Chapter 13 12. Montenegro War

1875 On May 1, 238 members of the Whiskey Gang were indicted in the indictment for domestic revenue tax fraud, involving senior government officials.On December 6, the 44th Congress convened, and for the first time since 1859, Democrats took control of the House of Representatives. 1876 On February 7, President Grant's confidential secretary, Bob Coker, was acquitted in the Whiskey Gang fraud case, but Grant was dismissed.On March 4, the U.S. Congress passed a bill to impeach Army Secretary Belknap for his involvement in the Indian gang fraud case.On May 10, the Centennial Exhibition opened in Philadelphia.On June 11, the Republican Party nominated Hayes as their presidential candidate.On July 27, the Democratic Party nominated Dilton as their presidential candidate.On July 9, in Hamburg, South Carolina, a massacre of black volunteers occurred.On August 1, Colorado joined the Union as the thirty-eighth state.In September, Edison opens a laboratory in Monroe Park, New Jersey.On September 17, a race war broke out in South Carolina.On November 7, both parties declared victory in the presidential election, with Dearton winning in the popular vote.On December 6 the Electoral College met and voted. Hayes received 185 votes and Dearton 184.

No white man shall be permitted to inhabit or occupy any part of this district; or to pass through it without the consent of the Indians. Treaty of 1868 We don't want white people here, Montenegro belongs to me, and if the white people want to take them away, I'm going to fight. sitting bull chief One does not sell the land where common people walk. mad horse chief The white people in Montenegro right now are like maggots, I want you to drive them out as soon as possible.Last summer the chief of all the robbers (General Coster) built a road into Montenegro, and I demand compensation from the elders for the damage that Coster has done.

good baptized chief This famous place, Black Mountain, is considered by the Indians as the center of their land, and the ten tribes of the Sioux all regard it as the center of their land. Chief Benben The boys of the elders, are going to carry the gold from the hills, and I expect them to fill many horses with gold.Thinking of this, I want my people to be supported as long as they deserve to live. two bear chiefs The patriarchs have told the peace committee that all Indians have rights in Montenegro and should be respected no matter what the Indians themselves decide. , because I followed the advice of the white man.

silly dog ​​chief Our parents had a big safe, and we have one too.This mountain is our safe, this black mountain, we want 70 million gold and oceans, and if we put this money somewhere to generate interest, we can use the interest to buy livestock. This is the white man's way. Spotted Bear Chief You have put all our heads together and covered them with bed blankets.That mountain is our wealth, but you have been asking us for you white people, all of you have entered our reserved area and took our property at will. The safe is taken away in its entirety. dead eye chief I never want to leave this hometown. All my relatives are lying in the ground here.

wolf collar chief We've sat down and watched them go by here to get the gold away without saying a word, my friends, when I went to Washington, I went into your money bank, and some young men accompanied me, but there was no one Take the money out.At the same time, your elders came to our hometown, entered our money bank (Montenegro), and went out with money. Chief Manden Dear friends, we have been in this area of ​​hometown for many, many years, but we never go to the hometown of our patriarch and bother him for anything.But his people came to our hometown to disturb us, did a lot of bad things, and taught our people to do bad things. Before your people crossed the ocean to come to this land, from that time to this time, you never proposed to buy a place Richness equals the land here, friends, this land you are buying is the best of all our land This land is mine, I grew up here, my ancestors lived here, died here, I would like to stay here.

Crowfeather Chief You have driven our game, our sustenance, from this region until there is nothing of value left for us but these mountains.You also ask us to give up the land full of all kinds of mineral deposits, and the ground is covered with tall pine forests. When we give these up to the elders, we know that we have given up the last thing that is valuable to us, or to the white people. something. Chief White Rabbit When the prairie is on fire, you see wild animals trapped by the fire, and they run away, trying to hide themselves so they don't get burned, and that's what we're doing here now.

Surround the chief After Red Cloud, Madaratail, and their Titasu tribe settled on the reservation in northern Nebraska, rumors spread among the white population that there was a lot of gold hidden in the Black Hills.Baha Shaba Montenegro is the center of the world, the residence and holy place of the gods, and it is also the place where the warriors go to talk to the great gods and wait for the spirits to appear.In 1868, the patriarchs deemed the mountains worthless and gave them to the Indians in a treaty forever and ever.Four years later the white miners broke the treaty and trespassed into Baha Shaba, seeking rocky passes and clear streams for the yellow metal that drove the white man mad.The Indians killed or drove off these mad whites as soon as they found them entering their holy mountain.Before 1874, the Americans who were eager for gold quarreled for a long time, and the army was ordered to form a search force to enter Montenegro. Invaded, although the treaty of 1868 forbade whites from entering without permission from the Indians.

In the red cherry month, more than a thousand soldiers on horseback set off from Fort Lincoln, crossed the prairie, and drove towards the Black Mountain. They were the Seventh Cavalry Regiment, and the one riding in front of the troops was General Coster. That is, the Paixing chief who massacred the blamed Nan Sai'an people in the Vasita River in 1868.The Sioux called him long-haired, and because there was no notice of his arrival, they could only watch from a distance as the cavalry in blue uniforms and the column of supply caravans covered with canvas invaded their holy place. When Red Cloud heard about the long-haired expedition, he objected: I don't like General Coster and all his troops entering Montenegro, because that area belongs to the Sioux Agrale tribe.The strong anger of the Indians made the patriarch Grant announce his decision: as long as the laws and treaties guarantee that it belongs to the Indians, it is necessary to prevent all people from trespassing and intruding into this area.

However, when Coster reported that the mountain area was full of gold from the grass roots down, the white people, like summer locusts, began to form small groups and started digging for gold like crazy.The driveway that Coster's supply convoy had opened up into Bahasaba immediately became a highway for theft. That summer, Red Cloud and Savile, the manager of the reservation, had a quarrel because of the poor quality of the rations distributed to the Agrale tribe.With these things in mind, Hongyun didn't judge the impact of Coster's trespassing on the Black Mountain, especially those Indians who would leave the reservation every spring to hunt and camp near the Black Mountain.Like many other elderly leaders, Hong Yun was too busy with trivial matters and lost touch with the younger clansmen.

In the autumn after the Coster expedition, the Sioux who had been hunting in the north began to return to the Hongyun Management Office.They resented trespassing on Baha Shaba like a swarm of bumblebees, and some spoke of forming a battalion to go back and chase those gold-miners who swarmed into the hills.Hong Yun listened to these remarks, but warned the young people to be patient. He assured that the elders would keep their word and send soldiers to drive the miners away.However, in Falling Leaf Moon, something happened that made Hong Yun realize how angry the young people of the clan were towards the long-haired soldiers.On the 22nd of October, the Saville administrator sent some white men to work, felled a tall pine tree, and carried the trunk back to the pen.Seeing the trunk of the pine tree lying on the ground, the Indian asked Savile what to do with it.Flagpole, the warden told them he was going to hoist a flag in the fence, and the Indians protested, the long-haired Koster hoisted the flag in the camp as he passed through the Black Hills; There's a flag or anything in the administration office that reminds them of GIs.

