Adventure Magazine Cover — page 126: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

te a scalp as he narrated the details of each encounter. The men on the huts gathered to the edge and allowed their feet to hang down while they listened. Finishing the story of his exploits, the Pillager explained how he was serving the woman with the medicine hair, the most wonderful woman ever on the Missouri, whose father was the mightiest of all traders and who had intended to build a post among the villages so the Indians could always obtain whatever they wanted in arms and ammunition. He significantly concluded with saying: “The big white chief will send no traders where his daughter is met by mad dogs and screaming children.’ Then, turning to Miss Dearness, he di- rected her to reveal her hair. She obeyed, and‘as the Indians stared at her fiery hair, those on the ground drew back and forgot their scowls, while those on the huts stood erect and forgot their smoking. As the Pillager rapidly trans- lated his speech to me I understood their concern; each village was anxious to obtain all the white man’s goods possible and was extremely jealous of every visit made by a trader to a neighboring village. _ Their lack of hospitality was an excellent excuse for us to save time by pushing on. Although they beseeched us to enter their huts and partake of food and tobacco, we held on steadily through the village and into the road leading up the Knife. They followed us outside the village but we gave them no heed. We followed the road for about a mile when the Pillager halted and announced that we were opposite the big Minnetaree village. He said it consisted of some hundred and thirty huts, but, rub my eyes as I would, I could not see it. Then he explained this. The last of the ‘five villages was located a mile back from the river, and because of this fact and the resulting problem over fuel the warriors moved into the hills each Winter, where they had more circular huts and wood aplenty. We forded the Knife with the water up to-our horses’ bellies and made a dash for the village. THIS time we met less of the rude- ness which had greeted us below, and yet there was no suggestion of hospitality. They were rude in another way. We were ignored. They were most Adventure arrogant in their bearing. After ordering a woman to show us to a big hut, set apart for visitors, they paid no attention to us. A physical characteristic of all Minnetarees was the large aquiline nose. The. Pillager assured us we were safe among them, but added that this was the case purely because they must have arms from traders to protect ‘themselves from the Sioux, and they believed that we were paving the way for permanent traders. The village originally contained a thousand huts, but the deadly small-pox had whittled it down to its present pro- portions. The hut we were shown to was a duplicate of the one in Black Cat’s village except that it was dug down three feet below the surface. As in the Mandan huts we found earthen pots and a copper kettle. The kettle, it seems, was used entirely for boiling meat. Why they couldn’t cook meat in the earthenware, as, they did their corn and beans, I do not know. Some foolish superstition was behind it, of course. I asked the woman about it, and she said the meat would make the earthen pots crack. I quickly learned it was unsafe to move outside the hut unless armed with a club. The first time I stepped to the door to survey the scene, I was set upon by a huge dog. I kicked myself clear of the brute and after that I never ventured abroad without a club in my hand. So long as we remained in the hut we were left by our- selves. The moment we passed through the door we were surrounded by impish brats who would go through our clothes and filch anything they could. Miss Dear- ness went out with us once, but the repulsive sights and the constant attendance of the vicious-mannered mob which accompanied us every step was experience enough for her. “You and the Pillager carry out your plans,”’ she urged after we returned to the hut. ‘But let us start back to the Mandan village before dark.” “It’s a beastly place,”’ I admitted, pitying her deeply. ‘I almost wish, for your sake, we had tried to win back north without coming here. I think we could have made it.” “No, we stood no chance. The Sioux were too close, the Assiniboins too many. Our lives are safe here, but we ought to be starting for the Red River within a day Gomichooks:c¢o