entation
to the spirit or God. She greatly desired him to become a worthy leader
according to the ideas of her people. It appears that she left her
husband when he took a second wife, and lived with her own band till her
death. She did not marry again.

Little Crow was an intensely ambitious man and without physical fear. He
was always in perfect training and early acquired the art of warfare of
the Indian type. It is told of him that when he was about ten years old,
he engaged with other boys in a sham battle on the shore of a lake
near St. Paul. Both sides were encamped at a little distance from one
another, and the rule was that the enemy must be surprised, otherwise
the attack would be considered a failure. One must come within so many
paces undiscovered in order to be counted successful. Our hero had a
favorite dog which, at his earnest request, was allowed to take part in
the game, and as a scout he entered the enemy camp unseen, by the help
of his dog.

When he was twelve, he saved the life of a companion who had broken
through the ice by tying the end of a pack line to a log, then at great
risk to himself carrying it to the edge of the hole where his comrade
went down. It is said that he also broke in, but both boys saved
themselves by means of the line.

As a young man, Little Crow was always ready to serve his people as a
messenger to other tribes, a duty involving much danger and hardship.
He was also known as one of the best hunters in his band. Although still
young, he had already a war record when he became chief of the Kaposias,
at a time when the Sioux were facing the greatest and most far-reaching
changes that had ever come to them.

At this juncture in the history of the northwest and its native
inhabitants, the various fur companies had paramount influence. They
did not hesitate to impress the Indians with the idea that they were the
authorized representatives of the white races or peoples, and they were
quick to realize the desirability of controlling the natives through
their most influential chiefs. Little Crow became quite popular with
post traders and factors. He was an orator as well as a diplomat,
and one of the first of his nation to indulge in politics and promote
unstable schemes to the detriment of his people.

When the United States Government went into the business of acquiring
territory from the Indians so that the flood of western settlement might
not be checked, commissions were