The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-07-31

can not, we Will u8nG. L uOVeO lnGo LHo
White Mothers country to get away
from the Long Knives. They have fol-
lowed me. They are making a SOL
diers' house (fort) close to the Assina-
boine gift-house. 1t is to cut us off from
the buffalo. They want US to starve."
He was silent for moment and then,
stretching his arm toward the south,
continued: "Listen, friend. Your
people want my country. have given
! it to them. have not sold it to them.
l have given it to them. Then went off
on the prairie to hunt. Your people
followed me. They drove me away. l
fled before them, and left the country
behind me. They came close to the line
and built their soldiers house. The
buffalo have left us. We have followed
them. Will your people not let us hunt
in peace? We mean them no harm.
The white men are safe. We do not
want to steal your horses. If the Long
Knives come we will meet them. We
will take 1900 lodges. That is what we
had when the Long Hair came"
BY this he meant that his forces
would be augmented by a number of
Yanktons and Blackfeet, who were
about to join him. In the event of an
attack all these Indians would make q
common cause, though the reinforce
ments do not properly belong to Sit
ting Bulls band. ..
$50 you think you can defeat the
Long Knives?"
There was a general laugh at the ab-
surdity of the question, but the chief did
not change countenance. Pointing to-
ward the lodges away on the ridge, he
answered quietly, but with an air of
firm conviction: "In those tepees there
we have old women whom we have
thrown aside. I will place them on
horses and they can whip all the Long
Knives your people can send if they are
all like those the Long Hair had. His
people could neither ride horse nor
shoot gum"
There was a fierce grunt of assent all
round the ring.
"Then why did you flee from them ?
Why did you not remain and hold your
countryp''
"We are tired of war. The Crows
are fighting us. l tried to make peace
with them, for the red men should be
as one, but while was trying to make
peace with them their young men stole
my horses. Your people sent them to
do it. Your people are prosecuting
me-"
"You are mistaken; my people are
willing to have you come back to
your country. They will set apart q
portion of it for you and protect you
they will feed you and your women and
children; they will be your friends
their long-kpives will be at peace with
you, and will be found your comrades. >
81 will not 60 to the gift-house. lam
a hunter, and will hunt as long as there
is wild game on the prairie. When the
buffalo are gone l will send my children
on the prairie to hunt mice, for tht
; prairie will furnish wild food for me 81
long as live. l do not want to live il
a house. Some of my people have gon'
to live in houses. Where are they now
. Some of them are dead"
! "But if you stay on the prairie ant
/ come over here to hunt, and the long
knives attack you, what will you do
. You can not 60 back to the white mother
r Where can you go?"
. There was cunning expression in tn
! old mans eyes as he replied: "We nav
: been told that, but listen, comrade
!. Two years ago we went on the whit
! mothers lands, there many chiidre
= have been born, are they not the chi
. dren of the white mother? Will she driv
!. her children from the country in whic
q they were born? No; she will let ther
:. stay here. Will she separate them fror
i the fathers and mothersP No; she ca
q not do that. She will protect her chi
q dren born to her soil, and she will pre-
y tect the fathers and mothers of thes
/ children"
e GA great many stories have com
!. from your camp that you want to 60 t
e gift-house. You say you will not g
l. and never wanted to-" ....
: "There were rascals in my camp
It they went to the gift-house and thel
y they used my name. They said sci
d them to find out on what conditions
n could 90 to the gift-house. never sci
3. them; never wanted to go to gif
a house, and never will; they want m
l. people to farm; will not farm. The
s. they would want me to wear pantalool
l. and cut my hair"
He did not intend any joke, and b
i remarks were received by the chic
and warriors with solid grunt of a.
1 proval. .s ...l...s..
d. "I get messages from the gil
te houses" !" he went on telling me, eth
m they have bad reports of the young mt
Id in my camp. They say our young me
steal. White mans horses have bet
7n brought into our camp by the your
r? men, but am blamed for twenty whe
re there is one. The horses are taken
the other camps. 1 know where tn
- are. When they are brought to n
ce camp they are taken from the your
men and given to the long, lame Maj
.e, (Walsh). We have talked to our YOU
1t. men about stealing horses. They we
y. deaf. We opened their eyes. We XII
i'd ed one of them as a warning to the rest
he find on inquiry that this is true.
re young buck was killed for stealing
horse from white man in Montana.
S. "Even if they do sometimes suff'
at are not the people who have gone to
gift-houses happier than you, who
we here in constant fear of the long -kniv'