"I was thirty-two years old when I was made chief. A chief has to do many things before he is chief—so many brave deeds, so many scalps and so many horses.


"Many times I went out to a hill and stayed three days and three nights and did not eat or drink—only just think about the best way to do things for my people. "When about twenty-six-old I was married. I got two wives. They were sisters. White Day was the name of one, and Goes-Out-Looking was the name of the other one. They belonged to the same tribe but now they are both dead. Only one child. His mother was Goes-Out-Looking and his name Felix. White Day had no child. My years now 76, and soon I will be along with Iron Tail and Red Cloud. "When my father was dead a long time we went to see how he was on the scaffold where we put him. His bones were all that was left. The arrow-point was sticking in the back of his skull. It was rusted. We took it home with us. "When my brother, Kicking Bear, died he was put in a grave on a hill. All his things were put in the grave with him. I will see his son, Kicking Bear, if he will let us dig open the grave and take out the arrow head and send it to this wigwam to put along with my things."


It was late when the old chief completed the telling of the story as above recorded. He signified a desire for a smoke and the Red Cloud peace-pipe with its long ornamented stem was brought from the cabinet, and some red-willow bark mixed with tobacco for the old-time kinnikinnick, which the chief enjoyed, as between puffs he recalled notable Councils of Treaty with government agents. He said they always talked with "forked tongues" and did not do as they agreed on in the paper. After the smoke was over, Thunderbull interpreted his last command. It was the chief's desire to have a glass of wine and the lights turned out so 'that he could sleep. He would tell of the Custer fight tomorrow. Rain having come on, the robes and blankets were transferred to the sun-porch where he was protected from inclement weather, for, as previously noted, he could not be induced to sleep on a white man mattress and springs. At sun-up the chief was missing. Breakfast was delayed. Presently he was seen coming from the forest which nearly surrounds the Wigwam. In his hand he carried a green switch six feet in length. From his travelling bag he took a bundle which he carefully unfolded and laid out—a beautiful eagle-feather streamer which he attached to the pole at either end. After testing it in the breeze, he handed it to his friend with gentle admonishment to keep it in a place where it could
always be seen. It was the Chief's "wand," and he said it must always be kept where it could be seen, else the people would not know who was chief. Having disposed of this, to him, important duty, the chief was ready for breakfast. Rested and refreshed the old sage of the Lakotas was disposed to talk about his people and their unfair treatment through the centuries since Columbus came. It was a fine chance to get the viewpoint of the red man on some episodes in American history that have been told by the white men but about which the Indian has not yet been heard.


Asked about how the red men looked upon the story of John Smith and Pocahontas, the chief proceeded to tell their way of thinking about that romantic tale. He said: "That Virginia venture was a gold-hunting expedition like when Cortez went to steal from Montezuma the Indian's gold and silver and land. They were a lot of fellows out of a job who wanted to live without work by cheating and robbing the native people who did not have guns.


"Powhatan was kind to them when they came. He gave them food and helped them to make houses to live in. They stayed a long time and did not work and raise food but got it from the Indians. Then when the corn was not plenty for all, Smith told Powhatan that they had been wrecked and soon ships would come from England and take them back home. Ships came and put more English people on the land but did not bring food for them. They were hungry and asked for more corn from the Indians, but there was not enough for all, and so Powhatan told them he had food only for his own people. The white men had guns and swords and told Powhatan he must give them the corn or they would kill his people. Then there was trouble. They took the food from the Indians and the Indians killed some of them and then they became enemies. It was when they had stolen a lot of food from the Indians and were in camp to eat it that Smith said Pocahontas came to them through the path in the woods and told them the Indians were coming to kill them, and she put her arms around Smith's neck and cried. It was a good white man's story, but Indians do not believe it as it is not their way of killing white men. Smith did not tell this story until long after he went back to England to put it in his book. He told a different story before he wrote his book. Pocahontas was a girl only twelve or thirteen years old and Smith was a hard man more than forty or fifty winters. Rolf took her to England but she did not live very long there so far away from her people.


"It was the same with John Smith as it was when Columbus got among the Indians. They liked them and were friendly as long as the natives gave them food, and then they tried to take everything they had from them and make slaves of them to do their work. The Indians did not have the same kind of God and so they did not treat them like men but like animals. Columbus made the Indians dig in the mines for gold, and if they did not find it he killed them, until all of them on the Island were killed or made slaves for his men."


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