{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_64372/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_64372","id":"gutenberg_64372","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64372","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Adventure","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: History - American","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Indians of North America","West (U.S.) -- History"],"text":"[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n  THE BOY\u2019S BOOK\n  OF\n  INDIANS\n  AND THE\n  WILD WEST\n\n  WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED\n  BY\n  GEORGE ALFRED WILLIAMS\n\n  [Illustration]\n\n  NEW YORK\n  COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY,\n  FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY\n  PUBLISHERS\n\n\n\n\nINDIANS OF THE FOREST\n\n\nWhen the white man discovered America, he found a great, primeval\nwilderness of fertile valleys, high mountains and deep forests. Tall\ntrees had grown for centuries and their towering tops, reaching up\nto the blue sky, shut out the sunlight from the gloom of the forest\nsolitude. In the deep recesses of this wilderness the red man, or\nIndian, lived in wild freedom. Skilled in woodcraft and the art of\nsavage warfare, he was lord and master of this vast domain, now called\nthe United States.\n\nAlthough divided into numerous tribes or families, each speaking a\ndifferent language, the Indians were, in traits of character and\ngeneral appearance, very much alike. In war they were courageous, but\nat the same time intelligently cautious. Treacherous and deceitful\nto their foes, they preferred to slay an enemy by a secret rather\nthan an open blow. Brave and successful a warrior as the Indian was,\nhe excelled even more when he became a hunter. To be victor over the\nbeast in the chase and hunt meant to the Indian plenty to eat and stout\nclothing to wear, so he developed remarkable skill in using his chief\nweapon, the bow and arrow.\n\nBefore the white man came to America the Indians were clad almost\nentirely in the skins of animals which they themselves cured and\ndressed to perfection, fastening various pieces together with the\ntendons and tough strips of skin very much as we sew to-day. These\ngarments, gayly ornamented with shells and colored stones, made very\nuseful and picturesque clothing.\n\n[Illustration: BROWN MOOSE A CELEBRATED MOHAWK CHIEF]\n\nThe Indian boy was taught from early childhood to believe that his\nhighest attainment was to be a brave warrior and a great hunter, and\nto look with scorn upon any other work. So upon the Indian women fell\nthe task of tilling the soil. For this reason farming never became a\nreal industry among them and they were amply satisfied to grow maize,\nor Indian corn, from which they made many kinds of dishes and bread.\nA very rich and fertile soil furthered their ambitions, for with but\nlittle attention to farming they reaped abundant crops.\n\n[Illustration: TOMAHAWK]\n\nFor houses the red men had wigwams. These they constructed by fixing\nlong poles in the ground, tying them together at the top, and covering\nthem with skins of animals joined together as they sewed their\nclothing. They made an opening in the top to serve as a chimney.\nSuch crude structures could be quickly taken down and as readily put\nup again, and admirably suited the needs of their owners, who loved\nto wander from place to place. This peculiarity was probably due to\nthe fact that after living in one spot for a certain length of time\nthey would find their natural resources for food becoming exhausted,\nand perhaps an enemy had hunted out the encampment for ravage. Then,\ntoo, it was the Indian\u2019s nature to rove in wild natural haunts and,\nno doubt, a place long inhabited lost its charm for him. A few of\nthe tribes, however, did build permanent villages, with streets and\nregularly spaced wigwams, around which they extended palisades of logs\nfor protection against attacks from their enemies.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe greatest of all the Indian families, or tribes, was the Iroquois,\nalso called the Five Nations, originally found in what is now western\nand central New York State. Of the many strange legends and stories\ncommon among the Indians, one of the most beautiful is the story of\nHiawatha, which is the tale of the origin of the Iroquois.\n\nTradition tells us that Owayneo, as Indians call their Creator, made\nthe five nations from five handfuls of seed. One day he assembled his\nchildren together and said: \u201cYou have sprung from five different kinds\nof seed and are therefore five individual nations, but you are brothers\nand I am your father because I made you all.\u201d The Mohawks, he made bold\nand valiant and gave them corn for their principal food. The Oneidas,\nhe made patient and charitable and bade them eat freely of nuts and the\nfruits of the trees. The Senecas he made industrious and active, and\nfor their chief food gave them the nourishing bean. To the Cayugas he\ngave green nuts and instructed them to grind them, and also every kind\nof fruit, for they were destined to be strong, friendly and generous.\nSquashes, grapes and tobacco were his gift to the Onondagas, for they\nwere to be a nation wise, just and eloquent. To all in common Owayneo\ngave the beasts, birds and fishes to eat and the life-giving water to\ndrink. \u201cNow,\u201d said he, \u201cbe just to all men, and kind to strangers that\ncome among you.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: AN INDIAN VILLAGE]\n\n\n\n\nON THE TRAIL\n\n\nFollowing the advice of Owayneo, the Indians received the white\nexplorers and settlers with great kindness and hospitality. But the\nwhite men were cruel and crafty and took advantage of the friendly\nred men because they wanted the Indian land and schemed by dishonest\nmethods to obtain possession of large tracts. Soon the Indian saw his\nhunting grounds taken and his wigwam threatened with destruction. This\ninjustice roused his warlike and cruel nature, and relations between\nthe white man and the red man developed into a ceaseless warfare that\npenetrated into every section of the great continent. The former peace\nof the wilderness was then marred by one long succession of fierce\nfights and terrible massacres.\n\n[Illustration: ON THE WAR-PATH]\n\nIndian warfare was always one of surprises, and ambuscades and fighting\nin a land of forest and thicket made such a method possible. For\ncenturies the Indian youth had been taught this strange mode of attack.\nTrained by tests of endurance and of skill, and by knowledge gained\nfrom a hunter\u2019s life of suffering, danger and fatigue, the Indian boy\ngrew to manhood. He longed for the time when he, too, might strike the\nenemy and make a name for himself. The chiefs of the tribe instructed\nhim in the language of the sky and the earth, in the smallest detail of\nwoodcraft and in the keenest methods of finding a trail.