Codex Battleford
Transcription: 6
Transcription:
{5 [written in the top right corner of the page]
He could no act otherwise without vexing his kinsmen and his friends, who asked him for advice and protection.The agent did not insist;but,not being able to frighten them ,he resolved to starve them out.As Poundmaker’s Indians had finished their spring’s work,he ordered the farmer to stop the rations,as long as the Indians had not settled down and the strangers returned home.Luxckly,fish abounded [crossed out] was teeming [written above] in the Battle River.The Indians constructed two weirs across and thus [added] succeeded in catching [crossed out] providing [written below] sufficient food so not to starve [crossed out].
At once,messengers were sent in all directions with a piece of tobacco to summon all the chiefs to the dance and the subsequent parley.The northeastern corner of Little-Pine’s reserve was chosen as the place of the meeting.Inside of a few days,more than two thousand Indians were gathered there.A picket of policemen ["men" added] was moved up to Little-Pine’s to watch the proceedings.
On Tuesday,June 17th,the preparation for the Thirst Dance began:the sacred tree was chopped down and the bough enclosure xxx [crossed out] built up,among sundry shouts,songs,xxx [crossed out] prayers and gun reports.In the meantime Fr. Cochin arrived from Battleford.As everybody was too busy at the Big Camp to take notice of him,he rode immediately to xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [crossed out] at once [written above] to [added in the margin] Mr.Graig’s,a farm instructor oxf Little Pine Reserve.A group of Indians happened to be there;they were talking loudly and seemed quite excited.In advancing to greet Mr Graig,he saw his elbowsx sxwollenx and bleeding. He asked what was the matter with his arms. Immediately [crossed out] Anx Indian shouted: “I did it myself with this axe handle and I am sorry I did not kill him [crossed out] succeed killing him." [written above] The poor instructor would certainly have been dead if he had not parried the blow with his elbows. Mr Graig explained that,while he was busy in the food store,two young Indians of Big-Bear band came to ask for grub. for a sick child [crossed out and sentence ended after "grub"] He could not speak cree and they did not understand english; but by expressive gestures he told them to depart.As they did not obey his order,he lost his temper and used them roughly.One of them,Man-who-speaks-our-language,boiling under the insult,took an axe-handle and dealt a heavy blow on the instructor, who instinctively protected his skull at the cost of his arms.Fr.Cochin scolded the aggessor [sic] for his violence.Fortunately the greater part of the Indians presents were of the same opininion [sic].But two or three bad scoundrels took xxxxxxxx [crossed out] the part of the culprit,praised his conduct and boasted of his bravery.
Shortly after several polimencemen ["men" crossed out and "cemen" added above] had arrived at the camp.Having no order [crossed out] warrant [written above] to seize the criminal or fearing of their ability to do so [crossed out], they dispatched a messenger to Battleford for reinforcements and contented themselves xx [crossed out] with keeping guard over the instructor.
In the afternoon,the missionary made a trip around the camp to visit some of his christians [sic] who happened to be there.He advised them to remain apart [crossed out] keep away [added] from the pagans,or better still to return home.A few accepted the letter xx choice and [crossed out] They paid heed to his warning and a few [written in its place] went away [crossed out] back home [written in its place] that very evening.
When Fr.Cochin was leaving the camp,he met chief Poundmaker.He was in festive array,wearing a brocaded vest and his breech-cloth.His body and face were daubed with vermillion and ochre.For head-dress he wore over his flowing hair,a beaver’s head decked eith [sic] three eagle feathers.From his right xxx [crossed out] arm hung a huge tomahawk timmed with bright nails and armed at the point on one side,with three finely sharpened knife blades in place of a hatchet [crossed out].After shaking hands with the priest,he said: “See how thin I am.I have nothing to eat.All my people as well are starving.Quick, write to [crossed out] ask [added] the police to send me flour and bacon.They are your friends and they will listen to you.It is now five years that I have not a dance:it is now my turn.”Fr.Cochin replied that,if he was so destitute, it was xxxxxx xxxxx [crossed out] through his own fault.If he persisted to remain deaf to the voice}
He could no act otherwise without vexing his kinsmen and his friends, who asked him for advice and protection.The agent did not insist;but,not being able to frighten them ,he resolved to starve them out.As Poundmaker’s Indians had finished their spring’s work,he ordered the farmer to stop the rations,as long as the Indians had not settled down and the strangers returned home.Luxckly,fish abounded [crossed out] was teeming [written above] in the Battle River.The Indians constructed two weirs across and thus [added] succeeded in catching [crossed out] providing [written below] sufficient food so not to starve [crossed out].
