He asks for
a brave man to carry his message.'
"The Mandans and the Rees were our hered-
itary enemies, but this was not the principal rea-
son for our hesitation. We had declared alle-
giance to the Great Father at Washington; we
had taken our stand against the fighting men
of our own nation, and the hostile Sioux were
worse than enemies to us at this time!
"Each chief had only called on his leading
warriors, and each in turn reported his failure to
secure a volunteer.
"Then the Chief Soldier sent again and said:
'Is there not a young man among you who dares
to face death? If he reaches the fort with my
message, he will need to be quick-witted as well
as brave, and the Great Father will not forget
him!'
"Now all the chiefs together called all the
young men in a great council, and submitted to
them the demand of the Great Father's servant.
We knew well that the country between us and
Fort Berthold, about one hundred and fifty miles
distant, was alive with hostile Sioux, and that if
any of us should be caught and recognized by
them, he would surely be put to death.
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