﻿PRIEDEICH 
  KUKZ 
  BUSH 
  NELL 
  513 
  

  

  before, 
  evidently 
  while 
  at 
  Sarpy's 
  trading 
  house 
  Kurz 
  wrote 
  in 
  his 
  

   journal 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  dance 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  troop 
  was 
  held 
  in 
  a 
  large, 
  roomy 
  clay 
  hut. 
  Ten 
  

   dancers 
  arranged 
  in 
  pairs 
  imitated 
  in 
  the 
  most 
  natural 
  manner 
  the 
  way 
  that 
  

   buffalo 
  drink, 
  the 
  way 
  they 
  wallow, 
  how 
  th'ey 
  jostle 
  and 
  horn 
  one 
  another, 
  

   how 
  they 
  bellow, 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  while 
  the 
  performers 
  sprinkle 
  the 
  wounded 
  man 
  

   with 
  water. 
  All 
  the 
  dancers 
  wore 
  decorated 
  buffalo 
  masks 
  and 
  buffalo 
  tails 
  

   fastened 
  to 
  their 
  belts 
  in 
  the 
  back. 
  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  never-failing 
  

   breech-cloth 
  they 
  were 
  otherwise 
  nude. 
  A 
  throng 
  of 
  people 
  looked 
  on. 
  Only 
  the 
  

   Yonglens, 
  or 
  Indian 
  doctor, 
  danced 
  alone 
  and 
  without 
  mask 
  and 
  tail. 
  

  

  A 
  wild 
  scene, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  regretted 
  that 
  Kurz 
  did 
  not 
  describe 
  it 
  

   more 
  in 
  detail, 
  but 
  he 
  continued 
  and 
  mentioned 
  the 
  people 
  themselves 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  Omahaws 
  have 
  suffered 
  so 
  dreadfully 
  from 
  attacks 
  of 
  illness 
  and 
  from 
  

   the 
  Sioux 
  that 
  they 
  could 
  gather 
  hardly 
  SO 
  warriors. 
  At 
  present 
  they 
  are 
  exiles 
  

   from 
  their 
  own 
  territory 
  and 
  live 
  on 
  lands 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  Otoes. 
  

  

  Kurz 
  had 
  now 
  been 
  away 
  from 
  St. 
  Louis 
  more 
  than 
  three 
  years. 
  

   He 
  had 
  seen 
  Indian 
  life 
  on 
  the 
  border 
  and 
  was 
  about 
  to 
  set 
  out 
  for 
  the 
  

   upper 
  Missouri 
  Valley. 
  Where 
  and 
  how 
  far 
  he 
  would 
  travel 
  he 
  did 
  

   not 
  know. 
  He 
  had 
  no 
  plans 
  to 
  guide 
  his 
  movements. 
  But 
  the 
  year 
  

   following 
  his 
  departure 
  for 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  Missouri 
  proved 
  

   the 
  most 
  interesting 
  period 
  of 
  his 
  stay 
  in 
  America. 
  While 
  at 
  Fort 
  

   Berthold, 
  and 
  later 
  at 
  Fort 
  Union, 
  he 
  made 
  numerous 
  drawings, 
  and 
  

   in 
  his 
  journal 
  — 
  brief 
  quotations 
  from 
  which 
  will 
  follow 
  — 
  recorded 
  

   many 
  events 
  and 
  described 
  the 
  customs 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  frequented 
  or 
  

   lived 
  at 
  the 
  posts. 
  And 
  he 
  was 
  enabled 
  to 
  study 
  and 
  sketch 
  the 
  wild 
  

   animals 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  in 
  their 
  natural 
  environments, 
  as 
  had 
  been 
  his 
  

   great 
  desire. 
  

  

  THE 
  UPPER 
  MISSOURI 
  VALLEY 
  

  

  Monday, 
  June 
  16, 
  1851, 
  " 
  the 
  company's 
  boat 
  " 
  St. 
  Ange 
  arrived 
  at 
  

   Sarpy's 
  trading 
  house. 
  It 
  made 
  a 
  short 
  stop, 
  Kurz 
  went 
  aboard, 
  and 
  

   was 
  soon 
  bound 
  up 
  the 
  Missouri. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  sad 
  and 
  dangerous 
  

   journey, 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  day 
  he 
  wrote 
  in 
  his 
  journal 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  steamer 
  is 
  really 
  a 
  hospital 
  for 
  victims 
  of 
  cholera, 
  the 
  sick, 
  and 
  the 
  dying 
  ! 
  

   My 
  cabin 
  is 
  filled 
  with 
  effects 
  of 
  people 
  who 
  have 
  died. 
  

  

  And 
  the 
  next 
  day 
  : 
  

  

  No 
  doctor 
  on 
  board, 
  two 
  more 
  deaths 
  since 
  yesterday! 
  Evans, 
  a 
  professor 
  

   in 
  geology, 
  prepared 
  the 
  remedy— 
  meal 
  mixed 
  with 
  whisky 
  — 
  that 
  I 
  administer. 
  

   Father 
  Van 
  Hocken 
  bestows 
  spiritual 
  consolation. 
  Father 
  de 
  Smet 
  is 
  not 
  well, 
  

   but 
  he 
  is 
  not 
  suffering 
  from 
  cholera. 
  

  

  June 
  19: 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  evening 
  we 
  were 
  forced 
  by 
  a 
  violent 
  tempest 
  to 
  lay 
  to 
  near 
  Black 
  

   Bird's 
  grave. 
  Such 
  raging 
  wind 
  ! 
  Such 
  a 
  flood 
  of 
  rain 
  ! 
  Such 
  vivid 
  lightning 
  ! 
  

  

  