The Way of an Indian

w-self than did the Bat's; no young man was quicker in the surround; no war-pony could scrabble to the lariat ahead of his in the races. He had borne more bravely in the sun

it high with his winnings. He was much looked up to in the warrior class of the Red Lodges, which contained the tried-out braves of the Cheyenne tribe; moreover old men-wise ones-men who stood for al

ile the long hair blew off the horses' hides in bunches and their shrunken flanks filled up with fat. As Nature awoke from the chill and began to circulate the Indians responded to its feel. They stalked among the pony herds,

fortune in war, as they sat in the lodge running their eyes alon

rrow is

row is

kill u

kill u

pony with the whip." Red Arrow believed this as much as the boaster did, for men must believe they will do these things before they do them. "Red Arrow, we will not go with a big war-party. We will go w

o chiefs or councils were strong enough to stop the yearning of the young Cheyennes for military glory. All self-esteem, all applause, all power and greatness, came only down that fearful road-the war trail. Despite the pleadings of tribal policy Iron Horn, a not

s bed she saw, too, that the oiled rifle was missing. Quickly she ran to the lodge of Red Arrow's father, wailing, "My man has gone, my man has gone-his fast ponies are gone-his gun is gone," and all the dogs barked and ran about in the shadows while Red Arrow's mother appeared in the

ing: "Make my boy strong. Make his heart brave, O Good Gods-take his pony over the dog-holes-make him see the enemy first!" Again he blew the smoke to the deities a

to the Drowned Buffalo, stopping only at the creeks to water the horses. By twos and threes they met, galloping together-speaking not. The moon rose big and red over their back

oo tired to eat, hung their heads. The old chief dismissed his war-party saying: "To-morrow we will

emselves, while the robed aspirants sat in a circle; the gras

: "Let no man touch the pipe who has eaten meat since the beginning of the last sun. If there are any such he m

rth-arrows made sacred by contact with the Great Medicine of the Chis-chis-ch

and the man who tells against them will be deserted by the Good Gods forever. Every man must tell all his secrets-all the things he has thought about his brothers since the last war-medicine; all the things he

he time but when the sun was low on the land last winter I made it turn blue for a time. I made it cold in the land. Our horses were poor a

ay no more," and Iron Horn threw to

al. It was mostly about gallantries and dreams-all made like the confessions which followed. They were the deeds and thoughts common to young Indian men. They ministered to the curiosity of p

atiguing the march; if he halts for a moment he must turn his face toward his own country so that the Gods may see that it is his wish to return there. We must sleep with our own faces toward our village. No two men must lie covered by the same robe. He must not ride or walk in a beaten path lest the spirit of the path go running on ahead of us to warn the enemy, and if by chance we do, we must come to the big medicine and rub it on the horses' l

rge and sat motionless the live-long day while the river rushed ceas

t in the middle of the space many feet away from where he had placed it. The smooth earth was dotted by the tracks of coyotes but the arrow pointed nearly southwest, and it was the

ces and then we will go.

ither hung some piece of rag or buckskin on it or put various implements at its foot, muttering meanwhi

er, into the hills, and they did not halt until nearly morning when they again sat in a magic circle a

nce on its flanks by watchful scouts. They were all eyes for any hunting bands of Utes

ne of the scouts far in advance flashing a looking-glass from a hilltop. Lashing their horses they bore on toward him, dashing d

arks on the ponies, not forgetting to tie up their tails before continuing the mad charge. The poor beaver-hunters saw the on-coming, knew their danger and instantly huddled their horses and began dropping their pac

Yellow-Eyes, a thin trail of fire ran along the grass from the barricade and with a blinding flash a keg of powder exploded with terrific force right under the front feet of the rushing ponies. Pistols cracked from behind the pile of roped goods. Four ponies lay kicking on the grass together with six writhing men, all blackened, bleeding and scorched. The other ponies reeled away from the shock-running hopelessly from the scene with their unresting and half-stunned rid

he other, and walked painfully away. The whites had reloaded mean

Yellow-Eyes, and there sat down. In the center lay the Indian dead and three more, sightless, with their hair singed off and the

es." Then the dying warrior became incoherent and scarcely mumbled. The Bat took black paint from his fire bag and rubbed it on the face of the dying man while the decreased circle of warriors yelped the death-cry dolorously. For an hour this continued

r where the led-horses were kept. The injured men wer

e must eat the flying fire or all be rubbed out. If they do not come out the ravens will not have to wait long for the feast." Thus said the Bat. He had kept his word about going farther toward the enemy than any other and was now moved to resort to strategy. He did not martial his warriors in a

he chief no longer as the Bat, but called him "Fire Eater," or "The man who eats the flying fire." The ravens hovered about the place an

the bales, when again the quiet became intensified by the explosion. The wolves sang their lullaby of

ho had fallen outside the barricade of the Yellow-Eyes. The "Fire Eater" had brought it in during the night-havin

nd had lost another warrior, shot by the fatal rifle of the beaver-men. Then they had drawn off

endidly painted and with feather hanging from his tail, he galloped out toward the fort. His b

ing eyes that thirst had done its work. The braves gathered, but no man dismounted and one by one they turned and rode away. "The bad spirits of the dead may get into ou

iors gathered up their dead and r

on their hands. "The young chief's heart is bad. He has gone away by himself. He will not want us to follow h

eek which was only fitted for the red paint. The shield of the Fire Eater should never face to the lance-the little brown bat flapped fie

and other signs until he saw the scouts of the enemy riding about the hills. Approaching carefully in the early night and morning he found the camp and lay watching for depressions in the fall of some bluffs. But the young men were ceaselessly active, and he did not see an opportunity to approach. D

noticed him, and the dust blew over him from the milling herd. Presently a riderless pony came by, and seizing its lariat he sprang on its back. He rode through the whirling dust into the surround and approaching an excited and preoccupied Shoshone stabbed him repeatedly in

nothing until the Fire Eater raised his rifle, when he turned away to fly. It was too late and a

amp grew noisy with exultation. The mourning paint was washed from each face and the old pipe-men said: "The Bat will be a great leader in war-his medicine is very strong and he eats fire." The chiefs a