A String of Pearls

CHAPTER IV

LAST TWO BRETHREN LEAVE ME – HOME-SICK – TONSORIAL EXPERIENCE – "WHADEE-SHIPPER," A NEW NAME FOR ME – KINDNESS OF THE INDIANS.

The part of the country we were traveling in was so rough and hilly that it was impossible to travel with a wagon, so Brothers Kay and Bainbridge concluded to leave, which they did that morning.

I have not forgotten the time when we parted, and I saw them for the last time passing over the top of a high hill, each swinging his hat as a token of good by and good wishes.

How different our positions! They were going to their families and friends, while I was to remain with a few Indians, or wild men of the desert.

I must confess that for awhile I felt a little homesick. I started for a deep ravine near by, out of sight of the village, where I knelt down and prayed to the Lord for strength and an increase of faith, that I might accomplish the work before me with cheerfulness of heart.

After this I felt better, and went to the chief's lodge and got out my journal to write. No one else was in the lodge at the time, but just as I was about to commence writing, a couple of young squaws entered the lodge and sat down beside me. The eldest asked me, as I understood, for my comb, and I took it from my pocket and offered it to her, thinking they wished to comb their hair; but, to my surprise, she leaned her head towards me, asking and making signs for me to comb and braid her hair, as our white women did theirs. At first I concluded something evil was intended, and they were sent to prove me; but I soon changed my mind, and believed them innocent of any wrong. I was somewhat confused, I assure you, in making the attempt to dress a lady's hair, and blushed considerably when I commenced, which they observed, and both laughed.

As soon as I had finished one side I handed my comb over to her companion, for her to do the other side, which she did, and much better than I had done. When this was done, lady No. 1 combed and braided the hair of lady No. 2, very nicely. She then returned the comb to me. This was the first and last hair-dressing I was called upon to perform while with them. The next day many of the young women had their hair arranged in the same style.

I remained in the same lodge and with the same chief as when I started with them. This same evening several Indians came to his lodge, and, after talking awhile, sent for an old Frenchman who had been with them a number of years, and could speak some English. They told him they were pleased that I was going to remain with them. It was good, and I was a sargey morie tongar,1 which is "hardy American," and they would give me the name of their fire steel (one they use with a flint, to strike fire with, which they call whadee shipper). This was my Indian name from that time. This was soon known by the Indians in the village, for the next day all who met me called me by my new name.

I continued to pass through every stream we came to, and after awhile I found myself almost free from sores. For this I felt truly thankful and much encouraged.

One day two Indians came to the village who had been visiting their sister, who was married in the Sioux nation. These men informed the chief that a band of the Yankton Sioux were short of meat and robes and had but little game on their land, and had been driving off buffalo from the Poncas' lands, which was the cause of not finding buffalo sooner than we did.

We took early starts in the morning, traveling sometimes until two or three o'clock in the afternoon without food. All Indians that I saw on this trip preferred traveling before breaking their fast, and after awhile I concluded it was better than starting off after eating a hearty meal.

This was the beginning of November; the nights were frosty but the days were very pleasant. We were now in a bleak and cold country, with but little grass or timber. By this time my legs were quite healed, for which I gave thanks to the Lord.

Five weeks had passed since I left our camp to accompany the Indians, and thus far I had enjoyed myself.

The Indians were very kind to me, and all were anxious that I should learn their language. While traveling, the young men would walk with me, show me the "cut off," or nearest way to a certain point we would have to pass, and every day I would learn a new word or two.

I started with one pair of old shoes, which lasted me but two weeks, when one of the chiefs presented me with a new pair of buckskin moccasins. For this kind act I blessed him in the name of the Lord. I found them very easy to my feet, and could walk much better with them than with shoes. After a time, though, they began to show signs of wear, and one day when walking with the son of a chief, he looked at my feet and saw my toe sticking through my moccasin. He immediately said, pashee (which means "no good,") pulled off his own moccasins and handed them to me, telling me to put them on, which I did, and he put on mine. His were new, but he appeared quite pleased that he had them to give to me.

CHAPTER V

A BUFFALO HUNT – A THRILLING SIGHT – CONVERSATIONS WITH THE INDIANS – SCURVY – ANSWER TO PRAYER.

At this time we had an abundance of buffalo, deer and elk meat, killing from five to forty buffaloes in one day, and as I have witnessed several of these buffalo hunts, I will tell my young readers how the Indians proceed in hunting and killing them.

In the first place, there is a chief or president over every company starting out to hunt, so that good order may be kept; otherwise the buffaloes would be frightened away, and perhaps only one or two of a large herd be killed.

