{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_36923/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_36923","id":"gutenberg_36923","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/36923","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Archaeology & Anthropology","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Indians of North America -- Folklore","Pawnee Indians","Pawnee Indians -- Folklore"],"text":"</pre>\n\n\n\nProduced by David Edwards, Sam W. and the Online Distributed\nProofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was\nproduced from scanned images of public domain material\nfrom the Google Print project.)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTranscriber's Note\n\nThe original text used characters with macron or breve above to\nindicate pronunciation. As these characters are not available in this\ntext encoding, the transcriber has instead used a circumflex in place\nof a macron, e.g. \u00fb, and a dieresis in place of a breve, e.g. \u00fc. These\nshould be read as indicated in the introduction to the book.\n\nIllustration captions in {brackets} have been added by the transcriber\nfor the convenience of the reader.\n\n\n\n\n                  PAWNEE\n        HERO STORIES AND FOLK-TALES\n\n               WITH NOTES ON\n\n   THE ORIGIN, CUSTOMS AND CHARACTER OF\n             THE PAWNEE PEOPLE\n\n                    BY\n\n           GEORGE BIRD GRINNELL\n\n\n                 New York\n   Forest and Stream Publishing Company\n                   1889\n\n\n            Copyright, 1889, by\n           George Bird Grinnell.\n\n\n\n\n  [Illustration: SIGNAL--\"WHO ARE YOU?\" ANSWER--\"PA\u00b4-NI.\"]\n\n\n\n\n             TO THE MEMORY OF\n\n             MAJOR FRANK NORTH\n\n           --_Pa\u00b4-ni Le-shar_--\n\n  This Record of His People is Inscribed.\n\n\n\n\nNOTE.\n\n\nLast spring I visited the Pawnee Agency in the Indian Territory. On\nthe day after my arrival, I rode over to the house of Eagle Chief,\nwhom, under his warrior name, White Eagle, I had known for many years.\nEntering the door, I found myself in the presence of the Chief, who,\nafter quickly putting his hand over his mouth in his astonishment,\ngreeted me with a cordial deep-voiced _Lau_. Then we sat down and\nfilled the pipe and talked. Through all our talk I could see that he\nwas curious to know the object of my visit. At last he said, \"My son I\nam glad that you have come to us once more. My mind is big when I look\nat you and talk to you. It is good that you are here. Why have you\ncome again to the Pawnee village? What brings you here at this time?\"\n\nI answered, \"Father, we have come down here to visit the people and\nto talk to them; to ask them about how things used to be in the olden\ntimes, to hear their stories, to get their history, and then to put\nall these things down in a book, so that in the years to come, after\nthe tribe have all become like white people, the old things of the\nPawnees shall not be forgotten.\"\n\nThe Chief meditated for a while and then said, \"It is good and it is\ntime. Already the old things are being lost, and those who knew the\nsecrets are many of them dead. If we had known how to write, we would\nhave put all these things down, and they would not have been\nforgotten, but we could not write, and these stories were handed down\nfrom one to another. The old men told their grandchildren, and they\ntold their grandchildren, and so the secrets and the stories and the\ndoings of long ago have been handed down. It may be that they have\nchanged as they passed from father to son, and it is well that they\nshould be put down, so that our children, when they are like the white\npeople, can know what were their fathers' ways.\"\n\nMost of the material contained in this little book was collected on\nthat visit.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\n\n    HERO STORIES.\n\n                                                            PAGE\n    Comanche Chief, the Peace-Maker,                          25\n\n    Lone Chief, Sk\u00fcr\u00b4-ar-a Le-shar,                           45\n\n    The Prisoners of Court House Rock,                        67\n\n    Wolves in the Night,                                      70\n\n    A Leader of Soldiers,                                     74\n\n    A Cheyenne Blanket,                                       76\n\n    Little Warrior's Counsel,                                 79\n\n    A Comanche Bundle,                                        83\n\n\n    FOLK-TALES.\n\n    The Dun Horse,                                            87\n\n    A Story of Faith,                                         98\n\n    The Bear Man,                                            121\n\n    The Ghost Wife,                                          129\n\n    Ti-ke-wa-kush, the Man who Called the Buffalo,           132\n\n    Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa,                                          142\n\n    The Boy who Was Sacrificed,                              161\n\n    The Snake Brother,                                       171\n\n    O\u00b4re-ka-rahr,                                            182\n\n    The Ghost Bride,                                         191\n\n    The Boy who Saw A-ti\u00b4-us,                                195\n\n    How the Deer Lost His Gall,                              204\n\n    Yellow Fox,                                              206\n\n\n    NOTES ON THE PAWNEES.\n\n    The Pawnees:\n\n        I.  Relationships,                                   215\n\n       II.  Origin and Migrations,                           223\n\n      III.  The Skidi,                                       231\n\n       IV.  Name and Emblem,                                 239\n\n    Pawnee Customs:\n\n        I.  Early Days,                                      249\n\n       II.  Every-day Life,                                  259\n\n      III.  A Summer Hunt,                                   270\n\n    The Pawnee in War:\n\n        I.  Enemies and Methods of Warfare,                  303\n\n       II.  Pa\u00b4-ni Le-shar and His Scouts,                   323\n\n      III.  War Parties,                                     335\n\n    Religion:\n\n        I.  Beliefs,                                         350\n\n       II.  Ceremonies,                                      360\n\n      III.  Medicine and Mystery,                            374\n\n    Later History:\n\n        I.  Removal to the Indian Territory,                 389\n\n       II.  Present Condition and Progress,                  397\n\n\n\n\nTHE PAWNEES AND THEIR STORIES.\n\n\nOnce the Pawnees were a great people. They were very numerous. They\nwere undisputed masters of a vast territory. They had everything that\nheart could wish. Their corn and their buffalo gave them food,\nclothing and shelter; they had weapons for war and for the chase. They\nroamed over the country without let or hindrance. In peace they were\nlight-hearted and contented; in war cunning, fierce and successful.\nTheir name was a terror to their enemies. This was in the past. Now\nthey are few in number, poor, a prey to disease, a vanishing race.\n\nMy acquaintance with the tribe began in 1870. From that time to the\npresent I have had frequent intercourse with them; have lived in their\nvillages; and been with them on their buffalo hunts. During the weeks\nand months spent in camp and village, I have listened to many stories\nof Pawnee heroes and to folk-tales of the miraculous doings of the\nolden time. In my intercourse with the tribe, extending over a period\nof nearly twenty years, I have been deeply impressed by the high\nqualities of the Pawnee character; and the more familiar I have become\nwith this people, the more strongly have I felt that a permanent\nrecord should be made of the tales which reflect that character.\nUnless thus collected now, much of this lore must inevitably be\nforgotten.\n\nFor the Pawnees are passing away. When I first joined them on their\nbuffalo hunts from their old home on the Loup Fork in Nebraska, the\ntribe numbered three thousand; last March in the Indian Territory I\nfound but eight hundred. And more rapidly than the dwindling of the\npeople are their traditions lapsing from memory under the changed\nconditions of the tribe's life. The lore, which sprang up as an\nindigenous growth of the wide-stretching prairie and the wilderness\nwhere the wild Pawnee warrior hunted free, finds scanty nurture in the\nuncongenial soil of fields tilled by Pawnee followers of the plow.\nWith the new modes of living come new views of life, new motives, new\nsympathies--in a word, civilization. To earn a living by toil, to\nwrest subsistence from the earth, this is the problem confronting the\nPawnees to-day, the task which is engaging the sinew and purpose of\nthe tribe. In the transition stage, the memory of the old days, of old\nmanners and rites and ceremonies and of old heroes, is with the elders\nof the race, those ancient braves whose lives bridge the past and the\npresent. When I visited the Agency last March, it was to write down\nfrom the lips of these old men such material as I could collect. When\nthey shall die much of the unwritten lore will perish too, for with\nthem will cease that sympathetic and perfect credence, which alone\ngives to folk-lore vitality and lastingness. What is written in this\nvolume then belongs distinctly to the wild Indian.\n\nThe task that I have set for myself is that of a recorder. No attempt\nhas been made to give a literary color to the hero stories and\nfolk-tales here written out. I have scrupulously avoided putting into\nthem anything of my own. The stories are told to the reader as they\nwere told to me. They are not elaborated. I have tried to show how\nIndians think and speak, rather than to make their stories more\nentertaining by dressing them up to suit the civilized taste. My\nobject in giving these narratives in their present shape is to make a\nbook which shall be true to life, and shall faithfully reflect the\nPawnee character, as the story tellers have themselves painted it. In\na very few cases I have added some words explaining matters so well\nunderstood by those familiar with the Indians as to need no\nexplanation. If these tales have any ethnological value, it will be\nenhanced by their being given in the precise form in which they were\ntold by those to whom they have been handed down from generation to\ngeneration; but quite apart from this is another point which is\nentitled to consideration.\n\nThe entire ignorance concerning Indians, which prevails among the\ngeneral public, can be dispelled only by letting that public\nunderstand something of the ways of life of the wild Indian, something\nof the subjects about which he thinks and talks, as well as of how he\nlooks at these subjects, and what he has to say about them.\n\nThe late Mrs. Jackson's charming story, \"Ramona,\" did much to bring\nthe more intelligent class of readers in touch with the Indians, and\nto awaken sympathy for them by pointing out the unnumbered wrongs\nperpetrated on this race by the Government. Mrs. Jackson's book was a\nstory, a novel; wonderfully well told and full of truth and feeling;\nbut while it may have been a relation of facts, it did not profess to\ntreat of actual persons. It is looked upon by many readers as a mere\nromance. It is a book about which I was once asked, skeptically, \"Did\nyou ever see any Indians like those?\" In the Pawnee stories here set\ndown there is no romance nor coloring. The Indians themselves are\ntalking, and whatever the faults and weak points of these tales--and\nsome of them are sufficiently obvious--they at least give the reader a\ntrue conception of Indians as they have actually lived. They are\nstories of Indians by Indians. There is about them nothing of the\nwhite man; and the intelligent person, who is sufficiently interested\nin the subject to read this book through, will gain from it a new\ninsight into Indian character.\n\nThe Indian of Cooper--with his bravery, his endurance, his acuteness,\nhis high qualities of honesty, generosity, courtesy and\nhospitality--has been laughed at for half a century. Yet every man who\nhas mingled much with the Indians in their homes has known individuals\nwho might have sat for the portraits which Cooper drew of some of his\naboriginal heroes. There are good men among Indians, just as among\nthe whites. The prevalent notion of the Indian has been formed from\nthe worst class of this people, the lazy, filthy beggars who haunt the\nsettlements of the West, who to their own vices have added new ones\npicked up from their surroundings, and who are hopelessly degraded.\nThese are not typical Indians, and it is unjust to judge a whole race\nfrom such degenerate specimens. There is still another notion of the\nIndian fondly cherished by many worthy people, whose sympathies have\nbeen wrought upon by the cruelty and injustice with which we have\ntreated this race. These good people look upon all Indians as simple\nchildren of nature, who would do no wrong if they had not been\ncontaminated by contact with vicious whites. It is unnecessary to say\nthat this notion of the Indian is also incorrect.\n\nThe Indian is neither a fiend nor a saint. There are good ones and bad\nones. As a rule, perhaps they try to act up to their ideas of what is\nright, but the standard of a race of barbarians cannot be the same as\nthat of a civilized people, and in judging of their character we must\nmake allowances for this difference. The standard of right and wrong\namong civilized people is a growth, the product of the experience of\nthousands of years. The Indian races have not been through a like\nexperience. They have regarded as virtues some things which seem to us\nthe worst of crimes. The Indian differs from the white man in\neducation and manner of life, and so, of course, in his modes of\nthought. He has not been taught the lesson of self-control, which his\nsurroundings oblige each civilized man to begin to learn as a child.\nHe has known until recent times no law save that of strength. He has\nbeen taught that war is the noblest of pursuits--the only one worthy\nof man. And that war has consisted in making forays upon his enemies,\ntaking their possessions, and, if possible, their lives and their\nscalps. His warfare consisted in surprises rather than open combat. A\nscalp taken was a trophy of victory, and the scalp of a woman was\nalmost as eagerly sought as that of a brave or of a chief. It was an\nevidence of injury inflicted on the enemy. To steal horses from the\nenemy was an achievement creditable and also profitable.\n\nWe commonly speak of the raids of war parties as horse stealing\nexpeditions, but this is wholly misleading, because to the civilized\nunderstanding the phrase horse stealing carries with it an idea of\ndishonesty. No such meaning attaches to the Indian equivalent of this\nphrase. They take horses by stratagem or secretly, by the usual, and\nto them legitimate, methods of warfare. To speak of their stealing\nhorses, using that verb in the sense which we commonly give it, would\nbe like saying that an army stole the cannon which it captured in an\nengagement with the enemy. Captured horses were the legitimate spoils\nof war. The wealth of the Indians was in their horses. They had no\nfortified places, no ships of war, no cannon, no works of art. Their\nonly valuable possessions were their horses. These were the only\nproperty that could be carried off. Therefore, when an expedition was\nmade against a hostile tribe, scalps and horses were naturally its\nobject. Horses, being their only valuable possessions, constituted\ntheir medium of exchange, so far as they had any. Did a man wish to\npurchase an ornament, or an article of dress which took his fancy, he\ngave a horse for it. If he bought a wife he paid for her in horses.\nThe most valuable present that could be made was a good horse; and\nhorses were often given by the well-to-do to their friends and\nrelations who had been sick or unfortunate. On the other hand, when,\nas was sometimes the case, a conquered tribe was condemned to pay a\nwar indemnity, they paid it in horses. It is related that when the\nSkidi broke their treaty with the other bands, and were afterward\nconquered by them, they were obliged to pay such a fine.\n\nThis view of Indian warfare being understood, the motive of the hero\nstories here given, and of many of the folk-tales, becomes plain.\n\nThe Pawnees are essentially a religious people. They worship\n_Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, who is in and of everything. Unlike many of the Indian\ntribes of the West, they do not adore any material thing. They regard\ncertain places as sacred, but these are so only because blessed by the\nDivine presence. The Pawnee Deity is not personified. He is\nintangible, quite as much so as the God of the Christians. The sacred\ncharacter of _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ extends to animal nature. The fishes which\nswim in the rivers, the birds of the air and the beasts which roam\nover the prairie, have sometimes intelligence, knowledge and power far\nbeyond those of man. But they are not gods. Their miraculous\nattributes are given them by the Ruler, whose servants they are, and\nwho often makes them the medium of his communications to man. They are\nhis messengers--his angels--and their powers are always used for\ngood. Prayers are made to them; sometimes for direct help in time of\nneed, but more often for intercession. Often in the folk-tales it will\nbe seen that when the blessing asked for is some small thing, a prayer\nis made to the animals (_Nahu\u00b4rac_), but if the petitioners are asking\nfor some great thing, something which is very difficult to grant, then\nthe prayer is made to \"One Above,\" to \"The Ruler,\" that is, to the\nSupreme Being.\n\nNothing of importance was ever undertaken without a prayer for help,\nfor success. All the serious undertakings of the year, whose success\nwould affect the general welfare, were preceded by religious\nceremonies, when all the tribe took part, and prayers were made and\nsacrifices offered to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_; and in all lesser enterprises, the\nindividuals who were interested humbled themselves and implored the\nDivine assistance. A party starting off on the warpath prayed for\nsuccess and made a burnt offering. Prayer and sacrifice always marked\nthe beginning of the feast, and often its end. Success in their\nundertakings was acknowledged by grateful offerings to the Ruler. The\nvictorious warrior sometimes sacrificed the scalp torn from the head\nof his enemy, and this was burned with elaborate ceremonies by the\nHigh Priest. He who brought back from a foray many horses, gave one to\nthe priest as a thank-offering to the Ruler. One of the well-known\nSeven Brothers said to me, \"It is our aim, after we have been helped,\nto give thanks.\"\n\nThe feeling of these Indians toward their God is one of humility and\nreverence. They do not love him, but they look to him for help at all\ntimes. The young are exhorted to humble themselves before him, to pray\nto him, to look to One Above, to ask help from the Ruler. In the\nstories which are included in this book the allusions constantly made\nto _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_--the Supreme Power--the prayers offered and the\nhumility and self-abnegation so often expressed, show faith, profound\nreligious feelings, and great elevation of thought.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nAmong tribal names of North American Indians, none is more familiar to\nus than Pawnee; yet of no tribe is less known. Frequent allusions to\nthem occur in the writings of early travelers in the West; but only one\nsatisfactory attempt has been made to write a connected history of this\nfamily. In the _Magazine of American History_ for 1880 Mr. John B.\nDunbar published a most interesting account of this tribe, but his\nsketch is mainly historical, and does not profess to treat exhaustively\nof the lives and modes of thought of this people. It is, however, a\nhistory of very great importance and value, and in preparing the\nhistorical matter which is included in this volume, I have not\nhesitated to draw on Mr. Dunbar's papers, which must form the basis of\nany subsequent account of the Pawnees, and which should be read by all\nwho are interested in this people.\n\nI owe much of my interest in and knowledge of the Pawnees to my long\nintimacy with the late Major Frank North, who from his extended\nintercourse and close connection with this people--a connection which\nlasted more than thirty years--was unquestionably better informed\nabout them than any other white man has ever been; and with Capt.\nL. H. North, his brother, who was for many years associated with Major\nNorth in command of the Pawnee Scouts.\n\nIn gathering the material here presented I have been assisted also by\nJames R. Murie, a nephew of Comanche Chief; by Ralph J. Weeks, a\nhalf-brother of Lone Chief; by Harry Kuhns, by Eagle Chief and Bear\nChief, Skidis; by Good Chief and Curly Chief, Kit-ke-hahk\u00b4-is; by\nSecret Pipe Chief and Frank White, Chau-is, and by many others of my\nPawnee friends, to all of whom my acknowledgments are due.\n\nIn the pronunciation of the few Pawnee words used in these stories,\nthe vowel sounds, as nearly as I can give them, are as follows: _a_ as\nin father, _e_ as the _a_ in ale, _i_ as _e_ in cede, _\u00fb_ long as _oo_\nin pool, _\u00fc_ short as in us, _au_ as _ou_ in house. These sounds\ndepend somewhat on the letters which follow the vowels, and the\nspelling does not always conform to the rule laid down. The last two\nsyllables in the word Pita-hau-erat, for example, are pronounced\n_\u00ear\u00e4t_ or _idot_. The sounds of _d_, _l_, _n_ and _r_ are difficult to\nexpress by English letters; _r_ sometimes has its own sound quite\ndistinctly, at others more the sound of _d_; _n_ often has a _d_\nsound, and _l_ a sound of _n_. It will be noted that throughout this\nvolume I have used the familiar English word Pawnee instead of the\nevidently more correct _Pa\u00b4-ni_.\n\nFinally I have refrained from commenting on the stories, though there\nis abundant opportunity for comment.\n\n                                                    G. B. G.\n    July, 1889.\n\n\n\n\n_HERO STORIES._\n\n\n\n\nCOMANCHE CHIEF.\n\nThe Peace-Maker.\n\n\nI.\n\nMany years ago there lived in the Ski\u00b4-di village a young man, about\nsixteen years old. His name was _Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz_ (the hawk). At this\ntime the Pawnees wore their hair in the ancient fashion, cut as the\nOsages wear theirs; the whole head was shaved except a roach running\nback from the forehead beyond the scalp lock.\n\nA war party went off to the south and he joined them as a servant.\nThey went a long way and a long way, traveling far, but they got no\nhorses and came back. Afterward another party started off on the\nwarpath, and he went with it. They traveled many days, going to the\nsouthwest, and at length they came to a camp, and hid themselves to\nwait until it was dark. It was a camp of the Comanches.\n\nWhen night had come they all went into the camp to steal horses. This\nyoung man went to a lodge near which stood three horses, two spotted\nhorses and one gray. They were tied near the door of the lodge, and\nfrom this he thought they must be fast, for the Indians usually tie up\ntheir best horses close to the lodge door, where they will be under\ntheir eyes as much as possible. He went to the lodge to cut the ropes,\nand just as he was about to do so he thought he heard some one inside.\nHe stepped up close to the lodge, and looked in through a little\nopening between the door and the lodge, and saw a small fire burning,\nand on the other side of the fire was sitting a young girl, combing\nher long hair. The young man looked around the lodge to see who else\nwas there, and saw only an old man and an old woman, and the\nfire-maker. He cut the ropes of the two spotted horses standing\noutside, led the horses out of the camp, and met his companion. To him\nhe said, \"Now, brother, you take these horses and go to the hill where\nwe were hiding to-day, and wait for me there. I have seen another fine\nspotted horse that I want to get; I will go back for it and will meet\nyou before morning at that place.\"\n\nHe went back, as if to get the spotted horse, but returned to the\nlodge where the girl was. He went all around it, and looked at it\ncarefully. He saw that there were feathers on the lodge, and rows of\nanimals hoofs hanging down the sides, which rattled in the wind, and\nto one of the lodge-poles was tied a buffalo tail, which hung down.\nThen he went back to the door and looked in at the girl again. She had\nbraided her hair and was sitting there by the fire. He stayed there a\nlong time that night looking at her. Toward morning he went to look\nfor his companion. When he met him he told him that some one had taken\nthe spotted horse before he got to it; he could not find it. When the\nparty all met next morning, they found that they had taken a lot of\nhorses, and they started north to go home. They reached the Pawnee\nvillage, and every one was glad of their success.\n\nAfter this, whenever this young man saw anything that was nice or\npretty, such as medals, ear-rings, finger rings for women, beadwork\nleggings, bracelets, necklaces, wampum, beads--things that the\nComanches did not have--he would give a pony for it. For one year he\nwent on like this, gathering together these pretty things. When the\nyear had gone by he had no horses left; he had given them all away to\nget these presents. He packed all these things up in a bundle, and\nthen spoke one night to his friend, saying, \"I intend to go off on the\nwarpath again, and I would like to have you go with me; we two will go\nalone.\" His friend agreed to go.\n\n\nII.\n\nBefore the time came to start, other young men heard of it, and\nseveral joined them. There were eight of them in all. _Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz_\nwas the leader. He told his young men that they were going to a\ncertain place where he knew there were lots of spotted horses to\nsteal. They started out on foot. After traveling many days, they came\nto the place where the camp had been at the time he saw the girl.\nThere was now no camp there.\n\nThey went on further, and at length came to a camp and hid themselves.\nWhen night came the leader told his men to remain where they were\nhiding, and he would go into the camp and see if there were any horses\nto take. He went through all the camp looking for the lodge in which\nhe had seen the girl, but he did not find it. Then he went back to\nwhere the young men were hiding, and told them that this was not the\ncamp they were looking for; that they did not have here the spotted\nhorses that they wanted. In the camp of the year before there had been\nmany spotted horses.\n\nThe young men did not understand this, and some of them did not like\nto leave this camp without taking any horses, but he was the leader\nand they did as he said. They left that camp and went on further.\n\nAfter traveling some days they came to another camp, and hid themselves\nnear it. When night came on _Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz_ said to his young men, \"You\nstay here where you are hiding, and I will go into this camp and see if\nit is the one we are looking for.\" He went through the camp but did not\nfind the lodge he sought. He returned to the hiding place, and told the\nparty there that this was not the camp they were looking for, that the\nspotted horses were not there. They left the camp and went on.\n\nWhen they had come close to the mountains they saw another camp.\n_Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz_ went into this camp alone, and when he had been\nthrough it, he went back to his party and told them that this was the\ncamp they had been looking for. Then he sent the young men into the\ncamp to steal horses, and he put on his fine leggings and moccasins\nthat he had in his bundle, and painted himself and went with them. He\ntook a horse and his friend took one. They met outside the village. He\ntold his friend to get on his own horse and lead the other, and with\nthe rest of the party to go off east from the camp to a certain place,\nand there to wait for him. \"I have seen,\" he said, \"another fine horse\nthat I like, and I wish to go back and get it.\"\n\nHis friend looked sorrowfully at him and said, \"Why are you all\ndressed up like this, and why is your face painted? What are you doing\nor what is in your mind? Perhaps you intend to do some great thing\nto-night that you do not want me, your friend, to know about. I have\nseen for a long time that you are hiding something from me.\"\n\n_Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz_ caught his friend in his arms and hugged him and\nkissed him and said, \"You are my friend; who is so near to me as you\nare? Go on as I have said, and if it turns out well I will tell you\nall. I will catch up with you before very long.\"\n\nHis friend said, \"No, I will stay with you. I will not go on. I love\nyou as a brother, and I will stay with you, and if you are going to do\nsome great thing I will die with you.\"\n\nWhen _Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz_ found that his friend was resolved to remain\nwith him, he yielded and told him his secret. He said to him, \"My\nbrother, when we were on the warpath a year ago, and I took those two\nspotted horses, I heard a little noise in the lodge by which they were\ntied. I looked in and I saw there a girl sitting by the fire combing\nher hair. She was very pretty. When I took the spotted horses away, I\ncould not put that girl out of my mind. I remembered her. Brother,\nwhen we went back home that girl was constantly in my mind. I could\nnot forget her. I came this time on purpose to get her, even if it\nshall cost me my life. She is in this camp, and I have found the lodge\nwhere she lives.\"\n\nHis friend said, \"My brother, whatever you say shall be done. I stay\nwith you. You go into the camp. I will take the horses and go to that\nhigh rocky hill east of the camp, and will hide the horses there. When\nyou are in the village I will be up in one of the trees on the top of\nthe hill, looking down on the camp. If I hear shooting and see lots of\npeople running to the lodge I will know that you are killed, and I\nwill kill myself. I will not go home alone. If I do not see you by\nnoon, I will kill myself.\"\n\n_Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz_ said, \"It is good. If I am successful I will go up\nthere after you, and take you down into the camp.\"\n\nThey parted. The friend hid the horses and went up on the hill.\n_Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz_ went into the camp.\n\n\nIII.\n\nIt was now the middle of the night. When he came to the lodge, he saw\nthere was a fire in it. He did not go in at once; he wanted the fire\nto go out. He stayed around the lodge, and gradually the fire died\ndown. It was dark. He went into the lodge. He was painted and finely\ndressed, and had his bundle with him. He took his moccasins off and\nhis leggings, and hung them up over the girl's bed; then strings of\nbeads, then five or six medals, bracelets, ear-bobs, beaded leggings,\neverything he had--his shirt. He took his blanket, and spread it over\nthe bed where the girl was lying, stepped over the bed, and crept\nunder his own blanket, and lay down by her side.\n\nWhen he lay down she woke up, and found that there was some one lying\nby her, and she spoke to him, but he did not answer. He could not\nunderstand her, for he did not know Comanche. She talked for a long\ntime, but he did not speak. Then she began to feel of him, and when\nshe put her hands on his head--_Pi-ta\u00b4-da_--Pawnee--an enemy! Then she\nraised herself up, took a handful of grass from under the bed, spread\nthe fire and put the grass on it. The fire blazed up and she saw him.\nThen she sprang up and took the top blanket, which was his, off the\nbed, and put it about her, and sat by the fire. She called her father\nand said, \"Father get up; there is a man here.\"\n\nThe old man got up, and got his pipe and began smoking. This old man\nwas the Head Chief of the Comanches. He called the servant, and told\nhim to make a fire. The girl got up and went over to where her mother\nwas lying and called her. The mother got up; and they all sat by the\nfire.\n\nThe old man smoked for a long time. Every now and then he would look\nat the bed to see who it could be that was lying there, and then he\nwould look at all the things hanging up over the bed--at the medals\nand other things. He did not know what they were for, and he wondered.\nAt length the old man told the servant to go and call the chiefs of\nthe tribe, and tell them to come to his lodge.\n\nPresently the chiefs came in one by one and sat down. When they had\ncome there was still one brave who ought to have come that was not\nthere. His name was Skin Shirt; the father wanted him. He sent for him\nthree times. He sent word back to the chief to go on with the council,\nand that he would agree to whatever they decided. The fourth time he\nwas sent for he came, and took a seat by the chief, the girl's father.\nThis brave spoke to _Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz_, and told him to get up, and take\na seat among them. He did so. The girl was sitting on the other side\nof the fire. When he got up, he had to take the blanket that was left,\nwhich was the girl's. He put it around him, and sat down among them.\n\nWhen the chiefs came in, there was among them a Pawnee who had been\ncaptured long ago and adopted by the Comanches, and was now himself a\nchief; he talked with _Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz_ and interpreted for him, telling\nhim everything that was said as each one spoke.\n\nAfter the young man had seated himself, the chief filled his pipe, and\ngave the pipe to his brave to decide what should be done with this\nenemy. The brave took the pipe, but he did not wish to decide, so he\ndid not light it, but passed it on to another chief to decide. He\npassed it on to another, and he to another, and so it went until the\npipe came back to the Head Chief. When he got it again, he asked\n_Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz_, \"Why have you come here this night and lain down in\nmy lodge, you who are an enemy to my people? And why have you hung up\nin the lodge all these strange things which we see here? I do not\nunderstand it, and I wish to know your reasons.\"\n\nThe boy said to him, \"A long time ago I came south on the warpath to\nsteal horses. I traveled until I came to your camp. I saw three horses\ntied outside a lodge, two spotted horses and a gray. While I was\ncutting one of the ropes, I heard a little noise inside the lodge, and\npushing aside the door I looked in, and saw that girl combing her\nhair. I stole the two spotted horses, and took them out of the camp,\nand gave them to a friend of mine, and came back to your lodge, and\nkept looking at the girl. I stayed there until she went to bed. For a\nlong year I have been buying presents; beads and many other things,\nfor I had made up my mind that I would go after this girl. I came down\nhere to find her. I have been to where you were camped last year, and\nto two other camps that I discovered. She was not in these and I left\nthem, and came on until I found the right camp. This is the fourth\nplace. Now I am here. I made up my mind to do this thing, and if her\nrelations do not like it they can do as they please. I would be happy\nto die on her account.\"\n\nWhen he had spoken the old chief laughed. He said: \"Those two spotted\nhorses that you stole I did not care much about. The gray horse was\nthe best one of the three, and you left him. I was glad that you did\nnot take him. He was the best of all.\" Then for a little while there\nwas silence in the lodge.\n\nThen the chief, the girl's father, began to talk again; he said, \"If I\nwanted to decide what should be done with this man, I would decide\nright now, but here is my brave, Skin Shirt, I want him to decide. If\nI were to decide, it would be against this man, but he has my\ndaughter's blanket on, and she has his, and I do not want to decide. I\npass the pipe to my brave, and want him to light it.\"\n\nThe brave said, \"I want this chief next to me to decide,\" and he\npassed him the pipe, and so it went on around the circle until it came\nto the Head Chief again. He was just about to take it and decide the\nquestion, when they heard outside the lodge the noise made by some one\ncoming, shouting and laughing; then the door was pushed aside and an\nold man came in, and as he passed the door he stumbled and fell on\nhis knees. It was the girl's grandfather. He had been outside the\nlodge, listening.\n\nThe pipe was passed to the chief, and he gave it again to his brave to\ndecide. While the brave was sitting there, holding the pipe, the old\ngrandfather said, \"Give me the pipe, if you men cannot decide, let me\ndo it. In my time we did not do things this way. I never passed the\npipe; I could always decide for myself.\"\n\nThen Skin Shirt passed him the pipe, and he lit it and smoked. Then he\nsaid, \"I do not wish to condemn to death a man who is wearing my\ngranddaughter's blanket.\" The interpreter began to tell\n_Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz_ that the old man was going to decide in his favor, and\nthat when he got through speaking he must get up and pass his hands\nover him, and thank him for taking pity on him, and so to all the\nothers. The old man continued, \"Now, chiefs, do not think hardly of\nwhat I am going to say, nor be dissatisfied with my decision. I am\nold. I have heard in my time that there is a tribe up north that is\nraising from the ground something that is long and white, and\nsomething that is round; and that these things are good to eat. Now,\nchiefs, before I die, I want to eat of these things, and I want my\ngranddaughter to go and take her seat by this man, and for them to be\nman and wife. Since I was young we have been enemies, but now I want\nthe two tribes to come together, join hands and be friends.\" And so it\nwas decided.\n\nThe young man got up and passed his hands over the old man, and over\nthe brave, and passed around the circle and blessed them all. The\nPawnee, who was interpreter, now told him to get up, and get a medal\nand put it on the brave, and then another and put it on the chief, and\nso on until all the presents were gone. And he did so, and put on them\nthe medals, and ear-rings, and strings of beads, and breast-plates of\nwampum, until each had something. And these things were new to them,\nand they felt proud to be wearing them, and thought how nice they\nlooked.\n\n\nIV.\n\nBy this time it was daylight, and it had got noised abroad through the\ncamp that there was a Pawnee at the Head Chief's lodge, and all the\npeople gathered there. They called out, \"Bring him out; we want him\nout here.\" They crowded about the lodge, all the people, the old men\nand the women and the young men, so many that at last they pushed the\nlodge down. They shouted: \"Let us have the Pawnee. Last night they\nstole many horses from us.\" The chiefs and braves got around the\nPawnee, and kept the Comanches off from him, and protected him from\nthe people. The Cheyennes were camped close by, near the hill\nsoutheast of the Comanches, and they, too, had heard that the\nComanches had a Pawnee in the camp. They came over, and rode about in\nthe crowd to try and get the Pawnee, and they rode over a Comanche or\ntwo, and knocked them down. So Skin Shirt got his bow and arrows, and\njumped on his horse, and rode out and drove the Cheyennes away back to\ntheir camp again.\n\nThe Cheyennes saw that the Comanches did not want the Pawnee killed,\nso they sent a message inviting him over to a feast with them,\nintending to kill him, but Skin Shirt told them that he was married\ninto the tribe. While the Cheyennes were parading round the Comanche\ncamp, they were shooting off their guns in the air, just to make a\nnoise. Now, the young Pawnee on the hill, who was watching the camp to\nsee what would happen to his friend, saw the crowd and heard the\nshooting, and made up his mind that _Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz_ had been killed.\nSo he took his knife, and put the handle against a tree and the point\nagainst his breast, and put his arms around the tree and hugged it,\nand the knife blade passed through his heart and he fell down and\ndied.\n\nIn the afternoon when all the excitement had quieted down, the\nCheyennes came over again to the Comanche camp, and invited the Pawnee\nand his wife to go to their village, and visit with them. Then Skin\nShirt said, \"All right, we will go.\" Three chiefs of the Comanches\nwent ahead, the Pawnee followed with his wife, and Skin Shirt went\nbehind. They went to the Cheyenne camp. The Cheyennes received them\nand made a great feast for them, and gave the Pawnee many horses. Then\nthey went back to the Comanche camp. _Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz_ never went up to\nthe hill until the next morning. Then he went, singing the song he had\ntold his friend he would sing. He called to him, but there was no\nreply. He called again. It was all silent. He looked for his friend,\nand at last he found him there dead at the foot of the tree.\n\n\nV.\n\n_Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz_ then stayed with the Comanches. The Cheyennes came\nnorth and east, and the Comanches went on west, nearer to the\nmountains. While the Pawnee was with the Comanches, they had several\nwars with the Utes, Lipans and Tonkaways. _Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz_ proved\nhimself a brave man, and, as the son-in-law of the chief, he soon\ngained great influence, and was himself made a chief.\n\nAfter some years the old man, his wife's grandfather, told the Pawnee\nthat he thought it was time that he should eat some of those things\nthat he had long wanted to eat that grew up north; that he was getting\npretty old now. _Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz_ said, \"It is time. We will go.\" So he\nhad his horses packed, and with his immediate family and the old man,\nstarted north toward the Pawnee country. At this time he was called\n_Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz-u si-ti\u00b4-da-rit_, which means \"See! The Hawk.\" When\ngoing into battle he would ride straight out to strike his enemy, and\nthe Comanches who were looking at him would say, \"See! The Hawk.\" So\nthat became his name.\n\nThey traveled a long time until they came to the Pawnee ground. As\nthey were traveling along, they came to a field where were growing\ncorn, beans and squashes. The Pawnee said to the old man,\n\"Grandfather, look at that field. There are the things that you have\ndesired to eat.\" He got off his horse and went into the field, and\npulled some corn, some beans and some squashes, and took them to the\nold man, and gave them to him. The old man supposed they were to be\neaten just as they were, and he tried to bite the squashes. This made\nthe Pawnee laugh. When they came to the village, the Pawnees were very\nglad to see him who had been lost long ago. He told the people that he\nhad brought these Indians to eat of the corn and other things; that\nthey were his kinsfolk. He told them, too, about the young man who had\nkilled himself. His relations went out into the fields, and gathered\ncorn and beans and squashes, and cooked them for the Comanches.\n\nThey stayed there a long time at the Pawnee village. When they were\ngetting ready to return, the Pawnees dried their corn, and gave a\ngreat deal of it to the Comanches, packing many horses with it for the\nIndians at home. Then the Comanches started south again, and some of\nthe Pawnee young men, relations of _Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz_, joined him, and\nwent back with them. After they had returned to the Comanche camp, the\nold grandfather died, happy because he had eaten the things he wanted\nto eat.\n\nSoon after this, _Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz_ started back to the Pawnee village,\nand some young men of the Comanches joined him. Some time after\nreaching the village he went south again, accompanied by some young\nPawnees, but leaving most of the Comanches behind. He had arranged\nwith the chiefs of the Pawnees that they should journey south, meet\nthe Comanches on the plains and make peace. When he reached the\nComanches, the whole village started north to visit the Pawnees, and\nmet them on their way south. When they met, the two tribes made\nfriends, smoked together, ate together, became friends.\n\nAfter they had camped together for some time, some Comanches stayed in\nthe Pawnee camp, and some Pawnees in the Comanche camp.\n_Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz_ was called by the Pawnees Comanche Chief. He would\nhave remained with the Comanches, but when he went back with them his\nwife fell sick. The Comanche doctors could not help her, and he wanted\nto take her north to see the Pawnee doctors, but the Comanches would\nnot let him. They kept him there, and his wife died. Then he was\nangry, for he thought if he had taken her north her life might have\nbeen saved.\n\nSo he left the Comanches, and went and lived with the Pawnees, and was\nknown among them always as Comanche Chief, the Peace-Maker, because he\nmade peace between the Pawnees and Comanches. He was chief of the\nSki\u00b4-di band, and a progressive man of modern times. He sent his\nchildren East to school at Carlisle, Pa.\n\nComanche Chief died September 9th, 1888.\n\n  [Illustration: PAWNEE PIPE.]\n\n\n\n\nLONE CHIEF.\n\nSk\u00fcr\u00b4-ar-a Le-shar.\n\n\nI.\n\nLone Chief was the son of the chief of the Kit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i band. His\nfather died when the boy was very young, less than a year old. Until\nhe was old enough to go to war, his mother had supported him by\nfarming--raising corn, beans and pumpkins. She taught the boy many\nthings, and advised him how to live and how to act so that he might be\nsuccessful. She used to say to him, \"You must trust always in\n_Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. He made us, and through him we live. When you grow up,\nyou must be a man. Be brave, and face whatever danger may meet you. Do\nnot forget, when you look back to your young days, that I have raised\nyou, and always supported you. You had no father to do it. Your father\nwas a chief, but you must not think of that. Because he was a chief,\nit does not follow that you will be one. It is not the man who stays\nin the lodge that becomes great; it is the man who works, who sweats,\nwho is always tired from going on the warpath.\"\n\nMuch good advice his mother gave him. She said, \"When you get to be a\nman, remember that it is his ambition that makes the man. If you go on\nthe warpath, do not turn around when you have gone part way, but go on\nas far as you were going, and then come back. If I should live to see\nyou become a man, I want you to become a great man. I want you to\nthink about the hard times we have been through. Take pity on people\nwho are poor, because we have been poor, and people have taken pity on\nus. If I live to see you a man, and to go off on the warpath, I would\nnot cry if I were to hear that you had been killed in battle. That is\nwhat makes a man: to fight and to be brave. I should be sorry to see\nyou die from sickness. If you are killed, I would rather have you die\nin the open air, so that the birds of the air will eat your flesh, and\nthe wind will breathe on you and blow over your bones. It is better to\nbe killed in the open air than to be smothered in the earth. Love your\nfriend and never desert him. If you see him surrounded by the enemy,\ndo not run away. Go to him, and if you cannot save him, be killed\ntogether, and let your bones lie side by side. Be killed on a hill;\nhigh up. Your grandfather said it is not manly to be killed in a\nhollow. It is not a man who is talking to you, advising you. Heed my\nwords, even if I am a woman.\"\n\nThe boy listened to these words, and he did not forget them.\n\n\nII.\n\nIn the year 1867 he enlisted in the Pawnee Scouts under Major Frank\nNorth, and served in L. H. North's company. He was always a good\nsoldier, ready, willing and brave. At a fight near the Cheyenne Pass\nin 1867, he counted _coup_ on a woman and a man, Arapahoes who had\nstolen some horses at Fort Laramie.\n\nAt this time the boy's name was _Wi-ti-ti le-shar\u00b4-uspi_, Running\nChief. After he came back from this scout, he went on a war party of\nwhich Left Hand was the leader, and they went to the Osage country. He\nwas no longer a servant, but a scout, a leading man in the party, one\nof those who went ahead as spies. He had good judgment and understood\nhis duties. When they came to the Osage country, he was selected as\none of the leaders of a small branch party to steal horses. His party\ntook thirty head of horses. In the Osage country the young men were\nnot allowed to take all the horses they could. On account of the few\nfords where they could cross the streams, they could not take a big\nherd, but only what they could ride and lead, and at the same time go\nfast. Across one river there was only one rocky ford, and over another\nstream with deep banks there was only one rocky ford where they could\ncross. Because they did not know this, in former times many Pawnees\nhad been caught and killed in the Osage country. So now they took but\nfew horses at a time, because these rivers were very deep and no one\ncould cross them except at these rock fords. Out of the horses taken\nat this time Running Chief obtained one of the best and fastest ever\nknown among the Pawnees--a cream-colored horse, long famous in the\ntribe. For his skillful leadership of this party he was given much\ncredit.\n\nAfter returning home--the same year--he led a party to go off on the\nwarpath to the Cheyennes. He found a camp on the headwaters of the\nNorth Canadian, and his party took seven horses, but these horses\nlooked thin and rough, and he was not satisfied with them; he was\nashamed to go home with only these. He told his party to take them\nhome, but that he was going off by himself to get some better ones. He\nhad with him a friend, with whom he had grown up, and whom he loved.\nThis young man was like a brother to Running Chief. These two went off\ntogether, and went to the Osage camp, and staid about it for three\nnights, and then took five horses, the best in the camp. They took\nthem back to the village. It was customary for the leading man in a\nparty to make a sacrifice to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. Running Chief did this,\ngiving one horse to the chief priest. This sacrifice promoted him to\nbe a warrior.\n\n\nIII.\n\nThe next year he led a party again to the Osage country. He took some\nhorses and brought them home. This same year (1868) a party started\nsouth. He was not the leader, but he went with them. They went to the\nWichita, Comanche and Kiowa villages--they were all camped\ntogether--stole some horses and started back with them. Before they\nhad gone very far Running Chief stopped and said he was going back.\nHis friend was with the party, and when he found that Running Chief\nhad resolved to go back he said, \"I will stop here with you.\"\n\nThe two went back toward the village that they had just left, and\nclimbed a hill that stood near it, and hid themselves there. They\nwaited, watching, for they had not decided what they would do. The\nnext day in the afternoon they began to get hungry, and they began to\ntalk together. Running Chief said to his friend, \"My brother, are you\npoor in your mind?[1] Do you feel like doing some great\nthing--something that is very dangerous?\"\n\n  [1] Poor in mind; _i. e._, despondent, unhappy, miserable.\n\nHis friend answered at once, \"Yes, I am poor. I am ready. Why do you\nask me?\"\n\nRunning Chief thought a little while before he answered, and as he\nthought, all the pain and suffering of his life seemed to rise up\nbefore him, so that he could see it. He remembered how he had been a\npoor boy, supported by his mother, and all that they two had suffered\ntogether while he was yet a child. He remembered how his sister had\nbeen killed when he was a boy only ten years old, and how he had\nmourned for her, when her husband, who was jealous of her, had shot\nher through the body with an arrow and killed her. She was the only\nsister he had, and he had loved her. He felt that he was poor now,\nand that there was no hope of anything better for him, and he did not\nwant to live any longer. After he had thought of all these things he\nsaid to his friend, \"My life is not worth anything to me;\" and then he\ntold him of his bad feelings. Finally he said, \"Now you go off and\nleave me here alone. I am tired of living, but you go home. You have\nrelations who would mourn for you. I do not want you to lose your life\non my account.\"\n\nHis friend answered him, \"I will not go away from you. We have grown\nup together, and I will stick to you. Wherever you go I will go, and\nwhatever you do I will do.\"\n\nThen Running Chief meditated for a long time. He had not made up his\nmind what to do. He thought to himself, \"This, my friend, will stay\nwith me. I do not want to be the cause of his death.\" So he\nconsidered. Finally he said to his friend, \"If I shall make up my mind\nto go to some place where there is great danger, I shall go.\"\n\nHis friend said, \"I will go with you.\"\n\nRunning Chief thought again, and at last he said, \"On account of my\nfeelings I have decided to go into the camp of my enemies, and be\neaten by their dogs.\"\n\nThe other man said, \"Whatever you have determined on I also will do.\"\n\n\nIV.\n\nThen they jumped up out of the hole they were hiding in, and tied up\ntheir waists, and prepared to start. They were not very far from a\ntrail which connected two villages, along which persons kept passing,\nand the Indians of these villages were all about them. When they\njumped up to go toward the trail, they saw four or five persons\npassing at a little distance. When they saw these people, Running\nChief called out to them, \"_High--eigh_,\" and made motions for them to\ncome to him. He wanted to show his strong will, and that on account of\nhis bad feelings he wished to have his troubles ended right there. He\ncalled to them twice, and each time the Indians stopped and looked at\nthe Pawnees, and then went on. They did not know who it was that was\ncalling them; perhaps they thought the Pawnees were two squaws.\n\nThe two young men went out to the trail and followed these persons\ntoward the village. They went over a little hill, and as soon as they\nhad come to the top and looked over it, they saw the village. On this\nside of it, and nearest to them were three lodges. At the foot of the\nhill was a river, which they must cross to come to these three lodges.\nWhen they came to the river, the friend asked; \"Shall we take off our\nmoccasins and leggings to cross?\" Running Chief replied, \"Why should I\ntake off my moccasins and leggings when I know that my life is just\ngoing over a precipice? Let us go in as we are.\" So they crossed with\nmoccasins and leggings on. The river was only half-leg deep.\n\nJust as they reached the further bank, all on a sudden, it came over\nRunning Chief what they were doing--that they were going to certain\ndeath. All his courage seemed to leave him, and he felt as if he had\nno bones in his body. Then for a moment he faltered; but he could not\ngive up now. He felt that if he was a man he must go forward; he could\nnot turn back. He stopped for an instant; and his friend looked at\nhim, and said, \"Come, let us hurry on. We are near the lodges.\" He\nstepped forward then, but his feet seemed to be heavy and to drag on\nthe ground. He walked as if he were asleep.\n\nThere was no one about near at hand, and as they went forward Running\nChief prayed with all his mind to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ that no one might come\nuntil they had reached the lodge, and had got inside. When they had\ngot to within about one hundred yards of the lodge, a little boy came\nout, and began to play around the door, and when they were about fifty\nyards from him he saw them. As soon as he looked at them, he knew that\nthey did not belong to the camp, and he gave a kind of a scream and\ndarted into the lodge, but no one came out. The people within paid no\nattention to the boy. As they walked toward the lodges Running Chief\nseemed not to know where he was, but to be walking in a dream. He\nthought of nothing except his longing to get to this lodge.\n\nThey went to the largest of the three lodges. Running Chief raised the\ndoor and put his head in, and as he did so, it seemed as if his breath\nstopped. He went in and sat down far back in the lodge, opposite the\nentrance, and though his breath was stopped, his heart was beating\nlike a drum. His friend had followed him in, and sat down beside him.\nBoth had their bows in their hands, strung, and a sheaf of arrows.\n\nWhen they entered the lodge, the man who was lying down at the back of\nthe lodge uttered a loud exclamation, \"_Woof_,\" and then seemed struck\ndumb. A plate of corn mush had just been handed him, but he did not\ntake it, and it sat there on the ground by him. One woman was just\nraising a buffalo horn spoon of mush to her mouth, but her hand\nstopped before reaching it, and she stared at them, holding the mush\nbefore her face. Another woman was ladling some mush into a plate, and\nshe held the plate in one hand and the ladle above it, and looked at\nthem without moving. They all seemed turned into stone.\n\nAs the two Pawnees sat there, Running Chief's breath suddenly came\nback to him. Before it had all been dark about him, as if he had been\nasleep; but now the clouds had cleared away, and he could see the road\nahead of him. Now he felt a man, and brave. As he looked around him,\nand saw the man lying motionless, and one woman just ready to take a\nmouthful, and the other woman with the ladle held over the dish, he\nperceived that they could not move, they were so astonished.\n\nAt length the Wichita had come to his senses. He drew a long breath,\nand sat up, and for a while looked at the two Pawnees. Then he made\nsome sign to them which they did not understand, but they guessed that\nhe was trying to ask who they were. Running Chief struck his breast,\nand said, \"_Pi-ta\u00b4-da_\" (Pawnee). As soon as the Wichita heard that he\ncaught his breath, and heaved a long sigh. He did not know what to\nthink of two Pawnees coming into his lodge. He could not think what it\nmeant. He drew a long breath. He did not touch his plate of food, but\nmotioned a woman to take it away. Presently he called to some one in\nthe neighboring lodge. He was answered, and in a moment a man came in.\nHe called again, and another entered, and the three looked for a long\ntime at the two Pawnees. These were sitting motionless, but watching\nlike two wildcats to see what was going to happen. Each had his bow\nand arrows by his side, and his knife inside his robe. At length the\nowner of the lodge spoke, and one of the men went out, and after a\nlittle they heard the sound of horses' hoofs coming, and they supposed\nsome one was riding up. Every now and then Running Chief would touch\nhis friend's knee with his own, as if to say, \"Watch.