CHAPTER XXV.
WE HEAR FROM CHEROKEE BILL.
It is commonly in September that the savages "go in for the winterhunt," in the region where our story takes place. These hunts arethe more important from the animals' fur being in prime condition,and, of course, fetching a better price at the trading centres. Thepicked hunters of various Indian nations come into the great northernwilds, and are the more mixed up recently, as the railway pioneersand settlers arrive in too strong force to pay much heed to treatyrestrictions. The upshot is, that while a tacit truce is tolerablywell maintained, so long as every arrow and bullet is required to make"eatable meat," the view, often the contact of enemies, causes a strayhunter of any race to thread his way as gingerly as a soldier advancingamong mines, countermines, and torpedoes. Unless under exceptionalcircumstances, though, the main bodies do not fall on one another.Personal interest, the only motor, imposes this restraint on theirferocious habits.
In sooth, besides the furs they sell, the red men have to preserve somefor garments; moreover, there is the flesh of the prizes to be dried bysun or fire, jerked, or crubbed up with salt, to enable them to passthe rigorous winter so fatal to improvident tribes.
As the game gets crowded away from the farmers' axe and the locomotiveengine whistle, it thickens, naturally, in the final retreats. In thisquarter, it fairly swarms. The buffaloes run still in countless herds;there is plenty of elk, beaver, deer, bear, musk ox, foxes of severalkinds, wolves, red, grey, and white, musquash, ermine, a few opossum;and, for winged game, turkeys, prairie fowl, bustard, eagles, and soon. And, besides, the clearer waters furnish fine fish--salmon, trout,perch, sturgeons, the great white fish, and small fry profusely.
Hence the nomads guard this territory as narrowly as their unsteadinesspermits. As it is dishonourable for a warrior to use tillageimplements, only one or two people sow a little maize, without muchassurance they will themselves harvest in the crop. When there is afailure of game, therefore, misery is acute, and famine soon appears todecimate the decaying bands.
The inextinguishable hatred of the ancient possessors of the soil,springs from the invasion and hacking away of the hunting grounds. Thetrappers and hunters, who went rarely in large knots, were well armedand too well able to take care of their heads to be molested; and,besides, made, no great gaps in the herds. But of late years, selfish,moneymaking, pitiless slaughterers have come out from the advanceposts of civilisation, and not only massacred the beasts wantonly forhide and fancy heads and horns, for mere ornaments in millionnaires'vestibules, but in their rear whisky sellers establish shanties. Thesegrow like Jonah's gourd, and wither as fast, it is true; but on theirruins real settlers flock, and towns are speedily laid out. Deer willnot abide sheep, it is well known, and so the Indians hate the farmerand grazier only a point less fiercely than these buffalo butchers.
As for the moral: the Indians say that the land was their fathers',or that of the strong hand. When they uphold the latter doctrine, thepioneers plead for the Government troops to take them at their word, orlet them wipe the _varmint_ out.
Closing this necessary digression sharply, we proceed with our tale.
The diverse aborigines assembled for the great winter hunt had neverbeen so annoyed before as by the almost simultaneous intrusion of SirArchie Maclan's sledging party from Canada, the Half-breeds from RedRiver of the North, and Captain Kidd's gold grabbers from the South.
The Crows had fleshed their arrows the first in the Scotch party,and the news had swiftly crossed the wastes of "a heap of scalps andplunder" being obtained. The mock Chippeway guide had become a heroof legend. The attack on the Half-breeds, though a repulse, was alsocommended, and Ahnemekee had added laurels to his wreath.
Whilst this news was still fresh, an Indian camp was established on thebank of Bear River, an affluent of Red River which does not always feedit, being sometimes "lost" in a sinkhole on the way when the watersfall low. Bears did not people the shore now; that was a tradition.
A considerable portion of the head tribe of Piegans occupied the scoreand a half of buffalo hide tents, sodded at the bottom edge to keepout the cold and wet. These Indians appertain to the great nation ofthe Blackfeet, still one of the most warlike and, consequently, mostdreaded of the Nor'-Westers. They are a little free in their reading ofhunting law, as they are known to go and steal horses on the Mexicanfrontier, whether the Apaches and Comanches like the inroad or not.
This troop comprised some two hundred "big braves." Theseveral headmen, or captains, obeyed a sachem called"Knife-painted-with-Blood," or more concisely, "Red Knife." He hadvaliantly won the title by preferring hand-to-hand struggles.
He was only about thirty, standing clear six feet, and not bowlegged,more slender than bulky, but unusually active and skilful withvarious weapons, though with the knife he could execute any feat.His expression was a haughty one, rather majestic when not cruel andscornful. His smallish, black, beadlike eyes, deep set, sparkled withcunning, malice, and fearlessness. He was idolised by his followers,and though the office of war chief is precarious, and such a one isoften forced to make concessions or be deposed, never had Red Knife metdiscussion for his order. He reigned like an Asiatic monarch.
