my gun and came out of my lodge, the attack had begun at the part of the camp where Sitting Bull and the Un- capapas were. The Indians held their ground to give the women and children time to get out of the way. By this time the herders were driving in the horses, and as I was nearly at the further end of the camp I ordered my men to catch their horses and mount. But there was much confusion. The women and children were trying to catch their horses and get out of the way, and my men were hurrying to go and help those that were fighting. When the fighters saw that the women and children were safe, they fell back By this time my people went to help them, and the less able warriors and the women caught horses and got them ready, and we drove the first attacking party back, and that party retreated to a high hill. Then I told my people not to venture too far in pursuit, for fear of falling into an ambush.
By this time all the warriors in our camp were mounted and ready for fight, and then we were attacked on the other side by another party. They came on us like a thunderbolt. I never before nor since saw men so brave and fearless as those white warriors. We retreated until our men got all together, and then we charged upon them. I called to my men, 'This is a good day to die; follow me.' We massed our men, and, that no man should fall back, every man whipped another man's horse, and we rushed right upon them. As we rushed upon them the white warriors dismounted to fire, but they did very poor shooting. They held their horses' reins on one arm while they were shooting, but their horses were so frightened that they pulled the men all around, and a great many of their shots went up in the air and did us no harm. The white warriors stood their ground bravely, and none of them made any attempt to escape or get away. After all, but a few of them were killed ; I captured two of their horses. Then the wise men and chiefs of our nation gave out to our people not to mutilate the dead white chief, for he was a brave warrior and died a brave man, and his remains should be respected. Then I turned round and went to help fight the other white warriors, who had retreated to a high hill on the east side of the river. (This was Bono's command.) I don't know whether any white men of Custer's force were taken prisoners. When I got back to our camp they were all dead. Everything was in confusion all the time of the fight. I did not see General Custer. I do not know who killed him. We did not know till the fight was over that he was the white chief. We had no idea that the white warriors were coming until the runner came in and told us. I do not say that Reno was a coward. He fought well, but our men were fighting to save their women and children, and drove them back. No white man or Indian ever fought as bravely as Custer and his men. The next day we fought Eeno and his forces again, and killed many of them. Then the chiefs said these men had been punished enough, and that we ought to be merciful, and we let them go. Then we heard that another force was coming up the river to fight us (Gen. Terry's command), and we started to fight them, but the chiefs and wise men counseled that we had fought enough, and that we should not fight unless attacked, and we went back and took our women and children and went away.'
Having heard Low Dog's story of the fight, I concluded I would try to get an account from other chiefs, and going with an interpreter to the Indian camp, approached Chief Gaul first. He said if he knew anything he would tell it, but he denied that he was in the fight. He said he was helping the women catch the horses, and took no other part. If he thought I believed that, he mistook his man, and I shall try him again. Eain-in-the-Face refused to talk. I then called on Crow King, a chief of the Uncapapas, Sitting Bull's tribe, and a noted warrior. He has a good face, and wields great influence over the Indians. He is one of the few chiefs who speak well of Sitting Bull. After some little talk, he came up to the fort and gave me his story:
' We were in camp, not thinking there was any danger of a battle, although we had heard that the long-haired chief had been sent after us. Some of our runners went back on our trail, for what purpose I do not know. One came back and reported that an army of white soldiers was coming, and he had no more than reported when another runner came in with the same story, and also told us that the command had divided, and that one party was going round to attack us on the opposite side. The first attack was at the camp of the Uncapapas tribe. The shots neither raised nor fell. (Here he indicated that the whites commenced firing at about 400
yards distance.) The Indians retreated-at first slowly, to give the women and children time to go to a place of safety Other Indians got our horses. By that time we had warriors enough to turn upon the whites, and we drove them to a hill and started back to camp. Then the second band of white warriors came. We did not know who was their chief, but we supposed it was Custer's command. This party commenced firing at long range (indicating nearly a mile). We had then all our warriors and horses. There were 80 warriors in mv band. All the Sioux were there from every tribe. We had warriors plenty as the leaves on the trees.
