SOCIAL LIFEROMEO^ WIFE. 299 



tribe, has a Cheyenne wife, and lives among them. He 

 is fluent in several Indian languages, has the sign language 

 at his fingers' ends, and besides speaks very excellent 

 English. 



He was employed as guide and interpreter for my 

 command for one season, and I was glad to while away 

 the time on the monotonous prairie marches by inducing 

 him to talk of himself and his people. One day he told 

 me of a love affair. He had a year before fallen in love 

 with the wife of an Indian in the same camp. She was 

 beautiful, charming, fascinating, all that was lovely. Her 

 husband was poor and rather worthless. Eomeo laid 

 violent siege to her heart. For two months all that 

 devotion and presents could do was done, and finally she 

 crowned his happiness by coming to his lodge. Next 

 morning the husband came and found her. He went to 

 the chief. ' The chief and some of the old men came to 

 me,' said Romeo, ' and we went down to the herd to 

 select the animals to pay for my new wife. After a long 

 talk they took five ponies and two mules (five of my best 

 ponies and a splendid pair of mules). It was very hard ; 

 but then she was so beautiful, and I loved her so much, 

 I Avould have given all I had for her ; I was in heaven 

 with her, she was so good and pretty. Three mornings 

 after I woke up and found her gone. I was wild. I 

 rushed out to look for her, and found her in the lodge of 

 her other husband. She told me that she had gone back 

 to him. I went to the chief. He came with some old 

 men to the lodge. I demanded my wife or the return of 

 my ponies and mules. The other husband said, " That 

 is your wife ; I did not bring her here ; I do not want her ; 

 I have the ponies and mules paid me for the wife you 

 took from me. You cannot have them. Take your wife 

 if you want her." The wife refused to go with me. She 

 said she loved her first husband best, and wanted to live 

 with him, and would not live with me. After a long 

 talk, the chief and old men decided that the woman should 



