGE
Wanneta Visits Rain-in-the-i-ace
251
CHAPTER XX.
The Rescue of Rain-ix-the-face 259
CHAPTER XXI.
The Council with General Custer 268
CHAPTER XXII.
Conclusion 281
WANNETA TIIE'SJ:OUX... . .
CHAPTER I.
There was an unusual stir and commotion in the Indian
village. The squaws on this particular morning when
our story opens, were up at break of day, the smoulder-
ing embers of the camp-fires were raked together, and
the blaze rekindled. The remnants of food in the tipis
were prepared and hastily eaten, and, as soon as the
ponies could be caught and brought in from the plain,
nearly every man, woman, and child mounted and rode
off to the agency buildings five miles distant to receive
rations.
One little Indian girl and her mother did not go with
the others. The squaw was the wife of Two Bears, and
her name was Omaha. Two Bears was one of the head
warriors and council men of his people, and stood nearly
on an equality with the second chief, Gopher. Omaha,
his squaw, was named after the tribe of Indians from
whom she had been captured, the Omahas. In Indian
history it often happens that a woman is seized during a
fight or raid upon a village. She is adopted by her
captors, and if beautiful, marries one of the braves. The
women in the tribe regard her just as highly as they do
WANNETA.
any of the squaws whom they have known since child-
hood.
Tv/o Bears and Ornaha had a young daughter about
tqn year^ of 'age-, a: ^On some twenty-one years old, and a
bright, beautiful girl of eighteen years, who was the pet
of the entire village, and bore the name of Wan' ne-ta, or
Bright Star. On this day Wanneta was expected home,
and Two Bears had gone to the agency for the supplies
for the family, leaving his squaw and child to await her
return. Three years before, her parents had consented
to let Wanneta go East with a missionary to be educated
in one of the schools for Indian girls. She had been
away for three years, and although at first she would
rather have returned to her father's tipi, yet she deter-
mined to remain through the entire course. While her
mother and little sister are awaiting her return, let us
follow her father to the agency and see what is going on
there.
Two Bears had gone with the rest of the tribe to
obtain supplies for his family. Food is issued at all the
Sioux agencies on every alternate Wednesday morning,
and the occasion is looked forward to with great interest
by all the Indians. The day is commonly known as
ration-day and is always followed by feasting, dancing,
and other demonstrations of joy. There is then issued
to every very large family, or to two small families, a
keg of meal and a live steer. This would be amply
sufficient to keep them in food until the next issue of
rations were they at all economical, but they always
gorge themselves to the utmost capacity during the next
WANN E TA
few days and nights ; hence, when two weeks have
passed, they are often in sore need of food.
The Indians set out, as we have said, on their ponies
for the agency buildings, five miles distant from their
village. They did not in this short ride observe any
order of movement, such as they would carry into effect
if going to battle. Each man took care of himself, and in
the race for their meal and beef the chief was no better
than the common warrior. The agency buildings in the
year 1875 consisted of a small, two-story frame house
where the agent lived, three small houses where the
assistants lived, a long, low building wherein was the
store and the distributing office, a large warehouse
where were kept the bulk of the stores, and a little log
fort which could be used in case of attack by the Sioux.
There Avas a large enclosure of some four or five acres
close at hand, known as the corral. In this enclosure
was driven, the morning of ration-day, enough cattle to
supply the entire tribe. The government, which fur-
nished all this, had contracts with large firms south of
the Black Hills for the supply of these cattle. They
were brought by train within about a hundred miles of
the agency and then driven overland. All the supplies
had to be brought overland this hundred miles also.
When the horde of Indian horsemen came in sight of
the agency buildings they scattered out over an extent
of several acres, and approached in their usual manner
with loud '' ki-yis " and much flaunting of blankets,
feathers, and streamers. It was a very clear day, and
the sight presented by these Sioux — who, by the way,
W A N NE TA.
are the most superb horsemen in the entire West — as
they rode across the prairie decked out in all their trap-
pings and finery of the most fantastic hues, was one
never to be forgotten.
Upon reaching their destination the men dismounted,
and, leaving the squaws and children who had been
lumbering along in the rear, for the warriors were on
the best horses and had given the squaws and children
the old and broken-down ones, entered the agency
building and stood before the distributing clerk. Here
they reported their names, and each head of family, or,
in the case of small families, each man who represented
some ten or twelve persons, received two tickets on the
warehouse keeper. With their tickets they passed in a
long row in front of the warehouse platform. Here,
upon presentation of one of them, the warehouse man
and his assistant rolled a keg of meal out on the platform,
and the Indian who had just surrendered his ticket,
seized it and bore it in triumph to his squaw, who took
possession. This was repeated until as many kegs had
been distributed as there had been tickets presented.
The second ticket was presented to the employees in
charge of the corral. These are counted, and as many
steers turned out as there are tickets. The men know
how many Indians draw rations, so that the number of
animals is just sufficient to satisfy the demand. At a
given signal the gates are opened and the cattle let loose.
The men have meanwhile mounted their ponies, and as
soon as the first steer makes its appearance, they set up a
great yell, and the terrified animals pour out of the pen,
IV A NN E TA .
filling the air with loud bellowing-s. The Indians sur-
round the herd and drive it toward their village, the
squaws, meanwhile, coming slowly behind with their
children and the keg of meal on the backs of the patient,
worn-out ponies. When near the village, each man
singles out the steer that he prefers and drives it some
little distance away from the herd. When a favourable
spot is reached for the slaughter of the animal, he sends
an arrow or a bullet into some vital spot and thus
the chase is ended. He hastily dismounts, cuts the
jugular vein in order to let the animal bleed, and then
returns to the village, while the squaw skins and cuts up
the meat. In some cases the braves help do this work,
but more frequently the squaws are compelled to do it
alone.
Two Bears was somewhat above the average Sioux,
and, when he had shot his steer, he dismounted and,
taking his sharp hunting-knife, skinned the beast and
then disembowelled it, loaded one half of the meat on his
little pony, and led the animal to his tipi. There he
unloaded, and returning to the plain brought the other
portion. The weight was so great that the animal
staggered under the load, and when relieved evidently
seemed greatly pleased, for he gave a loud whinny, shook
his dark brown mane, flourished his heels, and started on
a trot to join those of his companions who were grazing
on the undulating plain near by. Omaha helped him
cut the meat into long strips and hang it upon the little
frame-work outside the wigwam. There the sun would
dry and harden it so that it could be used later in the
WANNE TA
week. This habit of drying beef the Indians have prac-
ticed since time immemorial, and their buffalo meat is all
prepared in this manner.
Until recent years the Indians were not furnished with
stores in the summer because they could hunt elk,
buffalo, deer, etc., and thus gain sufficient for their
wants. But smce the year 1879 the buffalo have become
very scarce, and in the last three years have been
entirely exterminated, so that now rations are issued the
year round. But at the time of which \ve are writing,
the beef just furnished was the last which the Indians
would get until the next winter. Hence the precaution
of Two Bears and his wife in drying and preserving this
for future use in case their annual buffalo hunt should
not terminate as successfully as they hoped.
Although expecting their daughter, they did not pause
in the preparation of the food. The village was situated
upon a little eminence flanked by a small clear brook
which had its rise in the Black Hills ten miles distant, and
was not as muddy as most of the streams in Western
Dakota. From the eminence there was a view of the
country for several miles in each direction. Wanneta
was expected to come from the nearest railway station
on horse-back, escorted by her brother, John Runner.
Both Two Bears and his wife kept a very sharp lookout
for them, and were rewarded about half-past four o'clock
by seeing a small cloud of dust rising far to the south-
ward. Dropping their work by the time the horses were
near enough for the riders to be discerned, the father and
mother had run down across the creek bank and out
WA NN E TA
several hundred yards on the plain to meet them. The
other Indians in the village also ran to the creek bank,
and some of them across, and set up a great shout as the
couple drew near. (The Indians among themselves are
a very affectionate and jolly people. It is only in the
presence of whites that they are reserved and stolid. It
is a popular error that they never express emotion.
A brave may laugh at tortures inflicted upon him by his
enemies and he may deride those who are burning him at
the stake, but in his wigwam with his family, he is a jolly,
whole-souled person from whose lips flow humour, wit,
and anecdotes. He has a bright word for every child
in the tribe, and his face, instead of bearing a look of
impenetrable stolidity, is often wreathed in smiles.)
Nearer and nearer approached the horses until they
came within speaking distance. Then the father, throw-
ing up his arms with beaming countenance and making
gesture as if to thank the Great Spirit for bringing his
child safe home again, called out in loud tones, —
*' Wanneta, Wanneta." His daughter called out in
return, '' Oh, my father, my mother," and springing from
the pony's back rushed forward and embraced first
her mother and then her father, then catching up her
Httle sister pressed the child to her breast and kissed
her brown face. The first greeting over, there came such
brief questions as we are wont to ask one dearly beloved
whose countenance we have not beheld for years. After
these we think of more serious matters : so with these
Indian people. The first greetings were short, but they
were just as sincere from these children of the wilderness
WANNE TA,
as any from the more civilized dwellers in the great
cities.
Wanneta was standing in a crowd of people on the
bank of the stream, friends who had come to welcome her.
There were young Indian girls with whom she had
played and romped, and there were young Indian youths
with whom she had enjoyed many a wild pony race across
the plain. There was her aunt, her uncle, her cousin,
there was her white-haired old grandfather, the medicine-
man of the tribe. He stood waiting for her to run to
greet him, and as she approached lifted his hands
toward the blue sky above and asked for the blessing of
the Great Spirit, Waukantauka, upon his grandchild.
What a change there was in Wanneta ! She went
away from the Indian village sun-burned, with the com-
plexion of a dark prairie rose, with raven tresses, that had
never been clipped or trimmed, and which, when she was
mounted upon her pony, racing across the prairie,
streamed backward in the breeze, or falling about her
neck and shoulders formed a beautiful frame-work in
which was shown to the best advantage her pretty face.
She went away with a freshness and vivacity which is
gained from nature alone, like some wild flower that had
reared its shapely form upon the green sward of the
prairie ; she came back as that same flower which, when
taken up and transplanted to some conservatory, loses
part of that beauty which it had in its natural surround-
ings. The flower may have become whiter and more
delicate, but it has lost its wild and characteristic fresh-
ness. So with Wanneta. She came back educated, and
WA N N E T A
robed in garments such as those who have not tasted the
pleasures of the out-door life are wont to wear.
Two Bears led the way to the wigwam, which was a
large structure about twenty-seven feet in height and fif-
teen feet in diameter. It was very neatly kept, and was
more tastefully arranged in the interior than most of the
tipis and wigwams in the village. He threw back the
buffalo skin which hung across the entrance and bade
his daughter enter. The mother and son followed, as did
the medicine-man and a few friends of the family. All
seated themselves in the tipi in a circle, and a conversa-
tion began which lasted well into the night. Omaha
would occasionally leave her daughter's side to see that
the meat in the kettle did not burn or to exchange com-
pliments with some of her acquaintances and friends.
''' Mother," said Wanneta, '' I am so glad to be with you
again. Although I have been away three years, I have
not forgotten my friends, nor have I given up all my
Indian ways. The school contains many girls from the
agencies near here, and from the southwest, and while
we studied in the white man's tongue, yet we always
talked among ourselves in our native language. I have
come back to do what good I can for you and try to per-
suade some of our young people in the tribe to go away
to the white man's school, but I do not intend to leave
and take the white man's road. They treated us very
well there, and they did not make us work as hard as you
think. I learned a great many new things, and I can be
very useful to you, dear mother, in taking care of the
household."
WANNETA.
'' My child," said her father, '' we have too much con-
fidence in our children to think they would do wrong.
You are a Sioux girl, you are a daughter of a brave
father who will do anything for you ; we are glad that
you have been to school, we are glad that you have
learned much, and we want you to teach us something of
what you have learned, and to aid your mother in her
work."
"My grandchild," said the medicine-man, Wa-da-ha,
" you have spoken wise words to us, and I have listened
to them patiently. We do not want you to become one
of us unless your heart prompts you to do so. No Sioux
maiden shall be compelled to do what she does not like.
Decide thyself, oh my child, Wanneta. Remember the
Indian family to which you belong, a family that has
become stronger in late years instead of weaker, a family
which is a fair type of the Sioux nation. You are one of
a people whose bravery and deeds of valour have been
sung in countless songs by all the red men from the far
North to the South, and even those pale faces who live
in tall houses in the land toward the rising sun tremble
when they read of the Sioux who do feel no fear and whose
courage is so undaunted that many have been known to
die by torture rather than utter a sound of complaint.
" You are free to come and go, you can wear your
white woman's clothes or you can put on your frock of
beaded deer skin, and with your old friend and com-
panion of your childhood, your faithful pony, Brown
Eyes, you can dash across the rolling prairie, smelling the
sweet perfume of the wild flowers, with a stretch of blue
WANNETA. II
azure above and a green carpet below, as you used to do
before you entered the white man's school."
Indians are very sentimental and emotional among
themselves, and so Wanneta, when she heard these words
from her friends intimating their hopes and desires, was
much affected. She had looked forward for many days
to her home-coming. She had enjoyed many privileges
at the school and had learned a great deal, but her proud
and free Indian spirit longed to get into the open air
again. In nearly every case where Indians have sent
their children away to school they have taken up their
old mode of living on their return to the reservations
with but few modifications. The writer has seen Indians
enter the agency store to buy some sugar and coffee,
perhaps from the store-keeper. Two whom I have in
mind could talk English as well as their interpreter, yet
they confined all their remarks to the Sioux tongue, and
although conversation engaged in by those near by per-
tained to them personally, and they undoubtedly under-
stood every word, yet they did not betray the least sign
of intelligence, nor could you have told that they knew
anything about the English language. So as Wanneta
left the school and began her long journey homeward,
every mile of the distance gone over on the cars rendered
her more and mor^ impatient to be with her people,
and, indeed, such was the condition of her mind that when
vithin sight of the station where she was to meet her
brother she could scarcely restrain herself from giving a
ew screams of delight.
As the talk proceeded in the wigwam, a great struggle
12 WANNETA.
was going on in her mind. Should she live as her parents
did, or should she take the white man's road ? It was a
question too important to be decided on the impulse of
the moment, and she thought it would be best to spend
some time considering the matter.
'' Father," said Wanneta, '* you remember the stories
that you used to tell me three years ago. Many happy
evenings did we spend in this wigwam listening to them.
Suppose that you, if you cannot think of one, call in Chief
Gopher and ask him if he will not tell us a story of his
early life to pass away the hours."
Two Bears went out in search of Gopher, and soon
returned with him. Gopher was about fifty years of
age, rather heavily set, and was the second chief of the
village, Rain-in-the-face being the head chief. He was
a renowned story-teller, and it was his delight to recount
the adventures he had passed through, and the early
history of the Sioux nation as he had heard it from the
lips of his ancestors. When Two Bears returned with
Gopher, a crowd of people anxious to hear the coming
narrative entered the lodge or stood in the opening until
the space was so filled that there was room for no more.
Two Bears drew forth a large pipe made of red pipe-
stone, or catlinite, and presented it filled with tobacco to
Gopher, who stepped outside, and lighting it with a coal
of fire, seated himself in the centre of the circle of his
friends and began the narrative.
'\ Once, a young woman had been lost from a party
who were crossing the plains on the way to the Black
Hills to hunt buffalo. There was nothing heard of her
W A N N E TA. 13
for nearly a year, and then another party who were going
over the same trail for the same purpose discovered her
whereabouts. A young man, who had been riding some
little distance from the main body, came into camp in hot
haste, saying that he had found the woman who had been
lost, but that he could not get near her or induce her to
come to camp. Some of her relatives happened to be
with the party, and they went in great haste to the place
where the young man said the woman could be found.
But they could not get near her for a long time, for she
said they had a strong smell about them and that she did
not want to go with them because of this odour, which
was very offensive to her. She had lived, she said, with
a pack of buffalo wolves, and the wolves had killed
buffalo calves for her, and thus furnished her with food.
She had a knife with which she cut up the calves which
the wolves killed. The meat she had carried to a cleft
in some rocks where she lived. She had great quantities
of dried meat in this place, which she pounded with
stones quite fine and ate raw. She had no way of build-
ing, a fire, and therefore could not cook the meat. She
was finally induced to go to camp, and after a short time
said that she did not notice the smell any more, and at
last consented to stay with the people. She lived to be
an old woman, and her name is ' I-guga-o-ti-win, The-
woman-who-lives-in-the-cleft.'
" I have been a great hunter in my time, and I have
killed many buffaloes, and can remember when the whole
country was black with the herds that roamed over the
plains. Soon after my marriage, while travelling from
14 WANNETA
one place to another in search of buffalo, when the meat
of my family was about all gone, and when we were on
the point of starvation, we suddenly came upon a small
herd. I shot a bull many times with arrows ; but being
very weak from lack of food, I was not strong enough to
send the shafts into some vital part, and only succeeded
in badly wounding the beast. The bull became so mad,
and charged so viciously that I could not get near enough
to give him the fatal shot, so I left him and started after
the rest of the herd. After I had travelled some little dis-
tance, I heard a loud bellow, and, looking back, saw him
coming after us. He was charging about, throwing the
dirt and sod high in the air, and bellowing in rage. My
wife and children in terror left the ponies, and climbed
into some trees which were luckily near at hand. I sta-
tioned myself upon a steep bank, where I could with
safety watch his approach. By the arrows that were
sticking in the creature and from the blood that was
spurting from his nose, I saw that it was the same one I
had tried to kill a few moments before. He was almost
out of arrow's reach, but I resolved to try one final shot,
and calling to my wife and children to witness, I bent my
bow with all the strength that remained, and sent an
arrow high in the air, curving in his direction. It was a
chance shot, and with great interest we watched the
arrow in its flight. It went out of sight, and just as we
were about giving up hope, we saw the buffalo crouch
nearly to the ground and shake himself, and start off on ?
quick trot. After going a few hundred yards he stopped,
stood a moment, staggered backward, and fell. We rode
WANNE TA.
over to where he had fallen, and found him quite dead,
with an arrow sticking in his back, as if shot from the
clouds. On cutting the animal open, we found his belly
and entrails filled with foam and froth.
'' I know my hearers would like to learn of the doings
of one of the bravest young men that ever drew breath ifi
our entire Sioux Nation. What he did happened many
years ago, and although he gave up his life in his great
effort, yet he accomplished more than many who say
' I am brave.' Our tribe was at war with the Crows,
and the wise men and our chief had called a council to
know what we should do, for the Crows were marching
against us, so our runners reported, with a large force
of armed warriors. The council-drum sounded loud
throughout the village, and all the braves and old men
gathered at our large tipi, wherein we held our meetings,
to ascertain what was best to be done. I was then a
young man, full of fire and as brave as any in the tribe.
As we sat and smoked our pipes and debated, two run-
ners entered, out of breath, for they had come in hot
haste for many miles, and shouted out : ' The Crows are
coming with seven hundred picked braves ; they are only
a few hours' distant.' They were coming to avenge the
death of one of their young men, who had been killed by
one of our young men, Swift Foot by name, in a quarrel.
The runners said that the life of Swift Foot was de-
manded, or the whole village would be destroyed and
the women and children carried away into captivity. We
had not time to send to the other tribes for assistance, and
as there were but eighty-five warriors in our village, we
i6 W A NNET A.
were in the greatest distress to know what to do. We
should all be killed without doubt. The Crows would
soon be upon us, and we must do something, or die like
cowards. Just as our chief was about to order the men
to arms, the young man Swift Foot entered, and with
downcast head chaunted a few lines : ' I have brought this
trouble upon you ; I am not afraid to die; I am a brave
man ; I will go out and give myself up. They may burn
me at the stake, but I will not shrink. I will die as a man.
Farewell, my friends. Swift Foot goes to sing his death
song.' Before the council could act, approve or disap-
prove, Swift Foot, springing out of the entrance, sounded
his war-whoop, and dashed off in the direction of the
enemy. The Crows did not attack the village, and, as
we learned afterward, they seized the young man, carried
him back with them, and, in accordance with the wishes
expressed in his taunts, burned him at the stake. But he
died as should a brave and noble Sioux ; there was not
one word passed his lips other than of scorn for his captors.
I do not know all that he said, but his death song as sung
at the stake was told me by a woman of our tribe who was
captive there at the time, and who heard him. It was full
of defiance, and was a credit to our people. As nearly as
I can remember, it ran as follows : —
" ' I fall, but my body shall lie,
A name for the gallant to tell.
The gods shall repeat it on high,
And young men grow brav^e at the sound.'*
* This death song, taken from Schoolcraft's " North American Indians,"
is as he heard it upon the Upper Missouri. It is characteristic of the Sioux
and Chippewas.
WANNE TA . 17
" Four days afterward one thousand Sioux attacked
the Crows, who were eleven hundred strong, and defeated
them, taking eighty-one scalps. Thus was the death of
our brave Swift Foot avenged. I took four of those scalps
myself."
With this Gopher arose, and, handing the pipe back to
Two Bears, stalked out of the wigwam. Gopher was
never known to tell more than one story at one sitting,
and this was a signal that the evening's entertainment
was over. The other Indians went to their respective
tipis, and thus the family of Two Bears was left alone.
It was now growing late, and after eating a hearty meal
out of the kettle — Indians eat whenever hungry— each one
rolled himself in a large buffalo robe and dropped asleep.
The owls hooted from the neighbouring cottonwoods, the
wolves howled on the prairie, and the Indians, accus-
tomed to this lullaby of nature, slept on without fear of
molestation.
CHAPTER II.
SCENES ABOUT THE VILLAGE.
The Buffalo Dance. — Wanneta meets Strong Heart.
The next morning, when the Indians were up and about
their usual duties, two runners came into the camp from
the upper Sioux reservation, eighty miles away, and an-
nounced that this lower reservation was invited to join
them in a great buffalo hunt. This was to eclipse any-
thins: the Indians had ever done of its kind, and therefore
preparations ought to begin at once. The hunt was to
start at the new moon, or about ten days from the time
the news was brought.
A council was summoned, and the runners were in-
structed to return to their people and say that the invita-
tion was accepted, and that on the first day of the new
moon the entire village w^ould move to the upper reserva-
tion, and from there the start should be made. When-
ever there is to be a big buffalo hunt, the Indians usually
precede it by two or three nights of dancing, in order, as
they suppose, to prepare themselves for it. It w^as known,
therefore, among those present that a dance would be
held that night, in which both men and women would
participate. In the centre of the village there was a large
square floor of hard-baked earth, several hundred feet in
extent, and very smooth and level. This was used for
i8
WANNETA. 19
friendly contests in running, as a ball ground, and for
gambling and general assembly purposes. The Indians
are great gamblers. Their ball game is something like our
baseball, but differs from it essentially in having some of
the points of foot-ball. Lacrosse is taken from the Indian
game of ball, and is but a modification of it. Many of the
Indians hurried to the ground, smoothed rough places
here and there, and did otherwise what they could to
prepare for the dance. Fifty men brought large saplings
and several hundred buffalo hides, and constructed a tem-
porary lodge, twenty-five feet high and thirty by sixty
feet on the ground. This was considered amply large
enough for the dance.
It was now beginning to grow dusk. Every Indian who
expected to take part entered his tipi and put in good
order his very best suit. He then took down from one
of the posts a mask made from the hide of the buffalo.
This had the horns attached, while a strip of buffalo skin
fell down the back, ending in a tail and two hoofs, one
on each side. This mask he strapped on his head ; the
skin was fastened around his body by a heavy leather
thong, and the hoofs hung down and struck upon the
ground. When dancing they clashed together and made
a clattering sound, such as bison make when galloping
over hard earth.
While the people are getting ready for the dance, let
us take a look around the Indian village. It stands upon
a high bluff above a clear creek. It contains about six
hundred warriors and about two thousand women, chil-
dren, and old men. The lodges or tipis are almost entirely
W A N N ETA
made of buffalo hide, although a few of them are of sap-
lings supporting a dome-shaped shell of clay. This shell
is about a foot in thickness, and in cold weather makes
the wigwam warmer than do the skins, but in warm
weather a clay house seems damp, dark, and gloomy.
The wigwams are not arranged with much regularity,
although there is some order in the placing of three rows
nearest the stream, which are about fifty or sixty feet apart.
Two Bears' wigwam is about a hundred yards from that
of the Chief Rain-in-the-face, while Chief Gopher, the
story-teller, has his tipi not far from that of Two Bears.
Gopher is the richest Indian in the tribe, owning a hun-
dred and ten ponies. His children have all married, and
are settled in the upper end of the village. He lives alone
with his aged wife. Rain-in-the-face, the leading chief
at this time, is about thirty-two years old, tall, command-
ing, and of pleasing address, although at times very stern
and relentless, and possesses a temper which, when fully
aroused, sweeps and rages and turns him into a demon,
as the fearful cyclone sweeping across the prairie turns a
scene of beauty into a wilderness of desolation. Rain-in-
the-face has a squaw, Wa-wa, and a son, Strong Heart.
He has no other children.
