 | CHAPTER IX. Narrative of my captivity among the Sioux Indians. |  |
CHAPTER IX.
PREPARATIONS FOR BATTLE—AN INDIAN VILLAGE ON THE MOVE—
SCALP DANCE—A HORRIBLE SCENE OF SAVAGE EXULTATION—
COMPELLED TO JOIN THE ORGIES—A CAUSE OF INDIAN HOSTILITY—
ANOTHER BATTLE WITH THE WHITE TROOPS—BURIAL OF AN INDIAN
BOY—A HASTY RETREAT—MADE TO ACT AS SURGEON OF THE
WOUNDED—MAUVE TERRE, OR BAD LANDS.
The next morning the whole village was in motion.
The warriors were going to battle against a white enemy,
they said, and old men, women, and children
were sent out in another direction to a place of safety,
as designated by the chief. Every thing was soon
moving. With the rapidity of custom the tent-poles
were lowered and the tents rolled up. The cooking
utensils were put together, and laid on cross-beams
connecting the lower ends of the poles as they trail
the ground from the horses' sides, to which they are
attached. Dogs, too, are made useful in this exodus,
and started off, with smaller burdens dragging after
them, in the same manner that horses are packed.
The whole village was in commotion, children
screaming or laughing; dogs barking or growling
under their heavy burdens; squaws running hither
every thing, and leading horses and dogs with huge
burdens.
The small children are placed in sacks of buffalo
skin and hung upon saddles or their mothers' backs.
The wrapped up lodges, which are secured by thongs,
are fastened to the poles on the horses' backs, together
with sundry other articles of domestic use, and upon
these are seated women and children. To guide the
horse a woman goes before, holding the bridle, carrying
on her back a load nearly as large as the horse
carries. Women and children are sometimes mounted
upon horses, holding in their arms every variety of
plunder, sometimes little dogs and other forlorn and
hungry looking pets. In this unsightly manner, sometimes
two or three thousand families are transported
many miles at the same migration, and, all being in
motion at the same time, the cavalcade extends for a
great distance.
The men and boys are not so unsightly in their appearance,
being mounted upon good horses and the
best Indian ponies, riding in groups, leaving the
women and children to trudge along with the burdened
horses and dogs.
The number and utility of these faithful dogs is
sometimes astonishing, as they count hundreds, each
bearing a portion of the general household goods.
Two poles, about ten or twelve feet long, are attached
dragging upon the ground. On these poles a small
burden is carried, and with it the faithful canine jogs
along, looking neither to the right nor to the left, but
apparently intent upon reaching the end of his journey.
These faithful creatures are under the charge of
women and children, and their pace is occasionally encouraged
with admonitions in the form of vigorous
and zealous use of whips applied to their limbs and
sides. It was quite painful to me to see these poor
animals, thus taken from their natural avocation, and
forced to a slavish life of labor, and compelled to
travel along with their burdens; yet, when this change
has been made, they become worthless as hunters, or
watchers, and even for the purpose of barking, being
reduced, instead, to beasts of burden. It was not uncommon
to see a great wolfish-looking dog moodily
jogging along with a lot of cooking utensils on one
side, and on the other a crying papoose for a balance,
while his sulking companion toils on, supporting upon
his back a quarter of antelope or elk, and is followed
by an old woman, or some children, who keep at bay
all refractory dogs who run loose, occasionally showing
their superiority by snapping and snarling at their
more unfortunate companions.
This train was immense]y large, nearly the whole
Sioux nation having concentrated there for the purpose
of war. The chief's sisters brought me a horse
moving column, that seemed to be spreading far over
the hills to the northward. We toiled on all day. Late
in the afternoon we arrived at the ground of encampment,
and rested for further orders from the warriors,
who had gone to battle and would join us there.
I had no means of informing myself at that time
with whom the war was raging, but afterward learned
that General Sully's army was pursuing the Sioux,
and that the engagement was with his men.
In three days the Indians returned to camp, and
entered on a course of feasting and rejoicing, that
caused me to believe that they had suffered very little
loss in the affray.
They passed their day of rest in this sort of entertainment;
and here I first saw the scalp dance, which
ceremonial did not increase my respect or confidence
in the tender mercies of my captors.
This performance is only gone through at night and
by the light of torches, consequently its terrible characteristics
are heightened by the fantastic gleams of
the lighted brands.
The women, too, took part in the dance, and I was
forced to mingle in the fearful festivity, painted and
dressed for the occasion, and holding a staff from the
top of which hung several scalps.
The braves came vauntingly forth, with the most
extravagant boasts of their wonderful prowess and
in their hands with the most fearful contortions and
threatenings.
