400 TRIBES OF THE UPPER MISSOURI [eth. ann. 46 



mourn the loss. Most of the principal men having died, it took years 

 to recover from the shock. Young men had to grow up, new leaders 

 to be developed, remnants of bands to be gathered together, property 

 to be had — in fact, under all these adverse circumstances, so slow 

 has been the increase that during the interim of 17 years but 100 

 lodges have accumulated. In times like this no leader can be ef- 

 fective. All counsel was rejected; their chiefs and divining men 

 shared the fate of the others. With the Mandan the disease was even 

 more destructive. Before it they numbered 600 warriors and in- 

 habited two large villages where the Arikara are now stationed, 

 and when the disease ceased about 30 men remained, from which 

 remnant have since sprung about 25 lodges. All this time an Assini- 

 boin chief named The Gauche, or by the Indians " He who holds 

 the knife," was the principal man in the band which bore his name, 

 consisting of 250 lodges. 



These died in greater proportion than the others and after the 

 disease had disappeared the old chief found himself at the head of 

 about 60 fighting men. The Gauche was a very old man and had 

 had the smallpox in the north; he was also famed in their annals 

 as a leader and divining man. He had been very successful in his 

 expeditions against the Blackfeet, and by the use of poisons admin- 

 istered occasionally to his people, while predicting their death, he 

 had inspired in all the fear of a sorcerer. His life contains a history 

 which our limits do not admit of describing, although well known, 

 singular, interesting, and authentic. On this occasion he under- 

 stood that the Mandan were rendered totally helpless by the effects 

 of the smallpox, and conceived the idea of taking their village and in 

 a measure retrieving his losses by the horses and other property of 

 these Indians. Gathering together the remnant of his band, about 50 

 men, he proceeded thither. The writer saw him pass with the pipe 

 of peace to lull suspicion, in order to enter their village in a friendly 

 way, and then at a given signal each one with knife in hand to rush 

 upon and destroy the unsuspecting friends. The whole was well 

 planned, managed, and kept secret, and it would have succeeded but 

 for an occurrence of which the Assiniboin was not then aware. The 

 Arikara, a tolerably numerous people, having left the Missouri, had 

 been for years residing on the Platte River, and having previously 

 had the smallpox did not contract the disease to any extent. About 

 the same time The Gauche was on his way to the Mandan, they re- 

 turned suddenly from the Platte and took possession of their village 

 a short distance from the Mandan. Now the Arikara numbered 

 about 500 men, all deadly enemies to the Assiniboin, so that when the 

 latter presented their pipe of peace the ceremonies were interrupted 

 by an attack of the Arikara. The Assiniboin were routed, and 

 about 20 of them killed. 



