Columbia County, Wisconsin - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 2 of those read), 1880 (part 2 of 2)

" A dinner had been prepared for us. This is one of the advantages of the zigzag approach by the Fox River - travelers never take their friends by surprise ; and when the whole circle sat down to the hospitable board, we were indeed a merry company. After dinner. Mrs. Twiggs showed me the quarters assigned to us, on the opposite side of the spacious hall. They consisted of two large rooms on each of the three floors or stories of the building. On the ground floor the front room was vacant. The one in the rear was to be the sleeping apartment, as was evident from a huge, unwieldy bedstead of proportions amply sufficient to have accomodateil Oil, the Kinc of Bashan, with Mrs. Os and the children into the baro;ain. AVe could not repress our laughter; but the bedsteiid was nothing to another structure which occupied a second corner of the apartment. This edifice had been built under the immediate superintendence of one of our young lieutenants, and it was plain to be seen that upon it both he and the soldiers who fabricated it had exhausted all their architectural skill. The timbers of which it was composed had been grooved and carved ; the pillars that supported the front swelled in and out in a most fanciful manner; the doors were not only paneled, but radiated in a way to excite the admiration of all unsophisticated eyes. A similar piece of workmanship had been erected in each set of quarters, to supply the deficiency of closets, an inconvenience which had never occurred, until too late, to the bachelors who planned them. The three apartments of which each structure was composed, were unquestionably designed for clothes-press, storeroom and china-close^ ; such, at least, were the uses to which Mrs. Twiggs had appropriated the one assigrned to her. There was this slight difficultv, that in the latter the shelves were too close to admit of setting in even a gravy-boat, but they made up in number what was wanting in space. We christened the whole aifiiir, in honor of its projector, a Davis, thus placing the first laurel on the brow of one who was afterward to signalize himself in cabinet-making of quite a different character.

" The bold promontory upon which Fort Winnebago was built looked down upon the extended prairie and the Fox River on one side, and, on the other, stretched away into the thickly wooded ridge that led off to Belle Fontaine and Lake Puckaway. In front lay an extent of meadow, across which was the portage road, of about two miles in length, leading between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. Teams of oxen and a driver were kept at the agency by the Government to transport the canoes of the Indians across the place, which, at many seasons, was wet, miry and almost impassable. The woods were now brilliant with the many tints of autumn, and the scene around was further enlivened by groups of Indians, in all directions, and their lodges, which were scattered here and there, in the vicinity of the agency buildings. On the low grounds might be seen the white tents of the traders, already prepared to furnish winter supplies to the Indians in exchange for the annuity money they were about to receive.

