84 OMAHA AND PONKA LETTERS. 
has done it for us.” Just now you have done one thing for us, (We 
are two tribes, yet you make one agent answer for both of us. This 
thing which you have done for us gives us much trouble.) Still, though 
the things which my grandfather has done to us without seeing us are 
difficult for us to endure, we wish that henceforth we could see the 
Commissioner face to face and tell him the things which are trouble- 
some to us. 
(White Horse said:)—It is troublesome to us to be attended to by an 
agent who has to watch over a disobedient tribe at the same time. It 
gives us much trouble to be assigned together with those who are dis- 
obedient to the care of a single agent. (We Omahas have been work- 
ing constantly, as you wish us to act for ourselves. The agent remains 
about a month at a time at the Winnebago Agency without seeing us, 
and that is very hard for us to endure.) 
(Icta-basude said :)—If a man has two horses, one is apt to excel the 
other. If one walks straight, he thinks, ‘‘I hope that I will always 
know what is good for me.” I am afraid of that nation, the Winne- 
bagos, and I think, grandfather, that from this time on we ought to 
have separate agents. Though you may have already made all your 
arrangements for sending a new agent for both tribes, still we wish to 
tell you how it gives us trouble. (It is hard for us to have no one to 
attend to our business; so, grandfather, [ send this to you to tell you. 
I think that it would be proper for my agent to live close to us, so that 
I could go to him and speak about my affairs whenever it becomes 
necessary. I have asked a man, who is one of your race, to write this. 
But these are not his words. They are the words of the seven princi- 
pal men of the tribe.) 
(Na™pewa¢eé said: —Grandfather, these men have spoken of the things 
which give them trouble. We know about the difficulty of having one 
agent for two tribes, so we ask that a business matter be attended to. 
There are many of us who would continue to improve the ground, 
and we would take the advice of a resident agent, and so we would 
progress in civilization year by year. But as it is now, that is difficult 
for us to do without an agent. You do something for us because you 
consider that it will benefit us, but I must tell you that it really injures 
us. The man beside whom I dwell is disobedient, and to have one 
agent with him will cause me to be in constant trouble. We do not 
wish to follow the bad ways of that man, the Winnebago.) 
(fire Chief said :—Grandfather, all these men tell you what is trou- 
blesome. You have caused this. I do not accuse my agents. But I 
do wish you to make a change, giving us an agent of our own, and let- 
ting the Winnebagos have one of their own. There are other things 
hard to be endured, but now I speak only of this subject of separate 
agents. I hope that I may soon be allowed to visit my grandfather 
and speak to him face to face about this and other matters. These are 
my words, not the words of my friend whom I have asked to write this 
