868 THE GHOST-DANCE RELIGION [eth.ann.h 



reservation, or to remove them altogether from the country until the 

 excitement had subsided. ( War, 14.) 



At this time there were no Indians in the Bad Lands. Two Strike 

 and Crow Dog had come in about a week before and were now camped 

 close to the agency. Kicking Bear and Short Bull, with their follow- 

 ers, had yielded to the friendly persuasions of American Horse, Little 

 Wound, Standing Bear, and others who had gone out to them in the 

 interests of peace, and both parties were now coming in together and 

 had arrived at the Catholic mission, 5 miles from the agency, when the 

 battle occurred. 



On the morning of December 29, 1890, preparations were made to 

 disarm the Indians preparatory to taking them to the agency and 

 thence to the railroad. In obedience to instructions the Indians had 

 pitched their tipis on the open plain a short distance west of the creek 

 and surrounded on all sides by the soldiers. In the center of the camp 

 the Indians had hoisted a white flag as a sign of peace and a guarantee 

 of safety. Behind them was a dry ravine running into the creek, and 

 on a slight rise in the front was posted the battery of four Botchkiss 

 machine guns, trained directly on the Indian camp. In front, behind, 

 and mi both flanks of the camp were posted the various troops of cav- 

 alry, a portion of two troops, together with the Indian scouts, being 

 dismounted and drawn up in front of the Indians at the distance of 

 only a few yards from them. Big Foot himself was ill of pneumonia in 

 his tipi, and Colonel Forsyth, who had taken command as senior officer, 

 had provided a tent wanned with a camp stove for his reception. 



Shortly after 8 oclock in the morning the warriors were ordered to 

 come out from the tipis and deliver their arms. They came forward 

 and seated themselves on the ground in front of the troops. They 

 were then ordered to go by themselves into their tipis and bring out 

 and surrender their guus. The first twenty went and returned in a 

 short time with only two guns. It seemed evident that they were 

 unwilling to give them up, and after consultation of the officers part of 

 the soldiers were ordered up to within ten yards of the group of war- 

 riors, while another detachment of troops was ordered to search the 

 tipis. After a thorough hunt these last returned with about forty 

 titles, most of which, however, were old and of little value. The 

 search had consumed considerable time and created a good deal of 

 excitement among the women and children, as the soldiers found it 

 necessary in the process to overturn the beds and other furniture of the 

 tipis and in some instances drove out the inmates. All this had its 

 effect on their husbands and brothers, already wrought up to a high 

 nervous tension and not knowing what might come next. While the 

 soldiers had been looking for the guns Fellow Bird, a medicineman, 

 had been walking about among the warriors, blowing on an eagle-bone 

 whistle, and urging them to resistance, telling them that the soldiers 

 would become weak and powerless, and that the bullets would be 



