have acted badly, and I am disposed to break you. I do break you.”
Red Iron. “You break me! My people made me a chief. My people love me. I will still be their chief. I have done nothing wrong.”
Gov. “Why did you get your braves together and march around here for the purpose of intimidating other chiefs, and prevent their coming to the council?”
Red Iron. “I did not get my braves together, they got together themselves to prevent boys going to council to be made chiefs, to sign papers, and to prevent single chiefs going to council at night, to be bribed to sign papers for money we have never got. We have heard how the Medewakantons were served at Mendota; that by secret councils you got their names on paper, and took away their money. We don’t want to be served so. My braves wanted to come to council in the daytime, when the sun shines, and we want no councils in the dark. We want all our people to go to council together, so that we can all know what is done.”
Gov. “Why did you attempt to come to council with your braves, when I had forbidden your braves coming to council?”
Red Iron. “You invited the chiefs only, and would not let the braves come too. This is not the way we have been treated before; this is not according to our customs, for among Dakotas chiefs and braves go to council together. When you first sent for us, there were two or three chiefs here, and we wanted to wait till the rest would come, that we might all be in council together and know what was done, and so that we might all understand the papers, and know what wo were signing. When we signed the treaty the traders threw a blanket over our faces and darkened our eyes,and made us sign papers which we did not understand, and which were not explained or read to us. We want our Great Father at Washington to know what has been done.”
Gov. “Your Great Father has sent mo to represent him, and what I say is what he says. He wants you to pay your old debts, in accordance with the paper you signed when the treaty was made, and to leave that money in my hands to pay these debts. If you refuse to do that I will take the money back.”
Red Iron. “You can take the money back. We sold our land to you, and you promised to pay us. If you don’t give us the money I will be glad, and all our people will be glad, for we will have our land back if you don’t give us the money. That paper