\n\n[Illustration: WAR-CLUB AND HATCHET]\n\nThe most ferocious and skilled warriors were the Mohawks. When, in\nthe early days of the Massachusetts colony, they made war on the New\nEngland Indians, it is told how these Indians, upon discovering the\nenemy, raised the cry from hill to hill, \u201cA Mohawk! A Mohawk!\u201d and fled\nwithout making any resistance. On the trail their keen sight and sense\nof hearing made them enemies much to be feared. No forest or thicket\nwas so dense that they could not find a way through. A broken twig or\na disturbed leaf, a bit of clothing or strand of hair was all they\nneeded to follow, with deadly surety, the most difficult of trails.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration: THE WAR DANCE]\n\nSo well could they imitate the calls of the birds and animals that\nmany a white hunter was lured to his death, and when they took a\ncaptive they were most unmerciful and tortured their prisoners in many\ncruel ways. Burning at a stake and running the gauntlet were among\nthe most popular methods. To accomplish the latter, they first made\ntheir prisoner run between two rows of women and children who, armed\nwith sticks, stones and clubs, were expected to hit him. Then the\ncaptive was tied to a stake and the braves and chiefs threw knives and\ntomahawks, so that they came as close as possible to the victim without\ninflicting wounds. After this ordeal fagots were piled around the stake\nand set on fire. So in a most cruel fashion the Indians\u2019 bloodthirsty\nnature and their desire for vengeance were satisfied.\n\nWith so many traits of savage instinct awakened, it is no wonder that\nthe white settlers, who were now penetrating every section of the\nland, had a hard time of it. While working in the fields or doing\nother peaceful tasks some one in the settlement had to be constantly\non the watch for an Indian attack. Riding through the wilderness to\nvisit a neighbor or to buy supplies at the nearest town was extremely\ndangerous, for no one knew the hour or minute when the war-whoop would\nsound and the tomahawk fall.\n\n[Illustration: AN INDIAN CLUB]\n\n\n\n\nATTACKS ON THE SETTLEMENTS\n\n\nEvery ship sailing from Europe brought new colonists, and as the\nsettlements grew and thrived on the sea coast civilization advanced\nfurther and further into the great wilderness. The Indians became more\nferocious and warlike, and day and night the settlers were in constant\nfear of attack. Men built strong palisades of logs around their homes\nand at each corner of the enclosure they placed block-houses, which\nwere simply square buildings two stories high with loopholes, through\nwhich the defenders could fire their guns and still be hidden.\n\n[Illustration: INDIANS TRYING TO SET FIRE TO A BLOCK-HOUSE]\n\nIn the daytime the gates of these crude forts were thrown open,\nand those who tilled the ground went out to their work while men\nstationed on the outskirts of the fields guarded the settlement. But\nwith all these precautions there are many sad tales of Indian attacks\naccompanied by bloodshed and cruel torture.\n\nFor long periods the Indians would remain silent in the deep forests\nand not show themselves at all. Then peace seemed to prevail in the\nland, and naturally the settlement became careless and the guards grew\nless vigilant. At just such times the crafty Indians made their most\nsuccessful raids. Silently and stealthily their scouts watched the men\nat work in the fields and the children playing outside of the stockade.\nWarriors came from all directions out of the forest depths and gathered\naround their leader. Then, when all was in readiness, the terrible\nwar-whoop sounded and the dusky foes fairly leaped from behind every\nbush, rock and tree. A wild scene of confusion ensued. Men rushed for\ntheir arms while women and children crowded into the block-houses. The\nstrong doors were closed and barred and the fierce fight began.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe Indians made every effort to get close enough to set fire to the\nbuildings, and it was the supreme danger against which the defenders\nhad to contend. Many times the settlers were thus forced to run out\ninto the midst of their foes to defend themselves by a hand-to-hand\nencounter. If the Indians were successful in the attack a terrible\nmassacre followed, in which women and children were scalped and the men\nbound and tortured. After the cruel scenes were over only a pile of\ncharred and smoking embers remained of the once prosperous settlement.\nBut usually, because of their superior arms, the white men were\nvictorious and the advance across the continent went ever onward toward\nthe Great West. Encountering many hardships and thrilling adventures,\nthese brave people made possible for us the happy, peaceful and\nbountiful land in which we now live.\n\n[Illustration: OLD FLINT-LOCK GUN AND KNIFE USED BY EARLY SETTLERS]\n\nYoung boys grew to a hardy manhood through trial and privation and gave\ntheir lives to conquering the vast wilderness of the Far West.\n\nOne incident of border life shows the bravery and fearlessness of the\nbackwoods boy.\n\nTwo brothers, one aged eleven, the other thirteen, were stolen while\nat play by two Mohawk warriors. The Indians struck a trail leading\ninto the deep forest and at nightfall were far enough away from\nthe settlement with their captives to rest without danger of being\novertaken. After a light supper they lay down to sleep, each holding\none of the boys in his arms. The oldest boy, too excited to feel\nsleepy, only pretended to go to sleep, and managed with great care to\nwriggle free from his sleeping captor\u2019s arms. He crossed over to his\nbrother and gently released him from the embrace of the other sleeping\nIndian and carefully carried him a short distance from the savages\nbefore waking him.\n\n\u201cCome,\u201d he whispered, \u201cwe must go home now.\u201d\n\n\u201cThey will follow us,\u201d replied the younger brother.\n\nThe older boy put his hand to his lips, not daring to utter a sound.\nHe then placed the only gun the Indians had with the muzzle close to\nthe ear of one of the sleeping Mohawks. \u201cNow,\u201d he whispered to his\nbrother, \u201cI\u2019ll take the tomahawk, and when I give the signal you pull\nthe trigger of the gun.\u201d When all was ready the brave boy lifted the\nhatchet and his brother pulled the trigger. The Indian shot by the\ngun rolled over dead, but the other was not killed by the first blow.