858 



THE GHOST-DANCE RELIGION 



[ETH. ANN. 14 



the Botchkiss, when Sergeant Red Tomahawk, who had taken com- 

 mand after the wounding of his superior officers, paraded his men in 

 line and then rode out alone with a white flag to meet the troops. ( >n 

 the approach of the soldiers Sitting Bull's warriors fled up Grand river 

 a short distance and then turned south across the prairie toward Cherry 

 creek and Cheyenne river. Not wishing to create such a panic among 

 them as to drive them into the hostile camp in the Bad Lands, Captain 

 Fechet pursued them only a short distance and then left them to be 

 handled by the other detachments in that direction. Their wives and 

 families, their property and their dead, were left behind in the flight. 



FlG. 77— Sitting Bull thi' Si. nix in. die m 



As soon as possible Captain Fechet also sent word to them by some 

 Indian women to return to their homes and they would not be molested. 

 To further reassure them, the troops at once began their march back to 

 the post. As a result of this sensible policy, very few of the Sitting 

 Bull band joined the hostiles. They had made no resistance to the 

 troops, but fled immediately on their appearance. 



The light lasted only a few minutes, but with terribly fatal result. 

 Six policemen were killed or mortally wounded, including the officers 

 Bull Head and Shave Head, and one other less seriously wounded. 

 The hostiles lost eight killed, including Sitting Bull and his son Crow 



