522 THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 



white man in the face. Why was that side of his face shot off? Your friend is not 

 our friend, and has forfeited his life. We want you to tell us where he is ; we want 

 to see him.' 



"Then rose Toh-Tci-e-to (a medicine-man), of the Yankton hand, and priucipal orator 

 of the nation. 'My friend, these are young that speak. I am not afraid. Your white 

 medicine-man painted my picture, and it was good. I am glad of it. I am very 

 glad to see that I shall live after I am dead. I am old and not afraid. Some of our 

 young men are foolish. I know that this man put many of our huffaloes in his book, 

 for I was with him, and we have had no buffaloes since to eat. It is true, but I am 

 not afraid. His medicine is great, and I wish him well. We are friends.' 



"In this wise was the subject discussed by these superstitious people during my 

 absence, and such were the reasons given by my friend Mr. Laidlaw for his friendly 

 advice, whereiu he cautioned me against exposing my life in their hands, advising 

 me to take some other route than that which I was pursuing down the river, where 

 I would find encamped at the mouth of Cabri River, 80 miles below, several hun- 

 dred Indians belonging to the Little Bear's band, and I might possibly fall a victim 

 to their unsatiated revenge. I resume my downward voyage in a few days, however, 

 with my little canoe, which ' Ba'tiste and Bogard paddled and I steered,' and passed 

 their encampment in peace by taking the opposite shore. The usual friendly invita- 

 tion, however, was given (which is customary on that river) by skipping several 

 rifle bullets across the river a rod or two ahead of us. To those invitations we paid 

 no attention, and (not suspecting who we were) they allowed us to pursue our course 

 in peace and security. Thus rested the affair of the Dog and its consequences, until 

 I conversed with Major Bean, the agent for these people, who arrived at Saint Louis 

 some weeks after I did, bringing later intelligence from them, assuring me that ' the 

 Dog had at length been overtaken and killed near the Black Hills, and that the affair 

 might now forever be considered as settled.'" 



Thus happened and thus terminated the affair of "the Dog," wherein have fallen 

 three distinguished warriors, and wherein might have fallen one "great medicine- 

 man," and all in consequence of the operations of my brush. The port, raits of the 

 three first named will long hang in my gallery for the world to gaze upon, and the 

 head of the latter (whose hair yet remains on it) may probably be seen (for a time 

 yet) occasionally stalking about in the midst of this collection of nature's dignitaries. 



The circumstances above detailed are as correctly given as I could furnish them, 

 and they have doubtless given birth to one of the most wonderful traditions, which 

 will be told and sung amongst the Sioux Indians from age to age, furnishing one of 

 the rarest instances, perhaps, on record of the extent to which these people may be 

 carried by the force of their superstitions. — Pages 177-194, vol. 2, Catlin's Eight Years. 



MR. CATLIN LEAVES THE C6TEAU DES PRAIRIES. THE JOURNEY 



TO ROCK ISLAND, ILL. 



Mr. Catlin and his companion left the red pipestone quarry in Sep- 

 tember, 1836. He writes : 



After having glutted our curiosity at the fountain of the red pipe, our horses 

 brought us to the base of the Cdteau, and then over the extended plain that lies be- 

 tween that and the Traverse de Sioux, on the Saint Peter's, with about five days' travel. 



He painted the striking and interesting scenery in Nos. 337-341. 

 They went from the Saint Peter's to the Traverse de Sioux, of which 

 he says : 



Whilst traversing this beautiful region of country we passed the bands of Sioux 

 who had made us so much trouble on our way to the red pipe, but met with no fur- 

 ther molestation. 