Saville didn't take this kind of protest to heart. Early the next morning, he asked someone to dig a hole to bury the flagpole. A few minutes later, a group of young warriors came with tomahawks and chopped the flagpole into pieces. .Savile ordered them to stop, but they ignored them, and the superintendent strode over to Red Cloud's office, begging him to stop the fighters.Hong Yun refused; he knew that the soldiers were just venting their resentment over the long-haired invasion of Montenegro. Saville was so angry that he ordered a workman to ride to Big Soldiers (Fort Robinson) and asked for a company of cavalry to rescue him.The demonstrators saw the workman galloping towards the fort, guessed his mission, hurried back to his tent camp, armed and painted for battle, and went to intercept the cavalry.Only twenty-six cavalry came, led by a lieutenant; the soldiers circled them in circles, firing empty guns into the sky, shouting and shouting to kill.The lieutenant (Crawford) showed no sign of timidity, and he made his soldiers march steadily towards the management post through the billows of dust raised by the circling soldiers.Some young warriors began to gallop in circles, colliding with Brother Bing's horse with their mounts, determined to start a fight. But this time, it was not another cavalry company that rushed to the rescue of Lieutenant Crawford, but a group of Sioux from the management office, and they were led by Paomalang, the son of Paomaun.The Indians from the management station broke through the circle of soldiers, formed a parapet around the blue uniforms, and escorted them to the pen.However, the soldiers who were eager to fight were still furious and wanted to burn down the fence with a torch. It was only because of the verbal persuasion of Red Dog and Paomalang that they stopped the demonstration. Red Cloud refused to intervene again this time. Many protesting Indians packed their bags, removed their cones, and started heading north. He was not surprised that they would spend the winter outside the reservation.They proved that they were still Sioux fighters, and that any violation of the Baha Shaba would not be taken lightly; however, Red Cloud clearly did not understand that he was losing these young men forever and ever, and they rejected his plan. Leader, because whether it is Sitting Bull or Crazy Horse, they never live in the reservation area, or ask white people for a meal. Before the spring of 1875, the legend about the Black Mountain gold attracted hundreds of thousands of gold miners, up the Missouri River, to the Stealing Highway.The Army sent troops to stem the influx of these prospectors, and a few were evicted from the mountains, but no legal action was taken against them, and they immediately went back to mining in their own fields.General Kruger (the Plains Indians call him Three Stars, not Gray Wolf.) sent troops to search the Montenegro area, and found that there were more than a thousand gold miners in this area. Three Stars politely told them to leave, but he He made little effort to carry out his orders. Red Cloud and Madarabi panicked over the white man's gold rush and the Army's failure to defend their territory, and lodged a strong protest with officials in Washington.The patriarchs responded by immediately dispatching a subcommittee to deal with the ceding of Montenegro with the Sioux Indians.In other words, the time had come to take away land that had been permanently assigned to the Indians.Also as usual, the committee was composed of politicians, clergy, traders and military officers, and was chaired by Senator Allison of Iowa; The pastor is the main representative of the church.General Tan Li represented the military; Collins, a trader in the Fort Laramie, represented the interests of the merchants. In order to make sure that the word could be spoken to the non-management and management Indians, Fast Legs was sent to invite Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and other wild chiefs to a meeting.The second son, Richard, brought the government letter to Sitting Bull and read it to him.I want you to tell the elders, Sitting Bull replied: I don't want to sell the land to the government.He grabbed a handful of dirt and added: Not even that much.Crazy Horse also opposed the sale of Sioux land, especially Black Mountain.He would not attend the meeting, but the young man would attend as an observer of the Free Sioux Agrale Tribe. If the members of the meeting expected that this meeting would be just a quiet meeting with a few well-behaved chiefs to make a cheap deal, they would inevitably be surprised.The place where they arrived at the meeting was on the Baihe River Plain between the Hongyun and Madarawei management offices, and there were densely packed Sioux camps, with large herds of horses grazing grass.From the Missouri River in the east to the Big Horn River in the west, all the tribes of the Sioux, as well as many people from their friends, the Sai'an