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Show i . - . ~ ~ REPORT OF TEE COMNISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. , 121 dren-whom it was my special duty to protect. The children, I ought to add here in passing, seem fond of the school, and some even run away from home to attend it when their parents object. One Indian with whom I conversed longer than with any other was the Friendly chiefi The circumstances were somewhat peculiar, and, as will be seen,'not conducive to a satisfactory mutual under-standing. The council on the mesa was held in the open air on a rnoonless night in the plaza of the pueblo. Descending the trail I noticed that I was '' shadowed " by three men, evidintly Indians, who kept out of my way as long as anyone eIse was within speaking dis-tance, but as soon as I was alone drew nearer. As I entered my room, which was in a little ell of the principal cottage at the foot of the mesa, the three men pushed in after me, and on striking a light I found my visitors to be the Friendly chief and two of his supporters. One of the two volunteered to act as interpreter, and informed me that the chief wisht to ask me a few questions when no white men and no. Hostiles were within hearing. The first was, Where had I come from? I answered that I was from TVashington. What was my position? Commissioner of Indian Affairs, in charge of the peopIe of his race all over the country. For what purpose had I come to Oraibi? To see with my own eyes the condition of the-Oraihi Indians-how they were living, how the white employees of the Gov-ernment were taking care of them, and so on. How long was I going,' to stay? I should leave probably the next day. Had I come to settle the quarrel between the Hostiles and the Friendliest No; for that would take a longer time than I could spare then; and, moreover, I had been in hope that, Fke white ~eoplew ho had differences, they would get together, talk things over, and settle their troublesamong themselves, instead of falling back, like so many little children, upon the Government. When was I going to remove the *Hostiles from Oraibi, send them away to some distant place to live, and divide their land and other property among the Friendliest I was not con-templating ever doing this. They knew better, for Superintendent Lemmon had told then1 this was what I was going to do; and now, how soon was I going to start the business? I thought they were mistaken; they had doubtless misunderstood Mr. Lemrnon, who, I ws. sure, would not have transcended his authority by telling them that 1 I was going to do so-and-so until I had settled on the plan and in- I ! structed him to annoimce it. No, indeed; they had not misunder-stood Mr. Lemmon; he knew what Washington was going to do, and he hadtold them this again and again; if I didn't know it, that showed that I didn't know what Washington was about; so why did I say that I was from Washington and had charge of the Indians,. when I was ignorant of this program? i |
