THE REMET>Y. 



21 



me traps, and showed me how to set them 

 for beaver." 



This young man was Bridger. Wash- 

 akie's friendship for him was deep and last- 

 ing. He still carries his old friend's photo- 

 graph, on a cord about his neck. 



The young chief's time was divided be- 

 tween acting as agent for the trappers, and 

 in making war against the Blackfeet and 

 Grosventres. This continued until about 

 1850. 



" I was camped with part of my tribe on 

 the Sweet Water," he said, in recalling this 

 time, " when Bridger, with a party of white 

 men, came to my camp. He asked me to 

 go to Fort Laramie. The white men wished 

 me to sign a treaty of peace with the whites, 

 and with all other tribes of Indians. I was 

 not then head chief, but was made so the 

 next day. Yellow Hand, who was then 

 head chief, refused to go with Bridger, but 

 I, being anxious to make a treaty, decided 

 to go. 



" On the following morning, I rode 

 through the village, telling the Shoshones 

 what I intended to do, and asking them to 

 follow me. Then with Bridger I started in 

 the direction of Laramie. Before night 

 nearly the whole village had overtaken me, 

 and I was declared their chief. This pleased 

 Bridger's party so well, they made me and 

 each member of my family a present of a 

 blanket. 



" When we reached Laramie, I found a 

 great many men, all dressed alike; when 

 they stood up in a row they all looked alike. 

 Bridger told me these were the fighting 

 men, and were called soldiers. He said the 

 noise they made with the yellow horns was 

 a sort of language, by which they received 

 orders while fighting. They belonged to 

 the great father at Washington. This great- 

 ly impressed me; I had never before seen a 

 soldier. 



" There were many Indians also: Sioux, 

 Cheyennes, Arapahoes, Crows, Grosven- 

 tres, Blackfeet, Utes, and others. The 

 good things on the wagon train, Bridger 

 had told about, had not arrived.- After 

 waiting a few days, we moved down the 

 Platte river until we met the train. Then 

 all went into camp, and the good things 

 were unloaded on the orairie, and divided 

 among the different tribes of Indians." 



Washakie's surprise at this display shows 

 how little the Indians then knew about the 

 Government. 



" We had no idea," he said, " that the 

 great father at Washington was rich enough 

 to load a whole train of wagons with good 

 things and send it so far to meet us! 



" After the things were divided, the head 



men of all the tribes, with Bridger and his 

 party, signed a treaty of peace never to tight 

 among themselves, against the great father, 

 nor his people. The big council then broke 

 up, and all the tribes went back to their own 

 countries." 



It is Washakie's proudest boast that out 

 of all the Indians who signed the treaty, he 

 is the only one who never afterward raised 

 his hand against a white man. 



Washakie has done good service for the 

 Government, and has always been a strong 

 ally of our soldiers. He fought with them 

 against the Arapahoes in 1874, and again 

 with General Crook against the Sioux and 

 Cheyennes in 1876. His counsel was sought 

 in troublesome times and his advice always 

 respected. 



While encamped on Goose creek with 

 General Crook's army, in 1876, a council 

 was called by the General. Washakie's ad- 

 vice was asked as to the best manner to at- 

 tack the Sioux, who were then encamped 

 on the Little Bighorn. After looking over 

 the General's army, Washakie frankly said: 

 " My friend, you are not strong enough to 

 fight the Sioux that are now collected to- 

 gether. You may brush them off for a 

 time, as you would mosquitoes, but they 

 will keep returning until they devour you. 

 I advise you to send for more soldiers." 



A council was called, and while sitting in 

 the same place, on the following day, 3 men 

 rode up with a report of the Custer mas- 

 sacre. 



" Ah, I told you yesterday you were not 

 strong enough to fight the Sioux," said 

 the old chief to the General. " Had you 

 been there you would have gone as they 

 did." 



Washakie's advice to other Indians dur- 

 ing the last troubles with the Sioux, when 

 all the Indians were crazed with " ghost 

 dances," probably saved the country from 

 a terrible war. Runners were constantly 

 arriving from all the Western tribes; from 

 the Southern Arapahoes, Comanches and 

 Kiowas, trying to induce the Shoshones 

 to join in the war. The chief's advice to 

 them was always the same: " Go back to 

 your country; go to work, and try to 

 make a living. I long ago made a treaty of 

 peace with the white people, and I shall 

 keep it while I live." 



If the Shoshones had listened to the run- 

 ners and joined the Sioux, the Utes, Ban- 

 nocks, Arapahoes, Crows and others would 

 have followed. 



As the old chief is now growing feeble, 

 it would be a kind act of a grateful Govern- 

 ment to provide for him during his few re- 

 maining years. 