\nNothing daunted, the brave youth rained blow after blow on the skull of\nthe stunned Mohawk until the warrior lay quite still. The boys had lost\ntheir way, but after several days they finally succeeded in getting\nout of the forest. As they entered their home they heard their mother\nmoaning to herself, \u201cMy poor boys, they must be killed.\u201d With a great\nshout they ran to her and threw themselves into her arms. It is inborn\nbravery such as this that conquered the great wilderness and opened up\nthe vast country that was called the Wild West.\n\n[Illustration: INDIAN KNIFE]\n\n\n\n\nINDIANS OF THE PLAINS\n\n\nStep by step the Indians were pushed out of the land that was theirs\nby just right. The white man made treaties with them, but did not keep\nthem, and on every hand the strong force of advancing civilization\ndrove them toward the land of the setting sun. Any attempt at\nresistance by the Indians was usually met by conquest and the most\nrelentless punishment. \u201cThere is not one white man who loves an\nIndian,\u201d said Sitting Bull, the warlike chief of the Ogollalas, \u201cand\nnot a true Indian but hates a white man.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: A CROW CHIEF OFFERING A CHALLENGE]\n\nIn the year 1803 the government of France sold to the United States\nthe vast tract of land then known as the country of Louisiana. This\nincluded the region in which now lie the states of Louisiana, Arkansas,\nMissouri, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota,\nNorth Dakota, Wyoming, two parts of Idaho, and Colorado and the\nterritory of Oklahoma.\n\nAt the time this vast tract of land was acquired by our government\nalmost nothing was known of it. Few white men had ever travelled the\ntrackless plains or scaled the frowning ranges of mountains that barred\nthe way across the continent, and in its great unknown land there lived\nmany tribes of Indians who had never looked upon the face of a white\nman. The government sent explorers to find out about the strange, new\npossessions, and, hard upon their trails, followed the advancing tide\nof civilization. And every step of the settlers\u2019 advance was bitterly\ncontested by the savages, who fought with desperate fierceness.\nNew factors entered into this warfare with the savage tribes. This\nterritory, unlike the forest lands, was flat and barren and stretched\nthousands of miles across the middle of the United States from the\nMissouri River to California, with here and there a huge range of\nmountains running north and south, guarded on either side by long lines\nof foot-hills. In rare instances there were stretches of forest, but\ngenerally there was nothing but flat plains covered with a tall rough\ngrass, and many other parts were alkali plains so dry that they were\ntotally unfit for human habitation.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nIn his battles with the red foe the white man had up to this time\nbeen used to the cover of the thicket and the forest. Now with little\nnatural protection he was called upon to advance against some of the\nmost crafty and bloodthirsty of the Indians.\n\n[Illustration: A BLACKFOOT CHIEF]\n\nThese Indians comprised several nations divided into tribes. They were\na wild, untamed race and, unlike the forest Indians, had horses which\nthey managed with great skill in battle and in the hunt.\n\nA Western Indian on foot was out of his element, but the moment he laid\nhis hand upon his horse his face became handsome and he sped gracefully\naway--a different being. No imagination can ever truly picture the\nbeauty and wildness of the scenes in this romantic country. In the\nchase and on the war-path these Indians were gorgeous pictures of\nbarbaric splendor and manly development.\n\nFirst of all the tribes ranked the Crows and Blackfeet and their\ndress was extremely picturesque. They were skilled hunters and fierce\nwarriors. These two tribes were deadly enemies and almost continued\nwarfare was in progress between them. Often the chiefs of different\ntribes were sworn enemies, and if they chanced to meet a fierce combat\nensued.\n\nOnce a noted chief of the Blackfoot tribe met a famous chief of the\nCrows on the banks of the Missouri River. They were on opposite sides\nof the stream, at a point where the current was divided by a sand bar\nor small island. Uttering his shrill war-cry, the Blackfoot waded into\nthe river on his horse and the Crow answered the challenge, rushing\ndown the steep embankment into the swiftly flowing water. At almost the\nsame instant the two horsemen emerged at the opposite ends of the small\nisland. Here they drew up their steeds and made the sign of peace. The\nBlackfoot was the first to speak. \u201cWhat has the Crow squaw to say?\u201d he\nsaid. At this insult the Crow replied, singing the praises of his race\nand taunting the Blackfoot warrior with all the hatred typical of the\nIndian for his enemy.\n\n\u201cI am done,\u201d he said at last. \u201cWhat has the dog of the prairie to say?\u201d\nInfuriated beyond control, the Crow set an arrow to his bow and sent it\nwith deadly aim toward the naked bosom of his foe. Sudden and unlooked\nfor as was this attack the Blackfoot\u2019s quick eye had seen the movement.\nHe jerked the rein of his horse and made him rear his forward legs into\nthe air. Then leaning over the neck of his horse he returned the shot,\nwhich was a signal for a perfect rain of arrows, many of which found\ntheir mark. The quivers of both Indians were soon empty, and then began\na fierce combat with the lance. The Crow quickly dismounted to avoid\na thrust from the angry Blackfoot\u2019s ready spear, and just in time it\nwas, for with a yell of savage triumph the Blackfoot drove his lance\nright through the body of his enemy\u2019s pony. Then he quickly wheeled\nhis horse and bore down upon the unmounted Crow, who met him with a\nthrust that killed his horse. Down went the Blackfoot entangled in his\nown trappings. His predicament was desperate. He deftly took his knife\nbetween his thumb and forefinger and threw it with deadly accuracy at\nthe advancing Crow. In a second it buried itself to the handle in his\nbreast.\n\nMortally wounded, the Crow chief halted for a moment, then summoning\nall his strength, he drew the knife from his breast and threw it at\nthe Blackfoot crying, \u201cA scalp of the mighty Crows shall never dry in\nthe wigwams of the Blackfeet.\u201d With this parting word he threw himself\ninto the swift moving river and was lost to view. Only the bloody water\nmarked the place.\n\n\n\n\nBUFFALO HUNTING\n\n\nThe Indians of the Plains, bold and desperate horsemen, were great\nhunters. Their chief game was the American bison or buffalo, which\nroamed over the wide prairies in vast herds, seemingly placed there by\nthe Great Spirit for the special use of the red man, who lived upon\ntheir flesh and clothed himself with their skins.