﻿FRIEDRICH 
  KURZ 
  BUSHFELL 
  523 
  

  

  About 
  this 
  time 
  a 
  party 
  of 
  Hidatsa 
  arrived 
  at 
  Fort 
  Union, 
  and 
  on 
  

   the 
  night 
  of 
  the 
  17th 
  they 
  and 
  some 
  Assiniboins 
  who 
  resided 
  near 
  the 
  

   fort 
  had 
  a 
  game. 
  It 
  was 
  witnessed 
  by 
  Kiirz, 
  and 
  the 
  scene 
  was 
  thus 
  

   described 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  room, 
  dimly 
  lighted 
  by 
  the 
  open 
  fire 
  and 
  one 
  candle, 
  was 
  crowded 
  with 
  

   performers 
  and 
  onlookers. 
  According 
  to 
  Indian 
  custom, 
  eight 
  Herantsa 
  and 
  

   seven 
  Assiniboins 
  sat 
  opposite 
  one 
  another 
  on 
  the 
  floor, 
  encircled 
  about 
  a 
  pile 
  

   of 
  bows, 
  quivers, 
  knives, 
  calico, 
  etc., 
  and 
  were 
  playing 
  a 
  game. 
  Two 
  Assiniboins 
  

   were 
  making 
  motions 
  in 
  every 
  direction 
  with 
  their 
  fists, 
  or 
  rather 
  with 
  their 
  

   closed 
  hands, 
  swiftly 
  passing, 
  in 
  the 
  meantime, 
  a 
  bullet 
  from 
  one 
  hand 
  to 
  the 
  

   other, 
  while 
  the 
  other 
  members 
  of 
  their 
  party 
  sang 
  " 
  e, 
  e, 
  e, 
  eh, 
  e, 
  e, 
  e, 
  ah," 
  

   keeping 
  time 
  by 
  beating 
  a 
  tattoo 
  with 
  sticks 
  on 
  wash 
  basins 
  and 
  boiler 
  tops. 
  

   In 
  an 
  excited 
  state 
  of 
  eager 
  expectation 
  both 
  singers 
  and 
  players 
  swayed 
  their 
  

   bodies 
  continually 
  from 
  the 
  hips. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  Hidatsa, 
  who 
  had 
  laid 
  the 
  stake 
  

   in 
  opposition 
  to 
  the 
  two 
  Assiniboins, 
  had 
  to 
  guess 
  \yhero, 
  or 
  rather 
  in 
  which 
  of 
  

   the 
  players' 
  fists, 
  the 
  bullet 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  found. 
  When 
  he 
  felt 
  sure 
  that 
  he 
  knew, 
  

   he 
  made 
  a 
  quick 
  thrust 
  with 
  his 
  left 
  arm 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  fist 
  in 
  which 
  

   he 
  supposed 
  the 
  ball 
  to 
  be, 
  struck 
  violently 
  on 
  his 
  breast 
  with 
  his 
  right 
  hand, 
  

   and 
  with 
  a 
  cry 
  designated 
  the 
  fist 
  mentioned. 
  If 
  he 
  failed 
  to 
  guess 
  the 
  right 
  

   one, 
  the 
  winners 
  whooped 
  for 
  joy 
  and 
  gathered 
  in 
  their 
  stakes. 
  Then 
  they 
  

   smoked 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  pipe 
  as 
  a 
  mark 
  of 
  continued 
  friendship, 
  and 
  other 
  con- 
  

   testants 
  began 
  the 
  same 
  game 
  again. 
  

  

  The 
  game 
  closed 
  " 
  after 
  an 
  Assiniboin 
  had 
  won 
  almost 
  every 
  stake 
  

   the 
  Herantsa 
  had 
  put 
  up." 
  

  

  A 
  large 
  party 
  of 
  Crees, 
  including 
  women 
  and 
  children 
  and 
  led 
  by 
  

   Le 
  Tout 
  Pique, 
  reached 
  Fort 
  Union 
  on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  19th. 
  

   Later 
  in 
  the 
  day 
  they 
  performed 
  an 
  interesting 
  ceremony 
  to 
  bind 
  

   their 
  friendship. 
  On 
  the 
  26th 
  a 
  band 
  of 
  Crows 
  arrived 
  with 
  their 
  

   great 
  chief, 
  Rottentail. 
  And: 
  

  

  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  Crow 
  squaws 
  had 
  brought 
  in 
  their 
  heavy 
  bundles 
  and 
  every- 
  

   thing 
  was 
  in 
  order, 
  Rottentail 
  produced 
  a 
  superb 
  military 
  headdress 
  which 
  he 
  

   put 
  on 
  the 
  bourgeois' 
  head, 
  and 
  then 
  hung 
  a 
  handsome 
  buffalo 
  robe 
  on 
  his 
  

   shoulders. 
  Denig 
  looked 
  comical, 
  but 
  no 
  one 
  dared 
  laugh. 
  

  

  The 
  pipe 
  was 
  smoked 
  and 
  the 
  talks 
  began. 
  Three 
  Assiniboin 
  were 
  

   killed, 
  evidently 
  by 
  some 
  Blackfeet, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  29th 
  Kurz 
  mentioned 
  

   in 
  his 
  journal 
  that 
  : 
  

  

  Relatives 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  Assiniboin 
  who 
  were 
  slain 
  have 
  planted 
  a 
  pole 
  and 
  

   fastened 
  thereon 
  two 
  leather 
  pouches 
  that 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  dead. 
  There 
  for 
  a 
  

   long 
  time 
  they 
  wailed 
  and 
  made 
  blood 
  offerings 
  by 
  cutting 
  their 
  arms, 
  cheeks, 
  

   heads, 
  and 
  legs 
  until 
  blood 
  flowed. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  dead 
  men 
  is 
  that 
  Assiniboin 
  

   who 
  won 
  the 
  high 
  stakes 
  from 
  the 
  Herantsa 
  ; 
  he 
  was 
  a 
  son 
  of 
  the 
  Assiniboin 
  

   chief, 
  L'Ours 
  Fou, 
  or 
  Mad 
  Bear. 
  

  

  Thus 
  during 
  the 
  autumn 
  of 
  1851 
  many 
  Indians, 
  belonging 
  to 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  tribes, 
  visited 
  Fort 
  Union. 
  They 
  came 
  to 
  trade, 
  to 
  obtain 
  neces- 
  

   sary 
  supplies 
  for 
  immediate 
  use, 
  and 
  to 
  plan 
  for 
  future 
  intercourse 
  

  

  