Thirty-One Years on the Plains and in the Mountains, Or, the Last Voice from the Plains: An Authentic Record of a Life Time of Hunting, Trapping, Scouting and Indian Fighting in the Far WestDrannan, William F.
History
Thirty-One Years on the Plains and in the Mountains, Or, the Last Voice from the Plains: An Authentic Record of a Life Time of Hunting, Trapping, Scouting and Indian Fighting in the Far West
Drannan, William F.
Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.); Indians of North America -- Wars
The Sioux and they were on friendly terms, but sometimes the Sioux
would steal over on their hunting ground. They proposed to
accompany us through the dangerous part of the country.
The morning following I told the men in the train of the generous
proposition which the Indians had made me, and told them if they
would furnish the Indians with bread they would keep them in meat.
I also told them that we were now in the most dangerous part of
the Sioux country, and that as long as those Indians were with us
we were in no danger whatever from the fact that when the Sioux
saw those Indians with us we were supposed to be their friends,
and they dare not trouble us in the least.
This, however, was more than agreeable to the entire train,
relieving the scouts of their duty, also the night guards. I made
arrangements with the Indians to travel three days, and we then
pulled out. Just when we were almost ready to start, one young
lady in the crowd said to me; "Captain, I want to ask you one
question, and will you tell me the truth?" I said: "Most assuredly
I will." She said: "I want to know whether it was true that when
you visited those Indians they always killed a dog and ate the
meat?"
I told her it was true as gospel, and said we always considered
dog meat the finest in the land, and only the chief and his most
intimate friends were able to afford dog meat. She said she was
astonished to hear me talk in such a manner. She said: "The most
laughable part of the proceedings the evening before was the
action of the darkey cook, Bab, who stood away back in the outer
edge of the crowd when you and those Indians were dancing. You
could have knocked his eyes off with a frying-pan and not have
touched his face."
All went well. The Indians traveled with us three days as they had
agreed to, which brought us to the head of Bitter creek. We killed
a few buffalo all along the way, and when the Indians were ready
to leave us they had killed all the meat that the train could take
care of.
This being as far as they had agreed to accompany us, they were to
start back the following morning and that night we had another
peace dance. The Indians invited all in the train to participate
in the dance, but none would take a part; so they and myself had
the dancing to ourselves again The next morning when they were
ready to leave us I told the people in the train to all come
outside of the corral, both old and young, and form in line so
those Indians could shake hands with all of them, telling them
that they had done us a great favor in escorting us through the
dangerous part of the country, and that this shaking hands they
considered a great token of friendship.
This request was complied with, and the Indians all passed down
the line of people, shaking hands with each one. After they were
done shaking hands with all the train they all came and shook
hands with me, mounted their ponies, and rode away as fast as
their horses could run.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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