"A great concourse had been for many days assembling in anticipation of the payment, which was expected to take place as soon as Shawnee-aiv-kee should arrive with the silver. Preparatory to this event, the gre.it chief of the nation, Four-Legs, whose village we had passed at the entrance to Winnebago Lake, had thought proper to take a little carouse, as is too apt to be the custom when the savages come into the neighborhood of a sutlers establishment. In the present instance, the ficilities for a season of intoxication had been augmented by the presence on the ground of some traders too regardless of the very stringent laws prohibiting the sale of liquor to the Indians. Poor Four-Legs could not stand this full tide of prosperity. Unchecked by the presence of his Father, the agent, he carried his indulgence to such excess that he fell a victim in the course of a few days. His funeral had been celebrated with the usual pomp the day before our arrival, and great was my disappointment at finding myself too late to witness all the ceremonies. His body, according to their custom, having been wrapped in a blanket and placed in a rude coffin along with his guns, tomahawk, pipes and a quantity of tobacco, had been carried to the most elevated point of the hill opposite the fort, followed by an immense procession of his people, whooping, beating their drums, howling, and making altogether what is emphatically termed a 'pow-wow.' After the interment of the body, a stake was planted at its head. on which was painted, in vermilion, a series of hieroglyphics, descriptive of the great deeds and events of his life. The whole was then surrounded with pickets of the trunks of the tamarack trees, and hither the friends would come for many successive days, to renew the expression of their grief, and to throw over the grave tobacco and other offerings to the Great Spirit. It was a consolation to find that, although delayed, we were yet in time to furnish a (juantity of white cotton for a flag to Avaive over the grave, and also to pay a considerable bill at the sutler's for the different articles that had been found necessary for the funeral parade - it being a duty expected of their Father, to bury the dead suitably. The funeral observances in honor of the chief had not yet ceased. Throughout the day, and all that night, the sound of instruments, mingled with doleful lamentations, and with the discordant whoops and yells of those in a partial state of intoxication, filled the air and disturbed our repose. To these were added occasionally the plaintive sounds of the Indian flute, upon which the young savage plays when he is in love. Grief and whisky had made their hearts tender, and the woods resounded to their melancholy strains. Early the following morning, before I left my room, I was startled by the sounds of lamentation and woe proceeding from the adjoining apartment. On entering it, I found several squaws seated on the floor, with downcast looks, expressive of condolence and sympathy, while in their midst sat a little ugly woman in tattered garments and blackened face and disheveled hair, sobbing and wailing bitterly. Not doubting they were the family of the deceased chief, I was quite troubled at my inability to express, otherwise than by gestures, my participation in their sorrows. LTnacquainted as I was with their customs, I took it for granted, from their wietched appearance, that poverty and destitution formed one of the sources of their aflliction. One of the party, at least, seemed in the very depth of misery. Can it be possible, said I to myself, that this poor creature has only these scanty rags to cover her ? Stepping back to my own room, I brought out a pretty calico wrapper, which I presented to the little dirty, blackened object. She took it and commenced a fresh series of sobbing and sighing.

I made signs to her to put it on, opening it, and explaining to her how it was to be worn, and recommending to her, by gestures, to lose no time in making herself more comfortable. At this the other women burst into a laugh. Very mal-apropos, thought I, and somewhat unfeeling. At that moment my husband, entering, explained to me that the chief mourner was Madam Four-Legs, the widow ; that she had undoubtedly a comfortaple wardrobe at home, but that it was part of the etiquette of mourning to go for a season with neglected persons and blackened faces. All this was told me in the interval of shaking hands, and offering and receiving condolences in the most uncouth, guttural language that I had ever heard. Their Father at length dismissed them with a promise of some presents to help dry up their tears. It must not be inferred that the grief of the poor little widow was not sincere. On the contrary, she was greatly attached to her husband, and had had great influence, not only with him, but with the nation at large. She was a Fox woman, and spoke the Chippewa, which is the court language among all the tribes, so that she was often called upon to act as an interpreter. She was a person of great shrewdness and judgment, and, as I afterward experienced, of strong and tenacious affections.