So much for the surroundings of the village and its
leading characters. There are many squaw men, whites
who have married Indian women, and who live off the
tribe, and a number of worthless persons. We find these
in our civilized communities, as well as in the barbarians'
home ; it is a thing to be deplored, but one for which
there is no remedy.
W A N N E TA .
Evening has settled down, and the sun-light has faded.
Dark forms can be seen here and there hurrying toward
the dance-liouse, some in groups of three and four, talk-
ing and laughing, others singly and silently wending their
way to the scene of the festivities.
There are a number of fires upon the open space.
Their ruddy glow lights up the scene and gives a weird
effect to the moving figures. The dance has not yet be-
gun, nor have all the persons who shall take part arrived.
The ground outside the house is being used by the small
boys and girls of the tribe as a play-ground. You can
see them running here and there with merry shouts and
laughter, chasing a dog or tripping up a companion, just
as our boys and girls do in our country towns on the
evening of some political meetmg or great gathering.
Now and then a row of boys will form a circle about some
fire and for a few moments carry out in pantomime the
dance their fathers are to begin later. You see their
merry faces, hear their glad shouts and vigorous stamp-
ing, as they circle about the blaze.
Presently the drummer takes his position near the door
of the dance chamber. He strikes upon the tom-tom, and
the boys and girls instantly cease their boisterous merri-
ment, and in subdued tones and with stealthy tread ap-
proach the building. Some of the boldest enter, while
the others lurk about the entrance or apply their eyes to
crevices in the walls, and give themselves up to longings
to be a grown man and dance.
As the drummer pounds upon the tom-tom, the dancers
file into the structure until some sixty or seventy are
22 WANNETA.
present. All do not dance at once, but from time to time
those who are tired retire, and their places are taken by
others. The head-dress of buffalo horns is very heavy,
and a warrior cannot dance over two hours without great
fatig-ue. Meanwhile the women join in the chaunt. Some
few of them are selected to dance at intervals with the
men. It is considered quite an honour for a woman to
dance, and consequently the dusky belles of the plains
prink and paint exactly as one of our society belles would
to attend an Inauguration Ball or distinguished reception
in Washington or New York.
The dancers have all entered and taken their positions.
The musicians are seated by the drummer, and the or-
chestra, consisting of one drum and three flutes, is ready
to strike up. At a given signal they begin. The men
sing a dismal tune of some ten or twelve notes, repeated
over and over. The women sing the same tune with a
few variations. The whole makes a harmonious sound,
although very monotonous to any ears but those of an
Indian. The music given herewith is that used in the
buffalo dance.
BUFFALO DANCE SONG.
Lfcjz_:4 — ^ — J — . ^ — Jiz^ — ^ ^ - — J-^ — ^ — ^ ^tfc
^ Repeat.
Chief Rain-in-the-face joined in the dance, as did his
son, Strong Heart. Gopher was too old to participate,
but the entire family of Two Bears, except the youngest
child, decked out in great extravagance of hair, feathers,
and paint, took part in the ceremonies.
WANNETA. 23
After half an hour had passed the women with-
drew from the circle, and the men continued about
the centre pole of the house, each in turn invokino-
the aid of the Good Spirit Waukantauka on the coming
hunt.
Suddenly a new and pleasing- feature presented itself
At a given signal ten of the most beautiful young women
in the entire tribe, led by Wanneta, sprang into the centre
of the house, and forming a line not far from the men,
began a low chaunt. They were decked out most gor-
geously, and looked really charming. There was no hor-
rible buffalo mask about their shapely shoulders; they
had come for a ceremonial such as is always given when a
buffalo dance is in progress, known as the love dance. In
this, young braves and maidens are at their best, and often
become betrothed. It is an event looked forward to by
all the young people. When the maidens entered, the
married men who had been dancing withdrew, and the
young men threw off" the masks and appeared in feathers
and paint, dressed with great care and taste. The column
of young women advanced with a graceful motion, similar
to a shuffle. The young men advanced on one foot hop-
ping ; then, when the lines were about ten feet apart, all
turned suddenly and danced backward to opposite sides
of the house. The lines delayed a moment, then the
squaws came to the assistance of the orchestra, and a new
tune, much more lively, was struck up, and the young
men began the love chaunt. A rude translation of some
of the lines may be of interest:
Young Man : '' My dear, will you take my hand and
24 WANNETA
dance across the floor? I am strong and brave; none
can treat you so well."
Young Woman : *' Who are you thus to speak ? I will
not take your hand."
Youfig Man : *' A trial will assure you that I am not so
bad. I think you will prefer me to other braves here."
Young Woman : " Since you are so bold, I will dance
across this room once, if you are sure you prefer me to
another."
So the conversation ran, very dull to us, but full of
meaning to the Indian.
Wanneta had danced forward and back again several
times. She saw no one she fancied ; in fact, it was the
first dance she had attended for three years, and she was
somewhat bewildered. She remembered that Rain-in-
the-face's son Strong Heart was a friend of hers before
she went East, but supposed that he had forgotten all
about her. She had not seen him since she returned, and
could scarcely imagine how he looked.
When the second call came, and the time for each girl
to be led across the floor to the other side, she noticed
a large, broad-shouldered, finely-dressed young brave
approaching her, his face full of expression and his
eyes intently set upon her face. There was something
familiar about the features ; could it be Strong Heart ?
He was near ; he asked to dance with her ; she con-
sented, and before she could realize where she was,
they were across the room and responding to each other
in chaunt.
" Do you not know me, Wanneta? "
WANNE TA.
25
'' Yes ; you are Strong Heart, the companion of my
childhood."
'' Have you forgotten your old friends?"
" No ; how could I ? I am the daughter of a Sioux,
and as such I would feel ashamed to forget any one whom
I had known and with whom I had played."
And so they talked and chaunted back and forth. The
half hour allowed for this dance seemed but a few mo-
ments, and both were very sorry when it was over. The
people looking on were struck with the beauty of Strong
Heart and Wanneta, and many said : " How well they
look ; how they keep time ; what a fine son our chief
has ! " or, '' Two Bears ought to be proud of his daughter."
As the dance was concluding, Strong Heart said :
** Wanneta, let us take a ride on our ponies in the morn-
ing. I want to talk with you. Would you not like to
see the rocky glen where I gathered ferns for you when
last we romped across the plain ? There are some beauti-
ful ones there now. Will you go? " And as she left him
and rejoined her companions outside, she whispered
"yes."
The bright faces vanished and in their place came a
crowd of masked warriors shaking bows, spears, and
guns, and calling on the Great Spirit for plenty of buf-
faloes. Around and around the post they circled, now
bending low to the earth, now straightening up and deliv-
ering a piercing yell. The fire light, the shadows of the
dancers, the doleful singing of the squaws and the drone
of the orchestra make a combination of sight and sound
which when once heard can never be forgotten.
26 WANNETA.
Thus the dance went on all night long. As soon as
one Indian became tired, another took his place, and as
there were plenty of men in the village the ceremonies
could have been continued for several days without dif-
ficulty. As soon as the sun was fairly above the eastern
hills those who had taken part repaired to their tipis,
where they were glad to pass nearly all of the day in
sleeping and smoking.
Wanneta had stayed up no later than midnight in anti-
cipation of what was coming, so when Strong Heart rode
toward the tipi on his fleet pony, she was ready to
accompany him.
Her father had brought in her pony. Brown Eyes, and
when her escort was drawing near, she leaped nimbly
upon the animal's bare back and with a series of short
yells galloped out to meet the chiefs son. Nearly all
Indians ride bareback.
Strong Heart advanced to meet her with a smile upon
his face, and as soon as he was beside her, with a
common impulse both lashed their ponies into a mad run
and raced away across the rolling prairie toward the
north.
CHAPTER III.
THE DAY AT THE CLIFFS.
There are portions of Dakota, in fact there are large
stretches of country, where the soil is so very poor that
little grows. Such sections are known as the Bad Lands.
There are some spots in these Bad Lands which are, as it
were, slight oases in the desert, places where a few shrubs
and ferns flourish. There are many valuable minerals
throughout the region, and as the great gulches and
cliffs have been formed by volcanic action, the geology of
the section is exceedingly interesting. There are, too,
many fossil remains in the organic rocks throughout this
section, and surveyors in the interest of science have been
known to travel from the far East in order to visit and
study the freaks of nature as here exhibited in awful
grandeur.
These Bad Lands begin quite suddenly, the southern
portion being the most picturesque. Small streams
break through here and there, and for some twenty-eight
or thirty miles the gulches are filled with wild flowers
and ferns, although no trees grow, and the effect is very
beautiful. Imagine some vine trailing its green length
up the side of a tall pillar-shaped rock, or a spray of ferns
or pink flowers sprouting out from the crevices in a
ledge many feet from the ground. These beautiful things
stand out against the background of the dark, frowning
27
28 IVAN NET A.
volcanic rocks, and seem all the more lovely because of
their dismal surroundings.
It was to one of these places that Strong Heart and
Wanneta were bound. Of course their thoughts w^ere
upon matters far removed from geology and kindred sub-
jects.
The horses had proceeded but a short distance before
they settled down into a steady gait, and so the ground was
passed over as if on the wings of the wind. When about
five miles from the village, far ahead toward the north
could be seen looming up and clearly outlined against the
azure sky, the first rocks and ledges of the Bad Lands.
In the clear dry air of the north-west, distances are very
deceptive, and a mountain or hill may look not more
than three miles away, when in reality it is ten or fifteen.
Wanneta and Strong Heart were not deceived by this,
for they were accustomed to the dry atmosphere. They
rode on, chatting pleasantly together, and not expecting
to reach the glen for at least an hour.
'' How much more enjoyable," said Wanneta, " is this
life than that which I led at the school in the East ! Here
I have no dismal walls to surround me, no one to dictate
what I shall do, none of the rules which bind my free
spirit and make me feel as did that poor red bird which
I once saw in a cage, vainly beating its wrings against the
bars in a mad but hopeless effort to escape. Never again
w^ill I leave my people ; I am a Sioux girl, not a pale
face ; I will live as such."
Strong Heart was not given to sentiment as much as
his fair companion, but he gave a tremendous grunt of
W ANN ETA. 29
approval, which, although it might lack in elegance, still
made up for the deficiency by coming from his heart and
being exceedingly emphatic. Indian-like, he passed over
her remarks without any comment, and, changing the
subject hastily, he said :
'' What did you think of the dance last night?"
"Oh, I liked it very well," she -replied; "I had not
been at a dance for three years, as, of course, they have
nothing at the white man's school except one totally dif-
ierent from ours. I saw one or two of these, and did not
think much of them. I had a very good time, but as you
were the only young man that I remembered or cared to
dance with, it would have been rather tedious had you
not been there."
'' Many of our people thought we looked very well
upon the floor," said Strong Heart ; '' they said that you
did just as well as if you had been at our dances once a
week for years, instead of having been away all the time."
They rode on in silence for a while, and then conversa-
tion began again. Strong Heart asking Wanneta what the
white man's idea of the Indian was. He had seen many
white men on the reservation and on his travels, but he
had never been to a large city, and he did not know how
many there were of them and what was their mode of life.
''You would be surprised," said Wanneta, ''to know
the ignorance of most whites about our customs and
habits. Many whom I saw in their country would pass
me upon the street and turn around and look at me as if
I were some wild animal. You know, Strong Heart, that
were a white man to go through our village we would
30 WANNETA.
talk among ourselves and wonder who he was and w^hat
he \vanted, but unless he asked questions or showed in-
terest, no one w'ould crowd about him and be so rude as
to stare at him, ask him impertinent questions and laugh
aloud at his replies ; yet they call him a civilized being,
and they look upon us as savages. Another thing I could
not understand was how their men could cheat and de-
fraud each other, saying with open face ' this dress or
horse which I have for sale is the finest to be bought in
the city, and I am selling it at less than I paid for it, when
they know that which they offer has not cost them half
what they sell it for, that it is a very poor dress or horse,
as the case may be, and w^orth very little. Were one of
our tribe to defraud his neighbour in such a bold-faced
manner, he would be driven out of the village."
'' Ugh, ugh," grunted the young man.
'' But they have some very beautiful writings and say-
ings about our nation and about other Indian nations in
the West, some of which I read or our teacher read to us,
and w^hich we committed to memory. There was a great
man named Longfellow, who wrote some beautiful poetry
about the Indians, which, while in some particulars un-
true, is still so beautiful that I wish you could hear it."
'' Say some of it for me, Wanneta," said Strong
Heart, "• I should like to hear what the great story-
teller of the white men has to say about us. It would
interest me."
Wanneta continued,—'' He w^rote a big book full of
these stories, w^hich of course when I translate to our
people, as I brought one of the books with me, I cannot
WAN NET A. 31
make rhyme as he did, for he wrote it in his own lan-
guage. But I can make it very interesting. To-night,
if the people will come to the lodge, I will read them
what the great story-teller has to say."
The young man gave another grunt, and she con-
tinued : — '' He writes a beautiful story about our red
pipestone, and as I remember some of it, I will say it for
you." Then Wanneta began to recite, translating into
the Sioux tongue, Longfellow's celebrated '' Peace Pipe,"
which begins : —
"On the mountains of the prairie,
On the great red pipestone quarry,
Gitchie Manitou, the mighty,
He, the Master of Life, descending.
Stood, and called the nations.
Called the tribes of men together," etc.
Strong Heart thought it was very well done, and he
expressed his approval, saying that his people would
greatly rejoice to hear the poem recited, and he should
tell all whom he saw to assemble at the large dance-
house, where she would read it to them.
Wanneta hoped to get the Indians interested in some
of these poems, because she thought it would do them
great good. She had a very peculiar character herself,
and while she wanted to be free, independent, and Uve
with the tribe, she still wished to retain some of the
white man's ways and to give the other Indians an idea
of what the white men said of their people.
They were now close to the Bad Lands, and the grass
and flowers which had been growing so profusely under
32 WANNETA
foot had almost entirely disappeared. They traversed a
distance of nearly a mile before reaching the base of the
cliff along the bank of a small but muddy stream. To
the right and left of this stream there was a stretch
of reddish earth, with nothing green upon its surface.
Where the water flowed and irrigated the soil within a
short distance on each side, the vegetation flourished ;
but even the banks of the stream soon began to present a
desolate appearance, and when the young Indians passed
into the opening of the glen from which the stream
issued, almost everything that had life had died out, save
here and there large ferns and coloured flowers growing
in crevices and openings.
" Let us get off" here and walk, Wanneta," said Strong
Heart. So they dismounted, and the young man made
fast the halters of the horses to a good-sized stone.
Indian halters are of platted horse-hair and are twenty
feet long, so that if the end be fastened, the animal has
sufficient length of rope to graze.
An Indian never goes out alone without being armed,
so Strong Heart had taken his Winchester with him and
about thirty-five or forty cartridges. They had seen one
or two deer grazing in the plain as they approached the
Bad Lands, but as the young people Avere not on a
hunting expedition, he had made no attempt to shoot
them.
Walking up the gorge nearly a mile. Strong Heart
gathered ferns here and there until Wanneta's hands
were full. With the agility of his race he scaled almost
precipitous places, plucking here a beautiful fern, there a
WANNETA. II
wild flower, and at her bidding came and went. As he
would, perchance, slip and fall, or stumble, when making-
a supreme effort to gain her approval, she would laugh
uproariously, and her loud yet musical voice echoed
from side to side of the gorge until it died away in the
distance. Thus the time passed pleasantly. About one
o'clock they sat down on a ledge of rock, and, with their
feet danghng, began to eat some little corn-cakes and
dried beef which he had brought in a beaded bread-sack,
such as braves generally carry when hunting. But sud-
denly something happened which drove all thought of
pleasure out of their minds, and caused the ferns and
flowers which Wanneta held in her hand to fall into the
narrow defile below.
Just after Strong Heart had opened the bread-sack and
had given the corn-cake to Wanneta, they heard voices
far up the gulch echoed clearly toward them by the rocky
walls. They knew instantly that the sound was made by
the Crows, old enemies of the Sioux nation. Both were
aware that, while there had been no hostilities for some
time, the last depredations committed had been by the
Sioux of their own village, so that, should they be seen,
they could expect little mercy at their hands. Like his
father. Strong Heart was kind and considerate to his
friends, but revengeful and cruel to his enemies. No
sooner had the sound reached him, than he caught Wan-
neta by the arm and pulled her back, while he glanced up
and down the defile. He saw an opening in the rock
about two hundred feet beyond them, nearly on a level
with the ledge on which they had been seated. Running
34 WANNETA.
hastily thither he looked in, and returned to Wanneta,
saying, '' Come quick ; get in here. The Crows are
coming. Keep perfectly still."
Hurrying to the opening, they found a space a trifle
larger than their bodies, leading into a small, irregular
room, such as is commonly known as a fissure. This had
once an opening above and below, but, fortunately for
our friends, a contraction in the rock, or some upheaval
in past ages, had slipped a large slab across its top.
This had broken, and a part of it falling into the crevice
below, had wedged itself tightly. It formed an uneven
floor, which had a dip or slope toward the west, w^hich
was hard to stand upon, but which afforded a safe retreat.
There was no way for a missile to reach the interior, ex-
cept through the opening in front.
'' Wanneta, if they see us and fire, you must keep back
in the corner, so that a shot cannot reach you. Help me
fill part of the opening." There were not stones enough
to make a barrier more than breast-high, but Strong
Heart was in hopes that it would suffice as a protection.
It was nearly five minutes before the enemy, who were
advancing through the gulch, had come near enough to
be seen by those above. The feelings of fear in Wan-
neta's breast had passed away, and she now had consid-
erable curiosity as to the movements of the Crows. Of
course, the presence of the two in the cave was unknown,
and they would, perhaps, have been passed unnoticed, but
for the flowers and ferns which had accidentally dropped
into their path. The mounted Crows v/ere carefully
picking their way in and out among the boulders. They
WANNETA. 35
had passed the cave, which was about eighty feet above
them, and would, in all probability, have gone on, not
supposing that any Sioux were near at hand, when one
of their number discovered the freshlv-broken ferns and
flowers lying in a little heap near the wall of the defile.
As soon as he saw them he uttered a grunt of surprise,
dismounted, picked them up and showed them to his
companions, who immediately gathered about and looked
up and down, this way and that way. They saw the
cave entrance, but as it was partially filled with stones
and its interior quite dark, they could not, of course, tell
whether or not it was inhabited.
Five or six dismounted from their horses and started
on a quick run ahead of their party. They soon came to
a level stretch of nearly half a mile in extent, and saw the
ponies tied at the other end of it. An Indian pony knows
an enemy or a stranger, and gives an alarm on their ap-
proach, just as a farmer's watch-dog lets it be known
when a person of a different community passes the farm
house or a stranger enters its gate. So the two horses,
hearing the patter of the Indians' feet, were on the alert,
and recognizing, perhaps, that something unusual was
taking place, pricked up their ears, snorted, and sprang
back as far as the halters would allow them. When
Strong Heart had made them fast he did not expect to be
gone long, and so had tied them to a stone of about three
hundred pounds weight. The animals struggled vainly
to escape, while the Indians quickened their pace, in or-
der to capture them before they could break away.
Brown Eyes, Wanneta's pony, gave a great plunge, and
36 WANNETA.
overturned the stone to which she was tied ; the rope
around the end of it slipped off, and thus freed her. The
stone in faUing tightened the knot in the halter of the
other animal, so that, although it struggled frantically to
escape, it was unable to join its fleeing companion, and
fell an easy prey to the exultant Crows. Brown Eyes
dashed down the rocky bed of the stream, and would
have soon been out of danger; but, quick as thought, one
of the Indians caught up his gun and sent a well-directed
shot after the fleeing mare. Although this grazed her
flank and wounded her slightly, drawing considerable
blood, it proved a blessing rather than a curse, because it
frightened the animal so that she redoubled her speed,
dashed across the plain in furious haste, and traversed the
twelve miles between the scene of the capture and the
Sioux village in less than an hour.
The sight of Brown Eyes dashing into the village, cov-
ered with foam and blood, created great excitement, and
it was not fifteen minutes before seventy mounted Sioux
warriors, on their fleet ponies, with resounding whoops,
were following up its trail to learn whether or not the son
and daughter of two of their most prominent people were
in trouble and needed assistance.
The Crows, meanwhile, led the captured horse back to
their companions with exultant shouts. Those who had
halted where the flowers were found had been looking all
about, but could find no trace of trail or see any living
being. Some moments were spent in consultation, and
it was advised to go down the canon to where the rocky
ledge, up which our two friends had clambered, began
WANNETA. 37
its ascent. The ledge was about five feet wide, and ran
slantingly up the side of the canon until eighty feet from
the ground, then it was quite level in extent for nearly a
hundred yards, the further end being in front of the cave
in which Wanneta and Strong Heart were secreted. In
other words, it was a sort of a road formed by nature, a
freak which cannot be explained, but which is of frequent
occurrence, and which, like the entire country embraced
in the Bad Lands, is due to volcanic action.
Two of the warriors began the ascent at the lower end
of the ledge. Intense excitement reigned inside of the
cave as these two braves clambered upward. Strong
Heart's eyes were flashing, his sinews stretched to their
utmost tension, and his whole frame bore the aspect of
stern defiance. He grasped his trusty Winchester, and
made ready to fire upon the approach of the foremost In-
dian. Wanneta stood in the corner and whispered to him
some suggestions, but as a warrior cares little for the ad-
vice of a woman when there is a fight on hand, he silenced
her with, '' Be still, Wanneta."
He decided upon a very strange and bold course, and
bidding her stand with six or seven cartridges ready to
throw into the magazine of the gun, he stuck his head
and shoulders out of the aperture, and called out in the
Crow tongue, '' Stand back. I will shoot the first man
that comes upon the ledge. We desire peace. You are
on our land, where you have no right. Our nations have
not had war for many moons. Stand back, 1 say. If you
advance, or shoot, I will open fire."
The Crows debated a few moments among themselves,
38 WANNETA
then one of their head warriors stepped forward, and,
throwing back his head, called out in the Crow tongue,
'■'■ Come down and surrender. We will not harm you ;
we wish to exchange you for two Crow prisoners in your
camp. Come down, or I will order my young men to
shoot."
Strong Heart turned to his companion, and said,
"■ Shall we surrender, Wanneta? "
She drew herself up, and proudly answered, '' No.
Surrender means probably death for you and worse than
death for me. No ; there are only thirty of them. Make
them keep off."
Cautiously screening his head and shoulders behind
one of the irregular-shaped rocks in the opening. Strong
Heart called out, " We will not surrender. We will stay
here. Call those two men off the ledge, or I will fire."
Then, turning to Wanneta, he said, *' I have only thirty-
six cartridges. I must not waste the ammunition. Here,
take my hunting-knife."
He drew a keen, bright blade, fitted into a handle made
out of a deer's front foot, from his sheath, and placing it
in her hand, said, '' Wanneta, hide this in your dress. If
they capture or kill me, advance to the head warrior as
if to shake hands, and say, 'how,' run the knife through
him, and then plunge it into your own heart." She took
it with a slight shudder, half afraid, but a few moments
afterward grasped it with a firm hold, and stood ready to
carry out her friend's instructions.
The two Crows on the cleft stood irresolute for a few
moments, then turning, ran back to their companions.
WANNE TA.
39
The band withdrew up the canon, secreted their ponies
in a sheltered spot, and advanced on foot to the attack.
They were armed with muzzle-loaders, and bows and
arrows, being evidently just coming in from a hunting
excursion. There were thirty of them, and there was not
one Winchester in the entire band, so Strong Heart stood
a fair chance if he could make his shots count, and, at the
same time, keep himself well secreted. It had taken the
Crows some time to go down the gulch to the horses and
return, so that, with the time taken for the parley, nearly
three-fourths of an hour had passed by. Strong Heart
and Wanneta had heard the Indians say that one of the
horses had escaped, wounded. This greatly gratified
them, for they knew that it would reach camp, be seen by
their friends, and that a party would be sent for their
rescue. The Indians talked quite loudly, when describing
the escape of this horse, as it was not known to them that
the Sioux were secreted until too late to keep this from
their knowledge. The Crows, too, were well aware how
near the Sioux village they were, and they would not
dare to remain very long for fear of the approach of their
enemies.
They returned after hiding their horses, and ran up
and down the canon, secreting themselves behind rocks,
or standing where they thought the bullets of the enemy
would not reach them. Strong Heart, knowing well
their superior numbers, reserved his fire as long as pos-
sible, and it was not until several volleys of arrows had
whizzed through the entrance, or splintered themselves
against the rocky walls on each side, that he fired his first
40 W A N N E T A
shot. He lay down on the bottom of the cave and fired
through a little opening, scarcely three by four inches, as
it was too dangerous to shoot standing, the rocks in the
opening being but breast-high. Wanneta crouched in
the corner at his side, for had she remained at the rear of
the cave a glancing shot might have injured her. The
arrows and bullets that entered through the opening flat-
tened themselves against the wall behind, doing no dam-
age. Strong Heart wished to keep the Crows from
ascending, because they would then have a better com-
mand of his stronghold. If they shot from the creek-bed
upward their missiles passed through the opening against
the ceiUng and glanced to the rear wall, where they fell
harmlessly. Hence the importance of keeping the enemy
from reaching a height equal to their own.