and Orapaho, gathered there, and there were more than 20,000 Indians. Few of them have ever seen a copy of the Treaty of 1868, but many, many remember the significance of certain chapters of this sacred treaty: Part of the cession treaty, has no effect unless it is ratified and signed by at least three-quarters of all adult male Indians, and the same is true for residence or property.Even if these commissioners could intimidate, or entice each chief with gifts, it would be impossible to obtain the signatures of a few dozen of these tens of thousands of angry and well-armed warriors determined to hold every chief in their domain. Every pinch of dirt, every blade of grass. On September 20, 1875, in a solitary aspen grove on the gently rolling plain, under the shadow of a large oilcloth hung on the side of the forest, the committee met.The commissioners each had their own chairs, facing the tens of thousands of restless Indians within this distance.A company of white horse cavalry, one hundred and twenty officers and soldiers, came one after another from Fort Robinson, and lined up behind the shadow of the canvas.Madarao sat in a cart and drove from his management office, but Hongyun had already said that he would not come.A few chiefs wandered in, and at this moment, dust rose from the top of the highland in the distance, and a stream of Indians galloped down to the side of the meeting shed.These soldiers are all dressed in combat gear. When they approached, they turned a circle around the negotiating committee members, fired the rifles in their hands into the air, let out a few roars, then rode their horses away from the circle, and followed closely behind. The cavalry lined up behind them.At this time, the second group of Indians also arrived, and the Sioux warriors came one tribe after another, showing off their strength, until thousands of Indians surrounded the meeting place.Only then did the chiefs come forward, very satisfied that they had given the councilors some very powerful gestures to make them think.The chiefs sat in a semicircle across from these nervous white men, eager to hear what had to be said about Black Mountain. During the few days at Fort Robinson, the commissioners had been watching the mood of the Indians, and seeing the futility of trying to buy the mountains, they had decided to turn to gold rights.We now beg you, whether you would like to give our people the right to mine in Montenegro, Senator Allison was the first to speak: as long as gold or other precious metals are found in a considerable amount, if you are willing, We can negotiate a price with you for this right.After the gold or other precious metals are mined, this area will still be yours, and you can dispose of it in whatever way you want. Madarao took his suggestion as a ludicrous joke, wasn't the commissioner begging the Indians to lend them Black Mountain for a while?His answer was to ask Senator Allison if he could lend him a group of mules on these terms. It will be very difficult for our government to prevent white people from entering the mountains. Allison continued: If you want to do this, you and the government will definitely cause a lot of trouble, because there are too many white people who want to go there.In his subsequent proposal, the senator could see that he had no idea how the Plains Sioux felt about the Powder River area: there was an area over there, far beyond the sunset, where you nomad and hunted, and that area still existed. There is no cession, and it extends all the way to the top of the Big Horn Mountain. It seems that there is not much value or use for you.Our people are thinking, they'd love to have that part of what I've said. While interpreting Senator Allison's incredible request, Red Dog galloped up and announced that he had a letter from Red Cloud. The absent chief of the Agrale tribe, perhaps anticipating the greed of these negotiators, demanded A week's adjournment gave the nations time to meet themselves to decide on all proposals concerning their lands.With this in mind, the commissioners agreed to give the Indians three days to hold a meeting of the various races.On September 23rd, they expected a definite answer from the chiefs. The chiefs thought the idea of ​​abandoning their last hunting grounds so preposterous that no one in their meetings discussed it.But the question of Montenegro was indeed hotly debated, with some theorizing that if the U.S. government did not intend to keep the treaty and keep the white miners away, then perhaps the Indians should demand a lot for the yellow metal that was taken from the mountains. A lot of money.Others are categorically not selling at any price.They insisted that Montenegro belonged to the Indians, and that if the blue uniformed soldiers did not drive out the gold diggers, then the soldiers should. On September 23, the commissioners set off from Fort Robinson in a military ambulance, escorted by a more or less reinforced company of cavalry, and