Page:Rocky Mountain life.djvu/119

 you bearing the store of which I was deprived!—and fain you would know in what manner I obtained the hair of two.

" 'Three times has the night-queen turned her full face to smile upon the prowess of Lacota arms, since at this very spot I met an enemy. We rushed towards each other for the attack. 'Twas then he cried:

" 'Are we not both braves? why should we fight? When our people meet in the fray, then may we join arms, —till then, a truce.'

" 'To this I replied,

" 'Says Crowman peace? — then, be there peace.'

" 'Thus said, we shook hands and sat down by the fountain.

" 'Willing to amuse the foe, I gathered a pebble and proposed a game of hand. The challenge was accepted, and we played, —first, arrow against arrow, then bow against bow, robe against robe, and scalp against scalp.

" 'I was unsuccessful and lost all, —arrow, bow, robe, and scalp. I gave up all, but with the extorted promise that we should here meet again for another trial of skill.

" 'True to the word, we did meet again. We played, and this time, the Good Spirit showed me kindness.

" 'Winning back arrows, bow and robe, I staked them all against the lost scalp. The game was a close one; but again the Good Spirit favored me, and I won.

" 'Crowman,' said I, 'scalp against scalp.'

" 'The banter was accepted, and the play continued. He lost, and I, with my winnings, arose to leave.

" 'Warrior,' exclaimed the luckless player, 'meet me in the fight, that we may try the game of arms.'

" 'Thy words please me,' I answered.' Will the Crowman name the place?'

" 'A valley lies beyond this hill, —there my people await their enemies, and there let me hope to see you with them.'

" 'To that place I led you. We fought and conquered. My opponent at play was among the slain. Need I tell you who took his scalp?’ “

The old man seemed to take pleasure in acquainting us with the manners and customs of his people, and was ever ready to assign a reason for any of them, whenever such existed. He repeated to us the names of all the streams, mountains, and prominent localities of the country, and explained the causes of their several christenings.

Some thirty miles to the westward of us, flowed a large creek, called by the Indians, " Weur-sena Warkpollo," or Old Woman's creek. This stream is an affluent of the Chyenne river, and takes its rise at the base of a mountain bearing the same name.

The mountain is an object of great veneration with the Sioux, who rarely enter into its neighborhood without bestowing upon it a present of meat. The old man entertained us with the following explanation of a custom so singular:

"My grandfather told me a tale he had received from the old men before him, and it is a strange one.

"Many ages past bring us back to the time when the Lacotas lived in a country far above the sun of winter.21