Crack, crack, came two loud, deafening shots, from the
cave, at two reckless Crows who had run from cover to-
ward the ponies, the firing having made some of them
unmanageable. The shots were excellent ones. One
warrior was killed outright, and the other had his arm
broken at the elbow. Strong Heart hastily slipped two
new cartridges into the places of those discharged, it
being very important in a fight like this, against great
odds, to keep the magazine of the gun filled. Two more
shots disabled another warrior. Then four Crows, armed
with bows and arrows, came on a dead run with loud
'' hi-hi-hi's," up the rocks, in order to secure a position
that would command the cave.
Strong Heart had to spring to his feet. He delivered
two shots, about three seconds apart, which tumbled two
WANNE TA
41
of the braves into the gulch below ; the other two losing-
heart, turned and dashed back to their companions, one
of them being shot through the back of the head as he
ran. As Strong Heart dropped to the floor several ar-
rows and bullets passed close to his head, one of them
making a scalp wound about three inches in length, but
not stunning him. The Crows became convinced that he
had plenty of ammunition, and a superior gun. So they
ran with the speed of the wind back to their ponies, and
held a consultation. The sudden death and disabling of
six of their number considerably disheartened them, and
from their loud words and " ki-ky-ing," the companions
in the cliff thought that many were counselling a re-
treat. Nearly half an hour passed in the debate, and
just as our friends were hoping that they were to be left
alone, the remaining warriors, with loud yells, charged
down the creek, grasped the bodies of their dead and
wounded, and rushed back to shelter. Strong Heart
meanwhile sent two shots, which, at this short distance,
with a steady hand, could not fail to do damage. One
man was shot through the lungs, and another one had his
right hip broken. The Crows did not remain in hiding
long, but soon came with a wild rush down the canon,
stripped nearly naked, with all the knives they could
command in their hands, and one or two tomahawks and
rifles, evidently designing to storm the place. As they
swept by they scattered out, then came together again at
the beginning of the terrace or ledge, and charged up in
a body. As soon as they were in full view. Strong Heart,
knowing that this was their last charge, resolved to take
42 WANNETA
the risk of being shot. He screened himself as well as he
could, and resting his rifle across the stones, poured
twelve of the sixteen shots in the magazine of the gun
into the advancing crowd. Those in front staggered
back, and those behind tried to push forward. There
was a pause for an instant. Taking advantage of this.
Strong Heart slipped in five new cartridges, and opened
another rapid and destructive fire of eight shots upon the
enemy. This was too much for them, for with half their
number dead and dying they turned around with loud
yelps and ran back to the horses.
During the last charge, Wanneta's heart failed her,
and she was groaning and moaning in her corner of the
cave, expecting every instant to see Strong Heart stagger
back and fall.
As soon as the remaining Crows fled, Strong Heart
placed his last cartridges in the gun, and saw that he had
but seven shots left. He looked out cautiously through
the hole, and counted seven dead and four wounded men
upon the ledge. Two of them seemed but little hurt, and
had rested themselves upon their elbows.
As the clatter of the ponies going up the canon gave a
sense of security to the brave young Sioux, Wanneta
could not help recognizing how great a man her friend
was. Among our people a deed like his would not give
one great renown, but among the Indians, who esteem
bravery above everything, it is different. Strong Heart
would now be the hero of the whole Sioux nation. His
smile, his word of commendation, would be sought by all,
and any who could would do him honour. His brave
WANNETA. 43
Indian spirit exulted now that he had vanquished his foes,
and, rifle in hand, he pushed down the barrier and leaped
out on the ledge, threw back his head and uttered the long,
Sioux war-whoop. As it echod and re-echoed through
the rocky walls of the gorge, there came an answer fron^
the distance of loud re-echoing war-whoops, mingled
with the welcome sound of the clatter of horses' feet.
The Sioux were coming, led by Rain-in-the-face. As
Wanneta and Strong Heart heard this glad sound, the
one answered it with the loudest yell that he had ever
given, while the other laughed hysterically, alternating
her mirth with sobs, when she thought of the danger
passed, as she stood in the doorway ready to behold the
glad sight. At this moment, just as the horsemen came
in sight, one of the wounded Crows, maddened by the
sound, drew himself up to a sitting posture, presented his
piece and fired, the ball taking effect through Strong
Heart's left shoulder, breaking the collar-bone and pierc-
ing the shoulder-blade. The instant that the savage fired
he fell back among his dying companions, weak from the
loss of blood.
Strong Heart dropped fainting from the shot, and
Wanneta, with mingling emotions of pity for him and
scorn for his slayer, grasped his rifle, cocked it, and
would have fired upon the two remaining Crows had
they made a motion, but as their guns were empty, she
left them to meet their fate at the hands of the coming
Sioux, and bent over her fallen friend. She quickly tore
off part of her dress, staunched the flowing blood, and
called out loudly to Rain-in-the-face, who was a few
44 WANNETA.
hundred yards distant, to hasten. She lifted the head of
poor Strong Heart into her lap, and, holding him as
gently as she could, called his name again and again.
Her poor heart was well-nigh broken, for she thought
him dead. The tears streamed down her cheeks as
she remembered his brave defense of her and the noble
spirit which he had shown. The horsemen were near
at hand, and raising her head, still holding Strong
Heart, while the blood flowed from under the band-
age across her deer-skin dress, colouring it crimson,
she called, " Come quickly ; bring water. Strong Heart
is dying."
Two Bears and Rain-in-the-face dashed into the creek,
filled the little bread-sacks that they carried with water,
wet their blankets, and hastened up the ledge to where
Wanneta was sitting. The other Indians took charge of
the bodies of the wounded and dying, went through their
usual horrible yells, and were instituting a hasty scalp-
dance, when Rain-in-the-face called to them to desist and
come near.
The chiefs had tenderly bound up Strong Heart, had
brought him to his senses by dashing water in his face,
and, while praising his noble bravery and telling him to
be strong and of big heart, they carried him tenderly
down into the creek-bed.
Fifty of the warriors followed the trail of the Crows,
while the others scalped the bodies of the slain and
rode on ahead to take the news to the village. The
Indians took turns in carrying the wounded man on a
sort of rude litter made from their blankets, one having
I
WANNETA. 45
hold of each corner. Their progress was necessarily
slow, but they could not place the brave upon a horse, as
the pain of the wound was so extreme. As it was, they
made good headway, and, shortly after dark that night,
entered the village, where a scene of great excitement
awaited them.
CHAPTER IV.
THE SCALP-DANCE. — WANNETA GOES TO SEE STRONG
HEART.
Strong Heart was now the most famous man in the
Sioux nation, and although he lay ill and very faint in
his father's lodge, his name was on every lip, his exploits
were being recited at every fireside. The young men of
the tribe would have given all they possessed to have
been with him in his bold fight. Seldom in the annals of
the Sioux nation had such a slaughter taken place, nor
was there any record of one man having kept at bay
thirty Crow warriors. Strong Heart did not receive all
the glory ; many came to Two Bears' lodge to see Wan-
neta, who had shared with him the perils of the fight, and
to offer her their congratulations on her escape from
capture.
It had been the custom for many years in the Sioux
nation to hold a scalp-dance in the large council-house,
whenever any particularly brave deed was done. As
every one knew what had taken place that day, all
were clamouring for the usual dance. Although Strong
Heart was quite ill, yet his recovery was vouched for by
one of the squaw men who knew a little about medicine,
and who had set the collar-bone. So the chief gave his
consent that the dance should take place that night.
About nine o'clock a crowd gathered inside, and in the
46
WANNE TA.
47
immediate vicinity of the large building where the buf-
falo dance had been held, a crowd which rivalled in num-
bers that large assembly. Those who were to take part
were differently dressed from those who had taken part
in the buffalo and the love dances. The idea prevalent
that a great quantity of ornaments is worn during this
dance is erroneous ; in a scalp-dance there is a lack of
costume instead of a great profusion of finery. None but
men were allowed to take part, and all the ornaments be-
tokened something savage, something brave. For in-
stance, two or three scalps are fastened to the pole m the
centre of the lodge around which the dancers cir::le. The
leaders carry each a scalp, but those who are not for-
tunate enough to have taken any, are allowed to take part
also. A necklace of bears' teeth and claws is worn, brace-
lets made of panthers' teeth, and a scarf, beautifully
beaded and fringed with rattlesnake rattles, is thrown
over the shoulder. Each warrior sticks in his hair eagle
plumes to designate the number of scalps he has taken.
A warrior who is entitled to three eagle feathers is a
big man in his tribe, and one Avho can wear fifteen or
twenty, like Strong Heart, stands a very fair chance of
being elected as next chief.
In the scalp-dance the women stood outside the door,
a few of the favoured only being allowed to come in, and
at certain intervals they joined in the wild song with the
braves. Most of the music, however, was furnished by
the Indian orchestra, consisting of several tom-toms and
a number of flutes, the orchestra being larger than that
on the last occasion.
48 W A NN ETA,
The dancers were most hideously painted, and pre-
sented a most ferocious appearance. As they filed into
the house, and forcing their way through the crowd,
began to hop first on one foot, and then on the other, in
a circle around the centre pole, they looked savage, in-
deed. As the dance went on, one would stamp upon the
earth with all his might, and lifting himself erect, would
brandish his scalping-knife, and give a war-whoop, in
which he would be joined by all. The noise was simply
deafening. In the centre of the circle, with his back
against the pole supporting the rafters above, sat the
chief medicine-man of the tribe. One half of his face was
painted black, and the other white. He had before him
several little sacks filled with herbs, rattles of snakes,
claws of wild beasts, skulls of animals, and other odds and
ends. These he shook ever and anon, sometimes over
the heads of the dancers, as they passed him, and at other
times toward the spirits supposed to be circling in the air
near by. His hideous face, wrinkled with age and ghastly
with paint, reflected the varying passions of his soul.
Truly no demon from the infernal regions could have
presented a more frightful aspect, or could have gone
through more diabolical incantations.
Wanneta stood near the dancers and watched their
evolutions for some time. At last, wearying of it all, she
sought her father's tipi and, throwing herself upon the
pile of skins, gave up her mind to meditation. The
excitement of the day and the scenes through which she
had passed would have unnerved any but an Indian girl.
Wanneta's strong spirit scarcely knew what fear was,
W ANN ETA. 49
and in the security of her father's wigwam, while thinking
over what had taken place, she was highly gratified with
the results, more especially because she was fond of
adventure and because the day's doings had given her
great notoriety in the tribe. Indians will do almost any-
thing to gain the approval and applause of their own
people. Wanneta thought of the noble Strong Heart
lying wounded in his father's tipi, and deciding upon the
impulse of the moment, ran out into the open air, passing
many fires, and winding in and out among the tipis until
she reached the lodge wherein he lay.
It was ten o'clock, and none of the Indians had as yet
turned in. Wawa, Strong Heart's mother, was prepar-
ing a little broth for her son at the camp-fire back of the
wigwam, so before entering the tipi, Wanneta spoke a
few words with her. *' How is he getting on?" she
asked.
** Oh, he is feeling much better, although the wound
those treacherous Crows gave him pains him severely.
Would you like to go in and see him?"
Wawa entered the lodge, followed by Wanneta, and
going over to one corner where Strong Heart was lying,
said, '' My son, here is Wanneta come to see you, and
find out how you are."
Strong Heart turned his head toward the new-comer
and made a slight motion with his right hand for her to
sit down. She found a seat on the pile of soft furs on
which he lay, and from the little light shed by the small
fire in the centre of the tipi, could see that he was
suffering sharply. His face she could not distinguish
50 WANNETA.
plainly, but she judged from his heavy breathing that he
was feverish. '' The medicine-man has little that will do
you good, Strong Heart. I have some medicine which I
brought from the school, which my teacher gave me, that
may be better. Shall I bring it to you ? "
*' Yes," murmured Strong Heart, " bring it here."
At this Wanneta ran quickly home, opened a little
wooden box, took out one or two morphine powders and
some quinine. Then running hastily back to Rain-in-the-
face's lodge, she seated herself close heside Strong Heart,
telling Wawa to bring a little water. Raising the sick
man's head carefully, she gave him one of the morphine
powders and then a drink of water. She sat patiently
beside him for nearly an hour, holding his hand and
watching the deep sleep into which he had fallen from
the effects of the drug. She explained to Wawa the use
of the powders and left them, so that should Strong
Heart suffer during the night, he might be given another.
The squaw man in the tribe, who knew a little of medi-
cine as practiced by white physicians, had been there and
had rudely set the broken collar-bone. The medicine-
man had been there also with his rattles and drums, mak-
ing the usual hideous noise to drive away the evil spirits.
Wawa had great faith in the medicine-man, but neither
her son nor his father placed any confidence in him,
Strong Heart himself being especially wearied by the
noise that the old fraud made, so he was very glad when
he had gone. Whatever Wanneta might think of the
Sioux people, she had learned enough at school to lead
her to believe her grandfather a fraud as a physician.
WANNE TA
51
although in other ways he might be very agreeable. She
resolved to see him and find out if he would not give up
the care of Strong Heart to her and the squaw man,
Richards. It would not be worth while to make known
this idea to her parents, as they would not approve of it,
neither would it be best to tell any one save Rain-in-the-
face himself. Therefore she decided that as soon as her
grandfather should be up in the morning — for he would
sleep late on account of his efforts at the scalp-dance — she
would see him and extort, if possible, a promise from him.
Having decided on this, she gave herself up to thoughts
about Strong Heart himself for a few moments, and then,
with a slight parting pressure upon his hand, returned to
her father's tipi.
Wanneta slept beside her little sister until late the next
morning. Her father and brother had been attending the
scalp-dance, and did not return to the lodge until broad
daylight, so that when they arose, about noon, Wanneta
had been up for some time, and was on her way to the
tipi of her grandfather.
As is the custom in Indian tribes, the medicine-man al-
ways lives on the outskirts of the village. His lodge is
looked on with some superstition by the other Indian^,
as there are in it objects which seem to them to be more
or less akin to the supernatural. Although she had been
taught to pay no attention to such things, and to regard
them without fear, it was with some hesitation that Wan-
neta entered the lodge. Her grandfather, not imagining
her mission, received her very cordially, bade her be
seated, and asked her what news she brought.
^2 W A N N E TA,
'' I have come," said the girl, '' to ask a favour."
** Wa-da-ha would grant a favour to his granddaughter;
he well knows that she would ask nothing foolish, and
her brave spirit, as shown by what she did yesterday, en-
titles her to many favours." Pleased w4th the words,
Wanneta became quite bold, and broached the object of
her coming without further delay.
'' I want to give Strong Heart the white man's medi-
cine, of which I have a supply, which was given me in
the East. It will do him good— make him strong; it will
do more for him than all the noise which you make about
his bedside."
'' My child," said Wa-da-ha, '* it is a good plan to give
him good medicine, but it is not best for the great medi-
cine-man not to see him, as there are many evil spirits
hovering about which I must drive away."
Wanneta's heart sank when she heard these words, but
she did not give up, and said, '' Give him to me, grand-
father. I will take as good care of him as you could,
and I am sure he will get along better under my care.
Please do this, oh, great medicine-man, and I wdll do any-
thing for you that you may wish."
Wa-da-ha thought a moment before replying. '' My
child, if I do not cure the chiefs son they will say my
medicine is not as good as yours ; they will laugh, and
say the great medicine-man has failed. No, my child ; I
cannot give him up to you."
" Oh, this you must do," cried Wanneta. '' I will give
him good medicine, and, if you will only say that I can
take care of him, I will tell the people that it is your
WANNETA. 53
medicine that is doing him so much good. You shall
have all the credit and the honour of making him well, the
son of great Rain-in-the-face."
This put a new phase on the matter, and the old man
knew well the potency of the white man's medicine, and in
his secret heart was compelled to acknowledge it. He
therefore reasoned thus with himself: '' If I accept, I get
all the credit of this great healing, and many in the tribe
will make presents to me to conjure their enemies and
cure their sick. Therefore, I shall accept, and it shall be
known that great Wa-da-ha's medicine is so powerful that
even dangerous gun-shot wounds can be cured with it."
Turning to Wanneta, he said, *' My child, you bother
me much, and you are very forward, for one so young,
but it shall be as you wish. I give up Strong Heart to
your care, with this condition. You must tell every one
whom you meet, and who shall question you as to the
condition of the patient, that great Wa-da-ha's medicine
is doing a wonderful work, and that the patient is rapidly
recovering." And, with that, the old rascal began mut-
tering to himself, and strode back into a dark recess of his
wigwam, where he rattled some bones and other trinkets
probably to frighten the girl. Wanneta knew^ what he
was about, and, with a merry laugh, sprang out of the
lodge and ran rapidly home, full of delight at her success.
As she tripped gayly past the lodges and exchanged
salutations with those whom she met, she thought of her
dear friend who was now under her tender care, and of
whose recovery she felt certain. She entered the tipi of
her parents, humming a little tune which she had learned
54 WANNETA
in the Eastern school, and as bright and happy as the
birds ni the bushes fringing the stream, who, with glad
songs and cheerful chirpings, were flitting hither and
thither in search of food.
Two Bears and his son, John Runner, turned out
shortly after she came, partook of food prepared by
Omaha, and then stretched themselves in the sun, lighted
their pipes, and indulged in a quiet smoke. Scarcely had
they settled themselves, when a number of young people
came running up to the wigwam, and called loudly for
Wanneta to come out.
"■ You promised us," they said, "■ to read from the great
story-teller's book the words he wrote about the Indians.
We should like to hear what he has to say," and they
forthwith seated themselves. Wanneta was rather sorry
that she had told any but Strong Heart of the book, be-
cause she could not expect to escape in less than two
hours if she attempted to read, for as soon as they had
heard one story or poem they would wish another.
However, she got the book from its place in the little
trunk, which was one of the relics she had brought from
the East, and opened it to Hiawatha's fishing. This
pleased the young men very much, but the girls did not
show as much pleasure as when she began with Hiawa-
tha's wooing, which interested them all equally. As the
reading of this poem w^ent on, they expressed their ad-
miration in various ways, some by grunts, and now and
then by laughter, when the author attributed to the In-
dians customs far removed from their every-day life. On
the w^hole, the poem was considered a great success, and
I
WANNETA. 55
when the book was closed, it was with great reluctance
that the crowd dispersed to their homes. Wanneta did
not go to see Strong Heart until night was coming on,
when, fearing that the medicine-man might be carrying
on his noisy incantations, she wended her way thither to
see how he was getting on.
Entering the tipi, she found both Rain-in-the-face and
Wawa present, also Richards, the squaw man. Richards
had been feeling Strong Heart's pulse, and said that the
morphine, in putting him to sleep, had greatly reduced
the fever, and that he was in hopes that no serious inflam-
mation would set in. If he could be kept perfectly still
for some weeks, the collar-bone would knit together
sufficiently to allow him free movement of the muscles of
the upper arm, breast, and shoulder, but, if he should
move about much, he might be maimed for life. Both
his parents thought it most desirable to keep him quiet,
and as the party who had pursued the fleeing Crows re-
turned that afternoon with a number of scalps, and it was
almost certain that the Sioux village would be attacked
when the Crows could muster sufficient strength, Rain-
in-the-face gave orders that, when the buffalo-hunt
should come off, all the warriors with their families
should not go with it. Some should stay and guard the
village, otherwise the whole village must be moved with
them. It was feasible to take the wounded man to the
agency and leave a few braves as a guard while all the
rest went on the hunt. The Crows would hardly dare
attack the Sioux if stationed at the agency. Rain-in-the-
face resolved to call a council in one or two days, and
$6 WAN NETA.
leave the matter to the decision of the principal warriors
in the tribe.
As soon as the squaw man, Richards, had taken his
departure, Wanneta seated herself at the side of Strong
Heart, and asked him a number of questions as to how
he felt.
Rain-in-the-face went directly to the council-house,
stopping on the way to arouse the drummer and take him
with him. This functionary, upon his arrival at the build-
ing, sent out a prolonged call and began to beat the tom-
tom. The men of the tribe, hearing the sound, flocked to
the council-chamber to ascertain the cause of the summons.
When a goodly number had silently stalked within and
taken their seats in order of rank, the chief gravely lit his
large catlinite pipe, and blowing a number of whiffs up-
ward, passed it to the sub-chief, Gopher, to be sent
around the circle while he made his speech.
'' Brothers," said he, " I have called you together to
take measures against the probable attack of the Crows
upon us. We struck them a fearful blov/ yesterday, and
they will seek vengeance. I want twelve of you to stand
guard to-night over the village, at various points, and all
of you to place your guns and ammunition in readiness,
so that you cannot be surprised. The buffalo-hunt will
take place in eight days, and I think it best for my son to
be left at the agency buildings, with fifteen or twenty
young men to guard him. I know you all want to go on
the hunt, but I shall ask twenty of you to volunteer to act
as his guard until he recovers sufficiently to follow us on
the hunt. Who will remain ? "
WANNETA. 57
Thirty young men at once offered themselves as Strong
Heart's guard, twenty of whom the chief accepted. He
then told the braves assembled to be ready to start for
the upper Sioux reservation eight days from the next,
and, having given these directions, he dismissed the
council. The news quickly spread throughout the vil-
lage, every one expressing himself as entirely satisfied
with the arrangements.
Indians are usually two months on their annual buffalo-
hunt. They take everything with them when they go on
an excursion of this kind. It must be understood that in
setting dates, Sunday is counted the same as a week-day.
John Runner and several other young men were com-
missioned to visit the agency, inform the agent of the de-
cision of the tribe, and get his permission to erect tipis
just back of the government buildings, for the accommo-
dation of Strong Heart and his guard. Rain-in-the-face
was to accompany the main body on the hunt, and Wawa
would stay to take care of her son, assisted by Wanneta.
As Wanneta sat in the wigwam talking with Strong
Heart, the news was brought to them of the decision of
the council, and also that the medicine-man was coming.
Both Strong Heart and Wanneta had hoped that they
would see no more of this individual, but they were to be
disappointed. Wa-da-ha had heard it noised about the
village that the young girl's medicine was stronger than
his own, and that the probable recovery of the chief's son
was due to the effects of the drug she had administered,
so the old rascal bent his steps in the direction of the tipi
in somewhat of a rage. As Wanneta and Strong Heart
58 WANNETA
talked, they could hear him approaching, chaunting a
weird song, and rattling his necklace and chain of odds
and ends. In a few words Wanneta told her friend what
had taken place that morning in the lodge of her grand-
father, and asked his advice.
Among our people it would be considered very im-
proper for a young girl to take care of a wounded man
when his parents were at hand to do this, but Indian cus-
tom considers this entirely proper. The way the Indians
live, separated from each other by a simple door of thin
hide, permits many things which with us would be con-
sidered impossible. Therefore, when a warrior is injured
or in distress, there is not a woman in the entire tribe who
will not do all in her power to assist him to recovery.
Whether such a woman be attached to him or have not
the slightest affection for him, makes no difference. Her
Indian nature prompts her to do this, and should any
member of the tribe let another suffer unheeded, she
would be severely censured, and, perhaps, driven out of
the nation.
'' You did well," said Strong Heart ; '' your medicine
is good, and I have much faith in it. I shall tell old
Wa-da-ha that his noise disturbs me greatly, and I do
not want him here."
'' No ; do not do that," said Wanneta. " He is a great
man in the tribe, and exerts a powerful influence ; were
you to tell him this he would be furious, call a council,
and I should be denounced as instigating a revolution
against a man supposed to be endowed with power from
Waukantauka, the Great Spirit "
WANNETA. 59
"■ Be still," whispered Strong Heart ; ** he comes."
With many gestures and much ado, the medicine-man
entered the lodge. Approaching the bedside, he danced
around several times in circles, shaking a rattling gourd
above the patient, and calling upon Wakausica, the Evil
Spirit, to leave and torture no more the spirit of brave
Strong Heart.
Our friends listened a few moments, and then Wanneta,
springing to her feet, grasped her grandfather by the
arm, and excitedly cried out, " Be still ; you promised to
leave him to me. Why are you disturbing him ? Can-
not you see he does not want you here ? "
'' Child," said Wa-da-ha, '' they say in the village that
your medicine is greater than mine. I will not have it
so. Go; leave him to me! You have not kept your
promise."
" I have kept my promise," cried Wanneta ; '* I appeal
to Strong Heart for proof. I have told them that your
medicine is great. Do not drive me away. Let me stay ;
oh, let me stay."
Wawa came forward at this moment, and said, " Your
medicine is great, oh Wa-da-ha, and I have said so to all
who have been in the lodge to visit my son. We have
given him the white man's medicine, and it has done him
good."
This admission from the mother of the young man car-
ried great weight, as she had always been a believer in
the power of the medicine-man. But it did not satisfy
him. He flew into a rage ; he raved and stormed ; he called
all the evil spirits to visit the lodge ; he declared that he
6o WANNETA.
would never enter it again. His denunciation was terri-
ble, and although it startled Wanneta and Strong Heart
greatly, yet it did not shake their faith in the white man's
medicine. Not so with Wawa ; she was frightened nearly
to death ; she had always been taught to believe in the
medicine-man, and his curse of her house completely un-
nerved her. Seating herself in the corner, she swayed
her body from side to side and uttered low moans. She
should not be in the least surprised, so she muttered, to
have a death in her family before long.
