JOSEPH LA FLECHE TO A. B. MEACHAM. 677 
an’ga¢i™’ cti wawikega héga-bajii ha. Niaci™ ga sata” tai. Q@and‘a®™ ¢a™ja, 
we who move too we are very sick 4 Men five dead You have though, 
(pL). heard it 
ca” uwib¢a. Heqiga-jin'ga t’¢, Wactice ci fepaha™ t’é, Cirya-ma' fi" 6, 
—D 
still T tell it to Elk * little dead, Brave again youknow dead, Cuya-man¢i? dead, 
you. him 
fepaha®. gahé-yip‘@ fepaha". Tyuhabi vé. Céna taf hit. Ki ceta” 3 
you know dahe-jap'é you know Tyuhabi dead. Enough they 5 And so far 
him. him. are 
dead 
. Bu 10 een : Ata) r 
wakéga aki wa¢ictat-biji-a”i. Ki in’cte ui¢a*be angace éga’, 
sickness the he has not stopped on us. And as if up-hill we go 80. 
(sub.) 
NOTES. 
676, 3, 4, 5. Ca", superfluous, fide F. 
677, 4. wakega aka, etc. The sickness is here spoken of as a person, or as the 
voluntary cause of distress to the people. L. read, Ki ceta™ wakéga aké wa¢icta™- baji 
¢a™ja, ca” ui¢a™be angace éga", The sickness has not yet ceased among us, but it is still 
on the increase. This is the meaning of the figure of speech, “we are, as it were, going 
up-hill.” It does not refer to improvement. W. said that L.’s reading was equivalent 
to the other one. 
Heqaga-sabé was a Ponka and a refugee at Yankton Agency, Dakota. 
TRANSLATION. 
I sent a letter to the Ponkas (in the Indian Territory). And I have heard one 
item of news about them: they say that “‘many Ponkas have died,” it is said that 
there have been over a hundred deaths, and that tive chiefs have died. Only one 
principal chief, Big Elk, has died. And although they usually have horses, it is said 
that as they are dying from hunger they are selling them. In fact, it is reported that 
all are sick, and they have many troubles. I have heard no more to-day. We Oma- 
has, too, have many sick among us; five men have died. Though you have heard it, 
still I tell you. Little Elk, Brave, Cuya-ma"¢i", and gahe-yap‘é, whom you knew, are 
dead. Iyuhabi, too, is dead. These are all who have died. The sickness has not yet 
ceased among us; it is rather on the increase. 
JOSEPH LA FLECHE TO A. B. MEACHAM, OF “THE COUNCIL 
FIRE.” 
December 20, 1878. 
Kag¢ha, a” ba¢é wisi¢c-ga", wabig¢eze widaxu, fe djtiba. Kagéha, 
My friend, to-day as I remember letter Imaketo you, word ‘a fow. My friend, 
you, 
i¢de té éska™ ¢ani‘a® ka” eb¢éga” ha, Edida® wi" md¢adi uwib¢a ha. 6 
Ispeak the perhaps you hear it I hope 5 What one last winter Itold you 
Widaxu b¢icta® mi¢adi, fe ké ca’ea" ci uwfb¢a ha. Maja™ ¢é¢u a"ma™ ¢i" 
Iwrotetoyou I finished last winter, word the always again Itellyon . Land here we walk 
té Wakan’da aki ¢é¢u jiit‘a" waxai éga", ¢é¢u ama ¢i"i ha. Wage ama 
the God the here madeushayebodies as, here we wal 5 White the (pl. 
(sub.) man sub.) 