\"\n\nThe owner of the lodge made a sign and pointed to the east and said\n\"_Capitan_.\"[2] At the same time he was dressing himself up, putting\non a pair of officer's trousers and a uniform coat. Meantime the\nPawnees heard the rattle of one saddle, and then of another. The\nWichita chief put on his blanket, and his pistol belt around it, and\nthen made signs for them to go out. He led the way, and the Pawnees\nfollowed. As they went, Running Chief touched his friend, as if to\nsay, \"Watch. They may shoot us as we go out.\" But when they looked out\nof the lodge, the Wichita was walking toward the horses, so there was\nno danger. He mounted a horse, and signed to Running Chief to get up\nbehind him. Another man mounted the other horse, and the friend got up\nbehind him.\n\n  [2] A Spanish word meaning chief.\n\nAs they rode toward the main village, it came into the mind of Running\nChief to kill the man he was riding behind, and to ride away. There\nwas where he had to fight his hardest battle. He was tempted to kill\nthis man in front of him, but he was not overpowered by this\ntemptation. He overcame it. He thought that perhaps he might be\nmounted on a poor horse, and even if he did kill this man and his\nfriend the other, they might be on slow horses and be caught at once.\nEvery little while he would look at his friend and roll his eyes, as\nif to say, \"Watch on your side and I will watch on mine.\"\n\nAs he came near to the village, the Wichita warrior called out, and\nbegan to sing a song, and all at once the village was in an uproar.\nThe men, women and children seemed to start up out of the ground, and\nthe lodges poured forth their inmates. Running Chief felt that he was\nin danger, but he knew that he was not in as much danger as the man\nbefore him. He could take the pistol out of the belt that he had hold\nof and kill him, or he could use his own knife. The Wichita knew that\nhe was in danger. He knew that he was in the power of the enemy.\n\nAfter the Wichita had called out to the people that they had enemies\nwith them, he kept on talking, saying, \"Keep quiet. Do not do\nanything. Wait. Keep away from me and be still. I am in danger.\" They\nwould not have listened to him, if it had not been that he was a\nleading man, and a brave warrior. The riders came to the largest\nlodge, which stood in the middle of the village. Here they stopped.\nWhen Running Chief got off the horse, he held tightly the belt of the\nWichita, who dismounted; and they went together into the lodge of the\nHead Chief, and the others followed and went in, and all sat down\nopposite the door. All this time there was a hubbub outside. People\nwere flying from their lodges to that of the Head Chief, and lifting\nup the edge of the lodge, and peeping under it at the Pawnees. They\nchattered to each other, and called out to those who were coming; all\nwas noise and confusion.\n\n\nV.\n\nThe under chiefs came in one by one, until all were present. Then one\nof them made a speech, saying that it would be best to leave\neverything to the Head Chief, and that he should decide what ought to\nbe done with these enemies. Then it was silent for a time, while the\nChief was making up his mind what should be done; and during this\nsilence Running Chief felt a touch on his shoulder, and looked behind\nhim, and there was handed to him under the edge of the lodge a dish of\nmeat. He took it and began to eat, and his companion also ate with\nhim. After he had eaten a few mouthfuls, he took his arrows, which he\nhad held in his hand, and put them in his quiver, and unstrung his bow\nand laid it aside, and his friend did the same.\n\nThen the Chief stood up and spoke to those sitting there and said,\n\"What can I do? They have eaten of my food. I cannot make war on\npeople who have been eating with me.\" While he was saying this,\nRunning Chief was again touched on the shoulder, and some one handed\nhim a cup of water, and he drank; and the Chief, as he saw this,\nadded, \"and have also drunk of my water.\" He then turned and called to\na certain man, who could speak Pawnee, and told him to ask these men\nif they were on the warpath. He asked them, \"Are you on the warpath?\"\nand they replied, \"Yes, we are on the warpath.\"\n\nThen said he, \"What are you here for?\"\n\nRunning Chief answered, \"You have plenty of dogs. I am here that my\nbody may be eaten by them.\"\n\nWhen the Wichitas heard this they all made a sound, _Ah-h-h-h!_ for\nthey were surprised at his bravery. The Chief asked him, \"Do you know\nanything about the horses that were missed last night?\"\n\nHe said, \"Yes.\"\n\n\"Where are they?\" said the Head Chief.\n\nRunning Chief replied, \"The party have gone off with them--Pawnees.\"\n\n\"Were you with them?\"\n\n\"Yes, I was with them, and I stopped behind on purpose to come into\nyour village.\"\n\nThe Head Chief then turned to the others and talked for a little\nwhile. He said, \"See what a brave man this is. He had resolved to die.\nBut he shall not die, because he has eaten our food and drunk of our\nwater. Although we are enemies of this man's tribe, yet we are the\nsame people with them, who have been apart for a long time. I cannot\nhelp it; my heart is touched by his talk and by their bravery. By\ntheir bravery they are safe.\" And all the Wichitas said \"_Waugh_.\"\n\nThen the Head Chief through the interpreter talked to Running Chief.\nHe said, \"Are you a chief?\"\n\nRunning Chief replied, \"No, I am not a chief; I am like a dog; I am\npoor.\"\n\nThe Head Chief said to him, \"By your bravery you have saved\nyourselves. You shall have the road to your home made white before\nyou. Let there not be one blood spot on it.\" Then he turned to those\nwho were sitting about the lodge and said, \"Now, my young men, do\nsomething for them.\"\n\nA young man named Crazy Wolf stood up and spoke; and when he had\nfinished, the interpreter said, \"That man has given you a black horse,\nthe best that he has.\"\n\nAnother young man on the other side of the lodge spoke, and the\ninterpreter said, \"He has given you a roan horse, the best that he\nhas.\" Then all the Wichitas began to speak at once, and before they\nknew it, the Pawnees had ten head of horses, and robes and blankets,\nsaddles, bridles, shields, spears and moccasins--many beautiful\npresents. So they were well provided.\n\nThe Head Chief again stood up and talked to the assembly, praising\nthese Pawnees; and he stepped over to Running Chief and shook hands\nwith him, and when he did so, Running Chief stood up and put his arms\naround the Chief and pressed him to his breast, and the Chief did the\nsame to him, and when Running Chief had his arms around the Chief, the\nChief trembled, and came near to crying. The Chief embraced the other\nPawnee, and looked him in the face and said, \"What brave men you are!\"\n\nThe friend said, \"What my friend stepped, that I stepped; I trod in\nhis footprints; I had one mind with him.\"\n\nAs the Chief stepped back to his place he spoke through the\ninterpreter, \"Now you have eaten of my food and drunk of my water.\nEverything that I have is yours. My women and my children are yours.\nYou are not a chief, but you are a chief.\"[3] Then he spoke to the\ncrowd and they all went away, leaving only the principal men in the\nlodge.\n\n  [3] You are not a chief, but you have made yourself a chief by your\n  great qualities.\n\nThat afternoon the Pawnees were feasted everywhere, and had to eat\ntill they were almost dead; and as they went about, all of their\nformer sadness seemed to be swept away, and Running Chief felt like\ncrying for joy.\n\nWhile they were feasting, the man who had given the black horse went\nout, and caught it up, and painted it handsomely, and rode into the\nvillage, and put on it a silver bridle, and eagle feathers in its mane\nand tail, and when Running Chief was going from one lodge to another\nhe met him, and jumped off the horse and said, \"Brother, ride this.\"\nHe gave him also a shield and a spear.\n\nThese Pawnees staid two months with the Wichitas, and all their\ntroubles seemed at an end. At length Running Chief called a council of\nthe chiefs, and told them that now he wished to make ready to go home\nto his village. He thanked them for all that they had done for him,\nand said that now he would go. The chiefs said, \"It is well. We are\nglad that you have been with us and visited us. Take the good news\nback to your tribe. Tell them that we are one people, though long\nseparated. Let the road between our villages be made white. Let it no\nmore show any spots of blood.\"\n\nRunning Chief thanked them and said, \"I will go and take the good news\nto my people. I shall show them the presents you have made us, and\ntell them how well we have been treated. It may be that some of the\nchiefs of my tribe will wish to come down to visit you, as I have\ndone.\" The Head Chief said, \"Can I rely on your words, that I shall be\nvisited?\" Running Chief replied, \"You can rely on them if I have to\ncome alone to visit you again.\" The Chief got up and put his arms\nabout him, and said, \"I want to be visited. Let there be no more war\nbetween us. We are brothers; let us always be brothers.\" Then they\ngave him many more presents, and packed his horses, and six braves\noffered to go with him through the Cheyenne country. They went through\nin the night. Running Chief said afterward, \"I could have stolen a lot\nof horses from the Cheyennes, but I thought, I will be coming back\nthrough this country and it is better not.\"\n\nAt the Pawnee village these two young men had been mourned by their\nrelations as lost or dead. It was in the spring (March, 1869) when\nthey reached home, and there was joy in the tribe when they came in\nwith the presents. Running Chief was praised, and so was his friend.\nBoth had been brave and had done great things.\n\nNow Running Chief's name was changed from _Wi-ti-ti le-shar\u00b4-uspi_ to\n_Sk\u00fcr\u00b4-ar-a le-shar_ (Lone Chief).\n\n\nVI.\n\nThe following summer in August, at the close of the summer hunt, three\nhundred Pawnees, old men and young, under the leadership of Lone\nChief, visited the Wichitas, who received them well, and gave them\nmany horses. Lone Chief was not satisfied with the peace that he had\nmade with the Wichitas. He also visited the Kiowas, and made peace,\nand was given by them eight fine horses. He also led his party to the\nComanches, and visited them, and got many presents. In the fall the\nPawnees returned to their village. Many of them fell sick on the way,\nand some died.\n\nIn the winter of 1869-70 Lone Chief and his friend led a war party\nagainst the Cheyennes. They took six hundred head of horses. The\nCheyennes now tell us that in the seventy-five lodges of that camp\nthere was not left a hoof. All night and all next day they ran the\nherd. Then Lone Chief said, \"Let us not run the horses any longer,\nthey will not come after us; they are afoot.\" When the party got on\nthe north side of the Republican, on the table lands, a terrible storm\nof snow and wind came upon them, and they were nearly lost. For three\ndays and three nights they lay in the storm. All were frozen, some\nlosing toes and fingers. They survived, however, and brought in all\ntheir horses. Again Lone Chief sacrificed to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. A second\nsacrifice is very unusual and a notable event.\n\n  [Illustration: OLD-FASHIONED \"T. GRAY\" AX.]\n\n\n\n\nTHE PRISONERS OF COURT HOUSE ROCK.\n\n\nCourt House Rock is a high, square-shaped bluff, or butte, on the\nNorth Platte River. It is composed of a hard, yellowish clay, which is\nbut slowly eroded by the weather, though soft enough to be cut readily\nwith a knife. On all sides except one, this rock or butte is nearly or\nquite vertical, and its sides, smoothed and polished by the wind and\nthe rain, offer no projecting points, to serve as foot or hand holds\nfor one who might wish to climb up or down. On one side there is a way\nby which an active man may reach the summit, where he finds a flat\ntableland of moderate extent.\n\nA number of years ago a war party of Skidi, who were camped near Court\nHouse Rock, were surprised by a party of Sioux. There were many of\nthem, and they drove the Skidi back, and at length these were obliged\nto climb the steep side of Court House Rock. The Sioux dared not\nfollow them up on to the rock, but guarded the only place where it was\npossible to come down, and camped all around the rock below to starve\nthe Skidi out. The Skidi had nothing to eat nor to drink, and suffered\nterribly from hunger and still more from thirst. The leader of the\nparty suffered most of any, for he thought that he would surely lose\nall his men. He felt that this was the worst of all. He must not only\ndie, but must also be disgraced, because under his leadership the\nyoung men of his party had been lost. He used to go off at night,\napart from the others, and pray to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ for help; for some way\nto save his party.\n\nOne night while he was praying, something spoke to him, and said,\n\"Look hard for a place where you may get down from this rock, and so\nsave both your men and yourself.\" He kept on praying that night, and\nwhen day came, he looked all along the edge of the rock for a place\nwhere it might be possible to get down. At last he found near the edge\nof the cliff a point of the soft clay rock sticking up above the level\nof the rest. The side of the rock below it was straight up and down,\nand smooth. At night he took his knife, and began to cut about the\nbase of this point of rock, and night after night he kept at this\nuntil he had cut away the base of the point, so that it was no larger\naround than a man's body. Then he secretly took all the lariats that\nthe party had, and tied them together, and let them down, and found\nthat his rope was long enough to reach the ground. He put the rope\naround the point, and made a loop in it for his feet, and slowly let\nhimself down to the ground. He got there safely, and then climbed back\nagain. The next night he called his men about him, and told them how\nit was, and that they might all be saved. Then he ordered the youngest\nand least important man of the party to let himself down, and after\nhim the next youngest, and so on, up to the more important men, and\nlast of all the leader's turn came. He let himself down, and they all\ncrept through the Sioux camp and escaped.\n\nThey never knew how long the Sioux stayed there watching the rock.\nProbably until they thought that the Skidi had all starved to death.\n\n\n\n\nWOLVES IN THE NIGHT.\n\n\nIn the year 1879 Little Warrior, with a Chaui boy and a soldier, was\noff scouting on the plains east of the mountains. They saw a long way\noff--perhaps twenty miles--some objects that seemed to be moving. It\nwas one of those hot dry days in summer, when all the air is quivering\nand all things are distorted by the mirage. They watched these objects\nthrough their glasses for a long time. They seemed to move and quiver,\nand they could not tell what they were, but Little Warrior thought\nthey were mounted men. They seemed to be traveling in the same\ndirection with this scouting party. At length they could see that they\nwere mounted men, and were driving some loose animals.\n\nWhen night came, the two Pawnees left their horses with the soldier\nand started on foot to look for the camp of the strangers, and to find\nout who they were. They formed the plan to make themselves look like\ncoyotes, so that they could go close to the camp. Each took from under\nhis saddle a white sheet, which, when the time came, they would tie\naround their bodies, having their guns inside, held under their arms,\nand their pistols in their belts about their waists. It was a bright\nmoonlight night, the moon being so bright that it made it hard to see\nfar on the prairie.\n\nThe camp was found in a little hollow, and was occupied by seven Ute\nIndians. They had a dog with them. The Pawnees could hear them talking\nand laughing, as they sat about the big fire they had built. They\ncould see the horses too.\n\nThe men put on their white sheets, and getting down on all fours,\nprowled about like wolves, gradually drawing nearer and nearer to the\ncamp. Two or three times the dog smelt them and barked, but they paid\nno attention to it, but trotted hither and thither, smelling the\nground and sometimes sitting up on their haunches like wolves, and\nthen going on again. After a little while they came so close to the\ncamp that they could see that the horses were staked out, and that\nthere were some mules feeding about, hobbled. One of the Utes, who\nnoticed the wolves prowling near the camp, got his gun and shot at\nthe Chaui boy, but he did not hit him. The boy loped off and joined\nLittle Warrior behind a hill, and there the two waited.\n\nLittle Warrior said to his companion, \"These men have come far to-day.\nThey are pretty tired. Wait and they will lie down and go to sleep.\"\nPresently the camp quieted down and the Utes slept.\n\nThe Pawnees then made themselves wolves again, and went close to the\nUte camp. The horses were staked close to where the men were sleeping,\nbut the mules had wandered off a little to one side. Six mules were\ntogether, and one was by itself on the other side of the camp. Little\nWarrior went around the camp to this one, and cut its hobbles, and\nthen drove it slowly toward the others. Then they drove the whole\nseven quietly away from the camp. If it had not been for the dog, they\ncould very likely have stolen the horses too, and left the Utes afoot,\nand perhaps they might have been able to kill the Utes.\n\nThey drove the mules about two miles, and then went on to where they\nhad left their horses. They found the soldier nearly frightened to\ndeath. He said he did not like to be left by himself in such a lonely\nplace; he wanted to go to camp. They told him they were going to\nreturn and get those mules. They did so, and secured them, and drove\nthem in to their own camp, which they reached about six o'clock the\nnext morning.\n\nIt was learned afterward that fourteen mules had been stolen from a\nGovernment train, and a reward of $200 had been offered for their\nrecovery. These taken by the two Pawnees were seven of the stolen\nanimals, and each of the men received $50 as his proportion of the\nreward.\n\n  [Illustration: WHIP.]\n\n\n\n\nA LEADER OF SOLDIERS.\n\n\nIn 1876, when the attack was made by General Mackenzie on the village\nof the Cheyenne chief, Dull Knife, the Pawnee Scouts charged down on\nthe village on the south side of the creek, while on the north side of\nthe stream, a company of United States cavalry, under Lieut. McKinney,\nwere making a charge. Before the village was reached, Ralph J. Weeks,\nan educated Pawnee, and some others of the scouts crossed the stream\nand were riding near the soldiers. As they were crossing the ca\u00f1on at\nthe mouth of which the village stood, the enemy began to fire at them\nfrom the ravine. Lieut. McKinney was killed at the first volley, and\nimmediately afterward his first sergeant fell, leaving the troop\nwithout a commander. The soldiers hesitated, stopped, and then turned\nround, and began to retreat.\n\nRalph rode up behind them, and got off his horse, and called out,\n\"Hold on boys, don't run. There are only seven Indians there. Come on,\nand we will kill them all. Get off your horses and come ahead on foot.\nThere are only seven of them. We will kill them all.\"\n\nThe men stopped in their retreat, dismounted, and under Ralph's\ndirection and leadership, went forward, and did kill all the Indians\nin the ravine.\n\n  [Illustration: KNIFE SCABBARD.]\n\n\n\n\nA CHEYENNE BLANKET.\n\n\nThe Cheyennes, like other Indians, do not speak to each other when\nthey are away from the camp. If a man goes away from the village, and\nsits or stands by himself on the top of a hill, it is a sign that he\nwants to be alone; perhaps to meditate; perhaps to pray. No one speaks\nto him or goes near him.\n\nNow, there was once a Pawnee boy, who went off on the warpath to the\nCheyenne camp. In some way he had obtained a Cheyenne blanket. This\nPawnee came close to the Cheyenne camp, and hid himself there to wait.\nAbout the middle of the afternoon, he left his hiding place, and\nwalked to the top of the hill overlooking the village. He had his\nCheyenne blanket wrapped about him and over his head, with only a\nlittle hole for his eyes. He stood there for an hour or two, looking\nover the Cheyenne camp.\n\nThey were coming in from buffalo hunting, and some were leading in the\npack horses loaded down with meat. A man came along, riding a horse\npacked with meat, and leading another pack horse, and a black spotted\nhorse that was his running horse. These running horses are ridden only\non the chase or on war parties, and are well cared for. After being\nused they are taken down to the river and are washed and cleaned with\ncare. When the boy saw this spotted horse, he thought to himself that\nthis was the horse that he would take. When the man who was leading it\nreached his lodge, he dismounted and handed the ropes to his women,\nand went inside.\n\nThen the Pawnee made up his mind what he would do. He started down the\nhill into the village, and walked straight to this lodge where the\nwomen were unloading the meat. He walked up to them, reached out his\nhand, and took the ropes of the spotted horse and one of the others.\nAs he did so the women fell back. Probably they thought that this was\nsome one of the relations of the owner, who was going to take the\nrunning horse down to the river to wash it. The Pawnee could not talk\nCheyenne, but as he turned away he mumbled something--_m-m-m-m_--as if\nspeaking in a low voice, and then walked down toward the river. As\nsoon as he had gone down over the bank and was out of sight, he jumped\non the spotted horse and rode into the brush, and pretty soon was away\nwith two horses, stolen out of the Cheyenne camp in broad daylight.\n\n  [Illustration: A WAR SHIELD.]\n\n\n\n\nLITTLE WARRIOR'S COUNSEL.\n\n\nMost of the Pawnee heroes are so regarded because of victories, daring\ndeeds, the _coups_ they have counted and the horses they have stolen.\nThe glory of Comanche Chief and of Lone Chief depends mainly on their\nbravery, rather than on the fact that they were peace-makers. Yet\nthere should be room among these stories for the account of an\neducated Pawnee--a brave--who by his wise counsel to an Indian of a\nhostile tribe saved many lives, both of Indians and of white men.\nLittle Warrior was educated at a Western college, but has shown his\nbravery on the field of battle, and has sacrificed a scalp to\n_Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_.\n\nIn the year 1879, at the time of the Ute outbreak, after Major\nThornburgh's command had been annihilated, Little Warrior was employed\nas a scout for the troops. On the headwaters of the Arkansas River he\nwas one day scouting in advance of the command, in company with four\nwhite soldiers and four Indian scouts. One day, the party saw far off\non the prairie an Indian, who showed a white flag, and came toward\nthem. When he had come near to them, the soldiers proposed to kill\nhim, and report that he was a Ute, one of the Indians that they were\nlooking for. But Little Warrior said, \"No. He has a white flag up, and\nit may be that he is carrying a dispatch, or, perhaps, he is a white\nman disguised as an Indian.\"\n\nWhen the man had come close to them, they saw that he was dressed like\na Comanche; he did not have the bristling fringe of hair over the\nforehead that the Utes wear, and his side locks were unbraided. Little\nWarrior asked him, by signs, if he was alone, to which he replied in\nthe same language that he was alone. Then Little Warrior inquired who\nhe was. The stranger made the sign for Comanche--a friendly tribe.\n\nThey took him into the camp, and after a while Little Warrior began to\ntalk to him in Comanche. He could not understand a word of it.\n\nThen the Pawnee said to him, \"My friend, you are a Ute.\" The stranger\nacknowledged that he was.\n\nThen Little Warrior talked to him, and gave him much good advice. He\nsaid, \"My friend, you and I have the same skin, and what I tell you\nnow is for your good. I speak to you as a friend, and what I say to\nyou now is so that you may save your women and your children. It is of\nno use for you to try to fight the white people. I have been among\nthem, and I know how many they are. They are like the grass. Even if\nyou were to kill a hundred it would be nothing. It would be like\nburning up a few handfuls of prairie grass. There would be just as\nmany left. If you try to fight them they will hunt you like a ghost.\nWherever you go they will follow after you, and you will get no rest.\nThe soldiers will be continually on your tracks. Even if you were to\ngo up on top of a high mountain, where there was nothing but rocks,\nand where no one else could come, the soldiers would follow you, and\nget around you, and wait, and wait, even for fifty years. They would\nhave plenty to eat, and they could wait until after you were dead.\nThere is one white man who is the chief of all this country, and what\nhe says must be done. It is no use to fight him.\n\n\"Now if you are wise you will go out and get all your people, and\nbring them in, on to the reservation, and give yourself up. It will be\nbetter for you in the end. I speak to you as a friend, because we are\nboth the same color, and I hope that you will listen to my words.\"\n\nThe Ute said, \"My friend, your words are good, and I thank you for the\nfriendly advice you have given me. I will follow it and will agree to\ngo away and bring in my people.\"\n\nLittle Warrior said, \"How do you make a promise?\"\n\nThe Ute said, \"By raising the right hand to one above.\"\n\nLittle Warrior said, \"That is the custom also among my people.\"\n\nThe Ute raised his hand and made the promise.\n\nAfter he had been detained two or three weeks, he was allowed to go,\nand about a month afterward, he brought in the band of which he was\nchief, and surrendered. Through his influence afterward, the whole\ntribe came in and gave themselves up. He was grateful to Little\nWarrior for what he had done for him, and told him that if he ever\ncame back into his country he would give him many ponies.\n\n\n\n\nA COMANCHE BUNDLE.\n\n\nA Pawnee boy went to the Comanche village after horses. At night he\nwent into the camp, crept to the door of a lodge, and took a horse\nthat was tied there. It was bright moonlight, and as he was cutting\nthe rope he saw, hanging before the lodge, a handsome shield and a\nspear, which he took. There was also a bundle hanging there. He took\nthis down, opened it, and found in it a war bonnet, beaded moccasins\nand leggings, and a breast-plate of long beads. He dressed himself in\nall these fine things, mounted the horse and rode away.\n\n\n\n\n_FOLK-TALES._\n\n\n\n\nTHE DUN HORSE.\n\n\nI.\n\nMany years ago, there lived in the Pawnee tribe an old woman and her\ngrandson, a boy about sixteen years old. These people had no relations\nand were very poor. They were so poor that they were despised by the\nrest of the tribe. They had nothing of their own; and always, after\nthe village started to move the camp from one place to another, these\ntwo would stay behind the rest, to look over the old camp, and pick up\nanything that the other Indians had thrown away, as worn out or\nuseless. In this way they would sometimes get pieces of robes, worn\nout moccasins with holes in them, and bits of meat.\n\nNow, it happened one day, after the tribe had moved away from the\ncamp, that this old woman and her boy were following along the trail\nbehind the rest, when they came to a miserable old worn out dun horse,\nwhich they supposed had been abandoned by some Indians. He was thin\nand exhausted, was blind of one eye, had a bad sore back, and one of\nhis forelegs was very much swollen. In fact, he was so worthless that\nnone of the Pawnees had been willing to take the trouble to try to\ndrive him along with them. But when the old woman and her boy came\nalong, the boy said, \"Come now, we will take this old horse, for we\ncan make him carry our pack.\" So the old woman put her pack on the\nhorse, and drove him along, but he limped and could only go very\nslowly.\n\n\nII.\n\nThe tribe moved up on the North Platte, until they came to Court House\nRock. The two poor Indians followed them, and camped with the others.\nOne day while they were here, the young men who had been sent out to\nlook for buffalo, came hurrying into camp and told the chiefs that a\nlarge herd of buffalo were near, and that among them was a spotted\ncalf.\n\nThe Head Chief of the Pawnees had a very beautiful daughter, and when\nhe heard about the spotted calf, he ordered his old crier to go about\nthrough the village, and call out that the man who killed the spotted\ncalf should have his daughter for his wife. For a spotted robe is\n_ti-war\u00b4-uks-ti_--big medicine.\n\nThe buffalo were feeding about four miles from the village, and the\nchiefs decided that the charge should be made from there. In this way,\nthe man who had the fastest horse would be the most likely to kill the\ncalf. Then all the warriors and the young men picked out their best\nand fastest horses, and made ready to start. Among those who prepared\nfor the charge was the poor boy on the old dun horse. But when they\nsaw him, all the rich young braves on their fast horses pointed at\nhim, and said, \"Oh, see; there is the horse that is going to catch the\nspotted calf;\" and they laughed at him, so that the poor boy was\nashamed, and rode off to one side of the crowd, where he could not\nhear their jokes and laughter.\n\nWhen he had ridden off some little way, the horse stopped, and turned\nhis head round, and spoke to the boy. He said, \"Take me down to the\ncreek, and plaster me all over with mud. Cover my head and neck and\nbody and legs.\" When the boy heard the horse speak, he was afraid; but\nhe did as he was told. Then the horse said, \"Now mount, but do not\nride back to the warriors, who laugh at you because you have such a\npoor horse. Stay right here, until the word is given to charge.\" So\nthe boy stayed there.\n\nAnd presently all the fine horses were drawn up in line and pranced\nabout, and were so eager to go that their riders could hardly hold\nthem in; and at last the old crier gave the word, \"_Loo-ah_\"--Go! Then\nthe Pawnees all leaned forward on their horses and yelled, and away\nthey went. Suddenly, away off to the right, was seen the old dun\nhorse. He did not seem to run. He seemed to sail along like a bird. He\npassed all the fastest horses, and in a moment he was among the\nbuffalo. First he picked out the spotted calf, and charging up\nalongside of it, _U-ra-rish!_ straight flew the arrow. The calf fell.\nThe boy drew another arrow, and killed a fat cow that was running by.\nThen he dismounted and began to skin the calf, before any of the other\nwarriors had come up. But when the rider got off the old dun horse,\nhow changed he was! He pranced about and would hardly stand still near\nthe dead buffalo. His back was all right again; his legs were well and\nfine; and both his eyes were clear and bright.\n\nThe boy skinned the calf and the cow that he had killed, and then he\npacked all the meat on the horse, and put the spotted robe on top of\nthe load, and started back to the camp on foot, leading the dun horse.\nBut even with this heavy load the horse pranced all the time, and was\nscared at everything he saw. On the way to camp, one of the rich young\nchiefs of the tribe rode up by the boy, and offered him twelve good\nhorses for the spotted robe, so that he could marry the Head Chief's\nbeautiful daughter; but the boy laughed at him and would not sell the\nrobe.\n\nNow, while the boy walked to the camp leading the dun horse, most of\nthe warriors rode back, and one of those that came first to the\nvillage, went to the old woman, and said to her, \"Your grandson has\nkilled the spotted calf.\" And the old woman said, \"Why do you come to\ntell me this? You ought to be ashamed to make fun of my boy, because\nhe is poor.\" The warrior said, \"What I have told you is true,\" and\nthen he rode away. After a little while another brave rode up to the\nold woman, and said to her, \"Your grandson has killed the spotted\ncalf.\" Then the old woman began to cry, she felt so badly because\nevery one made fun of her boy, because he was poor.\n\nPretty soon the boy came along, leading the horse up to the lodge\nwhere he and his grandmother lived. It was a little lodge, just big\nenough for two, and was made of old pieces of skin that the old woman\nhad picked up, and was tied together with strings of rawhide and\nsinew. It was the meanest and worst lodge in the village. When the old\nwoman saw her boy leading the dun horse with the load of meat and the\nrobes on it, she was very much surprised. The boy said to her, \"Here,\nI have brought you plenty of meat to eat, and here is a robe, that you\nmay have for yourself. Take the meat off the horse.\" Then the old\nwoman laughed, for her heart was glad. But when she went to take the\nmeat from the horse's back, he snorted and jumped about, and acted\nlike a wild horse. The old woman looked at him in wonder, and could\nhardly believe that it was the same horse. So the boy had to take off\nthe meat, for the horse would not let the old woman come near him.\n\n\nIII.\n\nThat night the horse spoke again to the boy and said, \"_Wa-ti-hes\nChah\u00b4-ra-rat wa-ta_. To-morrow the Sioux are coming--a large war party.\nThey will attack the village, and you will have a great battle. Now,\nwhen the Sioux are drawn up in line of battle, and are all ready to\nfight, you jump on to me, and ride as hard as you can, right into the\nmiddle of the Sioux, and up to their Head Chief, their greatest\nwarrior, and count _coup_ on him, and kill him, and then ride back. Do\nthis four times, and count _coup_ on four of the bravest Sioux, and\nkill them, but don't go again. If you go the fifth time, may be you\nwill be killed, or else you will lose me. _La-ku\u00b4-ta-chix_--remember.\"\nSo the boy promised.\n\nThe next day it happened as the horse had said, and the Sioux came\ndown and formed a line of battle. Then the boy took his bow and\narrows, and jumped on the dun horse, and charged into the midst of\nthem. And when the Sioux saw that he was going to strike their Head\nChief, they all shot their arrows at him, and the arrows flew so\nthickly across each other that the sky became dark, but none of them\nhit the boy. And he counted _coup_ on the Chief, and killed him, and\nthen rode back. After that he charged again among the Sioux, where\nthey were gathered thickest, and counted _coup_ on their bravest\nwarrior, and killed him. And then twice more, until he had gone four\ntimes as the horse had told him.\n\nBut the Sioux and the Pawnees kept on fighting, and the boy stood\naround and watched the battle. And at last he said to himself, \"I have\nbeen four times and have killed four Sioux, and I am all right, I am\nnot hurt anywhere; why may I not go again?\" So he jumped on the dun\nhorse, and charged again. But when he got among the Sioux, one Sioux\nwarrior drew an arrow and shot. The arrow struck the dun horse behind\nthe forelegs and pierced him through. And the horse fell down dead.\nBut the boy jumped off, and fought his way through the Sioux, and ran\naway as fast as he could to the Pawnees. Now, as soon as the horse was\nkilled, the Sioux said to each other, \"This horse was like a man. He\nwas brave. He was not like a horse.\" And they took their knives and\nhatchets, and hacked the dun horse and gashed his flesh, and cut him\ninto small pieces.\n\nThe Pawnees and Sioux fought all day long, but toward night the Sioux\nbroke and fled.\n\n\nIV.\n\nThe boy felt very badly that he had lost his horse; and, after the\nfight was over, he went out from the village to where it had taken\nplace, to mourn for his horse. He went to the spot where the horse\nlay, and gathered up all the pieces of flesh, which the Sioux had cut\noff, and the legs and the hoofs, and put them all together in a pile.\nThen he went off to the top of a hill near by, and sat down and drew\nhis robe over his head, and began to mourn for his horse.\n\nAs he sat there, he heard a great wind storm coming up, and it passed\nover him with a loud rushing sound, and after the wind came a rain.\nThe boy looked down from where he sat to the pile of flesh and bones,\nwhich was all that was left of his horse, and he could just see it\nthrough the rain. And the rain passed by, and his heart was very\nheavy, and he kept on mourning.\n\nAnd pretty soon, came another rushing wind, and after it a rain; and\nas he looked through the driving rain toward the spot where the pieces\nlay, he thought that they seemed to come together and take shape, and\nthat the pile looked like a horse lying down, but he could not see\nwell for the thick rain.\n\nAfter this, came a third storm like the others; and now when he looked\ntoward the horse he thought he saw its tail move from side to side two\nor three times, and that it lifted its head from the ground. The boy\nwas afraid, and wanted to run away, but he stayed.\n\nAnd as he waited, there came another storm. And while the rain fell,\nlooking through the rain, the boy saw the horse raise himself up on\nhis forelegs and look about. Then the dun horse stood up.\n\n\nV.\n\nThe boy left the place where he had been sitting on the hilltop, and\nwent down to him. When the boy had come near to him, the horse spoke\nand said, \"You have seen how it has been this day; and from this you\nmay know how it will be after this. But _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ has been good, and\nhas let me come back to you. After this, do what I tell you; not any\nmore, not any less.\" Then the horse said, \"Now lead me off, far away\nfrom the camp, behind that big hill, and leave me there to-night, and\nin the morning come for me;\" and the boy did as he was told.\n\nAnd when he went for the horse in the morning, he found with him a\nbeautiful white gelding, much more handsome than any horse in the\ntribe. That night the dun horse told the boy to take him again to the\nplace behind the big hill, and to come for him the next morning; and\nwhen the boy went for him again, he found with him a beautiful black\ngelding. And so for ten nights, he left the horse among the hills,\nand each morning he found a different colored horse, a bay, a roan, a\ngray, a blue, a spotted horse, and all of them finer than any horses\nthat the Pawnees had ever had in their tribe before.\n\nNow the boy was rich, and he married the beautiful daughter of the\nHead Chief, and when he became older, he was made Head Chief himself.\nHe had many children by his beautiful wife, and one day when his\noldest boy died, he wrapped him in the spotted calf robe and buried\nhim in it. He always took good care of his old grandmother, and kept\nher in his own lodge until she died. The dun horse was never ridden\nexcept at feasts, and when they were going to have a doctors' dance,\nbut he was always led about with the Chief, wherever he went. The\nhorse lived in the village for many years, until he became very old.\nAnd at last he died.\n\n\n\n\nA STORY OF FAITH.\n\n\nLong ago, before they ever had any of these doctors' dances, there\nwas, in the Kit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i tribe, a young boy, small, growing up. He\nseemed not to go with the other boys nor to play with them, but would\nkeep away from them. He would go off by himself, and lie down, and\nsometimes they would find him crying, or half crying. He seemed to\nhave peculiar ways. His father and mother did not try to interfere\nwith him, but let him alone. Sometimes they would find him with mud or\nclay smeared over his face and head. That is the sign of a doctor.\nWhen you see a person putting mud on his face or head, it shows that\nhe has faith in the earth. From the earth are taken the roots that\nthey use in medicine.\n\nWhen the parents saw this, they did not understand it. How should he\nknow anything about mud being the sign of a doctor? They did not\nunderstand, but they just let him do it.\n\nThe boy grew up till he came to have the ways of a young man, but he\nnever went with any of the other boys. After he had grown up, they saw\nthat he had something in his mind. Sometimes he would fast for two\ndays, and sit by himself, smoking and praying to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, and not\nsaying anything to any one. His father was a brave but not a chief,\nand had plenty of horses. The son was well dressed and comfortably\noff.\n\nWhen any one in the camp was sick, this young man would take pity on\nhim, and of his own accord would go and doctor him, and pretty soon\nthe person would be well again. Through his doing this, the people\nbegan to hear about him, and his name became great. He was humble, and\ndid not want to be thought well of. He was not proud, but he was\nalways doing good. At that time, there were many doctors in the tribe,\nand they wondered how it was that he could cure so many people, when\nhe had never been taught by any of them. They could not understand it,\nand they began to be jealous of him. He never wanted to be with the\ndoctors, but liked to stay by himself. He wanted to be alone rather\nthan with any one.\n\nIn that time there were bad doctors, and they began to hear about this\nhumble man and to be jealous of him. These bad doctors could curse a\nman, and he would be cursed, and could poison one. They had great\npower and influence, for everybody feared them.\n\nThe bands of the Pawnees were not then together, as they are now. As\nthe people talked about this young man, one of the other bands heard\nabout him. In this band was a great doctor, and this doctor thought to\nhimself, \"This young man's influence is growing. If I do not do\nsomething, he will soon be ahead of me.\"\n\nThis great doctor went to the village to visit this young man, to see\nhow he looked, and to find out how he got his knowledge and his power,\nfor he knew he had never been taught. He wanted to eat with him, and\ntalk with him, and find out whence his learning came. He reached the\nKit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i village. He was welcomed, and the young man treated him\nwith respect, and asked him to come into the lodge, and sit down with\nhim. At night they talked together. The great doctor said, \"I am glad\nto see you. You can come to me for advice sometimes.\" The young man\nthanked him. They smoked together. It is the custom always when an\nIndian is visiting another, for the one that is being visited to\npresent all the smokes; but at this time the great doctor said, \"We\nwill smoke my tobacco.\" So all night they smoked his tobacco. The next\nmorning he went away. He did not again eat with the young man. He\nsaid, \"I am glad, and I am going.\" And he went away to his village.\nThis happened in the winter.\n\nThis young man was not married. His father had asked him to marry, but\nhe would not. He said he had reasons.\n\nAbout summer time, he felt different from what he had. He was drowsy\nand felt badly. He felt heavy. He seemed to be swelling up with some\nstrange new disease. The great doctor had poisoned him with this\nresult. How it was no one can tell, but it was so. This was a\ndisgrace, and he did not know how to get out of it. There was no way.\nHe would go off and cry, and pray to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, and sometimes would\nstay for three or four days without anything to eat. He was so\nmiserable that one time he was going to kill himself. He did not tell\nhis father or any one about this, but kept it to himself. The tribe\nwent off on a hunt and left the old village. Before they started, the\nman went off on a hill somewhere to meditate and pray, and his father\ntold him that when he was ready to start he should ride such a horse,\nand he left it in the village for him when he should come in.\n\nWhen he came into the empty village he found the horse tied there, and\nhe saddled it and started; but instead of going in the direction the\ntribe had taken, he went east. His horse was a fine one. He went away\noff by himself for some days, and at last he stopped, and got off his\nhorse, and tied it to a tree. Then he called aloud and said, \"_A-ti-us\nta\u00b4-kaw-a_ (My Father, in all places), it is through you that I am\nliving. Perhaps it was through you that this man put me in this\ncondition. You are the ruler. Nothing is impossible to you. If you see\nfit, take this away from me.\" Then he turned round and said, \"Now,\nyou, all fish of the rivers, and you, all birds of the air, and all\nanimals that move upon the earth, and you, oh Sun! I present to you\nthis animal.\" He said again, \"You birds in the air, and you animals\nupon the earth, we are related, we are alike in this respect, that\none ruler made us all. You see me, how unhappy I am. If you have any\npower, intercede for me.\"\n\nWhen he had finished his prayer, he went up to the horse, and stabbed\nit with his knife and killed it, and it fell down dead. He turned it\nso that its head was toward the east, and raised it on its belly,\ndoubling its knees under it, and cut the hide down the back, and\nskinned it down on both sides, so that the birds of the air and the\nanimals of the earth might feed on it.\n\nThe tribe at this time was camped on the head of the Republican River.\nHe went on toward the east until he came to the place on the Platte\nRiver called _Pa-huk\u00b4_ (hill island). He saw that there were many wild\nanimals on this point, and he liked it, and thought he would stay\nthere, and perhaps dream. He stopped there a while, feeling very\nbadly, and mourning all the time on this point. He was there several\ndays, and one night it happened that he went to sleep [fainted], for\nhe was exhausted with much weeping and praying. Something spoke to\nhim, and said, \"What are you doing here?\" He woke up, and looked\naround, but saw no one. It was only a voice. Another night when he was\nasleep a voice asked him, \"What are you doing here?\" He awoke and\nlooked about, but saw no one. A third night the same thing happened,\nand he was wondering what it meant. Then he answered and said, \"Who\never you are who speaks to me, look at me and you will see that I am\npoor in mind.[4] I am a man, and yet I am in a condition that no man\nwas ever in before. I am here only to suffer and to die. Whoever you\nare who speaks to me, take pity on me and help me.\" He received no\nanswer.\n\n  [4] Poor in mind, _i. e._, despondent, miserable, unhappy.\n\nThe fourth night something touched him. He was half awake when he felt\nit. Something said, \"What are you doing here?\" He was lying on his\nside, his head toward the east and his feet toward the west. Something\ntapped him on the shoulder, and he looked up and saw a great big\nanimal, big black eyes and a whitish body, _Pah\u00b4_, big elk. When he\nlooked at it, the animal said, \"Get up and sit down;\" and the elk too\nsat down. The elk said, \"I have heard of you and of your condition,\nand I am here to tell you that we all know your trouble. Right here\nwhere you are, under you, is the home of the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ (animals). I\nknow that it is impossible to help you, but I shall let them\nknow--they already know--that you are here. I can only help you so\nfar as to take you to the places where these animals are. If this\nanimal home cannot help you, I will take you to another place; if that\nfails, I will take you to another place; if that fails, to another.\nThen you will see that I have done my part. If it is impossible for\nthe animals to do it, we have still one above that we look to.\" As\nsoon as he had said this, he vanished like a wind; disappeared all at\nonce.\n\nWhile the boy sat there, thinking about what the animal had said to\nhim, he fell asleep with his mind full of these things. In his sleep\nsomething talked to him. It said, \"I know that you feel badly, and\nthat your mind is poor. I have passed you many times, and I have heard\nyou crying. I belong here, but I am one of the servants. I have\ninformed my leaders, those who command me, about you, and that you are\nso poor in your mind, and they have said to me, 'If you take pity on\nhim, do as you please, because you are our servant.'\"\n\nAt this time he woke up, and saw sitting by him a little bird.[5] He\ntalked to it. He said, \"Oh, my brother, I feel pleased that you\nunderstand my poor mind. Now take pity on me and help me.\" The bird\nsaid to him, \"You must not talk in this way to me. I am only a\nservant. To-morrow night I will come this way, and will show you what\nto do. To-morrow night I will come this way, and whatever you see me\ndo, you do the same thing.\" Then he disappeared. The man then felt a\nlittle easier in his mind, and more as if there were some hope for\nhim.\n\n  [5] This is a small bird, blue above, white below, with red legs.\n  It is swift-flying, and sometimes dives down into the water. It is\n  the messenger bird of the _Nahu\u00b4rac_. See also story of the Boy who\n  was Sacrificed.\n\nThe next night the bird came, and was flying about near him after\ndark, waiting for the time. When the time came, the bird flew close to\nhim, and said, \"Come. Let us go to the edge of the cut bank.\" When\nthey had come to the edge of the bank above the water in the river,\nthe bird said, \"Now, my friend, you are poor. What I do, you do. When\nI dive down off this bank, you follow me.\" The man replied to him,\n\"Yes, I am poor. Whatever you tell me to do, I will do.\" So when the\nbird dived down off the cut bank, the man threw off everything, and\ncared nothing for what he did except to follow the bird. He leaped\ndown after it, and as he sprang, it seemed to him that he felt like a\nbird, and could sail this way and that. He did not feel as if he were\nfalling, and were going to be hurt, but as if he were flying, and\ncould control his movements. Just as he reached the water in his fall,\nit seemed to him that he was standing in the entrance way of a lodge,\nand could look through into it and see the fire burning in the middle.\n\nWhile he was standing there, the bird flew in ahead of him, and he\nheard it say, \"Here he is.\" He stepped toward the entrance, and just\nas he came to it the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ all made their different noises, for\nthey are not used to the smell of human beings. The bears growled, and\nthe panthers and wild cats and wolves and rattlesnakes and other\nanimals all made their sounds. As he went in, there was a bear\nstanding on one side, and a great snake on the other, and it was very\ndifficult for the man to go in. He hesitated a little to enter that\nnarrow passage, but something behind him seemed to push him ahead,\nalthough the bear stood ready to seize him, and the snake was rattling\nand standing up as if about to strike. If he had not had the courage\nto pass them he would have been lost, but he looked neither to the\nright nor to the left, but walked straight ahead past them. As soon as\nhe had passed them, they both sank back and were quiet. Then all the\n_Nahu\u00b4rac_ made another kind of a noise, as if welcoming him. The\nbear began to lie down; and the snake stretched itself out again. As\nhe went in he just stood there and looked around. He saw there all\nkinds of animals. The head doctor was a white beaver, very large,\nthere was another a garfish, another an otter, and the fourth was a\nsandhill crane.\n\nThe man sat down, and he looked very pitiful. Then for a while\neverything was silent. Then the servant said to the four head doctors,\n\"I have brought this man here. I have taken pity on him, and I want\nyou to take pity on him.\" Then it was more silent than ever. The man\nlooked about him, and saw all the animals, and saw them roll their\neyes around at him.\n\nPresently the servant got up, and stood right in the midst. The head\ndoctors sat at the back of the lodge opposite the door on the other\nside of the fire. The bird said, \"My rulers, you know me. I am your\nservant, and I am always obedient to your commands. No matter what you\ntell me to do, I do it. No matter how long the journeys you send me\non, I go. Many nights I have lost sleep because of carrying out your\ncommands. I have seen this man many times, and I am weary of his\ncrying as I fly back and forth. Now, I want you to take pity on this\nman, because I pity him. Look on this poor-minded man and pity him.\"\n\nThen the bird went to the young man, and took from him his pipe, which\nwas filled, and carried it round and stood before the beaver, the head\ndoctor, and held out the pipe to him to take. The white beaver did not\nstretch out his hand for it, and the bird stood there for a long time.\nAt last the bird began to cry, and the tears began to run down its\nface, and it cried hard; and at last the white beaver stretched out\nhis hand, and then drew it back again, and hesitated; and the bird\nkept on crying, and at length the head doctor reached out his hand and\ntook the pipe. Just as soon as he took the pipe, all the animals made\na kind of a hissing sound, as much as to say, _Loo\u00b4ah_--Good. They\nwere pleased. Then the white beaver, holding the pipe, said, \"I cannot\nhelp but reach out for this pipe, for I take pity on my servant. But\nit is impossible for me to promise that I will do this thing, but I\nwill do what I can. I will leave it to this other _Nahu\u00b4rac_ to say\nwhat shall be done;\" and he passed the pipe to the other _Nahu\u00b4rac_\nwho sat next to him. This animal reached for the pipe, and took it. He\nmade a speech, and said, \"My friends, I am poor, I am poor. I have\nnot such power as that;\" and he passed the pipe to another; and he\nsaid, \"I have not the power;\" and he passed it to another; and so it\nwent around the circle. The pipe had passed around, and none of the\n_Nahu\u00b4rac_ had the power. None of them seemed to understand how to\nhelp the man. Then the white beaver said, \"My friend, you see that no\none of us have the power to help you. There is another lodge of\n_Nahu\u00b4rac_ at _Pa\u00b4howa_. You must go there and ask them.\" Then the\n_Nahu\u00b4rac_ made medicine, and the young man went to sleep, and when he\nawoke at daylight, he found himself on the point where he had lain\ndown to sleep the night before.\n\nHe was discouraged and wept all day long. At night the elk came to him\nand said, \"Go to sleep; I will take you over to _Pa\u00b4howa_.\" The man\nslept and the elk took him on its back and carried him while asleep,\nand the next morning he found himself on that point of _Pa\u00b4howa_.\n\nThat night the messenger bird came to him and said, \"Now, my friend,\nfollow me, and what you see me do, that do yourself. When I dive down\ninto _Pa\u00b4howa_, you follow me.\" The bird dived down into the spring,\nand the young man jumped after him, and again found himself standing\nat the door of a lodge, and the same things took place as before. Here\nthe same animals were the head doctors. The chief head doctor talked\nto the boy and said, \"My friend, I am sorry you have come to me in the\ncondition you are in. My friend, this is something impossible. If it\nwere anything else it might be possible for us to cure your trouble.\nNothing like it was ever known before.\"\n\nWhen he had said this he turned to the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ and said, \"Now you\nshall be the leaders. If there are any of you who understand things\nlike this; if any of you can take the lead in things like this, why do\nit. It is beyond my power. Say what shall be done, any of you. My mind\nwould be big if any of you could take pity on this poor man.\"\n\nAnother one of the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ stood up and spoke, \"My brother [to the\nwhite beaver], and my brother [to the young man], do not feel hard at\nme. This is beyond my power. I cannot do anything to help him.\" So it\nwent around the circle, every one saying that it was impossible. After\nit had gone round, the head doctor again stood up and said, \"Now, my\nfriend, you can see that it is impossible to cure you of this trouble,\nbut there is another lodge of the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ on the west side of the\nLoup River. You go there.\" Then they put him to sleep, and when he\nawoke next morning, he was on top of the ground near _Pa\u00b4howa_.\n\nThat night the elk took him while he was asleep to the place on the\nLoup. The next night he was sitting on the ground there, and the bird\ncame to him, and he followed the bird down over the bank and into the\n_Nahu\u00b4rac_ lodge. Here the head doctors were the same animals, and\nthey made speeches as had been done at the other places, and, as\nbefore, it was left to the assembly, and all agreed that it was beyond\ntheir power. Then the white beaver directed him to go to an island in\nthe Platte, near the Lone Tree, where there was another lodge of the\n_Nahu\u00b4rac_. The elk took him to this island. Under the center of this\nisland was the lodge. The messenger bird was with him and went into\nthe lodge and asked the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ to help him. The white beaver made\na speech, and said, \"My friend, I have heard the condition that you\nare in. Of all these lodges that you have visited, that lodge at\n_Pa-huk\u00b4_ is the head. I want you to go back there, and tell the\nleaders there that they are the rulers, and that whatever they shall\ndo will be right, and will be agreed to by the other lodges. They\nmust help you if they can. If they cannot do it, no one can.\"\n\nWhen the elk took him back to _Pa-huk\u00b4_, the bird again conducted him\ninto the lodge. He had left his pipe here. When he entered the lodge\nall the animals made a hissing sound--_No\u00b4a_--they were glad to see\nhim again. The man stood in the middle of the lodge and spoke. He\nsaid, \"Now you animals all, you are the leaders. You see how poor my\nmind is. I am tired of the long journeys you have sent me on. I want\nyou to take pity on me.\"\n\nThe white beaver stood up and took the pipe and said, \"Oh, my brother,\nI have done this to try these other lodges of _Nahu\u00b4rac_, to see if\nany of them were equal to me. That was the reason that I sent you\naround to all these other lodges, to see if any of them would be\nwilling to undertake to rid you of your burden. But I see that they\nall still acknowledge that I am the leader. Now I have here an animal\nthat I think will undertake to help you and to rid you of your\ntrouble.\" Saying this he stepped out to the right, and walked past\nsome of the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ until he came to a certain animal--a ground\ndog--and held out the pipe to it. There were twelve of these animals,\nall alike--small, with round faces and black whiskers--sitting on\ntheir haunches. He held out the pipe to the head one of these twelve.