AGI-NA*SPAJ?S WAR PARTY IN 1853. 5 
d 
drawing back to the end of their lariats. Taking my knife, I cut one lariat after an- 
other, and went back, driving the ponies. ‘‘Ho! warriors,” said I, “I have brought 
these, too.” They extended the palms of their hands toward me. “Thanks! O war- 
chief! thanks! O war-chief! thanks! O war-chief! O war-chief, you cause us to be 
thankful,” said they. In one night I had taken horses twice. ‘Ho! mount them! 
mount them! mount them!” said I. They mounted the horses at once. I mounted a 
horse which had never been ridden, and when I sat on him, he kicked up his hind legs, 
and threw me very far away. ‘Ho! warriors, place him in the rear. We must go 
homeward,” said I. And we went homeward, having most of the horses all together. 
We rode till day. We went faster and faster, not stopping till noon. Then we stopped. 
The horses were suddenly motionless. The next day there was a deep snow. We were 
very impatient on account of the cold. ‘“ Weare cold, we are cold. It is good to kindle 
a fire,” satd we. I divided my horses among eight of the party, saying to each one, 
“Keep that one. Come! still let us go homeward.” Werode very rapidly. We rode 
even till night. And without sleeping at all, we rode even till day. Again we rode 
very fast, keeping on until night. We reached our camp the next day when the sun 
was very low, having traveled a great distance. The people said, “The warriors have 
come home, halloo! The warriors have come home, halloo! They have brought back 
horses, halloo!” We slept, as we had reached the camp. 
At length the Dakotas came in pursuit of their horses. I saw just one when he 
was creeping up tous. I detected him when I went out of doors; it was dark, yet he 
was visible as he walked. I told my wife. ‘One of these Dakotas has come,” said 1. 
I seized my gun, but the Dakota, suspecting me, fell flat, sticking to the ground. He 
soon hastened away, walking softly. At day we fled, starting from the stream, Wayje- 
ujinga, a branch of the Little Sioux River. We fled southward to a ravine, where we 
camped for the night. At night it was dark. At length the Dakotas overtook us; 
they were many, but we were few. One of them peeped over the bluff at us. Nowa 
white man resided there. He questioned him, saying, “Are you an Omaha?” “No,” 
said the other, “I am a Dakota.” Then two white men came down-hill, and came to 
see us. The white men said as follows: “You are Omahas. The Sioux are there, but 
they cannot be there for any good purpose.” The white men did not speak the Omaha 
language, yet they managed to tell us. We were fleeing from the Dakotas. ‘As they 
told about the Dakotas, the horses should be secured,” said our people. At length the 
Dakotas attacked us. They wished to snatch the horses from us. We fired at ran- 
dom, scaring off the Dakotas, and retaining possession of the horses. Without delay 
we were fleeing from the Dakotas. We fled southward, and traveled all night. We 
reached Ma‘a-uhange, The End of the Cottonwoods, below the Little Sioux. We made 
skin-boats, and crossed the Missouri in them. ‘Thirty-six of our pursuers, who were 
returning north, came back to a large headland on the Iowa side. At the foot of the 
bluff were some Omahas, who had been hunting deer. These Omahas knew nothing 
about our party and the Dakotas. The latter crept to the edge of the bluff, and 
peeped over. At length two of these Omahas came to a creek, where they made a 
skin-boat, in which they attempted to cross the creek. At length the Dakotas shot at 
them, killing both. The rest of them, including the women and children, reached the 
bank of the Missouri in saety. A horseman from our party approached the river. 
They called over to him from the other side: “They have gone homeward after |ill- 
