families, lodges, and stock were being hastened out of the reach of danger. With these inducements ahead, the men used every exertion to overtake and fall upon the moving villages. A dash made at this time brought the troops in possession of hundreds of cedar lodge-poles, four hundred dried buffalo hides, and a large amount of other abandoned property. These were destroyed. Late in the evening, utterly exhausted in the chase, the column went into camp. During the day, the savages sustained a loss of ten warriors and seventy ponies killed, while on the side of the troops but several men were wounded. During the entire night, by the light of the burning plain, the flight of the savages could be traced for miles in the distance. The following morning, the column resumed the pursuit without opposition. During the night the savages had withdrawn, and were miles away. The country had become more broken and difficult to travel. Further pursuit was in vain. After several day's fruitless marching, the command retraced its steps to Fort Wallace. The successes of the troops on the Republican and its tributaries, compelled the savages to resort to a new mode of tactics. By experience they had been taught their inability to cope with any considerable force. Parties, numbering twenty-five to a hundred warriors, set out on expeditions in different directions, but having a common point of rendezvous. Several of these detachments appeared along the line of the railroad, seriously threatening, for a time, the safety of communication with the western posts. The guards west of Fort Hays were strengthened, and cautioned to preserve the strictest vigilance. On the last day of October, a war-party succeeded in throwing a train from the track by hacking off the ends of the ties for the length of a rail, but beyond this accomplished nothing. About this time, twelve friendly Indians of the Osage nation arrived at Fort Hays, in response to a letter from the Commanding General inviting their people to unite with the white man against their enemies. War and disease had reduced the Osages to a mere handful. They occupied a fine reservation in the south-eastern portion of Kansas, and lived principally at the expense of the government; occasionally "raided" into the hostile Indian country, stole from the settlements, and, when these sources of obtaining a livelihood failed, literally starved to death. Upon the agreement that their people should be fed by the army, and that they would receive a certain sum of money for services, a squad of Osages agreed to serve. The new arrivals were arrayed in all the paint and finery their rude toilet could afford. At the head of their party was Cha-pa-jen-kan, or Little Beaver, the second chief of the nation. Little Beaver was a remarkably fine-looking Indian, sixty years of age, over six feet in height, spare built but muscular, and straight as an arrow, aquiline features and a thoughtful expression. Next in rank was Wen-tsi-kee, or Hard-rope, the chief counselor, celebrated for his prowess in battle, as well as for his wisdom in council, He was an old man of heavy frame. The most prominent of the “ soldiers was Koom la-manche, or Trotter, celebrated as being the fleetest runner and best shot in the nation. The balance were young men of fine physique, and were selected for their fitness for the duty it was designed that they should perform. CHAPTER XIV. A WAR DANCE-READY TO TAKE THE FIELD. FEW days after their arrival, the friendly Indians received their arms and proposed celebrating the occasion by giving a grand war-dance. After dark a party of officers and ladies from the post, repaired to the spot selected for the purpose. At the foot of a gentle slope in the plain, upon the banks of a small stream, and in the midst of a grove, the savages had built a large fire. In a semi-circle, facing the fire, they had seated themselves, their eyes with thoughtful and solemn expression were fixed upon the flame. The chief, Little Beaver, had established himself upon a rude dias of sticks, from which he gazed about him with inward pride and satisfaction. He was puffing away at a huge pipe, and in the intervals of smoking he murmured over a few incomprehensible sounds which were responded to by his warriors with an ugh! ugh!! Each savage was decorated with due "pomp and circumstance." Their mahogany-colored bodies were gorgeously covered with paint and highly burnished. Their faces were bedaubed in varied colors and streaked with black, forming devices, suggested by the taste of the person. A breech-clout, leggins and moccasins, constituted all the dress they wore. Their heads were a forest of feathers, and from their scalp-locks were suspended long trains, composed of a number of small silver plates. In their hands they held their bows, arrows, spears, and warclubs. One of the party had a small drum, while another, seated by his side, held a large Indian rattle. When the time had arrived for the dance to commence, the old chief stood up and said a few words, by way of an introduction As soon as he had finished and seated himself once more, the warriors with the drum and rattle stood up. Stepping towards the fire, they began a mournful refrain, simultaneously drumming and rattling vigorously. This prelude lasted but a few seconds, when the rest of the warriors, with a fearful whoop, sprang to their feet, all joining in a chorus of the wildest description. With each utterance the dancers assumed a new and grotesque attitude, stamping their feet in the most excited manner. Frequently one imitated the neigh of a horse, which was responded to by others with a whoop. The sounds, uttered in the refrain, resembled the following: Ah-ha-ha-haah, haah, In the height of the excitement, the old chief, warming up, harangued the dancing warriors. His words were always received with yells of approbation. The dance was divided into four parts, at the expiration of each of which the warriors took a respite of a few moments for a blow. The first scene was a general invocation of the great spirit to have success attend their expedition and enable them to slay large numbers of their enemies. The second was "in search of the trail." Here the gestures and positions of the body were suggestive of an actual occurrence, some of the figures were in the attitude of listening to an alarm, others were stooping with their attention fixed upon the ground, others were lying down with their ears to the earth. After enacting all these forms, observed on the war-path, the scene terminated in violent gesticulations and wild shouts. The trail had been discovered. Taking again a few moments rest, the tom-tom beater and rattler rose and led off in the third scene, "on the trail." This opened by making a minute examination of all the characteristic features of the trail, the number of the war-party, and by some unknown marks, of what tribe. After this preliminary form was consummated, the dancers set up a shout, the tom-tom.beat more rapidly, the rattle clattered more vigorously, and the whole party imitated running, jumping, and made a variety of noises. Occasionally they halted, and with their hands shading their eyes, appeared to be gazing at objects in the distance, and then again they set off as before, as if in pursuit of their foes, and rapidly closing upon them. They finally overtook the enemy and a fight took place, in which whooping and yelling, denunciations, bravadoes, and terrific gesticulations composed the chief. features. The closing scene was "the return of the war-party." This was, of course, a celebration of victory. The dancing was irregular and without any concordance of sounds. The musicians pommeled the tom-tom and shook up the rattle with all their might. The dancers bounded high into the air and jumped about in the most lively manner. Some indulged in loud declamations, recounting their imaginary deeds, how many scalps they had taken, and how many hair-breadth escapes they had had. Laugh This terminated the dance. The savages now gathered about the fire and appeared to be in the best kind of humor. ing and conversation, took the place of their late severity of countenance and formality of demeanor. The scene, upon the whole, was peculiar, novel, and interesting. Not a breath of wind stirring, the dull notes of the tom-tom, accompanied by the studied sounds of savage voices, fell upon the still night air with startling effect, the blazing fire lighting up the surrounding space, and in full glare radiating upon the savage warriors arrayed in all the hideousness of battle attire, added a wierd effect. The old chief, desirous of letting himself be heard, or rather wishing not to be forgotten in the midst of the excitement, commenced an harangue for the benefit of warriors and visitors. His words, however, were little heeded, notwithstanding the vigor of voice and gesture he infused into them. |