\n\nMounted on small, fleet ponies, the Indians could readily kill them in\ngreat numbers. When pursuing the herd, the Indian used to ride close in\nthe rear while he selected just the animal he wanted. Then driving his\npony between it and the herd, he forced the buffalo off alone. In this\nway he avoided being crushed or trampled to death by the madly rushing\nbeasts.\n\n[Illustration: CATCHING WILD HORSES]\n\nWhen directly opposite the buffalo, the Indian, with his bow ready\ndrawn, would shoot his deadly arrow. Often this was only a signal for\na fierce encounter with the wounded bull. For while the buffalo is a\ntimid animal and seldom makes an attack, he turns in fury when wounded.\nWith few exceptions, the Indian with the aid of his swift pony would\nsoon conquer the mighty beast.\n\nAnother method the Indians employed in hunting buffalo, was to ride out\nand in a body surround a herd. Dividing into two columns and riding\nin opposite directions, they gradually circled around the animals at\nabout a mile distant. At a given signal they closed in on them, and the\nunsuspecting herd, scenting the enemy, fled in the greatest confusion.\nWhere the buffalo aimed to cross the line, the riders went at full\nspeed, brandishing their weapons and yelling fiercely. By these means\nthey turned the herd off towards another point, where they again, met\nby confusion and noise, wheeled back in an opposite direction. The\nhorsemen had by this time closed in at all points and soon had the\nbuffalo circling around in a confused mass.\n\nThen began the scene of slaughter, when hundreds of beasts were killed.\nSometimes, a bull, infuriated by wounds, would break from the seething\nmass, and gore a hunter\u2019s horse to death. The Indian would then be\nobliged to leap to save himself, and in some cases had to jump from\nback to back of the wild animals to avoid being crushed.\n\n[Illustration: A BUFFALO HUNTER]\n\nWhen enough animals were killed there followed a busy scene. The whole\nIndian camp, men, women and children, set to work to cut up the meat.\nIt was carried back to camp, and what was not needed for food at once\nwas dried in the sun for use in the winter and when game was scarce.\n\nThe most valuable possession of the Indian was, without doubt, his\nhorse. Large bands of wild horses roved in freedom over the Plains,\nbut they were very difficult to catch and called for all the wonderful\ningenuity of the red man.\n\nStarting on a hunt for them, the Indian, equipped with his lasso,\nfirst mounted his swiftest horse and rode out upon the prairies. As\nsoon as he sighted a band he rode full speed until he was right among\nthem, then threw his lasso, deftly getting it over the neck of one of\nthe beasts. At this very instant he dismounted and, running as fast\nas he could, let the lasso slip through his hands until the captive\nhorse dropped from want of breath. Now he quickly drew a hobble over\nthe horse\u2019s front feet. This done, he loosened the lasso to give the\nhorse a chance to breathe and made a noose around the lower jaw, which\ngave him more control over the frightened animal. When it regained\nits breath the wild horse would rear and plunge in a frantic attempt\nfor freedom. The Indian, never letting go his firm hold on the lasso,\nadvanced towards the horse\u2019s nose, and getting his hand over it could\nhold down the animal and prevent it from falling or rolling on its\nback. In this way he was able to put his other hand over the horse\u2019s\neyes and breathe into its nostrils. After this, strange as it may seem,\nthe horse soon became perfectly docile, and the Indian had little to do\nbut to remove the hobbles from its feet and ride into camp.\n\nWith the buffalo for a constant source of food and the wild horses for\ntheir mounts the Indians of the Plains proved a powerful and enduring\nobstacle to the invasion of the white man. Their highly developed skill\nin scouting and prairie warfare enabled them to dispute every inch of\ntheir land with great success.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nINDIAN SCOUTS AND WARFARE ON THE PLAINS\n\n\nThe great American prairies were the final gathering place of the\nIndians. What was left of the once powerful tribe, the Mohicans, and\nthe Delawares, of the Creeks, Choctaws, and Cherokees, all found refuge\nhere. At this period they dwelt in open hostility not only toward the\nwhite man, but among themselves. Wonderful and powerful alike in the\nchase and on the trail, their conquest was not an easy task.\n\n[Illustration: INDIANS SIGNALING]\n\nWith the American Indian war was the one end and aim of living.\nTribesmen were brothers but rival tribesmen were natural enemies. So,\nfrom the earliest times this rivalry between tribes kept them in almost\nconstant warfare, and the western tribes being the most primitive,\ntheir fighting was very savage.\n\nThe possession of the eagle\u2019s feather denoted success on the war-path\nand was a prize every Indian hoped to obtain. From early childhood the\nIndian boy was instructed in the arts of war and the hunt. Before him\nwas ever the vision of the eagle\u2019s feather, and this symbol inspired\nhim to noble deeds and great bravery. In his barbarous training\nhe learned to keep two virtues, endurance and courage, constantly\nuppermost in his mind.\n\nTradition tells of an Indian boy who was taken captive. The boy knew\nthat his trial would be severe, and summoned all his bravery to prove\nthe nobility of his tribal blood.\n\nHis captors held a grand council and decided that his fate should\ndepend upon the amount of his courage and endurance. If he bore well\nthe torture they gave him he might be adopted into the tribe--a great\nhonor--otherwise they would kill him. First they held him barefoot\nupon the coals of the camp-fire until large blisters came and these\nthey pierced with bone needles and filled with sharp stones. They then\nformed a gauntlet and made the little fellow run between the long lines\nof shouting savages. His agony was intense, but with all the courage\nand fortitude of his tribe he had strength to reach the goal. A wild\nshout of approval went up from the Indians. \u201cGood,\u201d cried a chief. \u201cHe\nwill be a great warrior.\u201d\n\nBut this was only the beginning of his trials. They now bound him to\nthe stakes and tortured him with fire and still the brave boy stood\nwithout a complaint or a moan. Then, not yet satisfied, they held him\nunder the water of a cold stream until his life was almost gone, but\nwhen they released him and he gained his breath he still was able to\nstand up before them. \u201cA warrior, a warrior,\u201d they cried and then\nadopted him into their tribe. This boy grew to be a noted chief of\ngreat power, hailed far and wide for his brave deeds.