After delivering his speech, Wa-da-ha walked nerv-
ously back and forth a few moments, and then deciding
upon a fearful action, sprang forward, and, walking
around Wanneta and Strong Heart, invoked upon their
heads the wrath of the bad spirit, Wakausica. Having
delivered himself of this last curse, he sprang out of the
doorway and vanished in the falling darkness.
CHAPTER V.
TROUBLE WITH THE MEDICINE-MAN.
As Wa-DA-HA left the lodge, Wanneta sprang from the
ground, and, running over to Wawa, said : *' Do not be-
lieve him ; he is very angry because I have given your
son good medicine. He had no reason to curse us as he
did. Do not believe in him. Do not fear him, but trust
in the white man's medicine. It is strong ; it is power-
ful, and will work great good."
" Yes, mother," called out Strong Heart from his pile
of skins ; " Wa-da-ha is an old fool ; he does not dare re-
peat what he said in our lodge before father, as he would
have him dismissed from the tribe. He is jealous, and
cannot act with reason as long as passion possesses his
soul."
" Oh, my children," whined Wawa, ^' what shall we do?
Our house has been cursed, and there may great trouble
come upon us. What shall we do? oh, what shall we
do?" and she rocked herself back and forth, moaning
meanwhile. Wanneta saw that Strong Heart was getting
excited, so she gave him one of the morphine powders to
induce sleep and to quiet his restless brain and soothe his
nervousness. Then, thinking she had stayed long enough,
she arose and went to her father's tipi.
News flies very swiftly in an Indian camp, and it was
6i
62 WANNETA.
not many moments before every one in the entire tribe
had heard the startling news that their great medicine-
man had flown in a rage and given Wanneta, Strong
Heart, and the wife of their head chief a terrible cursing.
Nearly every one discussed the matter, and eagerly
sought details of the affair. The majority of the Indians
sided with the young people, as the deeds of valour of
Strong Heart were still fresh in their minds, and they
could not believe that he and Wanneta had done the
medicine-man any injury.
As soon as Wa-da-ha reached his own tipi, he threw off
the costume he wore, put on the most horrible one he
possessed, and, painting his face in yellow and black
stripes, rushed forward to the council-house. The medi-
cine-man, as well as the chief, has a perfect right to call a
council. Upon reaching the building, he was about to
order the drummer to sound the assembly call, when a
heavy hand was laid upon his shoulder, and Chief Rain-
in-the-face, with flashing eye and heaving breast, sternly
said, '' Come here ! " Wa-da-ha suffered himself to be led
into the council-chamber, for he did not dare dispute the
word of his chief. It was pitch-dark in the great room,
the little fire having been allowed to die out.
" Wa-da-ha," said the chief, " you have cursed my fam-
ily. If you give good reasons I will forgive you, as I
think you spoke when your mind was consumed with
fires. I never did you a wrong, nor has my son, nor my
wife, nor Wanneta, your granddaughter. You are a con-
ceited old fool, and your age and long stay in our tribe
alone saves you from being kicked out on the prairie to
W ANN ETA. 63
shift for yourself. Go now. Never enter the lodge of
Rain-ia-the-face until you have said you were wrong.
If you ever utter aught against me or mine, or attempt to
influence any of the tribe against their chief, 1 will bind
you hand and foot and give you to the Crows." With
this the chief thrust him out of the building, and leaving
him to nurse his wrath, strode to his own wigwam, call-
ing out to the Indians in the village as he passed their
tipis to assemble at his lodge to hear a few words. About
a hundred and fifty followed him, and he spoke briefly,
teUing them what had happened, and asking them to
treat the medicine-man with their usual respect, but not
to listen to any idle tales that he might carry.
Meanwhile, Wa-da-ha, who, by the way, like nearly all
medicine-men, was, as the Sioux say, ''a coiled snake,"
was rushing hither and thither, gnashing his teeth, and
fairly foaming at the mouth at the prospect of being out-
done by the chief. What should he do for revenge? If
he did anything openly, his life would pay the forfeit. If
he did anything secretly, he might be found out. As he
thought the matter over, his wrath centred mainly on
Wanneta, because it was she who had the credit of Strong
Heart's recovery, and it was her medicine that had been
administered. Yet she was his grandchild, and why
should he do harm to one who was of his own kin ?
''Bah!" he said, "I do not care; she has done me
wrong, and she shall pay for it. How can I be revenged?
The great Wa-da-ha shall use his most subtle ways, and
have revenge many times over for his wrongs. I believe
that girl is falling in love with that young man, Strong
64 IV A NNE TA
Heart, and wants to be his squaw. I will see if I can
wound her by prejudicing him against her. I have it! I
will see Spotted Eagle, a handsome young brave who is
greatly taken with Wanneta, and who asked me to com-
mune with the spirits and thus affect her heart toward
him. I will tell him how he can win her, and I will send
him to play the flute before her lodge. I will then send
word to Strong Heart that Wanneta has listened to Spot-
ted Eagle's flute-playing, and given herself to him. Ah,
ugh ! " and the medicine-man grunted gleefully to him-
self and rubbed his hands in delight. His face, a few
moments before contorted with passion, black and lower-
ing like some awful thunder-cloud, was now even more
hideous. With a snake-like glitter in his eyes, and a
ghoulish expression upon his face, he seemed ready and
willing to tear the very heart out of one whom he wished
to injure.
The hunter does not fear the lion or the tiger, either of
which will face him in the path with undaunted courage,
half as much as he does the poisonous cobra, which, lurk-
ing secreted in the grass near the path, strikes at a
moment when he expects no danger and then escapes by
crawling. Wanneta and Strong Heart had more cause
of fear from this snake in human flesh than they had the
day they were beset by the thirty Crows.
With mutterings and ravings, the medicine-man made
his way around the village, in order that he might not be
observed, to the wigwam where Spotted Eagle lived.
Spotted Eagle was a very handsome young man, and,
although somewhat wild and reckless, bore a fair reputa-
WANNE T A . 65
tion. He was handsomer than Strong Heart, but in point
of personal braverv and integrity he was far beneath him.
He was a young man such as you may find in any of our
large cities. Many like him have I seen in New York or
Washington, who, dressed in the garb that betokens civ-
ilization, still have indelibly stamped upon their counte-
nances treachery, immorality, ignorance.
Spotted Eagle was a dandy, or what the Indians call
'' heap much dress young man." All that he lacked to be
admitted into the same class as the Eastern dandy was the
cigarette habit ; but as Indians know little about cigar-
ettes, and generally stuff them in their pipes when they
get possession of any, this habit was to him unknown.
Spotted Eagle had cast side glances at Wanneta since her
return to the tribe, and his conversation with the medicine-
man had clearly indicated to the latter that the young
man was deeply in love with the Indian maiden. Old
Wa-da-ha was a good judge of human nature, and he knew
that Spotted Eagle would eagerly enter on any scheme
that would result in the winning of the girl.
The medicine-man reached the tipi out of breath, and
entered without ceremony. Spotted Eagle was reclining
upon a large bear skin, smoking a small pipe. As soon as
Wa-da-ha entered, he sprang from his seat, and, advancing,
greeted his guest. Without beating about the bush, the
old rascal began : '' Young man, I have a way by which
you can win this girl. By so doing you will get as your
squaw one of the finest women in our entire tribe. She
would be glad to have you make your advances, and you
had better go and play the flute to-night."
66 WANNETA
Spotted Eagle presented the medicine-man with a val-
uable pack of furs in recognition of his services, and
promised to begin the flute song the very next evening
near Wanneta's tipi.
Nothing of importance took place in the village the
following day, Wanneta's visit to Strong Heart being
rather brief.
As it was the custom to give notice by some little pres-
ent or token before commencing the flute song, in or-
der that the maiden might expect her lover. Spotted
Eagle sent by messenger to Wanneta's lodge that after-
noon a very handsome silver bracelet that he happened
to possess, and a little piece of well-tanned deer skin,
upon which was engraved, in Indian poetry, a sentiment,
the whole having about the same purport as a valentine
with us. Wanneta was without the lodge sewing for her
mother when this arrived, carried by a small boy, to
whom Spotted Eagle had given a handsome tobacco-
pouch for his services. No sooner had she glanced at
the articles than she interpreted their meaning. At first,
a feeling of anger possessed her, then she looked upon
the matter as a joke. She did not know who had
prompted the young man to send the gifts, or she would
have treated the entire case with contempt.
The Indians, when courting, observe several methods.
One is playing the flute. They have a little reed flute,
not unmusical, and of a very weird sound, which is used
for this purpose alone. The brave who desires to wed
approaches within a hundred yards of the wigwam of his
intended, just after dusk some evening, and, seating him-
WANNETA, 67
self, begins a plaintive melody. If the maiden favours
the suit, she comes forth from the wigwam, shyly at first,
but growing gradually bolder, she advances toward the
spot where her lover is seated. As she approaches, he
pours into the tones of the flute the feelings that possess
his soul, and what is lacking in beauty and perfection, is
atoned for by their sincerity. As Strong Heart had
made no advances as yet, she decided to accept the whole
matter as a joke, and dismiss the young man that even-
ing, telling him that she could not love him and that he
must not hope. So she waited rather impatiently for
dusk to come, at first with some trembling, and later with
considerable expectation of the fun in store for her and
the amusement she would receive from the young man's
efforts.
She told her father and mother frankly of his coming,
and of her feelings for Strong Heart, and as they knew
well that Spotted Eagle's reputation was fair, but not
good, they looked upon the matter as a huge joke, and
teased Wanneta not a little about it. In any civilized
community attentions from a young man like Spotted
Eagle would be thought insulting to a respectable girl,
but, as we have already said, the Indians, good and bad,
mingle very freely in their social life. No young man
will continue his advances to a girl if they are not wanted,
nor will he say anything improper of one who bears a
good reputation. An Indian girl, leading a life in the
open air, becomes hardened to things which we consider
horrifying, yet, at the same time, she is pure and above
reproach.
68 WANNETA
Scarcely had the sun disappeared over the vast stretch
of prairie, than the plaintive notes of a flute were heard
issuing from a clump of bushes about a hundred yards
from the tipi. The player was evidently in a desperate
strait, for he piped and blew with all his might, and made
such a noise that it called forth the remarks of all in the
village within a quarter of a mile of the scene. The In-
dians do not like to court with a flute, and they do it
with reluctance, as it makes too much publicity. In or-
der to understand clearly what takes place, imagine some
well-known man in New York taking a hand-organ in
front of the residence of the lady he admires and grinding
out tunes. Of course, there would be a great deal of
merriment at his expense, and it would take considerable
nerve for him to continue any length of time. So it is in
the Indian village. As soon as the notes of the flute are
heard, about half the youngsters in the camp, who are
longing for a good time, flock thither, and the young man
who is musically incHned has his hands full in keeping
the youngsters away, and at the same time continuing
his strains on the reed.
As it was, Wanneta nearly reached him before there
was any disturbance, and then a rather remarkable thing
occurred. Just as she was about to speak and dismiss the
young man, Chief Rain-in-the-face, who happened to be
in that end of the village, passed by, and, seeing her,
stopped instantly. His ear caught the music, and he
immediately guessed its import.
Strong Heart had told him that he intended to ask
Wanneta to become his squaw as soon as he was strong
WANNETA. 69
enough to get about, so the chief was greatly surprised
to see her going to meet this young man. He looked at
her a moment as she paused, and said, '' Wanneta, who
calls you with a flute?"
'' It is Spotted Eagle. I go to tell him to go away. I
do not care for him."
'* Wanneta," said the chief, '' you are very indiscreet.
This young man is not a proper person, and you must
not go to see him. Go back to the lodge."
" Chief," said Wanneta, " I was foolish. I was wrong.
I came out to laugh at the young man, and tell him to
leave. I ought not to have come at all."
'' I will tell him to leave," said Rain-in-the-face, and,
striding rapidly over to where Spotted Eagle was, said :
*' Spotted Eagle, Wanneta does not want to hear your
music. She does not care for you. Go at once."
Spotted Eagle stopped playing, and, looking up in a
sort of half-ashamed way, said : *' The great medicine-
man, Wa-da-ha, told me she thought a great deal of
me."
'' He did, did he ? " hissed the chief. " That old villain
shall not live one hour in the tribe. He is a liar. Go to
your lodge, and do not bother Wanneta."
'' You are our chief," said Spotted Eagle, '' and I will
obey you, but you have no right to tell me whom I shall
court and whom I shall not. That is for me to decide."
A crowd had gathered by this time, and Rain-in-the-
face, becoming angry, let his passion get the better of his
good nature, and said : *' Leave instantly, young man.
Go!"
IVA ,VA'£ TA
Turning on his heel, the chief strode toward his tipi,
while the crowd gathered around the disconsolate lover,
some to hoot, and others to laugh. Although somewhat
of a coward, Spotted Eagle could not stand being tor-
mented, and, losing all patience, he seized an Indian boy
standing near and planted a vigorous kick in his ribs.
The boy went down with a howl ; there was an instant
of surprise upon the part of his companions, and then a
number of them, from twelve to sixteen years old, assailed
the Indian on all sides. The flute was broken in the
scuffle, and Spotted Eagle w^as pretty badly used. He
succeeded in knocking some of the boys down, and at the
sudden approach of a number of men who heard the noise
they fled, leaving him to make his way back to his wig-
wam. He returned thither without further molestation,
about the maddest Indian upon the whole Sioux reserva-
tion. His neatly trimmed buckskin leggings were soiled
and torn ; the beaded work on his beautifully embroidered
shirt was torn off in places, and the shirt disfigured ; while
his handsome face was cut and scratched and terribly
swollen.
The medicine-man came around to see him about ten
o'clock, and found him in no pleasant frame of mind. This
reckless voung man had little respect for Wa-da-ha, and
had no use for him except to further his own ends, so that
as he had reason to believe that he had been tricked, he
gave him a good round cursing as soon as he entered the
lodge.
The medicine-man relied too much on the services of
Spotted Eagle to get out of patience, so he took the abuse
W A N N K TA. 71
in good nature, and in return proposed that they hold an
indignation meeting to determine whether the medicine-
man was to be next to the chief in the tribe, or whether
this upstart girl from the East was to decide their affairs.
This was a very rash move, and they might have known
that it would bring no good to themselves, but as in every
case when anger blinds the senses, we harm ourselves only
in endeavouring to injure others.
Wa-da-ha and Spotted Eagle, as they talked, became
more and more excited, until a number of others, attracted
by the noise, entered the wigwam to see what was the
matter. By dint of persuasion and the use of his great
influence, the medicine-man induced some fifteen or
twenty to accompany him to the council-house. There
he sounded the assembly cry, beat the tom-tom, and
lighted the fire. He soon had the satisfaction of seeing a
goodly number gather to hear what was to follow. He
began a red-hot speech, in which he greatly enlarged and
magnified his wrongs, and was about to denounce the
chief; but when he had reached this point in the oration,
and had, as he thought, fired his hearers with his own
spirit, the chief suddenly appeared in the entrance. Rain-
in-the-face had heard what was going on, and with
twenty-five of his braves came to take the medicine-man
prisoner. He expected to hand him over, as he had
threatened, to the Crows. As the chief entered the door-
way, Wa-da-ha caught sight of him, and called out in loud
tones, '' There he comes, there is your chief. Until to-
day I was respected, but I have been greatly wronged ; I
am no more the great medicine-man, Wa-da-ha, in his
72
WANNETA.
eyes. Warriors, judge between me and Rain-in-the-face
and see which "
'' Stop there, I say," cried Rain-in-the-face. " You are
exciting our people to take up arms against me. This is
treason. Stop, stop, or your hfe shall pay the forfeit.
These my braves will stand by me."
'' I will not stop," cried the medicine-man, " I will speak;"
and he called on those who believed in him to come to
his support. Only a few obeyed, as most of those present
preferred their chief. Rain-in-the-face sprang forward,
followed by two other men, w^hile John Runner and Two
Bears stood irresolute which side to espouse. Springing
into the centre of the throng where the medicine-man
was standing, Rain-in-the-face seized him, and com-
manded his warriors to bind him, which they at once pro-
ceeded to do. The greatest excitement reigned, and for
a few moments a conflict looked inevitable. Fortunately
no blood was shed, and some excited adherents of Wa-
da-ha's cause were forcibly held and thus kept from
using their arms. The council broke up amidst a tre-
mendous din, and Wa-da-ha was carried to the chief's
lodge, where he was laid near the entrance, bound hand
and foot.
CHAPTER VI.
THE TRIBE ARRANGES ITS ANNUAL BISON HUNT.
The noise and confusion during the excitement at the
council-house was terrific. Of course, every one in the
entire village heard it, and hastened to learn its meaning.
Among those who feared the worst was Wanneta. She
had heard rumours that the medicine-man, Wa-da-ha, had
attempted to raise an insurrection against the chief. Her
heart was filled with terror, and she remembered the
fearful cursings her grandfather had uttered in the lodge
of Rain-in-the-face. Was it true that these curses were
effectual, or were they empty words, such as the teachers
in the school had told her? She believed that they were
of no avail, yet she feared. While she was in this state
of suspense, the thought of her friend. Strong Heart,
came to her. Should she go to his wigwam to see how
he fared during all the excitement and turmoil? Did he
need her? It was nearly eleven o'clock, and high time
that she was in her father's tipi, but she could not resist
the temptation of paying another visit to him, so she sped
swiftly through the darkness in the direction of his
wigwam.
There was no one about the village, for every one had
hurried to the council-house. Reaching the tipi, Wan-
neta entered noiselessly, for her moccasined feet made no
73
74 WANNETA.
sound upon the hard floor of the lodge. Her breath
came quick and fast as she stepped to the side of the
room where he lay, for it was pitch-dark, the fires having
gone out. No one was there but Strong Heart, both his
father and mother being at the council-house. Strong
Heart was conscious of a presence near him, and called
out:
^^ Who is there?"
^' It is I — Wanneta," she replied.
''What brings you here so late?" he asked. She knelt
by his side, and told him briefly the story of the night's
doings. When she had finished, he seemed more im-
pressed by the part that Spotted Eagle had played than
by the doings at the council.
'' Wanneta," he said, '' I am very much hurt at what
you have told me. I have a very high opinion of you,
and think more of you than you fancy I do. Why did
you set out to meet this man ? He is bad ; he could do
you no good, and he may boast in the tribe that he came
near winning you to be his squaw."
'' Oh, will he do that?" she wailed; '' surely you are
mistaken, Strong Heart!"
*' No ; he is an unscrupulous scoundrel, and w^ill do al-
most anything to further his ends or give him more no-
toriety." At this, Wanneta sank down and moaned
aloud. She could perceive, by his tone and manner, that
she had wounded Strong Heart deeply, and that he felt
her action much more keenly than she had ever imagined
he could.
''Oh, Strong Heart," she said, "I meant no harm. I
WANNETA. 75
was only intending a little fun, as a young and foolish
girl often will. Surely no harm can come of it."
*' I hope there will not — I sincerely do," replied Strong
Heart.
'' Have I ofifended you ? " she asked. '' You saved my
life at the cliffs, and for that I can never do enough for
you. I "
'' Stay ! " said the brave ; " you have done much for me
already, and I am cruel to speak to you of this matter
further. It is a mere trifle — not worth half the talk we
have wasted on it." At this moment a noise of men out-
side, and loud, angry words were heard. ** Listen, Wan-
neta, you have been with me but five days, yet I know
you well ; you are a dear, noble girl, and — and— I love
you ! Do you not care for me?" As she was listening,
with bated breath, to every word he said, the noise out-
side suddenly increased, and before the young folk could
speak again, the space in front of the wigwam was filled
with a crowd, who dragged a man, bound and gagged,
toward the entrance. They laid him in a back cor-
ner, and stationed three of their number as guard over
him.
While this was being done the throng outside increased,
and the greatest uproar prevailed. Some were shouting,
'' Kill him, kill him ! " Others^ '' Hear Rain-in-the-face,
he wants to speak ! "
Wanneta crouched near the side of her wounded lover
and listened in affright to the mob outside.
Suddenly there arose a well-known voice above the
storm, which cried, '' Silence, the chief speaks ! "
76 WAN NET A.
There was an instant hush, and Rain-in-the-face spoke
to them from his tipi entrance, as follows :
" Friends, you have seen some stirring doings during
the last half hour. An hour ago I was sitting in my wig-
wam, little dreaming that mutiny was about to spring up
in our village. Suddenly there came to me a runner.
He said, ' The medicine-man is going to the council-house ;
there will be trouble.' I paid no attention to this. Then
there came another runner soon afterward and he whis-
pered, * The medicine-man is in the council-house and has
a large gathering ; he is trying to turn the people against
you.' Then I called some of my trusty warriors, and we
went there. You know the rest. We have taken this vile
reptile and tied him so that he cannot use his fangs to do
more mischief. What shall Ave do with him ? He de-
serves death, but if he will promise to return to his voca-
tion without further trouble, on account of what he has
done for the tribe in the past, I will release him. What
say you? "
'' Kill him, kill him ; he is a dog, he is a traitor; let him
die!" Thus cried the mob, growing larger and fiercer
each moment.
'' Well, it shall be as you wish ; bring the wretch for-
ward."
Wanneta waited to hear no more ; she ran forward and
clasped the chief by the arm. " Spare him, he is my
grandfather ; he did not mean half what he said ; he will
promise never to displease you again. Oh, spare him for
my sake!" and she threw herself at the feet of Rain-in-
the-face.
W A N N ETA . 77
'' Get up, my child," said the chief. " This man has done
deeds worthy of death ; he miist die ; the people demand
it."
'' Oh, ask them again. Hear me, oh friends ; you all know
me well, how I have worked for the good of the tribe ; do
not kill him ! What he said was in the heat of passion !
He is doubtless sorry for it now. Oh, spare him ! "
" What say you, people? " cried the chief.
There was a short consultation, then the mob cried as
if with one voice: '' Let him go. Kill him for the next
ill word that he utters."
Turning to the guard in the tipi, Rain-in-the-face said :
^' Bring the man forward and unbind him." They loosened
the thongs and led him out to the chief. " You heard
what was said, old man ; what have you to say for your-
self?"
'' Let me go. Chief; I will do as becometh a medicine-
man after this. I will not find fault with anything you
may do; pray let me go."
" Well, go, and see to it that you never enter my lodge
again ; that is the condition. The next time you come in
here, whether to bring good news or bad, you die."
Then turning to the crowd, the chief called out : " To
your homes. Let the guard appointed for to-night begin
the watch ; the rest of you to sleep."
The people dispersed, and there was silence soon
throughout the entire camp. At midnight, there was no
evidence of the scenes that had just taken place, and from
all sides could be heard from the tipis the snoring of sleep-
ing braves.
78 WANNETA
Wanneta lay upon her couch several hours before she
dropped asleep. She thought over and over again those
three words, " I love you," Avords that have been spoken
millions of times in every language, words that are as
dear to the lonely heart of the savage maiden as to those
that beat in the breasts of her civilized sisters. She was
happy in her thoughts, happy that he had forgiven her
for her indiscretion ; her only regret was that their con-
versation had been so abruptly ended by the quelling of
the mutiny. But she should see him again soon, she
would tell him something in return, and with these
thoughts she fell asleep.
The time hung very heavy on Wanneta's hands dur-
ing the three days following \Va-da-ha's unfortunate at-
tempt. She went to see Strong Heart morning, noon,
and night, but had no chance to speak with him upon the
subject which lay nearest her heart. The excitement of
the night had given him a fresh attack of fever, but
his father and mother would give up the care of him to
no one, not even Wanneta. So it was that four days
passed before she could see him alone.
Then she was the bearer of news of such importance
that, on hearing it, both Rain-in-the-face and his squaw
left for the council-house, leaving Wanneta and Strong
Heart alone. Two messengers had arrived from the
other Sioux reservation, saying that the buffalo hunt
would begin the next day, and that the tribe must move
immediately to the upper camp, which was to wait until
the lower one had joined them. The runners said, also,
that they had heard of the slaughter of many Crows by
WA NNE TA . 79
one young man, and they came to learn the truth of this
report and to offer their warriors, in case the Crows
should march against the tribe in large numbers.
While Wanneta and Strong Heart are exchanging con-
fidences, let us leave them for a few moments and turn
to the council-house, where the meeting is being held.
As soon as the chief and the messengers arrived — this
was in the morning, about nine o'clock— the town-crier
beat his tom-tom, shouted aloud the news as he ran
through the streets of the village, and by this means
called together two-thirds of the people in a few mo-
ments. The chief, sub-chief, and several head warriors,
occupied the centre of the lodge. Next to them sat the
two messengers who had brought the news, while the
others were crowded together, some sitting and some
standing.
