BATTLE BETWEEN THE DAKOTAS AND OMAHAS IN 1847. 423 
lariats on their ponies, and went thither in pursuit. And when the men reached the 
hill again, they stopped going. And I, when I went homeward later, came again to 
the place where they had stopped. The old woman who came back wounded, as well 
as Maxewa¢é, came home alive. I questioned her: “Of what tribe were they, old 
woman?” said I. ‘I think that they were Ponkas. They talked to me in the Omaha 
language,” said the old woman. “Come,” said I, ‘let us go homeward; let us see them.” 
Only three of us went: Kictawagu, another youth, and I. The rest were coming after. 
When we got in sight, a man stood on the hill. ~When we reached there again, the old 
wman scolded us. When we said, “ What is the matter?” he said: “They killed the 
women early in the morning. What could you have been doing that you delayed so 
long? They departed long ago.” “If you knew that they killed them at some time in 
the morning, you should have gone home to tell it. And did you think that an old 
women, who was altogether unable to move, could reach home soon by running very 
swiftly?” said I. He said as follows: “These are the ones. They lie in sight. They 
killed them in that place, which is out of your sight.” And as we went thither on our 
homeward way, we reached the women. We pulled out the arrows, and wrapping the 
bodies in their blankets, we laid them down. At length all the horsemen, fully a hun- 
dred, reached there on their way home. Then we did not depart; we stood looking at 
the dead. 
At length a chief reached there; it was Ickadabi. ‘‘Come,” said he, ‘let us chase 
them.” All the men said, “Oho!” We followed their trail; we pursued them. We 
did not go very fast; we walked along very slowly as we followed them. We who 
went in advance went on foot following their trail. The horsemen sat at the outside, 
next tous. At length the creek extended wide; it was not in a ravine; but it was 
covered with grass and tall canes, through which the foe had pushed when going home- 
ward. And as the ground had been burnt bare on both sides, the Omahas sought 
their trail. Those on horseback rode back and forth on the hills in the distance, seek- 
ing their trail. And when the man who followed them in the tall grass came very 
near, the Dakotas crouched down suddenly. The one man came very near finding 
them, but he turned around and came back. He came back to his horse and mounted 
him. And all the mounted men sought for them beyond the stream; having passed 
all around, they met one another. An Oto was with us. The Oto had a gun, and I 
had a bow. I said as follows: “My friend, I think that they lie crouching in the grass. 
You will please set it afire.” An Cmaha came back. And starting from the place 
where we stood they went along setting the grass afire. And the horsemen stood all 
around in groups on the hills, as far as the latter extended, looking directly down on 
the flames. The fire burnt fiercely, as the grass was tall. I stood apart, with about 
six horsemen. At length the fire reached the men. I heard a call: “I go homeward 
to you, halloo!” said one. The fire made the Dakotas come forth. At length they 
shot at us, and had gone along. 
«Send your voices this way, and tell us if you who came and killed women are 
Ponkas,” said Ickadabi. But the Dakotas did not speak. And Ickadabi said, “T am 
Ickadabi.” As he said it, they spoke of fighting. They contended with one another 
throughout the day. Whenthe Omahas had pursued them for several hours, a Dakota 
was wounded. The Omahas made them abandon one of their number who was unable to 
move rapidly. The rest of the Dakotas went homeward. The Omahas surrounded the 
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