\n\n[Illustration: AN INDIAN CREEPING THROUGH THE LONG GRASS]\n\nTrained in such a hard school, no point of advantage escaped the\nIndians in war or on the trail. They made good use of the tall grass of\nthe prairies to shield them, and would glide behind it like serpents\ntoward their enemies, suddenly and unexpectedly jumping up among them\nwith shrill, wild war-whoops.\n\nScouts on horses found a way up and down and in and out of the most\ndifficult mountain passes, and watchers were ever kept on the tall\ncliffs that fringed the more open and fertile valleys. White explorers\nand emigrants seeing smoke rise from the watch fires at first looked\nfor an attack in that direction. But while they centered their interest\non the thin rising cloud of smoke, scouts in full war dress would be\nriding out on the opposite cliff and leisurely studying the enemy. For\nhours the Indians would keep up this silent exchange of signals and\nthen at night under the cover of darkness make their unheralded attack.\nDusky forms would stealthily crawl on all fours up to the very edge of\nthe settlers\u2019 camp, then the call of a night bird would sound out in\nthe stillness. This would mean little to the white sentries on guard,\nunaccustomed as they were to the methods of their savage foe.\n\nSuddenly the beautiful quiet of night pervading the camp would be rent\nwith the wild piercing war-whoop. In an instant Indians would spring\nfrom every conceivable spot and a scene of horrible confusion would\nensue, and the sun next morning, rising in all the splendor of the\nglorious western hills, would reveal the sad tale of savage massacre.\n\nThe white man coming in ever increasing numbers soon saw the wisdom\nof acquiring the services of white plainsmen and scouts who had been\ntrained by hard experience and could meet the Indian on his own ground.\nThis plan proved a great success, for without them the conquest of the\nGreat West would have been an almost impossible task.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nAN INDIAN ATTACK ON A WAGON TRAIN\n\n\nThe spring of 1846 was a busy season on the western frontier. Not only\nwere emigrants from every part of the country preparing for the journey\nto California and Oregon, but a great number were making ready for\nSanta F\u00e9. These adventurous people fitted out their wagon trains at\nSt. Louis, and from there traveled up the Missouri River by boat to a\nplace called Independence. This was the usual starting place, although\noccasionally trains went out from Fort Leavenworth.\n\n[Illustration: THE LEADER OF A WAGON TRAIN]\n\nThese trains were usually made up of two or more large wagons, several\nemigrants combining forces and, considering that hostile Indians were\nalways on the trail, this was a wise precaution. Some trains, however,\nsent out by companies formed for the express purpose of carrying goods\nto the Pacific Coast, consisted of as many as twenty-five wagons.\n\nThese wagons each could carry as much as six thousand pounds of freight\nand were drawn by several yoke of oxen in charge of one driver. Looking\nlike large, flat-bottomed scows, the wagons were covered with canvas\nstretched over hoops bent round in shape. In this way the goods carried\nwere protected from dampness and rain.\n\nThe trail to the Pacific Coast ran through what is now the State of\nKansas to the Big Blue River, then over the Big and the Little Sandy\nRiver, coming into Nebraska close by the Big Sandy. Next, striking the\nLittle Blue, the trail followed it for some sixty miles until it came\nto the Platte River near Fort Kearney. From here it wound in and out of\nthe rolling hills like a great serpent, and on across the prairies to\nFort Laramie, one of the most westerly frontier posts.\n\nThe country lying between this fort and the Salt Lake Valley, on the\nother side of the Rocky Mountains, was inhabited only by hostile\nIndians, and it was here that many brave men lost their lives.\n\nAmong the large number of people who pushed into the Wild West in\nthe early days of emigration, the resolute forester who had already\npenetrated the wilds of the forest-covered States was the first to\nventure. Toils and hazards of former undertakings were forgotten, as\nthese endless and unexplored regions were opened for settlement.\n\nThe tints and hues of autumn were at their fullest when a train of\nwagons issued from the border hills to pursue its way across the\nrolling surface of the great prairie. Creaking \u201cprairie-schooners,\u201d\nas the wagons were sometimes called, heavy with stoves and household\ngoods, and concealing the women and children, moved slowly along the\ntrail. Straggling sheep and cattle were herded in the rear, while in\nfront rode or walked the sturdy and fearless backwoodsmen. On every\nside stretched the broad plain which reached like a great sea to the\nfar distant Rocky Mountains. The leader, a tall, strong man, who rode\nahead, had stopped and was looking with shaded eyes toward the west.\nThe setting sun cast a yellow glow over the heavens and earth and\nseemed to suggest the very gold whose discovery in California was\nattracting so many men to make this hazardous journey. The dress of\nthis leader was very picturesque. From his deer-skin belt hung his\nhunting knife, with its buckhorn handle, and his hat of martens\u2019 fur\ngave to his strong face a look of great determination. The stock of\nhis rifle, that was loosely hung over his shoulder, was of beautiful\nmahogany riveted and bound with precious metal. In addition to the\nrifle, a carefully guarded powder horn and a keen, bright wood axe were\nslung across his back.\n\n[Illustration: A PRAIRIE SCHOONER]\n\nAs evening came, a camp was sought for the night. A cool spring that\nburst forth from the side of a gently sloping hill, and proved to be\nthe source of a prairie stream, called a run, offered the desired water\nand fresh grass for the cattle and horses, and was quickly chosen.\n\nIt was a busy scene while the camp was made, and every member of the\ntrain had his task. The great wagons were swung into a circle to afford\nthe best means of protection in case of attack.\n\nWhen the evening meal was over, lots were drawn to see who should stand\nguard for the night. This decided, women and children went to bed and\nthe sheep and cattle were driven into the corral formed by the wagons.\n\nNight came on and the stars shone out with the special brilliancy of\nthe western sky. It was now the first watch of the night and the pale\nlight of a new moon played over the endless waves of the prairie,\ntipping the ridges with gleams of light and leaving the hollows purple\nin darkness.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nOn a knoll some little distance from the camp crouched several dusky\nforms. Low guttural tones came from the throats of the band of Indians,\nwho in fierce war paint and with fiery eyes looked more like demons\nthan men.