They were in our tent
nearly the whole night with their guns, large sharp knives and war
clubs. After Pritchard had talked some hours to them they went out
only partly pacified. Some of them said, "he has ran away once, let us
kill him and have no more trouble with him; if he runs away he will be
going away and telling the police to come."
When near the Fort they had their "Thirst Dance." An Indian went to
the bush and broke off a green bough, and carried it to the place
arranged for the dance, and all the other Indians shot at it. Then the
Indians got their squaws with them on horse-back; some thought it
would not be polite if they did not invite the white women to help
them also, and Mrs. Pritchard and another squaw came in and put Mrs.
Delaney in one corner and covered her over, and me in another with a
feather bed over me, so as not to find us. Then some said, "Oh, let
the white women stay where they are," and they took their squaws and
went to the woods. I should say about fifty rode to the woods for one
stick at a time, fastening a chain around it, dragged it along to this
place singing and yelling as they went. After they had enough sticks,
they arranged a tent in the centre of the circle. They stood a long
pole up, and on this pole they tied everything they wished to give to
the _sun_, and this is never taken down, and then they erected
smaller poles about five feet high, all around in a large circle, and
from the top of these they fastened sticks to the long pole in the
centre, and covered it all with green boughs, they then partitioned
the tent into small stalls, and tied print and anything bright all
around inside on these poles; after they had this arranged they began
dancing.
Pages:
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48