The days now came, when, as I have stated, a spark would have kindled the conflagration that would have raged from Canada to the Gulf; but General Miles took charge, just before the battle at Wounded Knee, and he acted with such admirable skill, that his success was perfect. The hostiles were coaxed to come forward and surrender, and this was done with such tact, that they soon showed signs of obeying. For days they edged up foot by foot. Sometimes the bucks revolted, for they were bent on war, and many a time it seemed that nothing less than a miracle could prevent a terrific outbreak. On the morning of January 15, the immense horde came in, gave up their guns, and made submission. To show the strength of this body, it may be said that the procession was four miles long and very nearly six thousand Indians were in line. Actual count made the number of lodges seven hundred and thirty-two. Army officers believed the whole number was fully eleven thousand. One needs only to think of what such a host--larger than any had supposed--when reinforced by the thousands from other tribes, would have done if they had once taken the war path against the United States. Our account of the great Indian uprising of 1890-91 would be incomplete without a few words concerning one of the most prominent leaders of that revolt. He was Red Cloud, who became head chief of the entire Sioux tribe. Considerably older than Sitting Bull, he fiercely opposed every change in the customs of his people which the government agents tried to bring about. He was the leader in the councils, and, when the outbreak came, he caught up his Winchester and proved himself a force with which the military arm had to reckon. In December, 1866, he and two thousand Sioux ambushed Colonel Fetterman and ninety of his men near Fort Phil Kearney. He was deposed in 1876 by General Crook, who made Spotted Tail his successor. This chief was killed by Crow Dog, and the way thus opened for Sitting Bull. When the storm-cloud passed, Red Cloud openly opposed the scheme of allotting lands to the Indians, and making the red men support themselves by farming and cattle raising. He lived for many years in a two-story frame dwelling, which the government built for him near the agency at Pine Ridge, but refused to take his allotment of land, insisting that our government owed the Sioux a living without compelling them to work. The proud old chief said he would starve before he would accept a piece of land and toil like a squaw. So bitter was his feeling against the white man that he would never learn a word of our language. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Outdoor Life and Indian Stories, by Edward Sylvester Ellis