IN WINTER QUARTERS.
The time has come for us to turn our attention to George and Victor
Shelton, who, after parting with Deerfoot, set out for the principal
Blackfoot village under the guidance of their old friend Mul-tal-la, a
member of that powerful organization of the Northwest.
You will recall that when the little party of explorers were
approaching the home of the tribe they met two warriors, who were old
friends of Mul-tal-la and lived in the same primitive settlement with
him. After Mul-tal-la had made known the sad fate of his companion in
the East, an earnest talk took place and the decision was made that it
would not only be imprudent but dangerous to the last degree for the
Blackfoot to return home, taking with him the first announcement of the
deplorable accident that had robbed the tribe of one of its best
warriors.
Taggarak, the leading war chief, was a terrible sachem, who, on the
principle that has ruled for centuries in China, would put Mul-tal-la
to death, even though he was wholly blameless of neglect or wrongdoing.
It was agreed that our friends should push on to the westward, and then
come back to the Blackfoot settlement, where the Shawanoe and the
brothers would spend the winter, resuming their homeward journey with
the coming of spring.
This would defer the arrival of Mul-tal-la for two or three months,
which his two friends would utilize the best they could. Taggarak would
have time for the cooling of his resentful rage, and it was to be hoped
that he would appreciate the service of Mul-tal-la, who, young as he
was, had proved himself one of the bravest of warriors. The plan was a
wise one and it worked well.
The two messengers had a story of absorbing interest to tell. They
hinted at the remarkable experience of their comrade among his own race
and the white people, hundreds of miles toward the rising sun. They
said that when he came to the village he would bring with him a member
of the chief tribe of the East and two pale-faced youths, who would
honor the Blackfeet by accepting their hospitality for the winter.
There was something in this fact that appealed to that chivalric
feeling which is never wholly lacking in the most degraded and cruel
race. Taggarak had little to say, but the path to his magnanimity had
been paved.
One of the chief causes of this relaxation of sternness on his part was
the accounts which he heard of the Indian youth. His fleetness of foot,
his skill with bow and rifle, his personal daring and prowess, his
quickness and strength, his comeliness of face and form, were dwelt
upon and pictured in the most glowing language. The chieftain
Taggarak's question of the messengers was characteristic, as was their
reply.
"Are all the warriors of the Shawanoes like this youth of whom you tell
these strange stories?"
"The Shawanoes are no braver than the Blackfeet, but there is none
among them like Deerfoot, nor can his equal be found in all the world."
Among those who doubted the truth of the words of the messengers were
several aspiring bucks, who secretly resolved never to admit the
superiority of the Shawanoe youth in any of the respects named until
such superiority had been proved before their eyes.
The curiosity and spirit of hospitality were general among the
Blackfeet. Expecting the visitors to spend several months with them,
they made preparations for their convenience and comfort. One of the
first things undertaken by the two who had met the little party was the
building of a tepee or home for them. Mul-tal-la had his own father and
mother and would go to their lodge, but it would not have been seemly
to place the three guests with anyone else.
It has already been said that the Blackfoot village, which was the main
one of the tribe and the dwelling-place of the leading chief, was
stretched along the bank of a running stream which was a remote
tributary of the Missouri. This river had a rapid current and ran
almost due south in front of the village, which lay wholly on the
eastern bank. The tepees were more than a hundred in number, and, when
Taggarak went on the war path, he had taken more than two hundred
warriors from his own town--and they were the flower of the tribe.
To the rear of the settlement was an open space covering several acres.
This was not only the children's playground, but was often used by the
warriors for their games and athletic exercises. The space was so
extensive that at certain seasons of the year the outer portions were
covered with rich nourishing grass, which was also abundant in the
neighborhood. Nearly every warrior was the owner of a horse, which,
when not in use, was allowed to wander and graze at will.
These Indians lived after the manner of their race when removed from
civilization, which, as a rule, has proved a greater curse than boon to
them. Fortunately they knew nothing of the ruinous "fire water" that
was to await the coming of professing Christians and the claimants of a
higher culture and civilization. They spent their time mainly in
hunting and fishing, sometimes engaging in raids upon other tribes,
several of whose grounds lay to the north of the boundary line. When
not thus employed they lolled about, like true lords of creation,
smoking, drowsing or indifferently watching their squaws, who did all
the tilling of the ground and gathering of the scant crops from the
rich soil. The Blackfeet lived too far to the eastward to take any part
in the salmon fishing which gave employment to so many of their race on
the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The warriors were finely
formed, and were held in no little respect and fear by the neighboring
red men, most of whom at some time or other had felt the weight of
their prowess.
The home for the expected visitors was erected at the extreme northern
end of the village, and was separated by fully fifty yards from the
next neighbor to the south. About a dozen saplings were planted in the
ground so as to form a circle, perhaps fifteen feet in diameter and a
little less in height. The tops were tied together, but loosely enough
to leave an opening a foot or more across to serve as a chimney. Over
the framework thus formed were stretched with no little skill a number
of bison furs, with the furry side in. They were stitched together by
means of deer sinews and pegged at the bottom, so as to shut out all
draught. Thus all the interior walls were brown and shaggy and warm. On
the outside of numerous tepees, cured and whitened by the storms, many
of the aboriginal artists of the tribe had sketched grotesque figures
of men, horses and wild animals.
