and weighed all the arguments in his mind.

When he first went upon the warpath, it appears that he was, if
anything, overzealous to establish himself in the eye of his people; and
as a matter of fact, it was especially hard for him to gain an assured
position among the Brules, with whom he lived, both because he was an
orphan, and because his father had been of another band. Yet it was not
long before he had achieved his ambition, though in doing so he received
several ugly wounds. It was in a battle with the Utes that he first
notably served his people and their cause.

The Utes were the attacking party and far outnumbered the Sioux on this
occasion. Many of their bravest young men had fallen, and the Brules
were face to face with utter annihilation, when Spotted Tail, with a
handful of daring horsemen, dodged around the enemy's flank and fell
upon them from the rear with so much spirit that they supposed that
strong reinforcements had arrived, and retreated in confusion. The Sioux
pursued on horseback; and it was in this pursuit that the noted chief
Two Strike gained his historical name. But the chief honors of the fight
belonged to Spotted Tail. The old chiefs, Conquering Bear and the rest,
thanked him and at once made him a war chief.

It had been the firm belief of Spotted Tail that it was unwise to allow
the white man so much freedom in our country, long before the older
chiefs saw any harm in it. After the opening of the Oregon Trail he,
above all the others, was watchful of the conduct of the Americans as
they journeyed toward the setting sun, and more than once he remarked in
council that these white men were not like the French and the Spanish,
with whom our old chiefs had been used to deal. He was not fully
satisfied with the agreement with General Harney; but as a young warrior
who had only just gained his position in the council, he could not force
his views upon the older men.

No sooner had the Oregon Trail been secured from the Sioux than Fort
Laramie and other frontier posts were strengthened, and the soldiers
became more insolent and overbearing than ever. It was soon discovered
that the whites were prepared to violate most of the articles of their
treaty as the Indians understood it. At this time, the presence of many
Mormon emigrants on their way to the settlements in Utah and Wyoming
added to the perils of the situation, as they constantly maneuvered for
purposes of their own to bring about a cl