“And when the fire-water of the white man has maddened the senses of the Dahcotah, so that the blow of his war club falls upon his wife instead of his enemy, even then the Dahcotah woman must live and suffer on.”  “But, Chequered Cloud, the spirit of the Dahcotah watches over the body which remains on earth.  Did you not say the soul went to the house of spirits?”

“The Dahcotah has four souls,” replied the old woman; “one wanders about the earth, and requires food; another protects the body; the third goes to the Land of Spirits, while the fourth forever hovers around his native village.”

“I wish,” said I, “that you would believe in the God of the white people.  You would then learn that there is but one soul, and that that soul will be rewarded for the good it has done in this life, or punished for the evil.”

“The Great Spirit,” she replied, “is the God of the Dahcotah.  He made all things but thunder and wild rice.  When we do wrong we are punished in this world.  If we do not live up to the laws of our forefathers, the spirits of the dead will punish us.  We must keep up the customs of our tribe.  If we are afraid that the thunder will strike us, we dance in honor of it, and destroy its power.  Our great medicine feasts are given in honor of our sacred medicine, which will not only heal the sick, but will preserve us in danger; and we make feasts for the dead.

“Our children are taught to do right.  They are not to injure one who has not harmed them; but where is the Dahcotah who will not rejoice as he takes the life of his enemy?”

“But,” said I, “you honor the thunder, and yet it strikes you.  What is the thunder, and where does it come from?”

“Thunder is a large bird, flying through the air; its bright tracks are seen in the heavens, before you hear the clapping of its wings.  But it is the young ones who do the mischief.  The parent bird would not hurt a Dahcotah.  Long ago a thunder bird fell dead from the heavens; and our fathers saw it as it lay not far from Little Crow’s village.

“It had a face like a Dahcotah warrior, with a nose like an eagle’s bill.  Its body was long and slender, its wings were large, and on them was painted the lightning.  Our warriors were once out hunting in the winter, when a terrible storm came on, and a large thunder bird descended to the earth, wearing snow-shoes; he took but a few steps and then rose up, leaving his tracks in the snow.  That winter our hunters killed many bears.”

TAH-WE-CHU-KIN;

THE WIFE.

* * * * *

In February, 1837, a party of Dahcotahs (Warpetonian) fell in with Hole-in-the-Day, and his band.  When Chippeways and Dahcotahs meet there is generally bloodshed; and, however highly Hole-in-the-Day may be esteemed as a warrior, it is certain that he showed great treachery towards the Dahcotahs on many occasions.