Robber Dogs and an Indian Council 62 



memories have to be depended upon and are 

 very rarely questioned. 



In this council which we visited, there 

 were many divergent views as to the charac- 

 ter of the demands to be made on the Gov- 

 ernment for the surrender of their lands. 

 One very amusing request, which at first 

 was urged as an essential requisite in re- 

 turn for ceding away their country, was that 

 every one of them should be permitted to 

 ride free on the " smoke-waggons,'' which 

 the palefaces would after awhile be running 

 through their country. They seemed quite 

 glum and disappointed when I candidly told 

 them that this favour would not be granted 

 to them. I told them that, much as it cosl 

 us to buy dogs and run dog trains, it would 

 cost the white men so much more to run 

 these railroads, that everybody, with per- 

 haps the exception of the head chiefs, when 

 they went to meet the great Governor on 

 council business, would have to pay for the 

 pleasure of riding. They were still very 

 loath to surrender this point, on which they 

 had evidently set their hearts. 



In the discussion which followed I had 

 to explain that in no lands where railroads 