\n\nCrouching low, with a snake-like motion three of the band crawled\naway through the tall grass. It was some minutes before they returned\nand reported what they had seen in the camp. Then, at a given signal,\nseveral more warriors rode up upon their fleet ponies and dismounted.\nA council was held, but when the scouts reported that the wagon train\nwas strongly fortified, the Indians decided to give up the attack that\nnight, and mounting, almost as one man, the wild riders rode like the\nwind across the moonlit prairie and were soon lost in the dim distance.\n\nWith the first break of day the emigrant train was in motion and once\nmore began its weary journey. All went well until, a few hours after\nsunrise, the leader suddenly came to a halt. On a rise of ground some\ndistance ahead appeared a bright spot, which, upon closer observation,\nproved to be a mounted Indian. The alarm was soon given, and the whole\ntrain at once became the scene of hurried and exciting preparation. The\nwagons were quickly wheeled into a circle and the women, children and\nstock were cared for just as they had been the night before. There was\nnot a moment to lose. For at all points Indians now appeared mounted\nand in full war dress. They were riding like mad, circling the group of\nwagons at some distance. Finally a great piercing war-cry sounded and\nthe wild and furious riders closed in on the settlers. Coming within\nrange of the backwoodsmen\u2019s rifles, the red foes threw themselves on\nthe off side of their horses, and so placed the animals between them\nand the accurate aim of the long rifles of the train defenders.\n\nWhile this excitement was going on the emigrants did not see the dark\nforms crawling through the long grass toward their fort. Suddenly a\nterrible yell of savage success rent the air and an awful scene of\nbloodshed and hand-to-hand encounter followed. In the confusion the\nanimals broke loose and stampeded, and away they went across the\nplains, the Indian riders in wild pursuit to capture their booty.\n\nThe enemy gone, it was a desolate scene that greeted the emigrant\nleader. Many of his best men were dead, most of his cattle gone, and\nscarcely enough horses left for half his wagons. But he was indeed\nfortunate, since none of the women and children had been killed or\ntaken captive.\n\nIn spite of such odds as these the Great West grew and settlements\nmultiplied. This was due to the courage and indomitable will of these\nfirst comers, who in spite of almost insurmountable difficulties did\nnot lose heart or ambition.\n\n\n\n\nTHE PONY EXPRESS\n\n\nTwo thousand miles of waste land lay between the western frontier and\nCalifornia and the long wagon trains sent out by the various companies\ndid very well for carrying freight. But as the settlements grew in\nnumber there came a demand for a speedier method of communication by\nwhich letters and money might be sent to the Pacific Coast and other\npoints. The long journey of the slowly moving wagons did not interfere\nvery much in matters of freight, but the settlers soon realized that\nbusiness arrangements and papers needed better and quicker means of\ntransportation.\n\n[Illustration: INDIANS LYING IN WAIT FOR THE \u201cPONY EXPRESS\u201d]\n\nThe great freight transporters, therefore, conceived the idea of a\nscheme for carrying letters at a much faster rate to San Francisco by\nmeans of a single horseman riding a pony at full speed. Their idea was\nthat a man should mount a swift pony, capable of great endurance, and\nride straight out into the open desert, where, at the end of fifteen\nmiles, there would be a station with several men in it, who would have\nready another fresh pony. This horseman was to slow up at this shanty,\njump to the ground with his bag of letters, immediately jump on the\nfresh pony and ride fast and furiously for another fifteen miles to the\nnext similar station. It happened that some of these stations were in\ntowns and settlements, but more often they were on the bleak prairies\nor in the hills of the Rocky Mountains. This pony express followed\nthe same trail as that used by the wagon trains, but since the wagon\ntrain stations were usually forty-five miles apart of course many more\nstations had to be built. A man who rode one of these divisions rode\nfifteen miles on one pony, fifteen miles on the second, and fifteen\nmiles on the third. Then he began his return trip of forty-five miles.\n\nSometimes it would be easy riding over open country, then again it\nmight be up rocky gulches or through forests difficult to traverse. Men\nof the hardest sort of physique and endurance were required, and the\nponies had to be sure-footed and swift. The wages paid for this work\nwere liberal, so the companies owning the route were able to procure\nthe best men on the frontier.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nOver the saddle hung mail pouches that weighed about twenty pounds.\nThis was really a very small part of the amount of mail to be sent, but\nthe ponies could not carry a heavier load, so to increase the number\nof letters and lessen the weight, people later wrote on tissue paper.\nPaper money was carried because gold and silver were too heavy and\nbulky. One of the enterprising eastern newspapers printed a special\nedition of their news on tissue paper for transportation only on this\nfamous pony express.\n\nIt was an exciting time when the fast mail left St. Joseph, the\nstarting place. At the moment of leaving a frontiersman came hurriedly\nout of the post-office, threw the mail bags over the saddle, leaped on\nthe pony and started off at full speed, leaving a curious crowd to gaze\nwonderingly after his dusty trail. The average distance covered in a\nday by this queer express was two hundred miles, a speed of about eight\nmiles an hour.\n\nIt took great endurance for these men to be in the saddle for seventy\nor more miles a day. But, endurance was not the only quality the rider\nneeded. Over the whole route there was constant danger of being held\nup, either by Indians or by outlaws, who were eager to get the money\nthat was often carried. So the rider had to be a courageous and skilled\nfrontiersman who had keen knowledge of Indian warfare.