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3. CHAPTER III.

The gun is now generally used among the Dahcotahs as
a weapon of warfare. But those bands in the neighborhood
of Fort Snelling considered it as a necessary part of
their war implements, before the distant bands were at all
acquainted with its use.

Some time ago, one of the Mun-da-wa-kan-tons gave a
gun to a Sisse-ton, who, proud of the gift, went out immediately
to use it. On his return to his village he came up
with a drove of buffaloes. His first impulse was to use his
bow and arrow, but a moment's thought reminded him of
the gift of his friend. He loaded the gun, saying at the
same time to it, “Now, the Dahcotahs call you `wah-kun'
(supernatural), kill me the fattest cow in the drove.” He
waited a few moments to see his orders executed, but the
gun was not “wah-kun” enough to fire by order alone.
Seeing that it did not go off, the Sisse-ton flew into a rage
and broke the gun into pieces. “I suppose,” said he “that
if a Mun-da-wah-can-ton had told you to kill a buffalo, you
would have done it, but you do not regard what a Sisse-ton
says.” So he threw the pieces of the gun away, and
found his bow and arrows of far more service.

However naturally the usages of warfare may come to
the Indians, they are also made a part of their education.

The children are taught that it is wicked to murder without
a cause; but when offence has been given, they are in
duty bound to retaliate.

The day after the return of Fiery Wind, the boys of the
village were to attack a hornet's nest. This is one of the
ways of training their sons to warfare. One of the old
warriors had seen a hornet's nest in the woods, and he returned
to the village, and with the chief assembled all the
boys in the village. The chief ordered the boys to take off
all their clothes, and gave them each a gun. He then told
them how brave their forefathers were—that they never
feared pain or danger—and that they must prove themselves
worthy sons of such ancestors. “One of these days
you will be men, and then you will go on war parties and
kill your enemies, and then you will be fit to join in the dog
feast. Be brave, and do not fear the sting of the hornet,
for if you do, you will be cowards instead of warriors, and
the braves will call you women and laugh at you.”

This was enough to animate the courage of the boys—
some of them not more than five years old pushed ahead of
their elder brothers, eager to show to their fathers, who
accompanied them, how little they feared their enemies, as
they termed the hornets. And formidable enemies they
were too—for many of the little fellows returned sadly
stung, with swollen limbs, and closed eyes; but they bore
their wounds as well as brave men would have endured
their pain on a battle-field.

After leaving their village, they entered the woods farther
from the banks of the river. The guide who had seen the
nest led the way, and the miniature warriors trod as lightly
as if there was danger of rousing a sleeping foe. At last

the old man pointed to the nest, and without a moment's
hesitation, the young Dahcotahs attacked it. Out flew the
hornets in every direction. Some of the little boys cried
out with the pain from the stings of the hornets on their
unprotected limbs—but the cries of Shame! shame! from
one of the old men soon recalled them to their duty, and
they marched up again not a whit discomfited. Good Road
cheered them on. “Fight well, my warriors,” said he;”
you will carry many scalps home, you are brave men.”

It was not long before the nest was quite destroyed, and
then the old men said they must take a list of the killed
and wounded. The boys forced a loud laugh when they
replied that there were no scalps taken by the enemy, but
they could not deny that the list of the wounded was quite
a long one. Some of them limped, in spite of their efforts
to walk upright, and one little fellow had to be assisted
along by his father, for both eyes were closed; and, although
stung in every direction and evidently suffering agony, the
brave boy would not utter a complaint.

When they approached the village, the young warriors
formed into Indian file, and entered as triumphantly as
their fathers would have done, had they borne twenty
Chippeway scalps with them.

The mothers first applauded the bravery of their sons;
and then applied herbs to their swollen limbs, and the
mimic war furnished a subject of amusement for the villages
for the remainder of the day.