'' The runners to our village from our brothers above,"
said Rain-in-the-face, " bring news that the buffalo hunt
will begin to-morrow. It is therefore necessary, for all
who wish to go, to begin preparations, so that we can set
out to join our brothers by noon. The twenty young
braves who are to remain at the agency and guard Strong
Heart during our absence, had better move there at
once. I wish, also, to have several squaws go with them
to prepare their food. Any that do not want to go on
the hunt must settle back of the agency buildings, where
they will be safe, should the Crows take the war-path.
Our brothers who have brougfht us this news had better
remain and go with us this noon, in order to show us
how to join the upper tribe, in case they should have
8o WANNETA
moved on ahead of us. I shall send my swiftest runner
to notify the tribe that we start at midday, and will be
with them to-morrow night. John Runner will bear the
news, and start at once on his fastest pony."
When the chief had ended, the council at once broke
up, and each man hurried to his tipi to pack his effects.
John Runner was the chief messenger of the tribe.
Without delay, he set out on his journey of eighty miles,
and, by the time the tribe was under way, was thirty
miles distant on his swift and lonely journey northward.
The best runners in the tribe were always selected to
bear news. They rode until their horses gave out, or
until they reached their destination. If the horse broke
down, they continued the journey on foot. Indians often
run one hundred miles at the rate of seven and a half
miles an hour.
The moment Rain-in-the-face and Wawa left the wig-
wam, Wanneta ran quickly to her lover's side, and looked
anxiously into his face. The buffalo robe which hung at
night in front of the entrance had been thrown back, as is
the custom during the day-time, and sufficient light en-
tered for her to make out clearly the various lights and
shades that came and went on his manly face as she talked
with him.
'' We have not been alone, Strong Heart, since the
night that grandfather was brought in, tied hand and
foot.
'' I have a great deal of news for you. The runners have
come to the camp with the word that our people m.ust
move at once for the buffalo hunt. Therefore the escort
WANN ETA, 8l
and the squaws which will cook for them will soon start
for the agency buildings, where a small temporary village
will be erected. I suppose that, with the stragglers who
do not go to the hunt, and the guard, there will be, all
told, nearly fifty of us there. The Crows, w^ho are furious
at their defeat, will not dare to attack us so near the fort
of the pale-faces, where the soldiers will be sent by the
Great Father at Washington in case of need. It will be
very quiet, and I am sure you will get on much more
rapidly than here, where you are disturbed by constant
excitements."
*' I shall be very glad to go away from the noise, as I
can get well much faster where it is more quiet. When
I am well and strong, I love excitement, I love warfare, I
love the chase ; but when ill I am as a weak woman and
want none of these things."
'' You must get well as soon as you can. Strong Heart,
and then you will be able to do all these things. The
squaw man, Richards, says your shoulder is doing very
nicely, but that you must be patient and very careful, or
you will be maimed for life:"
*' I will be very careful," said Strong Heart, '' for my
people may have wars with the Crows on my account,
and I want to help them defend our homes. I can be of
great help if I am strong and well, but if I have a shriv-
elled muscle, or a shortened arm, or a crooked shoulder,
I am as a child and not as the brave son of Rain-in-the-
face."
As the young man spoke of war and brave deeds he
naturally became excited. Wanneta, seeing this, and
82 WANNETA.
wishing to change the subject, told him that her horse,
Brown Eyes, had been only very slightly injured by the
bullet the Crow had fired, and that she was almost well
enough to be ridden short distances. After this they both
relapsed into silence.
The Indian, as I have said, is as a rule very uncere-
monious in love matters, although there are some excep-
tions. He uses a great deal of ceremony before he goes
to war, and the medicine-man carries on incantations and
other orgies, but when an Indian deals with matters
which pertain to his heart, and selects a bride, he wastes
but few words and little time. He is often rejected in his
brief and almost loveless courtship, but if he wants a
squaw very badly, he does not become discouraged, but
keeps on regardless of rebuffs.
There are many customs prevalent among our Amer-
ican Indians which, looked at through the eyes of a
white man, are absurd. On the other hand, if we put our-
selves in their place we should certainly do no better, and
very possibly worse. Their treatment of women and the
way in which many select their squaws, by barter, is ab-
horrent to our ideas. What the Indian believes he be-
lieves with his whole soul, what he loves he holds sacred ;
for his friends he will do a great deal, but for his enemies
he has no respect, never forgives them, and always speaks
of them in utter contempt.
Strong Heart had met a number of whites on the
agency, and by contact Avith traders and others had
learned to speak a little English. Wanneta spoke it quite
purely. When she told of her pony, or of the Crows,
WA NNETA. Zi
Strong Heart's eyes would flash fire, and he would become
nervous and agitated. But when she spoke of herself,
this sterner nature gave place to a more quiet one.
.''Wanneta," said he, "when you were here the other
night I wanted to tell you how much I thought of you,
and I was just about to do so when the interruption took
place. Wanneta," he repeated, and stretching his right
hand out toward her and taking hers in his own, he whis-
pered softly into her willing ear his great love for her and
his hopes that the affection was returned. She knelt
down by his side, and taking his right hand and holding
it closely in both her own, looked steadily into his face
and repeated the words he asked her to say.
"You are sure that you love me very much?" said
Strong Heart.
" Yes, dear Strong Heart — more than any one I have
ever known."
" My shoulder hurts me so much that I cannot raise
my head, and therefore cannot take the lover's kiss. Will
you not kiss me, Wanneta ? "
Without replying to his request, she bent over the
couch of bear-skins, and, placing her hands on each side
of his head, tenderly kissed his pale lips two or three
times, and then straightened back again, with her soul
brimful of such delight and ecstasy as true love alone
can awaken in the breast of woman, be she savage or civ-
ihzed.
'' I loved you," said Wanneta, " from the day that we
went to the cliffs; and so deep is mv love, that I will
never leave you so long as there is anything that you need
84 WANNETA
which my hands can bring to you. Gladly will I minister
to your every want, dear Strong Heart."
*' You are a good, kind, noble girl, VVanneta," said
Strong Heart. She took his outstretched hand and held
it in her own for a few moments, but just as he was
about to say more, the chief and his wife came in with
the news of the meeting at the council-house. Wanneta
arose, and leaving her lover, ran back to her father's
lodge to help her mother pack up for the buffalo hunt.
Two Bears brought up his ponies from the plain near
by, and tied the halters to stakes securely driven into the
ground, so that he could have them at a moment's notice.
He then stripped the buffalo covering from the lodge-
poles, bound these together, and fastened one end of them
to the pony's back, while the other was allowed to drag
upon the ground. Upon this mass of poles the lodge cover-
ing was bound, as was also a small stock of provisions.
Of the remaining horses, he expected to use two as pack
animals to bring back the meat taken in the chase, and
the swiftest as his riding ponies for his own and his wife's
use.
Taking down the lodges and packing took but little
over two hours, so that the whole village was in motion
shortly after noon.
It took active effort on the part of Wanneta to gain the
consent of her parents to remain with Strong Heart, but
by dint of much arguing and by suggesting that her little
sister be left with her, she finally carried her point.
'' You know, mother," said Wanneta, " that I have not
seen you prepare the meat of the buffalo for a long time ;
WANNETA. 85
besides, it is my duty to stay and take care of Strong
Heart ; therefore, I cannot go with you." She had told
her mother of Strong Heart's declaration of love, and
had obtained the consent of her parents to become his
squaw, in case he should ask her to take this step. Be-
fore the tribe started, some of the young men promised
to put up a substantial lodge for Wanneta, and they told
her that she was to have no fears, as it would be as well
made as her father's, and would be ready for her before
evening.
The breaking up of the village was a scene that one
would long remember. Here and there a delayed Indian
was taking the buffalo covering from his wigwam poles.
The little wicker-work of poles looked most barren and
desolate when stripped of its covering. It seemed hardly
possible that human beings could live in such places, es-
pecially in the dead of winter, when there is but a quarter
of an inch of protection from intense cold without. Yet
they Kve, and are happy, and, until the white man came
to change all, even thrived in these miserable abodes,
preferring a life of danger, privation, and want, to one of
ease and luxury, where food and clothing are plenty, but
the word freedom is unknown.
The loud shouts of the men as they called to one an-
other, and the angry ejaculation of some brave whose
squaw was not doing her share of the work, rang out upon
the air in unison with the laughing of children and the
barkings of dogs. Presently a few who are all ready start
out, their lodge-poles dragging and leaving a trail upon
the ground. They are joined by hundreds in the next
86 WANNETA.
half hour, and, a few moments later, the whole village is
on the move across the prairie. As we listen, sounds of
laughter and singing become fainter and fainter, and
then cease altogether, except an occasional " hi-hi-hi "
of some exulting crave, heard from the dim distance.
.Where there was a populous village two hours before, is
now a barren waste, littered with broken kettles, bones,
and splintered arrows. Hard-beaten circles show where
the wigwams stood, and well-defined paths leading down
to the water's edge mark the site.
Wawa remained, as did Wanneta and her sister. About
twenty squaws and old women, too feeble to go on the
hunt, who were to cook for Strong Heart's escort, to-
gether with some thirty stragglers, were all who stayed
behind. They made, in all, about seventy-five persons.
As soon as the village had broken up, some of the braves
made a litter out of the lodge-poles, covering them with
soft hides and skins, and tenderly placing Strong Heart
upon it, began their five miles' march to the agency. The
squaws and others, with some twelve or fifteen head of
horses, and the material for the erection of a number of
lodges, followed. The agency was reached without mis-
hap, the site for the village pointed out by the agent, and
before sunset, all the tipis were up and everything going
on as smoothly as if no change had been made. The
braves considered it quite an honour to guard the chief's
son, and, to show their feeling, two of them stood as sen-
tries at his doorway all night. They had learned this
from seeing white soldiers guard their camps in the In-
dian country. They continued to do this every night
WANNETA, 87
until the patient had nearly recovered. The escort was
well armed, and had nearly two hundred rounds of am-
munition each.
Before leaving, the chief had sent a message to the
agent, telling him why the little village was placed near
him, and asking, in case the Crows should be seen in the
neighbourhood, to send one or two runners up the Mis-
souri River to find the hunting party, and to telegraph
for troops to be sent into the region.
Leaving the Indians safely quartered at the agency, let
us follow the tribe to the scene of the hunt. They rode
across the rolling prairie, skirting the Bad Lands, until
darkness came on. They encamped over night, and, at
break of day, were again on the march. They moved
steadily, reaching the upper Sioux reservation late in the
afternoon, where they were received with demonstrations
of great joy. The next morning, shortly after sunrise, the
whole Sioux nation, consisting of about six thousand per-
sons, started for the buffalo country. The movement of
this large body must have been intensely interesting, and
to those who love to study Indian nature, a trip with a
people so numerous would afford every advantage.
Their strength would put the Indians in excellent hu-
mour, and they would be at their best, for they feared no
attack from hostile tribes or from the whites.
In the days of the seventies, the whole Black Hills
swarmed with buffalo, and it was no unusual thing for
Indians, on their annual hunts, to kill many thousands, and
carry back for winter use as much dried beef as seven or
eight thousand ponies could drag. When we consider
.88 WANN ETA.
the enormous destruction of buffalo by these hunts, and
the still greater destruction caused by the hide-hunters,
it is a wonder that the American bison lasted until 1885.
Spotted Eagle and the medicine-man, since the latter's
defeat, had been very cautious as to what they said and
did. They both went with the hunt, and it was under-
stood between them that when they had an opportunity
they would talk over a scheme to revenge themselves upon
the chief. The medicine-man felt especially sore over his
treatment, and although in the village he w^as very court-
eous and pleasant, when he was by himself or with Spotted
Eagle his true nature asserted itself, and all the oaths that
his imagination could invent or his fancy suggest, and
the curses with which his profession had made him
familiar, were pronounced upon those w4iom he hated.
They had been out about four days before any buffalo
were discovered. There was a guard five miles ahead
of the main body ; on each side scouts were thrown out at
the same distance, to bring tidings of any herds that might
be sighted. A hunting party of such size without guards
and scouts in advance would be utterly unable to secure
any game, hence the precaution. At last the scouts came
hurrying in with the glad news that a herd of fully eight
or nine hundred were grazing about five miles away.
Every one in the entire party was greatly excited at this,
and arrangements were hastily made by the head chiefs for
surrounding the herd. The country through which they
were marching was rather hilly and very favourable for
their plans. A thousand of the best horsemen were
selected, three hundred sent ahead, three hundred to the
WANNETA. 89
right, and three hundred to the left, in order to drive the
herd toward a little basin-shaped valley where the
slaughter was to take place. The horsemen galloped
well around the herd and approached it from the rear, the
wind being in their favour. The women and children
were instructed to remain where they were until the
chase was over, then they were to come on and cut up
the meat. The remaining horsemen advanced cautiously
until near the basin, where they awaited the approach of
the herd.
The hunters who had gone ahead, surrounded and
closed in upon the animals in about an hour and a half.
They had them under good headway, and turned them in
the direction of the basin. The Indians in waiting saw a
heavy dust to the northward, and knowing that the herd
was coming, made all ready and awaited the first ap-
proach. A few moments later, the bulls and leaders
dashed over the hills fringing the north side of the basin,
and plunged into the hollow. When about half of them
had crossed the ridge, the hunters charged, with loud
shouts and waving of blankets, and began the slaughter.
A number fell at the first volley, few of the men being
without guns. The charge of the Indians in front so
frightened the herd that some of them wheeled to the
right, and the hunters taking advantage of this, com-
pletely surrounded them and poured in from all sides a
destructive fire. Not one of the animals escaped, and it
was a few moments only before the slaughter was com-
plete. The ground was red with blood, for the herd had
fallen within a small space. The Indian women having
90 WANNETA.
heard the firing, and knowing from its sound that the
hunt was about over, came forward with the whole camp
outfit and began skinning and cutting up the animals.
While they were doing this the medicine-man went
through some of his ceremonies, giving thanks to the
Great Spirit for sending them so much meat.
CHAPTER VII.
WA-DA-HA AND SPOTTED EAGLE TURN TRAITORS.
The squaws, assisted by some of the men, worked late
that night preparing the meat for winter's use. For the
next two or three days the whole party remained at the
spot, to wait until the buffalo which had been cut into
thin strips had dried in the sun. When it had once been
cut and hung up, there was nothing for it but patience
until the sun should do the rest. Then the dried beef
would be packed in small skin bags and the openings
sewed up very tight. Sometimes the meat was pounded
fine or chopped up and enclosed in these skins, but oftener
it was packed in strips. While waiting for it to dry,
small scouting parties were sent out in various directions
for ten or fifteen miles to look for fresh herds. During
one of these excursions a party of twenty Sioux came
suddenly upon eight Crows, captured them without loss,
and brought them safely back to camp.
This created considerable excitement in the village,
and had it not been for the fact that the Sioux were upon
a hunting expedition, and thinking little of war, the prob-
abiUty is that the Crows would have been killed or tor-
tured on the night of the day they were taken. A rather
singular and unexpected occurrence took place, to which
they owed their lives and liberty. The old medicine-
man, Wa-da-ha, heard of the capture of these Crows two
91
Q2 WA N NE TA .
or three minutes after they had been brought in. An idea
flashed through his crafty head, upon which he decided
to act without delay. He hastened to the lodge in which
Spotted Eagle lived, and calling him outside, told him to
come at once to the chief's wigwam. The lodge of Rain-
in-the-face was surrounded by a space of nearly a hun-
dred feet in diameter, so that in case any meeting should
be held there would be room for a large gathering. Kxv
Indian village is always laid out with a space around the
chief's lodge. The location of the lodge may be tempo-
rary, but there is always room for a council or dance near
the head chief's tipi.
They had no more than reached the opening and taken
their stations near the entrance to his wigwam, when
horsemen approached, driving before them the eight
Crows, with their hands tied behind them. A crowd of
hooting men, women, and children, gathered about. As
the throng increased, Rain-in-the-face, who had been con-
sulting with Gopher about some tribal matters, appeared
on the scene, and taking in the situation at a glance, called
for the village crier, who was bidden to summon a
council. In a few moments, the space surrounding the
tipi was crowded with men, and without further delay
the discussion as to what was to be done with the pris-
oners began.
'' Rain-in-the-face," said Sitting Bull, head chief of the
upper reservation, '' these, our enemies, have been taken
by our young men. As you know, the Crow dogs who
attacked your son, Strong Heart, were repulsed with
great loss. Before we condemn them to death, let us call
WANNETA. 93
one of the squaw men who understands their tongue and
hear what they have to say."
*' Well said, great chief," said Red Cloud, first sub-
chief of the upper reservation. " We will hear what these
dogs have to say. Go call Richards, the squaw man."
Richards was in the crowd not far away, and on hearing
his name called came forward.
'' Ask these vile Crows what they will do if we let them
go," said Rain-in-the-face. Richards asked the question,
and the Crows consulted a moment, and then replied :
'' We will not take up arms against the Sioux nation."
The interpreter repeated their words to the chief, who
called it out in loud tones to the assembled multitude. A
mighty shout of disapproval went up, the Indians grunt-
ing and hooting and making so great a noise that it was
some moments before order was restored sufficiently for
Sitting Bull to be heard. The head chief raised his voice
so as to reach those standing back among the wigwams,
and spoke as follows : " If these Crow dogs are killed,
their countrymen may attack the women and children
left at the agency, and thus we shall lose some of our best
people, and have to stop our hunt. I favour letting them
go on their solemn promise that they will not disturb us
again. We do not want to stop this hunt, neither do we
want to lose the women, children, and braves left at the
agency." At this the Indians set up another great shout,
not as loud as the first, because many of them respected
the wishes of their chief, but still enough joined in it
to convince the leaders that it would be very hard to
keep the warriors from taking the lives of the captives.
94 IVANNETA
The medicine-man had been standing back out of sight,
and up to the present moment had said nothing ; but he
now stepped forward, and raising his voice, called out in
loud tones for the assembled multitude to listen. Rain-
in-the-face had no regard whatever for Wa-da-ha, but
still suffered him to speak, thinking that it would do no
harm, and knowing his influence on the tribe. Should
he say anything not in accordance with the wishes of his
superior, he could be quickly checked.
'' My people," called out Wa-da-ha, '' these before you
are low Crow dogs, and they certamly deserve death."
At this, he was interrupted by a great shout of approval
which went up from a thousand throats. Waving his
hand for them to be silent, the old fraud continued :
*' Yes ; they ought to die over the fire. Their flesh should
be cut and scratched, their heads scalped, and they should
be made to know how mighty and cruel is the Sioux na-
tion. But think, my people, if we do this, as our chief has
said, we must stop the hunt ; we shall lose those whom we
love who are now living near the agency. We cannot do
this ; we cannot lose our annual hunt ; nor would it be at
all wise to get the Crows on the war-path, and thus have
them cause us much trouble. We are not afraid of them,
for we have taken many of their scalps and done them great
mischief. Be wise, O brothers ; let these people go, and
keep peace in the nation until our hunt shall have fin-
ished, and until we are where our people can be pro-
tected." At this, some of the warriors objected, and
raised a great protest, but most of them agreed to accept
the decision of the medicine-man and the chiefs.
WANNETA.
95
Seeing, now, that prompt action alone was necessary,
Rain-in-the-face and Sitting Bull arose from their seats
on the ground, and commanded the warriors to allow the
Crows to pass in safety. At this some little objection was
made, but when thirty or forty armed Sioux appeared,
and marching in front, behind, and on each side of the
Crows, led them to the outskirts of the village, there was
no hand uplifted to stay the progress of the escort and
the prisoners.
The Crows were allowed to go with their horses, but
without their arms, which were taken from them. It
was about dusk when they left the camp. As soon as the
council broke up, the medicine-man and Spotted Eagle
ran swiftly to the corral where the horses were kept, and
securing two of the swiftest animals, set out to overtake
them.
Each carried a Winchester and a supply of shells. The
Crows had ridden rapidly for four or five miles, and then
settled down to a steady lope, while they talked over the
events of the day. The old medicine-man knew their
tongue quite well, and although he would have been
ashamed to let his own people hear him speak it, he
would not hesitate to betray the secrets of his own nation
in the very language of those to whom he would sell him-
self. They had not been more than one hour on the trail
before they came in sight of the men they were following.
It was bright moonlight. The Indians were too busy
talking to notice the approach of Spotted Eagle and the
medicine-man until the latter were close upon them. At
the moment they heard the horses, and turned in alarm,
96 WAN NET A
the medicine-man called out, in their own tongue : " Fear
not; I bring peace— I have great news for you. Wait;
do not run. We are friends." Thereupon the Crows
pulled up, and waited until Wa-da-ha and Spotted Eagle
drew near, but on seeing that they were Sioux and were
armed, they were about to fly in dismay, when Wa-da-ha
called out once more, and assured them of his intention
to do them no harm, again declaring that he was the
bearer of important news. Riding up alongside, the old
rascal spoke as follows : '' I am the chief Sioux medicine-
man in the entire lower tribe. This man with me is
Spotted Eagle, one of our bravest and best w^arriors."
At this allusion to himself, Spotted Eagle chuckled glee-
fully. " We have been greatly wronged by our tribe,
and have been abused and insulted. We seek revenge.
We will lead the Crows to the agency, where they can
attack the few Sioux left there with perfect safety, as all
the rest of the nation is on its annual hunt. I will do this,
provided you will agree to certain things which we
shall ask of you."
"Why do you fight your own people?" asked one of
the Crows.
" Because," said the medicine-man, '' I seek revenge on
them. The young man here seeks revenge also. We
wish your warriors to hearken when we reach your vil-
lage, and go with us to the spot where about one hundred
of my people are encamped. There are only twenty
warriors with them, and they will fall an easy prey into
your hands."
The Crows were greatly surprised by the offer, and did
IV A NNE TA . 97
not know what reply to make. They talked together,
and turning- to Wa-da-ha, one of them said : " Go with us
to our village, and see what the chief says. ' Of course,
they were delighted at the prospect of having these
Sioux lead them against those at the agency. What the
reward for doing this was, made no difference to them ;
all they wanted was revenge on the Sioux, and this they
would carry out to the letter whenever a chance might
arise.
"What do you want for doing this, medicine-man?"
asked one of the Crows.
'' The yoang man here," repHed Wa-da-ha, " wants a
young woman at the agency, by the name of Wanneta,
given to him unharmed to be his squaw. I want to be
made your head medicine-man in return for my services."
" Yes, but we know not whether your medicine is pow-
erful. We have one medicine-man, and he is very great.
Our people would not like to give him up for one who
comes from our enemies."
" My medicine can be shown when we reach the vil-
lage," said Wa-da-ha, *' and you can judge whether it is
powerful or not. You must promise us that we shall not
be harmed, or we will not go to the village with you."
" We grant you safe escort to our village," said the
Crow, " and will take you at once to the lodge of the
chief, where you shall receive food, and where he will call
a council, although it will be very late at night when we
arrive."
The party rode on in silence for some time. The
Crows were rather afraid of their Sioux companions,
98 WANNETA.
whose Strange request seemed so unnatural that they
could not but believe some trap was being laid into which
they would be lured. They were very watchful, and had
the medicine-man or Spotted Eagle raised his rifle from
the pommel of his saddle, the Crows would have scat-
tered instantly and fled like the wind. They rode on
hour after hour in silence, this Judas, who was to betray
his own flesh and blood to his hereditary enemies, and his'
accomplice.
About midnight they reached the village, and entered
it without disturbing any of the sleeping Indians. Rid-
ing straight to the chief's lodge, the young man who had
acted as spokesman for the Crows, called out in loud
tones : " Black Elk, Black Elk, come out. Here are two
Sioux who want to speak with you." At this, the chief
arose from his pile of buffalo robes and strode forth from
his wigwam, rifle in hand. '' What do you do here, you
enemies of my nation ? " said he.
The medicine-man, not in the least dismayed, told his
story, and made the same offer that he had made to the
young men who had accompanied him from the Sioux
camp. Spotted Eagle could not understand or speak the
Crow^ tongue, and listened to what was said in ignorance.
He was somewhat frightened at the warlike manner of
the chief, but upon seeing the calmness with which the
medicine-man bore himself, he gritted his teeth, and re-
solved to brave any dangers, surmount all obstacles, and
commit any wickedness that might be necessary if he
could thus be able to claim Wanneta as his squaw. The
chief having heard what Wa-da-ha had .to say, sent a
WANNETA. 99
number of the young men through the village, calling the
warriors to meet at the council-house. He went in ad-
vance himself, with a few of his men and the two Sioux,
and kindled a bright fire in the centre of the room, so
that all present could see the Sioux and hear what they
had to say.
It was only a few moments before the Crows had as-
sembled and filled the large room to the outer door.