arrived at this meeting shed again.Hong Yun arrived early, and he protested aggressively against the large number of soldiers.Just as he was about to make his first speech to the committee members, there was a commotion among the soldiers far away.About three hundred warriors from the Agrale tribe from the Powder River area rode down the hill, occasionally firing shots, and some sang a Sioux song: Montenegro is my land, I love Montenegro; Whoever interferes, Just shoot me. An Indian rode a black horse and squeezed through the crowd of warriors outside the canvas shed. He was the special envoy of Crazy Horse, and he was ready to fight with his upper body naked, and he wore two runners around his waist. pistol.He yelled: Which chief speaks first to sell Montenegro, I will kill him!He made his mount dance in the space between the commissioner and the chief. Fearing Ma Lang and a group of unofficial policemen from the Sioux tribe, they immediately surrounded the young man and sent him away.However, both the committee members and the chief must have guessed what the young man said, representing the feelings of most of the soldiers present.General Tan Li suggested to the members of the meeting to go to the military ambulance and return to Fort Robinson for safety. After allowing the Indians to calm down for a few days, the committee members quietly arranged to have a meeting with twenty chiefs in the headquarters of the Hongyun Management Office.During the three days of speeches, the chiefs made it clear to the representatives of the elders that if there is any price, Montenegro cannot buy it cheaply.Madarao became more and more impatient with these committee members and asked them to submit a definite bid number in writing. The price they paid was $400,000 per year for mining rights.If the Sioux is willing to sell out, the bid is $6 million, paid in installments over 15 years. (That's really a bargain price, just consider that one of the mines in Montenegro alone can produce more than half a billion dollars in gold.) At the last meeting, Red Cloud didn't even show up, leaving Madarao to speak on behalf of all the Sioux.Madarao resolutely rejected both offers, and Montenegro neither borrowed nor sold. Several committee members packed their bags and returned to Washington to report on their failure to persuade the Sioux to sell the Montenegro. They suggested that Congress disregard the wishes of the Indians and appropriate a sum of money equal to the equivalent value of the mountainous area.This kind of forced acquisition of Montenegro, they said: to the Indians, this is a foregone conclusion. This was the beginning of a chain of operations that would lead to the greatest defeat the United States Army had ever fought against the Indians and, in the end, destroy the freedom of the Northern Plains Indians forever and ever. On November 9, 1975, the Legislative Bureau made a special inspection of Witkin and submitted a report to the director, saying that the Plains Indians living outside the reserved area had food, well-armed, proud and independent attitudes; Therefore, it is a threat to the system of reserved areas.Witkin's inspection suggested that cavalry should be sent out as soon as possible in winter to attack these uncivilized Indians and beat them into submission. On November 22, 1875, Minister of War Beckner warned of trouble in the Montenegrin mountains: unless measures were taken, the white gold miners would take ownership of the area, which had already been reported to be rich in precious metals. Strongly attracted to white people. On December 3, 1975, Smith, the director of the Bureau of Liberation, ordered the administrators of the Sioux and Sai'an tribes to notify all Indians outside the reserved area to return to the territory before January 31, 1876. report to the district, otherwise military force will be dispatched to enforce it. On February 1, 1876, the Secretary of the Interior informed the Secretary of the Army that the time had come for informing the opposition of the Indians, and that they were therefore referred to the military authorities for such action as the Army considered appropriate under circumstances. On February 7, 1876, the Department of War authorized General Sheridan, Commander of the Mississippi Army District, to launch an operation to attack the Indian rebels, including groups led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. On February 8, 1876, General Sheridon ordered General Krueger and General Tan Li to prepare for the battle in the direction of the source of the Powder River, Tongue River, Rosebud River, and Big Horn River. That area is where Crazy Horse and his allies The place where the clan frequents. The machinery of government, once in motion, is a ruthless force, unconscious and elusive.In mid-December, when the management offices sent out quick legs to warn the chiefs outside the area to return to the area, heavy snow was covering the northern part of the Great