DENSMOKE] TETON SIOUX MUSIC 377 



I had a gun and two revolvers, one of the young men had a quiver of arrows, and the 

 other had a double-barreled gun. I sang my death song ['] for I felt sure that I was soon 

 to die. I sang as I pointed my gun. I said to my companions, 'I will see which of the 

 four haa a gun, and I will fire at him, then our numbers will be even. ' ' They all said, 

 ho. There was an immen.se rock in front of us, and in a crack of the rock grew a cherry 

 tree. It wa.s through this crack that I watched the v/arriors. One had his hair combed 

 high and carried a gun; the others had bows and arrows, and as they came nearer I saw 

 that one of them was only a boy. I said to my companions: "Now work and be brave. 

 We have only three to fight, as one of them is a boy." When they came opposite the 

 crack in the rock I fired, but my gun snapped and did not go off. A branch of the cherry 

 tree interfered with it. The man vnih the gun saw me and aimed at me, but I grabbed 

 his arm so he could not fire. My companions chased the others, and I fought hand to 

 hand with the man for an hour. Then I called my companions; they succeeded 

 in taking the gun from the man, and I had the satisfaction of killing him. 



The boy ran away, but my companions brought back the two Crows, 'whom they 

 had taken captive. One of them said: "We are Crow Indians. We want to live. 

 We give you our bodies, and we give you the right to wear the feathers, only let us 

 go." So we gave them back their lives. Because of that act I was appointed a chief, 

 for it Was considered a brave deed to spare the lives of two enemies. 



Red Fox then recorded the song which he said that he sang when 

 he fired at the Crow. The words are those of a boy who wishes to 

 go on the warpath, but is opposed by older brothers. He is divided 

 between obedience and ambition, and, while he shows no sign of 

 yielding, he finds his difficulties increased by this opposition. This 

 recalls the story of Red Fox's first war expedition, when he was a 

 boy. 



[• A song sung under these circumstances indicated that the man realized the probability of death and 

 was ready to meet it. Red Fox's song is given as No. 155. J 



