Page:Rocky Mountain life.djvu/90

 Blackfeet, Broken-arrows, and Assenaboins, with many others whose names have escaped my recollection. The only perceptible difference in language, is, in the pronunciation of words like the following, meallo, appello and Lacota, —those upon the Mississippi, and some in the vicinity of the Missouri, pronouncing them meaddo, appeddo, and Dacota.

The members of this nation, so far as my observation extends, are a cowardly, treacherous, thieving set, taken as a body — and are well deserving the appellation of mean and contemptible; though there are some honorable exceptions to the remark.

Any effort to civilize them must necessarily prove tedious, if not altogether impracticable, while they adhere to their present roving habits; though three several missionary stations have been recently established among them, with slight success; viz: at St. Peters, Lac qui Parle, and Traverse des Sioux. But the Indians of those sections, being under the more direct influence of the U. S. Government, have begun to abandon their former wandering habits, and betake themselves to agricultural pursuits.

The term Sioux, as applied to this nation, is of Franco-Canadian origin — being a corruption of the word sued, and means drunk or drunken, —in allusion to their excessive fondness for liquor and predilection to inebriacy. The name by which they call themselves, and are known among other tribes, is Lacota, or Cut-throats, —for such is the literal meaning of the term; and rarely, indeed, were ever a pack of scoundrels more justly entitled to the appellation.

The night of our arrival at Fort Platte was the signal for a grand jollification to all hands, (with two or three exceptions,) who soon got most gloriously drunk, and such an illustration of the beauties of harmony as was then perpetrated, would have rivalled Bedlam itself, or even the famous council chamber beyond the Styx.

Yelling, screeching, firing, shouting, fighting, swearing, drinking, and such like interesting performances, were kept up without intermission, — and woe to the poor fellow who looked for repose that night, —he might as well have thought of sleeping with a thousand cannon bellowing at his ears.

The scene was prolonged till near sundown the next day, and several made their egress from this beastly carousal, minus shirts and coats, —with swollen eyes, bloody noses, and empty pockets, —the latter circumstance will be easily understood upon the mere mention of the fact, that liquor, in this country, is sold for four dollars per pint.

The day following was ushered in by the enactment of another scene of comico-tragical character.

The Indians encamped in the vicinity, being extremely solicitous to imitate the example of their "illustrious predecessors," soon as the first tints of morning began to paint the east, commenced their demands for firewater; and, ere the sun had told an hour of his course, they were pretty well advanced in the state of "how came ye so," and seemed to exercise their musical powers in wonderful rivalry with their white brethren.

Men, women, and children were seen running from lodge to lodge with