\nWhen the white beaver reached out the pipe to this animal he did not\ntake it. He hesitated a long time, and held his head down. He did not\nwant to take the pipe. He looked around the lodge, and at the man, and\ndrew in his breath. At last he reached out his paws and took the pipe,\nand as he did so, all the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ made a noise, the biggest kind of\na noise. They were glad.\n\nThen the head ground dog got up and said, \"Now, doctors, I have\naccepted this pipe on account of our servant, who is so faithful, and\nwho many a night has lost sleep on account of our commands. I have\naccepted it for his sake. It is impossible to do this thing. If it had\nbeen earlier, I could perhaps have done it. Even now I will try, and\nif I fail now, we can do nothing for him.\"\n\nAfter they had smoked, they told the man to go and sit down opposite\nthe entrance to the lodge, between the head doctors and the fire.\nThese twelve animals stood up and walked back and forth on the\nopposite side of the fire from him, facing him. After a while they\ntold him to stand up. The head ground dog now asked the other\n_Nahu\u00b4rac_ to help him, by singing, and they all sang; and the ground\ndogs danced, keeping time to the singing, and moved their hands up and\ndown, and made their jaws go as if eating, but did not open their\nmouths.\n\nAfter a while they told him to lie down with his head toward the\ndoctors and his feet toward the entrance. After he had lain down, they\nbegan to move and went round the lodge toward him, and the head ground\ndog jumped over the man's belly, and as he jumped over him he was seen\nto have a big piece of flesh in his mouth, and was eating it. Another\nground dog followed him, and another, and each one ran until he came\nto the man, and as each one jumped over him, it had a piece of flesh\nin its mouth, eating it. So they kept going until they had eaten all\nthe swelling. The young man was unconscious all this time, for he\nafterward said he knew nothing of what had happened.\n\nThe head ground dog spoke to the animals, and said, \"Now, _Nahu\u00b4rac_,\nyou have seen what I can do. This is the power that I have. That is\nthe reason I am afraid to be out on the prairie, because when I get\nhungry I would kill men and would eat them. My appetite would\noverpower me, and I do not want to do these things, I want to be\nfriendly. This is the reason that I do not travel around on top of\nthe ground. I stay hid all the time.\"\n\nThe man was still unconscious, and the head ground dog said, \"Now,\n_Nahu\u00b4rac_, I do not understand how to restore this man. I leave that\nto you.\" Then the ground dogs went back to their places and sat down.\nThen the head doctor, the beaver, spoke to the bears. He said, \"Now\nthis man belongs to you. Let me see what you can do.\" The head bear\ngot up and said, \"Very well, I will come. I will let you see what I\ncan do.\" Then the bears stood up and began to sing. The head bear\nwould jump on top of the man, and act as if he were going to tear him\nto pieces, and the others would take hold of him, and shake him\naround, and at last his blood began to flow and the man began to\nbreathe, but he was still unconscious. After a while he moved and came\nto life, and felt himself just as he had been many months before. He\nfound that his trouble was gone and that he was cured.\n\nThe head bear still stood by him and spoke to the _Nahu\u00b4rac_. He said,\n\"Now, _Nahu\u00b4rac_, this is what I can do. I do not care how dangerously\nwounded I may be, I know how to cure myself. If they leave any breath\nat all in me, I know how to cure myself.\" Then the bears went to\ntheir place and sat down.\n\nThe man got up and spoke to the _Nahu\u00b4rac_, thanking them for what\nthey had done for him. He stayed there several nights, watching the\ndoings of the _Nahu\u00b4rac_. They taught him all their ways, all the\nanimal secrets. The head doctor said to him, \"Now, I am going to send\nyou back to your home, but I will ask a favor of you, in return for\nwhat I have done for you.\"\n\nThe man answered him, \"It will be so, whatever you say.\"\n\nThe doctor said, \"Through you let my animals that move in the river be\nfed. Now you can see who we are. I move in the water. I have no\nbreath, but I exist. We every one of us shall die except _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_.\nHe made us, just as he made you. He made you to live in the air. We\nlive where there is no air. You see the difference. I know where is\nthat great water that surrounds us [the ocean]. I know that the heaven\n[sky] is the house of _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, and we live inside of it. You must\nimitate us. Do as we do. You must place your dependence on us, but\nstill, if anything comes up that is very difficult, you must put your\ndependence on _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. Ask help from the ruler. He made us. He\nmade every thing. There are different ways to different creatures.\nWhat you do I do not do, and what I do you do not do. We are\ndifferent. When you imitate us you must always blow a smoke to each\none of these four chief doctors, once to each; but to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ you\nmust blow four smokes. And always blow four to the night, to the east,\nbecause something may tell you in your sleep a thing which will\nhappen. This smoke represents the air filled with the smoke of hazy\ndays. That smoke is pleasant to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. He made it himself. Now\ngo home, and after you have been there for a time, go and pay a visit\nto the doctor who put you in this condition.\"\n\nThe young man went home to his village, and got there in the night. He\nhad long been mourned as dead, and his father was now poor in mind on\naccount of him. He went into his father's lodge, and touched him, and\nsaid, \"Wake up, I am here.\"\n\nHis father could not believe it. He had thought him dead a long time.\nHe said, \"Is it you, or is it a ghost?\"\n\nThe young man answered, \"It is I, just the same as ever. Get up, and\ngo and tell my uncles and all my relations that I am here. I want you\nto give me something; a blue bead, and some Indian tobacco, and some\nbuffalo meat, and a pipe.\"\n\nThe father went about and told his relations that his son had come\nback, and they were very glad, and came into the lodge, bringing the\npresents, and gave them to the boy. He took them, and went down to the\nriver, and threw them in, and they were carried down to the _Nahu\u00b4rac_\nlodge at _Pa-huk\u00b4_.\n\nA few days after this the boy got on his horse, and rode away to visit\nthe doctor who had brought his trouble on him. When he reached the\nvillage, the people said to the doctor, \"A man is coming to visit\nyou,\" and the doctor was troubled, for he knew what he had done to the\nboy. But he thought that he knew so much that no one could get the\nbetter of him. When the boy came to the lodge, he got off his horse,\nwent in and was welcomed. After they had eaten, the boy said to him,\n\"When you visited me we smoked your tobacco; to-day we will smoke\nmine.\"\n\nThey did so, for the doctor thought that no one could overcome him.\nThey smoked until daylight, and while they were smoking, the boy kept\nmoving his jaws as if eating, but did not open his mouth. At daylight\nthe boy said he must be going. He went, and when he got down to the\nriver, he blew strongly upon the ice, and immediately the water in the\nriver was full of blood. It was the blood of the doctor. It seems that\nthe ground dogs had taught the young man how to do their things.\n\nWhen the people found the doctor he was dead in his lodge, and he was\nall hollow. All his blood and the inside of him had gone into the\nriver, and had gone down to feed the animals. So the boy kept his\npromise to the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ and had revenge on the doctor.\n\nThe boy was the greatest doctor in the Kit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i band, and was\nthe first who taught them all the doctors' ceremonies that they have.\nHe taught them all the wonderful things that the doctors can do, and\nmany other things.\n\n  [Illustration: OLD-FASHIONED KNIFE.]\n\n\n\n\nTHE BEAR MAN.\n\n\nThere was once a young boy, who, when he was playing with his fellows,\nused often to imitate the ways of a bear, and to pretend that he was\none. The boys did not know much about bears. They only knew that there\nwere such animals.\n\nNow, it had happened that before this boy was born his mother had been\nleft alone at home, for his father had gone on the warpath toward the\nenemy, and this was about five or six months before the babe would be\nborn. As the man was going on the warpath, he came upon a little bear\ncub, very small, whose mother had gone away; and he caught it. He did\nnot want to kill it because it was so young and helpless. It seemed to\nhim like a little child. It looked up to him, and cried after him,\nbecause it knew no better; and he hated to kill it or to leave it\nthere. After he had thought about this for a while, he put a string\naround its neck and tied some medicine smoking stuff, Indian tobacco,\nto it, and said, \"_Pi-rau\u00b4_--child, you are a _Nahu\u00b4rac_; _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_\nmade you, and takes care of you. He will look after you, but I put\nthese things about your neck to show that I have good feelings toward\nyou. I hope that when my child is born, the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ will take care\nof him, and see that he grows up a good man, and I hope that\n_Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ will take care of you and of mine.\" He looked at the\nlittle bear for quite a long time, and talked to it, and then he went\non his way.\n\nWhen he returned to the village from his warpath, he told his wife\nabout the little bear, and how he had looked at it and talked to it.\n\nWhen his child was born it had all the ways of a bear. So it is among\nthe Pawnees. A woman, before her child is born, must not look hard at\nany animal, for the child may be like it. There was a woman in the\nKit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i band, who caught a rabbit, and, because it was gentle\nand soft, she took it up in her hands and held it before her face and\npetted it, and when her child was born it had a split nose, like a\nrabbit. This man is still alive.\n\nThis boy, who was like a bear, as he grew up, had still more the ways\nof a bear. Often he would go off by himself, and try to pray to the\nbear, because he felt like a bear. He used to say, in a joking way, to\nthe other young men, that he could make himself a bear.\n\nAfter he had come to be a man, he started out once on the warpath with\na party of about thirty-five others. He was the leader of the party.\nThey went away up on the Running Water, and before they had come to\nany village, they were discovered by Sioux. The enemy pursued them,\nand surrounded them, and fought with them. The Pawnees were\noverpowered, their enemies were so many, and all were killed.\n\nThe country where this took place is rocky, and much cedar grows\nthere. Many bears lived there. The battle was fought in the morning;\nand the Pawnees were all killed in a hollow. Right after the fight, in\nthe afternoon, two bears came traveling along by this place. When they\ncame to the spot where the Pawnees had been killed, they found one of\nthe bodies, and the she bear recognized it as that of the boy who was\nlike a bear. She called to the he bear, and said, \"Here is the man\nthat was very good to us. He often sacrificed smokes to us, and every\ntime he ate he used always to take a piece of food and give it to us,\nsaying, 'Here is something for you to eat. Eat this.' Here is the one\nthat always imitated us, and sung about us, and talked about us. Can\nyou do anything for him?\" The he bear said, \"I fear I cannot do it. I\nhave not the power, but I will try. I can do anything if the sun is\nshining. I seem to have more power when the sun is shining on me.\"\nThat day it was cloudy and cold and snowing. Every now and then the\nclouds would pass, and the sun come out for a little while, and then\nthe clouds would cover it up again.\n\nThe man was all cut up, pretty nearly hacked in small pieces, for he\nwas the bravest of all. The two bears gathered up the pieces of the\nman, and put them together, and then the he bear lay down and took the\nman on his breast, and the she bear lay on top of it to warm the body.\nThey worked over it with their medicine, and every now and then the he\nbear would cry out, and say, \"_A-ti\u00b4-us_--Father, help me. I wish the\nsun was shining.\" After a while the dead body grew warm, and then\nbegan to breathe a little. It was still all cut up, but it began to\nhave life. Pretty soon the man began to move, and to come to life, and\nthen he became conscious and had life.\n\nWhen he came to himself and opened his eyes he was in the presence of\ntwo bears. The he bear spoke to him, and said, \"It is not through me\nthat you are living. It was the she bear who asked for help for you,\nand had you brought back to life. Now, you are not yet whole and well.\nYou must come away with us, and live with us for a time, until all\nyour wounds are healed.\" The bears took him away with them. But the\nman was very weak, and every now and then, as they were going along,\nhe would faint and fall down; but still they would help him up and\nsupport him; and they took him along with them, until they came to a\ncave in the rocks among the cedars, which was their home. When he\nentered the cave, he found there their young ones that they had left\nbehind when they started out.\n\nThe man was all cut up and gashed. He had also been scalped, and had\nno hair on his head. He lived with the bears until he was quite healed\nof his wounds, and also had come to understand all their ways. The two\nold bears taught him everything that they knew. The he bear said to\nhim, \"None of all the beings and animals that roam over the country\nare as great and as wise as the bears. No animal is equal to us. When\nwe get hungry, we go out and kill something and eat it. I did not\nmake the wisdom that I have. I am an animal, and I look to one above.\nHe made me, and he made me to be great. I am made to live here and to\nbe great, but still there will be an end to my days, just as with all\nof us that _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ has created upon this earth. I am going to make\nyou a great man; but you must not deceive yourself. You must not think\nthat I am great, or can do great things of myself. You must always\nlook up above for the giver of all power. You shall be great in war\nand great in wealth.\n\n\"Now you are well, and I shall take you back to your home, and after\nthis I want you to imitate us. This shall be a part of your greatness.\nI shall look after you. I shall give to you a part of myself. If I am\nkilled, you shall be killed. If I grow old, you shall be old.\n\n\"I want you to look at one of the trees that _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ made in this\nearth, and place your dependence on it. _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ made this tree\n(pointing to a cedar). It never gets old. It is always green and\nyoung. Take notice of this tree, and always have it with you; and when\nyou are in the lodge and it thunders and lightens,[6] throw some of it\non the fire and let the smoke rise. Hold that fast.\"\n\n  [6] A cedar is never struck by lightning.\n\nThe he bear took the skin of a bear, and made a cap for him, to hide\nhis naked skull. His wounds were now all healed, and he was well and\nstrong. The man's people had nearly forgotten him, it had been so long\nago, and they had supposed that the whole party had been killed.\n\nSoon after this the he bear said, \"Now we will take that journey.\"\nThey started, and went to the village, and waited near it till it was\nnight. Then the bear said to him, \"Go into the village, and tell your\nfather that you are here. Then get for me a piece of buffalo meat, and\na blue bead, and some Indian tobacco, and some sweet smelling\nclay.\"[7]\n\n  [7] A green clay, which they roast, and which then turns dark red,\n  and has a sweet smell.\n\nThe man went into the village, and his father was very much surprised,\nand very glad to see him again. He got the presents, and brought them\nto the bear, and gave them to him, and the bear talked to him.\n\nWhen they were about to part, the bear came up to him, and put his\narms about him, and hugged him, and put his mouth against the man's\nmouth, and said, \"As the fur that I am in has touched you it will make\nyou great, and this will be a blessing to you.\" His paws were around\nthe man's shoulders, and he drew them down his arms, until they came\nto his hands, and he held them, and said, \"As my hands have touched\nyour hands, they are made great, not to fear anything. I have rubbed\nmy hands down over you, so that you shall be as tough as I am. Because\nmy mouth has touched your mouth you shall be made wise.\" Then he left\nhim, and went away.\n\nSo this man was the greatest of all warriors, and was brave. He was\nlike a bear. He originated the bear dance which still exists among the\ntribe of Pawnees. He came to be an old man, and at last died of old\nage. I suspect the old bear died at the same time.\n\n  [Illustration: A RATTLE.]\n\n\n\n\nTHE GHOST WIFE.\n\n\nOne time there were living together a man and his wife. They had a\nyoung child. The woman died. The man was very sad, and mourned for his\nwife.\n\nOne night he took the child in his arms, and went out from the village\nto the place where his wife was buried, and stood over the grave, and\nmourned for his wife. The little child was very helpless, and cried\nall the time. The man's heart was sick with grief and loneliness. Late\nin the night he fell asleep, fainting and worn out with sorrow. After\na while he awoke, and when he looked up, there was a form standing by\nhim. The form standing there was the one who had died. She spoke to\nher husband, and said, \"You are very unhappy here. There is a place to\ngo where we would not be unhappy. Where I have been nothing bad\nhappens to one. Here, you never know what evil will come to you. You\nand the child had better come to me.\"\n\nThe man did not want to die. He said to her, \"No; it will be better if\nyou can come back to us. We love you. If you were with us we would be\nunhappy no longer.\"\n\nFor a long time they discussed this, to decide which one should go to\nthe other. At length the man by his persuasions overcame her, and the\nwoman agreed to come back. She said to the man, \"If I am to come back\nyou must do exactly as I tell you for four nights. For four days the\ncurtain must remain let down before my sleeping place; it must not be\nraised; no one must look behind it.\"\n\nThe man did as he had been told, and after four days had passed, the\ncurtain was lifted, and the woman came out from behind it. Then they\nall saw her, first her relations, and afterward the whole tribe. Her\nhusband and her child were very glad, and they lived happily together.\n\nA long time after this, the man took another wife. The first wife was\nalways pleasant and good-natured, but the new one was bad-tempered,\nand after some time she grew jealous of the first woman, and\nquarreled with her. At length, one day the last married became angry\nwith the other, and called her bad names, and finally said to her,\n\"You ought not to be here. You are nothing but a ghost, anyway.\"\n\nThat night when the man went to bed, he lay down, as was his custom,\nby the side of his first wife. During the night he awoke, and found\nthat his wife had disappeared. She was seen no more. The next night\nafter this happened, the man and the child both died in sleep. The\nwife had called them to her. They had gone to that place where there\nis a living.\n\nThis convinced everybody that there is a hereafter.\n\n\n\n\nTI-KE-WA-KUSH.\n\nThe Man who Called the Buffalo.\n\n\nThis happened in the olden time before we had met the white people.\nThen the different bands lived in separate villages. The lodges were\nmade of dirt. The Kit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i band went off on a winter hunt,\nroaming over the country, as they used to do, after buffalo. At this\ntime they did not find the buffalo near. They scouted in all\ndirections, but could discover no signs of them. It was a hard time of\nstarvation. The children cried and the women cried; they had nothing\nat all to eat.\n\nThere was a person who looked at the children crying for something to\neat, and it touched his heart. They were very poor, and he felt sorry\nfor them. He said to the Head Chief, \"Tell the chiefs and other head\nmen to do what I tell them. My heart is sick on account of the\nsuffering of the people. It may be that I can help them. Let a new\nlodge be set up outside the village for us to meet in. I will see if I\ncan do anything to relieve the tribe.\" The Chief said that it was well\nto do this, and he gave orders for it.\n\nWhile they were preparing to build this lodge they would miss this man\nin the night. He would disappear like a wind, and go off a long way,\nand just as daylight came, he would be there again. Sometimes, while\nsitting in his own lodge during the day, he would reach behind him,\nand bring out a small piece of buffalo meat, fat and lean, and would\ngive it to some one, saying, \"When you have had enough, save what is\nleft, and give it to some one else.\" When he would give this small\npiece of meat to any one, the person would think, \"This is not enough\nto satisfy my hunger;\" but after eating until he was full, there was\nalways enough left to give to some other person.\n\nIn those days it was the custom for the Head Chief of the tribe, once\nin a while, to mount his horse, and ride about through the village,\ntalking to the people, and giving them good advice, and telling them\nthat they ought to do what was right by each other. At this time the\nChief spoke to the people, and explained that this man was going to\ntry to benefit the tribe. So the people made him many fine presents,\notter skins and eagle feathers, and when they gave him these things\neach one said, \"I give you this. It is for yourself. Try to help us.\"\nHe thanked them for these presents, and when they were all gathered\ntogether he said, \"Now you chiefs and head men of the tribe, and you\npeople, you have done well to give me these things. I shall give them\nto that person who gives me that power, and who has taken pity on me.\nI shall let you starve yet four days. Then help will come.\"\n\nDuring these four days, every day and night he disappeared, but would\ncome back the same night. He would say to the people that he had been\nfar off, where it would take a person three or four days to go, but he\nwas always back the same night. When he got back on the fourth night,\nhe told the people that the buffalo were near, that the next morning\nthey would be but a little way off. He went up on the hill near the\ncamp, and sacrificed some eagle feathers, and some blue beads, and\nsome Indian tobacco, and then returned to the camp. Then he said to\nthe people, \"When that object comes to that place of sacrifice, do\nnot interfere with it; do not turn it back. Let it go by. Just watch\nand see.\"\n\nThe next morning at daylight, all the people came out of their lodges\nto watch this hill, and the place where he had sacrificed. While they\nwere looking they saw a great buffalo bull come up over the hill to\nthe place. He stood there for a short time and looked about, and then\nhe walked on down the hill, and went galloping off past the village.\nThen this man spoke to the people, and said, \"There. That is what I\nmeant. That is the leader of the buffalo; where he went the whole herd\nwill follow.\"\n\nHe sent his servant to the chiefs to tell them to choose four boys,\nand let them go to the top of the hill where the bull had come over,\nand to look beyond it. The boys were sent, and ran to the top of the\nhill, and when they looked over beyond it they stopped, and then\nturned, and came back, running. They went to the chiefs' lodge, and\nsaid to the chiefs sitting there, \"Beyond that place of sacrifice\nthere is coming a whole herd of buffalo; many, many, crowding and\npushing each other.\"\n\nThen, as it used to be in the old times, as soon as the young men had\ntold the Chief that the buffalo were coming, the Chief rode about the\nvillage, and told every one to get ready to chase them. He said to\nthem besides, \"Do not leave anything on the killing ground. Bring into\nthe camp not only the meat and hides, but the heads and legs and all\nparts. Bring the best portions in first, and take them over to the new\nlodge, so that we may have a feast there.\" For so the man had\ndirected.\n\nPresently the buffalo came over the hill, and the people were ready,\nand they made a surround, and killed all that they could, and brought\nthem home. Each man brought in his ribs and his young buffalo, and\nleft them there at that lodge. The other parts they brought into the\nvillage, as he had directed. After they had brought in this meat, they\nwent to the lodge, and staid there four days and four nights, and had\na great feast, roasting these ribs. The man told them that they would\nmake four surrounds like this, and to get all the meat that they\ncould, \"But,\" he said, \"in surrounding these buffalo you must see that\nall the meat is saved. _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ does not like the people to waste\nthe buffalo, and for that reason I advise you to make good use of all\nyou kill.\" During the four nights they feasted this man used to\ndisappear each night.\n\nOn the night of the fourth day he said to the people, \"To-morrow the\nbuffalo will come again, and you will make another surround. Be\ncareful not to kill a yellow calf--a little one--that you will see\nwith the herd, nor its mother.\" This was in winter, and yet the calf\nwas the same color as a young calf born in the spring. They made the\nsurround, and let the yellow calf and its mother go.\n\nA good many men in the tribe saw that this man was great, and that he\nhad done great things for the tribe, and they made him many presents,\nthe best horses that they had. He thanked them, but he did not want to\naccept the presents. The tribe believed that he had done this\nwonderful thing--had brought them buffalo--and all the people wanted\nto do just what he told them to.\n\nIn the first two surrounds they killed many buffalo, and made much\ndried meat. All their sacks were full, and the dried meat was piled up\nout of doors. After the second surround, they feasted as before.\n\nAfter four days, as they were going out to surround the buffalo the\nthird time, the wind changed, and before the people got near them, the\nbuffalo smelt them, and stampeded. While they were galloping away, the\nman ran up on to the top of the hill, to the place of sacrifice,\ncarrying a pole, on which was tied the skin of a kit fox; and when he\nsaw the buffalo running, and that the people could not catch them, he\nwaved his pole, and called out _Ska-a-a-a!_ and the buffalo turned\nright about, and charged back right through the people, and they\nkilled many of them. He wished to show the people that he had the\npower over the buffalo.\n\nAfter the third surround they had a great deal of meat, and he called\nthe chiefs together and said, \"Now, my chiefs, are you satisfied?\"\nThey said, \"Yes, we are satisfied, and we are thankful to you for\ntaking pity on us and helping us. It is through your power that the\ntribe has been saved from starving to death.\" He said, \"You are to\nmake one more surround, and that will be the end. I want you to get\nall you can. Kill as many as possible, for this will be the last of\nthe buffalo this winter. Those presents that you have made to me, and\nthat I did not wish to take, I give them back to you.\" Some of the\npeople would not take back the presents, but insisted that he should\nkeep them, and at last he said he would do so.\n\nThe fourth surround was made, and the people killed many buffalo, and\nsaved the meat. The night after this last surround, he disappeared and\ndrove the buffalo back. The next morning he told the people to look\nabout, and tell him if they saw anything. They did so, but they could\nnot see any buffalo.\n\nThe next day they moved camp, and went east toward their home. They\nhad so much dried meat that they could not take it all at once, but\nhad to come back and make two trips for it. When they moved below,\ngoing east, they had no fresh meat, only dried meat; but sometimes\nwhen this man would come in from his journeys, he would bring a piece\nof meat--a little piece--and he would divide it up among the people,\nand they would put it into the kettles and boil it, and everybody\nwould eat, but they could not eat it all up. There would always be\nsome left over. This man was so wonderful that he could change even\nthe buffalo chips that you see on the prairie into meat. He would\ncover them up with his robe, and when he would take it off again, you\nwould see there pounded buffalo meat and tallow (pemmican),\n_tup-o-har\u00b4-ash_.\n\nThe man was not married; he was a young man, and by this time the\npeople thought that he was one of the greatest men in the tribe, and\nthey wanted him to marry. They went to one of the chiefs and told him\nthat they wanted him to be this man's father-in-law, for they wanted\nhim to raise children, thinking that they might do something to\nbenefit the tribe. They did not want that race to die out. The old\npeople say that it would have been good if he had had children, but he\nhad none. If he had, perhaps they would have had the same power as\ntheir father.\n\nThat person called the buffalo twice, and twice saved the tribe from a\nfamine. The second time the suffering was great, and they held a\ncouncil to ask him to help the tribe. They filled up the pipe and held\nit out to him, asking him to take pity on the tribe. He took the pipe,\nand lighted it, and smoked. He did it in the same way as the first\ntime, and they made four surrounds, and got much meat.\n\nWhen this man died, all the people mourned for him a long time. The\nChief would ride around the village and call out, \"Now I am poor in\nmind on account of the death of this man, because he took pity on us\nand saved the tribe. Now he is gone and there is no one left like\nhim.\"\n\nThis is a true and sacred story that belongs to the Kit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i\nband. It happened once long ago, and has been handed down from father\nto son in this band. The Skidi had a man who once called the buffalo,\ncausing them to return when stampeded, as was done in this story.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nNote.--Big Knife, a Skidi, who died only recently, said that the man\nwas alive in his time. _Kuru\u00b4ks-u le-shar_ (Bear Chief), a Skidi, says\nthat he knew the man. His name was Carrying Mother.\n\n  [Illustration: BABY ON BOARD.]\n\n\n\n\nPA-HU-KA\u00b4-TAWA.\n\n\nAbout the end of the winter, before the grass began to grow in the\nspring, a company of three brothers and two other men went out from\nthe village to trap beaver. When they had been gone about ten days,\nand had got up above the Forks of the Loup River, they camped on the\nSouth Fork, and in the morning sent one man ahead to see if he could\nfind any beaver sign, and could look out a good trapping ground.\n\nWhen he had gone a little distance from the camp, he saw some Sioux,\nand at the same moment they saw him. He did not run back to the camp;\nhe was too anxious to save himself; but ran across to a little creek,\nand hid in the brush, not trying to let his brothers know that the\nenemy were near. The Sioux followed him and found him, and chased him\nabout, and shot at him all day, until near sundown, when they killed\nhim.\n\nThe four other men had stopped in camp, but were not so far off but\nthat they could hear the shouts and yells, and they ran off from the\ncamp, and hid themselves and waited. When the other man did not come\nback, they knew that he had been killed.\n\nThe next morning, the four men talked together. One said, \"We had\nbetter go up and see if he is killed.\" Another said, \"Yes, let us go\nthere. It may be that we can bury him.\" So they went up where he had\nbeen, going very carefully, and looking over all the hills as they\nwent, so as to see any enemies if they were about. They found him. He\nwas dead, shot full of arrows, scalped, his whole head skinned, his\narms and legs unjointed, his head cut off; he was all cut to pieces.\nSo they thought that there was not enough of him left to bury, and\nbesides, those killed in battle are often left unburied. When they\nfound how it was, they started back to the village, and when they came\nclose to it, one of the men called out, \"_Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ is killed!\"\nHe called that out so that the people might know, and might begin to\nmourn.\n\nWhen they came into the village, the relations of this man felt very\nbadly because he was killed. It was coming on toward the time when\nthey begin to clear up their patches, to plant the corn, and to hoe,\nand his father and mother mourned, and said, \"Now we have no one to\nhelp us hoe. We are old, and he helped us; but now he is gone.\" So\nthey mourned for him.\n\nThey did not visit the place where he had been killed for some time.\nIt was now spring, and they were planting, and hoeing the corn, and\nwhen they got through their work, the whole tribe started out on the\nsummer hunt to get buffalo, as they used to do. They started up the\nLoup, and when they had traveled along a number of days, they came\nnear the place where the man had been killed. When they got there, the\nmen who had been with him said, \"This is the place where\n_Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ was killed,\" and his father and mother and all his\nrelations went over to the place where he had lain, to gather his\nbones together and then to bury them. When they got to the place, they\ncould find no bones at all, but the arrows were there, sticking\nstraight up in the ground; all the arrows that had been shot into the\nbody. They wondered that they had not fallen down, for they thought\nthat the wolves might have dragged the body, but when they looked\neverywhere about for the bones, they could find no sign of them\nanywhere. It seemed strange to them that the arrows should be there\nstanding up in the ground, and they wondered what had become of the\nbones. At length they gave up looking for them, and went back to the\ncamp. When they could not find the bones, they went on and hunted\nbuffalo, and killed plenty, and made dried meat. After two months they\nstarted back to the village, going down the Platte River. His mother\nhad cried so much for _Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_, that she had become blind.\n\nOne pleasant afternoon they were camped on the Platte. The evening was\nwarm and soft and still. As the sun went down toward the earth, long\nshining rays seemed to come down from it to the ground. All through\nthe air was a light smoke, and in the west the sky was red. Just as\nthe sun was setting, the people all heard a voice calling from the\nother side of the river. They listened; and the voice said,\n\"_Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ is coming back to you.\" Then all the Indians jumped\nup, and ran across the river to meet him, for they thought perhaps he\nwas coming back. When they had got to the other side, they looked\nabout, but could see no one. Then they heard a voice from behind\nthem, on the other side of the camp, which said, \"He is coming from\nhere.\" They all turned round and ran back to the other side of the\ncamp; but no one was there; and in a little while they heard the voice\nagain, on the other side of the river, saying, \"He is coming.\" Then\nthey knew it was only a voice and not a person. They stopped running\nabout, and that night they talked about the voice. The next day they\nwent on down the river, and at length got back to the main village.\nThere they stayed six months, and by this time their dried meat was\nall eaten, and it was toward spring.\n\nThe mother of _Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ had her bed near the door of the lodge\non the left hand side, the last bed next to the door. One night, at\nmidnight, he came into the lodge, and touched his mother and said,\n\"Mother! mother!\" His mother used to dream of him almost every night,\nand she thought she was dreaming now. She said, \"Oh, my son, do not do\nthis. You are deceiving me again.\" He stopped; but presently he\ntouched her again, and pushed her shoulder, and she awoke.\n\nHe said to her, \"Mother, I am here,\" and she reached out and felt him.\n\nShe said, \"Are you really my son?\"\n\nHe answered, \"Yes, I am your son.\"\n\nThen she put her arms around him, and hugged him, and said to him,\n\"Oh, my son, my son, you have come back to me.\" She cried, she was so\nglad.\n\nThen they talked together. He gave her a piece of meat--a piece of\nfresh buffalo meat--though they had had no fresh meat in the village\nfor six months. He said to his mother, \"I am really alive, though I\nwas killed. The _Nahu\u00b4rac_ (animals) took pity on me, and have made me\nalive again. And now I am going off; but do not cry about me any\nmore.\" Then he went away.\n\nThe next morning, when his mother awoke, she found by her side the\npiece of fresh meat, and she began to cook it on the coals. The people\nwondered where she got the fresh meat, and asked her about it, but she\nwould not tell them where she got it, for her son had told her to say\nnothing. They asked her again where she got it, and she told them she\nfound it in her bed.\n\nAfter a long time her son came again in the night, and went into the\nlodge, and spoke to his mother, saying, \"Mother, I am here again.\" She\nawoke, and rejoiced that he had come back. He said to her, \"My\nmother, I know that you are poor. You are blind on account of me,\nbecause you have cried so much. Now, my mother, there is standing by\nthe side of your daughter's bed, water in a wooden bowl. After I have\nleft you to-night, go over there, and put your face down deep into the\nwater, and open your eyes in the water, and then you will see.\" Before\nhe left her he gave her some _ka\u00b4wis_.[8]\n\n  [8] Chopped buffalo meat tied up in the small intestine.\n\nAfter he had gone, she did as he had told her. She got up, and feeling\nher way along with her hands, crept into the place where her daughter\nslept. There she felt the wooden bowl with water in it, and she put\nher face deep down into the water, and opened her eyes in it, and when\nshe took her face out of the water, and opened her eyes again, she\ncould see. Then she was glad. Everybody wondered how the mother's eyes\nhad been cured, but she told no one, except only her oldest son.\n\nAfter a long time _Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ came down again to see his mother.\nHe said to her, \"Mother, I am going up to see my oldest brother.\" He\nwent to see his brother in the night. His brother was expecting him,\nfor his mother had warned him. _Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ said, \"Now, my\nbrother, I think you have heard that I come all the time to see our\nmother. I wish that you would put up your lodge outside the camp, so\nthat I can come and see you often. I want to talk to you, and tell you\nmy thoughts and all my troubles. I am a spirit.\" His brother answered\nhim that he would do as he had asked, and the first night after the\nlodge had been set up outside the camp, _Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ came down,\nand said to his brother, \"To-morrow night I want you to select the two\nbravest men in the tribe, and let them go about through the camp, and\ncall all the chiefs and all the bravest warriors in the tribe, and let\nthem gather at your home. Do not build any fire in the lodge. Let it\nall be dark, for I am coming down in the night to see them.\"\n\nWhen the next night came, the chiefs and the braves gathered at the\nlodge just about dark. They made no fire, but sat there waiting for\n_Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ to come down. After a while he came down to the\nlodge, and came in where they were sitting. When they were all silent,\nhe came in, and every step he made it seemed that sparks of fire were\nflying out from him. He went and stood before his brother, and said to\nhim, \"I am in everything; in the grass, the water, the trees. I am a\npart of all these things. I know every thought of yours, and if you\nonly whispered, I would hear it. I know everything, and about\neverything, even about the ocean which is so far off, and where the\nwater is salt.\n\n\"There are two dances that I like, in which there are songs sung about\nme.\" Then he sang these songs and told them how to dance these\ndances.[9] He said, \"Dance these dances and sing about me, calling me\nby name.\"\n\n  [9] These dances afterward were practiced in two of the secret\n  societies.\n\nThen he said, \"Brother, I want you to know that there is a tribe of\nyour enemies getting ready to go on the warpath against you. I will\nlet you know when they start, and all they do. Every move they make I\nwill tell you of. They are coming from far up the Missouri River.\"\n\nTwo or three nights later _Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ appeared to his brother,\nand said, \"They are coming. To-morrow night they will be here spying\nround the camp. Be ready for them. You must ask me to take pity on\nyou, telling me what you want to do, and I will make you strong, so\nthat you can succeed. If you want to strike two or three, ask me. If\nyou want to kill two or three, tell me. You must call me grandfather.\"\n\nThe next night they danced and asked him to take pity on them. One\nyoung man prayed, saying, \"Let me strike nine, and at the tenth let me\nbe wounded, but let me not die.\" A second young man prayed, saying, \"I\nwant to strike five and capture the biggest man in the party.\" Another\nman asked him, \"Let me strike two, and then let me be killed.\" To each\none who asked a favor of him, he said, \"Let it be so.\" They did not\nsee him, for there was no fire in the lodge. It was dark.\n\nHe said to them, \"Be ready. To-morrow morning is the time when the\nenemy will attack you. I will send a fog from the north as a warning.\nThey will come down toward the village, and you must go out on the\nplain in front of the village, and have a skirmish with them. Then\ndraw off, and look toward the point of bluff which runs down into the\nplain on the east end of the battle field. Watch that point and you\nwill see me. I will appear to you there. And this shall be a sign to\nyou that it is I whom you see. When I come up over that point and turn\naround, facing to the north, the wind will change and will come from\nthe south. And when the wind blows from the south, you make a charge\non them.\"\n\nSo it was. The next morning the enemy made an attack on them, and\ncame down toward the village. It was the very day he had said. The\nwarriors went out on the plain to meet them. They were wondering in\nwhat shape _Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ would appear to them, how he would look.\nOn that morning, before the Sioux appeared, a white fog came down from\nthe north. Then the Sioux made the attack, and the people began to\nlook for _Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_. And while they were looking toward the\nbluff, a great white wolf came up over the point, and stood looking\nfirst one way and then another, and then it turned around and faced\nthe north. And immediately the wind changed and blew from the south.\nWhen the wolf appeared, some of the braves doubted whether it was\n_Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_, but when it turned round, and the wind changed, then\nthey knew that it was he.\n\nThen they made the charge, and each one of those who had asked a favor\nreceived it. In every case what _Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ had promised came\ntrue. The man who had prayed that he might strike nine and at the\ntenth be wounded, struck nine and was wounded at the tenth, but he did\nnot die; the one who asked to strike five, and to capture the biggest\nman in the party, did so. He caught the prisoner, and overcame him,\nand put a rope around his neck, and led him into the village. And when\nhe got him to the village the women beat the captive with sticks and\nclubs, and threw dirt at him, and had lots of fun with him. The young\nman who had asked it, killed two, and then was himself killed. All\nthat _Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ had promised came to pass.\n\nThe people killed many of the Sioux, and drove them far, chasing and\nkilling them all day long. Then they came back to the village,\nbringing with them the scalps and the weapons that they had taken, the\nbows and the spears, the shields and the war bonnets. They danced in\nthe village, and sang and rejoiced. Every one was glad because the\npeople had won a great victory.\n\nThe next night after the day of the battle, _Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ came down\nto his brother's lodge, and told him that he wanted to speak to him.\nHis brother awoke all his wives, and sent them out of the lodge,\ntelling them not to come back until he called them. Then\n_Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ said to his brother, \"Now, my brother, you people\nhave seen whether what I say to you is true or not. You have seen what\nhas happened, you can judge. Now, brother, I want you to feel of me\nall over; nobody else but you to feel of me, my brother.\" His brother\npassed his hands all over his breast and arms and body and legs.\n_Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ said, \"Now put your hands on top of my head, and feel\nthere.\" He did so, and felt something soft. _Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ said, \"Do\nyou know what that is? That is the down feathers.\"\n\nThen he told the story of his being killed. He said, \"That time after\nI got killed, all kinds of _Nahu\u00b4rac_ took pity on me. The flies and\nbugs, the fishes and birds, the deer and the wolves, all the animals\ntook pity on me, and helped me to come to life again. They looked all\nover for my flesh and my bones, and brought them all together. One\npart of me, the top part of my skull, they could not find. The bugs\ncrept through the ground looking for it, the fishes swam through the\nwater and sought it, the flies buzzed about over the sand, and the\ndeer and wolves hunted for it on the prairie, but they could not find\nthis piece anywhere. Nor could they find my brains. Perhaps, when I\nwas killed, the crows eat them out. When they had gathered the pieces\nall together, they laid each piece in its own place, so that they had\nthe form of a man, and in place of the top of the skull and the brains\nthey put the down feathers. After they had put all the pieces\ntogether, they stood around me, and prayed, and passed their paws over\nme, and danced and sang, and at last I breathed a little. Then they\nprayed again, and passed their paws over me, and at length I breathed\nregularly. Then I was not dead any more; I was alive again. Not as a\nperson was I alive, but as a spirit.\n\n\"I am in every thing; in the wind, in the rain, in the grass. I go\nover the whole world. I am the wind, and I go everywhere all over the\nworld. There is no one above me but _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. He is the only one I\nam under. He is the ruler of all. Whenever any human being on this\nearth, man, woman or child, says anything about me, I hear it surely.\nYou must tell all this to every one, and say to them that if they are\nsick or unfortunate, let them pray to me, and I will heal or help\nthem.\n\n\"Now you know that I am living, but I am a spirit; and whenever you\npeople have a fight with the Sioux, if you pray to me, and call me by\nname, and ask to be brave, and to be helped, I will hear you. If you\nwish to be brave, or if you wish not to be hurt in battle, even though\nthe enemy be right upon you, and just striking or shooting at you, I\nwill protect you. I shall live forever, as long as this world exists.\nSo long as I come to you, I want you people to conquer the Sioux all\nyou can, on account of what they did to me when they killed me and cut\nme in pieces. So long as the Sioux come down to attack you, I want you\nto conquer them every time.\n\n\"Now, brother, when I come down to see you, you must not get tired of\nme. I want to come down often to see you, and talk to you, to tell you\nwhat is going to happen, and to warn you whenever the Sioux are coming\ndown to attack the Skidi. I go about everywhere, to the camps of the\ndifferent bands of Sioux, and I know what the chiefs are saying in\ncouncil; when they are talking of sending out war parties against you.\nIf I come down to you often, do not get tired of seeing me.\"\n\nHe knew himself that his brother would some time refuse to listen to\nhim, but his brother did not know it, and he said, \"I will never get\ntired of you.\"\n\nSome time after this, the Sioux came down again to attack the Skidi\nvillage. Two days before they came, _Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ came down to his\nbrother and warned him, saying, \"A big war party of Sioux will be here\nday after to-morrow to fight with you. But I am going to attend to\nthem. On the morning of the second day from this, tell all the people\nto be ready, and to have their horses tied up close to the lodges,\nwhere they can get at them. Then, if you look up in the sky, you will\nsee thick black clouds, as if you were going to have a great rain.\nWhen you begin fighting, do not be afraid of the enemy. Do not be\nafraid of them; go right up to them; they will not be able to shoot,\ntheir bowstrings will be wet, and the sinews will stretch and slip off\nthe ends of the bows. They will not be able to hurt you.\"\n\nOn the morning that he had said, the Sioux came down, and the people\nwent out to meet them. The sky above was black with clouds. When they\nbegan fighting, a heavy rain commenced to fall, but it did not rain\neverywhere, but only just where the Sioux were. The bowstrings of the\nSioux got wet, so that they could not use them, for the sinews\nstretched, so that when they bent their bows the strings slipped off\nthe ends of the bows, and there was no force to their arrows. The\nSkidi overcame the Sioux and drove them, and the Sioux ran far. The\nrain followed the Sioux, and rained over them, but nowhere else, and\nthe Sioux fled, and the Skidi won a great victory.\n\nSoon after this, _Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ came down and visited his brother,\nand said to him, \"My brother, whenever you have a feast or a council\nof old men, you must smoke to me and say, 'Father, we want you to help\nus.' Then I will hear you. At the same time you must pray to\n_Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. There is one above us who is the ruler of all. I do not\nwish to be talked about commonly or by common men, but that whenever\nyou have a feast you should call in the young men and tell them about\nme and let them hear.\" He did not want his name used irreverently, nor\nwish that the story of what he had suffered and done should be told\ncommonly or for mere amusement. It is sacred and should be told only\nat solemn times.\n\nSome time after this talk with his brother, he came down again to see\nhim. Another man was living in his brother's lodge, and on this night\nhis brother was not there, he was sleeping somewhere else.\n_Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ asked this man where his brother was. He answered,\n\"He is not here to-night, he is sleeping somewhere else.\"\n_Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ said, \"Go over and tell him that I am here, and that\nI want to see him.\" The man went and gave the message to the brother,\nwho said, \"I do not want to go. Tell him I am asleep.\" The man went\nback and told _Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ that his brother could not come. He\nsaid, \"He is asleep.\" _Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ sent him back again, to get the\nbrother. The man went, and said to the brother, \"He wants to see you\nvery much.\" The brother said, \"Tell him I can't come; I want to sleep\nto-night.\" The man returned and said, \"He does not want to come, he is\nsleeping.\" He was sent back for the brother the third time, to tell\nthe brother he must come, he was wanted. He sent word back that he\ncould not, he was too sleepy. Then _Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ said, \"Very well.\nGo back and tell him to sleep now, to sleep all he wants. I told him\nbefore that he would get tired of me at last. Let him sleep all he\nwants, I will come to him no more. I can go to some other tribe. This\nis the last time I will come. Tell him to sleep. I will trouble him no\nmore. I am going off, but tell the people not to forget me; to talk of\nme sometimes, and to pray to me, and I will help them and care for the\ntribe.\"\n\nSo _Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ went away to the Rees, and the people knew him no\nmore; after that he never came down to see them. When the people\nlearned this, they felt very badly, and were angry at his brother who\nwould not see him. There was living not long ago, among the Rees, an\nold woman, who, when she was a girl, had seen and talked to\n_Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nNote.--This is a Skidi story. The Rees have a story of what\n_Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa_ did after he had come to them. The Lower Village\ntribes have a story of a hero of this same name, which is quite\ndifferent from that of the Skidi.\n\n  [Illustration: LONE CHIEF--SKIDI.]\n\n\n\n\nTHE BOY WHO WAS SACRIFICED.\n\n\nThere was a time, far back, when some people thought that it was good\nto sacrifice to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ whatever they had that was most precious\nto them. The sacrifice of the animal, the burnt offering, has always\nbeen made by all the Pawnees; that is one of the things handed down\nfrom the ruler. It is very old. The Skidi have always performed the\nsacrifice of the captive. Each one of these is sacred and solemn, but\nit is not like giving up something that belongs to you, and that you\nlove. It is a sacrifice, but it does not cost much.\n\nMany years ago, in the Skidi village on the Loup, there lived a man,\nwho believed that if he sacrificed his son to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, it would be\na blessing to him. He thought that if he did this thing, perhaps\n_Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ would speak to him face to face, and that he could talk to\nhim just as two people would talk to one another, and that in this\nway he would learn many things that other people did not understand.\nHis child was a nice boy about ten years old, strong, growing up well,\nand the man loved him. It made him feel badly to think of killing him.\nHe meditated long about this, but the more he thought about it, the\nmore he believed that this sacrifice would please _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. There\nwere many things that he wanted to understand, and to do; and he\nthought if he gave up his son, these good things would come to him. So\nhe resolved to make the sacrifice.\n\nOne morning he started out from the village, and took the boy with\nhim. They went over to the Platte. When they got to the river, as they\nwere walking along, the man took his knife from its sheath, and caught\nthe boy by the shoulder, and stabbed him quickly, and cut him open.\nWhen the boy was dead, he threw the body into the river, and then went\nback to the village. When he got there, he went into his lodge and sat\ndown. After a time he said to his wife, \"Where is the boy?\" The woman\nsaid, \"He went out with you, when you went over to see the horses.\"\nThe man answered, \"No; I went out to where the horses are feeding, and\nlooked at them, but he did not go with me.\"\n\nThe man went out, and looked for the boy all through the village, but\nhe could not find him. At night when the boy did not come home, they\nbegan to get frightened, and for two days they hunted for the boy, and\nat last they got the old crier to call out for him from the top of the\nlodge, and ask if any one had seen him, but none of the people knew\nwhat had become of the boy. Now the mother was mourning, and the\nfather pretended to feel very badly. They could not find the boy; and\nsoon after this the tribe started on the summer hunt, and the father\nand mother went with them. The village made a good hunt, killing\nplenty of buffalo, and made much dried meat.\n\nAfter the boy had been thrown into the river, he floated down with the\ncurrent, sometimes turning over and over in the swift water, and\nsometimes grounding for a little while on a sand bar, and then being\nfloated off again, and being carried further down. At length he came\nnear to the place where the whirlpool is, under the bluff at\n_Pa-h\u00fck\u00b4_, where is the lodge of the _Nahu\u00b4rac_. There were two\nbuzzards sitting on the bluff, just above this place, and as they sat\nthere, one of them stretched out his neck and looked up the river, and\nafter he had looked, he said to the other, \"I see a body.\" Then both\nthe buzzards flew down to where the boy was floating in the water, and\ngot down under him, and raised him on their backs, and lifted him up\nout of the water, and flew up to the bluff, carrying the boy on their\nbacks, and placed him on the ground on top of the bluff over the big\ncave, which is the home of the _Nahu\u00b4rac_. In this lodge were all\nkinds of animals, and all kinds of birds. There were bears, and\nmountain lions, and buffalo, and elk, and beaver, and otter, and deer;\nall kinds of animals, great and small, and all kinds of birds.\n\nThere is a little bird, smaller than a pigeon. Its back is blue, and\nits breast white, and its head is spotted. It flies swiftly over the\nwater, and when it sees a fish, it dives down into the water to catch\nit. This bird is a servant or a messenger for the _Nahu\u00b4rac_. Such a\nbird came flying by just as the buzzards put the body on the ground,\nand he stopped and looked at it. When he saw how it was--for he knew\nall that had happened--he flew down into the lodge and told the\n_Nahu\u00b4rac_ about the boy. The bird said, \"There is a boy up here on\nthe hill. He is dead, and he is poor, and I want to have him brought\nto life again.\" Then he told the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ all the things that had\nhappened. When the messenger bird had done speaking, the _Nahu\u00b4rac_\nearnestly counselled together for a long time to decide what should be\ndone, and each one made a speech, giving his opinion about the matter,\nbut they could not make up their minds what ought to be done.\n\nThe little bird was coaxing the _Nahu\u00b4rac_, and saying, \"Come, now, we\nwant to save his life.