At once,messengers were sent in all directions with a piece of tobacco to summon all the chiefs to the dance and the subsequent parley.The northeastern corner of Little-Pine’s reserve was chosen as the place of the meeting.Inside of a few days,more than two thousand Indians were gathered there.A picket of policemen ["men" added] was moved up to Little-Pine’s to watch the proceedings.
On Tuesday,June 17th,the preparation for the Thirst Dance began:the sacred tree was chopped down and the bough enclosure xxx [crossed out] built up,among sundry shouts,songs,xxx [crossed out] prayers and gun reports.In the meantime Fr. Cochin arrived from Battleford.As everybody was too busy at the Big Camp to take notice of him,he rode immediately to xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [crossed out] at once [written above] to [added in the margin] Mr.Graig’s,a farm instructor oxf Little Pine Reserve.A group of Indians happened to be there;they were talking loudly and seemed quite excited.In advancing to greet Mr Graig,he saw his elbowsx sxwollenx and bleeding. He asked what was the matter with his arms. Immediately [crossed out] Anx Indian shouted: “I did it myself with this axe handle and I am sorry I did not kill him [crossed out] succeed killing him." [written above] The poor instructor would certainly have been dead if he had not parried the blow with his elbows. Mr Graig explained that,while he was busy in the food store,two young Indians of Big-Bear band came to ask for grub. for a sick child [crossed out and sentence ended after "grub"] He could not speak cree and they did not understand english; but by expressive gestures he told them to depart.As they did not obey his order,he lost his temper and used them roughly.One of them,Man-who-speaks-our-language,boiling under the insult,took an axe-handle and dealt a heavy blow on the instructor, who instinctively protected his skull at the cost of his arms.Fr.Cochin scolded the aggessor [sic] for his violence.Fortunately the greater part of the Indians presents were of the same opininion [sic].But two or three bad scoundrels took xxxxxxxx [crossed out] the part of the culprit,praised his conduct and boasted of his bravery.
Shortly after several polimencemen ["men" crossed out and "cemen" added above] had arrived at the camp.Having no order [crossed out] warrant [written above] to seize the criminal or fearing of their ability to do so [crossed out], they dispatched a messenger to Battleford for reinforcements and contented themselves xx [crossed out] with keeping guard over the instructor.
In the afternoon,the missionary made a trip around the camp to visit some of his christians [sic] who happened to be there.He advised them to remain apart [crossed out] keep away [added] from the pagans,or better still to return home.A few accepted the letter xx choice and [crossed out] They paid heed to his warning and a few [written in its place] went away [crossed out] back home [written in its place] that very evening.
When Fr.Cochin was leaving the camp,he met chief Poundmaker.He was in festive array,wearing a brocaded vest and his breech-cloth.His body and face were daubed with vermillion and ochre.For head-dress he wore over his flowing hair,a beaver’s head decked eith [sic] three eagle feathers.From his right xxx [crossed out] arm hung a huge tomahawk timmed with bright nails and armed at the point on one side,with three finely sharpened knife blades in place of a hatchet [crossed out].After shaking hands with the priest,he said: “See how thin I am.I have nothing to eat.All my people as well are starving.Quick, write to [crossed out] ask [added] the police to send me flour and bacon.They are your friends and they will listen to you.It is now five years that I have not a dance:it is now my turn.”Fr.Cochin replied that,if he was so destitute, it was xxxxxx xxxxx [crossed out] through his own fault.If he persisted to remain deaf to the voice}
