The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-02-19

the lime STORY J6ll-
ing and the Crow lads await in Gag
er anticipation the mysteries and
legends which are about to be IN
folded before them.
To watch this old warrior is to be
at once carried back through the
years that have gone to the time
when the Crows were a great and
powerful people. Erect of stature,
despite his almost fOur-scOre of years.
and with eye and brow that signify
leadership and justice and honesty,
his appearance alone, command the
respect that is accorded him by these
youths and all the members of his
tribe.
He has finished his smoking, and
the silence that has remained I'M
broken, save for the occasional stomp
of a hOOf on the outside of the lodge,
ends when the old man slowly starts
his evening narrative:
'Ho! My Sons! At the time of the
last story telling, I spoke of Oru Great
ArapOOash, who lived until not SO
many years ago, and who was chief
when we Crows first saw the whites.
The Great ArapOOash
"ArapoOasb, (ROtten Belly, my
sons, was a great Crow chief and a
Crow medicine man, but he was not
so great as Long Hair, whose story
1 told you a shot time ago. ArapOO-
ash's medicine was the thunder. He
claimed, my sons that one night he
dreamed what the thunder was, and
carried a piece of it with him, but
what it was we w were able to
learn.
cone time when Rotten Belly was
camped with some of his people, al
Sinking Water canyon, he told his
people hat the Great Spirit had
come to him in a dream and that il
had promised him success in making
captives if he went in a certain direc'
ton. After a number of the warriors
had Joined him, he led an expedition
into the Judith Basin country, againsI
the Piegans.
''Here, while they were looking Out
from the hills, they saw some so per
sons approaching in their direction
Thees people were on foot, and Rot
ten Belly said that they were The
people of whom the Great Spirit haC
told him. AS they came nearer, The
Crows discovered that they were al
Piegan women. They were easil,
taken, and after the Grows had Sc
lected 26 of the youngest and hand
soonest, the party returned to tn.
Crow country. A part of these es
capped on the way to the Crow vii
lage. but most were carried to tn
Crow country and adopted into tn
Grow tribe. Three of these, my sons
are still living with the Crows
(1S75).
At Fort Mckenzie
Another time ArapOOash raised
war party of about 200 braves, and
without telling them what he wa
going to do, led them against Fol-
Mckenzie on the Missouri, Cat tn
mouth of the Marias). He made hi
camp above the fort and was visite
by the men from the post, who aske
him what it was that he wanted; bU
upon seeing that he was not frinedl.
the traders returned to their stool
ade. Then the chief trader sent hi
presents of knives and tobacco, bJ
ArapOOash said that he did nj
want these, stating that he was a
ter powder. The powder was NJ
given to him and he threw the t.
bacco into the river. The traders ut,
baccO into the river. Many of h
warriors left him and returned to IL
Crow camp. Some of those that r
manned, visited the fort, and four
that the doors we're llOsed again
them. They attempted to shake hanC
with the whites, but the height
the wall prevented this. This grea
ly angered ArapOOash to think tn