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148 Big Horn, the morning after the Indians left. The Indians, without ammunition, were unable to follow up the advantage they had gained, and the government at once threw a strong force into the field; but the Indians kept out of reach, and no engagements of any consequence were fought. The government sent to the various agencies and disarmed all of the Indians and took their horses away from them, leaving them quite helpless. Gall, Sitting Bull, and the most influential of the hostiles escaped into Canada.

In the fall (1876) the government sent out a new commission to treat for the cession of the Black Hills. Disregarding the provision of the treaty of 1868 which required the signatures of three fourths of all of the adult male Indians to any treaty which disposed of any of the lands, this commission went about from agency to agency and secured the signatures of only a few of the chiefs at each place. This treaty sold the Black Hills outright to the government, in return for which the government agreed to support the Indians until such time as they had progressed far enough to enable them to support themselves.

There has always been a dispute between the Indians and the white men about the terms in this treaty. Most of the Indians were present and heard Senator Allison tell them in 1875 that the whites wished only to buy the right to mine, and they never were called into council to hear any other provision discussed. The impression therefore went out, among the Indians, that the treaty of 1876 gave to the white men only the right to mine in the