r hunting grounds.
The other chiefs thought the same. They could not understand why they
all should be thrown off, when they had done nothing wrong.

But the white men paid no attention. One of them, who was the United
States Indian Inspector, only answered:

"The President says that you must sell this land. He will buy it and
pay you money, and give you new land in the Indian Territory."

"We do not know your authority," argued Standing Bear. "You have no
right to move us until we have held a council with the President."

"If you like the new land, then you can see the President and tell him
so," offered the inspector. "If you don't like it, then you can see
him and tell him so."

So Standing Bear and nine other chiefs went; but they were dubious.

The inspector showed the three pieces of land, and told them to choose.
All the pieces were bad pieces. It was a hot country and a bare
country, and not suited to the Poncas, who had good corn-fields and
houses in their own country of the Niobrara.

Besides, now the white man said that they were to have no pay for their
Niobrara laud. He told the chiefs, according to Standing Bear:

"If you do not accept what land is offered you here, I will leave you
here alone. You are one thousand miles from home. You have no money.
You cannot speak the language."

Then he slammed the door.

"But we do not like this land," explained Standing Bear. "We could not
make a living. The water is bad. Now send us to the President, as you
promised."

The man would not send them. He would not take them home. He would
not give them any of the Indian money, for buying food. He would not
give them a paper, to show to the people along the way. He would not
give them the interpreter, to talk for them. He would not take them to
a railroad.

"He left us right here," said Standing Bear. "It was winter. We
started for home on foot. At night we slept in hay-stacks. We barely
lived till morning, it was so cold. We had nothing but our blankets.
We took the ears of corn that had dried in the fields; we ate it raw.
The soles of our moccasins wore out. We were barefoot in the snow. We
were nearly dead when we reached the Oto reservation. It had been
fifty days."

Their feet made bloody marks on the Oto reservation. The Otos and the
Oto agent treated them kindly. They stayed ten days, to rest; then the
Otos gave them each a pony, and in two more weeks they were home.

I