\n\nOften reports would come to the stations that Indians were in the\nvicinity. The express rider departing was advised to keep a sharp\neye on the trail. Behind a pile of rocks a bright spot might show\nwhich, to the trained vision of the frontiersman, immediately meant\npossible danger. The little speck of color was perhaps the feather\nof an Indian\u2019s head dress. There was no chance or time to turn, the\nrider kept on at his furious pace until he was within shot. A puff\nof smoke suddenly came from behind the rock and out would jump the\nIndian warriors. But quick as a bullet speeds the express rider would\nbe quicker, and ducking behind his pony turned him instantly off the\ntrail and thus avoided being shot then and there. Now, however, came\na ride for life, for just ahead more Indians would appear and try to\nblock the way. Luckily few of the Indians had guns in these days and\nthe frontiersman, watching his chance, could usually kill one or two\nIndians before they succeeded in shooting their arrows. This would act\nas a sudden check to the red men, and fast and furious the express\nrider would spur his pony on toward the station and escape.\n\nOnce in a great while, however, because of the many hostile Indians\nwho laid in wait all along the trails to capture the riders, the pony\nexpress had to be stopped for a time.\n\nThe next step in western travel was the famous overland stage which ran\nfrom St. Joseph to Sacramento, a distance of one thousand miles. This\nwas a most difficult enterprise. For the stage carried at times large\nsums of money and was therefore frequently held up by highwaymen or\nIndians.\n\nThe coaches were strange, heavy vehicles with very large wheels, made\nunusually strong, since they traveled the roughest roads imaginable.\nPassengers could ride either inside or out, but no one ever thought of\ngoing without being fully armed, for day or night the coach was likely\nto be attacked.\n\nOne of the most famous trips was made by Buffalo Bill from Fort Kearney\nto Plum Creek. It was a difficult task to manage six horses and at the\nsame time keep a keen eye open for Indians. Owing to Buffalo Bill\u2019s\nskill the stage usually got through, but in the hands of other less\ncompetent drivers the tale was often a sad one, with heavy loss of\nmoney and good men killed or wounded.\n\n[Illustration: THE WAY MAIL SOMETIMES CAME IN]\n\n\n\n\nTHE GOVERNMENT\u2019S FIGHT AGAINST THE INDIANS\n\n\nAlthough the United States Government had maintained frontier forts,\nit was forced finally to undertake important aggressive campaigns\nagainst the Indians. The white settlements encroached more and more\non the Indian territory, and the red man seeing nothing ahead but the\ndestruction of his cherished hunting grounds by these intruders, aimed\nto destroy every white man he saw, but inch by inch the savages were\ncrowded back from the land that was rightfully theirs into a cramped\nand limited area.\n\n[Illustration: SITTING BULL]\n\nThe Indian knew no law but that of simple justice, and in his dealings\nhe had always wanted to be honest. On every hand, however, he now met\ncruelty, dishonesty and broken faith, and he learned to think of the\nwhite man as a terrible crushing power fit only to be done away with,\nand this finally became the keynote of his existence.\n\nIn 1862 there was an outbreak of the powerful Sioux tribes due directly\nto the failure of our government to keep its pledges to the Indians,\nwho were depending upon the promised money due them in payment for\ntheir land. They were aroused to a sense of this injustice by an actual\nwant of the necessities of life, for robbed of his hunting and fishing\nground, the Indian knew no way to get a living. Some say that he should\nhave tilled the soil like the white man, but it must not be forgotten\nthat having lived for centuries in a savage state, he was not fitted to\nmeet the demands of civilization.\n\nThe great Civil War was raging and draining the country of its fighting\nmen. Knowing only one way to right their wrongs, the Indians seized\nthis unique opportunity and on the morning of August 18th, 1862, a\nparty of one hundred and fifty Sioux, under Chief Little Crow, began a\nmassacre of the white settlers on both sides of the Minnesota River.\n\nFor three weeks the Indians had their own way, meeting with no strong\nresistance, most of the men then serving in the Union Army. Finally\nthe government assembled a force large enough to resist the savages\nsuccessfully and put down the uprising. But this was only temporary\npeace, for the Indians were very persistent. One Indian war after\nanother was fought until the government forces became strong enough to\nmaintain obedience from the red man.\n\nOne of the most disastrous of the battles in the West was that which\ntook place after General Sheridan ordered the Sioux and Northern\nCheyenne tribes to give up their hunting grounds, and to go upon a\nreservation. This did not please the Indians. They stood firmly for\ntheir rights and another Sioux war resulted.\n\nThree columns of troops under Generals Crook, Terry and Custer were\nsent out in May, 1876. But after a fierce but indecisive fight between\nCrook and the Sioux, the soldiers fell back to Tongue River.\n\nSitting Bull was the Indian leader at this time, and his warriors were\nstationed between the head waters of the Rosebud and the Big Horn\nrivers. Into this section Custer and his gallant troops marched.\n\n[Illustration: A U.S. TROOPER ON THE TRAIL]\n\nWith Sitting Bull was another noted chief, Crazy Horse, and both were\nvery hostile to the whites. Other discontented tribes drifted to their\ncamps and swelled the force to a very large number. They occupied\na position of great advantage near the head of the Yellowstone,\nsurrounded by the \u201cbad lands,\u201d a tract most difficult to travel because\nthere was but little water for the troops and horses. Besides the\nIndians were well located at about an equal distance from the Indian\nagencies, from which they were annually supplied by the government with\nthe best of arms and ammunition according to treaty agreements.\n\nSitting Bull was a heavily built Indian with an extremely large and\nhandsome head, and unlike most Indians, his hair was brown. He had a\nforceful mind, with a genius for war, and was extremely heroic. The\norder requiring him to go on the reservation was in violation of a\ntreaty made between his tribe and the United States authorities, and\nthe attempt to force it was a national disgrace, proving how unfairly\nwe treated the Indian. Soon after the battles with General Crook,\nSitting Bull said to General Miles, who commanded the western troops,\n\u201cI want peace, but if the troops come out I will fight them. I want to\nhunt buffalo and to trade. I don\u2019t want rations and money. I want to\nlive like an Indian.\u201d\n\nIn accordance with government orders, General Custer set out on the\ntwenty-third of June with the Seventh Cavalry, to follow the Indian\ntrail up the Rosebud River. After three days they found themselves in\nthe valley of the Little Big Horn River, close to the hostile tribes.\nThe command was divided into three detachments--one led by Custer,\none by Major Reno, and a third by Captain Benteen. In attacking the\nIndian village it was planned that Reno was to take the upper section,\nCuster the lower.