A number of young women came with them, carrying
the trophies of their friends, which they hold aloft,
while the warriors jump around in a circle, brandishing
their weapons, and whooping and yelling the fearful
war-cry in a most frightful manner, all jumping
upon both feet at the same time, with simultaneous
stamping and motions with their weapons, keeping exact
time. Their gestures impress one as if they were
actually cutting and carving each other to pieces as
they utter their fearful, sharp yell. They become
furious as they grow more excited, until their faces are
distorted to the utmost; their glaring eyes protrude
with a fiendish, indescribable appearance, while they
grind their teeth, and try to imitate the hissing, gurgling
sound of death in battle. Furious and faster
grows the stamping, until the sight is more like a
picture of fiends in a carnival of battle than any thing
else to which the war-dance can be compared.
No description can fully convey the terrible sight in
all its fearful barbarity, as the bloody trophies of their
victory are brandished aloft in the light of the flickering
blaze, and their distorted forms were half concealed by
darkness. The object for which the scalp is taken is exultation
and proof of valor and success. My pen is powerless
to portray my feelings during this terrible scene.
This country seemed scarred by countless trails,
where the Indian ponies have dragged lodge-poles, in
their change of habitations or hunting. The antipathy
of the Indian to its occupation or invasion by the
white man is very intense and bitter. The felling of
timber, or killing of buffalo, or traveling of a train,
or any signs of permanent possession by the white
man excites deadly hostility. It is their last hope; if
they yield and give up this, they will have to die or
ever after be governed by the white man's laws; consequently
they lose no opportunity to kill or steal from
and harass the whites when they can do so.
The game still clings to its favorite haunts, and the
Indian must press upon the steps of the white man or
lose all hope of independence. Herds of elk proudly
stand with erect antlers, as if charmed by music; or as
if curious to understand this strange inroad upon their
long-secluded parks of pleasure; the mountain sheep
look down from belting crags that skirt the perpendicular
northern face of the mountains, and yield no rival
of their charms or excellence for food. The black and
white-tail deer and antelope are ever present, while the
hare and the rabbit, the sage hen, and the prairie-chicken
are nearly trodden down before they yield to
the intrusion of the stranger.
Brants, wild geese, and ducks multiply and people
the waters of beautiful lakes, and are found in many
of the streams. The grizzly and cinnamon bears are
hunter's profit; and the buffalo, in numberless herds,
with tens of thousands in a herd, sweep back and
forth, filling the valley as far as the eye can reach, and
adding their value to the red man both for food, habitation,
fuel, and clothing. The Big Horn River,
and mountains and streams beyond, are plentifully
supplied with various kinds of fish. The country
seems to be filled with wolves, which pierce the night
air with their howls, but, like the beavers whose dams
incumber all the smaller streams, and the otter, are
forced to yield their nice coats for the Indian as well
as white man's luxury.
The Indians felt that the proximity of the troops
and their inroads through their best hunting-grounds
would prove disastrous to them and their future hopes
of prosperity, and soon again they were making preparations
for battle; and again, on the 8th of August,
the warriors set forth on the war-path, and this time
the action seemed to draw ominously near our en
campment.
An Indian boy died the night before, and was buried
rather hastily in the morning. The body was wrapped
in some window curtains that once draped my windows
at Geneva. There was also a red blanket and many
beads and trinkets deposited on an elevated platform,
with the moldering remains, and the bereaved mother
and relatives left the lonely spot with loud lamentations.
anxiety in the movements of the Indians, and presently
I could hear the sound of battle; and the echoes, that
came back to me from the reports of the guns in the
distant hills, warned me of the near approach of my
own people, and my heart became a prey to wildly
conflicting emotions, as they hurried on in great desperation,
and even forbid me turning my head and
looking in the direction of the battle. Once I broke
the rule and was severely punished for it. They
kept their eyes upon me, and were very cross and
unkind.
Panting for rescue, yet fearing for its accomplishment,
I passed the day. The smoke of action now
rose over the hills beyond. The Indians now realized
their danger, and hurried on in great consternation.
General Sully's soldiers appeared in close proximity,
and I could see them charging on the Indians, who,
according to their habits of warfare, skulked behind
trees, sending their bullets and arrows vigorously forward
into the enemy's ranks. I was kept in advance
of the moving column of women and children, who
were hurrying on, crying and famishing for water,
trying to keep out of the line of firing.
It was late at night before we stopped our pace,
when at length we reached the lofty banks of a noble
river, but it was some time before they could find a
break in the rocky shores which enabled us to reach
luxury the panting horses gladly participated.
We had traveled far and fast all day long, without
cessation, through clouds of smoke and dust, parched
by a scorching sun. My face was blistered from the
burning rays, as I had been compelled to go with
my head uncovered, after the fashion of all Indian
women. Had not had a drop of water during the
whole day.
Reluctant to leave the long-desired acquisition, they
all lay down under the tall willows, close to the stream,
and slept the sleep of the weary. The horses lingered
near, nipping the tender blades of grass that sparsely
bordered the stream.