' Our camp was as long as from the fort to the lower end of our camp here (more than two and a half miles). Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse were the great chiefs of the fight. Sitting Bull did not himself fight, but he gave orders. We turned against this second party. The great body of our warriors came together in their front, and we rushed our horses on them. At the same time warriors rode out on each side of them and circled round them till they were surrounded. When they saw that they were surrounded they dismounted. They tried to hold on to their horses, but as we pressed closer they let go their horses. We crowded them towards our main camp and killed all. They kept in order and fought like brave warriors as long as they had a man left. Our camp was on Greasy Grass Biver (Little Big Horn). When we charged, every chief gave the cry, 1 Hi-yi-yi.' (Here Crow Chief gave us the cry in a high prolonged tone. When this cry is given it is a command to all the warriors to watch the chief and follow his actions.) Then every chief rushed his horse on the white soldiers, and all our warriors did the same, every one whipping another's horse. There was great hurry and confusion in the fight. No one chief was above another in that fight. It was not more than half an hour after the long-haired chief attacked us before he and all his men were dead. Then we went back for the first party. We fired at them until the sun went down. We surrounded them and watched them all night, and at daylight we fought them again. We killed many of them. Then a chief from the Uncapapas called our men off. He told them those men had been punished enough, that they were fighting under orders, that we had killed the great leader and his men in the fight the day before, and we should let the rest go home. Sitting Bull gave this order. He said: * This is not my doings nor these men's. They are fighting because they were commanded to fight. We have killed their leader, let them go.' I call on the Great Spirit to witness what I say. We did not want to fight. Long Hair sent us word that he was coming to fight us, and we had to defend ourselves and our wives and children. If this command had not been given we could have cut Reno's command to pieces, as we did Custer's. No warrior knew Custer in the fight. We did not know him, dead or alive. When the fight was over the chiefs gave orders-to look for the long-haired chief among the dead, but no chief with long hair could be found.'' (Custer had his hair cut short before starting on this march.)
Crow King said that if Reno had held out until Terry and Gibbon came and then fought as Custer did, they would have whipped the Indians. The Indians would then have T›een compelled to divide to protect their women and children, and the whites would have had the advantage. He expressed great admiration for the bravery of Custer and his men, and said that that fight impressed the Indians that the whites were their superiors, and it would be their destruction to keep on fighting them. Both he and Low Dog said they did not feel that they would be blamed for the Custer fight or its results. It was war ; they were attacked; Custer tried to kill them ; they killed him. Crow King said he had two brothers killed in the fight; from 30 to 50 Indians were killed, and a much larger number who were wounded died afterward.
Upon the opposite page appears a life likeness of ' Louis,'* a son of Chief Sitting Bull, about twenty-three years of age, and through the kindness of young C. K. Peck, Jr., whose father was an old Indian trader, we are permitted to take a 'fac simile ' of his signature, which was secured from Louis while he was en route from Fort Buford to Standing Rock, early last spring, on the steamer 'General Terry.' He also wrote his wife's name, Zuzela, as will also be noticed.
After Louis was surrendered to Major Ilges last winter, he rendered almost invaluable service to that officer in' the way of giving information and acting as a mounted scout, and it is possible he may remain quiet and continue his good services to the government; and it is just as possible he may skip out with a marauding band of discontented braves and join a small war-party. He will, however, be influenced in a great measure by the leading chiefs, also by Sitting Bull himself.
The writer places these autographs before the reading public merely to show that the average class of Indians of both sexes, below fhe age of say twenty-five, are, in a great measure to be considered yet in the hands of the military, the philanthropists and teachers.
It will readily be seen that the untutored children of the forest will no doubt make very marked progress in our elementary branches of study, with proper encouragement and good moral training. The younger class, say below the age above mentioned, are generally quite ingenious and apt in learning, and those that have not been wholly demoralized by the older warriors and leading chiefs, there are strong hopes of fair to good results in trying to educate them. We are frank to state that, from our own personal knowledge, we are able to say that there is a very