The chief in charge, when first in sight, calculating the number there are, and the distance from them, gives his orders, telling who must follow next to him, and who next, and so on until about twenty of those who have good horses are chosen to follow him. After these, all who have horses follow if they choose to do so.

Sometimes it is better to keep at a distance from the buffaloes, until the chief and his chosen men scatter the band, when those behind follow the buffaloes and soon kill them.

The chief and party start off, walking their horses, and on the lee side of the buffaloes, until they are seen by the game, which sometimes does not occur until they ride within a few rods of them. As soon as the buffaloes see these horsemen they run from them.

The chief, riding in among them, first picks out the best and fattest animal he can find, and kills it. Then follow the others, each doing likewise. By this time the herd is scattered. These men load their guns again and follow them, killing as many as they can. In a short time as many as fifty Indians are after them on horses, and the buffaloes scatter all over the country. They can be seen in twos, threes, or in larger numbers, with Indians trying to catch up with them. Those having the best horses kill the most buffaloes.

If the hunt is near a village, which is often the case, the old men and women go out and skin the animals killed, and help themselves to as much meat as they can pack. The robe belongs to the party who killed the animal.

At one hunt there were about 400 buffaloes, the largest number I ever saw together while with the Indians.

This was the best and most exciting hunt I ever saw, and I know of no scene that I ever witnessed, either before or since, that was so exciting and interesting to me. I saw a sham fight in 1838, when 20,000 British troops were engaged for three hours, and were viewed by Queen Victoria, the Duke of Wellington, Lord Hill, Marshal Soult, and other notables. The troops were well drilled, equipped in splendid style, rode fine horses, and when moving in masses from one place to another with their glittering accoutrements, breastplates, helmets, etc., they presented a grand appearance; yet it was not to be compared for real interest to the spectacle presented by this buffalo hunt.

Each Indian had nothing but a blanket or robe around his loins, and carried only a bow and a quiver of arrows (but few having guns) for his weapons.

To see those Indians galloping at full speed, with their hair flying in the wind, after the black, wild animals, in a wild and desert country, with only nature for their instructor, was to me the most thrilling and soul-stirring sight I ever beheld in my life, and one I shall never forget. Old as I am (62 years), I would go farther to see another such a hunt, than I would to see a sham fight, such as the one mentioned.

Fifty buffaloes were killed in this hunt, and after it was over we remained in camp for three weeks, to give the women a chance to dry the meat and dress the robes, as we had no means of carrying them in their green state.

By this time I had learned considerable of their language and was able to converse tolerably well with them; and, when sitting in the evening with some of the chiefs, they would ask me to talk to them about our people, wishing to know where we were going, and why we were going so far from our white brethren, etc.

An old Frenchman interpreted for us as I talked, he knowing that I could understand enough of their language to detect it if he did not translate my words correctly. I gave them a brief history of the Church, the principles taught by the Prophet Joseph, his and his brother Hyrum's death, and also of the Book of Mormon (having one with me, which I showed them). I also told them where their forefathers came from, where they first landed, and how they, like us, had been scattered and driven from the rising almost to the setting sun.

These conversations were many, and always very interesting to them. I may here mention that, when I left the nation, the chief with whom I stayed asked me for the Book of Mormon, and told me he would keep it as long as he lived, and his son would keep it after him; for he wanted to have the book that could give the history of their fathers always with them. I handed it to him, and he thanked me, kissing the book, and saying it would be good medicine for his people, for he should feel as though his fathers were with them when he had the book.

Eating, as I had, so much fresh meat without vegetables or bread, and having but little exercise, I did not feel as well as I had done, and found a kind of scurvy breaking out on my right side. I had seen something of the kind on some of the Indians, but nothing so bad as mine. All I could do was to apply buffalo fat to the parts affected.

The time came when we had got our robes dressed and meat sufficiently dried to cache, so that we could leave the next morning. My leg was swollen, and I feared if it continued it might get so bad that I could not walk.

I prayed at night that the Lord would cause the swelling to go down, and give me sufficient strength that I might be able to walk the next day.

The next morning the swelling was gone, and I was able to walk nine miles.

Here we killed more buffaloes, and stayed a few days to dry meat, which we did by cutting it about an inch thick, and putting it upon sticks above the fire in the lodges.

We next moved on to the upper forks of Running Water River, and very near to the extent of the Poncas' hunting ground. Beyond theirs were lands belonging to the Brules, a tribe of the Sioux.

CHAPTER VI

STRENGTH IN TIME OF NEED – AFFLICTED LIKE JOB, WITH BOILS – SCRAPING WITH A POTSHERD PLEASANT – MY PRAYER ROOM – DRESSING BUFFALO ROBES – DINING ON COTTONWOOD BARK – INDIAN SELF-DENIAL.

