Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1876-08-17


from time to time" .- ..
ut is very true," said Mr.. Carleton, sigh
ing. II wish the government would let them
alone"
"Bah what mattersf" rejoined the Indian,
with shrug of his shoulders. "Red men do
the country no good; big fools any how.
Your people are wise, they have much under
standing. 1t is all right they should get the
most good land" ......., -.
This was not hypocrisy on Joe's part. He
was, for the most part, no admirer of the race
whose superior he considered himself on &C.
count of the dash of Spanish blood in his
veins. Yet there was far more of the Indian
than of the Spaniard in his physique, and in
his nature also. One would scarcely have sus-
pected him to be other than genuine son of
the soil, but for bis own statement, almost in
variably volunteered to those who became ac-
quainted with him. MI. Carleton had had
many arguments with him, respecting the
rights and privileges of the natives, and the
treatment they received at the hands of the
whites; singular arguments, in which the
white man espoused the red mans cause,
while his swarthy opponent advocated the
course pursued by the great Chief at Wash
ington, though not always able to defend that
of his too often unworthy tools and agents.
"Are the Crows satisfied with their new quar-
ters p asked the clergyman presently.
"Maybe so-maybe not, /" was Joe's not very
satisfactory reply. "Some of them speak
peaceably. Others look dark and say nothing
If they are not content, they will give trou-
ble-that know. The Crows have hot blood /;
they get themselves often into quarrels." ;"
"And how far from here do you say they
aref
"About six miles. You know Black Dog
Canon ?" 49,. ......
"Yes, have passed through it often"
"Well, they are just south of that. 1t is
not bad place" ... g.. ..''..
"Have they good water and good planting
ground theref"
"Oh yes, good enough. If they are wise,
they will hold their peace. and be content"
II wish they may" said the clergyman.
II do not wonder, however, that these people
are often dissatisfied at being removed from
their comfortable homes, and shifted about
from pillar to post as the will or caprice of
the government dictates"
"You are the Indians friend" remarked
Joe. .... .'.i J. =:
Il am the friend of the oppressed" said the
clergyman, warmly. 1T arouses my indigna-
ton to see injustice and fraud, no matter who
its victims may be-"
"Not worth while getting troubled about"
said Joe, calmly putting his pipe. "Ihe
strong must conquer. That is the law of the
world. Red men owned this big country first;
good. What did they2 They hunted, ished,
fought, scaiped one smother, and lived and;
died in their wigwams, without improvement
savages from their birth to their death. Did
that improve the land? No. White men
come-they see this vast land, they admire it,
they say they will get it for their own. In
dians did not like that. 1t was their country,
it is true-but what of that? They did it no
good. White men settled here, built cities,
towns, churches-brought education, civiliza-
ton, pictures, printing, book.writing, all fine
things and useful things. They improved
the land, and did heaps of good. If red men
were peaceable, the whites didn't trouble them
much. They only said, we do the country
heap of good, you get out and give US the best
part of it, That's all fair. If the red men
went, good; if they didn't 60, they brought
out their guns and their pistols, and scared
'em away. see no harm in that. Plenty of
land left, good enough for them. Why need
they complaint"
"But the worst of it is, the land they are
driven to is sometimes very bad" said the
missionary. "They are forced to leave the
comforts of the homes to which they have be-
come accustomed, where their needs are all
amply supplied, to seek new abodes where
they have neither good soil, good water, nor
good hunting-grounds. You know yourself,
Joe, when the Indian River Blackfeet were
moved to the Gaudaloupe reservation, how
many of them died for want of proper food
and water. 1t was pitiable"
"Those Blackfeet wern't worth their salt
If they had showed any fight, believe they
would have been let alone. 1t didn't do any
harm to thin them off little. See what a
good village is built up on their old reserva-
ton. You yourself visit it, father mission
ary, in your rides-heap better than the Black
feet camp. Seems to me it's all fair. If the
white men can get the land, let 'em take it
the red man is bound to die out some time,
and it makes no difference whether it's few
years sooner or later. 1 don't complain"
With which concluding remark, Joe re6lled
his pipe, and lit it with deliberate gravity,
the missionary making no reply, for he was
too we'll accustomed to the swarthy philoso-
piers utilitarian views to be shocked by this
exposition of his sentiments
The half:breed, however, had not yet un-
burthened himself of all that it was in his
mind to say. After another pause, during
which he smoked with halfshut eyes, while
his guest rumiuated pensively on the crooked
ways of the world, he once more removed bis
pipe, and with sidelong glance at the clergy
man, remarked +
II au going to obey your counsel, father
missionary, that you offered me when last you
we're here"