The morning following I told the men in the train of the generous
proposition which the Indians had made me, and told them if they
would furnish the Indians with bread they would keep them in meat.
I also told them that we were now in the most dangerous part of
the Sioux country, and that as long as those Indians were with us
we were in no danger whatever from the fact that when the Sioux
saw those Indians with us we were supposed to be their friends,
and they dare not trouble us in the least.
This, however, was more than agreeable to the entire train,
relieving the scouts of their duty, also the night guards. I made
arrangements with the Indians to travel three days, and we then
pulled out. Just when we were almost ready to start, one young
lady in the crowd said to me; "Captain, I want to ask you one
question, and will you tell me the truth?" I said: "Most assuredly
I will." She said: "I want to know whether it was true that when
you visited those Indians they always killed a dog and ate the
meat?"
I told her it was true as gospel, and said we always considered
dog meat the finest in the land, and only the chief and his most
intimate friends were able to afford dog meat. She said she was
astonished to hear me talk in such a manner. She said: "The most
laughable part of the proceedings the evening before was the
action of the darkey cook, Bab, who stood away back in the outer
edge of the crowd when you and those Indians were dancing.
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