There were many glances of hate directed toward the
Sioux, but as both knew that presence of mind and cour-
age would alone enable them to carry their point, they
did not seem in the least dismayed or disheartened by the
cold reception they were receiving. As soon as all had
seated themselves, the chief. Black Elk, took a large pipe
with a long stem, which had been lighted and handed
him, and drawing from it clouds of smoke, swallowed
them, and blew the volume through his nose, then passed
it to the Sioux, who did likewise. After the council-pipe
had been smoked, Black Elk arose and announced that
the medicine-man. Great Wa-da-ha, of the Sioux nation,
had come to speak important words to them, and he
hoped that these words would be listened to by those
present, and that none would interrupt or say aught until
Wa-da-ha should have finished. The chief bowed toward
the medicine-man, who arose to his feet and began, in the
Crow tongue, to explain to those present the object of his
visit. The opening remarks are hardly worth giving
here, but the closing words, being full of fire, may be ot
interest to the reader :
''I was a great man in the tribe. When I said ' come
lOO WANNETA,
here,' the young men came ; when I said ' go there,' the
young men went. I made it rain, I made it thunder, I
brought game, I made the fish ascend the rivers, I cured
the sick, and I drove the evil spirits away from the tribe.
Did they care for me for doing this ; have they respected
my old age ? No ; as a reward for my great efforts, they
bound me hand and foot — they carried me like a dog, and
laid me on the ground. The chief rubbed his hands to-
gether gleefully over me. The children hooted at the
great medicine-man, and his name, which was once
respected, became a by-word.
" This young man whom I have brought with me,
loved a young maiden. He went to play the flute at her
door. The chief knew that this young man was a friend
of mine, and, happening along when he was playing to
his sweetheart, stopped and listened. Did he pass on?
No ! He took the young man and shook him up ; he
slapped his face, and broke his flute. What had the
young man done ? Nothing ! He was a friend of
mine."
The medicine-man well knew how to work upon the
minds of the Crows, so changing his subject a Uttle, he
began in this wise :
'' The chief laughs at the strength of the Crows. He
says that they are weak— that they are dogs. He says
that when they come to his village, he will not torture them
as if they were men ; he will take their guns and kick
them out, as he did your young men this evening." At
this, a mighty shout of disapproval went up from the as-
sembled throng. Seeing how well he was getting on, the
WANNETA. lOI
medicine-man began his final effort. • "■ The ^son o^ the
chief now boasts that he killed thirty of your' Voung men
with his own hand. Will your people sitJiere vdl-y and Wno^v
that these words of slander and contempt are passing
Rain-in-the-face's lips? Spring to arms — spring up!
Why sit you here idle? Come with me, and I will show
you where to strike, and how to strike hard." Then,
lowering his voice and bending slightly forward, with an
expression upon his countenance well portraying the
hellish nature of his soul, he hissed : '' There are one hun-
dred Sioux, mostly women and children, near the agency.
They have but twenty young men as a guard. Come
with me, and in two days you shall have scalps in place
of those that Strong Heart took." As he closed the sen-
tence, the murmur of approval, which had begun softly,
increased to a mighty shout, and the Crow warriors
present, with loud '' ki-yis " and cheers, brandished their
weapons, and from hundreds of throats issued the war-
whoop so loud and shrill that the very walls of the great
council-house seemed to rock with the sound.
''AH we want," said the medicine-man, *'in return is,
that the young girl at the agency be not hurt, and that
she be given to this young man for his squaw, and that
you make me a medicine-man in your tribe." The tu-
mult here became so great that it was impossible for Wa-
da-ha to proceed, and the chief^ Black Elk, arose. But it
was not until after shouting, '' Be still— be still," a number
of times that he at last succeeded in obtaining something
like order. He then assured the two Sioux that they
would be protected, and that they should lead the attack
I02 WANNETA
on^tbfir.agen-cyrtwp .d^ys later, and that if all was as they
repf evented t'hcr/ dfemands should be granted.
;'.^ThW-^iVebd.u^cH% broke up, and the whole tribe re-
turned to their lodges, with the understanding that a
great war-dance was to be held the next night. The
medicine-man and Spotted Eagle were shown an empty
tipi, which they w^ere to occupy during their stay.
Crawling into this, these two wretches congratulated one
another upon the success of their scheme, and rolling
themselves in the buffalo robes, slept more soundly than
many a man whose conscience is clear of all thought of
crime or treachery.
The next day nothing unusual occurred in the camp,
the Crows making ready for the attack upon the agency.
At dusk that night the war-dance began. As this is
somewhat similar to the Sioux dance, described in the
previous chapter, it is hardly necessary to give a descrip-
tion of it. The medicine-man, decked out in what finery
he could borrow or manufacture for the occasion, was
present, and took an active part in the proceedings.
The next morning, at break of day, fully one thousand
armed Crows, mounted upon good horses, set out for the
agency, one hundred and fifty miles distant. They
marched quite leisurely that day, so as not to weary the
horses, and halted at dusk and slept through the night
upon the open prairie without covering of any descrip-
tion. Next morning they started at break of day, and by
evening that night were within five miles of their destina-
tion. Here they halted until daylight, when they pro-
posed to make the attaciv.
WANNETA. 103
As the Indians were passing a point north of the buffalo-
hunters, on the first day of the journey, a lone scout, in
the hills four miles away, seeing so large a moving body
— whether buffalo or horsemen he could not tell— galloped
down depressions and through ravines until he was near
enough to ascertain without being observed what this all
meant. He was no other than John Runner, the best
scout and trailer in the whole Sioux nation. He had been
sent to look for buffalo, and was some twenty miles south-
west of the Sioux camp when the horsemen passed him.
The Crow village was northwest of the Sioux camp, so
that in moving on the agency far to the south, the Crows
were two points south by one east, or, as the sailors say,
south-southeast. John Runner was secreted in a hollow
in the foot-hills when the}^ passed, and was scarcely a half
mile away as they swung around the edge of the northern
Bad Lands, a different section of Bad Lands from those
near the agency.
Imagine his horror when he saw and recognized the
medicine-man, Wa-da-ha, his grandfather, leading these
Crows on the war-path. A feeling of sickness came over
him at first, which quickly changed, in accordance with
his Indian nature, to hatred and disgust. He divined in-
stantly the purpose of the expedition, and turning his
horse's head, galloped toward the Sioux camp, twenty-
five miles away. It was about two o'clock in the after-
noon when he started on this journey, and he was a trifle
over two hours and twenty minutes in making the trip.
The Sioux were quietly engaged in their various pleas-
ures and pursuits, some gambling, others singing or prac-
:04 ^VA N N E 7' A
ticing with the bow and rifle. Suddenly they saw a
horseman coming across the plain in mad haste. Just as
he reached them his horse stumbled and fell, throwing
his rider several yards in advance. John Runner — for it
was he — ^springing to his feet unhurt, and with his long
hair streaming in the breeze, dashed through the village
at full speed, crying : '' The Crows are marching against
our people at the agency ! To arms — to your horses !
Quick ! They will soon be there ! " And dashing into
the presence of the chiefs, who were smoking their pipes
and lolling in the shade of a large tipi, he called out :
''The Crows, with one thousand warriors, are marching
against our people at the agency ! To arms instantly !
Call the braves to arms ! "
There was a scene of excitement following this an-
nouncement which pen cannot picture, and which mind
can scarcely conceive. Half a dozen squaws and Indians,
beating on tom-toms, with doleful singing, soon brought
together all the people in the central square. The chief,
addressing the throng, told them what the messenger had
seen, and when the names of two of their own people
were pronounced as leading these Crow devils to the
slaughter of women and children, the indignation that
took possession of every man, woman, and child in that
entire camp was something terrible to see. In less than
an hour about a thousand and five hundred armed war-
riors, on fleet ponies, were speeding away southward,
while the women and children and old men, with a guard
of two hundred braves, were hurrying with loads of meat
as fast as possible in the wake of the advancing army.
WANNETA
05
Never, in the history of the Sioux nation, had such a host
taken the war-path. The combined forces of the two
tribes, led by such chiefs as Sitting Bull, Rain-in-the-face,
Gopher, Spotted Tail, Red Cloud, and Two Bears, was
enough to inspire every warrior with great courage, and
give his arms strength and his eye steadiness for the fray.
They rode all that night, and in the morning rested but
an hour, in order to allow the horses to eat a little and
stretch their stiffened limbs before again taking up the
march against the Crows.
CHAPTER VIII.
STRONG HEART AND WANNETA AT THE AGENCY.
The two days following the departure of the tribe on the
annual hunt were spent very quietly at the agency, Wan-
neta tenderly caring for Strong Heart and giving him
such medicine as she thought would hasten his recovery.
The lodges which the Indians had erected were placed
upon the banks of a good-sized stream, and were about
three hundred yards from the government buildings.
The ground between them and the camp was level, and
free from underbrush or trees. A few cottonwoods
grew on either side of the stream. Its banks were about
ten feet high and quite steep ; the width of the creek was
about one hundred feet, and the water, for some distance,
was quiet and deep. There wxre a few canoes moored at
the water's edge, which the natives used when crossing
on hunting excursions, or when bringing fire-wood from
the drift-piles on the opposite side. The time passed by
rapidly, and neither Wanneta nor Strong Heart had any
premonition of the danger that awaited them. In bhssful
ignorance they passed the time as only lovers can, until
the very night that the Crows encamped five miles from
the agency.
The Sioux, on the morning of this day, after resting
their ponies, took up the march again as rapidly as pos-
sible, and about dusk halted ten miles north of the agency
1 06
WANNETA. 107
to rest a little before advancing to find out whether or
not the Crows were in the neighbourhood.
It was a bright evening, and Wanneta and her lover
were seated in the dimly-lighted tipi. The escort of
braves were lounging in their wigwams, a hundred yards
away, smoking their pipes or gambling with little coloured
stones. The squaws had prepared food a few moments
before, and all had satisfied the crayings of their appe-
tites.
One of the employees of the agency had been out hunt-
ing, and on his way home, followed the edge of the water
for several miles. The river having cut down into the
soil, as we have said, to a considerable depth, a horseman
could pass along the verge of the stream and be invisible
to any one some distance back upon the prairie. In this
way he unconsciously passed fully half of the Crow In-
dians.
The chiefs had called a consultation before attacking
the agency, and were in a group near the edge of the
bank, discussing whether they should wait until morning,
as was their intention when they arrived at this spot, or
push on to the assault that night. The half-breed hunter
knew enough of the Crow tongue to understand what
they were talking about. So he stopped his horse and
listened a few moments. He recognized the voice of one
of the principal Crow chiefs ; he also, to his great amaze-
ment and horror, heard Wa-da-ha, the medicine-man,
well known to the agency employees, debating with the
hereditary enemies of his nation, as to which was the best
way of slaughtering a hundred of his own people. The
io8 WAN NET A.
half-breed was badly frightened, but becoming bolder as
the conversation went on, he decided to listen to all that
was said, and if his horse made a sound that should betray
him, to leap into the stream, swim across, and escape
through the darkness.
Indian-like, his horse was well trained, and the animal,
conscious of the presence of strangers, stood patiently
waiting, with ears thrown forward, on the alert for any
movement his master might make. The half-breed stood
with his arm thrown over the horse's neck, his rifle in
readiness upon his left arm, and, as he Hstened, this is
what he heard :
" Black Elk is a great chief," said the medicine-man,
'' but he knows not the Sioux people as well as I do.
They are up early in the morning, and will flee into the
agency buildings as soon as they catch sight of us. If we
make the attack now, they will not have a chance to fly,
and we can surround and cut them all down without dan-
ger to ourselves."
'' The medicine-man speaks wise words," said one of
the Crow sub-chiefs ; '' we will listen to what he has to
say."
Spotted Eagle had been standing beside Wa-da-ha, and
wishing to take part in the conversation, judging that they
were talking about the attack, he nudged the medicine-
man and said to him : " Tell them to move on at once and
plan to surround the village. The camp is several hun-
dred yards from the agency, and by making a wide detour
we can pass the buildings unnoticed and attack the camp
.and escape with the prisoners and scalps before the agent
WANNETA. 109
can arouse his men." Wa-da-ha made known Spotted
Eagle's idea to the Crows. It was favourably received,
and all decided to act upon it at once.
'' Let us call the young men together," said Black Elk,
*'and march to the attack." With that he gave a war-
whoop, which brought all the warriors around him,
mounted on their ponies. At the sound the horse of the
half-breed became frightened, and it was with great diffi-
culty that his master could keep him quiet so as to hear
what more was said.
'' Young men," said the chief, ''you are to observe the
following instructions : The Indian girl called Wanneta,
very beautiful and beloved by this young man, is not to
be harmed. She is probably in the lodge of the son of
Rain-in-the-face, Strong Heart, who is the treacherous
dog who killed many of your people two weeks ago in
the Bad Lands, and whom you must take alive, if possi-
ble, for torture. When we have returned to our village,
you are to respect and reverence our Sioux friends here,
who have led us in the attack, as if they were your brother
Crows. This elder one is to become one of our medicine-
men. Spotted Eagle will become a great warrior with
us. It is to them we owe this opportunity of striking a
telling blow upon the Sioux dogs ; therefore believe and
respect them. Now to your horses, and we will advance
cautiously." So saying. Black Elk leaped upon his pony
and set out at a slow trot across the plain, followed by
his Avarriors.
As they moved on through the falling darkness, they
uttered no sound. When within two miles of the agency
no WANNETA.
the column turned toward the north, to pass far above
the buildings, and slackened their speed somewhat in
order that any danger of being discovered and having
their plans frustrated might be avoided.
Scarcely had the column moved, than the half-breed
plunged his horse into the stream, and, holding tightly to
the rawhide bridle, swam ahead and directed the animal
where to land on the opposite bank. As the last of the
Crows were passing the spot, they fancied the wind
brought to their ears the sound of a splash in the waters
below. Some of them halted their ponies and rode to
the edge of the bank. x\s they peered anxiously into the
darkness, they could see no sign of the noble animal and
its rider who were to bear the news of their coming to
the agency and to the camp before their diabohcal work
could commence.
-Reaching the shore in safety, the half-breed sprang on
the animal's back, and, with lash vigourously applied, flew
over the plain as fast as his pony could bear him. In an
incredibly short time he reached a point opposite the
camp, and plunging his froth and foam flecked steed into
the water, swam through the depths to the other side,
where he scrambled up the steep bank to the plain above.
Leaving his horse, heaving and panting, he rushed into
the village and called the braves about him.
" The Crows are coming with many warriors. Take
your rifles and carry the wounded man to the agency
building without delay. Do not waste a moment. Run,
run, instantly," and catching up his own rifle, the half-
breed rushed toward the tipi where lay Strong Heart,
WANNETA. Ill
followed by all the men in the village. They gathered
up the buffalo robes, on which the young man lay, by the
four corners, and hastily running to the agency store,
rushed pell-mell into it with their burden.
While they were doing this, Wanncta and the other
women hurriedly gathered a few pounds of dried beef,
and with the children that were in the small v^illagc, fol-
lowed on their heels. As soon as they reached the build-
ings, the employees, some six or eight in number, and the
agent himself, attracted by the noise, came running out
to see what was the matter. It did not take him long to
understand the condition of affairs. He gave instructions
that Strong Heart should be carried up-stairs — the main
building of the agency was two stories high — and laid on
the floor of a room having but one small window. Fifteen
of the warriors he stationed at the small block-house, at
a point which commanded three sides of the buildings,
and the remaining Sioux, with his own men, he placed in
various positions at doors, windows, and loop-holes within
the warehouse and the dwelling.
The women and children were sent into the cellar, with
the exception of some of the bravest, who were left above
with plenty of calico and linen to bind up the wounds of
any that might be hurt. The great gates of the agency
were shut and fastened, the doors and windows of all the
buildings locked and barred, the agent rolled out a keg
of fine rifle-powder, and set three of the squaws to load-
ing empty shells, so that they should not run short of am-
munition, in case they had to withstand a long attack.
He brought up several hundred bags of cartridges and
112 W AN N ETA.
distributed them among the men, and laid a dozen brand-
new Winchesters in various parts of the house, within
the reach of those who were to defend the women and
children. When all this was done, they felt quite safe as
to the probable result of the attack, thinking that the
half-breed had greatly exaggerated the number of the
enemy.
The main body of the Sioux did not rest more than an
hour, and as the Crows were advancing from the north-
west, they were coming from the north ; but the Sioux
had ten miles to come and were proceeding very lei-
surely, while the Crows had about five miles to come and
were trotting their horses.
The Crows passed without being seen or heard, a mile
above the buildings, and, swinging around, came gradu-
ally in toward the deserted village. They approached
from the eastward very cautiously. Nearly a hundred
of them dismounted, and, advancing on all fours, crawled
to a part of it nearest the agency, while others surrounded
the tipis fringing the stream. All drew from their belts
their scalping-knifes and tomahawks, and, upon a war-
whoop from the chief, sprang through the entrance of
each lodge with uplifted knife and hatchet, ready to brain
those supposed to be lying inside.
Just as the village was surrounded, the moon, which
had been hidden behind a heavy bank of clouds, came out
in all its brightness and shed a penetrating light upon the
scene. Imagine the disgust of the Indians to find their
intended victims gone. Not a soul was there, and all
that was left for them to wreak their vengeance on, were
WANNETA. 113
several curs which ran howling hither and thither, dodg-
ing the vicious thrusts of knife or strike of tomahawk
from the exasperated Indians.
''Ah," said the medicine-man to a crowd of assembled
warriors, ''some one has heard of our coming and has led
the Sioux into the agency. We will get them yet. Come
on; follow me. 1 will lead you to the attack." There was
murmuring among the Crows, and some openly avowed
that he had led them into a trap ; but as everything in the
wigwams betokened a hasty flight, and as the crafty old
fellow used his most persuasive eloquence, he soon in-
duced them to follow his lead.
" They shall not escape me," he hissed. " I will get
them and deliver them into your hands. You shall have
blood and scalps, to pay you for the wrongs which have
been perpetrated upon your nation. Come, oh Crows,
follow me to victory."
Wa-da-ha leaped upon his pony's back, and followed
closely by Spotted Eagle, the chiefs and head warriors,
while the others trailed along in the rear, dashed toward
the government buildings. The trampling of so many
horses made considerable noise, and seeing that further
concealment was impossible, the Crowds raised their war-
whoop, and dividing into two parties, swung around, the
one behind and the other in front of the agency.
Those within could see by the bright moonlight what
an enormous host they had to contend with, and the
stoutest hearts quailed as they saw that they were out-
numbered thirty to one. The Crows, too, they saw had
nearly as good arms as they themselves, and the only
114 WANNETA
thing that could save them would be the arrival of troops
or the coming of their people from the buffalo hunt.
The agent saw that he and his men were in very tight
quarters, and doubted whether, with such an army sur-
rounding him, he could get a message to the nearest mili-
tary post. He did not know whether to attempt to send
a scout or not, and resolved to wait until a consultation
could be held.
As the Crows were cavorting about the buildings, hoot-
ing and yelling, and discharging their rifles, the agent
called up the women from the cellar, and sending with
them a number of men, gave instructions that windows and
doors be doubly barricaded. The buildings were very
strongly put together, and were of very heavy timber.
They could, therefore, resist any number of bullets, but
were not at all fire-proof. The three, and the block-
house, which have been repeatedly mentioned, were con-
nected ; that is, built end to end, so that a person could
pass from one to the other without being seen. The last
building was the lowest, but the broadest, being square.
It was composed entirely of logs. This was the block-
house, or fort, and was so strongly built, the ends of the
logs being dovetailed, that no Indian could batter it
down. The loop-holes commanded the structure from
all sides, and it was not possible for the Crows to advance
upon it without great loss.
The warehouse,- in which was the meat and meal, was
at the north. The store and the apartments in which
the agent lived adjoined this. The next building was
occupied by the employees of the agency ; then came the
W A N N ETA . lis
block-house. The meat on hand consisted of some seven
or eight hundred shoulders and sides of hogs. This was
to be issued to the Indians in case the beef supply, for some
unforeseen reason, should fail. As this was salted and
cured, it was very hard and dry, and while a bullet would
pass through seven or eight inches, a barrier of meat a
foot thick would afford sufficient resistance to stop any
bullet.
The squaws and a few of the men worked with the
superhuman strength that excitement and danger alone
give, and it was not many moments before every door
and window from the north end of the buildings to the
south was strengthened with this novel but effective bar-
ricade of pork. There were plenty of kegs of meal which
might have been used, but the agent considered the salt
pork better.
The Crows did not leave the defenders in doubt long
as to what their intentions were. The high board fence
which surrounded all, and which, while tolerably strong,
was by no means bullet-proof, was not an obstacle worthy
of consideration ; still it hindered them from obtaining
a clear view of the first story of the buildings. So at
a given signal five or six hundred Crows dismounted,
rushed to it, each seized a board, and pulled and tugged
together, thus tearing down and carrying off in large sec-
tions all of the fence and the gates. This surprised the
defenders, and although it rendered them somewhat un-
easy, did not alarm them, as the fence was of no value as
a protection. The defenders simultaneously opened a
rapid fire, and had the satisfaction of seeing a number of
Il6 WANNETA.
the warriors stagger and fall, many of whom were unable
to rise, and had to be carried off the field by their com-
rades.
The agent ordered the braves and his men to shoot all
Indians who came as near as the dark line upon the
ground which marked the spot where the fence had stood.
So they waited with cocked rifles the approach of the
Crows to the dead-line. The Indians had heaped the re-
mains of the fence in a large pile, and setting fire to it,
soon had the whole mass in a roaring flame. They could
not resist the temptation of executing a small war-dance
about the bright blaze, and having done this, returned to
the attack with renewed spirits and redoubled energies.
The agent looked on complacently as his fence was being
burned, and when asked how he felt about it, remarked,
with the usual carelessness of his class, that it was Uncle
Sam's money that paid for the fence, and that he did not
care what became of it.
The Crows formed a ring of about a hundred yards
from the agency buildings, and circling around and
around, their horses on a dead run, discharged their
rifles as they rode. When the horses became tired, those
who had been waiting took their places while the first set
rested. Thus they kept up an incessant fire. The only
effect of this was to fill the strong and heavy weather-
boarding full of lead. Perhaps a few bullets entered some
crack or crevice and buried themselves in the walls or in
the piles of meat about the loop-holes, but there was no
damage done whatever.
It did not take the Crows many minutes to see that
W ANN ETA . 117
their bullets made no impression upon the buildings, and
that those inside were emptying their saddles and send-
ing their best braves to the happy hunting-grounds at an
alarming rate. So they withdrew to the fire and devised
new tactics. They left the ponies in charge of some
fifty braves and on foot stormed the doors and tried to
batter them down. They selected for this purpose two
heavy posts taken from the fence, and put each in the
hands of a dozen of their strongest men, who went on a
quick run at the door.
The besieged saw them coming, and were somewhat
alarmed at the aspect affairs were now taking. The
agent called out loudly to open fire rapidly upon them.
As the Crows approached with their battering-rams and
crossed the dead-line, they received a shower of bullets
which killed five or six of each set. One of the parties
dropped the log and took to their heels ; the other came
right on, a man falling every now and then, but reached
the door with four of their number unhurt. They struck
it twice, but were too excited to hit hard enough to
break it down. Two of them were shot on the door-step,
and the other two, losing all heart, turned and ran swiftly
to where their companions were watching. Black Elk
then told his braves to try the white man's way of firing,
and to aim all together very carefully at the loop-holes.
This they did, discharging their arms simultaneously. A
thousand rifles fired as one had the effect of bringing the
Sioux from the north all the more rapidly as this thun-
derous report reached their ears, but it killed three of
those within and wounded four.
Ii8 WANNETA.
As the sound reached the ears of the Sioux, Sitting
Bull and Rain-in-the-face, who were riding in front,
lashed their ponies into a furious speed, and calling to
their followers, who needed no second bidding, came on
to the agency. Nearer and nearer they drew, until they
could plainly hear the war-cries of the Crows. So intent
were the latter upon the new mode of assault, that they
did not know of the approach of the Sioux until they were
close upon them.
The Crows had tried for some time to set fire to the
buildings, and some of their best bow-men had been
shooting arrows, headed with red-hot coals, at the roofs.
Out of some fifteen or twenty shots, three of the brands
kindled a space upon the dry roofs of the north and cen-
tral buildings. One of the besieged sprang up to put out
the fire, but fell back with a bullet through his head. At
least five hundred rifles were directed toward the blaze,
and, had any one shown himself, instant death would have
been his fate. The fire gained rapidly, and those within
knew that over their heads an enemv was working Avhich
would soon drive them forth, an enemy against which
they could not fight with either rifle or knife. Two more
brave fellows within sprang up to make another at-
tempt. Both fell back, one shot in three places and the
other fairly riddled with lead. Just as smoke was pour-
ing into the upper stories of the building — so dense that
Strong Heart had to be removed to the lower floor —
there came a sound which was heard above the roar of
repeating arms, and, which sent a thrill of gladness
through the heart of every one within those doomed
WANNETA.
119
walls. It was the Sioux war-whoop, and as it ran^r out,
bringing gladness to one side and sorrow and chagrin to
the other, those who uttered it dashed into sight, and
charged without an instant's pause.
Now ensued a tight in the open plain, in which a thou-
sand Crows, stung to exasperation by their failure to carry
the fort, furiously assailed fifteen hundred Sioux. The
horses of both parties were tired, and it was a question
of a few moments only before one or the other should
give way, for Indians w^ill seldom fight in the open plain.