Ordinarily, as the women and children are indispensable for the meatmaking, and fur and skin dressing, the Indians must have them and theirdogs and pack ponies along with them. The dogs, for once, get fullyfed, and so become too appetising with their round paunches, and aresacrificed in feast when not required for burdens.
On this occasion the Piegans had no living impediments in their camp,and the warriors had not replaced the war paint pictures with peacefulemblems. This proved clearly that this party only pretended to be outa-hunting, and sought an opportunity to outdo the Crows in an attack onthe white intruders.
For some ten days they had been located at their regular encampment. Toprevent quarrels, each hunting party occupies the same site from timeout of mind.
Among Indian beliefs is the singular one that each tribe has an animalancestor, whose image or present lineal representative is their_totem_, or sacred standard. Its shape is tattooed on the bosom.When the size or rarity of the actual animal prevents even its skinbeing portable, its figure is painted on a banner, extremely revered,and guarded by an old warrior, the counterpart to our ensign. Overand above this public token is another one, only known to the upperclass of "men of the medicine," being a grand pass sign, practicallyuniversal. We have only to add that the good sense which tempers thesuperstition of the North American savage allows him, when hungry, tohunt, kill, and eat the animal of his reverence, though, truly, healways apologises by way of grace to the victim. But the supersacredemblem would be respected in any emergency. Luckily, this is chosenamong such uncommon, even extinct, or, perhaps, fabulous creatures,that it would be exempt from maltreatment in any case.
The tribe of Red Knife were convinced that the grizzly bear was theirgreat grandfather, and so always came to Bear River as a hunting home.
At sunrise of a fine day of dying September, the Piegans were ratherlazily attending to the morning labours, the more disgustedly as theseare usually turned over to the women.
The camp, intelligently placed on the water side, and otherwisedefended by a double row of stakes, presented the untidy aspect of suchplaces--"and smelt so, pah!"
War ponies, held by ropes to pegs, munched climbing peas. At the doorof his tent, Red Knife--squatted at a fire--was regaling himself witha before-breakfast smoke. His eyes were half closed like a cat's. Twosubchiefs stood by him with the same seeming inattention. After thehorses had had their fill, they were taken to the watering place,whereupon the men might eat. So goes the care for the war horses: muchlike Arab rule.
Soon the chief was given his meat, simply enough composed of stillfresh meat, roe smashed up with wild fruit to acidify it, and a bowlof hominy, or Indian corn hasty pudding, made savoury with bear'sfat and flavoured with meat powder and a dash of rock salt. It wasthe hachesto, or crier, who was als
o the butler. When he had dishedup, the commander kindly invited his lieutenants to squat by him andhelp him out with the repast. They nodded, laid by their pipes, andall three went to work without uttering a word. A European might nothave relished the spread, even washed down with poor whisky and theicy water, but an Indian is not fastidious. When he has food, he eatsgluttonously, absorbing an incredible quantity, for it is etiquetteto refuse nothing and leave no crumbs. On the other hand, probablyconsoling their stomachs in privation by memory of past feasts andprospects of more, our red brothers support themselves with greatfortitude.
Notwithstanding the quantity before them, the chiefs did not prolongthe meal, which was over in fifteen minutes or so. The crier came upfrom where he was watching and handed the lighted pipe.
The other warriors, having finished breaking their fast, rolledthemselves up in their wraps and went off in a doze by the fires. Suchsleeping, eating, dozing, hunting, and fighting forms their life.
For two good hours all but the three leaders seemed reposing, and theynever shifted their positions.
At about eleven o'clock the gallop of several horses was audible at adistance. The crier rose and hastened to the entrance of the palisadoedcamp.
Coming up swiftly, he perceived three mounted Indians. They were armedfor war, and by the foxtails on their leggings and by the grey eaglefeather stuck upright over the left ear, one could conclude they werechiefs. They reined in when they arrived at the enclosure of pikes.The principal, as was shown by his keeping a shade in advance of theothers, lifted his right hand open, the palm outwards, the four fingerskept together, and the thumb bent in. The hachesto made the same sign,and, going up nearer, saluted the newcomers respectfully enough, andin a low, measured voice, inquired their business. Being answered, hesaluted again, and returned into the camp with his information.
Red Knife listened to the story in an unconcerned manner, but heordered the visitors to be shown to him.
At the sound of the horses the warriors had awakened. The outermostwent to take the horses from the guests who alighted. These then wereushered up to the trio of commanders, who eyed them coldly. The otherthree were in fighting dress, but were not painted in accordance.
