Adventure Magazine Cover, December 18, 1919 — page 163: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Gentlemen of the North and motioned forfood. He gave some order to his women and they began overhauling ancient meats. I insisted on fresh meat, for one end of the hut was covered with buffaloes the hunting party had brought in, This had not had time to spoil, and, after the Minnetaree and Mandan custom, was thrown down to grow tainted. I picked out a piece and put it in a copper kettle and the women proceeded to cook it. Then, selecting a fillet, I broiled it and directed a woman to take it to Miss Dear- ness. Ona small stick I scratched: Fresh meat. Cooked it myself> Keep up your courage, FRANKLIN. This message I sent along with the fillet. I knew Choke-Cherry and all his wives were despising me for my tastes in insisting on fresh meat, but I remained there and watched the kettle until some of it was done and I could begin eating. When I finished I had_had the only satisfying meal since reaching the Missouri. Quitting the hut, I walked toward the Knife and was rejoiced to behold Flat Mouth coming on the gallop. He dis- mounted, removed the pack of robes and led his pony to the corral. It was now growing dark, and all the warriors had followed their chiefs example and were inside their huts for the night. As we carried the pack to our hut, I briefly nar- rated the actions of the demented woman. “She is the mother of the woman Le Borgne killed,” he informed. ‘“They talk about the girl’s death in the lower village, as her mother was a Mandan. No matter what she says or does, neither Le Borgne nor any of his men would dare touch her so long as she is under the protection of the great manito. But others had better - keep out of his way, for only blood will satisfy him after her talk. Now I have a big talk for you.” We entered the hut, put our guns aside and I urged him to proceed. First he lighted his pipe and, extending it to me, held it. while I took several whiffs, this little attention being the height of courtesy. Then, after puffs to sky and-earth and the four wind-gods, he said— “The strange men the Sioux talk about are white men.” “White men? Then they must be Hudson Bay men,” I exclaimed, for I did not believe the N. W. or the X. Y. could -party before going home. 149 be sending men to the Missouri, although the H. B. already had done so. “Not traders. They carry a big flag. They have guns. The lower village was told about them by White Snake. Le Borgne now knows white men are coming up the river.’ “What do you think about them?” “The white woman’s medicine brought them,” he promptly declared. “It will be a long time before they get here——”’ ‘Then how can they help us?”’ I broke in, a rude breach of etiquette with an Indian. He smoked ‘in silence for a good five minutes, then coldly resumed: “A long time in getting here, but Le Borgne has his village here and can not change it. He will be here when they come. He fears they are friends of the, Sioux. Big medicine for Medicine Hair.” This time I waited to make sure he had finished, then- asked— How?” m With the utmost gravity he ene “The white woman will say the big white chief, her father, comes with many white men. Her medicine will tell her ina dream, she shall say. She will tell it to the Minne- tarees. Le Borgne thinks only he and the White Snake and the Mandans in the lower village know about the white "man. He will think it big medicine if she dreams it and tells him.” “Good!” I cried, deeply pleased at the deception Flat Mouth had so adroitly suggested. “It may give us a fighting chance. Le Borgne is in a bad mind.” “That is good! He will not have time to think of a new wife. He will be afraid bad luck is trailing him. He will be ripe for our trade.” “Ts that all Eshkebugecoshe has to tell?” “On riding to the village I met a scout of the Cheyennes. They have crossed the river in hope of falling on some hunting We talked in the sign-language. I sent a sign-talk to the Cheyenne chief, saying we would leave here with the medicine-woman after this one sleep. I said I would bring the Assini- boin scalps and he and his warriors must be ready to go with us to the Mouse. That was the trade we made when they were putting presents under the stem.” This would make it the following night. Well, we either would go or we wouldn’t. I wrote on a strip of bark: 2 JOO GOmic f Pe (eo)