After the first few charges the lines drew apart, and a
steady fire was kept up on both sides for fifteen or twenty
minutes. The moon became obscured in clouds for a
time, so that the aim of both parties was very uncertain,
and they could not tell whether they were directing their
rifles at their enemies or not. So there was a lull in the
fight until each should be able to see. In a few moments
the moon shone out in all its brightness, and, without
waiting further, the Sioux raised their battle-cry and
charged the Crows.
The line wavered an instant and then broke, and with
loud ''ki-yis," the defeated Crows fled toward their own
village, pursued by nearly a thousand of the most fleet of
the Sioux. A number were killed in the pursuit, but as
the horses ot the victors were worn out after their long
run, hardly five miles had been traversed before most of
the animals showed signs of fatigue, and gradually, one
after another dropped out of the race and returned to
the agency.
CHAPTER IX.
THE SCENE AT THE AGENCY.
When the Sioux swept down and charged the Crows
with a war-whoop of such volume and strength that it
seemed to almost shake the heavens, the delight of those
inside the little fortress could scarcely be expressed in
words. They danced, they shouted, and carried on al-
most like crazy people. It was only a few moments before
they saw what would be the result of the fight, so all in
the fort and in the northern building brought their guns
and ammunition and joined the men and women crowded
in the agent's house. A scene was enacted here that beg-
gars description. Every one was so rejoiced to see the
Crows in full retreat, and to know that there would be
no massacre and no captivity, that they went through all
sorts of antics.
As soon as the enemy were in full retreat, the Sioux
crowded around the buildings and called to those inside
to come out. The doors were thrown open, and every
one within the burning building ran into the plain. Six
strong braves bore in advance of the crowd the litter upon
which lay Strong Heart. This they carried out some
little distance and set down in a place of safety. The
people having thus escaped, the agent called to the Sioux
to dismount, and some two hundred men worked with
might and main to save what they could of the contents
120
WAN N ETA. 12
of the houses. The fire had gained such headway on the
roof, and was fanned by so stiff a breeze, that there was
no possibility of saving any of the houses. The barn and
wagon-shed, after being rifled of their contents and the
horses there stabled, had also been fired by the Crows.
The Indians worked as hard as they could, and carried
all the household provisions and pork safely outside the
burning buildings. When this was done, the agent and
his assistants had to stand idly by and watch the devour-
ing flames. There was nothing for him to do but to send
to the nearest railroad and telegraph station an account
of what had happened, and to notify the authorities at
Washington to send instructions and money for the erec-
tion of new buildings, and the purchase of horses and
other necessary commodities. The Indians found their
village undisturbed by the Crows, and, by crowding and
sleeping six or seven in a tipi, managed to furnish the
agent and his wife and employees with several lodges unti'
better accommodations could be secured.
The flames mounting high in air, made such a brill-
iant light that people fifty miles away saw, by the red
haze, that something unusual had happened. The Crows,
looking back far distant on their homeward race, saw it,
too, and gave vent to their delight in war-whoops and
yells as they sped across the prairie. The Indians and
whites watched until nothing remained but masses of
bright red coals. Then, as it was late at night, they
turned in. A guard of a hundred warriors was left to
watch the provisions. They spent their time in dancing
about the fire and keeping up a series of songs, now and
122 WANNETA.
then interspersed with a few war-like demonstrations,
such as shouts and yells. They helped themselves very
liberally to the pork, and many a shoulder and piece of
bacon was devoured after being first cooked over the
embers.
When the first volley was fired by the Crows as they
rode around the buildings, Wanneta, who had left her
charge for a few moments to get a bucket of water and
speak with those down-stairs, rushed up in great alarm
and sat down by the side of her lover, answering his ques-
tions and listening with great agitation to the sounds of
attack. At first Strong Heart was very anxious to go
below and assist, and when the building was fired and
they carried him down, it was all Wanneta could do to
prevent him from getting up, weak as he was, and joining
in the defense. Strong Heart, like all Indian young men,
could not bear to see a fight in which his own people were
engaged without lending them his assistance. Indians
have been known to fight when terribly wounded, and
there are cases on record where braves who have been
cut and shot a number of times, have sat up with their
back propped against a tree or a dead horse, loading and
firing their rifles for several hours. The same stoicism
was displayed by many soldiers in the late war for the
Union.
As the fight went on, and the Crows were circling on
their fast flying ponies around and around the buildings,
Wanneta and Strong Heart sat perfectly still for some
time, listening to the dull thud of the hoofs upon the turf
and the yells of those within and without. The discharge
W A N N E TA
123
of the rifles was so rapid that they did not feel at all afraid,
nor were they in the least bit nervous. When one is in
a building and there is a fight outside or below, and the
shooting is very active, one is not apt to be half so badly
frightened as if there were an occasional discharge. In
the first case one is nerved to see or hear almost any-
thing ; in the other, one listens with bated breath for each
report, and thus the imagination, having full sway during
the pause, is inflamed by the nervous and excitable con-
dition of the mind.
As the fight grew hot, those inside cheered and yelled
in answer to those without. Every once in a while a bul-
let would smash through a glass window, and another,
with a dull zip, would bury itself in the stacks of meat
behind. The patter of the lead striking the heavy weather-
boarding, indicated to the young folk that a very heavy
fire was being directed against them.
" Wanneta," said Strong Heart, after the shooting had
been continued for about fifteen minutes, '' I think we are
perfectly safe here, unless they set fire to the build-
ings. In case they do this, there is no hope for us what-
ever."
'' If they do set fire to the building," said Wanneta,
'' the men can run up on the roof and extinguish the blaze
before it has gained much headway."
" No, they can't," said Strong Heart, *' because every
Crow will watch that blaze, keeping his rifle turned
toward it, and the life of the first man who shows himself
will not be worth an old pony."
Wanneta groaned when she heard this, but, as there
124
WANNETA
was no indication of the building being fired, she kept
her usual composure. She gave Strong Heart a drink of
water and, leaving him for a few moments, ran down-
stairs to see how the defenders were getting along. The
lamps in the agency had been lighted at first, but as they
interfered with the men's aim, they had been turned
down or blown out, and each man handled his gun in
comparative darkness, the moonlight outside enabling
him to direct his fire with considerable accuracy. While
Wanneta was talking to the women, the Crows ceased
their circling about the agency, and advanced and tore
down the fence, as before described, and tried to batter
in the door.
Pulling off the boards and wrenching apart the cross-
pieces made considerable noise. Strong Heart, hearing
it, called out loudly for Wanneta. She ran up and joined
him, to tell him what was being done, and then went
down-stairs again. After the unsuccessful attempt to bat-
ter down the door, the Crows charged in a body against
the building, and shot many arrows with live coals at-
tached, or threw blazing brands on the roof Wanneta,
looking out through a small crack, saw what was being
done, and, with a despairing cry, ran up-stairs to tell
her lover. As this charge was made, the besieged fired
all the cartridges in the magazines of their guns in rapid
succession. The Crows were so near that their aim was
very effective. They were compelled to withdraw pre-
cipitately.
'' Strong Heart," said Wanneta, ''your fears were well
founded, for these devils have set fire to the roof. As I
IVANNETA. 125
was down-stairs 1 saw fifteen or twenty arrows and blaz-
ing brands directed against our fort. It is not possible
that among so many all should fail to do the fearful work
for which they were designed. In case the roof catches
fire, we will stay up here as long as we can and then go
down. The men below will try to put the fire out."
There was a rough plastering on laths against the
rafters of the roof, the room being in this way made very
high and spacious. There was no attic or garret. So
that if a blaze should start, it would burn very little
before it would be detected by our friends under-
neath.
"If the roof does catch fire," said Strong Heart, "you
must let me take my rifle and fight with the men. I will
do it. I will not be shut up and die like a coward. I
will get outside and die like a man."
" You must not do that. Strong Heart. Please do not
go out — do not leave, for my sake, unless we see that we
are to be roasted alive. Then we will run for the river,
but not until then."
Strong Heart lay still for a few moments, for he did
not want to join his companions unless Wanneta wished.
Had there been no one there to plead with him to stay,
or had there been some one whom he did not love, he
probably would have gone below and fought with the
rest. He would not have shown weakness, even though
his arm and shoulder greatly piined him ; he would have
loaded and fired with his ricrht arm, and shut his teeth
with the grit characteristic of his people, and would have
been the last to complain. Wanneta sat by his side, and
126 WANNETA.
did not speak for some time. The noise of the conflict
drowned the crackling noise that was becoming louder
above, and it was not until a loud snap was heard and a
piece of plaster fell from the pointed ceiling to the floor
that anything unusual was noticed. Then they could see
small flames plying their destructive work in the lath and
rafters exposed by the falling plaster. There was no
longer any doubt that the building was on fire.
The flames spread along the ridge with great speed,
and every few seconds another piece of plaster fell to the
floor, exposing more of the fire. It was only a few mo-
ments before the smoke from above settled down nearly
to them. They could remain on the second floor but a
short time longer. Wanneta rushed to the stairs and
called to the men below. Two of them obeyed her sum-
mons, and came running up with buckets of water. One
rushed up the ladder, opened the skylight, and was about
to step upon the roof, when, with a loud shriek, he fell
twenty feet to the floor beneath, shot through the head.
Not Avishing her lover to see more of this, Wanneta ran
to the steep stairs and called again for assistance. Four
strong men came quickly, and, at her request, carried
Strong Heart down to a safer place. Going to a dark
corner of the room, they laid his bed upon the floor, and
then returned to their posts of duty.
Wanneta threw herself by his side, and, until the glad
sound of the Sioux war-whoop Avas heard, did not leave
him.
"Dear Strong Heart," she said, "do not leave your
bed unless the building burns so far that we cannot stay
WANNETA. 127
here longer. Then take your rifle, and give me the rifle
of the man killed up-stairs, and wc will all run for the
river, take the canoes, and get across to a place of
safety."
'• Wanneta, let me get up ; I cannot stand it here. 1
hear the death-song of several Crows outside. Let me
get out — I must join in the fight : " and as he concluded,
he raised himself to a sitting position, and stretched out
his right hand for his rifle, which they had placed by his
side to be used should the Crows enter the fort. Wan-
neta saw that prompt measures would alone prevent him
from carrying out his intentions ; so throwing both arms
around his neck, she held him fast, and in doing so, hurt
his shoulder so that he almost cried out with pain. She
pushed him back gently, and made him lie down upon
the soft buffalo and bear robes. Then she held his right
arm with both hands and prevented him from again ris-
ing, and pleaded with all her might. By her efforts and
her pleading, she managed to keep him on his back.
'' Strong Heart, you told me at the old village that you
loved me, and I believe it ; but if you get up and go out,
unless it is necessary, I will not believe you — 1 will not
trust you." This made him a little angry, for he took it
differently from what she had anticipated. He replied
instantly : '' If the Sioux nation is in danger it is my duty
to aid them, and although I may be suffering from a
slight wound, it is no reason why I should lie idly by and
let the brothers of my own nation pour out their heart's
blood in order that I may escape. No ! I am the son of
Rain-in-the-face, the greatest Sioux chief that ever lived,
128 WANNETA.
and I will conduct myself as becomes the son of Rain-in-
the-face, and will not act the coward.
'' I will lie here, Wanneta, until the last moment, and
if the roof burns and falls, I will charge with the rest and
with you and make a great attempt to reach the other
side of the river. ' There was a few moments of silence
after this, the lovers listening to the sounds of the rifles,
the cries of the besiegers and the besieged. Presently,
Strong Heart said : " Come close to my side, dear friend,"
— she had run to the front to see what was the matter, and
was standing a few feet away when he spoke. At his
bidding, she came and sat down close to him.
'' Wanneta," said he, '' when I told you that I loved
you, I meant every word I said. Were you in earnest
when you said you loved me in return?"
*' I was," she said, " and because I wanted to keep you
here upon your couch is the reason I said I would not
love you if you went out to fight. It is because I think
so much of you and hold you so dear that I do not want
to lose you, or have you fall into the hands of those re-
vengeful Crow dogs."
'' Wanneta, I believe every word you say, and know
that your love for me is as deep as is that of any woman
for man. I think that I had better speak further upon
this matter, because, if I have to go out to the fight, I do
not know what will become of me or what will become
of you. If we leave together, wx may both escape, or
one of us may be killed and the other left ; therefore, I
wish to make a very strange request, and want to know
if you will promise me you will carry it out. You know,
WAN NET A. 129
if they see that I am wounded, they will capture me alive.
That means death by slow torture. For you, capture
means marriage to some Crow warrior whom you do not
love, and who will be a very harsh master to you : there-
fore, I want you, dear Wanneta, to make an agreement
with mc similar to that which we made the day at the
cliffs when we had such a narrow escape. If they come
to take me, and I am wounded or fallen and you are
there, take this knife " — and he gave her the same hunt-
ing-knife that he carried the day they were in the Bad
Lands — *' and with it run me to the heart, and then your-
self. If I am not so badly wounded, and can handle
weapons, I will plunge this knife into the heart of my
captor, and then will end both our lives. Should we
both be disarmed, and unable to escape a worse fate than
death, then I will die at the stake, as should a brave
Sioux ; you must, in that case, look out for yourself."
" That is too horrible, Strong Heart. Do not talk that
way. I will take this knife, as you wish, but I will not
use it unless we can signal each other with our eyes, if
captured, and agree as to what we shall do."
'' Well, so be it," said Strong Heart; '' we will not use
the knife unless by your eyes I see you give consent,
then for the worst." ,
''Suppose this trouble all passes by and we escape?"
said Wanneta.
'' Then," said Strong Heart, '' will come one of the
happiest moments of my life. Then we shall be safe,
for our people will leave us a guard of several hun-
dred warriors, and they will not make the hunt very
I30 WANNETA
long, but will go on the war-path against the Crows,
who have caused all this trouble. There is yet another
thing that I must speak of before more moments pass,
as there is no telling what may happen in the next few
hours.
*' You told me that you loved me, Wanneta, and I be-
lieve you. Now I want to know if you will love me still
further," — and here he raised himself again to a sitting
posture and supporting himself with his right arm, while
she instinctively drew near and tenderly laid him against
her breast — " I want to know if you will become my
squaw. You know I am well able to care for you ; you
know how much I think of you, and all that 1 would do
for you. Will you consent to this, dear Wanneta, as soon
as I am well and strong again ? "
An instant's pause, a little hesitation on the part of the
Indian girl, and then, as does every woman whose heart is
touched by true love, she said, '' Yes."
Just then the men came down from above, and an-
nounced that three of their number had been shot in try-
ing to put out the fire. Those in the little fortress who
had been most brave and reckless turned pale. The
white men tightened their belts, and nerved themselves
to meet the worst. The Indians became desperate, and,
for about five minutes, all fired as fast as they could
cram cartridges into the magazines of their rifles in the
endeavour to drive back the red-skins. These had seen
the advance of the fire, and knowing that it would, sooner
or later, drive out those within, gathered around, waiting
for what seemed to them their certain prey.
WAN NET A, 131
Just as matters were getting at their worst, and the
men were beginning to be blinded by smoke, and to talk
of making a charge for the river, in hopes of thus escap-
ing, there rang out upon the air the well-known Sioux
war-whoop.
Many times, upon the desert, a lonely traveller who has
been wending his wearisome journey, day after day,
across sandy wastes, sees far ahead, dimly outlined
against the sky, the palm-tree, sure sign of springing
waters and the rest of an oasis. He quickens his step,
his heart is light, his eye re-kindles, and his whole as-
pect is changed. So with these dejected and desperate
men. When the sound of the war-cry of their nation
rang out, it brought to them gladness and the promise
of escape. They all cheered in return, but. on account of
the great racket outside, of course were not heard. They
stopped firing, for fear of hurting their own countrymen.
They gathered at the doors and windows, and peered out
of the little port-holes to see what was happening. The
moon came out very bright for the next ten minutes, and
they could discern everything almost as well as if all
these doings had been going on by daylight.
They saw the Sioux, several hundred more in number
than the Crows, dashing on to the fray, led by Rain-in-
the-face and Sitting Bull, warriors whose prowess was
unequalled. On swept the Sioux leaders, followed by
warriors eager for blood, eager for fight. Every one
had thrown down his blanket, his bread-sack — everything
but his weapons. They charged the Crows at once, and
as they wheeled off to the right, delivered a most sting-
132 WANNETA.
ing fire. Some of them fired under their horses' necks,
others over, while not a few, to show in what contempt
they held the fighting powers of the Crows, sat bolt-up-
right and discharged their rifles without protection. The
result you know. The Crows fled, and the field belonged
to the Sioux. The young braves began to scalp the slain,
while the chiefs rushed to the agency buildings, and
pounding upon the doors, loudly called to those within
to open and come out.
It did not take the Indians long to congratulate each
other upon their escape. Indians are not given to many
embraces nor to the shedding of tears. Their stolidity
of nature will not permit them to indulge in what they
regard as foolishness.
Rain-in-the-face, having ascertained that his son was
safe, took Sitting Bull by the arm and led him to Strong
Heart's side, where he had been laid in a place of safety
by the young men. He had told Sitting Bull before of
Strong Heart's bravery in killing so many Crows. Sit-
ting Bull, usually stern, ferocious, and bloodthirsty, paid
the young man a compliment which is worth}^ of being
recorded here.
" Strong Heart, son of Rain-in-the-face, you have
showed that you are rightly named. If I had one thou-
sand young men like you, I would drive the Long Knives
out of our hunting-grounds forever. Young man, if your
enemies ever injure you again, the whole nation will
avenge you."
Those of the Sioux who had been killed, were placed
in an empty tipi and watched over by two squaws, who
WANNETA. 133
kept up a moaning and dismal singing all night long.
After this was done, some of the Indians and the agent,
together with his family, turned in at the little village
for the night, but the greater part of them camped
upon the plain, with no covering save the canopy of
heaven.
CHAPTER X.
WA-DA-HA AND SPOTTED EAGLE IN A TIGHT PLACE.
Wa-DA-HA and Spotted Eagle were with the foremost
Crows in the flight, for they well knew the fate that was
in store for them, should they be taken by their own
people. Therefore, as the Sioux pursued, they whipped
their ponies and made them gallop as fast as the tired
steeds could, in a desperate effort to escape.
Occasionally they heard the well-known war-whoop in
the rear, signifying to them that a Crow, whose horse
was unable to keep up, had fallen. But as these sounds
grew fainter and fainter as the night wore away, they
soon gained courage, and trusted that their escape was
certain. They rode side by side, a Httle in advance of
the Crows, for some distance and, after the sounds of
pursuit had died away, let their panting animals lower
their gait to a slow walk. Thus they proceeded for a
number of miles, when they stopped and encamped for the
rest of the night. As they rode along together, both in
moody silence, they thought how desperate was their sit-
uation, and wondered whether the Crows would wreak
their vengeance upon them for proposing an assault
which had resulted so disastrously to the attacking
party.
Wa-da-ha did not care much how affairs went ; he had
134
W ANN ETA. 135
lost his position in his own tribe, and he knew well that
the chances were greatly against his being adopted into
the Crow nation as a medicine-man. As he thought over
these things, he hardened his heart and, crushing down
any feelings of fear which may have arisen for the mo-
ment, nerved himself to meet whatever the future should
bring, whether of good or evil.
Spotted Eagle was more of a coward than the medicine-
man, and as he rode along, he thought of the foolish and
desperate step he had taken. Although outwardly he
showed no signs of a tormented mind and uneasy con-
science, yet inwardly he suffered intensely. He was not
as bad as many young Indians, for, although reckless and
dissipated, the only really serious crime that could be
brought against him was his late treachery. As the
young man thought it over, the question came to him as
it had to the medicine-man. What will the Crows do with
us now that they have been defeated ? Turning to his
companion, he asked, '' Oh, great Wa-da-ha, tell me what
shall we do to pacify the Crows. They are riding a little
in our rear, and I can hear from their mutterings that
they are very angry over their defeat, and that they lay
it to us."
"Young man," said Wa-da-ha, "the only thing that
will pull us through this scrape, will be nerve and grit.
If I thought the Sioux did not know of our share in the
business, we would escape to-night and go back to their
camp; but as they came in such large numbers, all
painted and ready for fight, I think they must have
learned of our intended attack through a scout. Or they
136 WAN N ETA.
may have seen us as we passed around the Bad Lands;
therefore, 1 prefer to take chances with the Crows, rather
than return to the village and be put to death by my own
people. If we were only certain that they did not know
of our doings, we could return in safety."
'' Well, medicine-man," said Spotted Eagle, '' suppose
you get off your horse and let me lead him. Then do
you creep back to where the Crows are. When within
a hundred yards, rise, turn, and walk ahead of them for
some little distance, so as to hear, if possible, what they
think of our conduct in this affair. If they are in favour
of making us prisoners, the best thing that we can do is
to go back to the Sioux, and run the risk of their having
discovered our part in the attack."
'' Young man," said Wa-da-ha, '' I will do as you say ;
but I w^ant you to understand that, if we are separated,
we must each stand up for the other in deed and in
speech, and that if one of us is taken captive by the
Sioux, he is not to tell anything that will criminate the
other."
*' I agree," said Spotted Eagle.
" Then," said the medicine-man, " lead my horse ; I
will rejoin you presently."
Slipping from the pony's back, he ran several hundred
yards toward the rear, until within hearing distance of
the Crows. He gained this position without being no-
ticed by taking advantage of the little darkness caused
by the moon passing through a great mass of clouds.
Wa-da-ha heard Black Elk and some of the warriors
talking very earnestly too-^ther. and all that thev said was
WANNETA. 137
wafted by a gentle breeze in his direction, so that not one
word of the conversation did he lose.
" No, Black Elk ; the young men are very clamorous
for the death of these two Sioux. They have, it is true,
taken us to the agency and fulfilled their part of the con-
tract, but we did not find a hundred women, children, and
old men alone, as they said we would. We found a gar-
rison of men, who poured a destructive fire into our
ranks. How was it that the Sioux came in just at the
right moment and charged us, if these bad men had not
sent word to them of our movements? "
The chief thought a moment, and then replied : '* I do
not think that they meant to lead us into ambush. I
think we were seen when we passed the Bad Lands by
some scout from the Sioux party, who reported his dis-
covery. I think, from what these men say, they have
been greatly wronged by their tribe, and that they left
seeking vengeance upon the chief and his son in retalia-
tion for insults and injuries. 1 should deem it advisable
to watch them both closely until we reach our village.
Let us then take them into the council, question them
closely, and send word by a messenger, with a peace-pipe
in his hand, to the Sioux reservation. If the Sioux say
that the men are traitors to them, we will spare them, and
adopt them into the tribe, as agreed. If the Sioux say
that these men are friends of theirs, we will kill them."
'' Well," cried one of the warriors, '* the Sioux may send
back word that these men are friends of theirs, and loyal
to Rain-in-the-face, in order to get them for punishment
at home."
138 WANNETA.
'' No," said Black Elk ; '^ they will not do that. If the
men are traitors, and tried to betray the women and chil-
dren left at the agency, they will be only too glad to have
them put to death here. You see, if they should propose
to torture them at home, some relatives would intercede,
and want them spared on conditions. The warriors and
head men know that they could scarcely dare to overrule
the wishes of these friends. The head men and the chief
will want to mete out vengeance and make an example
of them. Therefore, they would rather have the prisoners
meet their richly-deserved fate at the hands of the Crows,
than have them escape any punishment.
'' Now, my brothers and warriors, listen. Bind these
two as soon as they reach our village, so they cannot es-
cape. Send a trusty messenger who speaks their tongue,
with a pipe of peace, to the Sioux nation, and find out
what they have to say with reference to them. We shall
reach our village some time day after to-morrow, and as
soon as we get there, I will give orders for the binding of
the two men, and will start the messenger on his
journey."
" Well said, chief," cried the first warrior ; '' it shall be
as you wish."
The medicine-man, having heard enough to make his
ears tingle, and to cause even his strong knees to tremble,
ran quickly ahead to Spotted Eagle, and made known to
him the whole of the conversation.
'' What shall we do? " said the young man, anxiously.
" Well," said the medicine-man, '' we dare not try to es-
cape now, for they are wrought up to such a pitch that
WAN NET A. 139
they will shoot us at once if they suspect us of such an
idea. I think the chances may be more in our favour
when we reach the village, so we had better go quietly
there."
*' Cannot we make a dash for it, Wa-da-ha? Couldn't
we go to our people, and make them believe that we have
done nothing wrong?"
'' No, young man," said Wa-da-ha, " if we foolishly at-
tempt to escape, we shall be killed without doubt. Go
quietly on to the village and bide your time."
A few moments after this talk had taken place, three
Crows trotted up to where the Sioux were, and told them
that Black Elk had given orders that all should encamp
for the night, and that under no circumstances should
either Spotted Eagle or the medicine-man leave camp
without first speaking to the chief. Then the Crows
picketed their ponies and, lying down upon the ground,
told them to prepare for the night's rest. These Crows
were virtually a guard appointed by the chief to watch
the Sioux, and see that they did not escape. Early the
next morning the march was resumed, and continued until
dark. Another night was spent on the plain, and about
noon of the next day the warriors entered the village
which they had left in such glad spirits and with such
certainty of success. The women, children, and old men
crowded out to see them enter, and to hear what had been
their fortune in the fight.
