The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-02-09
on THb! IL4INs.
India,. Life il. tAs .sst-Tne Wanten
slaughter Of a'faioes.

pressions of the greaTwet, where b
spent eight years, and i the Indians, t
whom he has given thiltygea of care
ful study. And he dips his pen in indig
nation to protest against tie illegitimat
and wanton slaughter Of bufaloes 70
their hides, and often for the mere ex
citement of Staying thems In one spo
where these animals came down to the
river to drink he sawsixE-seyen carcas
ses on plot of ground aot more than
four acres in extent. Hacaiculates that
ID more butfaloes have bosa wantonly de-
stFaVedl. ss.SAiree yyears ~ ssaese ars.clt-
structio11 Il fasr 5srsfI
than double the annual drives OF cattle
g from Texas, which range from $50 600 to
500, 900: And he urges the imposition of
a government tax of s. on every buf
faloe's skin. Such a tax would have
yielded S15,00O,0O0 in the last three
years. And Mr.. Blackmore insists that
the only effectual way to deal with the
Indians is to treat them rs subjects and
compel them to obey the laws, while
giving them all the protection the laws
guarantee This policy has been pursued
by the British government in Canada,
which has not spent dollar in Indian
wars nor had an Indian massacre. Colo
mel Dodge's book hardlyneeded such an
T extended introduction to enhance its
value or endorse its statements. 1t gives
the careful and obviously honest impress
sions of man who La spent years in
the region he describes and while its in
formation respecting the climate and re-
sources of the country its people and |
their way of life and amusements and I
religion, its game and trading and fight |
ing, is specially valuable, it is full of en-
tertaining experiences and graphic ac-
counts of personal adventures. He, too,
takes up the tale against the wanten de-
struction Of the buffalo, but describes
| buffalo-hunting in such vivid celors that
his account quite neutralizes his protest.
The buffalo bulls are big towards They
! face a marauder and ifhe persists in APP
preaching the herd they put their heads
down and make for him in terrible
fashion, but if he stands his ground they
stop within a few hundred feet of him
and turn their backs ind run away. \
herd on the run is hard to deal with, for
it Is seldom that one bullet viii kill, and
in the dust and constantly changing po-
sitions of the animalsit is difficult to hit
the same one twice. The ground is apt
to be full of gopher and prairie-dog holes,
and in the dust even the best horsemen
is apt to be thrown. People who get lost
On the plains often lose their reason, and
17's~- IleeI-zzes -r,athetic instances
when disc,--ered. srs-io6' r.rs-ssrz
compass in bad weaher is difficult, but I
the winds usually sweep down from the
north and bend the Wild grass towards
the south, which seves as a pointer.
| Guides are useful ,ut estimate their 6
| service at five times heir real value, un-
less they are quite familiar with the !
| language of the Indans. The traveller =
has all sorts of enemis to contend with, t
and on one Occasional weary traveller v
awoke in the night, what he thought .
was a nightmare, to fid a skunk eating =
his hand. But the lscination Is fast
fading away g. Civilization, like huge t
cuttlefsh has passed is arms of settle 9
ments up almost ever stream, grasping :,
the land, killing game driving out the cf
Indian, crushing the rolance, the poetry,
the very life and soul at Of the plains" N
The account he gives IF the Indians is =
full of interest. IheIndian courtship cC
begins by the loverdohg a good deal of al
"heavy standing aoud, " followed by in
serenades on a wret,hd substitute for a "a "a
flute, which sets all the dogs to barking nv
and makes the oldwuan frantic; but to
there are eight or teIpeple in the lodge, ar
and the lovers chace for a tetc-a-tete III III
with his charmer is erymall unless she mr.
proves his suit and geher aid. In the oil,
latter case she slips at the lodge after
dark, and he pounceupn her and takes
her short way from th lodge out of
hearing when they st themselves side in
by side on the grouA nd throwing est
blanket over themseres make love to ~, ~,
their hearts content. BIT the course of pIi
Indian love does notlwgs run smooth. US
For sometimes the ark damsel has a ha
dozen wooers, all 4 vhom may be ~
living in wait for her It the same time. be
When she appears ashis made for her tn
at the same time, andperhaps the wrong ou
suitor snatches her his arms. She 6r
screams and is releed, when another of
tries his luck The adams are given to w
.slail.l--4--Is-----I.,lt .sla - ,--.----s or
dren as their own. lrh their inhuman- in
ity to grOwn-up capiv,s is sometimes OF
terrible. They regardeveg female cap ca
tive as the undisputed Feperty OF her u
captor, and Colonel Dodge ventures to oa oa
| assert e. that in the lasttwenty-fve years N
no woman has been aken prisoner by h
any plains Indians wb did not as soon ol
after as practicable beOme victim to +
the lust of every oneOf her captors.' ii
He contends that no m0e treaties shoHld h
be made with Indians, nd those already Il !
made should be abrogatd as soon as pos =
sibIe, and the Indians sOud be brought O
dire city and individuaiy under the f
laws. Magistrates shoud be appointed I
to enforce in each tribe On each reser {
vation, the criminal lawioi the Onlteu /
States, with power to cal On the army (
to enforce their decision The squaW
,,,oD whites Mexicans, aud negroes
should not be permitted uye Win 'he
Indians, and liquors, arm snnuli'ion'
and property of all kinds Ken in.o .ne
Indian territory withct autnornSy
J should be destroyed on p spot ,n
Indian is degraded hup,l ue'ns' Du
he can be improved. de -
duced to work but not iols~ - Oo
anu - -l;.o nan. colonel Dodge |
: does not have much ialtn Z -
, philanthropists. He say from, ar;I hv
o class of people are restraip' but the re-
e fear of future punishment ho;r - tho
stralnt II iios 'S s,ant and callous,
1 larger class of the ignorahs ;.ant;arn 10,
- -, a x,aar in the pela' \ Il,