Three Years on the Plains Part 17

_Reception of Red Cloud at Home._

Doubtless speculators and contractors were disappointed when they heard, on General Smith's return, of Red Cloud's satisfaction, and what he said about being peaceable, and using his influence among his warriors. A thousand lodges were gathered to receive him, and the demonstrations made over his return exceeded any the oldest Indian had ever seen before.

On the way out, Red Cloud gave General Smith his reason for asking the government for the seventeen horses. He did not really need them, but made up his mind that if he had been sent back on foot from Pine Bluff, or Fort Laramie, his tribes might think he was lightly esteemed by our authorities, and thereupon they might begin to despise him. His influence would decrease, and he might be unsuccessful in preventing war. He merely wished to accept of them as a tribute to his exalted position as a great warrior among his people. The general said that his appearance, with his whole party well mounted, had the desired effect, and Red Cloud's warriors saw at a glance that the chief was believed to be a great warrior by the Great Father at Washington.

CONCLUSION.

Boys love fair play, and I know they will make every allowance for the poor Indian, who is, in his wild state, indeed a savage, born and bred up among the wild beasts of the forest; untutored and cruel to his enemies, whether man or beast. We must take him as we find him, then, and not as some sensation writers would make us believe, to be _more n.o.ble and generous_ than many white men. For we may find many n.o.ble examples of generosity among them, in freeing captives and forgiving wrongs done to them; but they have been for over two hundred years victims of the white man's dishonest dealings, and I think that we would do pretty much as the Indian does, if we were Indians, and had been taught the lesson of our forefathers' wrongs. The Indian agents have been in former years mostly dishonest, and cheated those they should have remembered were simple children of the forest; and though they were knowing enough to perceive they were badly dealt with and did not get their due, could not tell just where the cheating came in. You remember the story of a white man and an Indian going a hunting on shares. Well, they killed a wild turkey and a buzzard, the latter good for naught. They sat down on a log to divide the game. "Now," said the white man, "You take the buzzard, and I'll take the turkey; or, I'll take the turkey, and you take the buzzard." The Indian opened his eyes wide, and replied, "Seems to me you talk all buzzard to me, and no talk turkey."

Very little "talk turkey" has the Indian experienced in dealing with the whites. Indeed, you can judge of fair dealing, or want of it, when it is known that an agent came out our way to pay off annuities with blankets, etc. These were "shoddy blankets," and when one tribe was paid off with them, the agent bought them all back again with bad whisky, and went on farther, to pay off other tribes in like manner.

So one agent carried out to California some annuity goods to pay off Indians, according to treaty, _and among them were several thousand elastics; and yet no Indian wears a stocking_!

The bad Indians _must be punished, just as bad boys, who do wrong; and the army alone can deal with refractory Indians, whose tender mercies are most cruel to white men, women, and children_.

General Sherman came out here in 1868 as one of "the Peace Commission,"

to personally investigate the whole matter. On his arrival at Cheyenne and at Denver, a large number of pioneers were ready to insult him, because he would not make a speech, and authorize them to band together and kill Indians wherever found![4]

[4] A man whom I had some respect for, said to me at this time, "If we can get up a smart Indian war now, wouldn't it be the making of Cheyenne?" He had an eye to an army contract. General Sherman would probably have called him a "b.u.mmer."

This idol of the American people they were not willing to trust to do justice to both parties, after visiting among the tribes on the plains, and in New Mexico, and seen things for himself. Such is human nature.

But the general could wait his time, and the judgment of the whole people will be, to give him credit for a far-sighted policy, the result of a wise head and an understanding heart, that swerves neither to the right hand nor the left, so it be in the plain path of duty! Why not believe and trust him in the future, as we have in the past? We are to take care how we draw down upon our nation G.o.d's anger for _previous_ years of injustice and bad treatment; and if General Grant had done nothing more to signalize his administration than the appointment of honest agents to look after the welfare of Indians on reservations, while leaving to Generals Sherman and Sheridan the dealing with wild, refractory bands of pagan savages, roaming over the settlements on the plains, to do their murderous work of brutalities that sicken the heart to contemplate, and make to the sufferers a welcome death as speedily as possible,--he would be one of the greatest Presidents we have had.

