denio] THE ASS1NIBOIN 453 



occasion offers. Yet, if of standing in camp, and a brother, father, 

 or brother-in-law to the deceased, he is bound to revenge at some 

 time, though they make no scruple to receive presents of horses, etc., 

 to refrain in the meantime. Thus the death of a man is never paid 

 for by that generation, though by that means the revenge may be 

 delayed for some years, which is all they can do except surrendering 

 up their relative to the incensed party, which would not for a mo- 

 ment be thought of. We have known three or four horses to be 

 given on the instant by the friends of the, offender to those of the 

 deceased and the same to be repeated yearly for two to six years 

 and more, yet still revenge was consummated. On one occasion I 

 asked the man why he killed the other after so long a time and taking 

 property as payment from his relatives and friends. He answered 

 that the pay was well enough as long as the culprit kept out of his 

 sight ; that remuneration only destroyed the disposition to seek him 

 out and kill him, although it did not affect the right to revenge if he 

 was fool enough to thrust himself in his way. 



When he saw him his blood boiled, his heart rose up, and he could 

 not help it. Besides (he observed) he was obliged to kill him, as the 

 other, being afraid of him, would do the same to him to save his own 

 life. Thus the killing of one induces the necessity of killing another, 

 and there is no end to the affair. The other party are obliged to re- 

 taliate and so on through several generations. In this way a good 

 many of the family of the chief, Wah-he Muzza, have been killed, 

 and the smallpox settled the affair by taking off the offenders on the 

 other side. It will be inferred from this that vengeance is not ap- 

 peased by payment, absence, or the lapse of time, and in the instances 

 where retaliation has not followed after payment we believe they 

 may be ascribed to a decrease in the relationship of the deceased or 

 other domestic changes or reverses which render vengeance out of 

 their power, or too dangerous to accomplish, in which case the rela- 

 tives get over it by saying they have been paid or forgotten it, yet 

 at the same time would revenge, could they act with safety, or even a 

 chance of comparative safety. Sometimes, however, large offers of 

 recompense are rejected by the father or brothers of the deceased, 

 and the tender is then made to relatives not so closely connected, 

 who generally accept. Herein the cunning of the Indian is manifest. 

 This is a point gained. A negotiation is opened in the family of 

 the deceased and a difference of feeling established with regard to 

 the offender, slight to be sure, but it is there, and is worked by 

 these distant relatives to his advantage and their own, and opens a 

 way through which presents and overtures of compromise may be 

 offered the brothers, etc. But there is no dependence to be placed 

 on anything a wild Indian does. 