\" But the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ could not decide. At last\nthe chief of the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ said, \"No, messenger, we cannot decide\nthis here. You will have to go to the other council lodges, and see\nwhat they say about it.\" The bird said, \"I am going,\" and flew swiftly\nout of the lodge and up the river, till he came to the _Nahu\u00b4rac_\nlodge near the Lone Tree. When he got there, he told them all about\nthe boy, and said that the council at _Pa-h\u00fck\u00b4_ could not decide what\nshould be done. The _Nahu\u00b4rac_ here talked, and at last they said, \"We\ncannot decide. The council at _Pa-h\u00fck\u00b4_ must decide.\" Then the bird\nwent to the lodge on the Loup, and the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ there said that they\ncould not decide Then he went to _Kitz-a-witz-\u00fck_, and to _Pa-h\u00fbr\u00b4_;\nand at each place the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ considered and talked about it, and\nthen said, \"We cannot decide what shall be done. The council at\n_Pa-h\u00fck\u00b4_ must decide for themselves.\"\n\nAt last, after he had visited all the council lodges of the\n_Nahu\u00b4rac_, the bird flew swiftly back to the lodge at _Pa-h\u00fck\u00b4_, and\ntold them there what the animals at the other lodges had said. In the\ncouncil of the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ at _Pa-h\u00fck\u00b4_, there were four chiefs, who\nsat there as judges to determine such matters as this, after they had\nall been talked over, and to decide what should be done. When the\nmessenger bird came back, and told the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ what the other\ncouncils had said, these judges considered for a time, and then spoke\ntogether, and at length the chief of the judges said to the bird,\n\"Now, messenger, we have concluded that we will not decide this\nquestion ourselves. You decide it, and say what shall be done.\"\n\nThe messenger was not long in deciding. He did not hesitate. He said,\n\"I want this boy brought back to life.\" Then all the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ stood\nup, and went to where the boy lay, and stood around him and prayed,\nand at last the boy breathed once, and then after a little while he\nbreathed again, and at last he came to life and sat up. He looked\nabout and saw all these animals standing around him, and he wondered.\nHe said to himself, \"Why, my father stabbed me, and killed me, and now\nhere I am among this great crowd of animals. What does this mean?\" He\nwas surprised.\n\nThe _Nahu\u00b4rac_ all went back into the lodge, and took the boy with\nthem. When all were seated in the lodge, the four judges talked to\neach other, and the chief one stood up, and said, \"Now, my people, we\nhave brought this boy back to life, but he is poor, and we must do\nsomething for him. Let us teach him all we know, and make him one of\nus.\" Then the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ all made a noise. They were glad. Then they\nbegan to sing and they danced. They taught the boy all their secrets,\nand all their ways. They taught him how to cut a man open and cure him\nagain, and how to shoot an arrow through a man and then cure him, and\nhow to cut a man's tongue out and then to put it back, and how to make\nwell a broken leg, and many other things. After they had done all\nthese things, they said to the boy, \"Now we have brought you back to\nlife, and have taught you all these things, so that you are one of us.\nNow you must stop with us one season. Your people have gone off on the\nsummer hunt. You must stay with us until the autumn. Then you can go\nback to your people.\" So the boy stayed with the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ in their\nlodge.\n\nAt length the Skidi had returned from the hunt with plenty of dried\nmeat. Soon after this, the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ said one day to the boy, \"Your\npeople have got back from the hunt. Now you can go back to the\nvillage. Go back and get a lot of nice dried meat, and bring it back\nto us here, and we will have a feast.\"\n\nThe boy went home to the village. He got there in the night, and went\nto his father's lodge, and went in. There was a little fire burning in\nthe lodge. It was nearly out, and gave only a little light, but he\nknew the place where his mother slept. He went up to her, and put out\nhis hand and touched her, and pushed her a little. She awoke, and sat\nup and looked at him, and he said, \"I've come back.\" When she saw him,\nand heard him speak, she was very much surprised, and her heart was\nglad to see her boy again. She called to his father, and he woke up.\nWhen he saw the boy he was afraid, for he thought it was a ghost. The\nboy told them nothing of what had happened, or where he had been. He\njust said, \"I have come back again.\"\n\nIn the morning all the people were surprised to hear that he had come\nback, and to see him, and they stood around looking at him, and asking\nhim questions, but he said nothing. The next day the people still\nquestioned him, and at last the boy said, \"I have been all summer with\nfriends, with people who have been good to me. I should like to take\nthem a present of some nice dried meat, so that we can have a feast.\"\nThe people said that this was good. They picked out four strong\nhorses, and loaded them with dried meat, the nicest pieces. The boy's\nfather gave some of it, and all the other people brought pieces and\nput them on the horses, until they had big loads. They sent two young\nmen with the boy, to help him load and drive the horses, and they\nstarted to go to the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ lodge at _Pa-h\u00fck\u00b4_.\n\nWhen they had come pretty near the place, the boy sent the young men\nback to the village, and he went on alone, driving the pack-horses\nbefore him. When he reached the home of the _Nahu\u00b4rac_, he unloaded\nthe horses, and turned them loose, and then went into the lodge. When\nhe went in, and when the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ saw him, they all made a hissing\nnoise. They were glad to see him. The boy brought into the lodge all\nthe dried meat, and they had a great feast. After the feast they had a\ndoctors' dance, and the boy was made a doctor, and again was taught\nall that the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ knew. After that he could do many wonderful\nthings. He could sometimes go to a man that had been dead for a day,\nand then bring him back to life.\n\nNo one ever knew what the father had done, for the boy never told any\none. He knew that he could never have learned all these wonderful\nthings unless his father had sacrificed him.\n\n  [Illustration: FLESHERS.]\n\n\n\n\nTHE SNAKE BROTHER.\n\n\nOne time, long ago, a big party of Pawnees went on the warpath down to\nthe south. They could find no enemies anywhere, and they went a long\nway south. In this party were two brothers, poor boys, and one day as\nthey were traveling along, apart from the others, in a piece of woods\nwhere it was very thick, they got lost. When they found that they were\nlost, they tried to go back to the camp, but they could not find the\nothers, and at last gave up looking for them and started to go back\nnorth to their home. They had no food with them, and were looking\nabout for something to kill, so that they might eat. As they were\ngoing along, they came upon a dead buffalo that had been killed some\ntime, and there was nothing of it left but the bones, so they took\nsome of the marrow bones, and carried them along with them, until they\nmade a camp.\n\nNot far beyond here they stopped to rest. There was a tree growing\nnear where they stopped, and as they looked up into it, they saw a\nsquirrel run up the tree. One of the brothers caught up his bow and\narrows, and the other said, \"Oh, kill him, kill him, quick.\" The boy\nshot and killed it, and they skinned it, and roasted it over the fire.\nWhile they were cooking it the elder brother said, \"I wonder if it is\ngood to eat the marrow and the squirrel together.\" The younger said,\n\"No, it is not good to do so. This is not real meat.\"[10] The elder\nthought the two kinds of food would be good together, and they\ndisputed about this for some time. The elder brother kept coaxing the\nyounger to eat the squirrel and the marrow together, but the younger\nsaid, \"Oh, brother, I do not like to do this. To me it does not seem\ngood. But if you wish to do it, why don't you?\" The elder said, \"I\nthink I will do so;\" and he did so, taking a bite of squirrel, and\nthen a bite of marrow. He said, \"It is nice, you had better take\nsome.\" But the younger brother would not. He ate only the marrow.\nAfter they had eaten they did not go on further, but slept there.\n\n  [10] Like buffalo meat, or elk or deer.\n\nAbout the middle of the night, the elder brother felt a noise in his\nfeet, and he sat up and felt of his legs and feet, and he found that\nhis feet were stuck together, and were beginning to get round, like a\nsnake, and had a rattle on the end of them, and that his legs were\nround and like the tail of a great big rattlesnake. He reached over,\nand put his hands on his brother, and shook him, and said to him, \"Get\nup. There is something the matter with me.\" The younger brother woke\nup, and felt of his brother, and found how it was; as if he was\nchanging into a snake, beginning at his feet. When he saw this he felt\nvery badly. Then the older brother began to talk to the younger, and\nto give him good advice, for he felt very sad.\n\nHe said, \"Now I am going to die, and leave my young brother here alone\non this prairie. He is so young, he will not be able to find his way\nhome, and he must die, too. Surely this has happened because I ate the\nmarrow and the squirrel together.\" While he was talking, the change\nhad moved up to his waist.\n\nAfter a little while he got more hopeful, and he said, \"Now, brother,\nI know that you will get home safely. I will protect you. I know that\nI am going to be a snake, and I shall stay right here. You see that\nhole,\" and he pointed to a hole in the bank. \"When I have changed\ninto a snake, take me in your arms, and carry me over to that hole. I\nam going to stay there forever. That will be my home, for that is the\nhouse of the snakes. When you go back home, you must tell our father\nand mother how it was, and whenever you want to go on the warpath,\ntake a big party and come down this way, and come right here, to this\nvery place, and you will see me, for I shall be here. Now, brother,\nwhen you go back home, some time after you have reached home, I want\nyou to come back all alone; come right here. You know what I told you;\ndo not be afraid of me. I believe this was to happen to me, and I\ncould not help it. After you have once come all alone, then the second\ntime you may bring some others with you, but the first time come\nalone.\" So he talked to his brother, and as he spoke the change kept\ngoing on. While it was moving up his body, until it got to his head,\nhe was still like a man in his mind, but all his body was like a great\nbig snake. Then he spoke to his brother, and said, \"Now, brother,\ncover up my head with the robe, and after a little while take it off\nagain.\" The younger brother, did as he was told, and when, after a\nwhile, he took the robe off, there he saw an immense snake's head as\nbroad as his two hands. The elder brother had completely changed into\na snake.\n\nThe young man took the snake in his arms, and carried him over to the\nhole, and put him on the ground by it. He felt very sad to go away and\nleave his brother here. Before he started, he spoke good words to the\nsnake, and said, \"Now, brother, I am going home, and I ask you to take\npity on me, and to protect me. I do not know the country I am going\nthrough, and you must take care of me. Do not forget the promises you\nhave made me.\" After he had spoken he did not wait to see the snake go\ninto the hole, but started on his journey, and went off toward his\nhome.\n\nWhen he reached the village, he told all these things to his father\nand his mother. He said to all his relations, \"Do not mourn for him.\nHe is alive and he is well. The only trouble is, that he is in the\nshape of a snake.\" After he had been home ten days, he told his mother\nto make for him five pairs of moccasins, that he was going on the\nwarpath for himself. His mother did so, and he stuffed them full of\nparched corn, and took a little sack of pounded buffalo meat on his\nback, and started back to see his brother.\n\nIt took him seven days fast traveling to get to where he left the\nsnake. When he had come near the place, he saw there the hole where he\nhad left his brother. He went up close to the hole and began to speak.\nHe said, \"Brother, I am here. I have come on the warpath, and I am\nhere to see you. You told me to come, and to come alone. I have done\nwhat you bade me, and am here. Now, brother, remember to keep your\npromises. I want to see you this afternoon.\"\n\nHe stood there a little while, and then there began in the hole a\nrattling and a rustling and scraping noise, and presently dust began\nto roll out, and then out of the hole came this great big snake, which\nwas his brother. First came out this great snake, and after him many\nother large ones came out, and crept all about, but the great snake,\nhis brother, lay just outside the hole. The boy went up to the big\nsnake and took it in his arms, and hugged it, and spoke to it, and the\nsnake put out its tongue, as if it were kissing him. Then the boy put\nit down on the ground, and all the other snakes came back, and went in\nthe hole, and after them all, last, the big snake went in the hole.\n\nThen the boy left this place, and went on a little further, and about\nsunset he came to a little creek, and here he lay down and slept. In\nthe night he dreamed of his brother, who spoke to him and said, \"Now,\nbrother, I am glad that you have come down to see me, as I told you\nto. And now I say to you, be brave. Have courage. To-morrow morning\nwhen you awake, dress yourself up as if you were going to fight. Paint\nyour face, put feathers in your head, make yourself ready to fight.\"\n\nThe next morning the boy woke up, and as the snake had told him in the\ndream, so he did. He painted his face and tied feathers in his head,\nand dressed himself up for the fight. Then he started on. Pretty soon\nhe came to a little hill, and as he looked over it, he saw people\ncoming toward him; people and many horses. He thought they were Sioux,\nand when he saw them, he went back a little, to find a place where he\ncould hide. He went back to the little creek where he had slept, and\nthere he sat down in the brush. When he had hidden himself in the\nbrush, he waited; and the people came straight toward where he had\nhidden himself, and camped just below where he was. After a little\nwhile he raised himself up and looked at them, and saw only two\npersons, and presently he saw that one of them was a woman. He\nwatched for a long time, looking about to see if there were any more,\nbut he could see only these two. Then he considered what he should do.\nWhile he was thinking, it came to him what the snake brother had said\nto him in the night, and then he knew what to do.\n\nHe crept slowly along through the brush toward their camp, and when he\ngot close to them, about twenty yards distant, he raised up his head\nand looked. He saw the woman cooking, and there were hanging on a\nlittle tree the man's bow and arrows and shield and spear, but the man\nhe could not see. He was lying down asleep somewhere near by. The boy\nwaited and watched. He was excited, and his heart was pounding against\nhis ribs. After a little while, the woman left the fire and walked\naway toward the horses. Perhaps her husband had said to her, \"The\nhorses are going off, you had better go and turn them back.\" When she\nwent toward the horses, the boy was going to run up to the man and\nkill him, but before doing so he changed his mind; for he thought, \"If\nI kill him, perhaps the woman will get on a horse, and ride away,\ndriving the other horses with her.\" So he waited until the woman had\ncome back. When she had returned to the fire, he ran up toward her,\nand she heard him coming, and ran to wake her husband; but just as she\ngot to him, the boy was by her side. He shot two arrows into the man\nand killed him and counted _coup_ on him, and captured the woman. He\ntook the whole scalp of his enemy's head.\n\nThen he took the woman and went down to where the horses were, and\nthey got on two of them, and rode back to where his brother, the\nsnake, lived, driving the horses before them. Just before they got to\nthe hole, the boy took his lariat and caught a nice spotted horse and\na mule, and tied them up to the tree, and called up the woman, and\ntied her up against the tree as tight as he could tie her. When he had\ndone this, he went up to the hole and began to talk. He said, \"Oh, my\nbrother, I see now that what you have promised me comes true. I did\nwhat you told me. Now here are these two animals and the woman; I give\nthem to you for being good to me. They are yours. I am glad for what\nyou have done for me this day.\" When he had finished saying this he\nspoke again, saying, \"Now, brother, I want to see you once more. I am\ngoing off, and I want to see you before I go.\" After a little while he\nheard again the rattling sound in the hole, and saw the dust coming\nout of it, and then his brother came out of the hole, and then\nafterward the smaller snakes; and these all went down to the tree and\nclimbed up into it. The tree was thick with them. Then the boy did as\nhe had done before. He went close to the hole, and took his brother up\nin his arms and hugged him, and the great snake thrust out his tongue,\nas if kissing him. Then the boy spoke again and said, \"Now, brother, I\nam going away, and I give you these two animals and this woman to\nkeep. They are yours.\" Then he started for his home, and after a long\ntime he arrived at the village.\n\nAfter a time, he determined to start off again on the warpath, and\nthis time he took a party with him. He had told the whole tribe what\nhad happened, and how his brother had protected and helped him; and he\nsaid to those warriors who were going with him, \"Let each one of you\ntake a present with you for my brother; some beads or eagle feathers\nor some tobacco as an offering, so that he may help you.\" They started\nsouth to go to the place where his brother lived. When they got there,\nthe young man said to the others, \"Now you must, each one of you, give\nsomething to my brother. Call him by his kin name, and ask him to help\nyou, and to make you successful; and leave the things before the\nhole.\" They did as he said, and when they had made their presents,\nthey went by. They saw nothing, for the brother did not call out the\ngreat snake.\n\nTwo or three days after they had passed the place, they found a camp\nof Sioux, and took a lot of horses and killed some of the enemy. Then\nthey went back, and when they came to the snake's home, they took a\nhorse and led it up near the hole and killed it, and gave it to him,\nand left the scalps at the mouth of the hole as presents to him. When\nthey reached the village, there was great joy and a good time. They\nhad all kinds of dances, for they were glad that the war party had\nkilled some Sioux.\n\nAfter that another war party started out, and the brother said to\nthem, \"Go straight to my brother, and make him a present, and ask him\nto give you good luck, and you will be successful.\" And it happened as\nhe had said.\n\nThe brother was always fortunate in war. He became a chief and was\nvery rich, having many horses. Ever after that time, when he took the\nlead of a war party, all the poor men would come and say, \"I want to\ngo with you.\" They knew that his brother was a snake, and would give\nhim good luck.\n\n\n\n\nO\u00b4RE-KA-RAHR.\n\n\nA long time ago, as the tribe were on their summer hunt, a man and his\nwife got to quarreling. They had a child, a boy about ten months old.\nIt was while they were traveling along, going from one camp to\nanother, that they began to quarrel. At length the wife became very\nangry, and threw the baby to the man, saying, \"You take that baby. It\nbelongs to you, for it is a man child. I am not going to nurse it for\nyou any longer.\" Then she went away.\n\nThe man took the child and carried it along with him. He felt very\nbadly, both on his own account and on account of his child. He was so\nunhappy that he almost wanted to kill himself. He was so poor-minded\nbecause it was a disgrace that he, being a man, should be obliged to\ntake care of his child until it was grown up, and he had no female\nrelatives to whom he could turn it over to be reared. So he was very\nunhappy, and determined to leave the tribe and wander off alone, far\nfrom his people.\n\nHe did so. He carried the child on his back, as a woman does. When it\ncried for its mother's milk, he had none to give it. He could only cry\nwith it. He hated to kill the child, or to leave it behind to die on\nthe prairie. He wandered off to the south. He traveled on for a time,\nuntil he came near to where the buffalo were. By this time, the child\nhad changed from a very fat baby to a very thin one, because it had\nnot been nursed. When he got to the buffalo, he killed a cow, and took\nits udder, and while it was fresh he let the child suck it, until it\nbecame sour. Then he killed another cow, and did the same thing. In\nevery way he did the best he could to nourish the child. Sometimes he\nwould get a slice of meat, and half cook it, and let the child suck\nthe juice. The child began to improve, and to get a little stronger.\nIn this way he supported it for quite a long time, and it did pretty\nwell, and at last it got used to this food, and became strong and\nwell. By this time he had gone a long way.\n\nAt length he found that the child could sit up alone. Then he began\nto give it all sorts of playthings, so that it could amuse itself.\nFirst he made for it a little bow and some arrows, and taught it how\nto use them. He made other things for the child to play with, and at\nlast it got to be contented playing alone. Then the father would leave\nthe child for a few minutes, and go off a little way, perhaps to the\ntop of a hill near by, to look off over the country, but he would look\nback at the child every few steps to see that it was all right. When\nhe would come back he would find the child safe, playing, well\ncontented. After a while he got so that he would leave it for about an\nhour, and when he came back, find it safe and contented, playing. By\nthis time the child had begun to walk. Finally the father went off\nonce for half a day, and when he came back, he found the child playing\nabout safe. It did not seem to mind much about the father being\nabsent. About this time he killed a buffalo cow, and made some dried\nmeat, and put it in a certain place, and told the child when it was\nhungry to go there and get a a piece.\n\nHe now went off and was gone a whole day, and when he came back at\nnight the child was safe. Finally he made his preparations and went\noff to stay over night, and be gone two days. He did so, and when he\ncame back, the boy was asleep. A second time he went away and was\nabsent for two days, going quite a long distance. When he came back he\nfound that the child was painted with white clay. The father thought\nthis was strange. He said to himself, \"Something must have come and\ntalked to my child, and is taking care of him while I am gone.\"\n\nWhen he came back the third time after a two days' journey, he found\nthat the child had about his neck a string of _pa\u00b4hut_.[11] The fourth\nlong journey he took lasted three days, and when he returned, he found\nhis boy still wearing this same string of beads, and with a feather\ntied in his head. Now his father knew that something was looking after\nhis child while he was away, and when he went off, he would pray for\nthe child. He would say, \"_No\u00b4-a_, whatever it is that is taking pity\non my child, also take pity on me.\"\n\n  [11] Wild currants strung like beads.\n\nThe child had now grown so large that it could talk with him, and one\nday it said, \"Father, you go away, and you be gone for four days; I\nwill be all right here. When you come back you will find me safe.\"\n\nThe man went. He started to go way down south, to be gone for four\ndays. After he had been gone two days and two nights, he saw a signal\nsmoke and went toward it. As he raised up his head and peeped over a\nhill before crossing it, he saw, far off, a lot of people and horses\ncoming toward the river which lay between him and them. He lay on the\nhill a long time, watching to see where they would camp. When they had\nmade camp, he went into a ravine, and crept down close to the camp,\nuntil he could see that it was just one lodge, and that about it were\na whole herd of horses. He waited until evening, and then went over to\nthe lodge. It was after dark when he went. The lodge was all\nsurrounded by horses; everywhere nothing but horses, there were so\nmany. He crept close to the lodge, and looked in through an opening by\nthe door, and saw lying down opposite the door a great big man, and on\neither side a woman; only three persons in all. As he looked at these\npersons, he thought he recognized one of the women. He kept looking at\nher, and at last he remembered who she was, and that she had been\ncaptured long ago from the Pawnees. Her people were still living. The\nman was a Comanche.\n\nWhile the Pawnee was watching, the man inside the lodge asked for\nsomething, and the captive woman stood up to go out of the lodge, and\nthe Pawnee stepped to one side, out of sight. The woman came out into\nthe darkness, and went out among the horses. The Pawnee stepped up\nbehind her very softly, and put his hand on her shoulder, and said to\nher in Pawnee, \"Friend, do you belong to my tribe?\" The woman started\nto scream, but he put his hand on her mouth, and said to her, \"Be\nquiet. Keep still. Do not call out.\" She answered him, \"Yes, I belong\nto your tribe.\" Then she said in a very low voice that shook, for she\nwas afraid, \"Do you belong to my tribe?\" The man said, \"Yes.\" Then he\nasked her, \"Who is that other woman that I see in the lodge?\" She\nanswered him, \"She also belongs to our tribe, and is a prisoner.\" Then\nthe man said, \"You just wait and keep still. I am going to kill that\nman.\" The woman said, \"That is good. That is good. This man is the\nbiggest man of all the Comanches. He has come first to this place, and\nall the rest of the Comanches are coming here to meet him. I am glad\nthat my people are living, and that I am going back to see them once\nmore. Do not fail to kill him. I will tell the other woman to be\nready, that our friend is here, and we will wait and watch.\"\n\nWhen the woman went into the lodge, she whispered to the other woman,\nand said, \"Be ready. A friend who belongs to our tribe is here. Take\nyour hatchet, and be prepared to help to kill our husband.\"\n\nThe two women waited, and the Pawnee made ready to shoot the Comanche\nwith his bow and arrow. The woman had said to him, \"Push aside the\ndoor a little and be ready.\" He made a little bit of an opening by the\ndoor, just big enough to let an arrow pass through, and when the time\ncame he let it go. _U\u00b4-ra-r\u00eesh!_ the arrow flew straight, and pierced\nthe Comanche through the heart. So he died, and the Pawnee counted\n_coup_ on him and took his scalp.\n\nThe women felt so glad to meet a friend that they put their arms\naround the man and patted him. They were going back home to see their\nrelations. They asked him, \"How many of you are here?\" He answered, \"I\nam alone.\" They were surprised.\n\nThey took down the lodge, and packed everything on the horses, and\ndrove off the herd, leaving the dead body of the enemy in the camp.\nAll night they traveled, and all the next day; and as they were\ngoing, he told them how it came about that he was alone. They told him\nthat there were about three hundred head of horses in the herd that\nthey had with them. When they had come pretty close to where he had\nleft the child, he told them about the boy being there all alone; and\nthe women just ran their horses to get to the boy; whichever got there\nfirst, he should be hers. When they came to the boy, they took him in\ntheir arms and petted him, and took him as their own.\n\nNow the father was no longer sad. He had recovered two captured women,\nhad killed his enemy, and had taken a lot of horses.\n\nThey went on, and traveled far, and at length, one night, they came to\nthe Pawnee tribe, and camped with them. The horses just surrounded the\nlodge, you could just see the top of it over their backs. The next\nmorning all the people wondered who these strangers could be. They\nfound out that the man and child, who were lost, had returned, and\nwith them two women, captured long ago by the Comanches. So there was\ngreat joy in the tribe. Then the man gave his relations many horses.\nIn those days the Pawnees had not many horses, and it seems that this\nman brought good luck in horses to the tribe. Ever since that time\nthey have had many horses. The mother of the child came to see it, she\nwas so glad it was alive, but she was whipped out of the lodge.\n\nThe child grew to be a man, and was wealthy. After he had grown up, he\ntold his father that ever since he could remember anything, a buck\ndeer had talked to him, and taken care of him; that it had saved them,\nand brought them good fortune. In order that the _O\u00b4re-ka-rahr_ might\nbe remembered, he established a dance, called the deer dance, which\nhas been kept up to this day.\n\nMany wonderful things happened to this same young man. Once he went on\na war party against the Cheyennes, and stole some horses from them.\nThe Cheyennes followed and overtook them, and they had a great fight.\nThe first man killed was this young man. He was very brave, and the\nCheyennes cut him up into small pieces, but that night it lightened\nand thundered and rained, and soon after the storm was over, the young\nman came walking into camp alive. He was all scarred over, where he\nhad been cut up, but he had come to life because the deer had looked\nafter him. He lived long to show the scars of the battles he had been\nthrough.\n\n\n\n\nTHE GHOST BRIDE.\n\n\nIn a place where we used to have a village, a young woman died just\nbefore the tribe started on the hunt. When she died they dressed her\nup in her finest clothes, and buried her, and soon after this the\ntribe started on the hunt.\n\nA party of young men had gone off to visit another tribe, and they did\nnot get back until after this girl had died and the tribe had left the\nvillage. Most of this party did not go back to the village, but met\nthe tribe and went with them on the hunt. Among the young men who had\nbeen away was one who had loved this girl who had died. He went back\nalone to the village. It was empty and silent, but before he reached\nit, he could see, far off, some one sitting on top of a lodge. When he\ncame near, he saw that it was the girl he loved. He did not know that\nshe had died, and he wondered to see her there alone, for the time was\ncoming when he would be her husband and she his wife. When she saw him\ncoming, she came down from the top of the lodge and went inside. When\nhe came close to her, he spoke and said, \"Why are you here alone in\nthe village?\" She answered him, \"They have gone off on the hunt. I was\nsulky with my relations, and they went off and left me behind.\" The\nman wanted her now to be his wife, but the girl said to him, \"No, not\nyet, but later we will be married.\" She said to him, \"You must not be\nafraid. To-night there will be dances here; the ghosts will dance.\"\nThis is an old custom of the Pawnees. When they danced they used to go\nfrom one lodge to another, singing, dancing and hallooing. So now,\nwhen the tribe had gone and the village was deserted, the ghosts did\nthis. He could hear them coming along the empty streets, and going\nfrom one lodge to another. They came into the lodge where he was, and\ndanced about, and whooped and sang, and sometimes they almost touched\nhim, and he came pretty near being scared.\n\nThe next day, the young man persuaded the girl to go on with him, and\nfollow the tribe, to join it on the hunt. They started to travel\ntogether, and she promised him that she would surely be his wife, but\nnot until the time came. They overtook the tribe; but before they got\nto the camp, the girl stopped. She said, \"Now we have arrived, but you\nmust go first to the village, and prepare a place for me. Where I\nsleep, let it be behind a curtain. For four days and four nights I\nmust remain behind this curtain. Do not speak of me. Do not mention my\nname to any one.\"\n\nThe young man left her there and went into the camp. When he got to\nhis lodge, he told a woman, one of his relations, to go out to a\ncertain place and bring in a woman, who was waiting there for him. His\nrelative asked him, \"Who is the woman?\" And to avoid speaking her\nname, he told who were her father and mother. His relation, in\nsurprise, said, \"It cannot be that girl, for she died some days before\nwe started on the hunt.\"\n\nWhen the woman went to look for the girl she could not find her. The\ngirl had disappeared. The young man had disobeyed her, and had told\nwho she was. She had told him that she must stay behind a curtain for\nfour days, and that no one must know who she was. Instead of doing\nwhat she had said, he told who she was, and the girl disappeared\nbecause she was a ghost. If he had obeyed the girl, she would have\nlived a second time upon earth. That same night this young man died in\nsleep.\n\nThen the people were convinced that there must be a life after this\none.\n\n  [Illustration: INTERIOR OF DIRT LODGE.]\n\n\n\n\nTHE BOY WHO SAW A-TI\u00b4-US.\n\n\nMany years ago the Pawnees started on their winter hunt. The buffalo\nwere scarce, and the people could get hardly any meat. It was very\ncold, and the snow lay deep on the ground. The tribe traveled\nsouthward, and crossed the Republican, but still found no buffalo.\nThey had eaten all the dried meat, and all the corn that they had\nbrought with them, and now they were starving. The sufferings of the\npeople were great, and the little ones began to die of hunger. Now\nthey began to eat their robes, and _parfleches_, and moccasins.\n\nThere was in the tribe a boy about sixteen years old, who was all\nalone, and was very poor. He had no relations who could take care of\nhim, and he lived with a woman whose husband had been killed by the\nSioux. She had two children, a boy and a girl; and she had a good\nheart, and was sorry for the poor boy. In this time of famine, these\npeople had scarcely anything to eat, and whenever the boy got hold of\nany food, he gave it to the woman, who divided it among them all.\n\nThe tribe kept traveling southward looking for buffalo, but they had\nto go very slowly, because they were all so weak. Still they found no\nbuffalo, and each day the young men that were sent out to look for\nthem climbed the highest hills, and came back at night, and reported\nthat they could only see the white prairie covered with snow. All this\ntime little ones were dying of hunger, and the men and women were\ngrowing weaker every day.\n\nThe poor boy suffered with the rest, and at last he became so weak\nthat he hardly could keep up with the camp, even though it moved very\nslowly. One morning he was hardly able to help the old woman pack the\nlodge, and after it had been packed, he went back to the fire, and sat\ndown beside it, and watched the camp move slowly off across the\nvalley, and up over the bluffs. He thought to himself, \"Why should I\ngo on? I can't keep up for more than a day or two longer anyhow. I may\nas well stay here and die.\" So he gathered together the ends of the\nsticks that lay by the fire, and put them on the coals, and spread his\nhands over the blaze, and rubbed them together, and got warm, and then\nlay down by the fire, and pretty soon he went to sleep.\n\nWhen he came to himself, it was about the middle of the day, and as he\nlooked toward the sky he saw two spots there between him and the sun,\nand he wondered what they were. As he looked at them they became\nlarger and larger, and at last he could see that they were birds; and\nby and by, as they came still nearer, he saw that they were two swans.\nThe swans kept coming lower and lower, and at last they alighted on\nthe ground right by the fire, and walked up to where the boy lay. He\nwas so weak he could not get up, and they came to him, one on each\nside, and stooped down, and pushed their shoulders under him, and\nraised him up and put him on their backs, and then spread their broad\nwings, and flew away upward. Then the boy went to sleep again.\n\nWhen he awoke he was lying on the ground before a very big lodge. It\nwas large and high, and on it were painted pictures of many strange\nanimals, in beautiful colors. The boy had never seen such a fine\nlodge. The air was warm here, and he felt stronger than before. He\ntried to raise himself up, and after trying once or twice he got on\nhis feet, and walked to the door of the lodge, and went in. Opposite\nthe door sat _A-ti\u00b4-us_. He was very large and very handsome, and his\nface was kind and gentle. He was dressed in beautiful clothes, and\nwore a white buffalo robe. Behind him, from the lodge poles, hung many\nstrange weapons. Around the lodge on each side sat many chiefs, and\ndoctors, and warriors. They all wore fine clothes of white buckskin,\nembroidered with beautifully colored quills. Their robes were all of\nbeaver skin, very beautiful.\n\nWhen the boy entered the lodge, _A-ti\u00b4-us_ said to him, \"_Looah,\npi-rau\u00b4, we-t\u00fcs s\u00fbks-pit_--Welcome, my son, and sit down.\" And he said\nto one of the warriors, \"Give him something to eat.\" The warrior took\ndown a beautifully painted sack of _parfleche_, and took his knife\nfrom its sheath, and cut off a piece of dried meat about as big as\none's two fingers, and a piece of fat about the same size, and gave\nthem to the boy. The boy, who was so hungry, thought that this was not\nvery much to give to one who was starving, but took it, and began to\neat. He put the fat on the lean, and cut the pieces off, and ate for\na long time. But after he had eaten for a long time, the pieces of\nmeat remained the same size; and he ate all that he wanted, and then\nput the pieces down, still the same size.\n\nAfter the boy had finished eating, _A-ti\u00b4-us_ spoke to him. He told\nhim that he had seen the sufferings of his people, and had been sorry\nfor them; and then he told the boy what to do. So he kept the boy\nthere for a little while longer, and gave him some fine new clothing\nand weapons, and then he told one of the warriors to send the boy\nback; and the warrior led him out of the lodge to where the swans were\nstanding near the entrance, and the boy got on to their backs. Then\nthe warrior put his hand on his face, and pressed his eyelids\ntogether, and the boy went to sleep. And by and by the boy awoke, and\nfound himself alone by the fire. The fire had gone out, but the ground\nwas still covered with snow, and it was very cold.\n\nNow the boy felt strong, and he stood up, and started, running along\nthe trail which the camp had taken. That night after dark he overtook\nthe camp, for they traveled very slowly, and he walked through the\nvillage till he came to the lodge where the woman was, and went in.\nShe was surprised to see him in his new clothes, and looking so well\nand strong, and told him to sit down. There was a little fire in the\nlodge, and the boy could see that the woman was cutting up something\ninto small pieces with her knife.\n\nThe boy said to her, \"What are you doing?\"\n\nShe answered, \"I am going to boil our last piece of robe. After we\nhave eaten this there will be nothing left, and we can then only die.\"\n\nThe boy said nothing, but watched her for a little while, and then\nstood up and went out of the lodge. The door had hardly fallen behind\nhim, when the woman heard a buffalo coughing, and then the breaking of\nthe crisp snow, as if a heavy weight was settling on it. In a moment\nthe boy lifted the lodge door, and came in, and sat down by the fire,\nand said to the woman, \"Go out and bring in some meat.\" The woman\nlooked at him, for she was astonished, but he said nothing, so she\nwent out, and there in the snow by the side of the lodge was a fat\nbuffalo cow. Then the woman's heart was glad. She skinned the cow, and\nbrought some of the meat into the lodge and cooked it, and they all\nate and were satisfied. The woman was good, so she sent her son to\nthe lodges of all her relations, and all her friends, and told them\nall to come next morning to her lodge to a feast, \"for,\" she said, \"I\nhave plenty of meat.\"\n\nSo the next morning all her relations and all her friends came, so\nmany that they could not all get into the lodge, but some had to stand\noutside, and they ate with her, and she cooked the meat of the cow for\nthem, and they ate until it was all gone, and they were satisfied. And\nafter they had done eating, they lighted their pipes and prayed,\nsaying, \"_A-ti\u00b4-us, we\u00b4-t\u00fcs kit-tah-we_--Father, you are the ruler.\"\n\nWhile they were smoking the poor boy called the woman's son to him,\nand pointed to a high hill near the camp, and said, \"_Looah,\ns\u00fbks-kus-sis-pah ti-rah hah-t\u00fbr_--Run hard to the top of that hill,\nand tell me what you see.\" So the boy threw off his robe, and smoothed\nback his hair, and started, and ran as hard as he could over the snow\nto the top of the hill. When he got there he shaded his eyes with his\nhand, for the sun shone bright on the snow and blinded him, and he\nlooked east, and west, and north, and south, but he could see nothing\nbut the shining white snow on the prairie. After he had looked all\nways, he ran back as hard as he could to the village. When he came to\nthe lodge, he went to the poor boy, and said to him, \"I don't see\nanything but the snow.\" The poor boy said, \"You don't look good. Go\nagain.\" So the boy started again, and ran as hard as he could to the\nhilltop, and when he got there, panting, he looked all ways, long and\ncarefully, but still he could see nothing but the snow. So he turned\nand ran back to the village, and told the poor boy again that he saw\nnothing. The boy said, \"You don't look good.\" Then he took his bow in\nhis hand, and put his quiver on his back, and drew his robe up under\nhis arm so that he could run well, and started, himself, and ran as\nhard as he could to the top of the hill, and when he got there he\nlooked off to the south, and there, as far as he could see, the plain\nwas black with buffalo struggling in the deep snow. And he turned to\nthe village, and signaled them with his robe that buffalo were in\nsight. In a few minutes all the Pawnees had seized their bows and\narrows, and were running toward him, and the women fixed the\n_travois_, and took their knives, and followed. The boy waited on the\nhilltop until the warriors came up, and then they went down to the\nbuffalo, running on the snow. The buffalo could not get away on\naccount of the deep snow, and the Pawnees made a great killing.\nPlenty of fat meat they got, enough to last them until the summer\nhunt, and plenty of warm winter robes. They did not have to move any\nfurther, but stayed right here, killing meat and drying it until they\nwere all fat and strong again.\n\nAnd the poor boy became a great doctor in the tribe, and got rich.\n\nBefore this the Pawnees had always had a woman chief, but when the\nwoman who was chief died, she named the poor boy as her successor, and\nthe people made him head chief of the tribe.\n\n  [Illustration: FIRE-STICK.]\n\n\n\n\nHOW THE DEER LOST HIS GALL.\n\n\nA long time ago, the deer and the antelope met upon the prairie. At\nthat time both of them had dew-claws, and both had galls. After they\nhad talked for a little while, each one of them began to boast about\nhow fast he could run. Each one, the deer and the antelope, claimed\nthat he could run faster than any other animal, and at length they\nbecame very angry in their dispute, and determined that they would\nhave a race.\n\nThey staked their galls on the race, and it was run on the prairie.\nThe antelope ran the faster, and won, and took the deer's gall. The\ndeer felt very badly that he had lost it, and he seemed so miserable\nthat the antelope felt sorry for him, and to cheer him up, he took off\nhis dew-claws and gave them to him.\n\nSince that time the deer has had no gall, and the antelope no\ndew-claws.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nNote.--A story somewhat similar to this is current among the Blackfeet\ntribes of the northern country. In this tale the antelope won the\ndeer's gall, as in the Pawnee story. Then the deer said, \"You have\nwon, but that race was not a fair one, for it was over the prairie\nalone. We ought to run another race in the timber to decide which is\nreally the faster.\" They agreed to run this second race, and on it\nthey bet their dew-claws. The deer ran the faster through the thick\ntimber and over the logs, and beat the antelope, and took his\ndew-claws. Since then the antelope has had no dew-claws, and the deer\nno gall.\n\n  [Illustration: BOW AND ARROWS.]\n\n\n\n\nYELLOW FOX.\n\n\nA long time ago, while the Pawnees were on their winter hunt, a young\nboy, _Kiwuk-u lah\u00b4-kahta_ (Yellow Fox), went out alone to hunt, to see\nif he could kill a deer. When he left the camp in the morning, it was\nwarm and pleasant, but in the middle of the day a great storm of wind\nand snow came up, and the flying snow hid everything, and it grew very\ncold. By and by the ground was covered with snow, and the whole look\nof the prairie was changed, and the boy became lost, and did not know\nwhere he was, nor what way to go to get to the camp. All day he\nwalked, but he saw nothing of the camp, nor of any trail and as it\nbecame colder and colder, he thought that he would surely freeze to\ndeath. He thought that he must die, and that there was no hope of his\never seeing his people again. As he was wandering along, numbed and\nstiffened by the cold, and stumbling through the deep snow, he heard\nbehind him a curious singing sound, and in time with the singing was\nthe noise made by some heavy animal, running. The sounds came nearer,\nand at last, close by the boy, ran a great big buffalo bull. And as he\nran near the boy, he sang a song, and as he sang, the sound of his\nhoofs on the ground kept time to the measure of the song. This is what\nhe sang:\n\n    _A-ti-us   ti-wa-ko  Ru-ru!  Teh-wah-hwa\u00b4-ko,_\n    My Father    says,   Go on!  He keeps saying,\n\n    _Ru-ru-hwa\u00b4-hwa\u00b4,     Wi-ruh-r\u00ea._\n     Keep going on.    It will be well.\n\nThe boy's heart became strong when he heard that the Father had sent\nthe bull, and he followed him, and the bull led him straight to the\ncamp.\n\n\n\n\n_NOTES ON THE PAWNEES._\n\n\n\n\nNOTE.\n\n\nThe notes on the origin, customs and character of the Pawnees, which\nfollow, have been gathered during twenty years' acquaintance with this\npeople. They are what they profess to be; not a history of the people,\nbut a series of notes bearing on their mode of life in the old wild\ndays, an attempt to give some clues to their habits of thought, and\nthus to indicate the character of the people. Such notes may be of use\nto some future historian who shall have the time and the inclination\nto trace out more fully the history of the Pawnees, and to tell, as it\nought to be told, the story of a people who once were great. I could\nwish that it might be my privilege to undertake this congenial task,\nbut the constantly increasing pressure of other duties forbids me to\nhope that I shall be able to do so. I feel satisfaction, however, in\nbeing able to record the observations here set down.\n\nIn the collection of this material I had for years the assistance and\nco\u00f6peration of the late Major Frank North, who always placed at my\ndisposal his great store of Pawnee lore. Luther H. North, his brother,\nhas given me a vast deal of assistance, and last spring accompanied me\nto the Pawnee reservation. Without his aid this book would never have\nbeen written. Mr. John B. Dunbar has been most kind in reading over\nthe chapter on the Pawnees, and has aided me with many suggestions,\nbesides giving me help on certain linguistic points.\n\nNothing is said in this volume about the Pawnee language--a subject\nwhich is sufficiently important to deserve a volume by itself.\n\nTo every intelligent student of North American aborigines it must be a\nmatter of keen regret that nothing is known of the language of this\npeople. That a distinct linguistic stock like the Pawnee should pass\naway unrecorded would be a serious misfortune, and the Bureau of\nEthnology of the Smithsonian Institution ought certainly to take some\nsteps to preserve a record of the Pawnee language.\n\nMajor Frank North was undoubtedly more conversant with the spoken\nPawnee tongue than any other white man has ever been. Since his death,\nthere is no one who is so familiar with the language as Mr. John B.\nDunbar, who has devoted much time to its study, and has made himself\nacquainted not only with its vocabulary, but also with its grammar.\nBorn and reared among the Pawnees, familiar with them until early\nmanhood, a frequent visitor to the tribe in later years, he is well\nfitted by interest and association to undertake the task of recording\nin permanent form the unwritten speech of this people. Add to this a\nlong training as a student of language and history and a keen logical\nmind, and we have in Mr. Dunbar the man more than all others best\nfitted to undertake this difficult but most delightful task. The\nDirector of the Bureau of Ethnology could not easily perform a greater\nservice to aboriginal linguistics than to intrust to Mr. Dunbar the\nlabor of preparing an extended work on the Pawnee language.\n\n\n\n\nTHE PAWNEES.\n\n\nI. RELATIONSHIPS.\n\nUntil within a few years the home of the Pawnees was in southern\nNebraska and northern Kansas. This group of tribes may be called the\nmain stock of the family; from them it took its name; they are its\nbest and longest known members. In the earlier accounts of this\npeople, the Pawnee Picts or Wichitas are often confounded with their\nmore northern relatives.\n\nThe Pawnees proper consisted at one time of three bands or tribes,\nfederated under a single head chief. These bands, in the order of\ntheir importance, were: The Chau-i, the Kit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i and the\nPita-hau-erat. To these three was subsequently added--after the\nnorthern migration of the tribes, and their settlement in northern\nKansas and Nebraska, but probably long anterior to the advent of the\nwhites, and by conquest--the large, powerful and intelligent allied\ntribe, known as the Skidi or Pawnee Loups. These four have always been\nknown in the writings of the earlier explorers in the West as\nrespectively the Grand, the Republican, the Tapage and the Wolf\nPawnees, and they constituted the Pawnee Nation.\n\nThe three tribes first named have always been together, and their\nPawnee names, according to Major North, denoted the relative\nsituations of the three villages. Thus Kit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i means \"on a\nhill;\" Chau-i, \"in the middle;\" Pita-hau-erat, \"down the stream,\" or\neast; and in the olden times these were the relative positions of the\ndifferent villages when the three bands were camping together. The\nKit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i village was always the westernmost of the three, the\nChau-i were next to them, and the Pita-hau-erat were furthest east.\nAfter the incorporation of the Skidi with the Pawnees, the village of\nthat tribe was always placed furthest to the west, and it was spoken\nof as the Upper Village, while the other bands were termed the Lower\nVillage Tribes.\n\n  [Illustration: GOOD CHIEF--KIT-KE-HAHK\u00b4-I.]\n\nOf the three original bands, the Chau-i has always been first in\nimportance, and the head chief has been chosen from it. The\nKit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i band in numbers, importance and intelligence appear to\nrank about with the Chau-i, while, on the other hand, the\nPita-hau-erat are regarded as less intelligent, responsible and worthy\nthan the other bands.\n\nThe Skidi are usually looked upon as more intelligent than the\nPawnees, and also as fiercer in their nature, and as making better\nsoldiers. The Skidi traditions, though such testimony, of course, is\nnot of much value, speak rather contemptuously of the prowess of the\nother bands in war, and the superiority of the Skidi is grudgingly\nacknowledged by the others. This is contrary to the view held by Mr.\nJ. B. Dunbar, who speaks of the Skidi as more intelligent than the\nother bands, but as not being so good as warriors.\n\nBesides this main group of tribes, the members of the Pawnee family,\nas given by Mr. Dunbar, are the Arickaras, known also as the\nArickarees, Ricarees or Rees, the Caddos, the Huecos or Wacos, the\nKeechies, the Tawaconies, and the Wichitas or Pawnee Picts. To these\nmay be added with some confidence the Tonkaways and the Lipans. The\nCaddos, Huecos, Keechies and Tawaconies are regarded by the Pawnees as\nclosely connected with the Wichitas. They had but one name,\n_Kiri-ku\u00b4ruks_, for all these tribes, and knew no distinction between\nthem. There is no doubt that the Arickaras were recently--perhaps\nwithin a century--either a band of the Skidi tribe, or at least allied\nto them as closely as the Chau-i have always been to the\nKit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i and the Pita-hau-erat. The relationship of the\nTonkaways and the Lipans has only recently been discovered, and has\ncome to light through the removal of the Pawnees from their home in\nNebraska to their present reservation in the Indian Territory.\n\nIn a note appended to his article on the Pawnees, published in the\n_Magazine of American History_ for November, 1880, Mr. Dunbar says, \"A\nfriend, who has had much experience with the Indians of the Southwest,\ninforms me that he is inclined to believe that the Lipans of Mexico\nare of Pawnee stock. They have, in times past, exchanged frequent\nhospitalities with the Wichitas, or Pawnee Picts, and the two\nunderstand each other's dialects readily. The name Lipans he explains\nas _li'panis_, that is, _the_ Pawnees.\" While this suggestion is very\ninteresting, so far as it goes, it scarcely furnishes sufficient\nground on which to base a genetic connection of the Lipans with the\nPawnee family. I have recently secured additional and more\nsatisfactory evidence of such a connection.\n\nIt is generally believed by the Pawnees, especially by those who are\nmost intelligent, and have had most intercourse with the southern\ntribes, that the Lipans are allied to them, and that this relationship\nis traceable through the Wichitas and the Tonkaways. The evidence\nconsists of (1) statements by the Wichitas and Tonkaways, (2) an\nalleged similarity of language and personal names, and (3) a\nsimilarity in the songs of the tribes. A Pawnee Indian, who has lived\nfor seven seasons with the Wichitas, gave me the following story which\nhe had gathered from that people. They say that long ago they did not\nknow the Tonkaways, but that when the tribes met they found that they\ncould understand each other's speech. Their languages were not the\nsame, but they were not more unlike than were the tongues spoken by\nthe Skidi and the three other Pawnee bands long ago; in other words,\nthey were dialects of the same language. After that meeting, the\nTonkaways and the Wichitas lived together for a time. But the\nTonkaways had bad ways. They would eat human flesh. When they could\nfind a Wichita boy out away from the camp, they would capture him, and\nstrangle and eat him. Sometimes they would kill a man of the\nWichitas, if they could catch him away off on the prairie. Therefore\nthe Wichitas drove the Tonkaways off south, and soon afterward moved\nup across the Arkansas River, and into southern Kansas. Since then the\nWichitas and the Tonkaways have never lived together. A Tonkaway chief\nnamed Charlie told Ralph J. Weeks, an educated Pawnee, \"I have heard\nthat my people are Pawnees, but that we separated long ago.\" I am\ninformed that the personal names of the Tonkaways are the same as\nthose of the Pawnees, and are readily comprehended by the latter.\nRalph Weeks, while in a Tonkaway lodge, heard a man call out to a\ngirl, addressing her as _Tsi-sah-ru-rah-ka\u00b4-ri-ku_, which means \"Woman\nChief's House.\" Ralph inquired about this name, and found that it was\nthe same in sound as Pawnee, and had the same meaning. The Tonkaways\nsay that some of the Pawnee words are the same as those used by their\nrelations to the south, the Lipans and others. The songs of the\nTonkaways are the same as those of the Pawnees, and the latter at once\nrecognize them. The old songs of the Lipans are the same as those of\nthe Pawnees, according to both Pawnee and Tonkaway testimony. Finally,\nthe Tonkaways and Lipans claim close relationship. They speak\ndifferent dialects of the same language.\n\nThe Pawnees, however, say that they never knew of the existence of the\nTonkaways until they came down into the Indian Territory, and, of\ncourse, never met them until after that time. Neither did they know\nthe Caddos. As the Pawnees knew nothing of the Caddos and Tonkaways,\nso the Wichitas knew nothing of the Arickaras until recently, and were\ngreatly surprised to learn that far to the north there was another\ntribe which spoke their language.\n\nThe Wichitas claim that they and the Caddos are one people. Their\nlanguages are said to differ somewhat, but only dialectically.\n\nThe southern members of the Pawnee family appear always to have lived\non excellent terms with the other wild tribes which inhabited their\ncountry. They were allies of the Kiowas, Comanches, and Cheyennes,\ntribes with which the northern Pawnees were long at war.\n\n\nII. ORIGIN AND MIGRATIONS.\n\nThe Pawnees came from the south. All the information bearing on their\norigin, which has as yet been secured, points to the conclusion that\nthe primitive home of this family was in the south.\n\nAlthough Mr. Dunbar has carefully traced out the later history of\nseveral of the members of this group, his researches carry us back\nscarcely further than the beginning of the present century, and we\nhave no actual knowledge of the origin and early history of the\nPawnees. Except the Arickaras, none of the tribes belonging to this\nfamily have ever dwelt much north of the Platte River, and in this we\nhave an indication of their southern origin. The traditions of the\ntribe confirm this suggestion, and Mr. Dunbar has given other reasons,\nderived from his study of this people, which abundantly justify us in\nregarding them as migrants from the south.