440 TRIBES OF THE UPPER MISSOURI [ETn.ANx.4G 



singing their war song. We asked the old chief what was the deci- 

 sion. He said, " It is plain enough ; listen to that war cry." He then 

 desired me to send the Crow tobacco back without delay and tell 

 them to leave the fort immediately and go home. A few days after 

 a large war party started to the Crow village. The morning after 

 the council's decision was made known by the haranguer or public 

 crier, at the break of day, walking through the village and crying it 

 out at the top of his voice. From the foregoing it will be seen that 

 the chief only expressed his opinion as the others, yet the large ma- 

 jority or rather the feeling evinced for war by the leaders of the war 

 parties, warriors, heads of families, soldiers, and all who could make 

 war, left none to contend with. 



Had the same general exhibition for peace prevailed, the same 

 powers covdd make it, or rather force would be unnecessary when a 

 unanimity of such a body prevailed. Had the parties or feeling been 

 equally manifest the question would have been laid aside for another 

 time, perhaps years, and each went to war or remained at home as 

 he pleased. 



Most councils have this feature and termination, that is, if the 

 measure is not at once visibly popular, it is abandoned. This pre- 

 cludes the necessity of vote and none is taken. Besides, except for 

 camp regulations, hunting, etc., they are not obliged to decide. Time 

 is not valuable to them. There is no constituent power in the rest of 

 the band, whose voices are not asked, nor required, to force a deci- 

 sion, nor actual power to operate against any measures, that may 

 be decided upon by their parents, and soldiers of the camp. Wher- 

 ever force is necessary, however, to carry out these decisions, as in 

 hunting regulations, the soldiers are pledged to act in a body to 

 effect it, even at the risk of their lives. But should the decision be 

 for a peace and afterwards a war party be raised to go against the 

 nation with which peace has been made, the soldiers would not use 

 force to prevent it. They have too much good sense to strike or kill 

 any of their own people to benefit their enemies, and in this case the 

 peace party being the most numerous, and consequently the richer, 

 would pay the partisan, or leader of the party, to remain at home 

 and a collection of horses, guns, and other property made among 

 them for that purpose, which being handed the partisan and by 

 him divided among his warriors, stops the expedition. 



This is done often among them, particularly at this time when 

 " peaces " have become tolerably general through the Laramie treaty. 

 There are cases, however, where force is necessary, and the soldiers 

 are brought to act, which we will shortly mention. To present any 

 idea of their government so that it can be understood, we must first 

 proceed to describe the component parts of a large camp, after which 

 it will be easy to perceive their principles of government. The regu- 



