5i4 



SIOUX INDIANS. 



eight o'clock in the evening, a Chief of the 

 party named Wanatou, came in apparently in- 

 toxicated, and snatching a gun from an Indian 

 who stood near him, he fired it with ball in a 

 manner that indicated some evil design. Leav- 

 ing the Fort he wrestled with another for his 

 gun which he fired in the air, and went imme- 

 diately to the other post, where it was supposed 

 they had taken up their quarters for the night. 

 A guard being mounted, we retired to rest, but 

 were disturbed about eleven o'clock with the 

 cry, that the Sioux Indians had shot and scalped 

 an Assiniboine, who with two others had tra- 

 velled a considerable distance to smoke the 

 calumet with them at Pembina. The bloody 

 and unsuspected deed was committed by 

 Wanatou, whose intention was to have killed 

 the other two had they not immediately fled, 

 because some one, or a party of their nation 

 had stolen a horse from him about a year 

 before. As soon as the scalp was taken they 

 all started for the plains with this notorious 

 Chief, who had shed the blood of ten or twelve 

 Indians and Americans before ; and who bore 

 the marks of having been several times pierced 

 with balls by his enemies. It was formerly the 

 custom to cut off the heads of those whom they 

 slew in war, and to carry them away as trophies ; 



