The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-04
AN INDIAN TRADITION.
A Tale of Love, Treachery and Ven
Reance Heretofore Unpublished.

! A hundred years ago the immense des-
erts extending from the declivity of the
/ Rocky mountains to Red River were peo-
| pied by numerous barbarous tribes, al
/ ways at war with one another.
The following is little story related
by an old missionary who passed thirty
years in the midst of these Indians of the
north west.
One day, toward the end of the month
of July, 1s-, while the Blackfeet were
at war with the Crow tribes, and each
was watching to surprise the other, fifty
| of the latter were scattered over the
! prairie gathering wild berries. Not sus-
| pecting the presence of their enemies in
! the neighborhood they had dispersed
! themselves here and there, without any
| anxiety, in the places where the fruit
most abounded. Their horses were fast
ened to trees, and the women, furnished
| with kettles, hurried with the fruit to
the carts as soon as their vessels were
| filed.
They had been occupied about an hour
! at this work when suddenly troop of
armed horsemen appeared in the distance.
| The Crows were not long in ascertaining
that they were Blackfeet coming to sur
| prise and massacre them.
There was not moment to lose. They
| left everything on the prairie which would
! impede their tlight-fruit, jars and all
were left for the enemy; they thought
only of saving their lives.
A young chief of this tribe, who had
been married but few months, had
brought his wife with him. At the first
cry of alarm he took her up in his arms
and placed her on horseback behind him.
In the general scare each one took his own
course to escape from the enemy.
After going some miles the young chiefs
horse, tired with the weight of his double
burden, began to slacken his pace. His
rider did his best to urge him on, but in
spite of his efforts he realized that the
Blackfeet were perceptibly gaining
ground on him. He saw that he must fall
into their hands if he tried to save his
wife. What then was he to dol Should
| he abandon her on the prairie to become
the prey of his enemies or fall with her
rather than basely leave her to her
| fate2
Meanwhile the Blackfeet were coming.
81 am going to place you on the
ground, " said he to his wife. lam aware
that you will be made a prisoner, but
they will not kill you; it would be other
wise with me. You know the sort of
death awaiting me if they seize me.
Alone with my horse l have a better
chance to escape and reach my camp.
| Once restored to my own people l will
raise party of warriors and we will go
forth to rescue you from the camp of the
Blackfeet. In four or five days you shall
| be set free"
Saying this, he removed his wife from
the horse and put her down on the grass.
The horse, relieved of half his burden,
resumed his course more swiftly, and the
young Crow found himself beyond the
reach of his enemies. Meanwhile his
| xyifa rt1 hNr R4aalyfonh
| Quoted into the enemy's camp to be given
as present to the chief of the tribe.
Toward o'clock in the afternoon all
who had escaped from the Blackfeet ar
rived in the Crow camp and related how
they had avoided their murderous toma-
| hawks and arrows.
The young chief in particular who had
only deserted his wife because he was
certain that they would not kill her and
| that he could deliver her, endeavored by
his recital to gain their sympathy and
urged his friends to Join him in wteaking
! vengeance upon those who had attacked
them so treacherously.
Immediately thirty young warriors,
| who burned with desire to display their
bravery by doing a deed worthy of praise
from the old men of the tribe, pressed
around him. The war whoop resounded
| and that very evening the avengers went
in pursuit of the Blackfeet under cover
of the night. They encamped on the
banks of the Souris river 1t was there,
at daybreak, the Crow chief and his fol-
| lowers discovered them. At some dis
tance from the camp there was a densely
wooded thicket, where thirty men could
easily hide themselves. They directed
Ftheir course toward this place and there
held counsel.
The chief decided that his companions
should wait in this coppice while he went
| to the bank of the river HARDLY the
camp of the Blackfeet, where he hoped
in the dim light of the dawn to discover
some trace of his wife. On the bank of
the river he sat down behind bush and
waited till the women came in the morn
ing with their kettles to draw water. He
hoped to see his wife go down to the river
with the others and to have an opportun-
ily to release her and return to his war
riors before the day commenced.
He had been in this place for some min
utes, when lie perceived the women going
down to the river. Unseen, he scanned
those who passed by, hoping to discover
his own. He was beginning to despair,
| when he saw one coming alone at some
distance from the others. That one was
his wife, He let her pass, and go as far
| as the river, so as to make certain that he
did not deceive himself As she returned
he left his hiding place and stood before
her. Great was the surprise of this
! woman at the sight of her husband. He
did not give her any time to question him
Your parents said he to her, "are here
with me,at little distance on the prai-
RE. l have only just left them in order to
come and rescue you from your enemies.
Let US save ourselves before the camp
awakes, and rejoin our own people"
"No." she replied, ~ will not set out
now. must steal something from those
who made me prisoner. Return 10 your
warriors, and when night time has ar
rived will escape from the 'Blackfeet's'
camp and rejoin you" In spite of the
chiefs entreatics, she would not consent
| to follow him then.
He thereupon fastened away to await
with his own people the time when his
wife would leave the camp.
| The plan of this woman, was not to
rejoin her husband. She regarded his de-
sertion OF her as an insult, and she had
sworn to be avenged should the opportu-
nifty offer On perceiving her husband,
in the morning, she had disguised her
hatred and the delay which she asked
was simply pretext to give her time to
prepare the means of vengeance against
| him.
She left the river, with her kettle filed
with water, and thoughtfully bent her
course toward the lodge of the chief of
the Blackfeet.
AS soon as she had deposited her YES
/ col sh oOuaY.ad ba,. baaa 49,.