The position of troops at the beginning of such an affair is always peculiarly difficult.The settlers round-about are sure to clamor bitterly against them,no matter what they do,on the ground that they are not thorough enough and are showing favor to the savages,while on the other hand,even if they fight purely in self-defence,a large number of worthy but weak-minded sentimentalists in the East are sure to shriek about their having brutally attacked the Indians.The war authorities always insist that they must not fire the first shot under any circumstances,and such were the orders at this time.The Crows on the hill-top showed a sullen and threatening front,and the troops advanced slowly towards them and then halted for a parley.Meanwhile a mass of black thunderclouds gathering on the horizon threatened one of those cloudbursts of extreme severity and suddenness so characteristic of the plains country.While still trying to make arrangements for a parley,a horseman started out of the Crow ranks and galloped headlong down towards the troops.It was the medicine chief,Sword-Bearer.He was painted and in his battle-dress,wearing his war-bonnet of floating,trailing eagle feathers,while the plumes of the same bird were braided in the mane and tail of his fiery little horse.On he came at a gallop almost up to the troops and then began to circle around them,calling and singing and throwing his crimson sword into the air,catching it by the hilt as it fell.Twice he rode completely around the soldiers,who stood in uncertainty,not knowing what to make of his performance,and expressly forbidden to shoot at him.Then paying no further heed to them he rode back towards the Crows.It appears that he had told them that he would ride twice around the hostile force,and by his incantations would call down rain from heaven,which would make the hearts of the white men like water,so that they should go back to their homes.Sure enough,while the arrangements for the parley were still going forward,down came the cloudburst drenching the command and making the ground on the hills in front nearly impassable;and before it dried a courier arrived with orders to the troops to go back to camp.
This fulfilment of Sword-Bearer's prophecy of course raised his reputation to the zenith and the young men of the tribe prepared for war,while the older chiefs,who more fully realized the power of the whites,still hung back.When the troops next appeared they came upon the entire Crow force,the women and children with their tepees being off to one side beyond a little stream while almost all the warriors of the tribe were gathered in front.Sword-Bearer started to repeat his former ride,to the intense irritation of the soldiers.Luckily,however,this time some of his young men could not be restrained.They too began to ride near the troops,and one of them was unable to refrain from firing on Captain Edwards'troop,which was in the van.
This gave the soldiers their chance.They instantly responded with a volley,and Captain Edwards'troop charged.The fight lasted but a minute or two,for Sword-Bearer was struck by a bullet and fell,and as he had boasted himself invulnerable,and promised that his warriors should be invulnerable also if they would follow him,the hearts of the latter became as water and they broke in every direction.One of the amusing,though irritating,incidents of the affair was to see the plumed and painted warriors race headlong for the camp,plunge into the stream,wash off their war paint,and remove their feathers;in another moment they would be stolidly sitting on the ground,with their blankets over their shoulders,rising to greet the pursuing cavalry with unmoved composure and calm assurance that they had always been friendly and had much disapproved the conduct of the young bucks who had just been scattered on the field outside.It was much to the credit of the discipline of the army that no bloodshed followed the fight proper.The loss to the whites was small.
The other incident,related by Lieutenant Pitcher,took place in 1890,near Tongue River,in northern Wyoming.The command with which he was serving was camped near the Cheyenne Reservation.One day two young Cheyenne bucks,met one of the government herders,and promptly killed him--in a sudden fit,half of ungovernable blood lust,half of mere ferocious lightheartedness.They then dragged his body into the brush and left it.The disappearance of the herder of course attracted attention,and a search was organized by the cavalry.At first the Indians stoutly denied all knowledge of the missing man;but when it became evident that the search party would shortly find him,two or three of the chiefs joined them,and piloted them to where the body lay;and acknowledged that he had been murdered by two of their band,though at first they refused to give their names.The commander of the post demanded that the murderers be given up.The chiefs said that they were very sorry,that this could not be done,but that they were willing to pay over any reasonable number of ponies to make amends for the death.This offer was of course promptly refused,and the commander notified them that if they did not surrender the murderers by a certain time he would hold the whole tribe responsible and would promptly move out and attack them.Upon this the chiefs,after holding full counsel with the tribe,told the commander that they had no power to surrender the murderers,but that the latter had said that sooner than see their tribe involved in a hopeless struggle they would of their own accord come in and meet the troops anywhere the latter chose to appoint,and die fighting.To this the commander responded:"All right;let them come into the agency in half an hour."The chiefs acquiesced,and withdrew.
