Adventure Magazine Cover — page 133: what you’re looking at

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

| Gentlemen of the North ~“ skull of a bull on the ground opposite the Cheyenne. Now came the gift-making, and again the Cheyennes held back. Some of the Minne- tarees brought ammunition and placed it on the strouds, and the Cheyenne held the stem over it. Two Crows rose and ad- dressed the Cheyennes, urging them to bring something to put under the stem. After much waiting three warriors brought in a few robes and some dressed leather and piled them on the ammunition. This encouraged the Minnetarees, and they gave three guns. The Cheyennes came back with three poor ponies. Choke-cherry growled and grunted in great wrath, and his followers brought two more guns and some corn and beans. This resulted in another sore-backed nag from the visitors. Then did Choke-cherry explode and demand what the, Cheyennes meant by putting worthless creatures under the stem when the Minnetarees were giving good guns and powder and ball. The Cheyennes replied they would bring good horses when more guns were put under the stem. Choke-cherry forgot diplomacy and roundly accused the Cheyennes of plotting to induce the Minnetarees to give up their weapons so that they might be helpless before an attack. This accusation of treachery was immediately followed by the Cheyennes hurrying back to the tents. We waited, thinking they were gone to bring more ponies. Then the warriors outside the medicine tent began calling out loudly, and we ran after Choke-cherry and Two Crows and beheld the Cheyennes striking their tents and preparing to ride off. The young man who was to have been adopted galloped by us, riding one of the gift nags, leading the others and carrying the guns and ammunition. More than one bow was drawn taut as he flew by, but Choke-cherry, although convulsed with rage, knew better than to let war come while his brother was absent, and his stern commands, liberally mixed with mention of his brother’s name, saved the young man’s life. The Cheyennes rode off in a body. The peace treaty had fallen through because of the Assiniboins. Yet the Minnetarees did not seem to attribute any blame to them and treated them kindly as we rode back to the village. Before arriving at 119 the huts Choke-cherry turned toward the river, a mile away. On reaching it he directed Two Crows to bring a white buffalo hide. Flat Mouth explained to me and the girl that Choke-cherry feared he had handled the peace treaty badly and anticipated his brother’s anger. To guard against this he now proposed to sacrifice a precious white robe. Such a hide, as I have remarked before, is the most highly valued by the Minnetarees of all their possessions. I could understand how the chief’s brother was considerably worked up. Two Crows came galloping back, not with a whole hide, for that was a liberality that even the gods had no right to expect, but a long strip. This seemed to answer per- fectly, however, and was soon placed in a deep hole in the river and weighted down with rocks. Choke-cherry then made a long speech in which he said he knew what was to blame for the Cheyennes’ behavior, which he promised to duly report to his brother. Having done all he could to placate his gods, he morosely led the way home. “Vou talked with the Cheyenne chief?” I murmured to Flat Mouth. “He is Red Arrow, a brave warrior. He will wait three days to go with us to ca Mouse.”’ | “Why is he willing to do that?” I curi- ously asked. “He knows I will pay him. He will make a good trade,” was the evasive answer. Choke-cherry halted at the first hut and, as we rode up, he glared at me viciously and shouted something. The Pillager in- terpreted— | “TI know what stopped me from making peace with the Cheyennes.”’ “What was it?” I asked. “Bad medicine.” “What was the medicine?’ I knew what he would say before he spoke. “The hair of the white woman,” he grunted, switching his malignant gaze to Miss Dearness. | I warmly replied he was a fool and some other things, and that no treaty would be made with the Minnetarees when they took the Assiniboin snakes along with them. “My brother is a very wise man. We shall see,”’ he replied as he rode away. The girl had interpreted his look and had heard Flat Mouth’s Chippewa translation, and her hand was cold as ice as she rode GEomichboo S (E(0)