The great American prairies were the final gathering place of the
Indians. What was left of the once powerful tribe, the Mohicans, and
the Delawares, of the Creeks, Choctaws, and Cherokees, all found refuge
here. At this period they dwelt in open hostility not only toward the
white man, but among themselves. Wonderful and powerful alike in the
chase and on the trail, their conquest was not an easy task.
[Illustration: INDIANS SIGNALING]
With the American Indian war was the one end and aim of living.
Tribesmen were brothers but rival tribesmen were natural enemies. So,
from the earliest times this rivalry between tribes kept them in almost
constant warfare, and the western tribes being the most primitive,
their fighting was very savage.
The possession of the eagle’s feather denoted success on the war-path
and was a prize every Indian hoped to obtain. From early childhood the
Indian boy was instructed in the arts of war and the hunt. Before him
was ever the vision of the eagle’s feather, and this symbol inspired
him to noble deeds and great bravery. In his barbarous training
he learned to keep two virtues, endurance and courage, constantly
uppermost in his mind.
Tradition tells of an Indian boy who was taken captive. The boy knew
that his trial would be severe, and summoned all his bravery to prove
the nobility of his tribal blood.
His captors held a grand council and decided that his fate should
depend upon the amount of his courage and endurance. If he bore well
the torture they gave him he might be adopted into the tribe--a great
honor--otherwise they would kill him. First they held him barefoot
upon the coals of the camp-fire until large blisters came and these
they pierced with bone needles and filled with sharp stones. They then
formed a gauntlet and made the little fellow run between the long lines
of shouting savages. His agony was intense, but with all the courage
and fortitude of his tribe he had strength to reach the goal. A wild
shout of approval went up from the Indians. “Good,” cried a chief. “He
will be a great warrior.”
But this was only the beginning of his trials. They now bound him to
the stakes and tortured him with fire and still the brave boy stood
without a complaint or a moan. Then, not yet satisfied, they held him
under the water of a cold stream until his life was almost gone, but
when they released him and he gained his breath he still was able to
stand up before them. “A warrior, a warrior,” they cried and then
adopted him into their tribe. This boy grew to be a noted chief of
great power, hailed far and wide for his brave deeds.
[Illustration: AN INDIAN CREEPING THROUGH THE LONG GRASS]
Trained in such a hard school, no point of advantage escaped the
Indians in war or on the trail. They made good use of the tall grass of
the prairies to shield them, and would glide behind it like serpents
toward their enemies, suddenly and unexpectedly jumping up among them
with shrill, wild war-whoops.
Scouts on horses found a way up and down and in and out of the most
difficult mountain passes, and watchers were ever kept on the tall
cliffs that fringed the more open and fertile valleys. White explorers
and emigrants seeing smoke rise from the watch fires at first looked
for an attack in that direction. But while they centered their interest
on the thin rising cloud of smoke, scouts in full war dress would be
riding out on the opposite cliff and leisurely studying the enemy. For
hours the Indians would keep up this silent exchange of signals and
then at night under the cover of darkness make their unheralded attack.
Dusky forms would stealthily crawl on all fours up to the very edge of
the settlers’ camp, then the call of a night bird would sound out in
the stillness. This would mean little to the white sentries on guard,
unaccustomed as they were to the methods of their savage foe.
Suddenly the beautiful quiet of night pervading the camp would be rent
with the wild piercing war-whoop. In an instant Indians would spring
from every conceivable spot and a scene of horrible confusion would
ensue, and the sun next morning, rising in all the splendor of the
glorious western hills, would reveal the sad tale of savage massacre.
The white man coming in ever increasing numbers soon saw the wisdom
of acquiring the services of white plainsmen and scouts who had been
trained by hard experience and could meet the Indian on his own ground.
This plan proved a great success, for without them the conquest of the
Great West would have been an almost impossible task.
[Illustration]