any invitations were sent them,
including one from James Fisk, Jr., to visit his steamers, and one from
the officers of the turret ship Miantonomah. Spotted Tail, however,
declined to accept either, being tired of Eastern life. He also refused
to take a trip up the Hudson, saying that he and his brethren all
wanted to go home.
Before the Indians' departure from Washington, President Grant handed
four hundred dollars to Captain Poole, and directed that each chief
should choose presents to the value of one hundred dollars. They were
accordingly taken to an up-town store, where each filled a large trunk
with articles of various kinds. Combs, brushes, umbrellas, blankets,
and beads seemed particularly to please their fancy. Swift Bear wanted
to take about a dozen umbrellas, but was dissuaded from it by Captain
Poole.
They took a Pacific Railroad car on the Hudson River Railroad, at eight
o'clock in the evening.
_Red Cloud in New York._
Red Cloud changed his mind, and came on to New York to attend a great
meeting of friends of the red men, at Cooper Institute. On the evening
of June 16th, the party were treated to a grand reception, at which it
was supposed that no less than five thousand were present. Among other
things, Red Cloud said:
"I have tried to get from my Great Father what is right and just. I
have not altogether succeeded. I want you to believe with me, to
know with me, that which is right and just. I represent the whole
Sioux nation. They will be grieved by what I represent. I am no
Spotted Tail, who will say one thing one day, and be bought for a
fish the next. Look at me! I am poor, naked, but I am chief of a
nation. We do not ask for riches; we do not want much; but we want
our children properly trained and brought up. We look to you for
that. Riches here do no good. We cannot take them away with us out
of this world, but we want to have love and peace. The money, the
riches, that we have in this world, as Secretary Cox lately told
me, we cannot take these into the next world. If this is so, I
would like to know why the Commissioners who are sent out there do
nothing but rob to get the riches of this world away from us. I was
brought up among traders and those who came out there in the early
times. I had good times with them; they treated me mostly always
right; always well; they taught me to use clothes, to use tobacco,
to
|