The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-05-29

head. skin my scalp-zzZZ-zt, Ny head
was go roun' and roun' and one tousand
I'LL fire-dev' dance in my eye. My wife she
git one arrow troo de jeep skirt.
We ware all run into the lake. Bap-
| teme. What could we do-us? We would
all be kill-burn up. if we stan where we
ware. The Sontees. everybody all run for
the lake, goin' like sheep out Of corral. We
made for the most close island. some in
| canoe. some swim. and some wade in to
their neck. | was YER bad hurt-me. Mos
what l knew my wife she yelled at me-
That made it hard for her. too. cause for
she had five ill bois bruleS in the hand.
She try with all her might to get those
papoose in her canoe. Mais-but that ill
Jack Bottineau-he was the smartest, He
was hide away from his nav in the rush
es, and his NAV couldn't find him cause
for she have to save the odars.
Mong Zhee, that was YER bad. Most
that was not dead of the Sontees they
have get TO the island But one Assiniboin
squaw-she was young slave woman-she
hide in the rushes and she found my ill
boy Jack and run to the Assiniboins. Yes,
she reach them safe in that smoke.
"All the Sontees they did quick hide
themselves in the tall grass, behind hum
mock. on the island. Man, We would
crawl in de gopher hole if it ware big
enough. The Assinibons ware after us.
all right. They came up on the bank
where the fire was goin' an shoot million
arrows at us. They piled up all the skins
what they saved ont the fire. lodgc-poles,
dead 'orse. anything what they could git
behind. When the smoke went off they
did light like hell. The Sontees an SIM
boins hollar dog and coward at each
other.
'All that time they ware fighting my
wife she did yell an mourn the most hard
she can for that ill Jack Bottineau. While
she was cry she did pull de arrows out of
my arm and twist de wound with grass
She put on the cut the black earth-wet it
with her mouth. BAN bye that made the
pain go out
Then the Assiniboins they hollar at us
they hollar at me: Hi, you Cloud Man.
Sais the Assini5ion, 'yOu want papoose
You come git him. You no come git. we
goin' to burn him right Off Hcll-that is
what they said
The Asslniboins called me Cloud Man
cause for one time, by gar, / got away
from them in the fog That fog she came
down on the creek bottom all in one min
lte. thick to hide ever thing: so the Sin
lboins they Gid think some spirit come by
that place: so they called me Cloud Man.
when was hear they say my ill Jack
was for burn in their fire. me, was crazy.
did yell at the 'Siniboins-tell them they
lie. l would run after them dam Ecn;in
but for my wife she hold on to me the
most hard she could
"Then the Assiniboins tied nv ill
Jacks hands and his feet an they held
him mp ovar dead 'orse-so.'' and Jules
extended his arms to illustrate how the lit
tie Jacques was held aloft.
.'Mong Zhee, My wife she did veil far
rible. and l was bury my face in the dirt.
"MaZa -kan-tanka, he was young man,
then. He did hear the AssiDiboins, what
they said about my ill Jack. and he shOur
his war cry at them: .Yih, Yi-hi, Yih-hiv
like that. sails Big Gun. you hear me Won
'Siniboin dog?' sails Maza- kan-tanka. .You
come on five of You 'Siniboin cowards-
bring only your knives and the panoose of
Cloud Man. Mel will come alone to gift
him. sails Big Gun. sails he. Then the Son
tees did yell their war cry-a great sbout
like if all the island ware raise up and ali
the grass stands on her end to hollar.
''The Assiniboins ware tickled. nv gar
They did Yell back at ms and gree to do
what Big Gun sails; cause for. by dam.
they want to git his scalp. So they sails
they will not shoot no body. till Maza-kan-
tanka shall come and fight their men IF
Big Gun kill their men he shall, 20 hack
all right. with that ill papoose.
THE Sontee they gree to that too.
Then five Assiniboins did come to the
water edge with only their knives in
hand, and with my ill Jack Bottineau all
tied up.
20 Mong Zhee, I was cry till nv neck
it was choked I'D in NV month An tben
you should have seen Maza-kan-tanka.
That Big Gun ware git in his canoe direck
~. with his knife in the teeth. By gar. he
paddle ovar there, all right. He was
stripped to the breech-clout. and his body
was all ovar grease. so that he shone in
the sun like the gun-barrel.
THE five Assiniboins did stand in a
row. one behind the other, and hold nv iii
Jack in the front. Cowardsi They ware
afraid the Sontee would not keep their
word and would shoot the arrow at them.
In that way the Assiniboins stood. one be-
him the odar. Big Gun did see the advan-
tage for him, too. He has one eye-uuick
for TO see.
''Yes, he did paddle STRAIGHT for tho
'SiDiboin, and when his canoe she was hit
the ground, all them Eeniin did grin their
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