Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-11-23

night so 1t is now time for you to be
gin winning. I really think that yol
will win this bet'"
"Again Red Arrow thought anC
thought rubbing his hands hard to-
gether; his forehead wrinkling deeply
as he stared at the fire-stared at Il
and yet did not see It, I have never
seen anyone frown so hard as he did
And then he suddenly Strengthened ul
and cried out as he made the signs
No! MOI I will not risk my children
food in this hide-the-bone gamel'
1.-THE white man laughed: I will lei
you have the chance to get still more
meat for your children he signed. ]
will bet my fast buffalo horse against
your two Snake captivesP
"'Yesr Red Arrow signed.
NO. MOI I screamed. and so did
| Otter Woman. I had by this time well
learned the A1innetaree language. ooh,
! Red Arrow! OIL great chief Good
chief Do not gamble us off We will
work for you, oh so hardi' / pleaded.
But he would not even look at us. He
held the two bones, the little white
one and the black one. He looked down
along the line of the men In his row
and asked them If they were ready.
They were; they had all made their
bets. He began Juggling the bones rs
the gambling song was raised. He
shifted them from one hand to the
other in front of him; shifted them
behind his back. Time and again he
did this, nodding his head and bowling
his back in time to the song, and at
last held his two closed hands up in
front of his shoulders and the sing
ing suddenly ceased. The white man
looked long at the two hands, stared
~ frrl1t in dc
stared again at the hands, and then
slapped his right hand into the palm
of the other as he pointed to Red
Arrows left hand. And as suddenly Red
Arrow sank down in his seat, and,
opening that hand showed the black
bone, and Otter Woman and 1 began
to cry. The white man had won us
from the man who, though our captor,
had ever been kind to us as though
we were his own children.
Her Love Story
Red Arrows women cried out at
him, calling him names, for they had
learned to love U.s. Red Arrow himself
sat like one who had suddenly lost his
mind. Then he Strengthened up and
cried and signed to the white man: I
will now bet my spotted fast runner.
I will bet him against the two girls'
THE white man shook his head. NO,
he signed back. I have won them, and
I shall keep them!'
~ will bet all my IA horses against
them!' Red Arrow offered.
"'No, I have won them; I shall keep
Them the other answered And then,
turning to Otter Woman and me, he
signed us to take up our belongings
and go with him to his lodge. There
was nothing for us to do but obey AS
u fniinmnd him n1Ff nf fha lO1Op
ing harder than ever, we left Red Ar
row sitting with bowed head and all
bumped over, his women furiously
scolding him for having wagered and
lost u.s.
"Ah, well! Youth, my friend, quickly
accuStomS itself to whatever Is to be;
1t was not long before Otter Woman |
and dried our tears. The Minnetarce |
wife of the white man was very gentle
hearted, very kind to us, and we soon
learned to love her. She was not strong, /
so we undertook to do her work. 1t /
was not long before we were doing all
of it, the lodge work, the garden work, |
the tanning of skins and the bringing |
in of wood and water.
There came a time when I felt so |
badly that could not talk about 1t. |
I cried and cried, and was near jump |
ing into the river to end 1t all. 1t was |
a disappointment blow at the heart, |
my friend A young Mandan named |
White Grass, who often visited the |
village, looked at me, and |
1 at him, for he was good to look at; |
so slim and tall, fine of face and long |
haired. And from looking at one an |
other we came, in time, to saying a |
few words as we met and passed. At |
last, one day when Otter Woman and |
lar, rNfs
corn, he came and told me that he |
loved me, and II was not ashamed
told him that had long been hop
ing he would say that to me. We sat |
down right there at the edge of the
corn and while Otter Woman worked, |
he told me what we should do. We
should have a lodge of our own in
the village of his people. They would |
build it for us; furnish it. We should |
have a garden of our own and raise
plenty of good feed, and he would hunt !
and bring in plenty Of meat, and we
should be very comfortable and happy.
To all that I answered yes, that would /
be the way of it. And then Otter Wom-
an, listening to our happy talk, said
TO me: Don't be crazy; Don't be max
ing plans until you know what our
white man owner will say to this
He will say yes, of counsel will
give him ten horses for you. He can
not refuse to take ten horses, ten good,
big horses, my young sweetheart cried.
And then laughed happily and said
that he would never refuse to take that
many for me, more, far more, than
was worth.
"Otter Woman shook her head. NO.
she said, best that you end your dream
right here; he will not sell you for
twenty-no, not for all the Mandan
lorses.'
white Grass spran to his feet,
pulled me up beside him, and said to
otter Woman: I will prove to you that
you are wrong; we will go to the white
man right now and shall give him
-hn hnrcnc NOV VIC mani IN the