I have thus tried to give an impartial history of the "Indian Question," showing the characteristics of our white settlers in their treatment of the Indians; and, on the other hand, painting the savage as he is, in his wild, cruel nature, and with whom we have to deal with all the wisdom our government can devise. I have done so with a purpose. This is to show how little Christianity has done thus far to make white men just, fair, and honorable, and to gain the respect of the red man for the Christian's G.o.d. It is a sad reflection, too, that we are doing so little, and that the world's conversion is so far, so very far away in the future. _There is a dreadful responsibility resting somewhere!_

If our religion is not a sham, we must meet the question as it has never been met before. Infidelity has no surer or more deadly weapon than that which it wields to-day against our professions of love for the souls of our fellow-men, while we content ourselves with expressions only of that love. It is hollow, superficial, and full of cant. If our religion does not take a deeper form, and go out in active sympathy and work, it will surely perish, and deserves to perish. Men ask for results, and it is right they should. The tree is known by its fruits. We cannot gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles. This is Christ's standard. Do we belong to Him, or are we false, hypocritical children of the Evil One?

Our Saviour said, "It must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!" Now, if so be that G.o.d, who is just, shall require that we atone for all the wrongs perpetrated upon the red men ever since the Mayflower landed her pilgrims on the sh.o.r.es of New England (for there is no repentance for nations at the day of judgment), or that our children shall suffer in some way for it,--who shall say it is not a righteous retribution? "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord."

LORD'S PRAYER IN SIOUX LANGUAGE.

Ate-un-yan-pi, Mar-pi-ya, ekta, nan-ke-cin, Ni-caje, wa-kan-da-pi, kta, Ni-to-ki-con-ze, ukte, Mar-pi-ya, ekta, ni-taw-a-cin, econ-pi, kin, nun-we; au-pe-tu, kin, de, au-pe-tu, iyoki, aguyapi, kin, un-ju, miye.

Qu, un-kix, una, e-ciux-in-yan, ecaun-ki, con-pi, nicun-ki-ci-ca-ju-ju-pi; he, iye-cen, wau-ur-tan-ipi, kui, un-ki-ci-ca-ju-ju, miye. Qa, taku, wani-yu-tan, kin, en, unkayapa, xui, pa, Tuka, taku, vice, cin, etanhan, eunt-da-ku-pi.

Wo-ki-con-ze-kin, no-wax-a ki, kin, ga, wouitan, kin, hena-kiy, a, ouihanke, wanin, nitawa, heon. Amen.

The name of G.o.d is Wakantanka. The name of the Lord is Itankan.

APOSTLES' CREED.

Wakantanka iyotan Waxaka Atezapikin parpia, maka iyahna kage cin, he wicawada:

Qua Jesus Christ Itankan unyapi, he Cinhintku hece un Mary eciyapi kin, utanhan toupi; Pontius Pilate kakixya, Canic.i.p.auega, en okantanpi, te qua rapi; Wanagi yakonpi etka I, Iyamnican ake kini; w.a.n.kan marpiya ekta iyaye. Qua Wakantanka, ateyapi iyotan waxaka yanke cin, etapa kin eciy atanhan iyotanka; Heciyatankan meaxta nipi, qua tapi kin, hena yuuytaya nicayaco u kta, Woniya Wakan kin he wicauada; Omniciza, wakan Owaneaya kin Owaneaya kin, Wicaxta Wakan Okodakiciye kin; Woartani kajujupi kin; Wicatancan kini kte cin; Qua wicociououihanke wanin ce cin; Hena ouasin wieawada. Amen.

DISTANCES.

From Omaha to Cheyenne is five hundred and sixteen miles; Cheyenne to Greeley, on Cache-la-poudre River, fifty-four miles; Cheyenne to Denver, one hundred and eleven miles; same to Golden City; Cheyenne to Sherman, thirty-three miles (this is eight thousand two hundred and forty-two feet above the level of the sea); to Fort Sanders, fifty-four miles; Laramie City, fifty-six miles; Salt Lake, five hundred and thirty-five miles; Salt Lake to Lake's Crossing, Truckee River, four hundred and ninety-nine miles; Truckee to Sacramento, one hundred and nineteen miles; thence to San Francisco, one hundred and twenty-four miles; Omaha to San Francisco, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-two miles.

Cheyenne, northwest to Fort Fetterman, one hundred and seventy miles; Fort Reno (abandoned), two hundred and seventy-four miles; Fort Phil.

Kearney (abandoned), three hundred and thirty-nine miles; Fort C. F.

Smith, four hundred and twenty-nine miles; Helena, Montana, six hundred and nine miles; Junction of Bear River to City of Rocks, one hundred and eighty-one miles; to Boise City, three hundred and ninety-three miles; to Idaho City, four hundred and forty miles; to Owyhee, four hundred and seventy-five miles; to Fort Ellis, Montana, six hundred miles; to Fort Brown, Sweet.w.a.ter, four hundred and forty-two miles.

THE END.