Plains.The blizzard and severe cold prevented even some of the messengers from returning, and they did not return to the management office until several weeks after the deadline on January 31.It is equally impossible, then, to remove women and children by means of horses and drag poles.Even if a few thousand rebels managed to reach the administration posts, they would starve to death there. Food supplies were so scarce during the winter on the reservation that hundreds of thousands of Indians left in March. In the reserved area, go to the north to search for prey to supplement the lack of rations issued by the government. In January, a messenger found that Sitting Bull was camping at the mouth of the Powder River. The chief of the Hankbaba tribe asked him to go back to the management office, saying that he would consider the order to return to the area, but it would not be the month when the grass grows taller. 【Annotation in June】He couldn't do it. The Crazy Horse's Agrale Tribe are at their winter camp near Bear Peak, where the Stealing Road enters the Black Mountains from the north.In the spring it is a good place to form raiding parties against those gold diggers who are blaspheming Baha Shaba.When the messengers of the management office were looking for a way to Crazy Horse in the heavy snow, he politely told them that he would not be able to leave the mountain until the cold passed.It was very cold that year, and a young Aglale man later recalled: Many of us died in the snow, and many of our horses died in the snow; The ultimatum on January 31 was just a small, rough declaration of war to the independent Indians, and many Indians also accepted it as a war letter.But they didn't expect that the blue army uniform's attack would come so quickly.In the snow blind month (February), the three-star Kruger has marched northward from Fort Fetterman along the old Bozeman Road. That route is ten years ago. The red cloud launched a tenacious battle to make the Powder River area sacred The place. About this same time, a mixed stream of Indians from the Northern Saiyan and Sioux Agrale tribes left the Red Cloud Administration for the Powder River area, where they hoped to find a few bison and antelope.Around the middle of March, they joined the non-reservation Indians camped there a few kilometers into the Little Powder River.The leaders of the Sai'an tribe are Eryue, Little Wolf, Old Bear, Maple Tree and White Bull. The chief of the Agrale tribe is Low Dog. Some of the warriors with him are from the village of Crazy Horse in the north. At dawn on March 17, without notice, Kruger's advance guard, under the command of Colonel Renault, attacked the peaceful camp.The Indians thought there was nothing to be afraid of in their hometown. When Captain Yi Gang's white horse cavalry company charged into the village of Cone Screen in a company formation, they were still asleep when they fired their pistols and lances at the same time.At this same moment another company of cavalry came in from the right flank, and a third company swept across the Indian horses. The initial reaction of the soldiers was to keep as many women and children as possible out of the way of the soldiers who were shooting desperately from all directions.The old man staggered away from the range of the guns whistling between the cones, and the wooden legs said afterwards: The warriors grabbed whatever weapons they had in hand to defend against the attack.As the non-combatants began to climb a rough hillside, the fighters took positions on ledges, behind boulders, where they held off the soldiers until the women and children could escape the Powder River. We saw the destruction of our village from afar, and Wooden Leg said: Our cone screen and everything inside were burnt, and I have nothing left except the clothes on my body.The blue uniforms destroyed all the dry beef and saddles in the camp, and drove off almost all the Indian horses, numbering between twelve hundred and fifteen hundred.As soon as it was dark, the soldiers went back to the place where the blue uniforms were camped, determined to get back the stolen horses. After two months, what happened is stated succinctly: the soldier slept that night and shut the horses aside; So we crawled over, stole them back again, and left. Three Star Kruger was furious with Colonel Raynor for first allowing the Indians to escape from the village, and then for stealing the horses back, and ordered him to be court-martialed.The army reported that this time it was an attack on the village of Crazy Horse, but Crazy Horse's camp was many kilometers to the northeast.It was also Liangyue and his chief who led the homeless people, hoping to get a place to eat and live there.They walked for three days during this journey, and the temperature at night was below freezing. Only a few Indians had cowhide robes, and they ate very little. Crazy Horse received these refugees graciously, fed them and clothed them, and found a place for