406 THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 



shield toward his enemy, inviting him to come on. A few shots more were exchanged 

 thus, when the Shienne, having discharged all his arrows, held up his empty quiver, 

 and dashing it furiously to the ground, with his bow and his shield, drew and bran- 

 dished his naked knife. 



" Yes," said Mah-to-toh-pa, as he threw his shield and quiver to the earth and was 

 rushing up. He grasped for his knife, but his belt had it not ; he had left it at home. 

 His bow was in his hand, with which he parried his antagonist's blow, and felled him 

 to the ground. A desperate struggle now ensued for the knife; the blade of it was 

 several times drawn through the right hand of Mah-to-toh-pa, inflicting the most 

 frightful wounds, while he was severely wounded in several parts of the body. He 

 at length succeeded, however, in wresting it from his adversary's hand, and plunged 

 it to his heart. 



By this time the two parties had drawn up in close view of each other, and at the 

 close of the battle Mah-to-toh-pa held up and claimed in deadly silence the knife and 

 scalp of the noble Shienne chief.* 



9. Several hundred Minatarrees and Mandans attacked by a party of Assinneboins 

 all fled but Mah-to-toh-pa, who stood his ground, fired, and killed one of the enemy, 

 putting the rest of them to flight, and driving off sixty horses. He is here seen with 

 his lance and shield, foot-tracks of his enemy in front, and his own party's horse-tracks 

 behind him, and a shower of bullets flying around his head. Here he got the name of 

 " The Four Bears," as the Assinneboins said he rushed on like four bears. 



10. Mah-to-toh-pa gets from his horse and kills two Ojibbe way women and takes 

 their scalps; done by the side of .an Ojibbeway village, where they went to the river 

 for water. He is here seen with his lance in one hand and his knife in the other, an 

 eagle's plume head-dress on his horse and his shield left on his horse's back. I in- 

 curred his ill-will for awhile by asking him whether it was manly to boast of taking 

 the scalps of women, and his pride prevented him from giving me any explanation or 

 apology. The interpreter, however, explained to me that he had secreted himself in 

 the most daring manner, in full sight of the Ojibbeway village, seeking to revenge a 

 murder, where he remained six days without sustenance, and then killed the, two 

 women in full view of the tribe and made his escape, which entitled him to the credit 

 of a victory, though his victims were women. 



11. A large party of Assinneboins intrenched near the Mandan village, attacked by 

 the Mandans and Minatarrees, who were driven back, Mah-to-toh-pa rushes into the 

 intrenchment alone. An Indian fires at him and burns his face with the muzzle of his 

 gun, which burst; the Indian retreats, leaving his exploded gun, and Mah-to-toh-pa 

 shoots him through the shoulders as he runs, and kills him with his tomahawk. The 

 gun of the Assinneboin is seen falling to the ground, and in front of him the heads of 

 the Assinneboins in the intrenchment ; the horse of Mah-to-toh-pa is seen behind him. 



12. Mah-to-toh-pa between his enemy, the Sioux, and his own people, with an arrow 

 shot through him, after standing the fire of the Sioux for a long time alone. In this 

 battle he took no scalps, yet his valor was so extraordinary that the chiefs and braves 

 awarded him the honor of a victory. 



This feat is seen in the center of the robe. Head-dress of war-eagles' quills on his 

 own and his horse's head ; the tracks of his enemies' horses are seen in front of him, 

 and bullets flying both ways all around him. With his whip in his hand he is seen 

 urging his horse forward, and an arrow is seen flying and bloody, as it has passed 

 through his body. For this wound, and the several others mentioned above, he bears 

 the honorable scars on his body, which he generally keeps covered with red paint. 



Such are the battles traced upon the robe of Mah-to-toh-pa, or Four Bears, inter- 

 preted by J. Kipp from the words of the hero while sitting upon the robe, explaining 

 each battle as represented. 



. * This celebrated weapon, with the blood of several victims dried upon its blade, now hangs in the 

 Indian gallery, with satisfactory certificate of its identity and its remarkable history, and an exact 

 drawing of it and its scabbard can be seen in Plate 99 a.—G. Catlin. 



