Wilford Woodruff, Fourth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: History of His Life and Labors, as Recorded in His Daily JournalsWoodruff, Wilford
Religion
Wilford Woodruff, Fourth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: History of His Life and Labors, as Recorded in His Daily Journals
Woodruff, Wilford
Woodruff, Wilford, 1807-1898
"The brethren who were with me having gone to the assistance of Brother
Kimball, the camp was left with but few to protect it, so that when I
arrived I found one hundred and fifty warriors had gathered around it,
all dressed in the greatest war style. The old chief then addressed us
and said they were good Sioux, and they had taken us to be Crows or
Snakes. When they found they could get no more of our horses and that
three had been retaken, they professed friendship. There were eleven
horses in all taken by the Indians who numbered about 200 warriors,
well mounted, while there were not more than 20 of our men engaged
in stopping and retaking the horses. Brother Gould took one of the
Indian's horses and an Indian brought back Brother Woolsey's horse and
exchanged for him. This, with my two horses, were the only ones taken
during the skirmish.
"When the Indians gathered before our camp, they saw that we were
armed, and knew that we had treated them kindly on our way to the
Valley. The old chief then proposed that we smoke the pipe of peace;
and that if our chief, pointing to President Young, would go to their
camp, they would smoke with him and give up the horses they had taken.
Brother Brigham was not well, and we did not think it prudent for him
to go.
"While engaged in the above conversation with the Indians, {324}
Brother Kimball who had been out on the chase, returned bare headed,
having dropped his hat. He was accompanied by Brother Benson, and in
riding into camp rushed his horse through the midst of the Indians.
They feared some treachery, or that he was an enemy. They leaped upon
their horses and dashed away from the camp, some even running into the
creek. As soon as they saw that no harm was intended, they returned and
took their places, having a hearty laugh at their fright.
"Brother Kimball volunteered to accompany the chief into his camp, in
place of President Young, that we might get our horses. Brother Stephen
Markham and myself volunteered to go with him, so we three mounted our
horses and started on the expedition. We took a Frenchman with us who
could speak a little of the Sioux language.
"The Indians told us their camp was one mile away, but we traveled
seven miles over bluffs and valleys before we came in sight of it. The
camp was three miles distant yet, so we halted and waited for them.
When they came up to us they pitched about one hundred lodges. They
numbered about six hundred, men, women, and children, and brought with
them about one thousand horses and mules, all of which we supposed were
stolen from emigrants and from Indian tribes.
"Their camps presented a very picturesque and amusing appearance. Among
their horses we readily recognized our own, which were stolen on the
night we camped with Brother Grant's company. We lost nearly fifty head
that night and here they were in the drove which these Indians had.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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