them to stay in the cone of Agrale.I'm glad you're here, he said to Two Months after hearing the blue uniforms looting the village: We're ready to fight the whites again. Okay, Liang Yue replied: I am also going to fight, and I am already fighting. My people have been killed and my horse has been stolen. Fighting is just what I want. In the month when the geese were laying eggs, the grass was tall and the horses were strong. Crazy Horse withdrew from the camp and led the Agrale tribe and the Sai'an tribe northward to the mouth of the Tongue River, where Sitting Bull and the Hank Baba tribe had camped since the winter.A little later the Lame Deer also arrived with a party of the Miniconyo, and asked permission to camp nearby.They had heard all about the Blue Uniforms marching into the Sioux hunting territories and wanted to be a little closer to Sitting Bull's mighty Hank Baba tribe in case of any trouble. As the weather warmed up, the tribes began to migrate north to find game and young grass.Among the tribes joined along the way were the Burning, Bowless, Blackfoot, and a few Saiyans.Most of these Indians left the reservation in accordance with their treaty rights to hunt.Those who heard the January 31st ultimatum either thought it was just another useless threat from the surrogates of the patriarchs, or they did not believe it would be done to the peaceful Indians.Many young people couldn't wait to fight against the soldiers. Sai'an warrior Wooden Leg said: But the chiefs and the elderly are all forcing us to stay away from the whites. When the thousands of Indians camped at the Rosebud River, they were joined by many young warriors from the reservation.They brought the news that the large troops in blue uniforms were marching from three directions.The three-star Kruger came from the south, the lame man (Colonel Gibbon) advanced from the west, and the one-star Tan Li and the long-haired Coster marched from the east. At the beginning of the long fat month, the Hank Baba tribe held their annual sun dance, and Sitting Bull danced for three days, making himself bleed and staring at the sun until he lost his mind.In the spirit image he saw, he heard a voice shouting: I give you all these people, because they have no ears.He raised his eyes to the sky, and saw the soldiers falling like locusts, their heads down, their caps scattered, and they were falling into the Indian camp.Because the white man has no ears and refuses to listen, the Great God gave these soldiers to the Indians to kill. A few days later, a hunting party of the Sai'an tribe saw a column in blue uniforms and camped in the Rosebud River Valley for the night.The hunters galloped back to camp, howling like wolves to signal the danger, and when the three stars came, he hired the Crows and the Sauna Indians as mercenaries to scout the horses, and to act as scouts ahead of his cavalry. The chiefs sent messengers to spread the word in their own villages, and then hurriedly held a meeting.During the meeting, it was decided that about half of the soldiers would be left to defend the village, while the rest would march forward at night and attack the three-star soldiers as early as the next morning.The formed combat team consisted of about a thousand Sai'an and Sioux people, and a few women followed along, bringing backup horses to help out.Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Two Moon were among the leaders in the fight, and before dawn they unsaddled and rested for a while before turning away from the river and riding across the hills. The three-star crow clan inspector had already told him that there was a huge Sioux village in the lower reaches of the Rosebud River, and the general sent these mercenaries out early in the morning.When these Crows rode over a mountain and descended, they happened to bump into warriors from the Sioux and Sai'an tribes.At first, the Susai and the Crows chased the crows in all directions, but the blue uniforms started to come quickly, and the soldiers retreated. Crazy Horse has been waiting for a long time for the opportunity to test himself in the fierce battle with the blue army uniform. He has been studying the soldiers for so long since he fought against Feltman in Fort Felkini. and their methods of warfare.Every time he entered Montenegro, he searched for the spirit statue, and he asked the great god to grant him a magic power. Once the white people attacked his people again, he knew how to lead the Agrale tribe to victory.From an early age, Crazy Horse knew that life in this world was but a shadow of the real world.To enter the real world, he has to dream, and when he is in the real world, everything seems to be floating and jumping.In this real world, the mount jumps too, as if mad, mad, and because of that, he calls himself Crazy Horse.He also knew that if he had dreamed of entering this real world before the war, he could have endured everything. On this day, June 17, 1876, Crazy Horse dreamed that he had