It was not until next morning that I thought of
how they should cross the river, which I suppose to
have been the Missouri. It was not very wide, but
confined between steep banks; it seemed to be deep
and quite rapid; they did not risk swimming at that
place, to my joy, but went further down and all plunged
in and swam across, leading my horse. I was very
much frightened, and cried to Heaven for mercy. On
that morning we entered a gorge, a perfect mass of
huge fragments which had fallen from the mountains
above; they led my horse and followed each other
closely, and with as much speed as possible, as we were
still pursued by the troops. During the day some two
or three warriors were brought in wounded. I was
This being my first experience of the kind, I was at
some loss to know what was best to do; but, seeing in
it a good opportunity to raise in their estimation, I endeavored
to impress them with an air of my superior
knowledge of surgery, and as nurse, or medicine
woman. I felt now, from their motions and meaning
glances, that my life was not safe, since we were so
closely pursued over this terrible barren country.
My feelings, all this time, can not be described, when
I could hear the sound of the big guns, as the Indians
term cannon. I felt that the soldiers had surely come
for me and would overtake us, and my heart bounded
with joy at the very thought of deliverance, but sunk
proportionately when they came to me, bearing their
trophies, reeking scalps, soldiers' uniforms, covered
with blood, which told its sad story to my aching heart.
One day I might be cheered by strong hope of approaching
relief, then again would have such assurance of my
enemies' success as would sink me correspondingly low
in despair. For some reason deception seemed to be
their peculiar delight; whether they did it to gratify an
insatiable thirst for revenge in themselves, or to keep
me more reconciled, more willing and patient to abide,
was something I could not determine.
The feelings occasioned by my disappointment in
their success can be better imagined than described,
but imagination, even in her most extravagant flights,
during these running flights.
My constant experience was hope deferred that
maketh the heart sick. It was most tantalizing and
painful to my spirit to be so near our forces and the
flag of liberty, and yet a prisoner and helpless.
On, and still on, we were forced to fly to a place
known among them as the Bad Lands, a section
of country so wildly desolate and barren as to induce
the belief that its present appearance is the effect of
volcanic action.
Great bowlders of blasted rock are piled scattering
round, and hard, dry sand interspersed among the
crevices.
Every thing has a ruined look, as if vegetation and
life had formerly existed there, but had been suddenly
interrupted by some violent commotion of nature. A
terrible blight, like the fulfilling of an ancient curse,
darkens the surface of the gloomy landscape, and the
desolate, ruinous scene might well represent the entrance
to the infernal shades described by classic writers.
A choking wind, with sand, blows continually, and
fills the air with dry and blinding dust.
The water is sluggish and dark, and apparently life-destroying
in its action, since all that lies around its
moistened limits has assumed the form of petrifaction.
Rocks though they now seemed, they had formerly held
life, both animal and vegetable, and their change will
men of science, who penetrate those mournful
shades to discover toads, snakes, birds, and a variety
of insects, together with plants, trees, and many curiosities,
all petrified and having the appearance of stone.
I was startled by the strange and wonderful sights.
The terrible scarcity of water and grass urged us forward,
and General Sully's army in the rear gave us no
rest. The following day or two we were driven so far
northward, and became so imminently imperiled by the
pursuing forces, that they were obliged to leave all their
earthly effects behind them, and swim the Yellow Stone
River for life. By this time the ponies were completely
famished for want of food and water, so jaded that it
was with great difficulty and hard blows that we could
urge them on at all.
When Indians are pursued closely, they evince a
desperate and reckless desire to save themselves, without
regard to property or provisions.
They throw away every thing that will impede
flight, and all natural instinct seems lost in fear. We
had left, in our compulsory haste, immense quantities
of plunder, even lodges standing, which proved immediate
help, but in the end a terrible loss.
General Sully with his whole troop stopped to destroy
the property, thus giving us an opportunity to
escape, which saved us from falling into his hands, as
otherwise we inevitably would have done.
the Indian lodges, blankets, provisions, etc., and that
day was used advantageously in getting beyond his
reach. They travel constantly in time of war, ranging
over vast tracts of country, and prosecuting their
battles, or skirmishes, with a quiet determination unknown
to the whites.
A few days' pursuit after Indians is generally enough
to wear and tire out the ardor of the white man, as it
is almost impossible to pursue them through their own
country with wagons and supplies for the army, and
it is very difficult for American horses to traverse the
barren, rugged mountain passes, the Indians having
every advantage in their own country, and using their
own mode of warfare. The weary soldiers return disheartened
by often losing dear comrades, and leaving
them in a lonely grave on the plain, dissatisfied with
only scattering their red foes.
But the weary savages rest during these intervals,
often sending the friendly Indians, as they are called
and believed to be, who are received in that character
in the forts, and change it for a hostile one, as soon as
they reach the hills, to get supplies of ammunition and
food with which they refresh themselves and prosecute
the war.
After the attack of General Sully was over an Indian
came to me with a letter to read, which he had
taken from a soldier who was killed by him, and the
that the topographical engineer was killed, and that
General Sully's men had caught the red devils and cut
their heads off, and stuck them up on poles. The
soldier had written a friendly and kind letter to his
people, but, ere it was mailed, he was numbered with
the dead.
| CHAPTER IX. Narrative of my captivity among the Sioux Indians. | |