262 INDIANS. 



or the completeness of the surprise of his enemy, give him 

 an easy success ; but two or three cool whites, seated on 

 the ground and remaining quiet and ready, will, by simply 

 bringing to their shoulders the deadly rifle, change the 

 most headlong charge of a dozen Indians to a retreat. 



For this there are two reasons : first, the Indian's lack 

 of discipline, and that shoulder-to-shoulder courage which 

 comes of discipline ; and, secondly, he is taught to risk 

 life as seldom as possible, and that, in all his exploits, craft 

 is better than courage. 



The grandest of exploits and the noblest of virtues to 

 the Indian are comprehended in the English words theft, 

 pillage, rapine, and murder. He can expect no honour 

 from man, or love from woman, until he has taken a scalp. 

 or at least stolen a horse ; and he who crawls upon a sleep- 

 ing enemy, and kills him before he can awaken, is a better 

 warrior and entitled to more praise than he who kills his 

 enemy in fair fight. 



The securing of a scalp is an affair for tribal rejoicing. 

 A scalp dance, council meetings, general commotion, and 

 unlimited adulation, lift the happy taker to the seventh 

 heaven of gratified vanity. To this end, a scalp is a scalp. 

 The tender cuticle which covered the skull of an infant, 

 and the ' long, fair hair ' of a helpless woman, are as 

 eagerly taken and as dearly prized as the grizzled scalp 

 lock of the veteran of a hundred fights. 



