It continues three days and three nights, neither eating or
drinking during the entertainment. They danced all that night and the
squaws had each a small whistle made of bone which they blow all the
time in addition to the musical "tom-toms." Mrs. Delaney and I lay
awake all night, and I said to her, "I hope the police will come in
while they are having this dance." Mrs. Pritchard asked us next
morning if we would go and see them at it, and remarked "they will not
like it if you white women do not go and see them." We went with her,
and when we got inside they laughed and were delighted at seeing us
come. There they were, some of the squaws with my clothes on, and one
Indian with my husband's on, and my table linen hanging on the poles.
The squaws stood in those little stalls and danced. They had their
faces painted, and fingers and ears filled with brass rings and
thimbles. Some of the Indians were dressed in the police uniforms and
had veils over their faces; and just as we got nicely there, two
Indians came riding around and saying the police were all on this side
of the river with their tents pitched. There must be hundreds of them,
some said, and the others said no, because they have their wives and
children with them; and then came the scattering, they ran in all
directions like scared rabbits and tore their tents down, the Indians
riding around on horse-back singing and yelling, and saying "let us go
and meet them" that was to fight, and others said "_no_, let us
move," and we all left and moved through the woods.
Pages:
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49