﻿FRIEDEICH 
  KUEZ 
  BUSHNELL 
  521 
  

  

  morning 
  of 
  September 
  G, 
  Bellange 
  had 
  started 
  on 
  his 
  return 
  journey 
  

   to 
  Fort 
  Berthold. 
  

  

  Kurz 
  was 
  greatlj?- 
  pleased 
  with 
  his 
  new 
  surroundings 
  and 
  wrote 
  : 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  indebted 
  to 
  Herantza 
  superstition 
  for 
  my 
  removal 
  from 
  a 
  most 
  un- 
  

   pleasant 
  situation, 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  highly 
  interesting 
  journey 
  to 
  this 
  place. 
  

  

  There 
  was 
  much 
  for 
  him 
  to 
  do, 
  and 
  although 
  Denig 
  had 
  him 
  paint 
  

   and 
  decorate 
  some 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  Fort 
  he 
  foimd 
  time 
  to 
  sketch. 
  

  

  My 
  plan 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  write 
  a 
  book 
  on 
  the 
  history, 
  religion, 
  and 
  customs 
  of 
  the 
  

   Indian 
  race, 
  but 
  rather 
  to 
  depict 
  the 
  romantic 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  Indians, 
  either 
  in 
  oil 
  

   paintings 
  or 
  in 
  prints. 
  

  

  But 
  his 
  wish 
  was 
  not 
  fulfilled. 
  He 
  was 
  destined 
  to 
  remain 
  at 
  Fort 
  

   Union 
  through 
  the 
  long 
  winter 
  until 
  the 
  following 
  April, 
  and 
  during 
  

   that 
  time 
  was 
  told 
  much 
  concerning 
  the 
  manners 
  and 
  ways 
  of 
  life 
  of 
  

   the 
  Indians 
  by 
  Denig, 
  who 
  had 
  already 
  prepared 
  a 
  manuscript 
  on 
  

   those 
  interesting 
  subjects. 
  

  

  Comparing 
  conditions 
  at 
  the 
  two 
  posts, 
  Kurz 
  mentioned 
  that 
  : 
  

  

  Fort 
  Berthold, 
  which 
  is 
  really 
  under 
  control 
  of 
  Fort 
  Pierre, 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  trading 
  

   post 
  of 
  much 
  consequence 
  ; 
  trade 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  with 
  only 
  one 
  tribe 
  and, 
  more- 
  

   over, 
  business 
  is 
  done 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  on 
  credit, 
  which 
  frequently 
  results 
  in 
  

   loss. 
  Here, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  Assiniboins, 
  Crows, 
  Crees, 
  and 
  half-breeds 
  

   do 
  their 
  trading. 
  Also 
  Fort 
  Union 
  is 
  the 
  depot 
  or 
  storage 
  house 
  for 
  the 
  more 
  

   distant 
  posts 
  — 
  Fort 
  Benton 
  and 
  Fort 
  Alexander. 
  

  

  But 
  the 
  palisades 
  could 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  very 
  good 
  order. 
  Kurz 
  

   entered 
  in 
  his 
  journal 
  on 
  September 
  15 
  : 
  

  

  Morgan 
  has 
  gone 
  again 
  to 
  the 
  " 
  Chantier," 
  a 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  forest 
  up 
  the 
  river 
  

   where 
  they 
  are 
  getting 
  beams 
  for 
  the 
  palisades. 
  The 
  palisades 
  of 
  this 
  Fort 
  are 
  

   not 
  driven 
  into 
  the 
  ground, 
  as 
  in 
  Fort 
  Berthold, 
  but 
  are 
  fitted 
  into 
  heavy 
  

   beams 
  that 
  rest 
  upon 
  a 
  foundation 
  of 
  limestone. 
  At 
  this 
  place 
  palisades 
  are 
  

   further 
  secured 
  by 
  supports 
  of 
  crossed 
  beams 
  on 
  the 
  inside, 
  so 
  that 
  they 
  can 
  

   not 
  be 
  blown 
  down 
  by 
  the 
  wind. 
  Although 
  it 
  happened 
  once 
  during 
  my 
  stay 
  

   that 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  side, 
  where 
  the 
  supports 
  were 
  badly 
  decayed, 
  a 
  violent 
  wind 
  

   did 
  force 
  them 
  down. 
  

  

  While 
  at 
  the 
  Omaha 
  village 
  near 
  Belle 
  Vue, 
  during 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  

   May, 
  Kurz 
  had 
  witnessed 
  young 
  men 
  and 
  boys 
  playing 
  a 
  certain 
  

   game. 
  He 
  again 
  mentioned 
  it 
  on 
  September 
  26 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  

   a 
  description 
  of 
  a 
  similar 
  game 
  played 
  by 
  the 
  Hidatsa. 
  He 
  wrote 
  : 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  Omaha 
  village 
  I 
  saw 
  Indian 
  youths 
  hurling 
  lightweight 
  spears, 
  

   full 
  tilt, 
  through 
  revolving 
  rings. 
  A 
  very 
  difiicult 
  feat 
  but 
  one 
  that 
  affords 
  

   superb 
  exercise 
  for 
  the 
  body, 
  because 
  throughout 
  the 
  game 
  the 
  players 
  run 
  

   continually 
  up 
  and 
  down 
  the 
  course 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  bring 
  their 
  

   muscles 
  into 
  further 
  action 
  by 
  hurling 
  a 
  lance 
  at 
  a 
  mark 
  that 
  is 
  in 
  constant 
  

   motion. 
  

  

  He 
  continued 
  : 
  

  

  Herantza 
  are 
  fond 
  of 
  the 
  so-called 
  billiard 
  game 
  which, 
  weather 
  permitting, 
  

   they 
  practice 
  constantly 
  in 
  and 
  about 
  their 
  village. 
  They 
  play 
  the 
  game 
  with 
  

  

  