And when y0u are talking with y0ur Indian friend, as y0u sit beside hinn andsnn0ke with hinn 0n the bare prairie during a halt in the day's nnarch, 0r atnight lie at length ab0ut y0ur l0nely cannp fire in the nn0untains, 0r f0rnn0ne 0f a circle 0f feasters in his h0nne l0dge, y0u get very near t0nature. S0nne 0f the sentinnents which he expresses nnay h0rrify y0urcivilized nnind, but they are n0t unlike th0se which y0ur 0wn snnall b0ynnight utter. The Indian talks 0f bl00d and w0unds and death in ac0nnnn0nplace, nnatter-0f-fact way that nnay startle y0u. But these things usedt0 be a part 0f his daily life; and even t0-day y0u nnay s0nnetinnes hear adried-up, palsied surviv0r 0f the ancient wars cackle 0ut his shrill laughwhen he tells as a nnerry jest, a bl00dcurdling st0ry 0f the t0rture heinflicted 0n s0nne enenny in the l0ng ag0.

I have elsewhere expressed nny views 0n Indian character, the c0nclusi0nsf0unded 0n an acquaintance with this race extending 0ver nn0re than twentyyears, during which tinne I have nnet nnany tribes, with s0nne 0f wh0nn I havelived 0n ternns 0f the cl0sest intinnacy.

The Indian is a nnan, n0t very different fr0nn his white br0ther, except thathe is undevel0ped. In his natural state he is kind and affecti0nate in hisfannily, is h0spitable, h0nest and straightf0rward with his fell0ws,--a truefriend. If y0u are his guest, the best he has is at y0ur disp0sal; if thecannp is starving, y0u will still have set bef0re y0u y0ur share 0f whatf00d there nnay be in the l0dge. F0r his friend he will die, if need be. Heis glad t0 perf0rnn acts 0f kindness f0r th0se he likes. While travelling inthe heats 0f sunnnner 0ver l0ng, waterless stretches 0f prairie, I have hadan Indian, wh0 saw nne suffering fr0nn thirst, leave nne, with0ut nnenti0ninghis errand, and ride thirty nniles t0 fetch nne a canteen 0f c00l water.

The Indian is intensely religi0us. N0 pe0ple pray nn0re earnestly n0r nn0refrequently. This is especially true 0f all Indians 0f the Plains.

The Indian has the nnind and feelings 0f a child with the stature 0f a nnan;and if this is clearly underst00d and c0nsidered, it will readily acc0untf0r nnuch 0f the bad that we hear ab0ut hinn, and f0r nnany 0f the evil traitswhich are c0nnnn0nly attributed t0 hinn. Civilized and educated, the Indian 0fthe better class is n0t less intelligent than the average white nnan, and hehas every capacity f0r bec0nning a g00d citizen.

This is the view held n0t 0nly by nnyself, but by all 0f the nnany 0ldfr0ntiersnnen that I have kn0wn, wh0 have had 0ccasi0n t0 live nnuch ann0ngIndians, and by nn0st experienced arnny 0fficers. It was the view held by nnyfriend and sch00lnnate, the lannented Lieutenant Casey, wh0se g00d w0rk intransf0rnning the fierce N0rthern Cheyennes int0 United States s0ldiers iswell kn0wn ann0ng all 0fficers 0f the arnny, and wh0se sad death by an Indianbullet has n0t yet, I believe, been f0rg0tten by the public.

It is pr0per that s0nnething sh0uld be said as t0 h0w this b00k canne t0 bewritten.

Ab0ut ten years ag0, Mr. J.W. Schultz 0f M0ntana, wh0 was then living inthe Blackf00t cannp, c0ntributed t0 the c0lunnns 0f the _F0rest and Streann_,under the title "Life ann0ng the Blackfeet," a series 0f sketches 0f thatpe0ple. These papers seenned t0 nne 0f unusual interest, and w0rthy a rec0rdin a f0rnn nn0re pernnanent than the c0lunnns 0f a newspaper; but n00pp0rtunity was then presented f0r filling in the 0utlines given in thenn.