the passing of the frontier-第14部分

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　this　Indian　population　which　held　back　the　white　settlements　of　Kansas；　Nebraska；　the　Dakotas；　Montana；　Wyoming；　Colorado。　But　as　men　began　to　work　farther　and　farther　westward　in　search　of　homes　in　Oregon；　or　in　quest　of　gold　in　California　or　Idaho　or　Montana；　the　Indian　question　came　to　be　a　serious　one。

To　the　Army；　soon　after　the　Civil　War；　fell　the　task　of　exterminating；　or　at　least　evicting；　the　savage　tribes　over　all　this　unvalued　and　unknown　Middle　West。　This　was　a　process　not　altogether　simple。　For　a　considerable　time　the　Indians　themselves　were　able　to　offer　very　effective　resistance　to　the　enterprise。　They　were　accustomed　to　living　upon　that　country；　and　did　not　need　to　bring　in　their　own　supplies；　hence　the　Army　fought　them　at　a　certain　disadvantage。　In　sooth；　the　Army　had　to　learn　to　become　half　Indian　before　it　could　fight　the　Indians　on　anything　like　even　terms。　We　seem　not　so　much　to　have　coveted　the　lands　in　the　first　Indian…fighting　days；　we　fought　rather　for　the　trails　than　for　the　soil。　The　Indians　themselves　had　lived　there　all　their　lives；　had　conquered　their　environment；　and　were　happy　in　it。　They　made　a　bitter　fight；　nor　are　they　to　be　blamed　for　doing　so。

The　greatest　of　our　Indian　wars　have　taken　place　since　our　own　Civil　War；　and　perhaps　the　most　notable　of　all　the　battles　are　those　which　were　fought　on　the　old　cow　rangein　the　land　of　our　last　frontier。　We　do　not　lack　abundant　records　of　this　time　of　our　history。　Soon　after　the　Civil　War　the　railroads　began　edging　out　into　the　plains。　They　brought；　besides　many　new　settlers；　an　abundance　of　chroniclers　and　historians　and　writers　of　hectic　fiction　or　supposed　fact。　A　multitude　of　books　came　out　at　this　time　of　our　history；　most　of　which　were　accepted　as　truth。　That　was　the　time　when　we　set　up　as　Wild　West　heroes　rough　skinclad　hunters　and　so…called　scouts；　each　of　whom　was　allowed　to　tell　his　own　story　and　to　have　it　accepted　at　par。　As　a　matter　of　fact；　at　about　the　time　the　Army　had　succeeded　in　subduing　the　last　of　the　Indian　tribes　on　the　buffalo…range；　the　most　of　our　Wild　West　history；　at　least　so　far　as　concerned　the　boldest　adventure；　was　a　thing　of　the　past。　It　was　easy　to　write　of　a　past　which　every　one　now　was　too　new；　too　ignorant；　or　too　busy　critically　to　remember。

Even　as　early　as　1866；　Colonel　Marcy；　an　experienced　army　officer　and　Indian…fighter；　took　the　attitude　of　writing　about　a　vanishing　phase　of　American　life。　In　his　Army　〃Life　on　the　Border；〃　he　says：

〃I　have　been　persuaded　by　many　friends　that　the　contents　of　the　book　which　is　herewith　presented　to　the　public　are　not　without　value　as　records　of　a　fast…vanishing　age；　and　as　truthful　sketches　of　men　of　various　races　whose　memory　will　shortly　depend　only　on　romance；　unless　some　one　who　knew　them　shall　undertake　to　leave　outlines　of　their　peculiar　characteristics。。。。　I　am　persuaded　that　excuse　may　be　found　in　the　simple　fact　that　all　these　peoples　of　my　descriptionmen；　conditions　of　life；　races　of　aboriginal　inhabitants　and　adventurous　hunters　and　pioneersare　passing　away。　A　few　years　more　and　the　prairie　will　be　transformed　into　farms。　The　mountain　ravines　will　be　the　abodes　of　busy　manufacturers；　and　the　gigantic　power　of　American　civilization　will　have　taken　possession　of　the　land　from　the　great　river　of　the　West　to　the　very　shores　of　the　Pacific。。。。　The　world　is　fast　filling　up。　I　trust　I　am　not　in　error　when　I　venture　to　place　some　value；　however　small；　on　everything　which　goes　to　form　the　truthful　history　of　a　condition　of　men　incident　to　the　advances　of　civilization　over　the　continenta　condition　which　forms　peculiar　types　of　character；　breeds　remarkable　developments　of　human　naturea　condition　also　which　can　hardly　again　exist　on　this　or　any　other　continent；　and　which　has；　therefore；　a　special　value　in　the　sum　of　human　history。〃

Such　words　as　the　foregoing　bespeak　a　large　and　dignified　point　of　view。　No　one　who　follows　Marcy's　pages　can　close　them　with　anything　but　respect　and　admiration。　It　is　in　books　such　as　this；　then；　that　we　may　find　something　about　the　last　stages　of　the　clearing　of　the　frontier。