\n\nThere are still current among the Pawnees two traditions as to the\nregion from which they came, but both of these are vague, and so\nlacking in detail as to be of little value except as suggestions which\nneed confirmation before being accepted as having any solid basis of\nfact. The first of these traditions, now half forgotten, is known\nonly to the very oldest men. It is to the effect that long ago they\ncame from the far southwest, where they used to live in stone houses.\nThis might point to an original home for the Pawnees in Old Mexico,\nand even suggests a possible connection with the so-called Pueblo\ntribes, who still live in houses made of stone, and entered from\nabove.\n\nSecret Pipe Chief, a very old Chau-i, the High Priest of the tribe,\ngave me the history of their wanderings in these words: \"Long ago,\" he\nsaid, \"very far back, all of one color were together, but something\nmysterious happened so that they came to speak different languages.\nThey were all together, and determined that they would separate into\ndifferent parties to go and get sinew. They could not all go in\ncompany, there were too many of them. They were so numerous that when\nthey traveled, the rocks where their lodge poles dragged were worn\ninto deep grooves. Then they were far off in the southwest, and came\nfrom beyond two ranges of mountains. When they scattered out, each\nparty became a tribe. At that time the Pawnees and the Wichitas were\ntogether. We made that journey, and went so far east that at last we\ncame to the Missouri River, and stopped there for a time. When the\nseason came round, we made out of the shoulder blade of a buffalo an\nimplement to cultivate the ground. There we made our fields.\"\n\nAnother very old man, Bear Chief, a Skidi, said, \"Long ago we were far\nin the southwest, away beyond the Rio Grande. We came north, and\nsettled near the Wichita Mountains. One summer there we planted our\ncorn. So we came from the south. After we left the Wichita Mountains,\nthat summer we came north as far as the Arkansas River, and made our\nfields, and raised corn. Afterward we went to the Mississippi River\nwhere the Missouri runs into it. My father was born while we lived on\nthe Mississippi.\" As Bear Chief must be nearly or quite eighty years\nold, it would seem likely that the Skidi, or some village of that\ntribe, may have been established on the Mississippi one hundred years\nago, but this was not a permanent location.\n\nThe second of these traditions tells of a migration from the\nsoutheast. It states that the tribe originally came from somewhere in\nthe southeast, that is from what is now Missouri or Arkansas. They\nstarted north after sinew--to hunt buffalo--and followed up the game,\nuntil they reached the northern country--the region of the Republican\nand the Platte rivers. They found this a pleasant country, abounding\nin game, and they liked it, and remained there. The Wichitas\naccompanied them part way on their journey, but turned aside when they\nhad reached southern Kansas, and went south again.\n\nAll the traditions agree that up to the time of the journey which\nbrought the Pawnees to their homes on the Solomon, Republican, Platte\nand Loup rivers, the Wichitas were considered a part of the Pawnee\ntribe. They agree also that after this separation, the two divisions\nof the tribe lost sight of each other for a very long time, and that\neach was entirely ignorant as to what had become of the other. We know\nthat for a long time they were at war, and the difference of the\ndialects spoken by these two divisions of the family shows that the\nperiod of separation was a long one.\n\nThe tradition of the migration of the Pawnees from the southwest is\nevidently much older than the one which tells of their coming from the\nsoutheast. Most of the younger men know the latter; but for the\naccount of the journey over the mountains from the southwest and\nacross the Rio Grande, it is necessary to go to the very old men. It\nis quite possible that both stories are founded on fact; and, if this\nis the case, the migration from the southeast may have taken place\nonly a few generations ago. Such a supposition would in part explain\nits general currency at the present time.\n\nIn the existing state of our knowledge of this people, we have no\nfacts to go on, nothing in the nature of evidence as to their early\nhistory, and we can only speculate as to the probabilities in regard\nto their wanderings. It may be conjectured that the Pawnees came from\nsomewhere in Old Mexico, and, either as a number of related tribes, or\nas a single tribe made up of different bands, they crossed the\nmountains and the Rio Grande in a body, and wandered eastward across\nwhat is now Texas. From this body it seems probable that the ancestors\nof the Lipans and the Tonkaways were the first to separate themselves.\nThe main tribe perhaps gradually drifted further and further to the\neast until it had crossed Texas and reached northwestern Louisiana,\nand perhaps even the neighborhood of the Mississippi River. During\nthis long journey, which must have occupied many years--perhaps many\ngenerations--we may imagine that the Huecos and possibly the Keechies\ndropped behind, and remained on the plains.\n\nHow long the Pawnees sojourned in Louisiana no one can say. They now\nfound themselves in a country, which in climate, productions, and\ntopography, differed widely from anything they had before known. Up to\nthis time, these people had always inhabited the high, dry tablelands\nof Mexico, or the almost equally arid plains of Texas, and now they\nhad come to a country having a heavy rainfall, abounding in swamps,\nand overgrown with deciduous timber. The traditions of both Skidi and\nPawnees speak of a time when they lived in a country where grows the\ncane which the white men use for fishing poles. We may imagine that\nthis forest country was a barrier to their further progress eastward,\nand that it turned their steps in a new direction.\n\nWhen the Pawnees left Louisiana, the Caddos certainly, and perhaps the\nKeechies and the Tawaconies, were left behind, and for a very long\ntime lived in and near what is now Caddo Parish, Louisiana, where they\nwere at the time of the Louisiana Purchase. Geographical names in this\nregion indicate that their residence there was a long one, and Caddo\nLake, Caddo Fork, Caddo Gap and a town named Keatchie, still bear\ntestimony of the former occupants of the soil. From there the Caddos\nmoved up to the Brazos River in Texas. They have always kept up a\nclose intimacy with the Wichitas.\n\nPerhaps it was during the sojourn of the Pawnees on the western\nborders of Louisiana and Arkansas, though it may have been much\nearlier, that the Skidi and the Arickaras, either as a single tribe,\nor as already divided into two separate bands, left the Pawnees and\nmoved north and northwest. There appears to be reason for supposing\nthat for a while this section of the tribe lived on the Red River, the\nCanadian and the Arkansas, and it is quite certain that sometimes they\nwent as far east as the banks of the Mississippi near where St. Louis\nnow is; but their permanent home, since they have been known to the\nwhites, was on the Platte and the Loup rivers in Nebraska.\n\nThe Pawnees with the Wichitas moved northwest into what is now the\nIndian Territory and southern Kansas, where they separated, the latter\nturning off to the south, and living at various times on the Canadian\nand Red rivers and near the Wichita Mountains, while the Pawnees\nproper slowly continued their march northward and westward, residing\nfor a time on the Arkansas and Solomon, the Republican and Platte\nrivers. Here they again met the Skidi.\n\nIt is impossible to conjecture when this settlement in the northern\ncountry took place, but it was certainly long ago. Mr. Dunbar has\npointed out that \"_O-k\u00fct-ut_ and _oku\u00b4-kat\u00b4_ signify strictly above and\nbelow (of a stream) respectively. Now their villages have usually been\nsituated upon the banks of the Platte, the general course of which is\nfrom west to east. Hence each of these words has acquired a new\nmeaning, _i. e._, west and east.\" In the same way _P\u00fck-t\u00efs\u00b4-tu_--toward\nthe Omahas, has come to mean north; and _Ki\u00b4ri-ku\u00b4ruks-tu_--toward the\nWichitas, to mean south. The coining of such words points to a long\nsojourn by the Pawnees in the region of the Platte. It is interesting\nto note that the Omahas have never in historic times lived north of the\nPawnees, but always east of them, though we know that long ago they did\nlive to the north.\n\nThese remarks on the movements of the Pawnees are, to be sure, very\nlargely speculative, but speculation guided by the hints gathered from\nconversations with the older men. It is a surmise as to what may have\nbeen the wanderings of these people. If it were possible to talk with\nall the different tribes of the family, something more definite might\nbe reached, but at this late day this seems hopeless. A study of the\nLipans, and an investigation of their relationships with other\nsouthwestern tribes, might furnish us clues of the utmost importance\nin tracing the origin of the Pawnee family.\n\n\nIII. THE SKIDI.\n\nRanking high among the Pawnee bands, for their intelligence, energy\nand courage, stand the Skidi. Their past history is obscure, and we\nknow little about it beyond the fact that it was different from that\nof the other bands. Although the relationship between them is\nperfectly well established, still both Pawnee and Skidi traditions\nagree that the two tribes were originally distinct, and that their\nfirst meeting took place long ago, but after the migration of the\nPawnees to the northern country. We know, too, that the Arickaras were\nclose neighbors and near relatives of the Skidi, and it is probable\nthat they constituted a band, village, or division of that tribe.\n\nIt is believed by those who should be well informed, that the\nnorthward migration of the Rees took place not more than a century\nago. One tradition of the separation runs in this way: The Skidi\nstarted out on a hunt, a part going ahead and the others following\nlater. The first party were killing buffalo, when they were attacked\nby a large war party of Sioux. These got between the two parties of\nthe Skidi, driving one of them back to the village, while the other\nretreated northward. This retreat continued until they had been driven\nsome distance up the Missouri River, where their enemies left them.\nThey remained there through the winter, and planted their corn in the\nspring, nor did they apparently for some time make any attempt to\nrejoin their tribe. After some years, however, the two bands came\ntogether on the Loup, and for a time lived together. The Rees even\nwent further south, to the neighborhood of the Wichita Mountains,\nwhere the Pawnees at that time were living, but soon afterward they\nwent north again, and rejoined the Skidi on the Loup, and lived near\nthem there, and on the Platte near Scott's Bluffs. It was not long,\nhowever, before a disagreement arose between the Rees and the Skidi,\nand the Rees again moved off north. It is probable that this quarrel\nmay have originated in the fact that the Rees wished to make war on\nthe whites, but there is some reason to believe that there was also\njealousy about the head chieftainship of the two bands.\n\nThe testimony of men still living indicates that about one hundred\nyears ago some of the Skidi lived on the Mississippi River, near the\npresent site of St. Louis, and it is said that it was only the coming\nin of the white settlers in considerable numbers that caused them to\nmove further westward. I am inclined to regard this location as only a\ntemporary one, and to believe that their real home, prior to this, had\nbeen to the west, on the Platte and Loup rivers.\n\nIt is, of course, impossible to fix, even approximately, the time when\nthe Pawnees and the Skidi came together, but it probably was soon\nafter the Pawnees had settled on the Republican in their northward\nmigration. It is said that their first meeting was friendly, and that\nthey made a treaty, and smoked together. But no peace between two such\nwarlike tribes could last very long, and there were frequent\ncollisions and disagreements. There was a sharp rivalry between the\nChau-i and the Skidi, and their disputes finally culminated in an\nunprovoked attack by the Skidi upon some Pawnees, while they were\nhunting buffalo, in which about one hundred of the latter were killed.\nThe Pawnees made ready to avenge this injury, and marshaled all their\nforces. They made a night march to the vicinity of the Skidi village,\nwhich is said to have been on the north side of the Loup, distant from\ntheir own only about twenty miles, and just at daylight sent out about\none hundred warriors, all mounted on dark colored horses, to decoy the\nSkidi from the village. These men, lying down on their horses, and\ncovering themselves with their robes, represented buffalo, and rode\nover the hill in sight of the Skidi village. The ruse was successful.\nThe Skidi at once started out to kill the buffalo, leaving their\nvillage unprotected. The disguised warriors fled, leading the Skidi\nfurther away, while the Pawnees who were in reserve rushed into the\ndefenseless village, and captured it, almost without striking a blow.\nThey took all the inhabitants back with them to their own village. The\nSkidi were forced to sue for peace; and for their breach of faith were\nheavily fined by the victorious Pawnees. They were incorporated into\nthe tribe, and since that time have lived as a part of the Pawnee\nnation. This event was probably the culminating point of a series of\npetty fights and skirmishes, which must have been annoying to the\nPawnees. This fighting went on within the memory of men now living,\nthough there are but few who are old enough to remember it.\n\nCurly Chief, who is about 65 years old, can remember a man who took part\nin these wars, and whose name was \"The-Skidi-wounded-him-in-the-leg.\"\nBear Chief, a very old and decrepit Skidi, and Secret Pipe Chief, an old\nChau-i, have both told me that they can remember one or more fights\nbetween the Skidi and the other bands.\n\nA rather interesting evidence of the feeling once existing between the\nSkidi and the other bands, and even now surviving among some of the\noldest men, is the statement by Bear Chief that the three other bands\nwere known as \"Big Shields,\" the implication being that as they hid\nthemselves behind these big shields they were not so brave as those\nwho used smaller ones. The existence of such a feeling at the present\nday indicates that the final conquest of the Skidi and their\nincorporation into the Pawnee tribe took place not very long ago.\n\nMr. Dunbar sums up the traditions of the meeting of the tribes, their\nwars and subsequent union, in the following language: \"The historic\nbasis of this may be somewhat as follows: In the migration of the\nPawnees from the south, the Skidi preceded the other bands perhaps by\nnearly a century. With them were the Arickaras. These two bands\ntogether possessed themselves of the region of the Loup. When the\nother bands arrived they were regarded as intruders, and hence arose\nopen hostilities. The result of the struggle was that the two bands\nwere forced to admit the new comers, and aid in reducing the\nsurrounding territory. Subsequently the Arickaras seem to have\nwandered, or more probably, to have been driven from the confederacy,\nand to have passed up the Missouri. Later the Skidi, in consequence of\nsome real or fancied provocation, attempted to retrieve their losses,\nbut were sorely punished, and henceforth obliged to content themselves\nwith a subordinate position in the tribe.\"\n\nIt is said that in the olden time the Skidi were very powerful. The\ntribe was made up of four bands or villages, each of which numbered\n5,000 people, or 20,000 for the whole tribe. This estimate, which is\nfounded merely on the statements of old men now living, is probably\nexcessive. There is no doubt, however, that they were a large and\npowerful tribe, while their warlike habits and fierce natures caused\nthem to be feared and hated by all their neighbors.\n\nThe four divisions of the Skidi tribe exist now only in name, and the\norigin of these names is almost forgotten. As the result of much\neffort and inquiry, I have secured the following list:\n\n    _Names of the Skidi Bands._\n\n    1. _Tuhk-pah-huks-taht_--Pumpkin vine village. This name is\n    said to have come from the fact that once, after planting\n    time, this band went off on the summer hunt, and while they\n    were away, the pumpkin vines grew so luxuriantly that they\n    climbed up over the lodges, covering and hiding them.\n\n    2. _Skidi rah\u00b4ru_--Wolves in the pools (of water). The name\n    originated in this way: Long ago one band of the Skidi were\n    camped on the Loup River. It was winter, and the buffalo came\n    to them in great numbers. They killed many and prepared great\n    quantities of dried meat. The buffalo kept coming, and at\n    length they had so much meat that they had room for no more.\n    When they could no longer store dried meat, they stopped\n    taking the flesh of the buffalo and took only the hides. The\n    buffalo continued to come and to cross the river just below\n    the camp, and the men on foot would chase the buffalo on the\n    ice, where the great animals would slip and sprawl, so that\n    the Skidi could run up close, and stab them. They would skin\n    them there and leave the carcasses on the ice. From far and\n    near great numbers of wolves gathered to feed on the\n    carcasses, and as it was toward spring, and the weather was\n    growing milder, the ice began to melt on top, and little pools\n    of water stood on it. About this time, there came to this\n    village a Skidi from another band who were half starving, for\n    they could find no buffalo at all. When the man saw that this\n    village had so much meat, he wondered at the plenty, and asked\n    how it was. They took him out from the village down to where\n    the dead buffalo lay on the ice, and pointed them out to him,\n    and he saw the wolves standing in the water and feeding on the\n    carcasses. Then they took him back to the village, gave him\n    all the dried meat he could carry, and sent him away to his\n    home, heavily loaded. When he reached his own village he told\n    the people there how those in the other camp had plenty, and\n    when they asked him where it was, he told them, and said that\n    it was _Skidi rah\u00b4ru_--where the wolves stand in the pools of\n    water.\n\n    3. _Tuh-wa-hok\u00b4-a-sha_--Village on a ridge. _Tuh_--village,\n    _wa_--the central roach on the head of a man whose hair has\n    been shaved on both sides, _hok\u00b4-a-sha_--curving over. This\n    village was on a ridge, reaching over on both sides of it.\n\n    4. _Tu-hi\u00b4ts-pi-yet_--Village on a point or peninsula.\n    _Tuh_--village, camp, or band; _hits-pi-yu_--a point.\n\nThere are yet to be seen on the Loup Fork, in Nebraska, innumerable\nremains of Skidi villages, some of which are very ancient.\n\n\nIV. NAME AND EMBLEM.\n\nIt is probable that the name Pawnee, as Mr. Dunbar has remarked, is an\nabbreviated form of the word _pa-ri\u00b4-ki_, which means a horn, and\nreferred to the peculiar erect scalp lock which may once have been\nworn by this tribe. As Mr. Dunbar says, the name probably once\nembraced the Pawnee Picts or Wichitas, among whom this fashion of\nwearing the hair seems to have persisted long after it had been\nabandoned by the Pawnees. The same writer gives the name Arickara as\nfrom \"_\u00fcr\u00b4-ik-i_, a horn; with a verbal or plural suffix, being thus\nsimply a later and exact equivalent of _Pa\u00b4-ni_ itself.\"\n\nThe name Pawnee Picts, so commonly applied to the Wichitas, appears to\nmean Pawnee Picked, or tattooed Pawnees; and refers to the markings\nupon the faces and breasts of these people, which are picked in with\na sharp instrument. The northern Indians speak of the Pawnees as\n_Pa-na\u00b4-na_, while the southern tribes call them _Pi-ta\u00b4-da_, and the\nDakotas call the Arickaras _Pa-da\u00b4-ni_. All these appear to be merely\nattempts to reproduce the name by which the Pawnees call themselves,\n_Pa\u00b4-ni_.\n\nThe English names of the four bands of the Pawnees are, as has been\nalready stated, for the Skidi, the Wolf; for the Chau-i, the Grand;\nfor the Kit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i, the Republican, and for the Pita-hau-erat, the\nTapaje, Pawnees.\n\nAn old French trader, who has known these people for many years,\nstates that the Skidi are called Wolf Pawnees from the river Loup, on\nwhich they lived; that Grand is an abbreviation for _Grand-pas_,\nbecause the Chau-i were mostly tall men and took long steps; that the\nKit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i were called Republican from the river of that name, and\nthe Pita-hau-erat _Tapaje_ (Fr. noisy), because they are noisy and\nrestless, and are continually moving about from place to place. This\nexplanation of these English names is not altogether satisfactory. Mr.\nDunbar informs me that he believes that the Chau-i were called Grand\nfrom the appellation given them by the Spaniards, who called them\n_Los Grandes_, referring to their physical stature.\n\nIn the chapter on the Skidi the names of the four bands of that tribe\nhave been given, and their origin and derivation. The other tribes\nwere divided into bands, or gentes, but these divisions have almost\nbeen forgotten. Of the Chau-i there is now said to be only one band;\nof the Kit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i three; the Great Kit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i, Little\nKit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i, and Blackhead Kit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i; while of the\nPita-hau-erat there were two bands, the Pita-hau-erat proper and the\nKa-wa-ra\u00b4-kish. This last-named division appears to have had some\ncustoms peculiar to itself, and quite different from anything known to\nthe other Pawnees.\n\nThe Pawnees call the Wichitas and the other related southern tribes\n_Kiri-kur\u00b4uks_--Bear's-eyes. The reason for this appellation is\nobscure. The only explanation of it that I have been able to obtain,\nis that when the Pawnees first saw the Wichitas they thought they had\neyes like a bear. As Mr. Dunbar has suggested to me, the allusion may\nhave been to the ring sometimes painted or tattooed about the eyes of\nthe Wichitas.\n\nIt is generally supposed that an Indian receives his personal name\nfrom some peculiarly memorable act that he has performed, or from\nsome incident that has happened to him. This is not now commonly the\ncase in the tribes with which I am best acquainted. Personal names\nformerly originated in this way among the Indians, but at the present\nday I question much if they are often given for such reasons. Most of\nthe names borne by the warriors have been long known in the tribe, and\nI believe the coining of new names to fit a special set of\ncircumstances to be now quite unusual. Children were named soon after\nthey were born, and retained their childish names until well grown.\n_Ta\u00b4-ka_--white, was a common boy's name, as was _Ka-tit_--black;\n_Ki-ri\u00b4ki_--bright eyes, was often given to little girls. Nicknames\nreferring to personal peculiarities were common.\n\nHere is a list which will give some notion of the general character of\nthe Pawnee names: Lucky Hawk, Good Fox, Turn-your-robe-hair-out, Chief\nof Men, Pipe Chief, Lone Chief, Leader, Brave Chief, Leading Fox,\nStill Hawk, Hunting Chief, Yellow Fox, Charging-the-camp, Angry Chief,\nLittle Warrior, Good Bear, Eagle Chief, Sun Chief, White Horse,\nHe-gives-away-many-horses-and-others-ride-them, Riding-up, Good Sky,\nWalking Bear, Proud Eagle, Seven Stars, Sitting Bull, Big Mountain,\nFancy Horse, Fox Chief, Good Sun, Curly Hair, Blue Hawk, Mad Wolf,\nWhite Elk, Young Hawk, War Chief, Good Chief, Curly Chief, Sitting\nEagle, Running Eagle, Mad Bear, Walking Sun, See-the-eagle-flying,\netc.\n\nMr. Dunbar states that \"the tribal mark of the Pawnees in their\npictographic or historic painting was the scalp lock dressed to stand\nnearly erect, or curving slightly backward something like a horn.\" I\nhave never met a Pawnee who knew of this manner of dressing the hair\nin his own tribe, but all unite in stating that the Wichitas used to\nwear the lock in this manner. If this is the case, no doubt in ancient\ntimes it was common to the Pawnees as well, but with them it has\nbecome obsolete, and is now forgotten.\n\nIn books the sign for \"Pawnee\" is sometimes given as the forefinger of\nthe right hand held at the back of the crown of the head, and pointing\nupward to represent this erect scalp lock, but I conceive that this\nsign is really that of the Pawnee Picts or Wichitas, who have been so\nconstantly confused with the true or northern Pawnees.\n\n  [Illustration: SIGN FOR PAWNEE.]\n\nThe only sign for \"Pawnee\" that I have ever seen employed among\nIndians in the West is that for \"wolf,\" which is the name under which\nthe Pawnees are, or at least were formerly, known to most other\ntribes. This sign is made in two ways, (1) by holding the two hands,\npalm forward, the first and middle fingers extended close together\nupward and a little forward, thumb and other fingers closed, close to\nthe head, about opposite the temple; (2) the right hand alone may be\nheld palm forward at the height of, and just in front of, the\nshoulder, the first and middle fingers extended, separated and\npointing upward, the thumb and others closed; the hand is then moved\nforward and downward from the wrist, so that the extended fingers\npoint almost to the front. Both these signs represent the pricked ears\nof a wolf, and, so far as my experience goes, are universally\nunderstood to mean \"Pawnee.\" The one last described is now much the\nmore common of the two. The first of these signs is shown in the\nfrontispiece, which is copied from an engraving in the First Annual\nReport of the Bureau of Ethnology.\n\nThe Pawnees have always been called by their neighbors to the south\n\"Wolves.\" It has been suggested that this term was applied to them by\ntheir enemies in contempt, but there seems no reason for believing\nthis to have been the case, since it may be doubted that an Indian\nfeels contempt for a wolf any more than he does for a fox, a rabbit,\nor an elk.\n\nAn Indian going into an enemy's country is often called a wolf, and\nthe sign for \"a scout\" is made up of the signs \"wolf\" and \"look.\" The\nPawnees were most adroit scouts, warriors and stealers of horses; and\nit seems perfectly natural that they should have received from the\nneighboring tribes, who had such frequent evidences of their skill as\nscouts and horse takers, the appellation Wolf. The Pawnees themselves\nbelieve that the term was applied to them because of their great\nendurance, as well as of their skill in imitating wolves so as to\nescape detection by the enemy either by day or night. The Cheyennes,\nWichitas and Comanches all testify that they call the Pawnees Wolves\nbecause they prowl like wolves; because, too, they have the endurance\nof wolves, and can travel all day, and dance all night, and can make\nlong journeys, living on the carcasses they find on their way, or on\nno food at all.\n\nThe Pawnees, when they went on the warpath, were always prepared to\nsimulate wolves. This was one of their regular practices, and this no\ndoubt was one reason for their remarkable success in taking horses,\nfor it enabled them to escape observation and to reconnoitre at close\nquarters without danger of discovery. Wolves on the prairie were too\ncommon to excite remark, and at night they would approach close to the\nIndian camps, and often venture into them. The Pawnee who was\ndisguised as a wolf could trot up close to the village of his enemy,\nsee where the horses were tied, and perhaps even hear what was being\nsaid, and lay his plans accordingly. The Pawnee starting off on the\nwarpath usually carried a robe made of wolf skins, or in later times a\nwhite blanket or a white sheet; and, at night, wrapping himself in\nthis, and getting down on his hands and knees, he walked or trotted\nhere and there like a wolf, having thus transformed himself into a\ncommon object of the landscape. This disguise was employed by day as\nwell. To escape observation when traveling in daylight, the Pawnee war\nparty always chose the ravines and lower ground to march in.\nSometimes, especially in a country where there was danger of coming\nunexpectedly on the enemy, it was important that a reconnoissance\nshould be made from some commanding point. A man walking up to the top\nof a hill might be seen, and recognized as a suspicious object, a long\nway off, but no one would look a second time at a wolf. While the\nparty remained hidden in some ravine or hollow, therefore, the man who\nwas to ascend the hill would put his white robe over him and gallop to\nthe top on all fours, and would sit there on his haunches looking all\nover the country, and any one at a distance who saw him, would take\nhim for a wolf. It was acknowledged on all hands that the Pawnees\ncould imitate wolves best. In one of the stories already given, an\ninstance is mentioned in which two Pawnees in the United States\nservice made use of this device to recover captured animals.\n\nThe name \"Wolf,\" as given to the Pawnees, is probably merely a\ntranslation of the word _Skiri\u00b4ki_, meaning wolf, from which the name\nof the Skidi band may be supposed to be derived. Mr. Dunbar says: \"The\nemblem probably originated from the Skidi band. They being in advance\nof the other bands in the northern migration, became known to the\ntribes about them as wolves; and as the other bands arrived the sign\nwas naturally made to include them also, and in this enlarged use was\nat length accepted by the Pawnees themselves.\"\n\n  [Illustration: BUFFALO HORN LADLE AND SPOON.]\n\n\n\n\nPAWNEE CUSTOMS.\n\n\nI. EARLY DAYS.\n\nPawnee history goes back to a time when the tribe knew nothing of\nhorses. In those early days they went on foot, and depended for animal\nfood on their bows and arrows. At that time their bows did not differ\nfrom those recently in use, but the heads of their arrows were made of\nstone, and their knives were of flint. With this simple equipment they\nset out on the hunt.\n\nChoosing a still day, they would surround a small bunch of buffalo,\nstretching out in a long line whose extremities would gradually draw\ntogether, as the hunters, perhaps disguised as wolves, stole from hill\nto hill, around the unconscious prey. When the circle was complete,\nsome one man would shout and startle the buffalo, and then as they\nturned to run, another man would show himself before them, and call\nout, and turn them, and whichever way they ran, some one would appear\nbefore them, and turn them back. The buffalo, becoming each moment\nmore frightened, would run now this way, now that, and gradually the\nPawnees would close in on them, but would still keep the buffalo from\nbreaking through the line by yelling, and by tossing their robes in\nthe air. As the prey became more and more terror-stricken and\nconfused, they would run here and there, and round and round within\nthe ring of men; and as they grew more tired, the men would close in\non them still more, and first one, and then another, would shoot an\narrow, until at last the arrows were flying fast, and some of the\ngreat beasts were down, and others were staggering along with the\nblood pouring from their mouths; and soon the buffalo were so worn out\nthat they could run no longer, and it was an easy matter for the\nIndians to dispatch them. Even those which were only slightly wounded\nwere secured, for it is said that when the animals were hit by the\narrows, even if it were only in the leg, they would soon swell up and\ndie. This statement refers to a belief, which I find quite widespread\namong plains Indians, that the ancient stone arrow heads were\npeculiarly deadly, and possessed this property, that even a slight\ntouch with them made a wound which was likely to be fatal. The\nBlackfeet Indians have often told me the same thing about the stone\narrow heads which they used in early times.\n\nGame, which inhabited the underbrush or the forest, was captured by a\nmethod similar to that employed to secure the buffalo. If the Pawnees\ndiscovered that deer or elk were in a piece of timber, they would\nsurround it, and then alarm the game, and keep them from breaking\nthrough the line of men. The animals, frightened and confused, would\nrun round and round in a circle until exhausted, when the Pawnees\nwould close in, and kill them with their arrows.\n\nIt must be remembered in this connection, that in those days game\nanimals were enormously abundant and comparatively tame, and also,\nthat the Pawnees, from the necessities of their lives, were\ntremendously active, very swift runners, and as tireless as the wolves\nfrom which they took their name. Their endurance was something\nastonishing. In their long journeys on the warpath they often\ntraversed on foot six or eight hundred miles of country, carrying,\nduring a part of the time, very heavy loads. Instances are not\nuncommon where runners have traveled one hundred miles in twenty-four\nhours. I myself know of a case where two men ran over seventy miles in\neleven hours. We may imagine that in the old days when the Pawnees\nmade all their journeys on foot, and were thus constantly exercising,\ntheir speed and activity were greater, and their powers of endurance\nstill more remarkable.\n\nAlthough their ancient arrows were usually headed with flint, they\nsometimes used bone or the sharpened tine of a deer's horn. No one now\nalive can remember when these were in common use, but there are men\nwho have heard their fathers and their grandfathers tell of them, and\nwho say that these arrows were good for war and for the chase. \"You\ncould drive them through a thick shield,\" said Bear Chief. As soon as\nthey began to trade with the whites, arrow heads of sheet-iron came\ninto use. They say that, so long as the Pawnees used flint for making\narrow heads, they used to find plenty of these stones lying on the\nprairie, but that when the whites brought them iron, _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ said\nto himself, \"The Pawnees no longer need these flint stones; I will\nmake no more of them.\" This shows an odd confusion of ideas, for, of\ncourse, the reason that they did not find the stones was that they no\nlonger looked for them, their use having been abandoned.\n\nAlthough these stone arrow heads must have passed out of general use\ntoward the end of the last century, yet some of them were preserved\nmuch later, and it is possible that there may even now be some among\nthe Pawnees, hidden away in the sacred bundles. After they ceased to\nbe used for general purposes, they took on a sacred character and were\nemployed to slay the sacrifices; among the Skidi to kill the captive,\nand in the Lower Village tribes the buffalo and deer, for sacrifice.\nThere was a time when it was deemed essential that the animals to be\nsacrificed to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, should be killed by one of these\nancient--and so sacred--arrows.\n\nIn the early days the Pawnees did not depend for food wholly--perhaps\nnot even largely--on the flesh of the animals which they killed by\nhunting. They have always been an agricultural people, cultivating the\nground, and raising corn, beans, pumpkins, and squashes. They also dug\nup many edible roots, and collected and dried various berries and\nother fruits. Besides this, they captured birds and smaller mammals by\nmeans of snares and traps. It is said that before they obtained\nhorses, they killed but few buffalo, only enough to provide\nthemselves with clothing and with sinew for sewing, backing bows, and\nother uses.\n\nThe Pawnees aver that they have cultivated the corn as far back as\nthey can remember. They say also that this is their corn, that it is\nnot the corn of the whites, but is different from it--which is\ntrue--and that they did not get it from the whites. It is their own.\nOn this they insist strenuously. I have found it impossible to obtain\nany clue as to where the corn came from or how they obtained it. To\nall inquiries on this point, they reply that it must have been \"handed\ndown from above;\" that it was given them by \"the Ruler.\" Various\nstories are told about it, but none of them are very pointed or\nsatisfactory.\n\nThey call the corn _a-ti\u00b4ra_, \"mother.\" It has a sacred character, and\nplays an important part in many of their religious ceremonies. This\nname which they give it, the mother corn, no doubt refers to the fact\nthat it nourishes and supports them; that by it they are made strong.\nI have also heard it said that it is called mother because it produces\nothers; it has young ones like a woman; \"you put it in the ground and\nit brings forth others.\"\n\nThe Pawnees cultivated their fields with hoes made from the shoulder\nblade of the buffalo. Taking the ligament from the back of a buffalo's\nneck, they lashed a stick firmly to the articulation of the shoulder\nblade, nearly at right angles to the plane of the bone and to its\nlength. Then, dipping the joint into hot water, the ligament would\nshrink, and bind the bone and the handle together as firmly as iron.\n\nYears ago, on the sites of abandoned Pawnee villages, on the Loup Fork\nand on the Platte, fragments of pottery used to be found among the\nd\u00e9bris of the fallen lodges. The manufacture of this pottery was no\ndoubt abandoned long ago, and has probably not been practiced to any\nconsiderable extent since they met the whites. A man about fifty years\nof age stated to me that he had never seen these pots in use, but that\nhis grandmother had told him that in her days they made and used them.\nHe said that they were accustomed to smooth off the end of a tree for\na mould. A hot fire was then built, in which stones were roasted,\nwhich were afterward pounded into fine powder or sand. This pounded\nstone they mixed with fine clay, and when the material was of the\nproper consistency, they smeared it over the rounded mould, which was\nperhaps first well greased with buffalo tallow. After the clay had\nbeen made of even thickness throughout, and smooth on the outside,\nthey took a small, sharp stone, and made marks on the outside to\nornament it. When the material was sufficiently dry, they lifted it\nfrom the mould and burned it in the fire, and while it was baking,\n\"put corn in the pot and stirred it about, and this made it hard as\niron.\" This may mean that it gave the pot a glaze on the inside. In\nthese pots they boiled food of all kinds. Mr. Dunbar informs me that\nthese pots were also made in later times within a frame-work of willow\ntwigs. The clay, made very stiff, was smeared on this frame, the\ninside being repeatedly smoothed with the moistened hand, and but\nlittle attention being given to the appearance of the outside. After\nthey had been sun-dried, such pots were baked without removing the\nframe, which burned away in the fire, leaving the marks of the twigs\nvisible on the outside of the pot.\n\nCorn was, and is still, crushed in wooden mortars, hollowed out by\nfire, and the pestle is also of wood, about four feet long, with an\nenlargement at the upper end to give added weight.\n\nDishes and bowls were made of wood, or of large gourds; spoons and\nladles were fashioned from the horns of the buffalo; mats were woven\nof rushes, ropes of buffalo hair, and lariats of rawhide.\n\nFire in the early days was obtained by means of fire sticks, the point\nof one being twirled on a hollow in the other, until the charred dust\nat first smoked and then ignited. It is said that sometimes it would\ntake four men to make a fire, one relieving another as they grew\ntired. It was hard, slow work, but sometimes one man, if he was stout,\ncould make a fire alone. The use of fire sticks on war parties has\ncontinued till within a short time, perhaps within twenty years.\n\nAs their clothing was manufactured wholly from skins, sewing occupied\na considerable part of the time of the women. This was done by means\nof a bone needle--often the metacarpal or metatarsal bone supporting\nthe accessory hooflets on the deer--and a thread twisted of sinews.\nSuch sewing was extremely durable.\n\nThe other implements and utensils of the Pawnees did not differ\nmaterially from those of other plains Indians.\n\nIt is a long time since they first began to use articles and\nimplements manufactured by the whites. Curly Chief related to me the\nstory of what was perhaps the first official visits from the whites\never received by the Pawnees. He said:\n\n\"I heard that long ago there was a time when there were no people in\nthis country except Indians. After that the people began to hear of\nmen that had white skins; they had been seen far to the east. Before I\nwas born they came out to our country and visited us. The man who came\nwas from the Government. He wanted to make a treaty with us, and to\ngive us presents, blankets and guns, and flint and steel, and knives.\n\n\"The Head Chief told him that we needed none of these things. He said,\n'We have our buffalo and our corn. These things the Ruler gave to us,\nand they are all that we need. See this robe. This keeps me warm in\nwinter. I need no blanket.'\n\n\"The white men had with them some cattle, and the Pawnee Chief said,\n'Lead out a heifer here on the prairie.' They led her out, and the\nChief, stepping up to her, shot her through behind the shoulder with\nhis arrow, and she fell down and died. Then the Chief said, 'Will not\nmy arrow kill? I do not need your guns.' Then he took his stone knife\nand skinned the heifer, and cut off a piece of fat meat. When he had\ndone this he said, 'Why should I take your knives? The Ruler has\ngiven me something to cut with.'\n\n\"Then taking the fire sticks, he kindled a fire to roast the meat, and\nwhile it was cooking, he spoke again and said, 'You see, my brother,\nthat the Ruler has given us all that we need; the buffalo for food and\nclothing; the corn to eat with our dried meat; bows, arrows, knives\nand hoes; all the implements which we need for killing meat, or for\ncultivating the ground. Now go back to the country from whence you\ncame. We do not want your presents, and we do not want you to come\ninto our country.'\n\n\"Afterward, however, a treaty was made. The first treaties were not to\npurchase land. The Government made presents, and bought the right to\npass through the country. Roads were made up the Republican, the\nPlatte and the Solomon rivers.\"\n\n\nII. EVERY-DAY LIFE.\n\nIn these hasty remarks upon the ways of the Pawnees, which are in fact\nno more than a series of rough notes supplementary to Mr. Dunbar's\nfuller history of this people, I shall not attempt to give any\ngeneral account of their habits. These can be learned by reference to\nthe papers, so often quoted. My object is to give a picture of the\nPawnee ways of thought rather than of their material life.\n\nTheir government was semi-republican. They were ruled by a head chief,\nin later times always the head chief of the Chau-i band; and this\ntitle was hereditary, but the chief, if he had not the requisite\nstrength of character, might lose all his influence, and his position\nbe practically, though not in name, held by a sub-chief or even\nwarrior of his own or another band. As has been well said, \"The office\nitself was hereditary, but authority could be gained only by\nacknowledged personal accomplishments.\" Each band was ruled as to its\nown affairs by four chiefs--a head chief, second chief, third and\nfourth chiefs--but often some warrior who held no office, and bore no\ntitle, might wield more power and influence than any of these. In\nminor matters, the chief gave his orders without consultation with any\none, but more important affairs were usually discussed in council by\nchiefs, head men and warriors, and the opinion of the assemblage\nprevailed, even if it were opposed to the opinion of the chief. Among\nthe Pawnees, as elsewhere, a man's personal character determined the\nposition he should occupy and the influence he should wield. Bravery,\nwisdom, and personal popularity were the important factors in\nacquiring and retaining influence and authority.\n\nMr. Dunbar alludes to one matter which is little understood in\ngeneral; that is the existence among the Pawnees of a class of\nservants. These were for the most part young men, or boys growing up,\nwho had not yet acquired any special standing. They lived in the\nfamily of men of position and influence, from whom they received\nsupport, and for whom they performed many offices, which were almost\nmenial. The relation which they held to the head of the family was not\naltogether unlike that of a page or a squire to his knight in medi\u00e6val\ntimes. These young men drove in and saddled the horses, made the\nfires, ran errands, and carried messages for the leaders whom they\nfollowed. The same menial offices were often performed by other, older\nmen, who were too lazy and too worthless to make positions for\nthemselves, and who were willing to continue to serve for their\nsupport. This relation of servant persisted even among the Pawnee\nScouts after their enlistment, and, while among the privates in this\nbody all were of course equal in name, it was yet common, as the camp\nprepared to start in the morning, to see the younger men saddling up\nthe horses, and performing other duties for the chiefs and the proved\nwarriors, whose military standing was no higher than those who were\nserving them.\n\nThe dress of the old-time Pawnee male consisted of a breech clout,\nleggings, fringed at the side, and reaching from ankle to thigh, and\nmoccasins. Over all this, when the weather demanded it, was worn the\nbuffalo robe, the hair side being turned in. The dress of the women\nconsisted of a sort of sleeveless shirt, and a skirt of dressed\nbuffalo cow skin, reaching to below the knee, with leggings of cloth\nor buckskin, laced above the knee, and moccasins. They also wore the\nrobe or blanket. No head covering was used, though in war and on great\noccasions the men wore bonnets or chaplets of eagle feathers, and\nsometimes both men and women wove wreaths out of cottonwood or willow\ntwigs, with the green leaves left on, to shade their eyes from the\nfierce rays of the sun. The children were at first scantily clad. The\nboy, after he was released from his board, went naked, except perhaps\nfor a string of beads around his neck, until he was ten or twelve\nyears old, though usually he assumed the breech clout before that\nage. Girls were clad in a shirt or smock almost as soon as they could\nwalk.\n\nAt the present time but few of the Pawnees wear their hair cut in the\nancient fashion, but twenty years ago a large proportion of the older\nmen had the whole head shaved, except a narrow roach which ran from\nthe forehead to the back of the head. This roach, on which the hair\nwas usually left less than an inch long, was sometimes stiffened at\nthe sides with grease and paint to make it stand up well. From this\nroach the scalp lock fell back in its natural position. At the present\nday many of the men cut their hair short, like the whites. The women\nusually wore their hair in two braids, one on each side, falling\nbehind the ears, and the younger ones were careful in tending it.\n\nAll hair upon the face and on other parts of the body was usually\nplucked out, but I have seen a Pawnee with a heavy beard under his\nchin.\n\nPaint was freely used in ornamentation, especially on the face and\nbreast. Black, as is the case with most tribes, was the color for war.\nRed, white and yellow, were used merely for ornament.\n\nAs already indicated, the arms of the Pawnees were the bow and arrow,\nthe lance, the club, and the hatchet. The bow was almost invariably\nmade of the _bois d'arc_, and was backed with sinew, and had a string\nof the same material. The arrows were made with the greatest labor,\ncare and exactness, and those manufactured by each individual were so\nmarked that they could at once be distinguished from those of every\nother maker. It is well known that the arrows of each Indian tribe\ndiffered from those of every other tribe, but besides this, each man's\narrows bore his private mark. The manufacture of the bow and arrows\nwas a long, slow process, and after they had been completed they were\ncarefully guarded and protected from injury. Although the Pawnees have\nlong been accustomed to use firearms in war, yet the use of the bow\nand arrow in hunting persisted up to quite recent times, in fact up to\nthe date of the disappearance of the buffalo. A reason for this is\nreadily found in the fact that an arrow cost only time to manufacture,\nand the Indian has an abundance of time. For cartridges, or for powder\nand lead, he must pay money, or trade some of his possessions. An\narrow, too, may be used over and over again, and may thus account for\nmany head of game, whereas a cartridge can be used but once. In their\nsecret war expeditions, too, the bow was a favorite weapon, because\nit was noiseless. An enemy found at a little distance from his camp,\ncould be stealthily approached and silently shot down, without\nnecessarily alarming persons in the neighborhood, when a rifle shot,\nringing over the prairie and echoing among the bluffs, would call out\nevery warrior in the village, to learn whence it came. I have been\ntold, by warriors, that on their war parties, they left their rifles\nat home and carried only their bows, so that they might not be tempted\nby the sight of an enemy to fire a shot, which might bring themselves\nand their companions into danger.\n\nThe Pawnees were superb horsemen and owned many ponies. I can learn\nnothing definite as to when they first obtained these animals, nor\nfrom what source. A tradition exists, that up to the time of the\ntribe's advent into the northern country, their only beast of burden\nwas the dog, which then carried their packs and hauled their\n_travois_. The story goes that the Pawnees obtained their first horses\nsoon after their separation from the Wichitas. The three bands were\ntraveling north together, when the scouts who had been sent ahead to\noverlook the country, hastened back and announced to the chiefs that\nthey had discovered a camp of Indians. A council was at once held to\ndetermine whether they should attack this unknown village as enemies,\nor should approach them as friends. The majority declared for an\nattack, and it was so decided. Approaching under cover as near as\npossible, the horde of dusky footmen poured over the hills and down\ninto the valley where stood the doomed village. The attack was sudden,\nfierce, and successful. They killed and captured many of the enemy,\nand took the camp, while the survivors fled in hopeless confusion.\nAmong the plunder taken were a lot of horses; strange beasts then to\nthe rude Pawnees, and at which they wondered greatly. A captive woman\nexplained to the conquerors that these creatures were good to ride,\nand useful to pack on. Old men still tell, with a smile, of the\nludicrous first attempts of the warriors to ride the horses. This\noccurrence is said to have taken place on the Smoky Hill River, in\nwhat is now Kansas, and the Indians from whom the horses were\ncaptured, are understood to have been Cheyennes.\n\n  [Illustration: COW SKIN LODGE.]\n\nThe permanent habitations of the Pawnees were dirt or sod houses,\noften of very considerable size. The remains of the old medicine lodge\nof the Skidi, on the Loup, show it to have been two hundred and ten\nfeet in diameter. The lodges were circular in form, with walls seven\nor eight feet high, and the roof rose from these walls to the apex\nabove the center of the lodge, where was the hole for the escape of\nsmoke from the fire, which burned on the floor below. A covered\npassageway led to the entrance. Around the walls the inmates slept,\nthe beds being partitioned off, and protected in front as well, by a\ncurtain which might be a skin, or a mat woven of reeds or coarse\ngrass. The cooking was all done over the fire in the middle of the\nlodge. Possessions were stowed away behind the beds, or hung up on the\nposts which supported the roof.\n\nOn their hunts or when traveling, the Pawnees used the ordinary cow\nskin lodge of the plains Indians. This was composed of neatly dressed\nbuffalo hides, from which the hair had been removed, set up over a\nframe-work, made up, usually, of sixteen long slender poles. An\nopening at the top gave exit to the smoke; and wings, projecting at\neither side of the smoke hole, and so arranged that their positions\ncould be changed by moving two additional poles on the outside of the\nlodge, served to regulate the draft, and keep the lodge free from\nsmoke. The inmates slept close to the walls, and the fire, with the\ninevitable pot hanging over it, burned in the middle. These lodges\nwere warm, and usually dry, and made good shelters. They were occupied\nfor the greater part of the year, for the Pawnees, after the spring\nplanting was fairly over, usually started at once on their summer\nhunt, from which they only returned in time to harvest their crops. At\nthe beginning of winter, when the robes were at their best, they made\nthe winter hunt, from which they did not return until toward spring.\nThe planting over, they set out again on the hunt.\n\nIn their personal intercourse with each other, and with strangers, the\nPawnees were kindly and accommodating. I have had little kindnesses\nunostentatiously done me by Pawnee men, such as I should never expect\nto receive from white persons not connected with me by ties of blood.\nIn the village, the well-to-do gave freely to those who were poor, and\nall were very hospitable. They were a light-hearted, merry race,\nkeenly alive to the ridiculous, and very fond of a joke. They were\ngreat chatterers, and had about them nothing of the supposed\ntaciturnity of the Indian. Of modesty or delicacy in conversation, as\nwe know it, they had none. Both sexes spoke freely to each other of\nmatters which are never mentioned in civilized society, and much of\ntheir conversation, as well as many of their stories, could not well\nbe printed.\n\n\nIII. A SUMMER HUNT.\n\nIt was in the month of July, 1872. The Pawnees were preparing to start\non their semi-annual buffalo hunt, and only the last religious rites\nremained to be performed before the nation should leave the village\nfor the buffalo range.\n\n\"_Eh, idadi, whoop_,\" came from without the lodge; and as I replied,\n\"_Ehya, whoop_,\" the sturdy figure of _Le-ta-kats-ta\u00b4-ka_ appeared in\nthe doorway.\n\n\"_Lau, idad, t\u00fct-t\u00fb-ta-rik ti-rah-r\u00eak_--Come, brother, they are going\nto dance,\" he said, and then he turned and went out.\n\nI rose from the pile of robes on which I had been dozing, and, after\nrolling them up, strolled out after him. The village seemed deserted,\nbut off toward the medicine lodge, which stood upon its outskirts, I\ncould see a throng of Indians; and a low murmur of voices and of\nfootsteps, the hum which always accompanies any large assemblage, was\nborne to my ears on the evening breeze. The ceremonies, which\ncomprised the consecration of the buffalo staves and the buffalo\ndance, were about to begin. The great dirt lodge was crowded. I pushed\nmy way through the throng of women and boys, who made up the outer\ncircle of spectators, and soon found myself among the men, who made\nway for me, until I reached a position from which I could see all that\nwas going on within the circle about which they stood.\n\nFor several days the priests and the doctors had been preparing for\nthis solemn religious ceremonial. They had fasted long; earnest\nprayers had been made to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, and sacrifices had been offered.\nNow the twelve buffalo skulls had been arranged on the ground in a\nhalf-circle, and near them stood the chiefs and doctors, reverently\nholding in their hands the buffalo staves and sacred bows and arrows,\nand other implements of the chase. For a little while they stood\nsilent, with bowed heads, but presently one and then another began to\nmurmur their petitions to _A-ti-us Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, the Spirit Father. At\nfirst their voices were low and mumbling, but gradually they became\nmore earnest and lifted their eyes toward heaven. It was impossible to\ndistinguish what each one said, but now and then disjointed sentences\nreached me. \"Father, you are the Ruler--We are poor--Take pity on\nus--Send us plenty of buffalo, plenty of fat cows--Father, we are your\nchildren--help the people--send us plenty of meat, so that we may be\nstrong, and our bodies may increase and our flesh grow hard--Father,\nyou see us, listen.\" As they prayed they moved their hands backward\nand forward over the implements which they held, and at length\nreverently deposited them on the ground within the line of buffalo\nskulls, and then stepped back, still continuing their prayers.\n\nIt was a touching sight to witness these men calling upon their God\nfor help. All of them had passed middle life, and some were\ngray-haired, blind and tottering; but they prayed with a fervor and\nearnestness that compelled respect. They threw their souls into their\nprayers, and as a son might entreat his earthly father for some great\ngift, so they plead with _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. Their bodies quivered with\nemotion, and great drops of sweat stood upon their brows. They were\nthoroughly sincere.\n\nAfter the last of the articles had been placed upon the ground, their\nvoices grew lower and at length died away. A moment later a drum\nsounded, and a dozen or twenty young warriors sprang into the circle\nand began the buffalo dance. This was kept up without intermission for\nthree days, and as soon as it was over, the tribe moved out of the\nvillage on the hunt.\n\nFrom the village on the Loup, we traveled southward; for in those days\nthe region between the Platte and the Smoky rivers swarmed with\nbuffalo. With the Pawnees were a few Poncas, Omahas and Otoes, so that\nthere were about four thousand Indians in the camp. It was the summer\nhunt of the tribe. Twice each year the agent permitted them to visit\nthe buffalo range. The meat which they killed and dried on these\nhunts, the corn and squashes which they grew on their farms, and the\nsmall annuities received from the Government, were all they had to\nsubsist on from season to season. Thus the occasion was one of\nimportance to the Indians. Perhaps only the older heads among them\nfully appreciated its economic interest; but for all it was a holiday\ntime; a temporary escape from confinement. Life on the reservation was\nmonotonous. There was nothing to do except to sit in the sun and\nsmoke, and tell stories of the former glories of the nation; of\nsuccessful fights with the Sioux and Cheyennes, and of horse stealing\nexpeditions, from which the heroes had returned with great herds of\nponies and much glory. Now, for a little while, they returned to the\nold free life of earlier years, when the land had been all their own,\nand they had wandered at will over the broad expanse of the rolling\nprairie. Now, for a time, it was as it had been before the cornfields\nof the white man had begun to dot their river bottoms, before the\nsound of his rifle had made wild their game, before the locomotive's\nwhistle had shrieked through the still, hot summer air. Half a year's\nprovision was now to be secured. The comfort--almost the existence--of\nthe tribe for the next six months depended on the accumulation of an\nabundant supply of dried buffalo meat, and no precaution was omitted\nto make the hunt successful. It would not do to permit each individual\nto hunt independently. Indiscriminate buffalo running by six or eight\nhundred men scattered over the prairie, each one working for himself\nalone, would result in the killing of some few buffalo, but would\nterrify and drive away all the others in the neighborhood. This matter\nwas too important to be trusted to chance. The hunting was\nsystematized.