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Title: Red Cloud, the Solitary Sioux: A Story of the Great Prairie
Author: Sir William Francis Butler
Release date: May 8, 2018 [eBook #57113]
Language: English
Credits: Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
produced from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RED CLOUD, THE SOLITARY SIOUX: A STORY OF THE GREAT PRAIRIE ***
RED CLOUD,
THE SOLITARY SIOUX.
A Story of the Great Prairie.
BY
AUTHOR OF “THE GREAT LONE LAND,” “THE WILD NORTH LAND,”
ETC., ETC.
“Like a wind, that shrills
All night in a waste land, where no one comes,
Or hath come, since the making of the world.”
All night in a waste land, where no one comes,
Or hath come, since the making of the world.”
Tennyson.
BOSTON:
ROBERTS BROTHERS.
1882.
CONTENTS.
| PAGE | |
|---|---|
| CHAPTER I. | |
| Our home in Glencar—A glimpse at the outside world—My parents—My schoolmasters—Donogh—Cooma-sa-harn—The eagle’s nest—“The eagle is coming back to the nest”—Alone in the world—I start for the Great Prairie—Good-bye to Glencar | 1 |
CHAPTER II. |
|
| Sunset in the wilds—Our first camp—Outlooks—The solitary Sioux—Losses—The Sioux again—A new departure—The cache at the Souri—The story of Red Cloud—The red man’s offer | 28 |
CHAPTER III. |
|
| To the West—Wapiti in sight—A stalk—A grand run—The sand-hills in sight—The finish—A noble beast—A gorgeous sunset—A vast landscape—The Hills of Life and Death | 52 |
CHAPTER IV. |
|
| We reach the hills of the Wolverine—Something moves far out upon the plains—The wounded Cree—His story—Adventure with a grizzly bear—Left alone—A long crawl for life—Hunger, thirst, and travail—A grizzly again—“The Great Spirit, like an eagle, looks down upon the prairie”—Saved—Watched | 67 |
CHAPTER V. |
|
| An Assineboine camp—The trader McDermott—The chief “Wolverine”—Fire-water and finesse—The Assineboine war-party—A chance of a Cree scalp—The trader hears a well-known name—A big bid for murder, two hundred skins! | 82 |
CHAPTER VI. |
|
| The Sioux forecasts our course—On the watch—Directions—We separate—Red Cloud is seen far out on the plains—Rival tactics—Scent versus sight—A captured scout—The edge of the hills again—The signal fire | 97 |
CHAPTER VII. |
|
| The watched one halts—A light to the north-east—The Stonies find their mistake—Distant thunder—A light in the dark—The fire wind—Sauve qui peut—How the fire was lighted—We ride across the fire field—Enemies in sight—A dilemma—Between friend and foe—The scout throws in his lot with us—We ride to the rescue | 111 |
CHAPTER VIII. |
|
| The fight—The Sioux and the swamp—The trader’s triumph—Red Cloud fights on foot—The trader finds he has other foes to reckon with—The Assineboine draws a straight arrow—The trader’s flight—Our losses and gains—Winter supplies—Our party is completed—“All’s well that ends well.” | 129 |
CHAPTER IX. |
|
| We again go West—Hiding the trail—Red and white for once in harmony—Peace and plenty—An autumn holiday—We select a winter’s camp—The Forks—Hut-building—Our food supply—The autumn hunt—The Great Prairie—Home thoughts—Indian instincts—The Lake of the Winds—Buffalo—Good meat—A long stalk—The monarch of the waste—A stampede—Wolves—The red man’s tobacco | 144 |
CHAPTER X. |
|
| Winter—Wolves—A night’s trapping—A retreat—In the teeth of the north wind—The carcajou—A miss and a hit—News of Indians—Danger ahead—A friendly storm—The hut again | 177 |
CHAPTER XI. |
|
| Winter comfort—Snowshoe-making—Snow and storm—The moose woods—A night camp—Memories—A midnight visitor—Maskeypeton the Iroquois—Danger—A moose hunt—Indian stalking—The red man’s happy hunting-grounds—Plans—Raft-building | 191 |
CHAPTER XII. |
|
| The winter draws to an end—A keen look-out—Signs—The break-up of the rivers—An ice block—The evening approaches—A noiseless arrow—The ice still fast—The ice-floes—The war-cry of assault—A parley—We embark on the rafts—The hut in flames—On shore again—Freedom—Winter gone | 212 |
CHAPTER XIII. |
|
| Horses wanted—New plans—We start south—The Prairie in Spring—No buffalo in sight—Starvation—A last resort—Buffalo at last—We fall in with Blood Indians—The camp—Tashota—A trade—Rumours of war—We depart from the Blood camp | 228 |
CHAPTER XIV. |
|
| On the trail—A pursuit—The mark is overshot—A night march—Morning—The curtain rises—We are prisoners—Blackfeet—Penoquam—The Far-Off Dawn—His history—His medicine robe—Interrogations—New arrivals—The trader again | 247 |
CHAPTER XV. |
|
| The council of the nation—The wager of battle—Signs of friendship—A private interview—A fair field and no favour—The trader on the scene—I leave the camp—I camp alone—The rock on the hill—The skulking figure—Preparations for the start—The race for life—The snake in the grass—A desperate strait—The odds are made even—Hand to hand—A last chance—Out of range | 260 |
CHAPTER XVI. |
|
| Revulsion—Home again—New plans—We depart for the mountains—The Hand hills—The great range—Home memories—A murderous volley—Donogh sees “the land beyond the grave”—Vain regrets—We enter the mountains—The island—A lonely grave—The Indian’s home | 279 |
CHAPTER XVII. |
|
| Signs of trouble—Reconnoitring—Precautions—We retire into the island—Daylight—The enemy shows himself—A search—He prepares to attack the island—A midnight storm—The raft—“Aim low, and fire fast”—In the whirl of waters—On the lip of the fall—The end of crime | 297 |
CHAPTER XVIII. |
|
| The beginning of the end—Deeper into the mountains—The western slope—On the edge of the snow—The golden valley—It is all mine—Night thoughts—Last words—I see him no more | 315 |