I suffered much pain at times with the sores that covered my right side, from my face all the way down to my ankle; but, strange to say, the swelling on my knee, which would increase after each day's travel, so that I could scarcely walk across the lodge, would go down when we had occasion to travel, so that I could walk from one camping place to the next.

Some of my readers may think I imagined this to be the case, but it was no imagination of mine, for this continued for several weeks just as I have stated.

After remaining a few days in camp, I was one mass of boils, from the size of a pea to that of a small marble, and so close together that they touched each other. At times I suffered a great deal of pain, and at other times I suffered with itching, which was terrible. This was when the sores were partially healed, and the surface had become hard, and while in this state I often, on a fine day, would go where I could not be seen, get on the sunny side of a hill, strip off my clothes, and, with a flat stick, scrape my sores.

I had read of Job scraping his boils with a potsherd, and pitied him, but if he took as much comfort as I did in scraping mine, he had no need of pity; for to me it was a great pleasure to get rid of the itching, and the scraping tended to relieve me in this respect. The boils, however, would only remain healed about a week, when they would begin to swell for a few days, giving much pain, and then break out again, which caused me to feel faint and weak.

Notwithstanding this affliction I felt blessed of the Lord, and was not discouraged. A short distance from the village there was a large patch of plum bush, about two acres in area, with deer tracks through it, and a large space clear of brush in the center. This I chose for my prayer room during my stay there. I asked the Lord to bless and sanctify it for this purpose, which I feel assured He did. I went there three times a day for prayer, and I felt many times, when praying, that the Lord was there.

This was about the last of November; the weather was very cold, and there was some snow on the ground.

It was a busy time for the women, who were all engaged in drying meat, and dressing robes and skins for sale. We had killed up to date, 1,500 buffaloes, besides other game.

It takes from two to three days to dress a robe. In the first place, they scrape it on the flesh side until it becomes thin, then they soak some of the buffalo's brains in warm water, and put this liquor on the flesh side until it will not retain any more. The brain of an animal is sufficient to dress its skin or robe, and sometimes more than sufficient. After the robe or skin has become well soaked through with the brain liquor, it is stretched tight upon sticks, with the skin side to the sun, if the weather be fine, and if cloudy, a fire is made to dry it. While the drying process is going on, the party dressing it rubs it on the flesh side with a piece of sandstone about the size of a brick. This is continued until it is perfectly dry and soft. All robes and skins are dressed in this manner except small skins, which are rubbed with the hands.

On a fine day, I have seen as many as 70 squaws at work at one time, dressing robes. These robes and skins are their harvest, as much so as a good crop of grain is to the farmer, as they sell all they do not need to traders, who are licensed to purchase from the Indians by the government. A good robe was worth about two dollars in cloth, ammunition, coffee, sugar, salt, etc. Sometimes the Indians would give three or four robes, or even more for a blanket, which was thought to be much better to wear around them than a buffalo robe. The Indians who could afford to wear a blanket, considered themselves much better dressed than their fellows.

The lodges were all made of buffalo skins; it took from five to eighteen skins, according to the size, to make one lodge. These were all made by the squaws.

During our lengthy stay at the place last mentioned, the weather was very cold and stormy, and the feed for our horses was very poor; but there was considerable cottonwood timber growing on the banks of the river, and a good many of the young trees were cut, and the under bark used to feed the horses. They were very fond of it, and I was informed by the Indians that this bark, during the winter months or before the buds burst in spring, was nearly as good for them as corn.

I may here mention that I remember testing the value of this bark as food, myself, during our return journey. We had no meat for three days, except one deer, which was killed when we were a few miles from our meat caches. We had hoped to find game on our journey, but finding none, we were compelled to go without. The third day I felt very faint, and it struck me that if the under bark of the cottonwood tree would feed horses and they could live on it, that it might also serve to stay my hunger. I got some young branches, and scraped off a lot of the bark, cutting it fine. I then asked the Lord to bless and sanctify it to my use. I took a mouthful, and, after chewing it for some time, swallowed the juice. I was about to swallow the bark, also, when it was suggested to me not to do so, that if I did it would clog my system, but that the juice would not. I therefore merely chewed the bark, and swallowed a few mouthfuls of the juice, from which I found relief. For this, and the suggestion not to swallow the bark, I thanked my Heavenly Father.

When the deer was killed upon this journey, it was cut up into small pieces, and distributed to as many as it would supply.

Soon after this, I was invited to eat at the lodge of a young chief and his wife. As soon as I reached the lodge, a piece of this deer was handed to me, about the size of one's hand. This was broiled, and intended for me alone. I knew they both had been without meat as long as I had, and I did not think they had partaken of bark juice as I had, just before.

