We may pass on now to some events in the life of Umapine. Again he must
speak for himself: “When I grew old enough to know something, I saw my
folks digging potatoes and onions, and gathering corn; these they got from
the white people the summer before. The Indians used to plant these every
year, and when the emigrants went through and asked for a little my folks
used to give them all they could spare. There came a time when the
Indians and the white people had a war. I did not feel like interfering
or trying to make any trouble, so I did not go to the war at that time.
Some years after that the Indians had a fight among themselves, and I
participated in that war. The Sioux Indians used to ride all over this
country, and they stole horses from my tribe. When my people learned that
their horses were stolen, they started on the warpath. We overtook the
Sioux with the horses along about 3 P.M. as near as I can remember; we did
not have watches in those days, and I think it was about that time. We
killed four of the Sioux Indians and recovered our horses, the Sioux only
killing one Nez Perce who was with us. I remember another war that
happened not very long ago. These were Indians from the southern part of
Oregon. They were on the warpath and had started up north and killed many
sheep herders and farmers, and killed their children and destroyed their
houses—burned them up. They came to our country and began to burn up the
houses of the white farmers. These Indians came into our agency. Major
Conyer, Uncle Sam’s man, was agent at that time. I think he died last
April. The Indians then met Uncle Sam’s men about a mile and a half south
of the agency, and we Indians were watching to see if the soldiers would
be driven back by these Indians; we were ready to help Uncle Sam’s men.
The hostile Indians headed down to our camp, and when we saw them coming
toward our camp we at once knew that they wanted us to get into the mixup
so that we would be on the warpath as well as themselves, but all of our
men got their weapons and we met these Bannock Indians and chased them
back to the hills. At that time there were a few cavalrymen and the rest
was infantry. All the Indians were on horseback, and the infantry could
not very well keep up. We took after these Indians, but did not kill many
of them, as most of them had a good start. The same evening we were
requested to go with Uncle Sam’s men that we might overtake these Indians
and capture them if possible. The next morning we found that we were in
advance of the enemy, and just as the sun rose two Indians on horseback
came direct to where we were. We immediately got our arms ready and met
these two Indians; one of them got so excited that he jumped off his horse
and started to run for the timber, leaving his horse behind him. As he
took to the thick brush we fired at him. I had a fast horse and was close
behind him. I jumped off my horse and ran after him on foot. I found him
lying wounded, and watched him a little while and he died. He had a very
nice belt which I took and put around my waist. Meanwhile the rest of the
people had the other Indian captured; he had been also wounded. Later on
we saw a band of these Indians coming up direct to where we were. They
had their pack animals with them. We took after them and tried to capture
every one of them, but they had already seen us, and rode away for a
canyon, where there was some thick brush. I saw one old woman—I thought
she was an old woman—but I was mistaken, for when I overtook the Indian a
man jumped off his horse and got behind a tree. When I saw my mistake, it
was too late to stop my horse. I was but a few feet away from him at that
time. He shot at me once and missed me. I was lucky that time or I would
not be telling this story now, if he had been a better shot than that. My
horse gave a big jump just as he fired at me and I kept on going, as I
knew there were some more Indians close behind me who would capture the
old man, and I went on after the rest of the Indians. Just as I came to a
little opening I saw two Indians on horseback, and one Indian lying down
on the ground; he was wounded. When I got there I learned that this
Indian was a good friend of ours. I just left him there wounded. After
we left I told the other two Indians: ‘This man has been on the warpath,
and if he had a chance to kill us he would.’ So I turned back and
finished his life and scalped him. My tribe captured many of those
people, and I was presented with a fine animal that one of the hostile
Indians had been riding. That was the only time I ever scouted for Uncle
Sam”.
With sublime pathos, Umapine referred to the old days of the buffalo. He
said: “I have hunted buffalo in this country many times. I feel lonesome
since the buffalo have been driven away. In the old days the Indians
killed the buffalo with bows and arrows; they did not have any guns as
they have now, and needed a fast horse to overtake these animals. A man
might think they could not run fast, but he would find out he could not
overtake them with an ordinary horse. My people used to hunt buffalo in
this part of the country, and while on the way over here I could see
trails of these large animals now worn deep by the storms of many years,
and I cried in my heart.”
[The Last Arrow]