[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.Others simply anticipated the journey s end and did notwish to delay the conclusion any longer.It had been more than a hundreddays since they had left their homes, and they had seen too much deathand suffering.It was time to come to a stop and begin to establish some232Chief Joseph & the Flight of the Nez Percekind of normal routine for the families, even if it was in an unfamiliarcountry among unfamiliar people.Joseph too looked forward to the rest.He had supported LookingGlass s decision to move slowly these last few days, but now it was time tofinish the journey.He had done his best to keep the camp together duringtheir ordeal and had counseled peace at every opportunity.Now, at last, akind of peace was at hand.He still held out hope that there were those in the white governmentwho would listen to reason once tempers cooled.From the safety of theOld Woman Country perhaps they could open dialogue with the white lawchiefs to explain what had happened.Perhaps, with the calming effects oftime and distance, those law chiefs could be made to understand that ithad been the young, rash warriors who had done the killing and that thepeople themselves had never killed wantonly but only when attacked.Theycould point out the humane way captives had been treated and how thepeople had resisted the temptation to strike back at innocent women andchildren, even though their own women and children had been brutallymurdered at the hands of the soldiers.Even the rash young warriors, withthe exception of their raid on the settlers of the Salmon River country, hadneither killed nor violated white women.What white army could say thesame about its soldiers treatment of Indian women?If there were good men among the white men, and he believed therewere, surely some reasonable resolution could be found, and the Nez Percecould return to their own country without fear of reprisal.At a minimum,he hoped they would be permitted to return to the reservation towardwhich they had been heading when the hostilities had broken out.But inhis heart he still dreamed of the Wallowa.He surveyed the activity in the early morning camp.The smell of coffeeand roasting buffalo meat sweetened the chill morning air.Packing wasgoing well and spirits were high.After a good breakfast, the people couldbegin this final journey over the wintry plains toward Sitting Bull and hispeople.With his elder daughter, Noise of Running Feet, he crossed the creek tothe horse herd.Joseph was proud of his daughter.She was just twelve butwell able to do a woman s work.He would leave her to bring their horsesback across the creek while he made sure that the rest of the people foundtheir mounts and got their families moving along the trail. Soldiers Are Coming 233They had just begun to ready the horses when they heard a strange stri-dent sound rising from back in camp.It was Wottolen, walking among thelodges shouting loudly.He had just awakened from a dream that had dis-turbed him deeply.In his sleep he had seen the very place where they werecamped.The sky had been dark with the smoke of battle, and the watersof the creek were running red with blood.He had even dressed and walkedout to see if this was the place in his vision.All was exactly as he haddreamed.Surely they were soon to be attacked.Wottolen s message caused a commotion in the camp.He was a man ofstrong medicine, and he had seen a vision before the battle at the Big Holeand the fight at the Clearwater.In both cases, his warnings had been ig-nored.And in both cases, death and suffering had followed.Now he waswarning the people again.But Looking Glass was having none of this.He quickly mounted hishorse and rode among the lodges instructing the people to stay calm. There is no need to rush, he shouted. Build fires.Cook breakfast.Givethe children time to eat.Afterward we will pack up and start moving.The camp was now filled with confusion.A man with strong medi-cine power was telling them to hurry while the man they had chosen astheir leader was telling them to go slowly.Many of the women begangathering their pots and blankets and tying them onto the pack animals.Other families splashed across the creek to gather their horses.Even ifthere was nothing to fear, this was sign enough that the time had cometo get moving.In the midst of the confusion, two scouts came riding into camp at fullrun.They had spent the night camped out in the open country with agroup of Walk-Around Sioux hunters. We have just seen buffalo stampeding, they shouted. Soldiers arecoming.This message confused the people even more [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]