\n\nThe government of the hunt was intrusted to the Pawnee soldiers. These\nwere twenty-four warriors of mature age, not so old as to be unfitted\nfor active work, yet with the fires of early youth somewhat tempered\nby years of experience; men whose judgment and discretion could at all\ntimes be relied on. These soldiers acted under the chiefs, but the\npractical guidance of the hunt was wholly in their hands. They\ndetermined the direction and length of each day's march, and the spot\nfor camping. They selected the young men who should act as scouts, and\narranged all the details of the approach and the charge when a herd of\nbuffalo was discovered large enough to call for a general surround.\nAll the men were under their control, and amenable to their\ndiscipline. They did not hesitate to exercise their authority, nor to\nseverely punish any one who committed an act by which the success of\nthe hunt might be imperilled.\n\nThe scouts sent out by the soldiers were chosen from among the younger\nmen. They acted merely as spies, their office was to find the buffalo.\nThey moved rapidly along, far in advance of the marching column, and\nfrom the tops of the highest hills carefully scanned the country\nbefore them in search of buffalo. If a herd was discerned, they were\nnot to show themselves, nor in any way to alarm it. Having found the\ngame, their duty was to observe its movement, learn where it was\nlikely to be for the next few hours, and then to report as quickly as\npossible to the camp. The soldiers then determined what action should\nbe taken. If the news was received late in the day, and the buffalo\nwere at some distance, the camp would probably be moved as near as\npracticable to where the herd was feeding, and the chase would take\nplace in the early morning. If, on the other hand, the scouts found\nthe herd in the morning, the men would start off at once for the\nsurround, leaving the women to follow, and make camp as near as\npossible to where the dead buffalo lay.\n\nDay after day we traveled southward, crossing the Platte River, and\nthen the Republican about due south of the present flourishing town of\nKearney. South of the Platte a few scattering buffalo were found, but\nno large herds had been met with--nothing that called for a surround.\nAt length we camped one night on the Beaver, a small affluent of the\nRepublican, emptying into it from the south.\n\nWith the gray dawn of morning, the camp, as usual, is astir. By the\ntime our little party have turned out of our blankets, some of the\nIndians have already finished eating, and are catching up their\nhorses and preparing to ride off over the bluffs, leaving the squaws\nto take down the lodges, pack the ponies, and pursue the designated\nline of march. Before we are ready to \"pull out,\" most of the ponies\nhave been packed, and a long, irregular line of Indians is creeping\nacross the level valley, and beginning to wind up the face of the\nbluffs. The procession moves slowly, proceeding at a walk. Most of\nthose who remain with the column are on foot, the squaws leading the\nponies, and many of the men, wrapped in their blankets, and with only\ntheir bows and arrows on their backs, walking briskly over the\nprairie, a little to one side. These last are the poorer\nIndians--those who have but few horses. They travel on foot, letting\ntheir horses run without burdens, so that they may be fresh and\nstrong, whenever they shall be needed for running the buffalo.\n\nSide by side, at the head of the column, walk eight men who carry the\nbuffalo staves. These are slender spruce poles, like a short\nlodge-pole, wrapped with blue and red cloth, and elaborately\nornamented with bead work, and with the feathers of hawks, and of the\nwar eagle. These sticks are carried by men selected by the chiefs and\ndoctors in private council, and are religiously guarded. Upon the\ncare of these emblems, and the respect paid to them, depends, in a\ngreat measure, the success of the hunt. While borne before the moving\ncolumn, no one is permitted to cross the line of march in front of\nthem.\n\nClose behind the staff bearers follow a number of the principal men of\nthe tribe; the head chief, old _Pi\u00b4ta Le-shar_, and a dozen or fifteen\nsub-chiefs or head men, all mounted on superb horses. Behind them\ncomes the camp at large, a fantastically mingled multitude, marching\nwithout any appearance of order. Here most of the individuals are\nwomen, young girls and children, for the men who accompany the camp\nusually march singly, or by twos and threes, a little apart from the\nmob. Most of those rich enough in horses to be able to ride at all\ntimes, are scattered over the prairie for miles in every direction,\npicking up the small bands of buffalo, which have been passed by the\nscouts as not large enough to call for a general surround. The hunters\nare careful, however, not to follow too close upon the advance line,\nwhose movements they can readily observe upon the bare bluffs far\nahead of them.\n\nAt the time of which I am writing, the Pawnees had no wagons, all\ntheir possessions being transported on pack horses. The Indian pack\npony is apt to be old and sedate, requiring no special guidance nor\ncontrol. A strip of rawhide, knotted about the lower jaw, serves as a\nbridle, and is either tied up to the saddle or held in the rider's\nhand. In packing the animals a bundle of lodge-poles is tied on either\nside of the saddle, one end projecting forward toward the horse's\nhead, the other dragging on the ground behind. This is the _travois_.\nCross poles are often tied between these two dragging bundles, and on\nthese are carried packages of meat and robes. Often, too, on a robe\nstretched between them, a sick or wounded Indian, unable to ride, is\ntransported. The lodge-poles having been fastened to the saddle, the\nlodge is folded up and placed on it between them, and blankets, robes,\nand other articles are piled on top of this, until the horse has on\nits back what appears to be about as much as it can carry. The pack is\nthen lashed firmly in position, and pots, buckets and other utensils\nare tied about it wherever there is room.\n\nOn top of the load so arranged one or two women, or three or four\nchildren, clamber and settle themselves comfortably there, and the old\nhorse is turned loose. Each rider carries in her hand a whip, with\nwhich she strikes the horse at every step, not cruelly at all, but\njust from force of habit. If the pack is low, so that her feet reach\ndown to the animal's sides, she keeps up also a constant drumming on\nhis ribs with her heels. The old horse pays not the slightest\nattention to any of these demonstrations of impatience, but plods\nsteadily along at a quiet walk, his eyes half closed and his ears\nnodding at each step. If the riders are women, each one holds a child\nor two in her arms, or on her back, or perhaps the baby board is hung\nover the end of a lodge-pole, and swings free. If the living load\nconsists of children, they have in their arms a lot of puppies; for\npuppies occupy with relation to the small Indian girls the place which\ndolls hold among the white children. Many of the pack animals are\nmares with young colts, and these last, instead of following quietly\nat their mothers' heels, range here and there, sometimes before and\nsometimes behind, their dams. They are thus constantly getting lost in\nthe crowd, and then they charge backward and forward in wild affright,\nneighing shrilly, until they have again found their proper place in\nthe line of march. Many of the yearling colts have very small and\nlight packs tied on their backs, while the two-year-olds are often\nridden by the tiniest of Indian boys, who are now giving them their\nfirst lesson in weight-carrying. Loose horses of all ages roam about\nat will, and their continual cries mingle with the barking of dogs,\nthe calls of women and the yells of boys, and make an unceasing noise.\n\nThe boys are boiling over with animal spirits, and, like their\ncivilized brothers of the same age, are continually running about,\nchasing each other, wrestling, shooting arrows and playing games, of\nwhich the familiar stick game seems the favorite.\n\nWhenever the column draws near any cover, which may shelter game, such\nas a few bushes in a ravine, or the fringe of low willows along some\nlittle watercourse, the younger men and boys scatter out and surround\nit. They beat it in the most thorough manner, and any game which it\ncontains is driven out on the prairie, surrounded and killed. The\nappearance even of a jackass rabbit throws the boys into a fever of\nexcitement, and causes them to shriek and yell as if in a frenzy.\n\nAll the morning I rode with the Indians, either at the head of the\ncolumn, chatting as best I could with _Pi\u00b4ta Le-shar_ and other\nchiefs, or falling back and riding among the women and children, whom\nI never tired of watching. Frequently during the day I saw at a\ndistance, on the prairie, small bunches of buffalo in full flight,\nhotly pursued by dark-skinned riders, and occasionally two or three\nmen would ride up to the marching columns with heavy loads of\nfreshly-killed meat. The quick-heaving, wet flanks of the ponies told\na story of sharp, rapid chases, and their tossing heads and eager,\nexcited looks showed how much interest they took in the hunt.\n\nThe report of firearms was seldom heard. Most of the Indians hunted\nwith the primitive weapon of their forefathers--the bow and arrow. For\nbuffalo running an arrow is nearly as effective as lead. The power of\nthe bow in expert hands is tremendous. Riding within half a dozen\nyards of the victim's side, the practiced bowman will drive the dart\nso far through the body of the buffalo that its shaft may project a\nfoot or more from the opposite side--sometimes indeed may pass quite\nthrough. Besides, the bow can be used very rapidly and accurately. I\nhave seen an Indian take a sheaf of six arrows in his hand, and\ndischarge them at a mark more rapidly and with more certainty of\nhitting his target than I could fire the six barrels of a revolver.\n\nIt was nearly noon, and I was riding along at the head of the column.\nI had but one horse, and did not care to wear him out by chasing\naround over the prairie, preferring to save him for some great effort.\nWe were traveling along a smooth divide between two sets of ravines,\nwhich ran off, one to the east and the other to the west. _Pi\u00b4ta\nLe-shar_ had just informed me by signs that we should make camp about\ntwo miles further on, by a stream whose course we could trace from\nwhere we then were. Suddenly, without the slightest warning, the huge\ndark bodies of half a dozen buffalo sprang into view, rising out of a\nravine on our left not a hundred yards distant. When they saw the\nmultitude before them, they stopped and stared at us.\n\nThey were too close for me to resist the temptation to pursue. As I\nlifted the reins from my pony's neck and bent forward, the little\nanimal sprang into a sharp gallop toward the game, and as he did so I\nsaw half a dozen Indians shoot out from the column and follow me. The\nbuffalo wheeled, and in an instant were out of sight, but when I\nreached the edge of the bank down which they had plunged, I could see\nthrough the cloud of dust, which they left behind them, their uncouth\nforms dashing down the ravine. My nimble pony, as eager for the race\nas his rider, hurled himself down the steep pitch, and sped along the\nnarrow broken bed of the gully. I could feel that sometimes he would\nlengthen his stride to leap wide ditches, where the water from some\nside ravine had cut away the ground, but I never knew of these until\nthey were passed. My eyes were fixed on the fleeing herd; my ears were\nintent on the pursuing horsemen. Close behind me I could hear the\nquick pounding of many hoofs, and could feel that one of the horses,\nnearer than the rest, was steadily drawing up to me--but I was gaining\non the buffalo. Already the confused rumble of their hoof-beats almost\ndrowned those of the horses behind me, and the air was full of the\ndust and small pebbles thrown up by their hurrying feet. But they were\nstill ahead of me, and the gulch was so narrow that I could not shoot.\nThe leading horseman drew nearer and nearer, and was now almost at my\nside. I could see the lean head and long, slim neck of his pony under\nmy right arm, and could hear the rider speak to his horse and urge him\nforward in the race. My horse did his best, but the other had the most\nspeed. He shot by me, and a moment later was alongside the last\nbuffalo.\n\nAs he passed me the young Indian made a laughing gesture of triumph,\nslipped an arrow on his bowstring, and drew it to its head; but just\nas he was about to let it fly, his horse, which was but a colt, took\nfright at the huge animal which it had overtaken, and shied violently\nto the right, almost unseating its rider. At the same moment the\nbuffalo swerved a little to the left, and thus lost a few feet. Truly,\nthe race is not always to the swift. As I passed the Indian, I could\nnot restrain a little whoop of satisfaction, and then swinging my\nrifle around, I fired. The buffalo fell in its stride, tossing up a\nmighty cloud of the soft yellow earth, and my pony ran by him fifty\nyards before he could be checked. Then I turned and rode back to look\nat the game. The other Indians had passed me like a whirlwind, and,\nclose at the heels of the herd, had swept around a point of bluff and\nout of sight. Only my rival remained, and he was excitedly arguing\nwith his horse. The logic of a whip-handle, applied with vigor about\nthe creature's ears, convinced it that it must approach the dead\nbuffalo; and then the rider dismounting, and passing his lariat about\nthe animal's horns, drew the pony's head to within a few feet of the\nterrifying mass, and fastened the rope. When he had accomplished this,\nhe grinned pleasantly at me, and I responded in kind, and in dumb\nshow transferred to him all my right and title in the dead buffalo. At\nthis he smiled still more cheerfully, and set to work \"butchering.\"\n\nThe animal was a superb specimen, just entering his prime, and was\nfat, round and sleek. His horns were symmetrically curved and\nbeautifully polished. Not a scratch marred their shining surfaces, nor\na splinter was frayed from their sharp points. The sweeping black\nbeard was long and full, and the thick curls upon his hump and massive\nshoulders were soft and deep, while the short hair of his sides and\nhips was smooth as the coat of a horse. His size was enormous. It\nseemed that he would have turned the scale at quite two thousand\npounds. Certainly his weight exceeded that of both the fifteen-hand\nponies that stood beside him.\n\nA few moments later, I was again in the saddle, and riding on along\nthe course taken by the remaining buffalo, for I was anxious to see\nwhat had become of them. On rounding the point of the bluff, where I\nhad last seen them, my curiosity was satisfied. The valley here\nwidened out until it was perhaps sixty yards across, and on either\nside rose vertical bluffs of yellow chalk to a height of forty feet.\nScattered about over the little plain, lay half a dozen buffalo, over\neach of which bent one or two Indians busily plying the knife. At the\nfoot of the bluff at one side of the valley stood four or five others,\nlooking at a cow, perched on a narrow shelf ten feet below the top. I\nshall never understand how that animal reached the position it\noccupied. There was evidently no way of getting to it except by\njumping up from below, which was obviously impossible--or down from\nabove, which seemed out of the question. The shelf was so short that\nthe animal could move neither backward nor forward, and was just wide\nenough for it to stand on. As I rode up and joined the little group\nbelow it, the head and shoulders of a middle-aged Indian appeared over\nthe top of the bluff, above the cow. He lay down flat on his breast,\nand holding in both hands an old-fashioned muzzle-loading pistol,\nattempted to shoot the cow from above, but his old arm would not go\noff. He snapped it half a dozen times, and then, discouraged, called\nout something to us below. One of the boys turned to me, and said very\nslowly and distinctly, \"He say, you shoot.\" I therefore dismounted,\nand fired at the cow, which responded by shaking her head angrily, and\nwhisking her short tail. Another call came from the old fellow on top\nof the bluff, and the young man said to me, \"He say, you hit her;\nright spot.\" A moment later, the cow bent forward and fell on her\nknees, and the Indian above dropped down on her back.\n\nTurning my horse's head in the direction from which I had come, I rode\nup through a side ravine on to the high prairie. A mile away I could\nsee the column of marching Indians, plodding along at their old slow\npace. Here and there, over the rolling hills, dark forms were visible,\nsome of them in rapid motion, others apparently stationary. Often it\nwas impossible to determine whether these figures were horsemen or\nbuffalo, but sometimes, far away, I could see a mimic chase in which\npursuer and pursued appeared no larger than ants.\n\nAs I came up with the Indians, they were just descending into the\nstream bottom, where camp was to be made. The small boys had, as\nusual, dispersed themselves over the valley and among the underbrush.\nMany of the squaws, leaving the ponies and packs to their sister-wives\nor children, were hurrying up or down the stream to gather wood.\nAlready the leading ponies were being relieved of their loads.\nSuddenly, from the mouth of a little ravine coming down into the\nstream bottom, rose a chorus of shrill yelps and shrieks from childish\nthroats, and a gang of wild turkeys were seen, running rapidly through\nthe high grass toward the hills. A moment later, with a loud\n_quit-quit_ of alarm, they took wing, but not before several of their\nnumber had fallen before the missiles of the boys. Most of them went\nup or down the creek, but one inexperienced bird took its course\ndirectly over our heads.\n\nThose who have seen the Indian only on dress parade, talk of his\nstolidity, impassiveness, and his marvelous control over his\ncountenance and his emotions. This demeanor he can and does assume,\nand when he is with white men, or among strangers, he is usually all\nthat he has been pictured; but take him by himself, and he expresses\nhis feelings with as little restraint as a child. So it was now. No\ngrave chief, nor battle-scarred warrior, nor mighty worker of\n_ti-war\u00b4-uks-ti_ (magic) was too dignified to express his interest at\nthe appearance of this great bird sailing laboriously along, thirty or\nforty feet above him. It was as if the turkey had flown over a great\ncompany of schoolboys, and the utter abandonment of the excited\nmultitude, the entire absence of restraint, the perfect naturalness of\nthe expression of feeling, had in them something very delightful and\ninfectious. Every Indian, who held in his hand anything that was light\nenough to throw, hurled it at the bird, and a cloud of whips, sticks,\nhatchets, fleshers, and arrows, rose to meet it as it passed along.\nOne missile knocked from its tail a few long feathers, which drifted\nslowly down on the heads of the people. It kept on, but before it had\npassed beyond the long line of Indians extending back over the plain,\nits strength became exhausted, it came to the ground, and was at once\ndispatched by those nearest to it.\n\nAlmost before the turkey's fate had been decided, many of the lodges\nhad been pitched, and now the slender gray columns from a hundred\ncamp-fires began to climb up through the still air toward the blue\nabove. The women were hard at work cooking, or spreading out freshly\nkilled robes, or putting up drying scaffolds, while the men lounged in\nthe shade and smoked or chatted. Our wagon was halted at one side of\nthe camp, and the tired horses and mules stripped of saddles and\nharness, and picketed near at hand. The Indian pack ponies were\ncollected and driven off on the upland in charge of several boys.\n\nWe had invitations to eat meat at several lodges that day. Usually we\ndid not accept these freely proffered hospitalities, because we had no\nmeans of returning them, but one of these invitations came from a\nparticular friend, and to-day we broke through our rule. We feasted on\nroast ribs, _ka\u00b4wis_, and dried meat, and really had a delightful\ntime. It was about three o'clock when we finished the meal, and we\nwere lounging about the lodge, smoking and chatting, in lazy\nafter-dinner fashion, when we were startled by a series of yells and\nshouts, among which I distinguished the words \"_Cha\u00b4-ra-rat\nwa-ta\u00b4_--The Sioux are coming.\" Our Indian companions snatched up\ntheir arms, and rushed out of the lodge, and we were not slow in\nfollowing. \"_S\u00fbks-e-kitta-wit w\u00efs-k\u00fbts_--Get on your horses quick,\"\nshouted our host. The camp was in a state of wild excitement. Naked\nmen were running to their horses, and jerking their lariats from the\npicket pins, sprang on their backs and rode hard for the hills; while\nwomen and boys rushed about, catching horses, and bringing them in\namong the lodges, where they were securely fastened. Less than a mile\naway, we saw the horse herd dashing along at top speed, and a little\nto one side of it a horseman riding in circles, and waving his\nblanket before him. It was evident that the Sioux were trying to run\noff the herd. We ran as hard as we could to the wagon, caught up\nrifles and cartridge belts, and buckling on the latter as we ran, kept\non to the horses. There was no time to saddle up. We looped the ropes\naround their jaws, sprang on their naked backs, and were off. As we\nrode up on the prairie, the herd of ponies thundered by, and swept\ndown the bluffs to the camp. The rolling expanse before us was dotted\nwith Indians, each one urging forward his horse to its utmost speed.\nMany of them were already a long way in advance, and were passing over\nthe furthest high bluff, which seemed to rise up and meet the sky.\nHard as we might push our ponies, there was little hope that we would\nbe in time to have any hand in the encounter--if one took\nplace--between the Pawnees and their hereditary foes.\n\nWe kept on until we reached the crest of the high bluff. From here we\ncould see far off over the plain, dozens of black dots strung out\nafter one another. Nearer at hand, other Indians, whose steeds, like\nours, had proved too slow for the swift pursuit, were riding back\ntoward us, showing in their faces the disappointment which they felt\nat being left behind. With these we turned about, and rode toward the\ncamp. Among them was one of the herd boys, for the moment a hero, who\nhad to repeat his story again and again. He had been sitting on top of\na hill, not far from the horses, when he discovered several Sioux\nstealing toward them through a ravine. Signaling his comrades, they\nsucceeded in getting the herd in motion before the robbers had\napproached very close to them. Eight of the slowest horses had dropped\nbehind during the flight, and had no doubt fallen into the hands of\nthe enemy.\n\nOne by one, the Indians came straggling back to camp during the\nafternoon and evening, but it was not until late that night that the\nmain body of the pursuers came in. They had ten extra horses, two of\nwhich they had taken in turn from the Sioux. They had no scalps,\nhowever, for they had been unable to overtake the enemy.\n\nLong we sat that night by the fire in _Pi\u00b4ta Le-shar's_ lodge, talking\nover the exciting event of the afternoon; and as we rose to go to our\nwagons, and said good night, the old man, who had been silently gazing\ninto the coals for some time, looked up at me and smiled, saying,\n\"_Wa-ti-hes ti-k\u00f4t-it ti-ra-hah_--To-morrow we will kill buffalo.\"\n\nWhen we turned out of our blankets the next morning, a heavy mist\nhung over the prairie. This was unfortunate, for so long as the fog\nlasted it would be impossible for the scouts to see far enough to\ndiscover the buffalo. The first few hours of the march were\nuneventful. Once or twice the huge bodies of a small band of buffalo\nloomed up through the white mist about us, their size and shape\ngreatly exaggerated and distorted by its deceptive effect. As the sun\nclimbed toward the zenith, the air grew brighter, and by mid-day the\nfog had risen from the ground, and though still clinging in white\ncottony wreaths about the tops of the higher bluffs near us, we now\ncould see for quite a long distance over the prairie. A little later\nthe sun burst forth, and the sky became clear. Soon after noon we went\ninto camp.\n\nWe had but just begun our dinner, when a runner was seen coming at\nfull gallop down the bluffs. It was one of the scouts. He dashed\nthrough the village, and did not check his pony's speed until he had\nreached old _Pi\u00b4ta Le-shar's_ lodge. Here he stopped, and bending from\nhis horse spoke a few words very earnestly, gesticulating and pointing\nback over the prairie in the direction whence he had come. As he rode\non and past us, he called out, \"_Te-co\u00b4di t\u00fct-tu-ta-rik ti-ra-hah_--I\nsaw many buffalo,\" and we shouted back to him, \"_T\u00fb-ra-heh_--It is\ngood.\"\n\nAt once the women began to take down the lodges and pack the ponies.\nBuffalo had been discovered about fifteen miles to the southwest, and\norders had been issued to move the village to the creek on which they\nwere feeding, while the men should go on at once and make the\nsurround. Our teamster, to whom the Indians had already, from his\noccupation, given the name \"Jackass Chief,\" was directed to move with\nthe camp; and leaving everything save guns and ammunition belts in the\nwagons, we joined the crowd of men who were riding out of the village.\n\nThe scene that we now beheld was such as might have been witnessed\nhere a hundred years ago. It is one that can never be seen again. Here\nwere eight hundred warriors, stark naked, and mounted on naked\nanimals. A strip of rawhide, or a lariat, knotted about the lower jaw,\nwas all their horses' furniture. Among all these men there was not a\ngun nor a pistol, nor any indication that they had ever met with the\nwhite men. For the moment they had put aside whatever they had learned\nof civilization. Their bows and arrows they held in their hands.\nArmed with these ancestral weapons, they had become once more the\nsimple children of the plains, about to slay the wild cattle that\n_Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ had given them for food. Here was barbarism pure and\nsimple. Here was nature.\n\nA brief halt was made on the upper prairie, until all the riders had\ncome up, and then, at a moderate gallop, we set off. A few yards in\nadvance rode the twenty-four soldiers, at first curbing in their\nspirited little steeds, till the horses' chins almost touched their\nchests, and occasionally, by a simple motion of the hand, waving back\nsome impetuous boy, who pressed too close upon them. Many of the\nIndians led a spare horse, still riding the one that had carried them\nthrough the day. Often two men would be seen mounted on the same\nanimal, the one behind having the lariats of two led horses wound\nabout his arm. Here and there a man, with his arm over the horse's\nneck, would run along on foot by the side of the animal which was to\nserve him in the charge.\n\nAs we proceeded, the pace became gradually a little more rapid. The\nhorses went along easily and without effort. Each naked Indian seemed\na part of his steed, and rose and fell with it in the rhythmic swing\nof its stride. The plain was peopled with Centaurs. Out over each\nhorse's croup floated the long black hair of his rider, spread out on\nthe wings of the breeze. Gradually the slow gallop became a fast one.\nThe flanks of the horses showed here and there patches of wet, which\nglistened in the slanting rays of the westering sun. Eight, ten, a\ndozen miles had been left behind us, and we were approaching the top\nof a high bluff, when the signal was given to halt. In a moment every\nman was off his horse, but not a pony of them all showed any sign of\ndistress, nor gave any evidence of the work he had done, except by his\nwet flanks and his slightly accelerated breathing. Two or three of the\nsoldiers rode up nearly to the top of the hill, dismounted and then\npeered over, and a moment later, at another signal, all mounted and\nthe swift gallop began again. Over the ridge we passed, down the\nsmooth slope, and across a wide level plain, where the prairie dogs\nand the owls and the rattlesnakes had their home. Through the dog town\nwe hurried on thundering hoofs, no doubt amazing the dogs, and perhaps\neven arousing some slight interest in the sluggish, stupid snakes. Bad\nplaces these to ride through at such a pace, for a little carelessness\non your horse's part might cost him a broken leg and you an ugly\ntumble. But no one took much thought of dog town or horse or possible\naccident, for the minds of all were upon the next high ridge, behind\nwhich we felt sure that the buffalo would be found.\n\nAnd so it proved. Just before reaching it we were again halted. Two of\nthe soldiers reconnoitered, and then signaled that the buffalo were in\nsight. The tired horses were now turned loose and the extra ones\nmounted. As we rode slowly up over the ridge, we saw spread out before\nus a wide valley black with buffalo. Two miles away, on the other\nside, rose steep ragged bluffs, up which the clumsy buffalo would make\nbut slow progress, while the ponies could run there nearly as fast as\non level ground. It was the very place that would have been chosen for\na surround.\n\nAt least a thousand buffalo were lying down in the midst of this\namphitheater. Here and there, away from the main herd on the lower\nhills, were old bulls, singly and by twos and threes, some of them\nquietly chewing the cud, others sullenly pawing up the dust, or\ngrinding their battered horns into the yellow dirt of the hillsides.\nNot the slightest notice was taken of us as we rode down the slope at\na pace that was almost a run, but still held in check by the\nsoldiers. The orders for the charge had not yet been given. Our line\nwas now much more extended than it had been; each man pressing as far\nforward as he dared, and those on either flank being so far ahead of\nthe center that they were almost on a line with the soldiers. We had\ncovered perhaps half the distance between the hilltop and the buffalo,\nwhen some of the outlying bulls seemed to observe us, and after\nlooking for a moment or two, these started in rapid flight. This\nattracted the attention of the herd, and when we were yet half a mile\nfrom them, they took the alarm. At once all were on their feet. For a\nmoment they gazed bewildered at the dark line that was sweeping toward\nthem, and then, down went every huge head and up flew every little\ntail, and the herd was off in a headlong stampede for the opposite\nhills. As they sprang to their feet, the oldest man of the soldiers,\nwho was riding in the center of the line, turned back toward us, and\nuttered a shrill _Loo\u00b4-ah!_ It was the word we had waited for.\n\nLike an arrow from a bow each horse darted forward. Now all restraint\nwas removed, and each man might do his best. What had been only a wild\ngallop became a mad race. Each rider hoped to be the first to reach\nthe top of the opposite ridge, and to turn the buffalo back into the\nvalley, so that the surround might be completely successful. How swift\nthose little ponies were, and how admirably the Indians managed to get\nout of them all their speed! I had not gone much more than half-way\nacross the valley when I saw the leading Indians pass the head of the\nherd, and begin to turn the buffalo. This was the first object of the\nchase, for in a stampede, the cows and young are always in the lead,\nthe bulls bringing up the rear. This position is not taken from\nchivalric motives on the part of the males, but simply because they\ncannot run so fast as their wives and children. Bulls are never killed\nwhen cows and heifers can be had.\n\nBack came the herd, and I soon found myself in the midst of a throng\nof buffalo, horses and Indians. There was no yelling nor shouting on\nthe part of the men, but their stern set faces, and the fierce gleam\nof their eyes, told of the fires of excitement that were burning\nwithin them. Three or four times my rifle spoke out, and to some\npurpose; and one shot, placed too far back, drew on me a quick savage\ncharge from a vicious young cow. My pony, while a good cattle horse,\nwas new at buffalo running, and his deliberation in the matter of\ndodging caused me an anxious second or two, as I saw the cow's head\nsweep close to his flank. It was far more interesting to watch the\nscene than to take part in it, and I soon rode to a little knoll from\nwhich I could overlook the whole plain. Many brown bodies lay\nstretched upon the ground, and many more were dashing here and there,\nclosely attended by relentless pursuers. It was sad to see so much\ndeath, but the people must have food, and none of this meat would be\nwasted.\n\nBefore I turned my horse's head toward the camp, the broad disk of the\nsetting sun had rested on the tops of the western bluffs, and tipped\ntheir crests with fire. His horizontal beams lit up with a picturesque\nredness the dusky forms which moved about over the valley. Up the\nravines and over the hills were stringing long lines of squaws,\nleading patient ponies, whose backs were piled high with dark dripping\nmeat, and with soft shaggy skins. Late into the night the work\ncontinued and the loads kept coming into the camp. About the\nflickering fires in and before the lodges there was feasting and\nmerriment. Marrow bones were tossed among the red embers, calf's head\nwas baked in the hot earth, fat ribs were roasted, _ka\u00b4wis_ boiled,\nand _boudins_ eaten raw. With laughter and singing and story telling\nand dance the night wore away.\n\nOver the plain where the buffalo had fallen, the gray wolf was\nprowling, and, with the coyote, the fox and the badger, tore at the\nbones of the slain. When day came, the golden eagle and the buzzard\nperched upon the naked red skeletons, and took their toll. And far\naway to the southward, a few frightened buffalo, some of which had\narrows sticking in their sore sides, were cropping the short grass of\nthe prairie.\n\n  [Illustration: {GRAZING BUFFALO.}]\n\n\n\n\nTHE PAWNEE IN WAR.\n\n\nI. ENEMIES AND METHODS OF WARFARE.\n\nThe Pawnees were a race of warriors. War was their pleasure and their\nbusiness. By war they gained credit, respect, fame. By war they\nacquired wealth.\n\nOn their long journey from their primitive home in the far southwest,\nthey must have met, fought with and conquered many tribes. By\nconquest--so says tradition--they obtained their first horses,\ncaptured no one knows how long ago, in an attack on a Cheyenne\nvillage.\n\nThey were brave men, but brave after their own peculiar fashion. Their\ncourage was not displayed in the same way as that of the white man.\nThey thought it folly to expose themselves unnecessarily. An enemy was\nto be surprised, and killed, while asleep if possible, or shot\nthrough by an arrow from behind. To meet him in what we call fair\nfight, when there was a chance to kill him from an ambush, would have\nseemed an insane or desperate proceeding. And yet, as has been shown\nby some of the stories already narrated, they often faced death with a\ncalmness and an indifference which indicated the highest physical\ncourage.\n\nIt has been very well said that the purpose of the Indian in his\nwarfare was to inflict the greatest amount of injury on his enemy with\nthe least possible risk to himself.\n\nIn the old time wars, the participants exercised the greatest prudence\nand caution. They took no risks, where risks could be avoided. It was\nmore glorious for a war party to kill a single enemy without receiving\na wound, than to kill a dozen, if thereby they lost a man. The\nwarrior, who led out a war party, and brought it back without loss,\nreceived credit. His skill as a leader was praised, and his influence\ngrew. A leader, who lost men, lost also prestige; the chiefs withdrew\ntheir confidence from him, the young men might decline after that to\njoin his party.\n\nWhen the Pawnees came into the northern country they found it\noccupied by the Poncas, the Omahas and the Otoes. According to their\ncustom, they attacked these tribes, and, after a resistance more or\nless prolonged, conquered them. The Poncas appear to have made the\nmost stubborn fight against the invaders, and it is related that they\nmade an alliance with the Sioux against their common enemy. From time\nto time there would be a cessation of hostilities, and peace would be\nmade, but this never endured long.\n\nThere still exists among the Pawnees a triumph song, composed after a\ntreacherous attack on the Pawnees by the Poncas during a time of\npeace. Mr. Dunbar's remarks on this song are so interesting that I\nquote them in full. He says, \"The Pawnee has a song, constituting the\nfinest satirical production in the language, relating to an attempt\nthat the Poncas are said to have once made to recover their\nindependence. Their warriors in a body, so the account states, made a\npretended visit of peace to the village of Chau-i, at that time the\nhead band of the Pawnees. After lulling to rest, as they supposed, the\nsuspicions of the Chau-i, according to a preconcerted plan, they made\nan attack on them, but were signally discomfited. In commemoration of\nthe victory then achieved, the Pawnees composed this song, and the\npresumption is that such a remarkable production would not have\noriginated and maintained its position permanently in their minds\nwithout a good historic basis.\" This is the song:\n\n     _A,   Li-hit!         Ku\u00b4s-ke-har-u,          K\u00fcr-\u00fc-u-ras,_\n    Aha, you Ponca!  It was (pretended) peace.     Did you find\n\n         _id-i, t\u00fcs-ku-ra-w\u00fcsk-u?        La\u00fc-i-l\u00fck-u-ru-t\u00fcs._\n    What you were laughing at me about?    You meant fight.\n\n\"The keen satire of the interrogation is exquisite. It conceives of\nthe Poncas as quietly laughing in their sleeves, during their\nostensibly amicable visit, in anticipation of the summary retribution\nthat they expected to inflict upon their oppressors.\"\n\nAt last the Poncas, Omahas and Otoes were effectively subjugated, and\nwere permitted to live on the borders of the Pawnee territory, and\nunder the quasi-protection of that tribe.\n\nIn the old days before the coming of the whites the Pawnees had no\nenemies near at hand. They had conquered all surrounding nations, and\nclaimed and held the country from the Missouri River to the Rocky\nMountains, and from the Niobrara, south to the Arkansas River or to\nthe Canadian. Then, when they wished to go to war, they were forced to\njourney either to the Rocky Mountains to fight the Utes, or up the\nMissouri to attack the Crows, or down into Mexico to plunder the\nSpaniards, or into Texas to steal horses from the Comanches, the\nWichitas and other southern tribes. Then the war parties were great\nbodies--sometimes one thousand men--and all on foot. Afterward, as\nsettlements approached them and other tribes were driven into their\ncountry, and the different Pawnee bands were crowded together, their\ncampaigns diminished in importance, the war parties became smaller and\nsmaller, until at last only half a dozen men would start out, and\nsometimes a single individual would go off by himself to steal horses.\n\nThe Pawnees were true Ishmaelites. They had no friends upon the\nprairies save those whom they had conquered and held by fear. Foes\nswarmed about them. To the north were the different bands of the\nDakotas and the Crows; to the west the Utes, with the Arapahoes, the\nKiowas and the Cheyennes; and to the south the Comanches, Cheyennes,\nKiowas, Kansas, Osages, and their relations the Wichitas. With these\nlast they were long at war; for the Pawnees and Wichitas had forgotten\neach other's existence, or rather each tribe was wholly ignorant as\nto what had become of the other. Only a tradition of the old\nrelationship still remained. The kinship was rediscovered within the\nlast thirty years, when some Kaws came north on a visit to the Pawnee\nvillage, and brought with them a Wichita, who had been visiting at the\nKaw agency. The Pawnees found that this man spoke a language nearly\nlike their own, and at length discovered that the Wichitas were a part\nof their own people. Attempts were made to establish a peace, and to\nrenew their old friendly relations, but the fact that the Wichitas\nwere so closely allied to the Comanches, Kiowas and Cheyennes made it\nvery difficult for the tribes to come together on a friendly footing.\nHostilities still continued therefore, nor was a lasting peace made\nuntil the visit of _Wi-ti-ti le-shar\u00b4-uspi_, already described.\n\nAs a result of this well nigh universal hostility, the Pawnees were\nconstantly being attacked, and were constantly losing men, women and\nchildren. Mr. Dunbar, who has taken pains to collect some facts\nbearing on this point, says:\n\n\"Probably, not a year in this century has been without losses from\nthis source (warfare), though only occasionally have they been marked\nwith considerable disasters. In 1832 the Skidi band suffered a severe\ndefeat on the Arkansas from the Comanches. In 1847 a Dakota war party,\nnumbering over seven hundred, attacked a village occupied by two\nhundred and sixteen Pawnees, and succeeded in killing eighty-three. In\n1854 a party of one hundred and thirteen were cut off by an\noverwhelming body of Cheyennes and Kiowas, and killed almost to a man.\nIn 1873 a hunting party of about four hundred, two hundred and\nthirteen of whom were men, on the Republican, while in the act of\nkilling a herd of buffalo, were attacked by nearly six hundred Dakota\nwarriors, and eighty-six were killed. But the usual policy of their\nenemies has been to cut off individual or small scattered parties,\nwhile engaged in the chase or in tilling isolated corn patches. Losses\nof this kind, trifling when taken singly, have in the aggregate borne\nheavily on the tribe. It would seem that such losses, annually\nrecurring, should have taught them to be more on their guard. But let\nit be remembered that the struggle has not been in one direction\nagainst one enemy. The Dakotas, Crows, Kiowas, Cheyennes, Arapahoes,\nComanches, Osages and Kansas have faithfully aided each other, though\nundesignedly in the main, in this crusade of extermination against the\nPawnee. It has been in the most emphatic sense, a struggle of the one\nagainst the many. With the possible exception of the Dakotas, there is\nmuch reason to believe that the animosity of these tribes has been\nexacerbated by the galling tradition of disastrous defeats which\nPawnee prowess had inflicted upon themselves in past generations. To\nthem the last seventy years have been a carnival of revenge.\"\n\nMr. Dunbar regards the constant warfare against their many enemies as\none principal cause of the rapid diminution in numbers of the Pawnees,\nand, no doubt, it was a cause; but a far more important one was the\nsapping of the tribe's vitality by contact with the whites. Their\nvillages lay almost directly in the path of trans-continental\nemigration, and it was the introduction of spirits and the special\ndiseases contracted from the whites which weakened the tribe, and made\nthe tough and sinewy Pawnee a ready prey to sickness and death.\n\nAlthough so ferocious to people of their own color, the Pawnees have\never been at peace with the whites. Bad men among them have, no doubt,\nsometimes stolen horses, but the tribe has never carried on an\norganized war against the Government. While they have often been\nprovoked by wanton outrages inflicted on them, yet they have always\nborne themselves peaceably and mildly, and sought redress by legal or\npersuasive, rather than by hostile measures.\n\nThere is one instance on record which, while it shows their ferocity,\nexemplifies also their natural justice, and deserves to be repeated.\nThis is the story of the Rawhide.\n\nIn the year 1852, among a small party of emigrants, who were crossing\nthe plains on their way to California, was a man who had frequently\nasserted that he would kill the first Indian he saw. While the train\nwas camped on a small creek flowing into the Elkhorn, a young squaw\nwas seen, who belonged to the neighboring Pita-hau-erat village. Some\naccounts say that she came to the camp to beg, others, that she was\ngoing to the stream for a bucket of water. At all events, she was seen\nby the emigrants, who bantered the young man to carry out his boast\nthat he would kill the first Indian he saw. He shot and killed the\nwoman. The train moved on during the night. On the following day the\ntribe learned of this wanton butchery. They pursued the train, and\nsurrounding it, demanded the murderer. He was at once given up, and a\ncouncil was held, at which his fate was decided. The train was\nordered back to the scene of the murder, and there, in the presence\nof his horrified companions, the Pawnees proceeded to flay the\nmurderer alive. After this had been done, the emigrants were permitted\nto proceed on their journey. The stream on whose banks this act of\ngrim justice took place is still known as Rawhide Creek.\n\nNot only have the Pawnees never been at war with the whites, but, for\nthe past twenty-five years, they have been their allies in every\nserious Indian war which has taken place east of the Rocky Mountains.\n\nThe Pawnee was taught to deal in ambuscades and surprises, yet he\ncould fight in the open, too, if necessity demanded. Sometimes they\nhad pitched battles with their foes, but their weapons were very\nprimitive, and such combats were--in view of the numbers engaged on\neither side--comparatively bloodless. Between the years 1860 and 1870\nsuch battles frequently took place near the Pawnee village, when the\nSioux, who were far more numerous than the Pawnees, would come down\nfrom the north to try to destroy the village. Many a time I have heard\nfrom the lips of grizzled warriors the stories of these battles.\nSometimes the enemy would come down in small parties, and steal\nhorses, or kill squaws who were working in the corn patches, but at\nother times large bodies of warriors would approach the village\nwithout any attempt at concealment.\n\nAbout sunrise the Sioux would ride up over the hills in a line\nfronting toward the village. They appeared mounted on their best\nponies, clad in their most elaborate war costume, and wearing long war\nbonnets of the feathers of the war eagle, which almost swept the\nground as their horses curveted along to the music of the monotonous\nbut thrilling war chant. At the instant of their appearance the Pawnee\nvillage would begin to stir like a disturbed ant hill. The shouts of\ncommand by the men, the piercing calls from women, the alarmed and\nexcited shrieks of the children, the neighing and heavy hoof-beats of\nthe horses, the barking and howling of the dogs, as they were kicked\nout of the way, made a very Babel of sounds. The men snatched their\narms, and springing on their horses rode out on to the plain to meet\nthe enemy, while the women and children, after the horses had been\nsecured, mounted to the tops of the dirt lodges to watch the fight.\nThe Sioux, when they had come into full view, stopped, and sat there\non their horses, proud of their brave attire, and courting\nadmiration. The Pawnees, too, if time permitted, would don their\nfinest war dresses, though often they fought naked, and elaborately\npaint themselves and their horses. As the Pawnees rode toward their\nenemy, the Sioux slowly advanced toward them, both with extended\nfront. Each party chanted its songs of war, and uttered yells of\ndefiance. While they were still six or seven hundred yards apart they\nhalted, and stood facing each other. After a short wait, a warrior\nfrom one side or the other rode out before the line and addressed his\nparty. He opened his speech with some remarks derogatory to the foe,\nand in praise of his own people. From these generalities, he passed to\na consideration of his own excellent qualities, told of what he had\ndone in the past, and what he now intended doing, and when he had\nfinished speaking, he bent low over his horse's neck, and rode\nfuriously toward one end of the enemy's line. When he had come within\neasy bowshot, he usually turned his horse's head, and rode as hard as\nhe could down along the line, leaning down, half hidden by his horse,\nand discharging arrow after arrow at the enemy. They also shot at him,\nas he flew by, and as he rode along, those whom he had passed dashed\nout in pursuit, until the whole party were riding after him as hard\nas they could go. If he passed along the line without injury, he\nturned his horse toward his own party, and rode back, his pursuers\nfollowing him but a short distance. If, however, he was wounded by the\narrows shot at him, and fell from his horse, or if his horse was hit\nand disabled, or if, on account of the greater speed of their ponies,\nit seemed likely that the enemy would overtake him, the whole body of\nhis tribe made a headlong charge to rescue and bring him off. The\nenemy were as eager to take his scalp as his own people were to save\nit, and the opposing warriors came together in a hot melee.\n\nThere was little twanging of bow strings, and not much thrusting of\nlances; for the most part the fighting was at quarters too close for\nthis, and the combatants pounded at each other's heads with hatchets,\nwar clubs, whip handles, bows and _coup_ sticks. Bruises were given\nand received, sometimes a few men were gashed with hatchets and\nlances, and occasionally a man was killed. If the man about whom the\nstruggle was taking place was scalped, his party at once drew off,\nleaving his body, which had now ceased to have any interest for them,\nin the hands of the enemy. If, however, he escaped scalping, his\nfriends and foes soon separated and withdrew to their former\npositions. Then, after a breathing spell, a man of the other party\nrode forward, and made his speech, and the charge and general attack\nmight be repeated.\n\nOccasionally a very daring or desperate man, instead of riding down\nthe opposing line, would charge through it, and as he reached it would\nlet fly an arrow at some particular man, and count _coup_ on, and\nscalp him as he dashed by. He would at once be surrounded by foes, who\ndid their best to kill him, while his own tribesmen would charge upon\nthem, and for a short time the struggle would be very fierce. A brave\nman, killed and scalped, was mutilated in all conceivable ways by the\nenemy, and was often cut up into small pieces.\n\nIn this way the battle might go on for the greater part of a day with\nvarying fortunes, but without the loss on either side of more than a\nman or two, until at last one party or the other would become\ndiscouraged, and would break and run.\n\nThe Sioux in their attacks on the Pawnee village were never the\nvictors. They were always defeated and driven back, and often, in the\npursuit, two or three times as many men were killed as in the actual\nbattle. It was but natural that the Pawnees should have been\nsuccessful in this defense of their village, for in such fights they\nfelt that they must conquer. Defeat to them there meant the loss of\nall that they possessed, the slaughter of their women and children,\nand the destruction of their village. Besides, if defeated, they had\nno place to retreat to. They would fight to the death.\n\nTheir fierce courage and their fighting qualities were well shown on\none famous occasion. The tribe had gone off south on the buffalo hunt,\nand there were left in the village only some of the sick, the old men,\nand a few boys, women and children. Among the sick who remained was\n_Ska-di\u00b4ks_ (Crooked Hand), a Skidi brave, recognized as a leader in\nbattle, and one of the bravest warriors in the tribe. The Sioux had\nlearned of the departure of the Pawnees with all the fighting men, and\nhad planned to come down, kill all the people left at home, and\ndestroy the village.\n\nOne morning, to the dismay of those who had been left behind, six\nhundred of the very best of the Sioux warriors rode slowly into view\nover the hills, and down on to the plain above the village. They made\nno charge, for it was unnecessary to hurry about killing the few\nwomen, the old men and the sick who were to be their unresisting\nvictims. They wished to prolong the agony of these wretched Pawnees,\nwhose scalps were already theirs, and whose village would soon be only\na few heaps of smoking ruins. As they rode slowly down the hill there\nwas no clink of steel nor rattle of harness, only the soft rustling of\nthe prairie grass under the unshod hoofs of their spirited war ponies,\nbut this sound was drowned by the ominous music of their triumphant\nwar song, which, now loud, now low, was faintly borne on the breeze to\nthe fated village. Very deliberately they came on, singing as they\nmarched, proudly, like conquerors, while the sun glittered on polished\nlance-head and gleaming hair plate, and the wind blew out the fringes\nof their white war shirts, or gaily tossed the streaming plumes of\ntheir superb war bonnets.\n\nThe news of their appearance was brought to Crooked Hand, where he lay\nsick in his lodge. At once he threw aside the robe in which he was\nwrapped, and as he rose to his feet, he cast away from him by the same\nmotion his sickness. His orders were quickly issued, and as promptly\nobeyed. The village must fight. Tottering old men, whose sinews were\nnow too feeble to bend the bow, seized their long disused arms and\nclambered on their horses. Boys too young to hunt, whose bodies had\nnever been toughened by the long journeys of the warpath, whose hearts\nhad not been made strong by the first fast, grasped the weapons that\nthey had as yet used only on rabbits and ground squirrels, flung\nthemselves on their ponies, and rode with the old men. Even squaws,\ntaking what weapons they could--axes, hoes, mauls, pestles--mounted\nhorses, and marshaled themselves for battle.\n\nThe force for the defense numbered two hundred; superannuated old men,\nboys and women. Among them all were not, perhaps, ten active warriors,\nand these had just risen from sick beds to take their place in the\nline of battle. But then this little force had a leader. Crooked Hand,\nmounted on a superb war pony, was as cool and unconcerned as if he\nwere about to ride out to a band of buffalo, instead of leading a\nforce of old men and children against six hundred of the best warriors\nthat the Sioux could muster.\n\nAt that time the Pawnee village was encompassed by a high sod wall,\nand some of Crooked Hand's people wished to await the charge of the\nSioux behind this shelter, but their leader would not permit this. He\nsaid to them, \"We can conquer the Sioux anywhere.\" So _Ska-di\u00b4ks_ led\nhis forces out to meet the attack in fair open combat on the plain, on\nthe same ground where so many times the Pawnees had routed their\nenemies. As the Pawnees passed out of the village on to the plain, the\nSioux saw for the first time the force they had to meet. They laughed\nin derision, calling out bitter jibes, and telling what they would do\nwhen they had made the charge; and, as Crooked Hand heard their\nlaughter, he smiled, too, but not mirthfully. He knew what perhaps the\nSioux had forgotten, that his people were single-minded, and that they\nwould fight until they died. Their strokes would be for their homes\nand lives.\n\nThe battle began. It seemed like an unequal fight. Surely one charge\nwould be enough to overthrow this motley Pawnee throng, who had\nventured out to try to oppose the triumphal march of the Sioux. But it\nwas not ended so quickly. The fight began about the middle of the\nmorning, and, to the amazement of the Sioux, these old men with\nshrunken shanks and piping voices, these children with their small\nwhite teeth and soft round limbs, these women clad in skirts, and\narmed with hoes, held the invaders where they were; they could make no\nadvance. A little latter it became evident that the Pawnees were\ndriving the Sioux back. Presently this backward movement became a\nretreat, the retreat a rout, the rout a wild panic. Then, indeed, the\nPawnees made a great killing of their enemies. Many an old man, whose\nfeeble legs had long refused to bear him on the warpath, again\nquavered his war cry, again counted _coup_ upon his enemy. Many a boy,\nwho had never shed the blood of any creature larger than a prairie\nchicken, that day struck his enemy, and with shrill childish voice\nshouted his whoop of triumph, as he tore away the reeking scalp. More\nthan one woman, used only to pounding corn and dressing robes, that\nday counted her _coup_, and when the tribe returned, told what she had\ndone, and changed her name like a warrior.\n\nTo the Pawnees that day was like the day of Thermopyl\u00e6 to the Greeks.\n\nCrooked Hand, pre\u00ebminent among the heroes of that fight, with his own\nhand killed six of the Sioux, and had three horses shot under him. His\nwounds were many, but he laughed at them. He was content; he had saved\nthe village.\n\nThe same indomitable spirit here shown has characterized the Pawnees\nalways. For generations they fought as their fathers had fought, in\ntheir own way, with their native enemies, but when they were enlisted\nin the Government service, and trained in the white man's ways of war,\nthey adapted themselves readily to their new conditions.\n\nA body of men braver than the Pawnee Scouts, under Major Frank North\nand his brother Luther, never rode on horses. They were far better\nthan any white soldiers that ever fought on the plains; for, besides\ntheir natural courage, they had at their finger ends all the wonderful\nwisdom of the savage. They could tell, as it seemed by instinct, where\na trail would lead, where the enemy that they were pursuing would\ncamp, what were his plans. They had the endurance of their prototype,\nthe wolf. No labor was too severe, no journey too long, if its end was\na battle with their foes. Their courage, their discipline, their\nknowledge of the plains, their acquaintance with the habits of their\nenemies, their endurance, made them superb soldiers; but, perhaps,\nmore than all this, and yet a part of all this, was the absorbing\ndevotion and trust which they felt for _Pa\u00b4-ni Le-shar_, their white\nleader. Through all the years that they followed him, he never led\nthem but to victory; through all these years he never lost a man in\nbattle, and the belief of the Pawnees in his ability and his success\nwas like the devotion felt by the _Grande Arm\u00e9e_ for Napoleon.