" After breakfast, I received a visit from the principal chiefs, who had put on their beat of apparel and paint, to receive their new mother. There was Naw-Kaw or Kar-ray-mau-nee, ' The Walking Turtle,' then the principal chief of the nation, a stalwart Indian, with a broad, pleasant countenance, the great peculiarity of which was an immense under lip, hanging nearly to his chin. There was the old De-Kau-ray, the most noble, dignified and venerable of his own, or, indeed, of any, tribe. His fine Roman countenance, rendered still more striking by his bald head, with one solitary tuft of long, silvery hair, neatly tied, and falling back on his shoulders ; his perfectly neat and appropriate dress, almost without ornament, and his courteous demeanor, never laid aside under any circumstances, all combined to give him the highest place in the consideration of all who knew him. There was Black Wolf, whose lowering, surly face was well described by his name. The fierce expression of his countenance was greatly heightened by the masses of heavy, black hair hanging around it, quite contrary to the usual fashion among the Winnebagoe?. They, for the most part, remove a portion of their hair, the remainder of which is drawn to the back of the head, clubbed and ornamented with beads, ribbons, cock feathers, or, if they are so entitled, an eagle's feather for every scalp taken from an enemy. There was Talk-English, a remarkably handsome, powerful young Indian, who received his name in the following manner : He was one of the party of sixteen Winnebagoes who had, by invitation, accompanied their agent and Maj. Forsyth (or the Chippewa, as he was called), on a visit to the President, at Washington, the year previous. On the journey, the question naturally addressed to them by people not familiar with Western Indians, was : ' Do you talk English ? ' The young fellow, being very observant, came to his Father. ' What do they mean by this ? Every body says to me talk English ! ' The agent interpreted the words to him. ' Ah, very well.' The next place they arrived at was Lockport, in the State of New York. Jumping off the canal boat upon the lock, he ran up to the first man he met and, thrusting forward his face, called out: 'Talk Eengeesh ? ' ' Yes," said the man; 'Do you talk English?' 'Ya-as.' From that time forward he always bore the name of Talk-English, and was registered on the pay-rolls by that title, of which he was not a little proud. Hoo-wau-nee-kah, ' The Little Elk,' was another of the distinguished men of the tribe. He had likewise been at Washington. Henry Clay, when he visited them, after looking carefully at the countenances and bearing of all the members of the deputation, had indicated him as the one possessing the greatest talent ; and he was greatly pleased when informed that he was the principal orator of the nation, and decidedly superior in abilities to any other individual of the tribe. Then there was Kau-ray-kaiv-sawkaw, 'The White Crow,' a Rock River Indian, who afterward distinguished himself as a friend of the whites during the Sauk war. He was called by the French, ' le Borgne,' from having lost an eye ; and the black silk handkerchief which he wore drooping over the left side of his face, to disguise the blemish, taken with his native costume, gave him a very singular appearance. There was a nephew of the defunct chief Four-Legs, to whom, with justice, was given, by both whites and Indians, the appellation of ' the Dandy.' When out of mourning, his dress was of the most studied and fanciful character. A shirt (when he condescended to wear any) of the briglitest colors, ornamented with innumerable rows of silver brooches set thickly together; never less than two pairs of silver arm bands ; leggings and moccasins of the most elaborate embroidery, in ribbons and porcupine quills ; everything that he could devise in the shape of an ornament, hanging to his club of hair behind ; a feather fan in one hand, and in the other a mirror, in which he contemplated himself every few minutes. These, with the variety and brilliancy of the colors upon his face, the suitable choice and application of which occupied no small portion of the hours allotted to his toilet, made up the equipment of young Four-Legs. This devotion to dress and appearance seemed not altogether out of place in a youthful dandy ; but wo had likewise an old one of the same stamp. Pawnee Blanc, or the White Pawnee, surpassed his younger competitor, if possible, in attention to his personal attractions. Upon the present occasion, he appeared in all his finery, and went through the customary salutations with an air of solemn dignity, and then walked, as did the other, into the parlor (for I had received them in the hall), where tliey all seated themselves on the floor. Fortunately, the room was not bare of furniture, but ' alas ! ' thought I, 'for my pretty carpet, if this is to be the way they pay their respects to me I ' I watched the falling of the ashes from their long pipes, and the other inconveniences of the use of tobacco, or kin-ni-kin-nic, with absolute dismay.

" The visit of the chiefs was followed by one from the interpreter and his wife, with all the Canadian and half-breed women whose husbands found employment at the agency, or at the American Fur Company's establishment. By this time, my piano had been taken from its case and set up in our quarters. To our great joy, we found it entirely uninjured, not a note was out of tune. The women, to whom it was an entire novelty, were loud in their exclamations of wonder and delight: ' Eh-h-h ! regardezdonc ; Quelles inventions ! Quellcs merveilles !' * One, observing the play of my fingers reflected in the name-board, called in great exultation to her companions. She had discovered, as she thought, the hidden machinery by which the sounds were produced, and was not a little mortified when she was undeceived."