Page:History of the Ojibway Nation.djvu/149

Rh prevailed against the Ke-nis-te-no toward the north and west, and caused them to keep under the shade of the forests and swamps which covered their hunting grounds. At one time it happened, as it often does, that two young men quarrelled about a woman, and one in the heat of passion and jealousy, took the life of the other. Both belonged to numerous and important families, and in accordance with the law of 'blood for blood,' notwithstanding his relatives wished to buy him off, the murderer was killed.

"Generally a case of this kind ends after the death of the first murderer, but in this instance, the drawer of his fellow's blood was a great warrior, and his loss being severely felt by his relatives, the person who had taken his life was in turn murdered. The matter had gone beyond the usual length, and notwithstanding the interference of the old men and chiefs, the person who drew the last blood suffered death for his act, at the hands of a relative to the person whom he had killed. The great Yankton camp became a scene of excitement, and murders occurred daily, till the weaker party consisting of a thousand lodges, left the main camp and retired by themselves, to pursue their hunt for meat to feed their women and children.

"The feud did not end here, but continued with greater fury; the larger camp even sending war parties to attack the straggling hunters of their former brethren. Scalps were also taken, and this is equal in Indian custom to a declaration of open and exterminating war. The smaller camp, therefore, to prevent their total eventual destruction at the hands of the more numerous Yanktons, moved towards the country of Ke-nis-te-no, with whom they had always waged a never-ending warfare; and preferring to trust themselves to their generosity rather than to the vindictive hatred of their own kindred, they collected the women and children whom in former years they had cap-