The bodies of the slain had been carried, according to
Indian custom, upon the backs of the ponies, and the in-
jured had been brought on rough litters, strapped between
I40 WANNETA
two ponies. At the sight of so many dead and wounded,
the squaws set up a mournful wail, and each rushed for-
ward to see if her husband or relative had been among
those who had fallen in the fight. While this scene was
taking place, and the women were crying and weeping
over the bodies of the dead, a very different scene was
going on near the great council-house. The prisoners —
for such they now were — had been closely watched all the
morning, and when the whole nation had gathered at the
council-house, both Wa-da-ha and Spotted Eagle w^ere
seized and, in spite of expostulations, had their hands se-
curely bound behind them, and w^ere forced to enter the
lodge. The chief stood up amidst a profound silence and
directed two of his swiftest messengers to take the best
ponies in the tribe, selecting those that had not been fa-
tigued by the long march, and go as quickly as possible
to the Sioux nation, bearing each a pipe of peace. There
they were to learn what was the feeling toward the medi-
cine-man and Spotted Eagle. Having charged them
what they should say to the Sioux, the chief ordered
them to leave without delay, and as they rode out of the
camp, he produced the council-pipe and, having lighted
it, passed it around to all the head warriors present. No
council would be complete, and no ceremony considered
properly enacted, without the use of the pipe. It is as
essential to the Indian as the reading of the Scriptures
in a church service would be to us.
The messengers were expected to ride all that da}' and
night, and to arrive at the Sioux camp shortly after day-
light the second morning. They were to start on the re-
IVANNETA. 141
turn trip about three hours after reaching the village, and
should their horses hold out, would be back at the Crow
camp about two or three o'clock of the third morning
after leaving. The chief very gravely opened the debate,
and for one of no legal education his arguments were cer-
tainly very strong, his rulings excellent, and the decisions
arrived at as good as those of our average lawyer.
Addressing the people assembled, he stated in as few
words as possible the case before them, and before speak-
ing, asked of each that he should first listen to what he
had to say and then give his own views. Black Elk then
went on to say that the two men had kept the agreement
made with the Crows, but that on account of their defeat
the young braves were very clamorous for the death of
both, for they reasoned that it was evident that the Sioux-
had led them into a trap. This argument the chief
claimed could be easily refuted. The prisoners would
hardly have dared return with them, but would have
gone over to the Sioux in the attack, had they been
decoys. Since the Crows had been defeated, it showed
all the more clearly to his mind that the men were in-
nocent. Had they not been innocent, they would have
thrown off all pretense and joined their own people as
soon as the charge was made.
Each one of the chiefs made a speech, giving his views
of the case. There were so many who wanted to talk,
and some had so much to say, that it was well into the
night before the council was ended. The drift of opinion
of the older people was in favour of adopting the medi-
cine-man and Spotted Eagle into the tribe.
142 WANNETA.
Upon the adjournment of the council, the Sioux were
led to the same tipi which they had occupied before start-
ing upon the expedition, and were given quarters there.
Three of the Crows watched them that night. The next
day there was no council held. But at seven o'clock in
the evening one was called, to last all night, if neces-
sary, or until the messengers returned from the Sioux
nation. The Indians had fortified themselves for this
council by eating large quantities of meat during the
day-time.
The same line of argument was taken up here as at the
previous one, and there was little said to interest the
reader during the early part of the assembly. But as the
hour of midnight drew near, the speeches became more
animated. Many persons who had been sleeping, aroused
themselves and crowded into the room to hear the de-
bate and to learn what the Sioux people said concerning
the prisoners. The medicine-man was not allowed to
speak for himself until shortly before midnight, when, in
response to many calls for him, the chief caused his arms
to be loosed and, giving him a place to stand where all
should see and hear, commanded him to say on.
" Friends of the Crow nation," began Wa-da-ha, " I ap-
pear before you not as I should have liked to have come.
This young man, Spotted Eagle, and myself have been
taken and bound by your people because they imagine
that we have tried to betray you into the hands of the
Sioux. When first I came to your village some days ago,
I was promised power and safety, should I lead an attack
upon a hundred women and children who were settled
WA A'A'E TA . 143
temporarily at the agency, while their own people were
away on a buffalo hunt. I led your people in this attack.
1 did not know that any Sioux other than those whom
we expected to attack were near. There was no man
more surprised than I to see them, and since that time,
in thinking the matter over, it has occurred to me that we
must have been observed when we were passing the Bad
Lands.
*' Now, the point that I wish to impress upon you is
the same that your chief has already raised. Would I
betray my own nation and come here and live with you
without reward ? No ! I want reward. If I were a spy
and trying to betray you, would I live in your own town,
would 1 have returned from the attack with you, instead
of joining my own brothers as soon as they came in sight?
What I have done should prove to you conclusively that
I have acted in perfectly good faith. Now, then, why am
I bound ; why do you not untie me ? This young man
and myself are innocent of having done you any wrong.
We tried in every way to make the attack a success ; we
knew not what would be the outcome, and had we not
been molested by the Sioux, we should have swept out
of existence all those who were hid in the agency build-
ings, and should have taken many scalps. Do not blame
us for the defeat. We could not help it.
" In a few hours your young men from the Sioux people
will be here. Then you will know whether I told you
the truth or not, and you will learn from them that I
gave up everything I held dear, in order that I might
have revenge upon my enemies among my own people.
144 WANNETA
Having learned this, I will then ask you if you are hon-
ourable Crows, to fulfill that part of the contract and
make me a medicine-man as you said you would."
After Wa-da-ha had finished, the powwow continued
for several hours, and there was a great deal said on both
sides of the question. At last, about three o'clock in the
morning, horses' hoofs were heard coming in mad haste
through the village. The sound approached the council-
house and, as every one was Hstening with the greatest
excitement, there burst through the door the two young
men who bore the news from the agency. They advanced
with rapid strides through the assembly to the centre
and, standing there, were received by the chief.
''What news bring you?" cried the chief; ''speak.
We must hear."
Then the one who was commissioned to act as spokes-
man replied as follows :
" We reached the Sioux village safely and carried the
news of the medicine-man and Spotted Eagle to Chief
Rain-in-the-face. He called a council immediately upon
hearing us, and asked what should be done. We told him
that the medicine-man and Spotted Eagle were held by
us as prisoners, and we wished to know what they would
give if we would release them. At this the chief flew in
a great rage, and said to us that unless the two Sioux
were immediately released he would have us tortured on
the spot. Then we told him that the two men claimed to
be bitter enemies of his ; that they had led the attack upon
the agency in order that a young girl named Wanneta
might be captured by Spotted Eagle, and that the medi-
IVANNETA. 145
cine-man, Wa-da-ha, might have vengeance upon the
chief by killing one called Strong Heart, his son. At this
his rage subsided, and he called for a young man named
John Runner, who was chief messenger of their tribe.
John Runner spoke in the council, and said he had seen
our people marching across the plain, led by these two
men. He had not been believed until now, as it was
thought impossible that two Sioux would turn traitors
and betray their friends. But when they heard our story,
and then John Runner's, everybody became intensely ex^
cited and cried out, ' Kill the old medicine-man ; burn the
old wretch alive ; burn his accomplice. Spotted Eagle,'
and there was the greatest excitement we ever saw. The
chief questioned us fully, and we told him that we wished
to know whether the Sioux nation wanted to put to death
these two men, or whether we should put them to death.
If they were traitors to us we wanted to put them to
death, but if they had fulfilled their agreement with us
we would not put them to death, but adopt them into our
tribe. We said also if they had fulfilled their part of the
contract with us, we should not deliver them into the
hands of their people, since it was the Sioux whom they
had betrayed, and not us. The chief flew into a great
rage at this, and was about to order the young men to
seize and bind us, when we reminded him that he had
promised to hear what we had to say without detaining
-us. He flew into a fearful rage, and said that he would
keep his word, but that he would give us thirty minutes
to leave the village. We ran to our horses, and mounted
and came as fast as we could."
146 WANNETA.
During the recital of this story every one listened with
breathless interest, and when the orator had finished, there
went up a great shout from the assembled host. The
Sioux wanted to put the prisoners to death, and that was
reason enough for the Crows to protect them. So the
medicine-man, taking advantage of the favourable impres-
sion in his behalf, sprang to his feet and called upon those
present to witness what the messengers had said, and to
take pity on him and his companion, and strike off their
fetters.
At the order of Black Elk the cords were cut, and both
of them released to live as Crows in the future. The
council ended by the chief extending what we might call
the hand of fellowship to them, and they were further
cautioned to select each a squaw from among the Crow
daughters, and settle down and live as became Crows.
Their adoption into the tribe with due ceremony took
place a few days later.
Spotted Eagle met a very pretty dark-eyed Crow girl
one or two days after being released from imprisonment,
and, with his usual impetuosity, began courting her. She
enjoyed the courtship all the more as he knew but a very
few words of her tongue, and made many laughable mis-
takes.^ She taught him, however, as fast as he could
learn, many new words, and about a month later he pub-
licly announced AUitee, the daughter of one of the promi-
nent warriors, as his squaw, and, settling down to the lite
* When a man is adopted into a tribe the chief often eives him one or
two ponies, and when he is seekin
was no regular council in progress, but a number of chiefs
were talking over the situation in a quiet way, while the
usual band of hangers-on were listening to catch each
word that fell from the lips of the rulers of the nation.
About seven o'clock, before it had grown dark, seven or
eight of the scouts came dashing into camp, and riding
directly to the council-house, called out that Custer and
his soldiers were no more than twenty miles south of their
village. They said that the column was moving in mili-
tary order, and that without doubt an attack was medi-
tated.
Sitting Bull called the council, and as soon as the nation
was assembled, addressed the meeting as follows :
'' Long Hair is coming with his whole army. There
remains nothing for us to do but fight. Therefore, at
break of day let all the warriors be armed, mounted upon
their ponies, ready to move against the soldiers. Let
Crazy Horse have charge of the right of our body, let
Spotted Tail take the left, let Young-man-afraid-of-his-
horses, with a scouting party, be in front, while I, myself,
and Chief Rain-in-the-face will command the centre. Let
the women and children remain in the camp, be ready to
take down the lodges, and flee into the Bad Lands, should
the soldiers march toward our camp.
" In case Long Hair wishes to hold a parley, we will
hear what he has to say before we attack him."
Speeches were made by all the chiefs present, and it
was not long before the assembled warriors, encouraged
and stimulated by the words of their superiors, had all
sworn to defend the village against the attacks of the Lon^
274 W ANN ETA.
Knives, to drive the hated white men out of their territory,
and cause them to return whence they came.
All that night preparations for the great battle were
going on. Knives were sharpened, rifles and pistols were
put in good order, and the ammunition was carefully ex-
amined to see that it was in perfect condition.
At break of day the whole village was astir. The
women and children were encouraging their husbands and
brothers to be of strong arm, to strike hard and to spare
none. The braves were gathering together in bands under
the head w^arriors. A- number of these combined v^ere led
by a sub-chief, under the direction of the two great chiefs
in command. They were quite well organized, and felt
confident of success in the coming conflict.
As the sun arose in all his glory over the eastern hills,
his rays fell upon a strange and picturesque army gath-
ered upon the undulating plain. Every warrior had eagle
feathers stuck in his scalp-lock, his body was brightly
painted, and upon his pony's back he had thrown a folded
blanket. This he intended to wave, yelling as he did so,
in the hope of scaring the large and heavy horses of the
cavalrymen. As the Sioux advanced to the front their
guns glistened in the sunlight, their spirited ponies
pranced and danced, partaking of the buoyant feelings of
their riders. The gentle breeze stirred their plumes, and
caused the beaded frocks to rise and fall, or gently wave
from side to side in graceful motion.
At a long-drawn cry from the chief, the whole assembly
advanced at a sharp trot, then gradually disappeared from
the sight of the anxious watching women left behind in
(
WA NNETA. 275
the village. They had advanced but an hour over the roll-
ing prairie, when they saw before them a cloud of dust
arising, and knowing that Long Hair was coming, hid
themselves in a convenient ravine, to await his approach.
Some twenty scouts and warriors, led by Young-man-
afraid-of-his-horses, dashed ahead to lure the general and
his conimand to their death in this ravine.
When Custer's force was about half a mile distant, it
came to a halt, to their great surprise, and an interpreter
and three or four officers, with an escort of six cavalry-
men bearing a white flag, galloped forward. At sight of
this one of the chiefs, with five of his warriors, advanced
cautiously to meet the truce party, and to inquire what
they wanted.
When the two were within speaking distance, Custer's
interpreter called out :
'' We have important and good news for the Sioux
nation. Go back and tell Sitting Bull to meet us here
directly, and we will hold a parley and read to you dis-
patches from the Great Father, in which are promised
peace and annuities if the Sioux will return to their
reservation."
All this was said in such good faith that the hostile
Sioux were completely taken aback. Calling out a few
words to the interpreter, they galloped back to their
waiting army, and, dashing up to Sitting Bull and Rain-
in-the-face, informed them that the Great Father had list-
ened to their appeals, and that General Custer wished
them to come to a parley.
The chiefs consulted together. While they were anx-
276 WANNETA
ious to fight, they thought it best to hear first what the
Great Father had to say. So they sent the advance party
back, bearing with them a piece of white buck skin, with
the news that they would come to a parley within an
hour.
General Custer, with his officers, interpreters, and a
strong escort, advanced several hundred yards in front of
his command, and there awaited the approach of the
Sioux. The opposing parties, as they came toward each
other, presented a spectacle well worthy of study. On the
one hand was an army representing the civilization of the
nineteenth century ; on the other, one composed of bar-
barians who were yet armed with the weapons of civiliza-
tion. A strange and peculiar combination this.
Sitting Bull and Rain-in-the-face, with their chiefs and
a hundred warriors, came forward to the spot where
Custer stood. The other Indians remained in the back-
ground and looked upon the proceedings in silence.
Custer did not leave the chiefs long in doubt as to what
he proposed to do, but, opening his dispatches, read to
them the words already quoted on an earlier page. The
Great Father offered them peace, and asked in re-
turn the surrender of the murderer. After the reading
of these dispatches, the general spoke a few words :
" I intend in a few days to withdraw my troops from
your reservation and leave you to yourselves. The gold-
hunters will be driven out, and we shall not again enter
this section, unless you commit crimes against the white
people who may happen to pass through your lands.
** We do not want to have any trouble with you ; all
WAN NET A. 277
we ask is the surrender of the murderer, Rain-in-the-face.
Will you give him up, or must I use force to take
him?"
Chief Sitting Bull rose to his feet, and, turning to Gen-
eral Custer, related the full particulars of the murder.
He explained in a most forcible way how it happened,
and, turning to the young man present, who did this
shooting, said : "■ Young brave, tell the general how this
thing happened."
The young warrior told, with every detail, of the shoot-
ing of the messenger and the doctor ; of how they had
first fired upon his companion, were about to fire upon
him, and how he had shot them in self-defense. Then,
straightening up to his full height, and, looking squarely
at Custer, he cried out, '' If there is going to be serious
trouble over this matter, if you insist upon an arrest, why
take the man who had nothing to do with it? Why not
take the real person, myself, and let the punishment fall
upon him. I am ready to suffer for the good of my peo-
ple ; take me instead of the chief."
Before Custer could reply Rain-in-the-face sprang to
his feet, and addressed the assembly :
" I wish to say that this killing was accidental, and that
I had nothing to do with it. You have heard the offer of
the young man who has just spoken. If he were guilty,
he would not make such an offer. You know well. Long
Hair, that this testimony given in one of your courts
would be accepted as conclusive of the innocence of this
man.
'' We have listened to the good words from the Great
278 WANNE TA
Father, and although our young men are very angry, and
it will be hard to pacify them, yet if you will do all that
you have promised, we will return to our camp and lay
aside our arms. We want the gold-hunters driven out,
and we do not Avant to give up our rifles, because we can-
not hunt if we do not have them."
Custer listened with great attention, and answered :
'' I believe now that you have been telling the truth,
and think that the Great Father made a mistake in send-
ing me here against you. I do not attach any blame to
your young man here, nor do I insist upon the surrender
of Rain-in-the-face. If you will agree to return to your
reservation I will move my men back to Deadwood, and
drive out the gold-hunters from the reservation. I am
glad we have come to an understanding, and I must say
that you have acted in a straightforward manner, and
have done all that I could expect — nay, even more. I will
wire the Great Father at once of the agreement we have
made, and have no doubt but he will approve it. I wish
to shake hands with all the chiefs present, in token of good
faith."
As the interpreter translated this, the Indians expressed
great satisfaction, and grunted among themselves their
approval. Custer walked around the circle, shaking
hands and saying " How, how," with each chief in turn
until he had saluted them all.
Then Sitting Bull said :
'' Chief Long Hair, we wish you to understand that
Rain-in-the-face has been wrongly imprisoned, and that,
while we return to the reservation, this is the last time
WANNETA. 279
that we shall ever ask any favours of the whites. If your
people break any more pledges with us, they must not
expect to escape without a war. I promise to control
my young men this time, but if any more of our chiefs are
imprisoned falsely, I will not be responsible for what hap-
pens. I have done."
" I am very sorry," said Custer, '* that this mistake oc-
curred, and I will do all in my power to rectify it. I will
tell the Great Father that you took a sensible view of the
matter, and that you did not commit any murders. I am
certain that he will send you many rations in return for
your wise decision. I will take my men away at once, as
I see that you are now good Indians. You promise me
to return to your reservations without further trouble,
do you?"
" We give you our word," said Sitting Bull, ''and will
do as we say. If you will return to your people, we
will return to ours, and there need be no more trouble."
Rain-in-the-face, whose impulsive nature had allowed
him to become greatly interested in this talk, which made
him forget, in a measure, his wrongs, now sprang to his
feet, and calling out to Custer and the assembled multi-
tude, sard :
'' I will overlook this matter of imprisonment for the
present, trusting that it is for the good of the Sioux
nation. But I want Long Hair to keep all his promises
to us, and we will keep ours to him."
Then Custer asked the Sioux if there was anything
more to be said, and receiving a negative reply, he turned
to his officers and said :
28o ■ WA N NETA.
" Return to the command and order them to march at
once for Dead wood."
Then he said, '* How, how," once more, and stalked
out of the circle. As the whites withdrew the Indians
arose, and gravely wrapping their blankets about their
bodies, returned to the waiting host of braves. " '
As they approached the warriors a great shout of
anger went up, for the Indians could see that this council
had ended in peace, which was not at all to their liking.
Custer heard the shout, and knew^ that it rose from thou-
sands of men who were thirsting for a fight, and were
enraged at their disappointment. He understood readily
how hard it would be for the nation to be controlled, and
made up his mind that Sitting Bull would certainly have
his hands full in quelling what seemed like a mutiny. He
decided to do all in his power to influence the authori-
ties at Washington to have no more troops sent into the
Black Hills.
Sitting Bull, Rain-in-the-face, and Spotted Tail went
among the warriors and argued with them for a long
time before they reduced them to submission. At last
they succeeded in quieting their restless spirits, and having
secured a promise from nearly all that none should take )
the war-path, the whole army turned about and retraced
the trail which they had made in coming out to attack
the Long Knives.
CHAPTER XXII.
CONCLUSION.
The Indians wended their way across the plain in silence,
save for the mutterings of some disappointed young man
who had hoped to return with several scalps dangling at
his belt. How different was this return from what they
had expected when they set out in the morning !
When within sight of the village, they were met by a
party of old men and women, who rushed out to ascertain
why they had returned. The chiefs had little to say, and
those who had come from the camp to welcome their re-
turn got but few answers in reply to their questions.
The braves reached the central portion of the village,
and dismounting, threw the lariats of the ponies to the
squaws, who led the animals to the corral while the men
entered the council-house.
After all had assembled, while the women and children
crowded round the outside. Chief Sitting Bull, who was
always the first speaker, said :
'' Brothers of the Sioux nation, you see that our trouble
with the whites has come to a bloodless termination.
While many of the young men are disappointed, and
while others are glad that we are to have no war, I my-
self might say that I should have liked to strike a decisive
blow at these soldiers." At this a mighty shout went up.
281
2S2 WANNETA.
" But as it is best for our nation to be at peace, and as
the Great Father has promised us many things, I am con-
tent to let matters stay as they are.
" To our chief, Rain-in-the face, we owe a great deal,
for he had been insulted by the whites and asked for no
redress. Through his influence the young men decided
to remain silent. He has a few words to say to you, and
will speak."
Rain-in-the-face arose from his seat and addressed the
Indians :
'' While I think it is best to have peace, yet should the
whites break faith again with us, we must not hesitate to
strike back with all our might. They have done us much
harm, and we have done none in return. I believe that it
will not be long before they will break their faith again.
When they do this it will give us an opportunity for re-
venge, and we have but to wait until that time comes.
** I am content, as is Sitting Bull, to let the matter rest
here, but I have solemnly sworn, should there be more
trouble, to cut out the heart of Long Hair's brother and
thus revenge myself;" and as he said this, his face showed
a fearful passion, and he lowered his voice to a fiendish
whisper.
" I have a few words to say," said Strong Heart. '' I
was one of the most forward in this trouble, and was de-
sirous of fighting with the whites. But since our chiefs
have decided to let the Great Father give us rations and
drive the gold-hunters out of our territory, I am content.
" My squaw, Wanneta, counselled caution and peace.
She knows the great strength of the Long Knives, for she
W ANN ETA. 283
was among them for many moons. She aided my father
in his escape, and as peace will once more settle upon
our nation, we owe her gratitude, as well as the chiefs,
Sitting Bull, Rain-in-the-face, and the others."
A great shout, intended as complimentary to Wanneta,
went up from the assembled throng. The young man
thrilled with pleasure as he noticed this recognition on
the part of his people of his wife's labours for their good.
Turning to the young men now crowding around him, he
cried out :
" Oh, brothers of the Sioux nation, do not take the war-
path again without just cause ; do not fight against the
white men, for you will be defeated and destroyed. We
may kill off one army, but another and another will take
its place. Do as the Great Father at Washington wishes,
and you will be happy, prosperous, and contented. I
have done."
So the council broke up, with general good feeling on the
part of all. It was understood that the Sioux from the
lower reservation should return soon to their village, and
that the agent should make due amends for his part in the
arrest of Chief Rain-in-the-face.
Wanneta had been near the door of the council-house
during the speeches, and had heard all that was said,
together with the compliment conferred upon her by her
nation. Overcome by the feeling which pervaded her
heart, and joyful that there was to be no bloodshed, she
rushed back to her wigwam, threw herself upon the bed
of bear skins, and had a good cry.
Her husband about an hour later came home, and, find-
^84 WANNETA.
ing his wife deep in thought, understood at once her feel-
ings. Sitting down beside her, he put his arm about her
waist, and drawing her close to him, said :
*' You now see, my dear, that your wish is fulfilled, and
that there will be no war. It was through your efforts
that this came about, and to you, above all others, I owe
a debt of thanks."
As he spoke, all that she had learned that was good
and noble in the East came back like a flood overwhelm-
ing her. She would have given much to have her teachers
know of it all, for they would have been delighted to
learn that she had done something to elevate her people
and turn them into the paths of peace.
The village was broken up a few days later, and Rain-
in-the-face and all his command moved back to the lower
agency to take up their abode upon the old site.
Soon everything was back in shape, and daily life went
on in the same old way, and all, especially Wanneta and
Strong Heart, were happy.
The agent came to the village and in a shame-faced
sort of way apologized to Chief Rain-in-the-face for his
part in his imprisonment. With him came young Tom
Custer himself and his brother, the general.
An interpreter led the two white men to Strong Heart's
tipi, and there they had a brief talk.
" I have come," said young Custer, " to pay my respects
to the young woman who so cleverly outwitted me the
day that I allowed her to enter her father-in-law's prison.
It was a very sharp trick indeed, and I could not resist
the temptation of meeting her here in her own home.'*
WANNETA, 285
Strong Heart and Wanneta, who were standing in the
entrance of their tipi during this speech, both laughed
outright, and, shaking hands with their visitors, asked
them to sit down.
Strong Heart told of his fight with the Crows and a
number of other incidents in his life, in which they were
greatly interested.
As the two brothers left, General Custer turned to the
young woman, and complimenting her again, said :
"If we had more like you among the Indian tribes,
there would be no wars, no misunderstandings, and few
crimes committed. I sincerely trust that you and your
husband will continue to exert an influence for good upon
this tribe. I shall have the Great Father send you a beau-
tiful gold medal in honour of this occasion.'*
Shaking hands with them both and bidding them good-
bye, the famous Indian fighter and his brother departed
to join their troops.
For many happy months, with no interruptions and
without scenes of violence, the village occupied its pleas-
ant site upon the creek banks.
Let us leave Wanneta and Strong Heart in their hap-
piness and the Sioux nation in peace, hearing, as we turn
away, the glad song of this Indian squaw as she goes
about her household duties with a heart full of happiness
at the change in the fortunes of her people and the pros-
pect of peace and quietness,
THE END.
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"Kec'd Mo'tiU
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