The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1907-10-16

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powerful bass singer and played the
soprano on the violin. Mr.. William
son also sang and if / remember
rightly, Mrs. Henderson had sweet
soprano voice. While the singing
was not the best it certainly was not
| the worst ever heard.
| The six working days Of the week
were all busy ones for us and even
| ing generally found US tired. Still
we three older boys with our violins
and sometimes Julia to play an ac-
compartment on the melodeon would
furnish what, for those times. was
pretty good music. Not one of US
deserved to be called a violinist, but
we certainly were folders and in
this capacity we spent nearly every
evening until bed time.
| The sight Of Indians was no more
uncommon than that Of whites
for they visited us every day in
pairs and groups. and the prairie
was dotted here and there with
parties hunting dubious root which
they called "teepson" and used for
food. It was called wild turnip by
the whites. The plant was but a
few inches high and had but one
slender. straight root which extend
ed into the ground three or four
inches, where the bulb was formed
and below this was the tap root and
perhaps other smaller roots. The
bulb was from one to two and one
half or three inches long and the
largest were perhaps one and one
half inches in diameter. 1t was en-
closed in a rind much like that of
the turnip which, when peeled off.
left the bulb white and firm with no
particular flavor, if / remember
rightly. If left to dry, in a few
DAYS the pulp became almost as hard
as bone. Ill have dug and eaten
many of these bulbs fresh and raw,
and always imagined that they would
be quite agreeable if ground up and
used to thicken a soup or stew.
The Indians dug them by means
of sapling two and one-half or three
inches in diameter and four or five
feet long. This was sharpened at
one end, the sharpening being all
done on one.side, giving the stick a
sled runner shape. To use it the
Indian would strike the sharpened
end into the ground two or three
inches from the plant, withdrawing
and striking in the same place, until
with two or three strokes the point
of the stick was forced under the
bulb, when, by pressing the top end
of the stick down, the bulb was
brought to the surface.
The annual annuities were due in
June, but owing to the difficulty in
procuring gold or silver they had
not yet been paid, and the Indians
were all collected at the agency
awaiting the day Of payment. They
were not well supplied with provi-
sions. so were obliged to hunt such
small game and birds as the coun-
try afforded, dig teepson, fish, and
when able to buy beef cattle from
the settlers, leaving their guns in
pawn as security. So our visitors
were numerous. AS | had quite a
fancy to be able to talk their Ian
guage | improved every opportunity
for learning it. Many of them
seemed to understand my desire and
were willing to help me, so that in
the few weeks we were there
acquired the languarge sufficiently
well to be able to understand them
when they talked to me and to make
myself understood, but when they
talked to each other it..was mostly
"Greek" to me.
i Father sold: two head of cattle te
them. For the first one he received
two double-barreled shot guns as
security. and for the second the CUR
Of the headlchief, Little Crow. This
sale was made on Friday. August
, 18th, only three days before the
utbreak. Little Crow with quite {
. party Of Indians and accompanied BY
Mr.. Robertson. one-eighth breed
, as interpreter, came and selected
the steer, agreed to the price asked
| and offnvoI two ~.,,,.e L -