Page:Life Among the Piutes.djvu/225

 and as soon as the law would enable it, patents therefor in fee-simple were to be issued to each allottee,” etc.

I say we did not come on of ourselves; we were sent for, and neither my father or brother made any agreement to go to Malheur until those who belonged there could come back from Yakima, and till Reinhard should be sent away.

I said one day I was going to lecture, as the people wanted me to, and try to get a little money to buy something for my father. Mr Hayworth told what I said, and we were all sent for to go to the office of the Interior. We went in and sat down. Secretary Schurz said to me,—

“Sarah, so you are bound to lecture.”

I said, “People want me to.”

“I don’t think it will be right for you to lecture here after the government has sent for you, and your father and brother, and paid your way here. The government is going to do right by your people now. Don’t lecture now; go home and get your people on the reservation—get them located properly; and then, if you want to come back, write to us, and tell us you want to come back and lecture, and we will pay your way here and back again. He told me they would grant all I asked of them for my people, which they did; yes, in their minds, I mean in writing, promises which, like the wind, were heard no more. They asked where I was going to stop after I got home. “We want to know, so that we can send you some canvas for tents for your people. You can issue it to them. Can you not?”

I said “Yes, if it comes.”

“We will send enough to make your people one hundred tents. You can issue it, and give the names of each head of the families, and send them back here.”

I said, “I shall be at Lovelock’s in Nevada.” “We will send it as soon as you get home."