The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1870-03-05
THE
BRIDE OF DACOTAH,
A TALE OF THE DELANAREs.
CHAPTER III.

Al the peTlOu WHen our story opens, the !
North American Indians were no longer the
possessors of those vast tracts which have
since uecome merged into the United States
The white skins had come, and gradually,
little by little, were driving the inhabitants
into the woods, and were aiming apparently
at their total exlermlnstIon.
The savages who had first bsen deceived
by the specious behavior OF their new neigh
bors, were not slow to perceive, with regre.,
that the inch which had been granted was
about to become more than al eel, and that
the wave Of European colonization would
ere long sweep their lowly wigwams and
their ancient tribes from off the face of the
earth. Like that English king who was
dragged as a prisoner through the streets OF
Rome, wondering what SO mighty q people
could see to envy in his humble, British
cottage, so the Indians were smitien with
surprise at the persecution to which they
were subjected. The red man had thought
10 take the hsnd of the white maa III friend
ship but the white man would not In
little time war to the knife existed between
the two races, and constant massacres and
retshatious were the result.
On the morning when the Delewares went
out hunting, under Daco,ah. party of pale
races also SALileu IOTyB IEOf.l Lnelr log nut
city q little farther up the river. There
were not more than dozen of them, al
well armed and powerful men. Their object
was evidently to make IL dash at the Indians,
who had approached nearer than usual 70
the European abodes Ihis, however, they
would not have ventured TO do in such SINAI
numbers. had it not been for their knowledge
that on this particular morning the warriors
it, u, ;
that only the squaws would have been left
10 the wlgwam5. Some little explanation
will, however. be required to show how this
information mad been obtained.
When the Europeans first came in contact
with ne North American savages, they were
only too glad to concilia,e the latter in an
possible wav, so rs to be allowed TO remain
in quiet possession of their squa.tngs, and
no agent of Cancellation YVES found more
powerful to this end than rum. an Indian
who had once tasted fre-water could
be bribed By i, where sIl other means had
failed.
In the tribe of Delawares of which Daco-
tad was Chief there was an old Indian
squew, the mother of one of the warriors
who had been slain some time before in o
fracas with Europeans. This old woman
and had acquired an iDveterate taste for fire.
water. The passion bad become so stron z
IN her that she would resor, to any means to
obtain her favorite drink, and on the present
occasion, showing that her people had en-,
campcd close to Il European settlement, she
waited till midnight, aud then, hidden by
the darkness, she crawled away from the
encampment, and arrived ere long at the
settlement of the white faces. The chief o
these she knew, and also his abode, for i
was no uncommon thing for these warlik;
tribes to make reconnaissance of their
enemy habita;ions, marking the spots mos
worthy OF attention if al attack should be
made.
The head of the European settlement WAS
n bold, athletic man, OF about forty years
OF sge. His name was Margold, and he had
in his early days been q sailor. He was
we TODD, and report said that certain trans,
actions in his seatarIng career had filed his
pockets, though they had lost him his friends,
To this man the old Ind ian hag went. She
knew him 10 well to beg boon OF him with
out an equivalent advantage, and 80 she
inquired OF hun at once what quantity Of
iirewatsr he would give her if she told him q
secret worth ms know Wedge. y sinister
smile passed over the coarse features OF tbs
ex.mariner as he speculated on the bargain
which he would probably strike with her. TO-
he had bought information in the same mar
ket before and had generally found its value
very disproporiionate to the price given
The payment had always been made in fire
water, and ne mad discovered that q little o
hat wonderous elixir could effect grea
deal. Demanding OF the old nag to what
her information related, she asked him il
reply if he had heard Of the Delaware maider
Rosy Morn, in honor of whose beauty III,
delaware warriors made songs, and Wit
was to be married to Dacotah on the mex
day.
At the name Of the Delaware maiden MGR
gold attention was redoubled. Reports o
her beauty mad spread abroad and many has
been tue attempts made by the settlers to &c
possession OF her only for revenge upon then
enemies, of whom Dacotah was one Of tbs
most lnveterate. Disgusting his anxiet,
about Rosy Morn, Margoid careiessly replied
The white hunters have forgotten the Della
ware maiden they have heard tina. he,
beauty is lie invented TO deceive them ;
But the old nag was not to be 80 easily beat
en- down. Eying him intenti7, she said
..WilI white fellow give much fire water 70
piccaninny ?"
With a careless look, Margoid rose, aut
strIdiug across the room to rude sort O
bullet, held up q bottle of rum before tn
eyes OF the old squaw. 1t was curious I
watch the aged creatures scanned en-
wrinkled face excited first al sight OF th
liqnor, and then assuming an expression Q
deep Cunning as she turnsd over in her min
the probabilities of getting another bottle to
her information. This hagglng for blood
money went on for some time, and at las
the old squaw, no mean diplomatist wher
her feelings were so deeply interes,ed, ha
succeeded in running the price up to tw
bottles.
1t may well be said that drink is e demon
Here was Delaware mother whose son ha
died by the hands of the hated pale face
who had seen her people. prosecuted an
driven backward for years by this very ma
treating with the arch-enemy of her tribe f
the dishonour of its fairest flower,
Having concluded her bargain, the o
woman held out her trembling hands for Il
bottles.
mo. no' eaid Margold, laughing; "n
now. When / get the piccaninny you G
these bottles. bnt not before"
The rage and disappointment of the hi
knew no bounds, and amid torrent
abuse she endeavored to seize upon the sp
", even struggling with Margold to obtain
No, liking the mood in which she was, a.
Tearing some treacherous danger from
''no'esi'e disposition, Margold gave her,