xl INTR OD UCTION. 



ford, and fully half of Ouster's command seemed to be 

 unhorsed at the first fire. The action only lasted 55 

 minutes. Eidgely's account of what followed is thus 

 told : ' After the massacre of Ouster's forces the Indians 

 returned to camp with six soldiers as prisoners, and 

 delirious with joy over their success ; those six were tied 

 to stakes at a wood pile in the village, and were burned 

 to death. While the flames were torturing them to death, 

 the Indian boys fired red-hot arrows into their quivering 

 flesh until they died. " Sitting Bull " was met after the 

 fight, and he exultingly remarked that he had killed 

 many soldiers and one damned general, but he did not 

 know who he was. The squaws then armed themselves 

 with knives, visited the battle-field, and robbed and mu- 

 tilated the bodies of the soldiers. While those soldiers 

 were being burned the Indians turned their attention 

 to a force, evidently Eeno's, attacking the lower end of 

 the village.' Eidgely says Ouster's command had been 

 slaughtered before a shot was fired by Eeno's force, 

 which attacked the lower end of the camp about two 

 o'clock P.M. The Indians returned in the evening and 

 said the men had fought like the devil, but Eidgely says 

 they did not make a statement of their losses. They said 

 the soldiers had been driven back twice, and they piled 

 up stones and the attack was unsuccessful. The prisoners 

 were kept burning for over an hour, but Eidgely was not 

 permitted to speak with them ; so we are unable to state 

 who they were. One was noticeable from his small size 

 arid grey hair and whiskers. Eeno killed more Indians 

 than Ouster, who fell in the midst of the fight ; and two 

 captains, believed to be Yates and Keogh, were the last 

 to die. The night after the massacre the Indians were 

 wild with delight, and many were drunk on whisky 

 stolen from the whites. The squaws performed the duty 

 of guards for the prisoners, and, becoming drowsy, 