entered the real world; he also showed the Sioux how to do many things that had never been done before when fighting against the white soldiers. Things that haven't been done.When Kruger sent his horsemen to charge forward on horseback, the Sioux did not rush forward into the lance fire, but moved away to the flanks, attacking the weak points in their ranks.Crazy Horse kept the soldiers on the saddle, moving from one point to another. Before the sun was at its peak, he had already involved all the soldiers in three separate battles. The blue uniform was used to forming Skirmish lines and a strong front, but Crazy Horse didn't let them fight that way, which threw them into chaos.The Sioux rode fast horses and made many penetrating charges, which scattered the soldiers, always on the defensive.藍軍服的火力一猛烈，蘇族人就向後撤，惹得一些大兵放馬來追，然後便向他們猛撲。 這一天賽安族人也大顯身手，尤其是在各項危險的衝鋒上，在望的酋長更是最勇猛的一個，可是他在一次向大兵側翼衝殺過後，撥轉馬頭離開時，馬兒吃打翻在藍軍服的步兵陣線前面。猛可地一騎馬從賽安族人陣地疾馳而出，一個急轉彎，掩護著在望的酋長免於大兵的火力，一眨眼的工夫，在望的酋長已經騎在那一騎的後面了，這個救兵是隨隊伍前來照料馬群的、在望的酋長妹妹犢路女。這也就是何以賽安族人永遠記得住這一仗少女救兄之戰，白人卻管這一仗稱為玫瑰蓓蕾河之役。 金烏西墜，這一戰也結束；印第安人曉得，他們已經給了三星一頓好打；但是一直到第二天早晨，他們才曉得把藍軍服打得多麼慘。在第一抹曙色裡，蘇族和賽安族的探馬沿著山嶺出動，見到藍軍服大隊人馬正在向遠遠的南面撤退。克魯格將軍正撤回到雁溪的基地營房裡去，去等待吉朋、譚禮、或寇斯特的增援部隊或者消息，光一支縱隊的兵力，不是玫瑰蓓蕾溪強大印第安人的敵手嘛。 在玫瑰蓓蕾溪這一仗打了以後，酋長們便決定向西遷營，到油草河（小大角河）河谷裡去。探馬先前來到，帶來了消息，說在那裡的西面有大批的羚羊群，又說在附近河岸臺地上，給馬兒吃的草非常豐富。立刻，營地圈便沿著油草河西岸綿延幾達五公里。沒有人能肯定曉得有多少印第安人在那裡，但是人數不可能在一萬人以下，其中包括了戰士三千人到四千人。黑麋說道：那真是一處大村落，你根本沒法兒數得清錐幕。 上游最遠處向南的位置是蘇族漢克巴巴部落，附近是蘇族黑腳部落。漢克巴巴部落紮營，一向是在營地區的入口，或者營地圈的開端，這也是他們這個部落名稱的意義。他們下面是無弓部落、米尼康約部落、阿格拉勒部落和燃燒部落，最北面便是賽安族。 這時，正是櫻桃成熟月月初，天氣熱得足以使孩子們到油草河中流著的溶化雪水裡游泳了，在大角山這個方向，打獵隊來來去去，他們在山上發現了羚羊以外，還發現了少數的野牛，婦女們在草原上挖野蘿蔔。每天晚上，總有一個部落以上的營地舉行舞蹈，有好幾個晚上，酋長們見面開會。各族的酋長以平等地位在一起見面，木腿說道：唯有一位被認為是高於一切酋長的人，那就是坐牛，承認他是連營中所有各族的老酋長。 玫瑰蓓蕾溪打了勝仗，坐牛並不認為是應驗了他所說過，大兵掉進營地裡的預言。然而，打從三星撤退以後，在粉河與大角河間，沒有一個打獵隊伍見到過任何藍軍服。 一直到了六月二十四日早晨，他們這才曉得長頭髮寇斯特正沿著玫瑰蓓蕾溪悄悄兒逼過來。第二天早晨，探馬報告說，大兵已經越過印第安人營地和玫瑰蓓蕾溪當中的一道山嶺，正在向小大角河進軍中。 寇斯特接近印第安人的消息人言言殊： 我和四個女人，在離營地不遠處挖野蘿蔔，蘇族會議的一位酋長紅馬說道：突然一個女人讓我看，營地不遠處掀起了一股塵頭，不久我就看到了大兵正向營地衝去，我和她們就往營地跑，一到就有人告訴我，趕緊到會議帳幕去。大兵衝來得快，我們不能交談，便出了會議帳幕向四面八方喊叫，蘇族人便拿起槍上馬，去同大兵打仗，女人和小孩也上馬走了，我意思是脫離戰鬥地帶。 衛生浪費得勝兵是坐牛的堂妹，是四個挖野蘿蔔女人的一個，她說最先看見大兵時，他們是在九公里到十二公里以外。我們看得見他們的軍刀閃閃發光，看到那一批人裡有很多很多大兵。衛生浪費得勝兵和營地中央的印第安人所最先見到的大兵，是寇斯特所率領的那一個營。這些印第安人還不曉得黎洛少校驀如其來攻擊營地南端，一直到聽見黑腳部落錐幕那邊傳來了步槍聲。好像大兵正撲向我們啦，他們的槍子兒咔咔嗒嗒從錐幕桿上打穿過去女人和小孩哭哭啼啼，怕會被人殺掉，可是男人們，漢克巴巴部落、黑腳部落、阿格拉勒部落和米尼康約部落的男人，都騎上馬衝向黑腳部落的營地裡去。我們依然還見到長頭髮的大兵，在遠遠處一路前進。我們的人被打了個措手不及，沒料到在這個時候遭受攻擊，便唱著戰歌，在黑腳村落的後面進入作戰。 黑麋當時才十三歲，正同玩伴兒在小大角河裡戲水呢，太陽當頂，天氣很熱，這時他聽見漢克巴巴村落裡一個傳話人大聲喊叫：衝鋒的來囉！他們衝來了囉！衝鋒的來囉！阿格拉勒部落一個傳話的也反覆喊出這個警告，黑麋聽見喊聲從一個營地傳到一個營地，往北一直傳到賽安族營地上去。 阿格拉勒的酋長低狗，也聽到了這種警報的喊叫：俺可不相信，想這是假的，俺不相信會有什麼白人攻打這麼強大的俺們雖然俺不相信這是真的警報，卻馬上準備好了，等俺拿好槍出了帳幕，坐牛酋長和漢克巴巴部落的營地那頭，已經打了起來。 鐵雷當時在米尼康約部落營地裡：黎洛的攻擊我可一點兒也不知道，一直到他的人馬逼得很近了，槍子兒從營地裡穿過，一切大亂，馬兒驚嚇得我們都抓不著。 在漢克巴巴部落營地裡的鴉王，說黎洛騎馬的大兵，大約在三百五十公尺以外就開槍射擊。漢克巴巴部落和黑腳部落，就慢慢地且戰且走，好使婦孺有時間逃到安全的地方去。別的印第安人騎了我們的馬，那時，我們的戰士人數已經足夠得進攻白人了。 在北面五公里外的賽安族營地附近，兩月正在洗馬。我用冷水沖洗馬兒，自己也游了游水，就走路回營地去。我走近自己的錐幕時，望一望坐牛營地方向的小大角河，只見一股塵頭大起，就像是一陣旋風，馬上就有個蘇族看馬的奔進營地裡大喊大叫：大兵來了呀！好多好多的白人大兵哪！ 兩月向賽安族人的戰士下令上馬，然後告訴婦女們遠遠兒離開營地躲藏起來。我朝坐牛的營地疾馳，這時我看到了白人大兵正排成一線在打仗（黎洛的官兵），印第安人火制了這處平坦地，開始把大兵攆出去，一切都混在一起蘇族人，然後是大兵，又有更多的蘇族人。空氣裡滿是硝煙和灰塵，我看到大兵往後退，就像野牛驚竄般掉進了河床裡。 集中印第安人把黎洛攻擊打退的這位作戰酋長，是一個肌肉結實、胸脯鼓鼓的漢克巴巴人，三十六歲的膽子，他是個在部落裡長大的孤兒，年輕時就出人頭地，是一個獵人和戰士，坐牛就收養了他，當成胞弟看待。好幾年前，和談委員們想說服蘇族人，依照一八六八年條約務農，膽子就到萊斯堡去，代表漢克巴巴部落發言。我們生來就是赤條條一無所有，他說道：教會了我們靠打獵、靠野獸生存。你們告訴我們，應當學學種田，住在屋子裡，採取你們的辦法。假定住在大海洋那一面的人來了，告訴你們一定得停止種田，宰殺自己的牲口，拿走你們的房屋、你們的地，你們將怎麼辦？不會同他們打起來嗎？ 在那次演說後的十年中，沒有半點兒什麼能改變膽子對白人都自以為是、傲慢的想法。在一八七六年夏天以前，他已經為漢克巴巴部落所普遍接受，認為他是坐牛的首輔，本部落的作戰酋長。 黎洛頭一次的猛衝，掩襲到了幾個在開闊地上的女人和小孩兒，騎兵橫飛的槍子兒，也把膽子的一家人殺得乾乾淨淨。那使我好心傷，幾年以後，他告訴一位新聞記者道：打那以後，我就用戰斧砍殺我所有的敵人。他對如何擋住黎洛的戰術，說得也很簡潔：坐牛和我都在黎洛進攻的地點，坐牛是大法師，女人和小孩急急往河下游逃婦孺抓住馬讓戰士們騎，戰士騎上馬就把黎洛衝殺退回去，緊緊逼住他，把他攆進了樹林裡。 以軍事術語來說，膽子轉向黎洛的側翼進攻，迫使他退進了樹林裡，然後又唬得黎洛迅速撤退，使印第安人迅速把他們打垮。結果，得以使膽子抽調成百上千的戰士，對寇斯特縱隊作正面進攻，而狂馬和兩月則分別自側翼與後方合擊。 就在這時候，衛生浪費得勝兵和其他的婦女，一直迫切監視河對岸的長頭髮縱隊。我可以聽到軍號聲，也望得到大兵縱隊向右轉，向下面的河流前進，就要在那裡開始攻擊一下子，又見好多賽安族人馳馬進入河裡，然後，我這個部落裡的一些青年，然後還有其他部落的，一直到河裡有了成百上千名的戰士，躍馬馳上進了山溝，有幾百人過河進了山溝，留在河裡的還有好大一批人，從河裡往後退等待攻擊。我也曉得蘇族作戰的人數成百上千，都藏在那山坡後面的山溝裡，山坡上是長頭髮進軍的所在，他就會受到兩面夾攻。 蘇族黑腳部落的殺鷹酋長，後來說道，印第安人向寇斯特縱隊猛撲，就像是一陣颶風宛同從蜂巢裡傾巢而出的蜜蜂。從前在粉河一帶打仗時，和膽子和狂馬並肩作戰的米尼康約部落隆峰酋長，他說道，印第安人頭一次的密集衝鋒，就使得長頭髮酋長和手下官兵開始亂成一團。印第安人的頭一次衝殺，我騎的馬就被打中了，我也受了傷一槍打中在膝蓋上方，槍子兒在臀部出去，我就翻下來躺倒啦。同漢克巴巴部落一起的鴉王說道：我們戰士的一大部份放馬朝著他們的正面衝過去，同時，戰士們也從他們的兩側馳到，繞著他們兜圈圈，一直到把他們團團圍住。十三歲的黑麋在河對岸張望，只看見山坡上旋起好大一團灰塵，然後馬匹從塵頭裡跑了出來，馬鞍上空空的沒有人。 槍的硝煙和馳馬的塵頭，遮得山坡都看不見，衛生浪費得勝兵道：大兵開了好多好多槍，可是蘇族人打得很準，大兵都倒下來死了。我們村裡的婦女都在男人後面渡過河來，等到我們到山坡上，已經沒有一個活大兵，長頭髮死了躺在屍堆裡族人的血很熱，他們的心很悲痛，那裡不要活的俘虜。 鴉王說，印第安人把騎兵團團圍住時，他們都下了馬。他們原想抓住自己的馬，可是我們一逼近，他們就把馬放走掉了。我們把他們向大營方面壓迫，把他們統統殺死了。他們很像勇敢的戰士，打得只剩下了一個人，也依然保持著秩序打仗。 根據紅馬的說法，同寇斯特的戰鬥快要結束時，這些大兵變成了笨蛋，很多人把槍摔開，舉起手來說道：蘇族人，可憐我們吧，抓我們當俘虜吧。蘇族人可半個俘虜也不要抓，而是把他們殺光，不幾分鐘裡，就沒有一個活命的了。 這次戰役沒有很久，米尼康約部落的白牛畫了四幅圖畫，顯示他自己同一名大兵揪成一團，把大兵殺了，那個大兵看得出來是寇斯特，宣稱殺了寇斯特的印第安人中，還有面雨、平臀和勇熊。紅馬說是一個沒指認出來的桑狄部落戰士殺了寇斯特，述說這次作戰的印第安人，大多數都說根本沒見到寇斯特，也不知道是誰把他殺掉的。低狗說：俺們都不知道，一直到仗打完了，才曉得他是白人酋長。 在這次戰役後一年，坐牛在加拿大接受訪問，他說道自己根本沒見到寇斯特，可是其他的印第安人，就在他被打死以前認出了他。他並沒有那一頭常有的長頭髮，坐牛道：他頭髮很短，是那種霜降時的草色他在那處編成的最後定足點，人站在那裡，就像是一根四周圍穗兒全都落掉了的玉米。但是坐牛也沒有說出是誰殺了寇斯特。 一個同賽安族人騎在一起的奧拉帕荷族戰士說，寇斯特是好幾個印第安人所殺死的。