Page:Don Coronado through Kansas.djvu/362

345 THB' osAOSs' aoysaxMBNT. 845 sas agaia near Atchison, it is presumea ycu are sur- uke a few pages of solid stiiff. But 0,lth6ti^h the fbl louring is extant history culled from the bcwfca as the "tid-bits" of facts, yefe it is fervently hoped that it will be pleasing to the reader, and better stiU, prof- itable., The authorities for the various assertions will not in all cases be given, nor wiH quotation marks be used,.but you may rest assured the sentimenbs can . be found, in the books. ^rha tribal government of the Osages wag com- posed of one principal chief and several lesser ones; the head chief was the one indeed, as long as he held that position; the lesser chiefs were his advisers, but had very little authority except as leaders of war parties, for they were selected from those who displayed the qualities of leaders. "When a matter in which the tribe was interested came up, a council, of aU the war- riors was held and decided by majority vote. There were no laws, but if an Indian did a. wrong deed there was a code of honor among them, which in many re- gards was more effective than are the courts at the present day. God's natural law prevailed very strongly among them, for a warrior knew absolutely that if he was fearless and brave in battle, he would be rewarded by promotion, and noble acts of gener- osity and self abstin^ice for the benefit of other:^ was lauded and rewarded just as much as they are now. The members of the tribe were sticklers as to classes; in fact, th? line was drawn quite closely; of ooarae not so tnach b» is done in, India, bat along the subeline. Yon will be rewarded for ten minutes'
 * feited with the- a^ow business, and are -vnllins: to per-