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第17章

indian heroes & great chieftains-第17章

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I had wished my face to represent the sun when partly covered with

darkness; so I painted it half black; half red。  We fought all day

in the rain; and my face was partly washed and streaked with red

and black: so again I was christened Rain…in…the…Face。  We

considered it an honorable name。



〃I had been on many warpaths; but was not especially

successful until about the time the Sioux began to fight with the

white man。  One of the most daring attacks that we ever made was at

Fort Totten; North Dakota; in the summer of 1866。



〃Hohay; the Assiniboine captive of Sitting Bull; was the

leader in this raid。  Wapaypay; the Fearless Bear; who was

afterward hanged at Yankton; was the bravest man among us。  He

dared Hohay to make the charge。  Hohay accepted the challenge; and

in turn dared the other to ride with him through the agency and

right under the walls of the fort; which was well garrisoned and

strong。



〃Wapaypay and I in those days called each other

'brother…friend。' It was a life…and…death vow。  What one does the

other must do; and that meant that I must be in the forefront of

the charge; and if he is killed; I must fight until I die also!



〃I prepared for death。  I painted as usual like an eclipse of

the sun; half black and half red。〃



His eyes gleamed and his face lighted up remarkably as he

talked; pushing his black hair back from his forehead with a

nervous gesture。



〃Now the signal for the charge was given!  I started even with

Wapaypay; but his horse was faster than mine; so he left me a

little behind as we neared the fort。  This was bad for me; for by

that time the soldiers had somewhat recovered from the surprise

and were aiming better。



〃Their big gun talked very loud; but my Wapaypay was leading

on; leaning forward on his fleet pony like a flying squirrel on a

smooth log!  He held his rawhide shield on the right side; a little

to the front; and so did I。 Our warwhoop was like the coyotes

singing in the evening; when they smell blood!



〃The soldiers' guns talked fast; but few were hurt。  Their big

gun was like a toothless old dog; who only makes himself hotter the

more noise he makes;〃 he remarked with some humor。



〃How much harm we did I do not know; but we made things lively

for a time; and the white men acted as people do when a swarm of

angry bees get into camp。  We made a successful retreat; but some

of the reservation Indians followed us yelling; until Hohay told

them that he did not wish to fight with the captives of the white

man; for there would be no honor in that。  There was blood running

down my leg; and I found that both my horse and I were slightly

wounded。



〃Some two years later we attacked a fort west of the Black

Hills 'Fort Phil Kearny; Wyoming'。  It was there we killed one

hundred soldiers。〃  'The military reports say eighty men; under the

command of Captain Fetterman  not one left alive to tell the

tale!'  〃Nearly every band of the Sioux nation was represented in

that fight  Red Cloud; Spotted Tail; Crazy Horse; Sitting Bull;

Big Foot; and all our great chiefs were there。  Of course such men

as I were then comparatively unknown。  However; there were many

noted young warriors; among them Sword; the younger

Young…Man…Afraid; American Horse 'afterward chief'; Crow King; and

others。



〃This was the plan decided upon after many councils。  The main

war party lay in ambush; and a few of the bravest young men were

appointed to attack the woodchoppers who were cutting logs to

complete the building of the fort。  We were told not to kill these

men; but to chase them into the fort and retreat slowly; defying

the white men; and if the soldiers should follow; we were to lead

them into the ambush。  They took our bait exactly as we had hoped!

It was a matter of a very few minutes; for every soldier lay dead

in a shorter time than it takes to annihilate a small herd of

buffalo。



〃This attack was hastened because most of the Sioux on the

Missouri River and eastward had begun to talk of suing for peace。 

But even this did not stop the peace movement。  The very next year

a treaty was signed at Fort Rice; Dakota Territory; by nearly all

the Sioux chiefs; in which it was agreed on the part of the Great

Father in Washington that all the country north of the Republican

River in Nebraska; including the Black Hills and the Big Horn

Mountains; was to be always Sioux country; and no white man should

intrude upon it without our permission。  Even with this agreement

Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse were not satisfied; and they would not

sign。



〃Up to this time I had fought in some important battles; but

had achieved no great deed。  I was ambitious to make a name for

myself。  I joined war parties against the Crows; Mandans; Gros

Ventres; and Pawnees; and gained some little distinction。



〃It was when the white men found the yellow metal in our

country; and came in great numbers; driving away our game; that

we took up arms against them for the last time。  I must say here

that the chiefs who were loudest for war were among the first to

submit and accept reservation life。  Spotted Tail was a great

warrior; yet he was one of the first to yield; because he was

promised by the Chief Soldiers that they would make him chief of

all the Sioux。  Ugh! he would have stayed with Sitting Bull to the

last had it not been for his ambition。



〃About this time we young warriors began to watch the trails

of the white men into the Black Hills; and when we saw a wagon

coming we would hide at the crossing and kill them all without much

trouble。  We did this to discourage the whites from coming into our

country without our permission。  It was the duty of our Great

Father at Washington; by the agreement of 1868; to keep his white

children away。



〃During the troublesome time after this treaty; which no one

seemed to respect; either white or Indian 'but the whites broke it

first'; I was like many other young men  much on the warpath; but

with little honor。  I had not yet become noted for any great deed。 

Finally; Wapaypay and I waylaid and killed a white soldier on his

way from the fort to his home in the east。



〃There were a few Indians who were liars; and never on the

warpath; playing 'good Indian' with the Indian agents and the war

chiefs at the forts。  Some of this faithless set betrayed me; and

told more than I ever did。  I was seized and taken to the fort near

Bismarck; North Dakota 'Fort Abraham Lincoln'; by a brother 'Tom

Custer' of the Long…Haired War Chief; and imprisoned there。  These

same lying Indians; who were selling their services as scouts to

the white man; told me that I was to be shot to death; or else

hanged upon a tree。  I answered that I was not afraid to die。



〃However; there was an old soldier who used to bring my food

and stand guard over me  he was a white man; it is true; but he

had an Indian heart!  He came to me one day and unfastened the iron

chain and ball with which they had locked my leg; saying by signs

and what little Sioux he could muster:



〃'Go; friend! take the chain and ball with you。  I shall

shoot; but the voice of the gun will lie。'



〃When he had made me understand; you may guess that I ran my

best!  I was almost over the bank when he fired his piece at me

several times; but I had already gained cover and was safe。  I have

never told this before; and would not; lest it should do him an

injury; but he was an old man then; and I am sure he must be dead

long since。  That old soldier taught me that some of the white

people have hearts;〃 he added; quite seriously。



〃I went back to Standing Rock in the night; and I had to hide

for several days in the woods; where food was brought to me by my

relatives。  The Indian police were ordered to retake me; and they

pretended to hunt for me; but really they did not; for if they had

found me I would have died with one or two of them; and they knew

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