他穿著鹿皮衣，上衣和褲子都是，兩手兩膝著地，他身體側面挨了一槍，血從嘴巴裡往外流，似乎注視著在他四周團團轉的印第安人，有四個大兵團團站在他四周，不過他們全都受了重傷。所有其他大兵都倒下去了，然後印第安人圍著他一逼近，我就再也沒見到了。 不論是誰殺了他，這個修了偷盜公路進入黑山的長頭髮，同他所有的官兵都死了。然而，黎洛的部隊卻受到彭亭少校兵力的支援，在河的遠遠處山崗上挖壕據守。印第安人把這座山頭完全包圍起來，整夜監視著大兵，第二天天亮又開始同他們戰鬥。白天，酋長所派出去的探馬回來了，帶來了警告，說有更多更多的部隊正朝小大角河的方向行軍前來。 經過一次會議後，便決定拔營。戰士們已經消耗了大部分的彈藥；也曉得老用弓箭同這麼多大兵打仗，是件蠢事。便告訴婦女開始捆紮，日落以前，他們沿著河谷上去往大角山走，各族沿途分散，各走各的方向。 東部的白人一聽說長頭髮打了敗仗，他們就稱這是一次大屠殺，人人都氣得發瘋啦。他們要膺懲西部所有印第安人。因為他們懲不到坐牛和作戰的各酋長，華府的大會議就決定要懲治那些他們找得到的印第安人還待在保留區裡的人，以及並沒有參加這次作戰的人。 七月二十二日，大戰士薛爾曼奉令對蘇族地區的各保留區，採取軍事管制，把印第安人都當成是戰俘來看待。八月十五日，大會議制訂了一項新法律，命令印第安人放棄粉河地區、黑山地區的所有權利。他們這麼做，根本不理會一八六八年條約，所持的觀點是印第安人違犯了條約，而同合眾國進行戰爭。這一點卻難使保留區的印第安人明白，因為他們並沒有攻擊合眾國的大兵呀；連坐牛的族人也沒有攻擊他們，而是寇斯特和黎洛向他們的村落衝殺嘛。 為了使保留區的印第安人保持平靜，大家長在九月份派了一個新小組，對各酋長威嚇利誘，在把黑山無量數的財富轉移到白人主權下的合法文件上，得到了他們的簽字。這個小組中有幾個委員，是詐騙印第安人土地的斲輪老手，著了名的艾蒙茲啦，惠普爾主教啦，還有興曼牧師。在紅雲管理所，惠普爾在開會前唸了一段禱告詞，然後會議主席曼尼朋尼就宣讀國會提出的條件。因為這些條件，是用法律制訂人士通常含含糊糊的文字寫就，所以惠普爾主教便力圖以一些語句來說明，好讓傳譯員用來翻譯。 多少年以來，我的心對紅人都是很熱烈的。我們到這裡來，帶得有大家長給各位的信，在他所說的這些話裡，我們已經給了你們一些東西。那怕是一筆一劃，我們都不能更改大會議作了今年的撥款，繼續你們的給養時，他們訂了幾項條款，一共是三項，除非你們遵照，國會就不會再撥款。這三項條款是：第一項，你們要放棄黑山地區和北面的地帶；第二項，你們要到密蘇里河去領自己的口糧；第三項，應該准許大家長規劃三條大路，由密蘇里河起，穿經保留區到黑山一帶的新地區。大家長說了，他對自己的紅子女，心中充滿了慈愛，選派了這些印第安人朋友的小組，遵照他的指示，草擬出一個計畫來，為的是要挽救印第安民族，免得人數越來越少，少得最後一個印第安人望著自己的墳墓；而使他們會像白人般，成為強大有力的民族。 聽見惠普爾主教這一番話的印第安人，要挽救印第安民族，這似乎是真正稀奇的辦法嘛。拿走他們的黑山、他們的獵地，還要把他們遠遠送到密蘇里河那裡去。大多數酋長都曉得，要拯救黑山業已太遲了，但是要把他們的保留區遷到密蘇里河去，他們卻強烈抗議。本人認為如果我的族人遷到那裡，紅雲道：他們會統統消滅，那裡有好多壞人和壞酒，因此我不願到那裡去。 無心說道，白人業已把密蘇里河地區毀啦，印第安人沒法兒在那裡生活。你在密蘇里河上上下下旅行，見不到一株樹木，他說道：以前你或許見過有很多樹木的地方，大家長的人民都已經把它毀掉了。 自從我們到這一條河流上來生活，也就是我們現在所住的地方，才不過六年，紅狗說道：所答應過我們的事，沒有半件辦到。還有一位酋長記得，大家長答應過他們，因為他們搬了五次，以後再也不會搬了。我想你們最好把印第安人裝在車輪上，他挖苦道：那就可以隨你們的意，隨時可以趕著他們跑了。 斑尾譴責政府和各委員玩弄印第安人，說的是假話，答應的事情都不兌現。這一場戰爭不是從我們的土地裡冒出來的，是大家長的子女弄到我們頭上來的，他們不付代價從我們手裡搶走土地；他們在我們的土地上，做了好多好多歹事這一場戰爭是因為搶劫因為偷走我們的土地而來。至於遷往密蘇里河去，斑尾斷然反對，他告訴與會的委員，除非他能到華府去和大家長交談，否則他不簽字斷送黑山。 這幾位委員給了印第安人一週的時間去討論條件，事情很快擺得明白，他們不打算在任何事情上簽字。這些酋長指出，一八六八年條約上規定，要更改條約中任何一處，必須要有蘇族成年男性四分之三人數的簽字，而有一半的戰士，這時正在北方和坐牛與狂馬在一起。幾位委員的答覆中，解釋說離開了保留區的印第安人都是反對派，條約中所規定的只有友好派。大多數印第安人酋長都不接受這一點。為了要打垮這種反對，小組的委員們拋下了強硬的暗示，除非他們簽字，否則大議會一怒之下，會立刻截斷所有口糧，會把他們遷到南部的印第安人地方去，陸軍會拿走他們所有的槍枝和馬匹。 別無他途可循，黑山給偷走了，粉河地區和區內的野物群丟掉了。沒有獵物或者口糧，人民就會挨餓。一想到要遷向南方的陌生地區，就叫人受不了；又如果陸軍拿走他們的槍枝和馬匹，那他們再也不是什麼男子漢大丈夫了。 紅雲和他族內的小酋長們先簽，其次的斑尾和他的族人；到各委員去了立岩、賽安河、鴉溪、下燃燒和桑狄各族管理所，也用計使其他各蘇族部落簽字。這麼一來，黑山啦，黑山的精神啦，黑山的神秘啦，連同山上十百億美元的黃金，就永永遠遠由印第安人手中，傳交給合眾國的支配下了。 紅雲和斑尾用筆在文件上畫押後四個星期，美國陸軍八個騎兵連，在三指頭麥肯瑟指揮下（這個佩鷹酋長就是在硬桿峽谷消滅了基厄威族和堪馬奇族的人。），從羅賓遜堡出兵，進入各族管理所營地。在陸軍部命令下，麥肯瑟前來收繳保留區印第安人的槍馬，所有男性一律拘捕，大兵把錐幕一一搜過、拆卸，把槍枝收在一處，把馬匹圍攏在一起。麥肯瑟准許婦女用馬拖曳她們的東西到羅賓遜堡去。而男人，連同紅雲和其他酋長在內，都強迫步行前往。以後，這一個部落只能在大兵槍口下住在羅賓遜堡。 第二天早晨，麥肯瑟對這些備受磨折的俘虜，更進一步貶低他們的身價，派了一個連的巴尼族的傭兵探馬（也就是蘇族人一度把他們攆出粉河地區的巴尼族），坐的是大兵從蘇族人手裡籍沒的馬匹。 就在這段期間，渴望報仇雪恥的美國陸軍，正自搜索黑山以北、以西的地區，隨地發現印第安人就把他們打死。一八七六年夏末，三星克魯格的加強縱隊，在達科塔的心河地區耗盡了口糧，便開始以強行軍往南到黑山開礦營地去弄補給品。九月九日，米爾斯上尉的前衛連，在瘦孤峰附近偶然發現了美國馬酋長的阿格拉勒部落和米尼康約部落的村地。這些印第安人前幾天才離開了格蘭河上的狂馬營地，正向南走要到保留區去過冬。米爾斯上尉便加以攻擊，可是卻被蘇族人把他打退，他在等待三星大兵來到時，所有印第安人都溜跑了，只除了美國馬和四名戰士和十五名婦孺，他們在一處小小峽谷的盡端，困身在一處洞穴裡。 克魯格率領主力部隊到達，便下令士兵在能向洞穴口發射排槍的地位佔領陣地，美國馬和四名戰士也實行遠擊，經過好幾小時的槍戰後，打死了兩個藍軍服，九個受傷。克魯格這時才派了一名探馬格洛奧德下去，要印第安人投降。格洛奧德曾同蘇族人生活在一起，用蘇族話向他們勸說。他們告訴我，如果我們不殺他，就會出洞，接到這項保證後，他們就出來了。美國馬、兩名戰士、五名婦女、還有幾個小孩兒爬出了洞穴，其他幾個不是死了，便是傷勢太重不能行動。美國馬的腹股溝被一發獵鹿彈打裂。格洛奧德道：他出來時，兩手裡捧著內臟。他伸出一隻血淋淋的手來，就同我握握手。 米爾斯上尉發現了一個三四歲的小女孩，藏在村子裡。她就像隻小鷓鴣般蹦起來逃走，他道：士兵們把她抓住，帶到我這裡來。米爾斯安慰她，給了她一些東西吃，然後要傳令兵帶著她，他下去到士兵把死傷印第安人拖出洞穴的地方去，一起跟著走，死去的人中間有兩個婦女，好多處傷，血淋淋的。這小女孩忽然哭叫起來，同傳令兵又打又踢，一直到把她放在地上，她就跑過去拉住一個死去的女人，那是她的娘親。我告訴萊姆里副官，我想收養這個小女孩，因為我打死了她的母親。 一位醫官過來檢查美國馬的傷勢，說傷很致命，這位酋長就坐在火堆前，擁住一床毯子蓋在被子彈打裂的小肚皮上，一直到失去了意識而死去。 克魯格下令米爾斯上尉要部下準備，恢復向黑山的行軍。在出發以前，米爾斯道：萊姆里副官問我是不是真要帶這個小女孩兒，我告訴他是的，可是他一說到：唔，你認為你太太會喜歡這件事嗎？ .我對這件事才頭一次想了想，便決定把那小女孩留在我發現她的地方。 三星把美國馬的村落摧毀時，有些逃脫了的蘇族人，便找路子到坐牛營地去，把這次攻擊事件告訴他。坐牛和膽子便立刻帶了六百多名戰士，前來救美國馬，可是抵達時已經太晚了，雖然坐牛對克魯格的部隊發動了一次攻擊，可是他的戰士彈藥太少，藍軍服只以後衛作戰就把他們打退，而主力部隊還是向黑山前進。 大兵都走了以後，坐牛和戰士們進入美國馬被打劫過的村子裡，去救那些無依無助倖而逃生的人，把死去的人下葬。我們幹了什麼啦，白人竟要阻止我們？坐牛問道：我們在這一帶地區跑來跑去，可是他們從這個地區緊跟到另一個地區。 坐牛竭力要儘可能離開大兵遠遠的，便帶了族人沿著黃石河北上，想去找野牛。在落葉月裡，膽子帶了打獵隊出獵，撞到了陸軍一列大車輜重，在黃石河地區經過。大兵正帶了補給品到一處正修建的堡寨裡去，那堡寨就在舌頭河流進黃石河的地方。（客奧堡，以紀念在小大角河戰死的客奧上尉。） 膽子的戰士在格倫代夫溪附近伏襲這支車隊，擄獲了六十匹軍騾。坐牛一聽到這支大車車隊和新堡寨，便把加入自己營地的二轉子布魯吉找來，他會寫英文，坐牛就告訴他在一張紙上寫下字來，那是他得向大兵指揮官所說的話： 我要曉得你們在這條路上做什麼？你們把野牛都嚇跑了，我要在這處地方打獵呀。我要求你們從這裡退回去，否則的話，我又要攻打你們了。我要求你們把這裡弄到的東西留下，退回去。我是你們的朋友。 坐牛 這支輜重車隊的指揮官是歐蒂斯中校，他接到這封信，就派出一名探馬，帶了封覆信給坐牛。歐蒂斯說道，大兵要到客奧堡去，還有更多的大兵會來會合，假如坐牛要打上一仗的話，大兵可以奉陪。 坐牛並不要打一仗，所要的就是不受打擾來獵野牛。他派了一名戰士帶了白旗出去，要求和大兵酋長開談判。這時，邁爾斯上校和更多部隊趕上了輜重車隊，由於打從夏末起，邁爾斯就一直在搜索坐牛呢，他立刻同意開談判。 十月二十二日，他們在一列大兵和一列戰士的中間會面，邁爾斯由一員軍官和五名士兵護送，坐牛則是一位小酋長和五名戰士。那天很冷，邁爾斯穿著一件長大衣，衣邊是熊毛。他這副打扮一出現起，印第安人就管他叫熊衣。 這次開會沒有什麼致詞，也沒抽什麼友好的菸袋，由布魯吉擔任傳譯，熊衣在談判開始就指責坐牛，老是攻打白人、攻打他的道路。坐牛承認他不喜歡白人，但是只要他們不打擾他，他也不是白人的仇敵。熊衣要知道知道，坐牛在黃石河一帶地區幹什麼？這是個蠢問題，但是這位漢克巴巴酋長回答得客客氣氣：他在這裡獵野牛，讓族人有吃的、有穿的。熊衣這時就略了過去，提到漢克巴巴部落的保留區，可是坐牛也把它撇開；說道，他要在黑山過冬。這次會談就一事無成告了結束，但兩個人都同意明天再會面。 第二次會議很快就成了一連串兒的異議，坐牛開頭便說，除非大兵來攻打他，他並沒有同大兵打過；也答應白人如果從印第安人地區裡，把大兵和堡寨撤走，也再不會有打仗。熊衣答道，除非蘇族人統統在保留區裡，否則他們就不會有和平。坐牛對這句答話很光火，說道，大神把他造成一個印第安人，而不是管理所下的印第安人，他自己也不打算變成受人管理。他就突然中止這次會談，折回到戰士邊，命令他們散開，因為他猜疑熊衣的大兵想要攻擊他們。果然大兵開火了，漢克巴巴部落的人又一次在地區中逃來逃去。 一八七七年春季以前，坐牛厭倦了奔逃，斷定在大神的土地裡，再也沒有足夠的空間供蘇族人和白人住在一起。他要帶了族人到加拿大，到老奶奶維多利亞女王的土地上去。出發以前，他派人找狂馬，希望說動他帶了阿格拉勒部落也到老奶奶的地方去。可是狂馬部落的人正在地區中跑來跑去躲避大兵，坐牛找不著他們。 就在這酷寒的幾個月裡，克魯格將軍也在搜尋狂馬。這一回，克魯格集結