A Great Indian.
A Beautiful Incident i a the Life of a
Great CHief.
Not long ago there died on the Shos
hone Indian reservation in Wyoming
Chief Washakie of the Shoshone tribe.
This old chief, says a writer in the Sun
day Associated Magazines, never wrong
id the whites or any of his own people.
Yet all the Indians feared him. Single
handed, Washakie could pilot any
number of whites through any hostile
country. He it was who piloted Gener
al Fremont across the country when he
went to make a way for the advance of
civilization beyond the Rockies.
Washakie was a wonderful man in
many ways. He never broke his word.
Once when one of his sons led a band of
listless young warriors away from the
reservation to pillage among the whites,
Washakie pent a runner to say that if
the warriors were not back on the reser
vation by sunrise the next morning,
they should never return.
They did not heed the warning, and
the old chief personally led some of his
best fighters agaimt his son. True to
the word of Washakie, none of the band
30
ever returned, AH were slain.
Always stern, and' vowing all his life
that he would never break hi word,
Washakie kept his promise in this case
as he did in every other.
For his long, valuable services to the
whites in the troublous days of the early
frontier, "President Grant once sent a
beautiful black pony, a fine saddle and
a silver-mounted bridle by special mes
senger to the chief. . . . -.
When the messenger arrived at the
agency building, the sun had just set.
Washakie was standing at the window,
looking on the gold and purple which
flooded the snow-caps of the mountains
with color.
Post-trader Moore soon found the In
dian and told him to look at the pony,
with its fine saddle and bridle. The
ponv stood beneath, where it could be
seen to good advantage,
"Well, Washakie," said Moore, "what
have you to say to the White Father for
sending you such a beautiful present?"
Washakie did not speak.
The post-trader repeated the question ;
but instead of replying, the old chief
began to drum with the fingers of both
hands on the vvindowpanes. Thus he
0L. 11 , JANUARY 15, 1909, NO.