The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1862-11-18

Laughing Waters. aud long years hence
the name Of Minnehaha will be associa-
ted with the truly beautiful There was
nothing of peculiar interest along our
march from here to Princeton, a small
town on the confines OF civilization. We
passed on our march the village Of Min
neapolis, situated on the west bank of the
Mississippi. 1t is thriving place. con :
tanning, probably, twenty five hundred
inhabitants, and being situated where
the falls Of st. Anthony breaks the nav
igation of the river, it must always be a
place of business. Next we passed
through Anoka, a small village at the
confluence of the Rum and Mississippi
rivers; then St. Francis, days march
higher up Rum river. arriving at Prince
town on Monday, Oct. Goth, four days
out from Fort Smelling. The country,
on the west side Of the Mississippi and
Rum rivers, from Fort Smelling to Ano.
ka, is splendid country to my mind, if
it was only three or four hundred miles
farther south, but the northern latitude
robs it Of its charms for me. From An
Okla to Princeton the more man has the
nearer he is 10 perdition, in nay opinion
l would about as soon think Of making a
farm in the Desert of Sahara. Corn
grows three or four feet high, scrub oaks
the same height, few and far between.
Leaving Princeton we left the world be-
hind US, and entered the "big woods"
From here to Mile Lac the roads were
simply indescribably awful. Roots and
holes, stumps and stones, mud stiff and
deep, all the way from ten feet 10 half
mile across, hills to climb, streams to
cross. All these mixed up and thrown
together in delightful proximity, and you
have very faint idea of the road from
Princeton to Mile Lac. The timber is
very thick and tall, but there are few
large trees. The principal growths are
Sugar Maple, Oak and Pine. There are
some of the most splendid groves OF pines
| ever saw. We arrived at Mile Lac
Friday, Oct cath, and found some four
teen hundred Indians, men, women and
children, waiting for their money, and
Two traders ready to relieve them of the
greater part Of it as soon as it was paid
over. The payment was little over
thirteen thousand dollars, and they owed
the traders more than ten thousand dol
lars. We found the Indians disposed TO
be friendly. Whether this was the real
state of their feelings, or whether they
were influenced by the two brass field
pieces and our FIVE hundred muskets,
cannot tell-,he fact was there and an
swered our purpose. Saturday the Chiefs
gave US formal reception. They had
Two fl SIS, the Stars and Stripes, one Of
them having rude picture Of An eagle
in the mds. of the stars. They also had
a long pole with strip Of cloth three or
four inches wide attached TO it. This
cloth was stuck full of feathers, feather
for each Sioux killed by the warriors
present. The warriors were painted and
decorated in savage style, and each one
who had killed any Of the Sioux had a
feather in his hair for each scalp taken.
Some of them had four and five. One
old Chief had six. They had three
drums, made by stretching hides over a
hoop. On these they beat a monotonous
time with straight sticks, with a rag
wound round one end. They accom-
panied the drums with singing. This
was sort Of a cha, ha liza, ha !" pro-
nounced sometimes rapidly, sometimes
drawled out, and with different pitches Of
voice, making altogether, music that
would
Rend a rock and split cabbage
During the performance, as the spirit
moved, the warriors, who were sitting
or standing round in . circle, would start
into the inner ring and dance, by rising
up and down on their toes, bending their
knees and Struggling their shoulders. AT
ter the dance they brought out the Pipe
of Peace and smoked it with the Colonel
and Lieut.. Colonel. After this they were
ready to go, see, and be seen. They were
wretched. dirty looking set of beings,
take them as lot. There were a few
exceptions, aud but few, among whom
might be named the Chief, an old man,
dressed in fine broadcloth coat. with
old fashioned epaulettss on his shout
dsrs. II he had washed the paint off
his face he would have been fine look :
ing old man. | was glad to get away
from their filthy dens, which we did on
Sunday afternoon, making the best OF
our way back 10 Princeton, which we
reached on Thursday. Oct. 3oth, as glad
- ell