turn no more--and who will hunt the
deer for his wife and her young children!

The murderers were never found, and the hostages, after being detained
for eighteen months at Fort Snelling, were released. They bore their
confinement with admirable patience, the more so as they were punished
for the fault of others. When they were released, they were furnished
with guns and clothing. For fear they would be killed by the Dahcotahs,
their release was kept a secret, and the Dahcotahs knew not that the two
Chippeways were released, until they were far on their journey home. But
one of them never saw his native village again. The long confinement had
destroyed his health, and being feeble when he set out, he soon found
himself unequal to the journey. He died a few days before the home was
reached; and the welcome that his companion received was a sad one, for
he brought the intelligence of the death of his comrade.

CHAPTER IV.

But we will do as the Dahcotahs did--turn from the sadness and horror of
an Indian's death, to the gayety and happiness of an Indian marriage.
The Indians are philosophers, after all--they knew that they could not
go after the Chippeways, so they made the best of it and smoked. Beloved
Hail was dead, but they could not bring him to life, and they smoked
again: besides, "Walking Wind" was to be married to "The War Club,"
whereupon they smoked harder than ever.

There are two kinds of marriages among the Dahcotahs, buying a wife and
stealing one. The latter answers to our runaway matches, and in some
respects the former is the ditto of one conducted as it ought to be
among ourselves. So after all, I suppose, Indian marriages are much like
white people's.

But among the Dahcotahs it is an understood thing that, when the young
people run away, they are to be forgiven at any time they choose to
return, if it should be the next day, or six months afterwards. This
saves a world of trouble. It prevents the necessity of the father
looking daggers at the son-in-law, and then loving him violently; the
mother is spared the trial of telling her daughter that she forgives her
though she has broken her heart; and, what is still better, there is not
the slightest occasion whatever for the bride to say she is wretched,
for having done what she certainly would do over again to-morrow, were
it undone.

So that it is easy to understand why the Dahcotahs have the advantage of
us in runaway matches, or as _they_