You will note that the temporary home of our friends was of the most
primitive character, and yet all had seen such before and Deerfoot had
spent many a day and night in similar ones in the East. At one side a
loose bison robe could be lifted, thus serving as a door. When the
weather was warm this fold was often fastened back to permit a partial
ventilation of the lodge.
In the middle of the space the fire was kindled, the smoke finding
escape through the opening in the saplings at the crown of the
structure. Despite the care with which the robes were joined together,
enough air stole through the crevices to give the necessary draught for
the chimney and furnish the occupants comparatively pure sustenance for
their lungs.
The bare ground was the only floor to these rude structures, but the
blankets and furs served as so many rugs, and the dwellings, with the
crackling fire in the center, could be made comfortable even in the
depth of the rigorous winters.
At that early day, more firearms than would be supposed were found
among the Indian tribes of the Northwest, though naturally the
old-fashioned bow and arrow were the main weapon. The flintlocks were
gotten by barter with tribes on the other side of the Rockies, who in
turn managed to buy them from the few ships that were beginning to
trade with the savages about the lower waters of the Columbia. These
guns were comparatively few in number, and it is hardly probable that
there were a score among the whole tribe. Few as were the firearms,
several good marksmen had been developed among the Blackfeet, and they
were naturally proud of their skill. When a party engaged in one of
their raids, all the muskets were taken with them. But ammunition was
used sparingly, for it necessitated long and expensive journeys through
the mountains to renew the supply. You remember that Mul-tal-la left
home with only his bow and arrow.
The messengers, when spending their brief time with our friends while
they were pushing toward the Pacific, heard of that new religion which
was professed not only by Deerfoot the Shawanoe, but by his companions.
It was so different from the pagan belief that the couple, upon their
return to the village, took care to make no mention of it; better to
leave that until the arrival of Deerfoot. At the same time the two
Blackfeet trembled when they thought of what was almost certain to take
place. Taggarak was a fierce heathen who would savagely resent any
interference with the crude belief that had belonged to his people from
time immemorial. A collision between him and Deerfoot, and perhaps with
his companions, was among the certainties of the near future.
Thus everything had been prepared for Mul-tal-la and the Shelton
brothers when one afternoon the three rode into the village, with
Zigzag the packhorse plodding at the rear of the procession. The
arrival made a hubbub of excitement, and it seemed as if the whole
settlement--men, squaws and children--gathered clamorously round the
horsemen, who dismounted and gazed about them with scarcely less
wonder.
The parents of Mul-tal-la remained in their own lodge. They must have
been more eager than any to welcome the son that had been gone so long
out of their world, but it would have been weakness on their part to
hasten to greet him. Besides, he must needs look after the white
youths, who had now become more dependent than ever upon him.
The two former acquaintances were among the first to crowd forward to
welcome the boys and their old companion. There was no mistake as to
the genuineness of _their_ pleasure. They told of the quarters awaiting
the lads, who, remounting with Mul-tal-la, rode to the new residence
erected at the northern extremity of the Blackfoot town, with their
guides walking beside their animals.
Mul-tal-la was as stoical as any of his race, though he was yearning to
look upon that father and mother who would greet him, and he them, as
if they had been parted for only a few hours. Slipping to the ground
again, the three took a peep at the interior of the tepee which has
already been described to you. The boys expressed their delight and
thanked their friends over and over again. Then Mul-tal-la bade them
good-bye, promising to call in a short time, after which he lounged
away toward his own lodge. On the road he continually encountered his
old friends and exchanged greetings and talked with them as if glad of
an excuse for delaying his reunion with his parents.
One of the first bits of news imparted to the Blackfoot was that
Taggarak was absent on a visit to the farthest village to the north,
but was expected soon to return. Mul-tal-la was relieved to hear this,
for, despite the assurances of his friends, he dreaded the anger of the
terrible chieftain.
When within a hundred yards of his home, which remained closed as if
deserted, Mul-tal-la turned into the tepee where dwelt the parents of
the companion who had been buried hundreds of miles away. The father
sat on a pile of furs at one side of the lodge, stolidly smoking his
pipe. His squaw was kneeling in front of the burning wood and trying to
blow it into a blaze. They looked up as the visitor drew aside the flap
which served as a door. The old warrior removed the long stem from his
lips and grunted as he recognized the visitor. The squaw raised her
head, saw who the caller was, and resumed blowing the fire, as if she
had no interest in what he might say.
Mul-tal-la told briefly the particulars of what the couple already
knew, speaking words of praise for the lost one, and saying how sad his
heart had been since the dreadful accident that befell his companion.
The father replaced the stem in his mouth and slowly puffed. Once he
grunted, but did not speak a word. The mother continued to fill her
leathern cheeks with air and to blow upon the fagots that were burning
so strongly as not to need any urging. She did not speak nor look up
until several minutes after the departure of Mul-tal-la.