\n\n\nII. PA\u00b4-NI LE-SHAR AND HIS SCOUTS.\n\nNo account of the Pawnees' warfare would give any just impression of\ntheir prowess if it omitted to mention _Pa\u00b4-ni Le-shar_ and the forces\nwhich he commanded. The Pawnee Scouts, under the gallant and able\nleadership of Frank North, did splendid service against hostile\nIndians. They saved hundreds of lives and millions of dollars' worth\nof property, and in their campaigns wiped out in blood the memory of\nmany an injury done to their race by the Sioux, the Cheyennes, the\nArapahoes and the Kiowas.\n\nFrank North was born in Ohio, March 10, 1840. When about fifteen years\nof age he accompanied his family westward to Council Bluffs, and a\nlittle later across the Missouri River into Nebraska. At about this\ntime, his father, who was a surveyor, was lost in a snow storm, and\nthe responsibility of caring for his family fell in large measure on\nthe boy. Soon after this he obtained employment as clerk in the\ntrader's store at the Pawnee agency, and thus made the acquaintance of\nthe tribe. His strong character early brought him to the notice of\ntheir principal men, and almost before attaining manhood he had become\na person of influence in the councils of the Pawnee Nation.\n\nIn the year 1864 Frank North was authorized to enlist a company of\nPawnee scouts to be employed against the bands of hostile Indians,\nwhose depredations were at that time becoming very troublesome. The\ncommand was organized that autumn, and did some service along the old\nemigrant trail. It was not until the summer of 1865, however, that it\nsaw any serious fighting. In that year General Connor of California\ncommanded a large expedition to the Powder River country, and the\nPawnee scouts accompanied him and rendered brilliant service.\n\nLater, during the building of the Union Pacific Railway, the\ndepredations of the hostile Sioux, Cheyennes and Arapahoes became so\nserious along the line of the road that the Government authorized Mr.\nNorth to enlist a battalion of scouts from the Pawnee Nation, and\noffered him the command with the rank of major. Several companies of\nthese scouts were so enlisted, and for years the battalion did good\nservice on the plains and in the mountains in Nebraska, Kansas and\nWyoming, serving under Generals Auger, Emory, Carr, Royal, Mackenzie\nand Crook, some of the most successful Indian fighters in that\nDepartment. The Pawnee scouts were everywhere, and at all times brave\nmen, good soldiers and victorious warriors. The amount of property\nsaved to the Government, the settlers and the railroad through the\nefforts of Major North's command can scarcely be computed. In all his\nservice of almost constant fighting, extending over a period of more\nthan ten years, he never lost a man on the battle field, and this\ncaused him to be regarded by the Pawnees as divinely favored.\n\nIt is impossible within the limits of a few pages to give even a\nsketch of the services performed by Frank North and his scouts. Two or\nthree isolated episodes in his career will show something of the\nconstant danger and hardship of the life he led, and of the courage,\ncoolness and determination of the leader and his men.\n\nSuch an episode, memorable alike for its danger, the completeness of\nthe victory gained, and the fact that it won for him the title by\nwhich he was ever after known among the Pawnees, marked his first\ncampaign. It was in the Powder River country, and Captain North had\nstarted with a detachment of his scouts in pursuit of a party of\nIndians, whose trail he had found. For some weeks his men had been\nhard worked; and at this time their horses were so jaded that although\nthey had come within sight of the Cheyennes, they were unable to\novertake them and force them to a fight. Captain North, who was\nmounted on a fresh horse, rode far ahead of his men, who were\nconstantly falling further and further behind. At length, realizing\nthe futility of continuing the pursuit, North dismounted, fired a\nparting shot at the Indians, and was about to ride back toward camp,\nwhen the fleeing Cheyennes, about twenty-five in number, turned and\ncharged him. He then discovered that he had outridden all his men. Not\none of them was in sight. Hastily dismounting, he prepared to receive\nthe enemy, and firing as they advanced killed one. The rest sheered\noff, and rode out of rifle shot, and then formed again for another\ncharge. Feeling for a cartridge to reload his rifle, North made the\nstartling discovery that he had but three left, all the others having\nbeen lost during his rapid ride. He found, too, that his horse had\nbeen wounded by a ball from the Cheyennes, and was in no condition for\nrunning; indeed, it could not be ridden. His situation seemed well\nnigh hopeless, but he prepared to make the best of it, by retreating\non foot, leading his wounded horse as a shelter, from behind which to\nfight. When the Cheyennes charged him he would face about, raise his\ngun to his shoulder, as if about to fire, and the Indians, who had\nalready tasted the quality of his lead, would drop down behind their\nhorses, and sheer off, never coming so close to him as to make it\nnecessary for him to use one of his precious cartridges. After a long\nweary walk of twelve or fifteen miles, during which his moccasin-shod\nfeet were cruelly lacerated by the thorns of the cactus, over which he\nwalked, his pursuers left him, and he reached his command in safety.\nNo sooner had he arrived at the camp than, taking a fresh horse and\nordering out a well-mounted detachment of his men, he set out in\npursuit of the enemy. All that afternoon they rode hard, and when\nnight fell, dismounting a couple of Pawnees to follow the trail on\nfoot, the pursuit was still kept up. Just after daylight, as they rode\nout into a little park in the mountains, a tiny column of blue smoke\nrising from a clump of cottonwood trees showed where the hostiles were\ncamped. The Pawnees rode steadily forward in double file in military\nfashion; and the Cheyennes, supposing that they were white soldiers,\njumped on their horses and rode out on to the open hillside where they\nformed a line of battle to meet the enemy. The Pawnees rode quietly\nonward until they were quite near the Cheyennes, and then loud and\nclear their ringing war whoop broke out upon the morning air. When the\nCheyennes heard this war-cry, which told them that the attacking party\nwere Pawnees, their hearts became like water, and they turned and\nfled. Already, however, seven of their number had fallen before the\nPawnee bullets, and the fresher horses of the Pawnees easily overtook\nthe tired ones ridden by the pursued. Of that party of Cheyennes not\none escaped, and with twenty-seven scalps, and all the plunder, the\nvictorious Pawnees returned that afternoon to their command.\n\nAmong the captured property were thirty-five horses and mules, some of\nwhich had been taken from a party of fifteen soldiers, killed to a man\nby these Cheyennes but a few days before; there were also the scalps\nof these soldiers, and wearing apparel belonging to white women and\nchildren, which justified the belief that they had recently massacred\na party of emigrants.\n\nIt was on the occasion of the scalp dance which followed this victory,\nand when the Scouts were changing their names, as was the custom after\na successful encounter with the enemy, that the Pawnees gave to Major\nNorth the title _Pa\u00b4-ni Le-shar_ (Chief of the Pawnees), a name which\nhas been borne by only one other white man, General John C. Fremont,\nthe Pathfinder.\n\nThe story of the killing of Tall Bull, and the fight with Turkey Leg's\nband of Sioux, illustrate the readiness and the daring of Major North\nin battle. Tall Bull was a chief who commanded a large village of\nrenegade Sioux and Cheyennes, who had given great trouble by their\ndepredations. Major North, with his Pawnees and some white United\nStates troops, had been looking for this village for some time, and at\nlength succeeded in surprising it near Summit Springs. The village was\ncaptured in the charge and many of the hostiles killed. Others fled or\nconcealed themselves in the ravines and washouts, which seamed the\nprairie, and made a desperate fight. The Pawnees were scattered about\nin little parties, killing the Indians thus concealed, when Major\nNorth and his brother came riding rapidly along, side by side, over\nthe open prairie. They had approached within fifty or sixty yards of a\nnarrow steep-walled ravine, of the existence of which they were\nignorant, when an Indian raised his head above its side and fired. The\nball whistled between the heads of the two riders; Major North threw\nup his hands and reeled in the saddle as if about to fall, and the\nIndian's head disappeared from sight. Springing from his horse, the\nMajor handed his bridle rein to his brother and directed him to ride\naway at a gallop. The tramp of the two horses sounded more and more\nfaintly on the hard ground, and the Indian, thinking that the whites\nwere riding off, raised his head to note the effect of his shot.\nNorth's rifle was already leveled at the spot where the head had\ndisappeared, and as the black hair came into view the finger pressed\nthe trigger more and more closely, and as the eyes appeared above the\nground, a ball pierced the brain of Tall Bull. A hundred yards up the\nravine was found his war pony, stabbed to the heart, and by it sat his\nsquaw, awaiting with Indian patience whatever fate might come to her.\n\nDuring one of the summer hunts, on which Major North accompanied the\nPawnees, they were one day scattered out over the prairie running\nbuffalo, when all at once North heard the whistle of rifle balls and\nsaw the dirt thrown up about his horse by the bullets. He called to a\nPawnee near him to tell those boys to be more careful about shooting.\nThe Pawnee looked in the direction from which the balls were coming,\nand after an instant called back, \"They are Sioux, you had better\nrun.\" It was a large party of Sioux under the Chief Turkey Leg.\n\nNorth and the Pawnee rode for the bluffs near at hand, and before\nreaching them were joined by C. D. Morse, his brother-in-law, and half\na dozen Pawnees. The little party was surrounded by the Sioux and took\nrefuge in a shallow washout at the head of a ravine, where they were\nsomewhat sheltered from the enemy's fire by the sunflower stalks and\nthe low edges of the bank. Their horses were at once killed, and the\nSioux, who were numerous, became very bold, charging up to the edge of\nthe washout, and shooting down into it.\n\nThey were led by an Indian, apparently of some importance, who was\nconspicuous by a large American flag which he carried. This man was\nconstantly exhorting his men, and would lead them part way on the\ncharge, turning off, however, before coming within range of the\nwashout, where North and his brother-in-law, with the seven Pawnees,\nwere lying concealed. After each charge he would ride to the top of a\nhill near at hand, and make a speech to his warriors. It occurred to\nMajor North that if he could kill the man who carried the flag the\nother Sioux might lose some of their courage. As they were retiring\nfrom a charge, therefore, he crept cautiously down the ravine,\nconcealed by the long grass which grew in its bed, until he had come\nwithin rifle range of the hill from which the leader was making his\nspeech, and by a careful shot killed him and regained the shelter of\nthe washout without injury.\n\nDisheartened by the fall of their leader, the Sioux made no further\nattempt to kill the besieged company, but after a little desultory\nlong-range firing drew off, so that North and his little party\nregained the main village in safety.\n\nThe Pawnee Scouts were last called out in 1876, when General Mackenzie\nfought the hostile Cheyennes in the Powder River country; and, led by\nMajor North and his brother, they made that famous charge on the\nvillage which inflicted on the hostiles the crushing blow from which\nthey never recovered. How _Pa\u00b4-ni Le-shar_ held his men under fire\nthat day, when the bullets were raining on them from the hillsides,\nwas told in a letter written to me by a participant in the fight. \"For\ncool bravery,\" it ran, \"he beats anything that you ever saw. Why, at\none time we were under such hot fire that even our scouts wanted to\nrun, and to tell you the truth, I felt sort of that way myself; but\nFrank just straightened himself up on the old black horse and said,\nvery quietly, 'The first one of _my_ men that runs I will kill.' They\ndidn't run.\"\n\nIf the full story of Major North's life were written it would\nconstitute a history of the Indian wars in Nebraska and Wyoming from\n1860 to 1876--a history so complete that there would be little left to\nadd to it. Wherever the hostile Indians were worst there Frank North\nwas to be found at the head of his Pawnee Scouts, doing the hardest of\nthe fighting, and accomplishing work that could have been done by no\nother body of men.\n\nFrom his long service in the army Major North was known to all\nofficers who have ever been stationed in the field where his\noperations were conducted, and by all of them he was admired and\nrespected. He was closely connected with the growth of the State of\nNebraska. Several times he represented Platte county in the\nLegislature, and the strength and uprightness of his character won the\nconfidence of all who knew him. He died at his home in Columbus,\nNebraska, March 14, 1885, aged forty-five years.\n\nHis was a singularly lovable nature. If the stronger manly points of\nhis character inspired respect and admiration, not less did his\ngentleness and consideration for others win the deepest affection. He\nwas modest almost to diffidence, and it was with difficulty that he\ncould be induced to speak of his own heroic achievements. And yet his\nface told the story of the power within the man.\n\nThe secret of Major North's success in commanding the Pawnees, who\nloved him as much as they respected him, lay in the unvarying\nfirmness, justice, patience and kindness with which he treated them.\nHe never demanded anything unreasonable of them, but when he gave an\norder, even though obedience involved great peril, or appeared to mean\ncertain death, it was a command that must be carried out. He was their\ncommander, but at the same time their brother and friend. Above all,\nhe was their leader. In going into battle he never said to them,\n\"Go,\" but always \"Come on.\" It is little wonder, then, that the\ndevotion felt for him by all the Pawnee Nation, and especially by the\nmen who had served under him in battle, was as steadfast as it was\ntouching.\n\n\nIII. WAR PARTIES.\n\nIt has already been said that the highest ambition of the Pawnee young\nman was to be successful in war. His whole training, all his\nsurroundings, caused him to believe that this success was the only\nthing worth living for. Life at best he regarded as hard enough, and\nonly the fame to be acquired by the performance of brave deeds could\nsweeten it so as to make it endurable. To convey a notion of the way\nin which these war parties were originated, and of the manner in which\nthey were led, I give here stories told me by three brave men who in\nthe old days led out many war parties. The three stories were taken\ndown from the lips of the narrators. Only one who is familiar with\nscenes in an Indian camp can conceive how much these stories lose by\nbeing put into cold type. As heard from the lips of the Indian, they\nhave accessories of surroundings, voice and gesticulation, which add\ntremendously to their vividness and their interest. Your Indian is a\nreal actor, and in telling a story he throws himself into his tale,\nand helps out his vocal speech with a sign vocabulary which almost\ntells the whole story to one who is ignorant of the language.\n\nIn the middle of the lodge the fire is burning, and over it hangs the\npot which is ever bubbling. At the back of the lodge, opposite the\ndoorway, sits the host, and above him to the lodge poles are tied the\nsacred bundles, their buckskin coverings black with the smoke and wear\nof years, perhaps of centuries. To the left of the host are the most\nimportant guests, and the other inmates of the lodge are scattered\nabout here and there, the women being nearest the door. The host hands\nthe pipe to some young man, who carefully fills it, and soon it is\npassing around the circle. Then a few remarks are made by the older\nmen, and some question is asked which starts discussion. After that\ncomes a pause, and then a middle-aged warrior begins a story. He is\nThey-know-that-Leader, and he tells how he took the horses:\n\n\"They tell me that my father was a warrior, and in his time led out\nmany war parties. In my young days I went out with war parties as a\nvolunteer many times.\n\n\"In my trips with warriors I had closely watched their ways and\nmovements. I had learned from them how to shoot and how to travel so\nas to escape discovery. I made three trips as leader. I resolved one\ntime, just as we were setting out on the summer hunt, that during the\nhunt I would lead a party off on the warpath. I made my plans, but I\nwaited first to make the sacrifice. At that time we did not go far; we\ncame back to the village because the Sioux were about us on the hunt.\n\n\"On a certain day I played all day the stick game\n(_Satsa-wi-kah-t\u00fbsh_). In the afternoon I had lost everything I had.\nLate in the afternoon I called a few of the young men to sit down with\nme. When they had come and sat down with me, there were only a few. I\nsaid to them, 'I have called you together to let you know that I am\npoor in mind. I want to find out if _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ will take pity on me\nand help me. I intend that you and I shall go off somewhere on the\nwarpath. Make your preparations to start in two days. Get your\nmoccasins filled with food, get your awls and sinews, your arrows and\nyour bows.'\n\n\"On the day I had set, in the night, we went out from the village,\nhaving with us the old man who had performed the ceremonies of the\nsacred things that I was to have with me. On the outskirts of the\nvillage, we stood in a row, and the old man prayed for our success.\nThen we were ready to start.\n\n\"Different war parties had gone out before I started, but I considered\nto see if there was not some way in which I could beat them. I made a\nplan by which I got ahead of them. We traveled fast, and went up to\nGrand Island to get some arrows--for my young men had but few\narrows--and also to get some provisions. The next morning we again\nstarted, and went as far as we could that day. At night I performed\nceremonies, as I had been directed. I filled a pipe and smoked to\n_Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, as we have always done. That is the first thing we have\nto do. Then I told some of my young men to build a fire, and others to\ngo off to a distance to watch.\n\n\"On a war party some one was always taken along who could shoot well.\nThis time we had no one except myself. The next day I killed an\nantelope, but I did not sacrifice then, because those are not animals\nwhich we sacrifice. We had been gone three nights more before I\nkilled anything more. The fourth day I killed a buck deer, and I\nsacrificed it. From that day on I never killed anything.\n\n\"After I had been out nine days I stole the horses. It was not always\nthe same about stealing horses. It was not always done in the same\nway. It was daytime when my scouts discovered that there were people\nabout; they saw signs of a village. They told me afterward that they\nhad heard reports of guns during the day. They had not come back to\ntell me of this, but had gone by. I was coming on behind with the\nyoung men, when all at once I heard the report of a gun. As soon as I\nheard it I stopped, and sent two spies out to see what it was, and\nwhether a camp was near. They wandered about in the timber, and came\nback and said that they saw nothing. I told my men that we would go\noff to a distance and wait there during the night. We waited there\nuntil morning, and when the sun got up we heard the report of guns in\ndifferent directions, and sometimes coming toward us. We went to a\nca\u00f1on, and hid in the plum brush, and ate plums. Of course we were\nafraid, but we ate the plums. We thought that this might be the last\ntime we would ever have any plums. They were shooting all about us,\nand seemed to be coming closer. In the afternoon, the shots stopped,\nand they went on to their camp.\n\n\"While we were hiding here, many of the party feared that we had been\nseen. They wanted to start back as soon as it grew dark, but I\ndeceived them. I told them that I was very thirsty, and that we would\nhave to go down to a certain place near the river, and get a drink of\nwater. After night we started, and as we were going along, we heard a\ndog bark. We stopped and sat down, and I told my companions that two\nmen, whom I called by name, were to go and steal horses. 'But,' I\nsaid, 'I am going with them to look after them.' I told them to pull\noff their leggings and moccasins, because the brush was dry and caught\non them, making a noise. We went together to a certain place near the\nvillage, and then these young men told me that they had been there the\nday before and had been discovered. Then they turned around and went\nback to where the party were hiding, but I went on to the village.\n\n\"When I came close to the village everything was still; the people\nwere asleep. Where I entered the camp, there was a little timber\ngrowing, and here I stopped. While I was considering what I should do,\na girl came out of a lodge, but she went away from me. If she had\ncome toward me I should have killed her, for she would have discovered\nme. After the girl had entered a lodge, I went into the camp to where\nthere were some horses. I drove them out of the camp. Six went back,\nand I drove nine to where I had left my party. The two that I had\nordered to steal horses for me were there. When I came to the place,\nand found all my men there, I said to them, 'This is very good. I have\nstolen some horses for you. Now I will go back and get the rest of\nthem for you.' One of the other men persuaded me not to go again, but\nto let him go. He did so, and brought the six other horses.\n\n\"It was the custom, if it was very difficult or dangerous to go to a\nplace to steal horses, for the leader himself to go and do the work.\n\n\"After two nights on the return journey I divided the horses among the\nmen. It used to be the custom after a party had been successful and\nbrought back the horses for them to change their names. After this\ntrip my name was changed to 'They-know-that-Leader.' It was the custom\namong the Pawnees if they brought in horses to make an offering. We\nfelt that we owed something to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, and we gave a horse to the\npriest, the old man who had performed the ceremonies. I was gone but\nthirteen days, and returned to my tribe.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nAfter him follows _A-ka-pa-kish_--Pities-the-Poor. He, too, tells his\nstory, and explains why one of his war parties was unsuccessful:\n\n\"My father told me, if I should ever want to go off on a war party, to\nhumble myself, and not to let a day pass without praying to\n_Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ by my smokes. I must always remember to pray to\n_Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ to give me a strong will, and to encourage and bless me in\nmy worship to him. Even when I was eating I must always remember to\npray to him. This I must do for some time before starting out.\n\n\"At one time I felt that I was poor, and I resolved to go off on the\nwarpath. A warrior, whom I knew, went out and took a lot of horses. He\nhad been as poor as I. I believed that this man had got his horses\nbecause he had prayed to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, and I thought, 'If I pray to\n_Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, why may I not do the same.' So I prayed. No one else knew\nwhat I intended. After I had made up my mind, I selected another man,\none whom I could trust, and called him to tell him of my resolve. I\nmade him sit by me in the lodge, and said to him, 'I want you to sit\nby me to-day, and smoke, and learn my intention.' After we had smoked,\nI said to him, 'My friend, I want you to know that we are on the\nwarpath. We are going out to look for some horses.' After he had\nsmoked, the other man replied, saying, 'Brother, it is well. Let us\nask _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ to take pity on us, to help us on our war trip, and to\nlet us bring home many horses.' We two were the leaders.\n\n\"Some time after we had talked together, and made up our minds what we\nwould do, we selected certain young men that we could depend on, and\ntold them that we were on the warpath. This was done in this way. We\nselected a pipe with which to have a sacred smoke, filled it and\nsmoked. Then we called together into the lodge the others, who did not\nknow our purpose. After they had assembled, I filled the pipe, and\nsaid, 'We are going on a war party. We have filled this pipe, and must\ndecide what is to be done.' Then I passed the pipe to the man who sat\nnext to me. If he wished to join us he smoked, and passed it to the\nnext man. It was not allowed for any one to smoke unless he would go\nwith this party. Some might refuse the pipe, saying, 'I have decided\nto go with another party.' The smoking of the pipe was a promise that\nthe leader could depend on the man who smoked.\n\n\"They used to have a certain ceremony to follow before starting out on\nthe warpath. It was something handed down, a special manner of praying\nto _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ that he would bless them in their warfare.\n\n\"At last everything was ready for the start. The young men had their\npacks made up. They carried cooked pounded corn, and pounded buffalo\nmeat mixed with tallow; and sometimes the loads were heavy. Some would\ncarry ten pairs of moccasins, each one stuffed full of corn, or\npounded buffalo meat. They were well fed. The loads were so heavy that\nat first we would only make short marches. The leaders had to see that\nthe young men were not overworked.\n\n\"When all was ready, the priest who performed the ceremonies met us.\nHe brought with him the sacred bundle which we were to take with us.\nAt night when it was all still, after every one was asleep, the\nceremonies were performed. We smoked and worshiped to the east and\nwest, and to the north and south, and prayed for success.\n\n\"On that night we started, and went as far as we could; and the next\nday, toward evening, when we stopped, we dug out a fire-place, like\nthe one in a lodge, and we two leaders sat by it, facing the east,\nwhile before us were the sacred things. The leader has to be a good\norator, he has to speak to his young men, and advise them well,\nencouraging them to be strong-hearted. He would speak to them and say,\n'We have but a short time to live, so while we are on this trip let us\ndetermine to be single-minded. Let us all look to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, who is\nthe ruler over all things, and ask him to take pity on us, and bless\nour warpath. We must respect the animals that the ruler has made and\nnot kill any of them; no birds, nor wolves, nor any creeping things.'\nNot a night passed but that, after we were seated in a circle, I would\ntalk to the party, and pray, and hope that _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ would bless us\nand take pity on us, and that we might be the party that would have\ngood success. On my war parties I had to watch at all times, even when\nI was resting, to see that my young men should, before they slept,\npray to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ that they might dream something good, and that it\nmight come to pass.\n\n\"The old priest who had performed the ceremonies, and had let me take\nthe sacred things, had told me to kill a particular kind of animal, a\ndeer, and sacrifice it. I sent some spies ahead to look over the\ncountry, and a messenger came back from them, saying that they had\nseen some animals. He did not describe them, and I ordered the\nmessenger to have the hunter kill them. I heard the report of a gun.\nThe hunter with two shots killed three. They were antelope. When the\nhunter came to me he told me what he had done, and described the\nanimals which he had killed. They were not the animals I had been\ndirected to kill for the sacrifice. I hesitated, for I did not know\nwhat to do. I did not wish to eat these animals before the sacrifice\nhad been made. To do this is bad. It troubled me. I was troubled,\nbecause if we ate them it would look as if we cared nothing for\n_Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. Finally we ate what had been killed, and made no\nsacrifice. Afterward we killed two more and ate them, and still made\nno sacrifice.\n\n\"One night I dreamed that the hunter had shot a buffalo. It fell, but\nas we went up to it, it got up and ran off. We went on for eight days,\nand had made no sacrifice to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. One day my scouts saw a man\nsitting on a hill. Some of them wanted to shoot at him, but the others\nsaid 'no.' They came back to tell me about it, and when they had\nreturned to the place where they had seen him, the man was gone. The\nman had seen my spies. Not far off was a village, and the warriors in\nit came to look for us, but we ran away. They hunted for us, but we\nhad got out of their sight. After this we came back home.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nCurly Chief, second chief of the Kit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i band, is the last, and\nhe tells how he sacrificed a scalp:\n\n\"It was in the fall, before the winter buffalo hunt was made, that I\nthought I would go on the warpath. Every little while I would call a\nfew men to sit down with me, and would tell them that I had it in mind\nto go on the warpath.\n\n\"The people went out on the winter hunt and killed buffalo, and while\nthey were on their way back to the village, I started on the warpath\nwith a number of young men. From the camp we went south to the\nArkansas River. When we reached that river, it began to snow, and the\nsnow fell six feet deep. We stopped in one place eleven days, till the\nsnow got less deep. From there we went on to the sandhills by the\nNorth Canadian. One day as we were going along, we saw far off three\nIndians on foot. They were Kiowas. Probably they had been on the\nwarpath and had lost their horses. We attacked and killed them. They\ndid not fight. We killed them like women. Then, indeed, we divided the\nscalps, and made many of them. From there we started home, and found\nthe tribe camped on the Solomon River. When we reached home there was\ngreat joy, and we danced the scalp dance.\n\n  [Illustration: CURLY CHIEF--KIT-KE-HAHK\u00b4-I.]\n\n\"I sacrificed a scalp to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. I felt that he had given me the\nvictory over my enemies, and for this reason I wanted to give him\nsomething, I wanted to make an acknowledgment of his goodness to me.\nHe had taken pity on me and helped me. It was a sacrifice greater than\nthe sacrifice of the buffalo meat. Not many men have made it, but once\nin a while you see some one who has been noticed by the Ruler. It is\nour aim, after we have been helped, to give thanks.\"\n\n  [Illustration: PAWNEE DIRT LODGE.]\n\n\n\n\nRELIGION.\n\n\nI. BELIEFS.\n\nIt is generally believed that, among the Indians of North America, the\npriests and the shamans, \"medicine men,\" or doctors, are the same.\nThis is not the case with the Pawnees. Among them the priestly office\nwas entirely distinct from that of the doctor, and had nothing in\ncommon with it. The priest was in a sense the medium of communication\nwith _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_; he prayed to the deity more efficaciously than could\na common person, acted, in fact, as an intercessor; he knew the\nsecrets of the sacred bundles, and when he asked anything good for the\ntribe, or for an individual, it was likely to be granted. His\neducation and the power given him from above brought him into\nspecially close relations with _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, who seemed to watch over\nhim and to listen to him when he interceded for the tribe. He was an\nintermediary between _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ and the people, and held a relation\nto the Pawnees and their deity not unlike that occupied by Moses to\nJehovah and the Israelites.\n\nThe office of the \"medicine man,\" shaman or doctor, had to do only\nwith sickness or injury. He was the healer. Disease was caused by bad\nspirits, and it was the doctor's part to drive off these evil\ninfluences.\n\nIn the lodge or house of every Pawnee of influence, hanging on the\nwest side, and so opposite the door, is the sacred bundle neatly\nwrapped in buckskin, and black with smoke and age. What these bundles\ncontain we do not know. Sometimes, from the ends, protrude bits of\nscalps, and the tips of pipe stems and slender sticks, but the whole\ncontents of the bundle are known only to the priests and to its\nowner--perhaps, not always even to him. The sacred bundles are kept on\nthe west side of the lodge, because, being thus furthest from the\ndoor, fewer people will pass by them than if they were hung in any\nother part of the lodge. Various superstitions attach to these\nbundles. In the lodges where certain of them are kept it is forbidden\nto put a knife in the fire; in others, a knife may not be thrown; in\nothers, it is not permitted to enter the lodge with the face painted;\nor again, a man cannot go in if he has feathers tied in his head.\n\nOn certain sacred occasions the bundles are opened, and their contents\nform part of the ceremonial of worship.\n\nNo one knows whence the bundles came. Many of them are very old; too\nold even to have a history. Their origin is lost in the haze of the\nlong ago. They say, \"The sacred bundles were given us long ago. No one\nknows when they came to us.\" Secret Pipe Chief, one of the very oldest\nmen in the tribe, and its High Priest, said to me:\n\n\"All the sacred bundles are from the far off country in the southwest,\nfrom which we came long ago. They were handed down to the people\nbefore they started on their journey. Then they had never seen\nanything like iron, but they had discovered how to make the flint\nknives and arrow points. There was nothing that came to us through the\nwhites. It all came to us through the power of _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. Through\nhis power we were taught how to make bows and stone knives and arrow\nheads.\n\n\"It was through the Ruler of the universe that the sacred bundles\nwere given to us. We look to them, because, through them and the\nbuffalo and the corn, we worship _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. We all, even the chiefs,\nrespect the sacred bundles. When a man goes on the warpath, and has\nled many scouts and brought the scalps, he has done it through the\nsacred bundles. There were many different ceremonies that they used to\ngo through. The high priest performs these ceremonies.\n\n\"The high priestship was founded in this way: The black eagle spoke to\na person, and said to him, 'I am one of those nearest to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_,\nand you must look to me to be helped; to the birds and the\nanimals--look to me, the black eagle, to the white-headed eagle, to\nthe otter and the buffalo.'\n\n\"The black eagle sent the buzzard as a messenger to this person, and\nhe gave him the corn. The secrets of the high priestship and the other\nsecrets were handed down at the same time. The buzzard, because he is\nbald, stands for the old men who have little hair. The white-headed\neagle also represents the old men, those whose hair is white. These\nare the messengers through whom _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ sends his words to the\npeople. The Wichitas also had these secrets, and so have the Rees.\"\n\nThe Pawnees believe that they were created by _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, but that\nthere had been people on the earth before them. They say, \"The first\nmen who lived on the earth were very large Indians. They were giants;\nvery big and very strong. The animals that lived then were the same\nthat we know now, and of the same size. These giants used to hunt the\nbuffalo on foot. They were so swift and strong that a man could run\ndown a buffalo, and kill it with a great stone, or a club, or even\nwith his flint knife. Then, when he had killed it, if it was a big\nbuffalo bull, he would tie it up, throw it over his back, and carry it\ninto camp, just as a man to-day would carry in an antelope. When one\nkilled a yearling, he would push its head up under his belt, and let\nits body swing by his side, just as we would carry a rabbit.\n\n\"These people did not believe in _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. When it would thunder\nand rain, they would shake their fists at the sky and call out bad\nwords. In these days all people, wherever they live--all Indians, all\nwhite men, all Mexicans and all black men--when they smoke up, speak\nto _A-ti\u00b4-us Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, and ask that he will give them the right kind\nof a mind, and that he will bless them, so that they may have plenty\nto eat, and may be successful in war, and may be made chiefs and head\nmen. When we smoke toward the earth we say, 'Father of the dead, you\nsee us.' This means that this is _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa's_ ground. It belongs to\nhim, and we ask him that he will let us walk on it, and will let us be\nburied in it. We believe that after we are dead we will live again\nwith _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ up in the sky. We fear nothing after death worse than\nwe know now. All will live again with _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ and be happy. A\nthief, one who steals from others in the camp, one who is bad, dies,\nand that is the end of him. He goes into the ground, and does not live\nagain. One reason why we believe that there is a life after death is\nthat sometimes, when asleep, we dream and see these things. We see\nourselves living with _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. Then, too, we often dream of our\npeople whom we have known, and who have died. We dream of being dead\nourselves, and of meeting these people and talking with them, and\ngoing to war with them.\n\n\"Now, these giants did not believe in any of these things. They did\nnot pray to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, and they thought that they were very strong,\nand that nothing could overcome them. They grew worse and worse. At\nlast _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ got angry, and he made the water rise up level with\nthe land, and all the ground became soft, and these great people sank\ndown into the mud and were drowned. The great bones found on the\nprairie are the bones of these people, and we have been in deep\nca\u00f1ons, and have seen big bones under ground, which convinces us that\nthese people did sink into the soft ground.\n\n\"After the destruction of the race of giants, _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ created a\nnew race of men, small, like those of to-day. He made first a man and\na woman. They lived on the earth and were good. To them was given the\ncorn. From this man and this woman the Pawnees sprung, and they have\nalways cultivated the corn from the earliest times.\"\n\nThere can be no doubt as to the belief of the Pawnees in a future\nlife. The spirits of the dead live after their bodies have become\ndust. The stories of the Ghost Bride and the Ghost Wife, already\ngiven, are examples of this belief. Secret Pipe Chief told me of\nhimself:\n\n\"I was dead once. Just as I died, I found my way leading to an Indian\nvillage. I entered it, and went straight to the lodge of my friends\nand my relations. I saw them, and when I saw them I knew them again. I\neven knew my old relations, whom I had never looked on when I was\nalive. I went into a lodge, but I was not offered a seat, and I\nthought that I was not welcome. I came out of the lodge, and went out\nof the village toward the west. Then I came back to life again. In the\nmorning I had died, and I came to life in the afternoon. That must be\nthe reason that I still live, and am getting old. I was not welcome\nyet. They did not receive me. From this I am convinced that there is a\nlife after we are dead.\"\n\nSometimes ghosts appear to them, but more often they merely speak to\nthem; only a voice is heard. They believe that the little whirlwinds\noften seen in summer are ghosts. The reason for this is that once a\nperson shot at a whirlwind with his arrow. The arrow passed through\nit, and it all disappeared and came to nothing. Then the man was\nconvinced that it was a ghost, and that he had killed it.\n\nThe different bands of the Pawnees had not all the same beliefs. Thus\nthe Skidi band offered up the human sacrifice--a captive taken in\nwar--to the morning star. This is thought to have been a propitiatory\noffering to avert the evil influences exerted by that planet. At the\npresent day the Indians speak of the sacrifice as having been made to\n_Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. None of the other tribes had this form of worship, and in\nthis fact we have another indication that the separation of the Skidi\nfrom the Pawnees had been a long one. The _Ka-wa-ra-kish_ band of the\nPita-hau-erat, are said to have been \"the only ones of the Pawnees who\ndid not worship _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. They worshiped toward the west.\"\n\nMention has been made of the _Nahu\u00b4rac_, or animals, which possess\nmiraculous attributes given them by _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. The Pawnees know of\nfive places where these animals meet to hold council--five of these\n_Nahu\u00b4rac_ lodges. One of these is at _Pa-h\u00fck\u00b4_, on the south side of\nthe Platte River, opposite the town of Fremont, in Nebraska. The word\n_Pa-h\u00fck\u00b4_ means \"hill island.\" Another animal home is under an island\nin the Platte River, near the town of Central City. It is called by\nthe Pawnees _La-la-wa-koh-ti-to_, meaning \"dark island.\" The third of\nthese sacred places is on the Loup Fork, opposite the mouth of the\nCedar River, and under a high, white cut bank. It is called\n_Ah-ka-wit-akol_, \"white bank.\" Another is on the Solomon River,\n_Kitz-a-witz-\u00fck_, \"water on a bank;\" it is called _Pa\u00b4howa_ sometimes.\nThis is a mound, shaped like a dirt lodge. At the top of the mound, in\nthe middle, is a round hole, in which, down below, can be seen water.\nAt certain times, the people gather there, and throw into this hole\ntheir offerings to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, blankets and robes, blue beads,\ntobacco, eagle feathers and moccasins. Sometimes, when they are\ngathered there, the water rises to the top of the hole, and flows out,\nrunning down the side of the mound into the river. Then the mothers\ntake their little children and sprinkle the water over them, and pray\nto _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ to bless them. The water running out of the hole often\ncarries with it the offerings, and the ground is covered with the old\nrotten things that have been thrown in. The fifth place is a hard,\nsmooth, flinty rock, sticking up out of the ground. They call it\n_Pa-h\u00fbr\u00b4_, \"hill that points the way.\" In the side of the hill there\nis a great hole, where the _Nahu\u00b4rac_ hold councils. This hill is in\nKansas, and can be seen from the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad.\nIt is known to the whites as Guide Rock.\n\n\nII. CEREMONIES.\n\nTo describe satisfactorily any considerable proportion of the\nreligious ceremonials of the Pawnees, would require a more extended\nspace than is here at my command. Several of the special ceremonies,\nhowever, may be mentioned in general terms.\n\nLike some other tribes of the plains Indians, the Pawnees had a\ncertain special worship at the time of the first thunder in the\nspring. This first thunder warned them that winter was at an end and\nthat the time of the planting was drawing near.\n\nOf this worship a Chau-i said to me: \"We all believe in _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_.\nWe know that there is a power above that moves the universe, and that\nhe controls all things. In the old days when they had buffalo meat,\nthey used to make a sacrifice at the time of the first thunder in the\nspring. The next day after it had thundered, all the people would go\ninto the sacred lodge, where the sacred bundles were kept at that\ntime. When they had all come together, the priest would open the\nbundles and take out the sacred things, among which were Indian\ntobacco and some little pieces of scalp tied to a stick. Through these\nsacred things we worshiped, and the sacrifices were made to the Ruler\nabove. This seemed to be a help to us, and we used to live, increase\nand grow strong. Up north, when we worshiped at the time of the first\nthunder, we never had cyclones. Down here, now that this worship has\nbeen given up, we have them.\"\n\nThere is no doubt that the most important of the religious ceremonials\nof the Pawnees were the burnt offering of the animal and of the scalp.\nThese two, though different, had yet the same meaning. In each the\nsacrifice was an offering to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. Perhaps next in importance\nto these were the buffalo dance and the corn dance, which were special\nceremonies to implore a blessing on the hunt and on the harvest.\n\nThe first animal killed on the hunt was sacrificed. It was necessary\nthat this animal should be either a deer or a buffalo; the first one\nkilled on the hunt of these two kinds. They were not permitted to kill\nany other sort of an animal, save only these two, until after the\nsacrifice had been made.\n\nWhen this first animal had been killed, it was brought into the camp,\nand taken to the sacred lodge, and there the priests themselves went\nthrough the secret ceremonies. Then they divided the meat, and took a\npart of it to the southeast end of the village. There they built a\nfire of sticks, and placed the meat on it. As the fire burned the\nflesh, the whole tribe marched slowly and reverently by the fire, and\ngrasped handfuls of the smoke, and rubbed it over their bodies and\narms, and prayed, saying, \"Now, you, _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, the Ruler, look at\nyour children, and bless them; keep them and have mercy upon them, and\ncare for them.\" If any could not understand, such as little children,\ntheir elders, who did understand--their relations--prayed for them.\nThe sick were carried out to the place, and prayed, and the smoke was\nrubbed over them. The young men would run races, starting from a\ncertain place, and going around the village until they came to the\nplace where the smoke of the sacrifice rose.\n\nThe sacrifice, by burning of the scalp, was a very elaborate\nperformance, and occupied a whole day. The high priest faced the east\nand prayed, and sang twelve times. Descriptions of it given me in\ngeneral terms indicate that this ceremony was extremely interesting.\nIt was rather unusual, but was performed once in 1877.\n\nThe sacrifice of the captive has not been practiced by the Skidi for a\nlong time, perhaps forty or fifty years. Bear Chief told me that he\nhad witnessed it six times; Eagle Chief, who is, perhaps, between\nfifty and sixty years old, says he has seen it once. The old Skidi\ndescribed the ceremony as follows:\n\n\"The Skidi alone of the Pawnees sacrificed human beings to\n_Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. When they had returned home from war successful, bringing\ncaptives with them, they selected one of these for the sacrifice. The\nothers were adopted into the tribe, but this one, who must be young\nand stout, one who would fatten easily, was kept apart, eating by\nhimself, fed on the best of food and treated with the greatest\nkindness. No hint of the fate in store for him was given until the day\nof the sacrifice. For four nights before that day the people danced;\nand for four days they feasted. Each day after they had got through\nfeasting, the dishes were taken to their especial place. Each woman,\nafter she got through eating, rose, and said to the prisoner, 'I have\nfinished eating, and I hope that I may be blessed from _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_;\nthat he may take pity on me; that when I put my seed in the ground\nthey may grow, and that I may have plenty of everything.'\n\n\"At the end of the four days two old men went, one to each end of the\nvillage, and called aloud, directing every male person in the village\nto make a bow and an arrow, and to be ready for the sacrifice. For\nevery male child that had been born a bow and an arrow was made; for\nthe little boys small bows that they could bend and small arrows. The\narrows must be feathered with the feathers of the eagle, or of some\nbird of prey, a hawk, an owl or an eagle. They must not cut the\nfeathers nor burn them to make them low.\n\n\"The next day, before daybreak, every one was ready. All of the\nwarriors, who had led parties on the warpath, took from their sacred\nbundles their collars, made from the feathers of the bird they\nwore,[12] and put them on their backs and tied them about their necks.\nThey held their pipes in their left hands, to signify that they were\nwarriors. Every male carried his bow and arrow. Every woman had a\nlance or a stick. Just before daylight they all went out to the west\nend of the village, and stood there looking for the prisoner to be\nbrought. Here two stout posts had been set up, one of ash and the\nother of hackberry, and between these had been tied four cross-poles,\nthe three lower ones to aid in climbing up to the highest of the four.\n\n  [12] The Purple Martin, _Progne subis_.\n\n\"As day broke, the people, looking back toward the village, could see\nthe captive being led toward them, bound hand and foot. Behind him, as\nhe was led along, followed a warrior carrying the heart and tongue of\na buffalo; after him came another, carrying a blazing stick, then one\nwith a bow and arrow, and last a warrior with the stuffed skin of an\nowl.\n\n\"They led the naked captive to the posts, and lifting him up, tied\nfirst the left hand and then the right to the top cross-pole, and\nafterward tied the feet below. Every one stood there silent, looking,\nwaiting; the men holding their weapons and the women their sticks and\nlances. On the ground under the sacrifice was laid the wood for a\ngreat fire, which was now lighted. Then the man with the blazing stick\nstepped forward, but before he reached the captive, the warrior with\nthe bow and arrow, he who had taken the captive, ran up close to the\nvictim and shot him through from side to side, beneath the arms, with\nthe sacred arrow, whose point was of flint, such as they used in the\nolden time. After the blood had run down upon the fire below, the\nwarrior who carried the buffalo tongue and the heart, placed them on\nthe fire beneath the body. When this had been done the man who\ncarried the owl ran up, and seized the burning stick and burned the\nbody, once under each arm, and once in each groin, in all four times.\nThen, at a given signal, the males all ran up, and shot their arrows\ninto the body. If any male children were not large enough to shoot,\nsome one shot for them. There were so many arrows that the body was\nstuck full of them; it bristled with them.\n\n\"A man chosen for this purpose now climbed up, and pulled out all the\narrows from the body, except the one which was first shot through the\nside of the sacrifice, and placed them together in a pile on the\nground, where they were left. After pulling out the arrows, this man\ntook his knife and cut open the breast of the captive, and putting his\nhand in the opening, took out a handful of blood, and smeared it over\nhis face, and then jumped to the ground, and ran away as fast as he\ncould. Each of the four men, after he had done his part, ran away very\nfast, and went down to the river and washed himself. When this had\nbeen done the women came with their sticks and spears and struck the\nbody and counted _coup_ on it. Even the little children struck it.\nAfter they had done this, they put their sticks together on the\nground in a pile, and left them there. By this time the fire was\nburning up high and scorching the body, and it was kept up until the\nwhole body was consumed. And while the smoke of the blood and the\nbuffalo meat, and of the burning body, ascended to the sky, all the\npeople prayed to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, and walked by the fire and grasped\nhandfuls of the smoke, and passed it over their bodies and over those\nof their children, and prayed _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ to take pity on them, and to\ngive them health, and success in war, and plenteous crops. The man who\nhad killed the captive fasted and mourned for four days, and asked\n_Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ to take pity on him, for he knew that he had taken the\nlife of a human being.\n\n\"This sacrifice always seemed acceptable to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, and when the\nSkidi made it they always seemed to have good fortune in war, and good\ncrops, and they were always well.\n\n\"After the sacrifice was over, then came the old women to rejoice over\nwhat had been done. They would act as the warriors used to do, when\ncoming back from a war party. They carried the mother corn. They went\nto the body and counted _coup_ on it, and then went back to the\nvillage. Some of them would take the large hollow stalks of the\nsunflower, and put dust in them, and then blow it out, pretending to\nshoot, the puff of dust standing for the smoke of a shot. They would\ngo up to the secret lodge, and standing outside of it, would tell the\nstory of how they came to go on their pretended war party, and what\nthey did while they were gone, and what enemies they struck--the whole\nlong story. The people meanwhile would stand about and laugh at them\nas they did these things. Imitating the warriors, the old women\nchanged their names also. One of the leading old women once took the\nname 'Mud on the Meat,' another, 'Skunk Skin Tobacco Pouch,' another\n'Sitting Fish Old Man,' another 'Old Man Stepping on the Heart.' The\nold men standing about would joke with the old women, and these would\njoke and make fun of each other.\"\n\nThe different acts of this sacrifice appear to have been typical of\nthe deeds and necessities of warfare. Thus the feathers of the eagle\nused on the arrows shot into the captive represented success in war.\nTheir use was a prayer to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ that, as these birds were fierce\nand successful when making an attack, so those who shot might be\nfierce in war and always conquerors. The burning of the body of the\ncaptive with the blazing stick, perhaps, typified the lighting of the\nsacred pipe, which could only be done by one who had sacrificed a\nscalp. The shooting arrows into the body by the males and the striking\nit by the women typified the killing of and counting _coup_ on the\nenemy. The cutting open the belly was the first act in the sacrifice\nof the animal, the burnt offering.\n\nIt will be noted that this account differs in many particulars from\nthat given by Mr. Dunbar in his papers on this people, but I think it\nworth recording, as being an independent relation by a very old man,\nwho, I have no doubt, has been an eye-witness of more than one of\nthese remarkable sacrifices.\n\nI know of no satisfactory and detailed account of any of the sacred\ndances of the Pawnees. There were many of these, among them the corn\ndance, the buffalo dance, the wild horse dance, the deer, bear, dog\ndances and so on. I give below an account of the corn dance, as\ndetailed to me by Curly Chief, who said:\n\n\"The windy month [March] was the one in which _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ gave us the\nseed to cultivate. The first moon of April is the one during which\nthey had a special worship about the corn. Until these ceremonies had\nbeen performed no one would clear out the patch where they intended\nto plant the crop. Everybody waited for this time.\n\n\"The Kit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i was the only tribe in which this special ceremony\nwas handed down. The Chau-i and Pita-hau-erat worshiped with them. The\npreparations for this dance are always made by a woman. She has to\nthink about it a long time before she can make up her mind to\nundertake it. In making ready for the dance, she must furnish the\ndried meat made from the whole of a buffalo, fat and lean, every part\nof it. The sack which holds the heart she dries, and fills it with all\nthe kinds of corn--the five colors, the blue corn, which represents\nthe blue sky, the red corn, which stands for the evening sunset, the\nyellow corn, which typifies the morning sunrise, the white corn, which\nstands for a white cloud, and the spotted corn, which represents the\nsky dotted with clouds. All these she puts in the bag, placing in the\nsack three grains of each at a time. On the special day which has been\nfixed for the dance, she must offer these things to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_. The\npeople are all gathered together, the women standing on the outside of\nthe circle behind, and the men on the inner side of the circle in\nfront. This is a woman's dance, and yet the men are there in front of\nthe women. These men are the leading warriors of the tribe. They have\nbeen off on the warpath, and in time of corn have gone to the enemy.\nThey have been successful in war, and therefore they are with the\nwomen. They stand about the circle holding their pipes in their left\nhands, showing that they are leaders of war parties, and each with the\nskin of a particular bird[13] tied on top of the head, showing that\nthey are warriors.\n\n  [13] A Martin, _Progne_.\n\n\"The floor of the lodge must be hard, and swept as clean as it can be.\nOn the left hand side as you look toward the door is a buffalo skull.\n\n\"When the day has come all the people are gathered together and are\nstanding about the lodge. The high priest stands at the back of the\nlodge with the sacred bundles of the three bands before him. Then this\nleading woman comes forward, and presents to the high priest the dried\nmeat and the sack of corn, and two ancient, sacred hoes, made from the\nshoulder-blade of a buffalo, bound to a handle by the neck ligament.