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nMajor Reno\u2019s attack was not strongly made and he was easily driven\nback, as was also Captain Benteen, so that these two detachments failed\nto support Custer. So it happened that with only five companies this\nbrave general was compelled to encounter the entire Indian force. \u201cDo\nnot let an Indian escape,\u201d were his orders, and he threw himself upon\nthem, believing that with the help of the other commands he could\ninflict a severe punishment upon the red foe.\n\nAnd now comes a sad story. It seemed as though the Great Spirit was\nfor once with his own people. Custer surprised the Indians at the\nriver front, but they quickly rallied and drove the troops back up the\nhill. Hundreds of Indians poured into the river on ponies and on foot\nand attacked the small force in front of them. They made a circuit\naround the hill and slowly but surely closed in on the valiant troops.\nA final stand was made at the lower end of the hill in a bloody fight\nthat lasted from two o\u2019clock until sunset. Not one man of the five\ncompanies, not even the brave general, was left alive.\n\nFrom this time on the government persistently fought the red man,\nfinally conquering his spirit and gaining complete possession of his\nlands.\n\n\n\n\nTHE COWBOYS\n\n\nIt did not take long for men to learn that the great western country\nwas a valuable grazing land. The section of the West which includes\nNew Mexico, part of Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and the\nwestern part of Texas, Nebraska, Kansas and Dakota, became a great\ncattle range. There were neither fences nor boundaries on this gigantic\nunbroken pasture, and here there grew up and flourished a great cattle\nraising industry.\n\nA traveller seeing this land for the first time would wonder how such\na parched and desolate country could give maintenance to cattle at\nall. Lying as it does in the arid belt, it is a region of but light\nrainfall; the grass is short and scanty; there are no trees except\nalong the beds of streams, and in many places there are alkali deserts\nwhere nothing grows but sage-brush and cactus. In other parts the land\nstretches out into level plains that seem almost endless, or into\nbeautiful rolling prairies. The muddy rivers, running through in broad\nshallow beds, after a rain become swollen torrents, while in droughts\neven the larger streams dwindle into mere sluggish trickles of water,\nand the smaller ones dry up entirely, except for occasional pools.\nPerhaps this land might have lain idle for years had not the hardy\nplainsman been keen to observe that great herds of buffalo lived and\nthrived on the short brown grass peculiar to the region.\n\n[Illustration: A PLAINSMAN AND CATTLE RANGER OF EARLY DAYS]\n\nAs the cattle raising industry progressed in Texas there naturally grew\nup a race of strong, fearless men called cowboys, because of their\noccupation dealing with cattle. No prouder soul than the cowboy ever\nlived. He was proud of his prowess as a horseman and had little use for\nany one not skilled in the saddle. Loving and dependent companions, his\nhorse and he were inseparable.\n\nThe cowboys of the old Wild West were wonderful riders and born\nfighters, two necessary virtues these, for almost constantly many\ndisputes had to be settled on the ranches with rival cattle men or with\nIndians.\n\nThe lasso or rope is the one essential feature of every cowboy\u2019s\nequipment. Loosely coiled, it hangs from the horn, or is tied to one\nside of the saddle, and is used for many emergencies. In helping\nto pull a cow out of a bog hole, or a wagon up a steep hill it is\ninvaluable. Every cowboy aspires to be a good roper so that he can\nhandle the lasso with ease, swiftness and precision. A first-class\nroper can demand his own price, for he is eagerly sought after by the\ncattle men.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration: A COWBOY]\n\nWhen it comes to riding a horse, the cowboy is unsurpassed and there\nis nothing that is possible at all that he cannot do in the saddle.\nThe \u201cbroncho busters\u201d or horse breakers, perform really marvelous\nfeats, riding with ease the most vicious wild horses unused to the\nhand of man. Such a rider cannot be jarred out of the saddle by the\nmost desperate and sudden plunges of the bucking horse. Their method\nof breaking a horse is very rough. They simply saddle and bridle a\nbeast by main force, and ride him until he is completely exhausted and\nsubmissive. At this point the horse is considered broken and his owner\nmay later train him to stop or wheel instantly at a touch of the reins,\nor to start at top speed at a sudden signal.\n\nBut while the cowboy\u2019s horse may do all these things for him, it would\nbe impossible for any but an expert rider, even to approach such\nvicious horses. A man who is merely an ordinary rider would probably\nlose his life.\n\nThe cowboy\u2019s life was full of continual excitement and hard work when\nout on the cattle range. While he was riding alone on the Plains, a\nband of Indians would often suddenly appear and, forming in a circle,\nride madly around him. There was then nothing to do but stand them off\nuntil help came, or if forced, put up as good a fight single handed\nas possible while ammunition lasted. If the cowboy was an experienced\nfrontiersman and did not lose his nerve, he could successfully cope\nwith a small band of Indians, because he could match a gun against the\nIndians\u2019 arrows.\n\nAll these romantic and adventurous times finally gave way to the\never advancing civilization. The extensive tracts, then natural and\nfree, were gradually cut up into small ranches enclosed by barbed\nwire fences. The cowboy too had to bear the marks of civilization and\nacknowledge the reign of law, but he still rides to-day as skillfully\nand easily as ever, sitting erect and jaunty, reins held high and loose\nin his hands, his whole body free yet firm in the saddle with the seat\nof the perfect horseman. His broad brimmed hat still sweeps up and\nback in the same careless freedom of those lawless days, and his belt\nis still adorned with the deadly guardians of his safety, his spurs\njingling as he rides. His pony is the same as those of many years ago\nand trots steadily forward with the easy movement characteristic only\nof the western horse.\n\nThe cowboy as he rides on, erect and strong, true to the life of\nfreedom he loves, waves his hat in adieu and the sun sets behind the\nblue hills of what was once the Great Wild West.\n\n\n\n\nTRANSCRIBER\u2019S NOTES:\n\n\n  Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.\n\n  Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.","title":"The Boy's Book of Indians and the Wild West","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":9217}