"My brothers are welcome," remarked Red Knife. "Ahnemekee being a greatchief in his nation, he shall take his place beside his brother thePiegan, and smoke the peace pipe."
Ahnemekee, for it was the Crow chief, bowed pleasedly at thecompliment, squatted down, and took the pipe. For a while the calumetwent the round. Etiquette directs that the guests must speak firstand may not be questioned. The pipe ended with Ahnemekee, who knockedout the ashes on his nail and offered them ceremoniously to the earthwhence the tobacco had come, and thereupon, bending toward Red Knifewith a winning smile, wished him plenty of buffalo and success inkilling bear.
With the same bland smile, Red Knife returned the compliment.
"Unluckily," added he, "game is scarce. The wilderness is gettingswamped with 'the hatted men'--(Indians are self-distinguished ashatless)--the feather-heads get only their leavings."
"Yes," returned the Crow, emboldened at no allusion being made to theold-time enmity between the Crows and the Blackfeet nation, "not onlydo the Long Knives capture the game as if it grew for them alone, butthe axe and the plough lessen the domains of our fathers. Soon willwe be crowded against the rocks, and there shall we die in snow andice for want of food. My heart aches to think of the miseries awaitingthe _Unishiniba_--all Indians. As I submit, it seems to me my blood isweakened with water, that the marrow in my bones is swamp mud, that myeyes are dimmed as one looking through the glass peepholes in the stonecabins. I have gone into seclusion for eight days and there asked,asked, asked if the just Great Spirit has really allowed the palefacesto do what they like with what we deemed our very own."
"My brother is a wise warrior," said the Piegan, sorrowfully. "Thespeech from his straight tongue chimes in with the Voice that speaks tome in my meditation. Speak on, speak on, Ahnemekee--I hear not a CrowIndian, but one of the whole red race--it is a friendly ear that drinksin his words."
"Right! The chain of brotherhood still endures, and though time hascankered it, it is strong under the rust. When _Yoheewah_ brought ourfathers from the Eye of the sky, O, glorious Sun, that warms the redman and conserves his meat, then the Wacondah showed them the woods,lakes, streams, and prairies, and bade him 'Take, all is thine!' Thewarrior bowed to the Guide, and thanked Him. There were no white menthen, they had not come over the Alleghanies to be our tormentors, ourrobbers, our slayers, with the fire in great guns. But the red men fellout with one another, and would not see there was room for all. TheGreat Spirit brought the palefaces hither to perplex them and punishthem. Soon did they scatter them, setting the Blackfeet Sioux againstthe Mountain Blackfeet, the Crows against the Bloods. But still, theredskins have learnt the new kind of warfare. We have horses andweapons. All the route of flight of the Sioux through the Yellowstonewas strewn with the _caches_ of the arms they could not carry, andCrows and Blackfeet have dug them up, and have been buying powder andball with their furs."
"The hour of revenge has come, brother--I speak it! Why should we notall profit by it? And if we must wrangle and clapperclaw amongstourselves, let it be over the spoil of the dead whites," said he,subtly. "Hunting! For a week you have laid here empty-handed, whilstI have pillaged a train and armed my men finely. It is true we havecome off second best in an encounter with another band of intruders,but it was the snowstorm that drove us off. Let us unite and overwhelmthese Northerners, and then crush out the prairie pirates from the goldmines. What does my brother think of my words? There are no more tocome."
"My brother speaks to the point, his words fall on mine ear as sweetlyas the eagle's scream, swooping upon its prey in its mate's hearing.The Piegan braves are not here to run buffalo and follow deer. They aregathered to drive the gold seekers into graves. But what can so smalla force do, however bold and cunning? It is a chief who asks this. Lethis brother answer."
"Red Knife is wise, though his hair is black. It is his wisdom that isgrey. Ahnemekee will go to the Bloods, the Small Robes, the Blackfeet,and the Dacotahs. They will ally against the paleface robbers andbutchers. The hatchet will be buried as against the red men on allsides, but the bundle of reeds, one for each tribe, will be hurledwithin the white men's camps. In four suns after this, hundreds of redwarriors will gladly greet Red Knife at Elk's Leap, at the fifth hourof the night."
"If it be not contrary to the will of the Master of Life, theKnife-painted-with-Blood will be at the Elk's Leap."
It was as much of an acceptance as the Crow had anticipated. He rose,and was escorted to his horse by the sachem, whose companions weresimilarly polite to the other Crows.
The camp buzzed with a debate over the visit and the pledge, but wassettling down to fresh calm when, about an hour after Ahnemekee'sdisappearance, an event occurred still more stirring.