\nShe places them on the ground before the sacred bundles, the corn in\nthe middle, and the two hoes on either side. With these things she\nalso presents a sacred pipe, filled and ready for lighting, taken\nfrom a sacred bundle. Then she steps back.\n\n\"The old high priest must well know the ceremonies to be performed. He\nprays to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ and lights the sacred pipe, blowing smoke to\nheaven, to the earth, and to the four points of the compass. While the\nceremonies are going on, the buffalo skull is taken to the sacred\nplace in this lodge, and put in a particular position. Then the\nleading woman steps forward again, followed by two others. She takes\nthe bag of corn, and the other two women take the hoes, and they stand\nin front of the high priest. He sings and prays. The leading woman\nstands in a particular position, as directed by the high priest,\nholding the bag of corn up to the sky in both her hands; and as he\nsings, she raises and lowers it in time to the music of the song.\n\n\"After these ceremonies the women come forward, holding their hoes in\ntheir hands, and dance about the lodge one after another in single\nfile, following the leading woman. Four times they dance about the\nlodge. She cannot pass the priest the fifth time. These ceremonies and\nthe songs and prayers were to ask for a blessing on the hunt and on\nthe corn, and to learn whether they would be blessed in both. After\nthe women had danced and gone back to their places, everybody looked\non the floor of the lodge to see whether there were any buffalo hairs\nthere. If they saw them, they all said, 'Now we are going to be\nsuccessful in our hunt and in our corn.' Everybody said, 'We are\nblessed.'\n\n\"Then when they would go out on the hunt they would find plenty of\nbuffalo, and the messenger sent back to the village from the hunt\nwould return to the camp and say, 'We have plenty of corn.' If they\nsaw a great many buffalo hairs they would get many buffalo; if but few\nthey would get some buffalo.\n\n\"The next day after these ceremonies every one would begin to clear up\ntheir patches and get ready to plant corn. The leading woman who\nprepared the dance is respected and highly thought of. After that she\nis like a chief.\n\n\"This ceremony is the next principal thing we have after the burnt\noffering of the animal and of the scalp. We did not invent this. It\ncame to us from the Ruler, and we worship him through it. He gave us\nthe corn and blessed us through it. By it we are made strong.\n\n\"We are like seed and we worship through the corn.\"\n\n\nIII. MEDICINE AND MYSTERY.\n\nIt has been said that the \"medicine men\" or doctors among the Pawnees\noccupied a position by themselves. Their guild was entirely distinct\nfrom that of the priests. A priest might be a doctor as well, but not\nbecause he was a priest.\n\nThe doctors were primarily healers. Their function was to fight\ndisease. Like many other savage nations, the Pawnees believed that\nsickness was caused by evil spirits, which had entered into the\npatient and must be driven out if he was to recover. In their\ntreatment of injuries the doctors were often singularly successful.\nMajor North has cited for me a number of instances, in which men,\nwhose hurts had refused to yield to the treatment of the United States\nArmy surgeons, had been cured by Pawnee doctors. Some of these have\nbeen detailed elsewhere. As might be imagined, however, the Pawnee\ntreatment of disease was less efficacious. Simple ailments were often\ntreated with success by means of the familiar sudatory, or \"sweat\nhouse;\" but in the case of more serious complaints, the dancing and\nrattling, which constitute so large a part of the doctor's treatment,\ntend to aggravate rather than to check the disease. I have not space\nto discuss the very interesting subject of the system of therapeutics\npracticed by the Pawnee doctors. Mr. Dunbar has gone into this matter\nquite fully, and the reader is referred to his papers for an account\nof their practice.\n\nAs the doctors had to fight evil spirits, it is not surprising that\nthey should have summoned magic to their aid; but this magic probably\nserved its more important purpose in impressing the other Indians with\na belief in the doctors' powers. Some of the performances which took\nplace at the doctors' dances were very marvellous, and most of them\nwere quite inexplicable to those who saw what was done. That they\nshould have imposed on the Indian spectator is perhaps not surprising;\nbut it is further to be noted that clear-headed, intelligent white\nmen, whose powers of observation have been highly trained, have\nconfessed themselves wholly unable to explain these startling\nperformances, or to hazard a guess as to the means by which they were\naccomplished. That these things happened as detailed is well\nauthenticated by the testimony of many perfectly credible witnesses.\n\nOther masters of mystery are provided with mechanical aids of one kind\nor another--some apparatus which assists them in imposing on their\naudiences, by concealing certain objects, or certain acts, by means of\nwhich they cause things to appear different from what they really are.\nThe Pawnee doctors had nothing of this. Their dances were conducted by\nnaked men in a ring surrounded by spectators. The floor of bare earth,\npacked hard and worn smooth by the tread of many feet, afforded no\napparent opportunity for concealment or trickery. Under such\nconditions were performed their mysteries, a few of which I will\nmention as they appeared to watchful spectators, distant not more than\ntwenty-five or thirty feet, and often much nearer.\n\nThe simplest performances were the swallowing of spears and arrows.\nThese feats were merely mechanical, and were no doubt really as they\nappeared, the arrows and the spears being driven down the gullet to\nthe distance of a foot or eighteen inches. Instances occurred where\nmen who had swallowed arrows died from the injuries received in the\noperation. Bear Chief, himself a doctor, and tattooed with a bear on\nthe right side, told me that it was much harder and more painful to\nswallow an arrow than a spear.\n\nAmong the more remarkable performances witnessed and vouched for by\nmy friend, Captain L. H. North, are the following:\n\nSeveral men, representing elk, came into the ring, and trotted about,\nso as to be seen by every one, imitating the movements of those\nanimals. To their heads were tied branches to represent horns, and\neach wore an elk skin thrown over his back. A doctor came into the\nring, and handed to the spectators his arrows, which they examined,\nand found to be ordinary arrows with the usual sheet-iron points. On\nreceiving back the arrows from those who had examined them, the doctor\npretended to hunt the elk, and at length shot at them, striking them\nin the sides or on the legs. The arrows, instead of penetrating the\nflesh, bounded back, some of them flying fifteen or twenty feet in the\nair. They appeared to be shot with the full force of the bow, and when\npicked up and handed to the onlookers, the sheet-iron points were\nfound to be doubled back as if they had been shot against a plate of\niron, and the shafts of some of them were split. The elk trotted away\nand out of the ring without injury.\n\nA man, representing an enemy, came into the ring on foot. A doctor\nfollowed, armed with a hatchet, which he passed to the spectators for\nexamination. It was an ordinary hatchet of the tomahawk form. On\nreceiving back the hatchet, the doctor started in pursuit of the\nenemy, who fled. The doctor overtook him, and with a vigorous blow,\nsunk the hatchet up to the handle in the enemy's skull, leaving it\nthere. The wounded man staggered on, passing within five or six feet\nof the ring of spectators, who plainly saw the blood from the wound\nrunning down the man's face, and dripping from his hair behind. They\nsaw also the gray brain-matter oozing from the wound. The wounded man\nwas taken from the ring into the doctor's lodge. A few days later he\nwas seen about, and in his usual health.\n\nA small boy, six or eight years of age, was led into the ring quite\nnaked. He was placed upon the ground, and two men sat upon him, one on\nhis chest, the other on his legs. With a knife an incision was made in\nhis belly; one of the doctors inserted his fingers; and, after feeling\nabout, pulled out of the cut what looked like a portion of the child's\nliver. This he cut off and gave to the other man, who ate it. The\nremainder of the liver was crowded back into the hole, and the boy was\ncarried off. Subsequently he was seen about, apparently in good\nhealth.\n\nA man representing a bear came into the ring and was pursued by a\nnumber of Indians, who shot arrows at him for some time, without\nappearing to injure him. At length, however, an arrow pierced him\nthrough the bowels, and the wound was plainly seen on each side. The\nman fell, and appeared to be dying. He was removed to the lodge, and\nin a short time was entirely recovered.\n\nMajor North saw one of these bear performances, in which, the\npretended bear having attacked one of his pursuers, the latter slashed\nhim across the abdomen with a large knife, inflicting a cut from which\nthe bowels hung down so that they dragged on the ground. The bear was\ncarried off, and in a short time was healed, and went about as usual.\n\nMajor North told me that he saw with his own eyes the doctors make the\ncorn grow. This was in the medicine lodge. In the middle of the lodge,\nthe doctor dug up a piece of the hard trodden floor of the lodge,\nabout as large as a dinner plate, and broke up between his fingers the\nhard pieces of soil, until the dirt was soft and friable. The ground\nhaving thus been prepared, and having been moistened with water, a few\nkernels of corn were buried in the loose earth. Then the doctor\nretired a little from the spot and sang, and as the place where the\ncorn was buried was watched, the soil was seen to move, and a tiny\ngreen blade came slowly into view. This continued to increase in\nheight and size, until in the course of twenty minutes or half an hour\nfrom the time of planting, the stalk of corn was a foot or fifteen\ninches in height. At this point Major North was obliged to leave the\nlodge, to take out a white woman who was fainting from the heat, and\nso did not see the maturing of the corn. All the Indians and white men\nwho remained assured him that the stalks continued to grow until they\nwere of full height, and that they then tasseled out and put forth one\nor more ears of corn, which grew to full size, and that then the\ndoctor approached the plant, plucked an ear, and passed it to the\nspectators.\n\nSimilar to this was a feat performed with a cedar berry. The berry was\npassed around among the spectators for examination, and was then\nplanted as the corn had been. Then after a few moments the doctor\napproached the spot, put his thumb and forefinger down into the soft\ndirt, and seemed to lay hold of something. Very slowly he raised his\nhand and was seen to hold on the tips of his fingers the end of a\ncedar twig. Slowly his hand was moved from the ground, the twig\ngrowing longer and longer. When nine or ten inches high it began to\nhave side branches. The doctor still holding the topmost twig of what\nwas by this time a cedar bush, continued to lift his hand very slowly,\nuntil it was about three feet from the ground, and then let go of the\nbush. Then presently he took hold of the stem close to the ground,\nand, seeming to exert a good deal of force, pulled up the bush by the\nroots; and all the people saw the bush and its bunch of fresh and\ngrowing roots.\n\nEnough has been said of these mystery ceremonies to indicate that they\nwere very remarkable. The circumstances under which they were\nperformed would seem to remove them from the more commonplace tricks\nof professional jugglers. And I have never found any one who could\neven suggest an explanation of them.\n\nAs might be inferred, these mysterious doings greatly impressed the\nPawnees; and the older men among them have a vast store of\nreminiscences of past dances, which they delight in repeating. In the\ncourse of a long talk with Bear Chief one evening, he recounted a\nnumber of instances which he had seen. He said:\n\n\"A man in our tribe was blind; he could not see. He could travel in\nthe night as well as we can in the day, but when daylight came he\ncould see nothing. At one time he called together his relations, and\ntold them that, though blind, he wished to lead out a war party. He\nsaid, 'I know that I, with my party, will kill an enemy.' They started\nout, a young man leading him by the hand all day long. After they had\nbeen out several days, he told the young men to be ready, that the\nnext morning he was going to kill an enemy. The next morning, while\nthey were traveling along, they saw an enemy, and surrounded and\nkilled him. They took the scalp and brought it home, and he had great\ncredit, because, being blind, he had killed an enemy. They were all\nsurprised that a blind man should have killed an enemy. He sacrificed\nthe scalp to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_, and was made a warrior, and went to the\nsacred lodge and told the story of his campaign, and was made a\nwarrior--a blind warrior.\n\n\"It was a wonderful thing for a blind person to be able to travel in\nthe night. This must have come from _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_.\n\n\"One of the wonderful things done by this man was at a medicine dance.\nEverybody was there. He stood up with his bearskin over him, and was\nled out before the people. A cedar branch was given him, and he\nsharpened the end where it had been cut off, and stuck it in the\nground. Everybody was now asked to pull up this branch, and many tried\nto do so, but the strongest men in the tribe could not move it. He\ncould pull it up, as if it were stuck in the mud. He thrust the\npointed end in the ground again, and asked the doctors to pull up the\ncedar branch. They tried to do so, but could not stir it. The chiefs\nalso were asked to try to do this. They tried, but could not move it.\nSomething seemed to hold it in the ground. After everybody had tried\nto pull it up, and failed, this blind man went to it, and taking hold\nof it, pulled with all his strength, and pulled up with it about six\nfeet of roots. There lay the tree with all it roots fresh and growing.\n\n\"There was, in my young days, a certain brave man in the tribe. His\nname was Elk Left Behind. He was so brave that, when the Sioux\nsurrounded him, he would kill so many that he would scare the rest\naway. In one of the doctors' dances he had the skin of a fawn in his\nhands. He called out to the people, 'Now, you people, watch me; look\nclose and see what I shall do, and you will find out what my bravery\nis, and that it all comes from this that you see.' In our presence he\nshook this fawn skin, and the fawn slipped out of his hands and then\nstood before him, a living fawn looking at him. 'That is what I mean,'\nsaid he. 'If the enemies surround me, that is the way I come out of\nit. The fawn can run so fast that it can never be caught, nor can it\never be shot.'\n\n\"This man was wonderful. He used to imitate the deer and the elk. He\ncould never be driven into timber or brush, or where there were\nthickets. He said, 'If I am ever wounded, it will be when I go into\ntimber or brush.' He always wanted to be in the open plain where he\ncould be surrounded. He never ran to the timber for shelter.\n\n\"If they suspected that the Sioux were coming to attack the village,\nhe would load a gun and shoot it off. If the ball came back to him,\nthere were no Sioux coming. If it did not, then they would be coming.\nWhen I was present it always came back to him. There were no Sioux\ncoming.\n\n\"At one time in the doctors' dance I saw him driving ten young men,\nwho pretended that they were deer. He had a gun and loaded it, and\nshot the ten men, one after another, through the side. They fell down\nwounded, and then got up and limped off half dying. He drove them\naround the ring so that the people might see their wounds. After they\nhad looked at them, he went up to the first and slapped him on the\nback, and the ball dropped out of him on to the ground, and the man\nstraightened up, healed. So he did to all, up to the tenth man, and\nthey were all healed. This was wonderful.\n\n  [Illustration: SUN CHIEF--KIT-KE-HAHK\u00b4-I.]\n\n\"At one time he wanted to show the people that he could stand\nanything. He and two others were attacked by Sioux. He said, 'I want\nto be wounded; let us go to the thickets.' They did so, and a Sioux\nshot him through the back, and the other two were wounded, but he\nhealed them all after they had got away from the Sioux.\n\n\"Another man in the doctors' dance had four young men pretend that\nthey were horses. All had manes and tails, and were painted to imitate\nhorses. He had a gun, to which was tied a scalp. He loaded the gun,\nand while he was doing this the horses ran off, and stood looking back\nat the man. He cocked the gun and laid it on the ground pointing\ntoward the horses, and placed the scalp near the trigger, and walked\nsome steps away. Then he motioned to the scalp and the gun went off,\nand one of the horses went down wounded. It seems that the ghost of\nthe scalp obeyed his motion, and shot off the gun. He loaded the gun\nagain, and placed it on the ground as before. The second time he went\nway off, and as soon as he waved his hand and said, '_wooh_,' the gun\nwent off and another horse went down. This was repeated until all the\nhorses were down. The people examined them and saw that they were\nreally wounded in the breast. The man went up to them and they seemed\nto be dying and vomited blood, and the young man slapped them, and the\nballs came out of their mouths, and as soon as the balls came away\nfrom them they were healed.\n\n\"There were two people, a brother and sister, children of a man who\nhad been helped by a bear. One time when we were having a doctors'\ndance, the sister and brother came forward, each carrying five cedar\nbranches about three feet long. They rolled a big rock into the middle\nof the lodge, so that all might see what they were going to do. Then\nthey called ten private men who were not doctors, and told them to\nthrust the ends of the branches into the stone as if they had grown\nthere, and they sang:\n\n    \"'See the trees growing in the rock;\n    The cedar tree grows in the rock.'\n\n\"These cedar branches were cut square off at the butt, and were set on\nthe stone. They were not big enough to be even and balance, but still\nthey stood upright, as if grown from the rock. The doctors tried to\nblow them down with their fans made of eagle feathers, but they could\nnot do it. You could not blow them off nor pull them off. At length\nthe men who put them there were told to take them off. They had hard\nwork to do it, but at last they succeeded.\n\n\"The sister (I saw her do it) put her hands up to the sun, and then\nputting them on the ground and scratching and throwing up dust, she\nwould take up her hands, and have hands like a bear, with hair and\nlong claws.\n\n\"She used to understand how to make plums and other fruits grow on\ntrees. She supplied the doctors with choke cherries and plums. The\ndoctors had trees brought in that had no fruit on them. She would make\nthe plums grow, and shaking the tree, they would fall down, and\neverybody would have a taste of them. This was at a doctors' dance.\"\n\n  [Illustration: A PARFLECHE.]\n\n\n\n\nLATER HISTORY.\n\n\nI. REMOVAL TO THE INDIAN TERRITORY.\n\nThe project of removing the Pawnees from their reservation on the Loup\nRiver in Nebraska appears to have been first heard of in the year\n1872. The Pawnee reservation was close to civilization, and the\nsettlers moving west into Nebraska coveted the Indians' lands. It was\nthe old story, the same one that has been heard ever since the\nrapacious whites first set foot on the shores of this continent.\n\nThe Pawnees were strongly attached to their home in Nebraska. They had\nalways lived there, and were used to it. Their forefathers were buried\nthere. Up to the winter of 1873-74 they had no idea of moving. But\nthey were constantly being subjected to annoyances.\n\nSettlers crowded in close to the Pawnee agency, and even located on\nit on the south and east, and in the most matter of fact way drove\ntheir teams into the Pawnee timber, and cut and carried off the Pawnee\nwood, on which the tribe depended for fuel and for building materials.\nThis open robbery gave rise to constant disputes and bickerings\nbetween the Indians and the whites, in which the former were\ninvariably worsted. On the south and east side of the reservation the\ncrowding and the depredations were continuous. On the north and west\nthe reservation was exposed to frequent incursions from the different\nbands of Sioux. War parties came down from their reservations, stole\nthe Pawnees' horses, killed their women while at work in the fields,\nand sometimes even attacked the village. These attacks, though always\nsuccessfully repelled by the Pawnees, were a continual source of\nannoyance and irritation to them, while their consistent desire to\nobey the rules laid down for their guidance by the Government\nprevented them from retaliating in kind upon their enemies.\n\nThe first proposition to remove the Pawnees to the Indian Territory\noriginated with the whites, but there is some reason to think that an\nindependent movement with the same object in view was made by members\nof the Pawnee tribe. As nearly as I can learn from conversation with\nIndians who took a leading part in the movement, this project for a\nremoval of a part of the tribe to the south originated with Lone\nChief, the Kit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i; and was taken up and supported by Left\nHand, known also as Spotted Horse, a turbulent spirit, who was killed\na few years ago by an United States marshal; and by Frank White, an\nintelligent soldier of the Chau-i band.\n\nIn the summer of 1870, Lone Chief led a visiting party, which is said\nto have numbered three hundred men, south to the Wichitas. When this\nparty turned back to go north in the fall, many of them were sick with\nchills and fever--a disease unknown to them until that time--and some\ndied on the way. At this time the notion of the removal had not been\nsuggested, but it is probable that even then Lone Chief was\nconsidering the advisability of moving south with his own immediate\nfamily, and taking up his residence with the Wichitas. He had not yet\nspoken of this project, however, but in the winter of 1871-72 he\nannounced his intention of doing this, and even started on his\njourney, but for some reason turned back.\n\nThe next winter--1872-73--while the tribe was absent on the buffalo\nhunt, the northern Sioux came down and stole from the Pawnees a number\nof horses. This made the Pawnees uneasy, and some war parties started\nout. It was at this time that Lone Chief conceived the idea of\nincreasing the company which should proceed south with him. After some\nconsideration and consultation, Lone Chief, Spotted Horse and Frank\nWhite planned that a small party should go south, and visit the\ndifferent tribes in the Indian Territory, for the purpose of learning\nhow these tribes would regard a general movement of the Pawnees down\ninto their country. The plan was not fully developed until this small\nparty, of which Spotted Horse and Frank White were the leaders, was on\nits way.\n\nThe party visited first the Otoes and Kaws, and then going south came\nto the Wichitas, Comanches, Kiowas and Apaches, and were everywhere\nhospitably entertained, and given presents of horses. They asked the\nchiefs and headmen of the various tribes which they visited to come\ntogether at a certain specified time at the Wichita camp, telling them\nthat they had something that they wished to say to them there. The\nPawnees then returned to the Wichita village, and awaited the\nappointed time.\n\nSoon the representatives of the different tribes began to arrive. Day\nafter day they kept coming in, until all were present. When they had\nassembled in council, Spotted Horse rose to speak. He said, \"My\nbrothers, I want you to know one thing--We, the Pawnees, want to be\nbrothers, and to be at peace. I have made up my mind to come down here\nwith my party of Pawnees to live with you.\"\n\nThe chiefs representing the different tribes all expressed their\nsatisfaction at this announcement, and urged him to come as he had\nintended. They said, \"We have good land here, and lots of buffalo. We\nshall be glad if you decide to come.\" After all had spoken, Spotted\nHorse again stood up and said, \"Brothers, there is here with me one\nleading man among the Pawnees. He, also, will tell you what he thinks\nabout this.\" Frank White then spoke and said that he intended to\naccompany Spotted Horse when he should move south. The chiefs of the\ndifferent tribes again expressed the hope that they would carry out\ntheir intentions, and arrangements were made with the tribes that they\nshould come down and live with them.\n\nIt is stated that just before this visiting party started north toward\ntheir home, news came from the Pawnee agency that the tribe had been\nattacked and massacred on the Republican River by Sioux, and as they\njourneyed north they learned the details of the occurrence. On\nreaching the village, Spotted Horse and Frank White reported to Lone\nChief and to their families what they had done, and their action was\nconfirmed. The chiefs of the tribe and the agent were then notified.\nSoon afterward a general council was held, at which public\nannouncement of their intention was made by these three men. To most\nof those present the project was wholly new, and there was a good deal\nof confusion in the council, the people exclaiming at the news and\ndiscussing it.\n\nEfforts were made by the chiefs of the bands to dissuade those who\nproposed to move. The Head Chief, _Pi\u00b4ta Le-shar_, tried to persuade\nFrank White not to leave the tribe, but he said that he had promised,\nand he should go.\n\nIn the autumn of 1873, Lone Chief, Spotted Horse and Frank White,\naccompanied by their personal following, started south. With them went\nabout two-thirds of the tribe. The three leaders had a pass from the\nSuperintendent of Indian Affairs at the Pawnee agency. The chiefs of\nthe tribe were still bitterly opposed to the notion of the removal,\nand _Pi\u00b4ta Le-shar_, the Head Chief, exerted all his influence to\nprevent the movement. After the migrating party had gone about fifty\nmiles, messengers from the chiefs overtook them, directing them to\nreturn to the village. The march was stopped, and the three leaders,\nas delegates, returned to the agency to learn the cause of the order.\nThey reached there in the evening, and spent the whole night\nconferring with the agent (Burgess), to whom they gave presents to\npersuade him to accede to their request to continue their journey.\nLone Chief was the most determined, and insisted that they should be\npermitted to go on without interference.\n\nAt length the authorities yielded, and a new pass having been given\nthem, they returned to the camp. The responsibility of taking away so\nlarge a part of the tribe was weighing heavily on these three men,\nhowever, and they determined to send back all except their own\nfamilies. On reaching the camp, therefore, they told the Indians that\nthey all were to go back, but hid their own horses, pretending that\nthey had strayed off, so that the main body would start back without\nthem. After the others had moved out of camp on their return march to\nthe agency, the lost horses were at once found, and the three men\nwith their families went on south.\n\nThe following year all the tribe followed, except the Skidi, Lone\nChief, and a few personal friends, who still refused to leave the old\nreservation. This small company remained in their old home one year\nlonger, and then they, too, went south to their present reservation.\n\nShortly before the removal of the tribe to the Indian Territory in\n1874, _Pi\u00b4ta Le-shar_, the Head Chief, was shot, and died from his\nwound. It has been stated, and generally believed, that his death\nresulted from the accidental discharge of his own pistol, but there\nare well-informed persons who believe that he was murdered. There is\nreason to believe that the shot did not come from his own weapon, but\nthat he was shot by a white man in order to get rid of his influence,\nwhich was consistently exerted to keep the Pawnees in their northern\nhome. The Chief's wound was not a serious one, and he was doing well\nunder the charge of a white surgeon, when he was induced to put\nhimself in the care of a Pawnee doctor, under whose treatment he died.\n\n_Ti-ra\u00b4-wa Le-shar_, another bitter opponent of removal, had been\nkilled in 1873; and the death of _Pi\u00b4ta Le-shar_ left Lone Chief,\nSkidi, the only man of strong character to oppose the movement.\n\nThe full history of the plot to eject the Pawnees from their northern\nhome may never be recorded, for there are few men alive who know the\nfacts. If it should be written there would be disclosed a carefully\nplanned and successfully carried out conspiracy to rob this people of\ntheir lands. This outrage has cost hundreds of lives, and an\ninconceivable amount of suffering, and is another damning and\nineffaceable blot on the record of the American people, and one which\nought surely to have had a place in Mrs. Jackson's \"Century of\nDishonor.\"\n\n\nII. PRESENT CONDITION AND PROGRESS.\n\nDuring the first four years of their sojourn in the Indian Territory\nthe condition of the Pawnees was most miserable.\n\nThey had left the high, dry, sandy country of the Loup, and come south\ninto the more fertile, but also more humid country of the Indian\nTerritory, where they found a region entirely different from that to\nwhich they had been accustomed. Soon after their settlement on their\nnew reservation, they were attacked by fever and ague, a disease\nwhich had been unknown to them in their northern home, and many of\nthem died, while all were so weakened by disease and so discouraged by\nhomesickness that their nature seemed wholly changed. They lost their\nold spirit and their energy, and were possessed only by a desire to\nreturn to their northern home. This was, of course, impossible, since\ntheir old reservation had been thrown open to settlement, and in part\noccupied by the whites. During the first ten years of their sojourn in\nthe Territory more than one of the agents appointed to look after the\nPawnees were either incompetent or dishonest, so that the people\nsuffered from lack of food, and some of them even starved to death.\nThey were miserably poor, for they did not know how to work, and no\none tried to encourage or help them to do so. The few horses which\nthey had were stolen from them by white horse thieves, and they were\nnow in a country and under conditions where they could not practice\ntheir old war methods. The tribes against which their expeditions had\nonce been made were now their neighbors and their friends.\n\nWhen Major North and his brother Luther visited the agency in 1876, to\nenlist scouts for General Crook's northern campaign, they found the\nPawnees in a pitiable condition. They were without food, without\nclothing, without arms and without horses. Their sole covering\nconsisted of cotton sheets, which afforded no protection against cold\nand wet. It is not strange that under such circumstances the people\ndied off fast. At this time Major North had orders to enlist only one\nhundred scouts, but he was greatly perplexed in selecting his men, for\nfour hundred wanted to go with him. Every able-bodied man in the\ntribe, and many who were not able-bodied, tried to get their names on\nthe muster roll. Each man, at any cost, sought to get away from the\nsuffering of his present life; from the fever that made him quake, the\nchill that caused him to shiver, and above all from the deadly\nmonotony of the reservation life. After Major North had enlisted his\nquota of men and started with them on his way north, more than a\nhundred others followed him on foot to Arkansas City, in the hope that\nhe could be persuaded to increase his force, or else that some of\nthose enlisted would drop out through sickness, and there might be\nroom for others.\n\nThe wretched condition of the Pawnees continued up to about 1884 or\n1885. Before this time the people had become in a measure acclimated\nin their new home, and had come to realize that it was absolutely\nnecessary for them to go to work if the tribe was to continue to\nexist. They began to work; at first only a few, but gradually many, of\nthe Skidi, and then the Chau-i and the Kit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i. Presently a\npoint was reached where it was no longer necessary to issue them\nGovernment rations. They raised enough on their farms to support\nthemselves. Each year of late they have done better and better. A\ndrought one season, and a cyclone another, destroyed their crops, but,\nundiscouraged and undaunted, they push ahead, striving earnestly to\nbecome like white men. The Pita-hau-erats are the least progressive of\nthe four bands, and many of them still live in dirt lodges, and\ncultivate patches of corn scarcely larger than those tilled in their\nold villages; but as the other bands advance, and as the results of\nmanual labor are seen and understood by those who are more idle, they,\ntoo, will catch the spirit of progress, and will lay hold of the plow.\n\nLast March, as I drove along toward the agency, and as we came in\nsight of Black Bear Creek, I was surprised to see what looked like\ngood farm houses dotting the distant bottom. A nearer view and a\ncloser investigation showed me that the most well-to-do of the Pawnees\nlive in houses as good as those of many a New England land owner, and\nvery much better than those inhabited by new settlers in the farther\nWest. Many of them have considerable farms under fence, a barn, a\ngarden in which vegetables are raised, and a peach orchard. They\nrealize that as yet they are only beginning, but to me, who knew them\nin their old barbaric condition, their progress seems a marvel.\nNowadays by far the greater number of the Pawnees wear civilized\nclothing, ride in wagons, and send their children to the agency\nschool. They are making rapid strides toward civilization, just such\nprogress as might be expected from the intelligent and courageous\npeople that they are and always have been.\n\nThe Pawnees receive from the Government a perpetual annuity of thirty\nthousand dollars, of which one-half is paid in money, and one-half in\ngoods. Besides this they have a credit with the Government of about\ntwo hundred and eighty thousand dollars (the proceeds of the sale of\ntheir old reservation in Nebraska), on which they receive interest;\nand for some years past they have leased to cattlemen about one\nhundred and twenty-five thousand acres of their reservation, for\nwhich they receive about three thousand eight hundred dollars per\nannum. It will thus be seen that in addition to the crops which they\nraise, the tribe is fairly well provided with money. While a\nconsiderable part of this is, of course, wasted, being spent for\ntrifles and for luxuries, it is nevertheless the fact that a certain\nproportion of it is invested by the Indians in tools, farming\nimplements, and in furniture. Three years ago the Indians merely\ndropped their corn into the furrow, while some planted with a hoe.\nThere was then only one corn-planter on the reservation. Now there are\nthirteen of these implements of improved pattern, bought by the\nIndians, and paid for with their own money. Reapers and mowers belong\nto the Indian Department, and are loaned, not issued, and these pass\nround from one family to another. Within the last four years one\nhundred breaking and stirring plows have been issued, and one hundred\nand five double shovel cultivators. Eighty wagons and one hundred and\nfifty sets of harness have been issued in the same length of time.\nBesides these, eight two-horse cultivators are loaned them by the\nGovernment.\n\nThe Pawnees seem to be saving up their money to put into farming\nimplements, and they are looking ahead. Two-thirds of the houses\nbuilt in the last three years have been built by the Chau-i, who are\npushing the Skidi hard in their advance toward civilization.\n\nThe following table, taken from the official papers of the Indian\nBureau, gives some statistics as to the progress made by the Pawnees\nduring the last three years:\n\n                                    1885.     1886.     1887.     1888.\n\n    Number of Indians              1,045       998       918       869\n\n    Number of male Indians          ....       483       414      ....\n\n    Number of female Indians        ....       515       504      ....\n\n    Number speaking English         ....       289      ....       225\n\n    Number can read (youths)        ....       100        90       100\n\n    Number can read (adults)        ....        58        60        75\n\n    Number wearing citizen's\n      dress wholly                  ....       300       350       200\n\n    Number wearing citizen's\n      dress in part                 ....       400       450       600\n\n    Number doing some farming       ....       324       400      *125\n\n    Number having other\n      civilized work                ....         5         6        *7\n\n    Number of births                ....        28        45        54\n\n    Number of deaths                ....        77       125       106\n\n    Houses occupied by\n      Indians                       ....        61        82        98\n\n    Proportion of Indians\n      self-supporting               ....       2/3       1/2       2/3\n\n    _Farming operations--_\n\n    Number of acres cultivated\n      by Indians                     971     1,360     2,094     2,560\n\n    Number of acres broken by\n      Indians                       ....        67       310       340\n\n    Number of acres under\n      fence                          400     1,597     2,597     5,200\n\n    Number of rods fencing put\n      up during year                 200     4,435     2,181     2,975\n\n    _Produce raised by Indians--_\n\n    Number bushels of wheat        1,177     1,273     5,000     2,500\n\n    Number bushels of corn,\n      estimated                   35,000    26,120    30,000    60,000\n\n    Number bushels of oats           969      ....       640     2,300\n\n                                                        Est.\n    Number bushels of potatoes       100       100     2,500      ....\n\n    Number bushels of onions          10        50       100       150\n\n    Number bushels of beans          300      ....       500       750\n\n    Number of melons               5,225    50,000    50,000      ....\n\n    Number of pumpkins             3,000     5,000      ....      ....\n\n    Number tons of hay               500      ....       600       800\n\n    _Live stock owned by Indians--_\n\n    Horses, estimated               ....     1,200     1,400     1,500\n\n    Mules, estimated                  15        20        20        25\n\n    Cattle, estimated                300       380       575       500\n\n    Hogs, estimated                  100      ....       200      ....\n\n    Fowls, estimated                 200     2,500     2,500     3,000\n\n        * Families.\n\n    Twelve allotments of land made 1888. Whole number allotments\n    to date (1888), 175. In 1885 Indians sawed 50,050 feet of\n    lumber, and cut 126 cords of wood.\n\n    In 1886 the Indians hauled 83,814 pounds of freight, for\n    which they were paid $541.54.\n\n    During the year 1888 three Indian apprentices learned a\n    trade.\n\n    Besides the crops raised, the Indians during 1888 sawed\n    50,000 feet of lumber, and cut 300 cords of wood.\n\n    In 1886 a severe cyclone and hail storm destroyed the growing\n    crops, and in 1887 a prolonged drought again ruined them.\n    During these two years it was necessary to issue to the\n    Indians half rations and one-third rations respectively. This\n    year (1888-89) no rations have been issued.\n\nAs will be seen by these figures, corn is the principal crop raised\nby the Pawnees, and a large part of the surplus beyond their own wants\nis sold at from twenty-five to fifty cents a bushel to the dealers in\nArkansas City, or to the cattlemen in the neighborhood. The Pawnees\nhave as yet few cattle, their old meat-eating habits have not yet been\novercome, and there is a tendency among them to eat any cattle they\nmay obtain rather than to use them for breeding purposes. They ought\nto be encouraged to keep cattle, to which they could feed their corn,\nand in this way obtain a better return for their labor than is yielded\nby the direct sale of the grain. They are fairly well provided with\nhorses, but most of these are small, and of the old-fashioned Indian\npony type. They should be encouraged to raise a better class of\nhorses, and at least two well bred heavy stallions should be kept by\nthe Government at Pawnee for Indian use. There is one now at Ponca,\nthirty-five miles away, but the Pawnees will not take their mares so\nfar.\n\nMuch of the improvement in the condition of the Pawnees has taken\nplace within the last three years, and much of it has been due, as I\nbelieve, to the wisdom and judgment of Major Osborne, their agent,\nand to the Messrs. McKenzie, who have for three years or more been the\nclerks directly in charge of these people. These gentlemen appear to\nhave been honest and firm, and yet helpful in their treatment of the\npeople under their charge, and the results of their administration\nshow for themselves, and are something in which these officials may\nfeel a just pride.\n\nFew and rapidly diminishing in numbers as are the Pawnee people, I\nhave yet confidence that by the innate strength of their character\ntheir decline may be checked, and their race may rise again. It can\nnever do so in its old purity. It must take to itself fresh blood from\nother stocks, and thus renew its vitality. What I hope for the Pawnee,\nto-day and in the future, is that the native vigor of the race, the\nstrong heart and singleness of purpose, which in ancient times led the\nwild brave to success on his warpath, and gave his tribe so high a\nplace among the savage warriors of the plains, may now be exercised in\nthe pursuits of peace; and that the same qualities may give to these\nearnest toilers, as they tread new paths, strength, courage and\nendurance to hold a front rank among those Indians, who, to-day so far\nbehind, are nevertheless resolutely setting their steps toward a place\nwith civilized people.\n\nBut whatever the fate of the Pawnee people--whether, like so many\nother native stocks, it shall dwindle away and disappear, leaving\nbehind it no reminder of its existence, or whether its native force\nshall enable it under its new conditions to survive and make some\nmark--we may remember it always as a race of strong, brave people,\nwhose good qualities are deserving of more than a passing tribute.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nIt was the last day of my stay at the Pawnee agency. I had seen many\nan old friend; had laughed and joked with some over incidents of\nformer years, and with others had mourned over brave warriors or wise\nold men who were no longer with us. My visit had been full of\npleasure, and yet full of pain. When I had first known the tribe it\nnumbered more than three thousand people, now there are only a little\nmore than eight hundred of them. The evidences of their progress\ntoward civilization are cheering. They are now self-supporting. They\nno longer die of hunger. But the character of the people has changed.\nIn the old barbaric days they were light-hearted, merry, makers of\njokes, keenly alive to the humorous side of life. Now they are\nserious, grave, little disposed to laugh. Then they were like children\nwithout a care. Now they are like men, on whom the anxieties of life\nweigh heavily. Civilization, bringing with it some measure of material\nprosperity, has also brought to these people care, responsibility,\nrepression. No doubt it is best, and it is inevitable, but it is sad,\ntoo.\n\nIt was my last day, and I was again sitting with Eagle Chief, telling\nhim that the time had come for me to go. He said, \"Ah, my son, I like\nto see you here. I like to sit with you, and to talk over the old\ntimes. My heart is sick when I think that you are going away, and that\nwe may never see each other any more. But,\" he added, solemnly, \"it\nmay be that _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ will be good to us, and will let us live a\nlong time until we are very old, and then some day we may meet again.\"\n\n\n\n\nINDEX.\n\n\n    Agriculture in the old times, 253;\n      present, 401.\n\n    Animals, sacred character of, 17;\n      see also Nahu\u00b4rac.\n\n    Antelope and deer, story of, 204.\n\n    Apaches, 392.\n\n    Arapahoes, 47, 323 _et seq._\n\n    Arickaras, Arickarees, 159, 218, 229, 231, 239.\n\n    Arkansas, Pawnees in, 229.\n\n    Arms, 263.\n\n    Arrows, 205, 264, 282.\n\n    Arrow heads of stone, 249, 251, 253, 352, 365;\n      of bone and horn, 252;\n      of sheet-iron, 252, 377.\n\n    A-ti\u00b4-us, 198 _et seq._\n\n    Auger, General, 325.\n\n    Ax, 66.\n\n\n    Baby on board, 141.\n\n    Battles, mode of fighting, 312.\n\n    Bear Chief, 20, 141, 225, 235, 252, 363.\n\n    Bear dance, origin of, 128.\n\n    Bear Man, story of, 121.\n\n    Bear's-eyes, 241.\n\n    Big Knife, 141.\n\n    Big Shields, 235.\n\n    Blackfoot story of deer and antelope, 205.\n\n    Bone implements, 170, 254.\n\n    Bows, 205, 264, 282.\n\n    Boy who saw A-ti\u00b4-us, 195.\n\n    Boy who was Sacrificed, 161.\n\n    Buffalo, hunting, 135 _et seq._, 249;\n      summer hunt, 270.\n\n    Buffalo staves, 271, 277.\n\n    Bundles, sacred, 351, 360, 364, 371.\n\n    Burnt offerings, 361;\n      see sacrifices.\n\n\n    Caddos, 218, 222, 228.\n\n    Captive, sacrifice of, 362.\n\n    Carr, General, 325.\n\n    Cedar tree, 126.\n\n    Ceremonies, of the hunt, 272;\n      religious, 360.\n\n    Chau-i, 215 _et seq._, 233, 241, 260, 400.\n\n    Cheyenne Blanket, A, 76.\n\n    Cheyennes, 39, 48, 64, 65, 74, 76, 190, 246, 266, 307, 309, 323\n        _et seq._\n\n    Chief, office of, 260.\n\n    Clothing, 257, 262.\n\n    Comanche Chief, 25.\n\n    Comanches, 25-44, 49, 65, 83, 186, 246, 307, 392.\n\n    Cooper's Indian characters, 13.\n\n    Corn, origin, 254, 356;\n      sacred character, 254, 256.\n\n    Corn dance, 369.\n\n    Counting _coup_, 47, 93, 179, 188, 366, 367.\n\n    Court House Rock, 67, 88.\n\n    Crier, 163.\n\n    Crook, General, 325, 399.\n\n    Crooked Hand, 317.\n\n    Crows, 307.\n\n    Curly Chief, 20, 235, 257, 347, 369.\n\n    Customs, 249.\n\n    Cyclones, 361, 404.\n\n\n    Dakotas, 307, 309.\n\n    Dances, 190, 369, 387.\n\n    Dancing, 192.\n\n    Deer, chase of, 251;\n      and antelope, story of, 204.\n\n    Deer dance, origin of, 190.\n\n    Dishes, 256.\n\n    Dog as beast of burden, 265.\n\n    Doctors, 98, 99, 350, 374.\n\n    Dress, 262.\n\n    Dull Knife, 74.\n\n    Dun Horse, The, 87.\n\n    Dunbar, John B., 19, 212, 213.\n\n\n    Eagle Chief, 5, 20, 363, 408.\n\n    Elk, chase of, 251.\n\n    Elk Left Behind, 383.\n\n    Emory, General, 325.\n\n    Enemies, 303.\n\n\n    Faith, Story of, 98.\n\n    Farms and Farming, 401.\n\n    Fire-sticks, 203, 257, 259.\n\n    Fleshers, 170.\n\n    Flint stones, 252.\n\n    Flood, tradition of, 356.\n\n    Food as pledge of hospitality, 59.\n\n    Fremont, General John C., 329.\n\n    Future life, belief in, 356.\n\n\n    Ghost Bride, The, 191.\n\n    Ghost Wife, The, 129.\n\n    Ghosts, belief in, 356, 357.\n\n    Giants, tradition of, 354.\n\n    Good Chief, 20, 217.\n\n    Government, form of, 260.\n\n    Grand Pawnees, 216, 240.\n\n    Guide Rock, 359.\n\n\n    Hair, mode of wearing, 25, 239, 243, 263.\n\n    Head chief, office of, 260.\n\n    High priestship, 353.\n\n    Hoes of bone, 255.\n\n    Horses, 249, 265, 398;\n      stealing, 15.\n\n    Houses, ancient, 266;\n      modern, 400.\n\n    Hunting methods, early, 269;\n      see buffalo hunting.\n\n    Huecos, 218, 227.\n\n\n    Indian character, 11-15.\n\n    Indian Territory, removal to, 389.\n\n\n    Jackson, Mrs., her \"Ramona,\" 12;\n      \"Century of Dishonor,\" 397.\n\n\n    Kansas, 307.\n\n    Ka\u00b4wis, 148, 291.\n\n    Kaws, 308, 392.\n\n    Keechies, 218, 227, 228.\n\n    Kiowas, 49, 65, 307, 309, 323 _et seq._, 392.\n\n    Kiri-kur\u00b4-uks, 241.\n\n    Kit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i, 215, 241, 400.\n\n    Kitz-a-witz-\u00fck Nahu\u00b4rac lodge, 165, 358.\n\n    Knives, 75, 120;\n      of flint, 249, 352;\n      scabbard, 75.\n\n    Kut-a\u00b4wi-kutz, story of, 25.\n\n\n    Language, 21, 212.\n\n    Lariats, 257.\n\n    Leader of Soldiers, 74.\n\n    Left Hand, 391.\n\n    Lipans, 41, 218 _et seq._, 227, 231.\n\n    Little Warrior, 70.\n\n    Little Warrior's Counsel, 79.\n\n    Lodges, 194, 266, 349.\n\n    Lone Chief, the Kit-ke-hahk\u00b4-i, story of, 45;\n     removal to Indian Territory, 391 _et seq._\n\n    Lone Chief, the Skidi, 160, 396, 397.\n\n    Lone Tree Nahu\u00b4rac lodge, 112.\n\n    Louisiana, Pawnees in, 227, 228.\n\n    Loup River Nahu\u00b4rac lodge, 112.\n\n\n    Mackenzie, General, 74, 325, 332.\n\n    McKenzie, Messrs., 406.\n\n    McKinney, Lieutenant, 74.\n\n    Magic, 375.\n\n    Man who Called the Buffalo, 132.\n\n    Mats, 257.\n\n    Medicine, 374.\n\n    Medicine men, 350, 374.\n\n    Mexico, Pawnees in, 224.\n\n    Mystery, 375.\n\n\n    Nahu\u00b4rac, 18, 102 _et seq._, 122, 147, 154, 164 _et seq._;\n      lodges, 104 _et seq._, 165, 358;\n      messenger bird of, 105, 164.\n\n    Names of the tribe, 239;\n      of the Skidi bands, 237;\n      personal, 241, 242;\n      changing, 329.\n\n    Nebraska, the home of the Pawnees, 229;\n      removal from, 389.\n\n    North, Captain Luther H., 20, 47, 212, 398.\n\n    North, Major Frank, 20, 47, 212, 216, 322, 323, 398.\n\n    Notes on the Pawnees, 211.\n\n\n    Omahas, 230, 273, 305.\n\n    O\u00b4re-ka-rahr, 182.\n\n    Osages, 47, 49, 307.\n\n    Osborne, Major, 405.\n\n    Otoes, 273, 305, 392.\n\n\n    Pack ponies, 279, 281.\n\n    Pa-da\u00b4-ni, 240.\n\n    Pa\u00b4howa Nahu\u00b4rac lodge, 110, 358.\n\n    Pa\u00b4hut, 185.\n\n    Pa-h\u00fck Nahu\u00b4rac lodge, 103, 165, 358.\n\n    Pa-h\u00fbr\u00b4 Nahu\u00b4rac lodge, 165, 359.\n\n    Pa-hu-ka\u00b4-tawa, story of, 142.\n\n    Paint, 263.\n\n    Pa-na\u00b4-na, 240.\n\n    Pa\u00b4-ni, a form of Pawnee, 21.\n\n    Pa\u00b4-ni Le-shar, 323.\n\n    Parfleche, 195, 198, 388.\n\n    Pawnee Loups, 216.\n\n    Pawnee Picts, 215, 217, 239.\n\n    Pawnee sign, 243.\n\n    Pawnees, The, past and present condition, 9, 10;\n      character, 10;\n      religion, 17;\n      language, 21, 212;\n      relationships, 215;\n      the four bands, 215;\n      origin and migrations, 223;\n      the Skidi band, 231;\n      name and emblem, 239;\n      early customs, 249;\n      endurance, 251;\n      every-day life, 259;\n      as horsemen, 265;\n      kind disposition, 269;\n      on the hunt, 270;\n      enemies and methods of warfare, 303;\n      relations toward the whites, 310;\n      battles with the Sioux, 313;\n      the Pawnee Scouts, 323;\n      war parties, 335;\n      religious beliefs, 350;\n      religious ceremonies, 360;\n      medicine and mystery among, 374;\n      later history, removal to the Indian Territory, 389;\n      present condition and progress, 397.\n\n    Pawnee Scouts, 47, 74, 261, 322 _et seq._, 399.\n\n    Peace-Maker, story of, 25.\n\n    Pemmican, 139.\n\n    Pipe, 44;\n      passing the, 34, 36, 37, 109, 110, 113, 114.\n\n    Pi-ta\u00b4-da, 33, 56, 240.\n\n    Pita-hau-erats, 215, 241, 400.\n\n    Pi\u00b4ta Le-shar, 278, 281, 283, 293, 394, 395, 396.\n\n    Pities-the-Poor, Chief, 342.\n\n    Poncas, 273, 305.\n\n    \"Poor in mind,\" 50, 104.\n\n    Pottery, 255.\n\n    Prayer, 18, 19, 53, 68, 99, 101 _et seq._, 181, 201, 271, 338,\n        342, 345, 348, 362.\n\n    Priests, 350.\n\n    Prisoners of Court House Rock, 67.\n\n\n    \"Ramona,\" 12.\n\n    Rattle, 128.\n\n    Rawhide, story of the, 311.\n\n    Rees, see Arickaras.\n\n    Republican Pawnees, 216, 240.\n\n    Ropes, 257.\n\n    Royal, General, 325.\n\n    Runners, 251.\n\n    Running Chief, 47.\n\n\n    Sacrifices, 18, 49, 66, 79, 102, 161, 253, 271, 346, 348, 357,\n        361, 362, 370, 382.\n\n    St. Louis, Skidi near site of, 233.\n\n    Scabbard, 75.\n\n    Scalp dance, 329.\n\n    Scalp lock, 239, 243, 263.\n\n    Scalp sacrifice, 362.\n\n    Secret Pipe Chief, 21, 224, 235, 352.\n\n    Servants, 261.\n\n    Shamans, 350.\n\n    Shield, 78.\n\n    Signs, 243.\n\n    Sinew, 254.\n\n    Sioux, 67, 92 _et seq._, 123, 152, 156, 232, 291, 312 _et seq._,\n        323 _et seq._, 390, 392.\n\n    Ska-di\u00b4ks, 317.\n\n    Skidi, 216, 229, 231, 248, 400;\n      bands, 237.\n\n    Sk\u00fcr\u00b4-ar-a Le-shar, story of, 45.\n\n    Smoking, 101, 118, 119, 344;\n      to Ti-ra\u00b4-wa, 342, 354.\n\n    Snake Brother, The, 171.\n\n    Song of triumph, 305;\n      songs of different tribes, 220.\n\n    Spoons, 256.\n\n    Spotted Horse, 391 _et seq._\n\n    Spotted Robe, 89.\n\n    Stick Game, 337.\n\n    Summer hunt, 270.\n\n    Sun Chief, 385.\n\n\n    Tall Bull, 329.\n\n    Tapage Pawnees, 216, 240.\n\n    Tawaconies, 218, 228.\n\n    Texas, Pawnees in, 227.\n\n    They-know-that-Leader, 336.\n\n    Thornburgh, Major, 79.\n\n    Thunder, 360.\n\n    Ti-ke-wa-kush, 132.\n\n    Ti-ra\u00b4-wa, 17, 19, 45, 117, 122, 126, 136, 252, 253, 271, 337,\n        342, 350, 352, 360.\n\n    Ti-ra\u00b4-wa Le-shar, 396.\n\n    Tonkaways, 41, 218 _et seq._, 227.\n\n    Travois, 265, 279.\n\n    Treaties, 258, 397.\n\n    Tribal mark, 243.\n\n    Turkey Leg, 331.\n\n\n    Union Pacific Railway, 324.\n\n    Utes, 41, 71, 80, 307.\n\n\n    Wacos, 217.\n\n    Warfare, 303.\n\n    War parties, 15, 304 _et seq._, 335.\n\n    War stratagems, 234, 246.\n\n    Weeks, Ralph J., 20, 74.\n\n    Whip, 73.\n\n    Whirlwinds, ghosts, 357.\n\n    White Eagle, see Eagle Chief.\n\n    White, Frank, 21, 391 _et seq._\n\n    Whites, Pawnees' relations toward, 310;\n      first meeting with, 258;\n      aggressions of, 389, 397.\n\n    Wichitas, 49 _et seq._, 215, 217, 220-229, 239, 241, 246, 265,\n        307, 308, 391, 392.\n\n    Wi-ti-ti le-shar\u00b4-uspi, 65, 308.\n\n    Wolf, name for Pawnee, 240, 244, 245, 248;\n      sign, 244.\n\n    Wolf disguise, 71, 246.\n\n    Wolf Pawnees, 216.\n\n    Wolves in the Night, 70.\n\n\n    Yellow Fox, story of, 206.\n\n\n\n\nTranscriber's Note\n\nArchaic and variable spelling, grammar and punctuation usage is\npreserved as printed.\n\nWith some few exceptions listed below (where there was a clear\ntypographic error, a single inconsistency against a number of uses of\nanother form or a discrepancy between the contents listing or index\ncompared to the main text), variations in Pawnee words are preserved as\nprinted. For example, A-ti-us and A-ti\u00b4-us; Pa-huk\u00b4 and Pa-h\u00fck\u00b4;\nChau-i and Chaui; Ka-wa-ra\u00b4-kish and Ka-wa-ra-kish; t\u00fct-tu-ta-rik and\nt\u00fct-t\u00fb-ta-rik; U\u00b4-ra-r\u00eesh and U-ra-rish; we\u00b4-t\u00fcs and we-t\u00fcs;\nCha\u00b4-ra-rat and Chah\u00b4-ra-rat; Ski\u00b4-di and Skidi; Tapaje and Tapage.\n\nThe following amendments have been made:\n\n    Page vii--Le\u00b4-shar amended to Le-shar--\"Lone Chief, Sk\u00fcr\u00b4-ar-a\n    Le-shar, ...\"\n\n    Page xxi--Kit-ke-hahk-is amended to Kit-ke-hahk\u00b4-is--\"... by\n    Good Chief and Curly Chief, Kit-ke-hahk\u00b4-is; ...\"\n\n    Page 45--Le\u00b4-shar amended to Le-shar--\"Sk\u00fcr\u00b4-ar-a Le-shar.\"\n\n    Page 47--le-shar-uspi amended to le-shar\u00b4-uspi--\"At this time\n    the boy's name was _Wi-ti-ti le-shar\u00b4-uspi_, Running Chief.\"\n\n    Page 65--Sk\u00fc\u00b4r-ar-a amended to Sk\u00fcr\u00b4-ar-a--\"... was changed\n    from _Wi-ti-ti le-shar\u00b4-uspi_ to _Sk\u00fcr\u00b4-ar-a le-shar_ ...\"\n\n    Page 105--comma moved from following 'said' to following\n    'this'--\"As soon as he had said this, he vanished like a\n    wind; ...\"\n\n    Page 155--omitted comma added following 'man'--\"Whenever any\n    human being on this earth, man, woman or child, ...\"\n\n    Page 220--omitted period added--\"... additional and more\n    satisfactory evidence of such a connection.\"\n\n    Page 240--themselve amended to themselves--\"... the name by\n    which the Pawnees call themselves, _Pa\u00b4-ni_.\"\n\n    Page 241--forgotton amended to forgotten--\"... but these\n    divisions have almost been forgotten.\"\n\n    Page 296--Ti-ra\u00b4wa amended to Ti-ra\u00b4-wa--\"... about to slay\n    the wild cattle that _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ had given them for food.\"\n\n    Page 301--ka\u00b4-wis amended to ka\u00b4wis--\"... fat ribs were\n    roasted, _ka\u00b4wis_ boiled, and _boudins_ eaten raw.\"\n\n    Page 363--Ti ra\u00b4-wa amended to Ti-ra\u00b4-wa--\"The Skidi alone of\n    the Pawnees sacrificed human beings to _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_.\"\n\n    Page 363--Ti ra\u00b4-wa amended to Ti-ra\u00b4-wa--\"... and I hope\n    that I may be blessed from _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_; ...\"\n\n    Page 376--operaation amended to operation--\"... where men who\n    had swallowed arrows died from the injuries received in the\n    operation.\"\n\n    Page 385--KIT-KE-KAHK\u00b4-I amended to KIT-KE-HAHK\u00b4-I--\"SUN\n    CHIEF--KIT-KE-HAHK\u00b4-I.\"\n\n    Page 408--It amended to it--\"\"... But,\" he added, solemnly,\n    \"it may be that _Ti-ra\u00b4-wa_ will be good to us, ...\"\"\n\n    Page 413--O\u00b4-re-ka-rahr amended to O\u00b4re-ka-rahr--\n    \"O\u00b4re-ka-rahr, 182.\"\n\n    Page 415--omitted comma added following 229--\"Skidi, 216,\n    229, 231, 248, 400; ...\"\n\n    Page 415--Skur\u00b4-ar-a amended to Sk\u00fcr\u00b4-ar-a--\"Sk\u00fcr\u00b4-ar-a\n    Le-shar, story of, 45.\"\n\n    Page 416--Ti\u00b4-ke-wa\u00b4-kush amended to Ti-ke-wa-kush--\n    \"Ti-ke-wa-kush, 132.\"\n\nSome errors in page references were found in the index. These have\nbeen amended as follows:\n\n    Page 409--252 amended to 253--\"Agriculture in the old times,\n    253; ...\"\n\n    Page 410--356 amended to 366--\"Counting _coup_, 47, 93, 179,\n    188, 366, 367.\"\n\n    Page 411--7 amended to 5--\"Eagle Chief, 5, 20, 363, 408.\"\n\n    Page 412--228 amended to 227--\"Huecos, 218, 227.\"\n\n    Page 415--120 amended to 128--\"Rattle, 128.\"\n\n    Page 415--310 amended to 311--\"Rawhide, story of the, 311.\"\n\n    Page 416--219 amended to 220--\"... songs of different tribes,\n    220.\"\n\n    Page 416--175 amended to 304--\"War parties, 15, 304 _et seq._,\n    335.\"\n\n    Page 417--241 amended to 240--\"Wolf, name for Pawnee, 240,\n    244, 245, 248; ...\"\n\nThe frontispiece illustration has been moved to follow the title page.\nOther illustrations have been moved where necessary so that they were\nnot in the middle of a paragraph.\n\n\n\n\n\n<pre id=\"pg-footer\">","title":"Pawnee Hero Stories and Folk-Tales: With notes on the origin, customs and character of the Pawnee people","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":85413}