I therefore cut a small piece off for myself, and asked them to eat the remainder.

The chief said: "No! Indian eat once in three days – good! If not, can buckle up his belt tighter" (which he did); "but white man, or morie tonger, needs to eat three times a day."

Neither he nor his wife would take it, so I ate it.

CHAPTER VII

POLICE REGULATIONS – A MORAL PEOPLE – MARRIAGE CUSTOMS – INVITATION TO A FEAST – SKUNK MEAT AT MID-NIGHT – INDIANS CHEATED BY WHITE TRADERS.

The lodges, during our stay on the Upper Forks of the Running Water River, were made comfortably warm by banking up dry sod three feet high around them. Inside of the lodges, the floor, to within about three feet of the fire, all around, was covered with half-dressed robes, at times four deep, which made it good to sleep upon.

We had the best of order in our village. Four Indians were appointed every day to act as police. These had their faces blackened when on duty. Fresh ones were appointed daily to guard and see that everything was orderly in the village.

I had been informed while in the States that all Indians were very licentious and degraded in their character and habits. It may possibly be the case with some tribes, but from the first day I traveled with the Poncas up to the last, which was six months, I never saw anything that would cause a lady to blush, either in the actions of a male or female. If there had been anything of the kind I would have seen it, for I was at all their feasts of dancing and eating, and attended three of their weddings.

If a young Indian wants to marry, and finds a squaw who is inclined to receive his addresses, he goes to the father of the young woman and learns from him the worth of the lady. He also finds out whether he would be acceptable to him as a son-in-law. If the match is agreeable to the parent, he will perhaps ask three horses as the price of her, sometimes more, sometimes less. The price depends somewhat on the smartness of the girl. If she can braid well, and dress robes and skins first rate, and is well qualified for the labors required of her, she is worth more horses than one who is not so smart.

When the price is settled and the amount paid, the next thing for the young Indian to do is to prepare a home for his bride. He either hires part of a lodge, purchases one or furnishes the skins for his intended bride to make one. When this is done he goes out and hunts game, brings what he kills to the lodge of her father, and hands it over to the young woman, who cooks some and gives it to him to eat. She also makes him a present either of a robe, pair of leggings or a pair of moccasins. Thus he proves on his part that he is willing to hunt and provide for her; and she, on the other hand, shows her willingness to cook and make what clothing he wishes. This is all that is needed to become husband and wife.

It often happens that a young Indian, when wanting to marry, is poor, and does not own any horses. In such a case he promises to help his father-in-law to hunt until he gets a horse, or horses.

Sometimes there are a number of young Indians wanting to marry, but cannot do so for want of horses to pay for the young ladies. When such is the case, they occasionally lay their plans (unknown to their chiefs) for a raid on the horses of other tribes or nations, to steal what they need for the purchase of their wives.

This occurred once while I was with them. Eight young Indians were gone twenty-three days, and returned without any, finding the horses were too well guarded.

At times, when the Indians have had horses stolen by marauding parties from other nations, the chiefs call a council of the braves, and choose a number to go to the aggressors as a war party, and get back their horses that have been stolen, or steal some better ones from them. This party are all fighting men, and often have to fight before they return, whether they get any horses or not.

The war parties of the different tribes are continually active; and each tribe has to be on the watch, to prevent its horses being stolen while in herds near its villages.

All foreign war parties are looked upon as enemies, and whenever the Indians see them they shoot them and bring their scalps to camp, for the young folks to dance around at their evening entertainments. Sending out these war parties was often the cause of the different nations going to war, and it is the same to this day.

When traveling, we would often see a foot track in the sand, or an arrow or moccasin by the way. As soon as an Indian saw any of these he knew by what tribe they had been left. When I asked them how they knew this, they informed me that each nation made shoes, or moccasins, differing somewhat in shape from those of other nations. They also had different colored arrows, so that those of each nation could be easily identified by any one acquainted with the various peculiarities. The various Indian nations are distinguished by the colors of their arrows in the same way that civilized nations are by the colors of their flags.

When a chief prepares a feast for some of his friends, an Indian is sent around to inform the party invited. This is sometimes done before the food is prepared, so that they may have a smoke and a talk first. The Indian who goes to invite the guests does not go into their lodges to do so, but calls out their names, and tells what they will have to eat, as he passes their lodges. These are the words they would use if they were inviting me: "Ah-how Whadee-shipper, moningahow munga war-rattah Wayger-sippeys teah!" which means: "Oh S – ! Walk off! Skunk food at the chief's lodge!"