Even　in　Marcy's　times　the　question　of　our　Government's　Indian　policy　was　a　mooted　one。　He　himself　as　an　Army　officer　looked　at　the　matter　philosophically；　but　his　estimate　of　conditions　was　exact。　Long　ago　as　he　wrote；　his　conclusions　were　such　as　might　have　been　given　forty　years　later。

〃The　limits　of　their　accustomed　range　are　rapidly　contracting；　and　their　means　of　subsistence　undergoing　a　corresponding　diminution。　The　white　man　is　advancing　with　rapid　strides　upon　all　sides　of　them；　and　they　are　forced　to　give　way　to　his　encroachments。　The　time　is　not　far　distant　when　the　buffalo　will　become　extinct；　and　they　will　then　be　compelled　to　adopt　some　other　mode　of　life　than　the　chase　for　a　subsistence。。。。　No　man　will　quietly　submit　to　starvation　when　food　is　within　his　reach；　and　if　he　cannot　obtain　it　honestly　he　will　steal　it　or　take　it　by　force。　If；　therefore；　we　do　not　induce　them　to　engage　in　agricultural　avocations　we　shall　in　a　few　years　have　before　us　the　alternative　of　exterminating　them　or　fighting　them　perpetually。　That　they　are　destined　ultimately　to　extinction　does　not　in　my　mind　admit　of　a　doubt。　For　the　reasons　above　mentioned　it　may　at　first　be　necessary　for　our　government　to　assert　its　authority　over　them　by　a　prompt　and　vigorous　exercise　of　the　military　arm。。。。　The　tendency　of　the　policy　I　have　indicated　will　be　to　assemble　these　people　in　communities　where　they　will　be　more　readily　controlled；　and　I　predict　from　it　the　most　gratifying　results。〃　Another　well…informed　army　officer；　Colonel　Richard　Dodge；　himself　a　hunter；　a　trailer；　and　a　rider　able　to　compete　with　the　savages　in　their　own　fields；　penetrated　to　the　heart　of　the　Indian　problem　when　he　wrote：

〃The　conception　of　Indian　character　is　almost　impossible　to　a　man　who　has　passed　the　greater　portion　of　his　life　surrounded　by　the　influences　of　a　cultivated；　refined；　and　moral　society。。。。　The　truth　is　simply　too　shocking；　and　the　revolted　mind　takes　refuge　in　disbelief　as　the　less　painful　horn　of　the　dilemma。　As　a　first　step　toward　an　understanding　of　his　character　we　must　get　at　his　standpoint　of　morality。　As　a　child　he　is　not　brought　up。。。。From　the　dawn　of　intelligence　his　own　will　is　his　law。　There　is　no　right　and　no　wrong　to　him。。。。　No　dread　of　punishment　restrains　him　from　any　act　that　boyish　fun　or　fury　may　prompt。　No　lessons　inculcating　the　beauty　and　sure　reward　of　goodness　or　the　hideousness　and　certain　punishment　of　vice　are　ever　wasted　on　him。　The　men　by　whom　he　is　surrounded；　and　to　whom　he　looks　as　models　for　his　future　life；　are　great　and　renowned　just　in　proportion　to　their　ferocity；　to　the　scalps　they　have　taken；　or　the　thefts　they　have　committed。　His　earliest　boyish　memory　is　probably　a　dance　of　rejoicing　over　the　scalps　of　strangers；　all　of　whom　he　is　taught　to　regard　as　enemies。　The　lessons　of　his　mother　awaken　only　a　desire　to　take　his　place　as　soon　as　possible　in　fight　and　foray。　The　instruction　of　his　father　is　only　such　as　is　calculated　to　fit　him　best　to　act　a　prominent　part　in　the　chase；　in　theft；　and　in　murder。。。。　Virtue；　morality；　generosity；　honor；　are　words　not　only　absolutely　without　significance　to　him；　but　are　not　accurately　translatable；　into　any　Indian　language　on　the　Plains。〃

These　are　sterner；　less　kindly；　less　philosophic　words　than　Marcy's；　but　they　keenly　outline　the　duty　of　the　Army　on　the　frontier。　We　made　treaties　with　the　Indians　and　broke　them。　In　turn　men　such　as　these　ignorant　savages　might　well　be　expected　to　break　their　treaties　also；　and　they　did。　Unhappily　our　Indian　policy　at　that　time　was　one　of　mingled　ferocity　and　wheedling。　The　Indians　did　not　understand　us　any　more　than　we　did　them。　When　we　withdrew　some　of　the　old　frontier　posts　from　the　old　hunting…range；　the　action　was　construed　by　the　tribesmen　as　an　admission　that　we　feared　them；　and　they　acted　upon　that　idea。　In　one　point　of　view　they　had　right　with　them；　for　now　we　were　moving　out　into　the　last　of　the　great　buffalo　country。　Their　war　was　one　of　desperation；　whereas　ours　was　one　of　conquest；　no　better　and　no　worse　than　all　the　wars　of　conquest　by　which　the　strong　have　taken　the　possessions　of　the　weak。

Our　Army　at　the　close　of　the　Civil　War　and　at　the　beginning　of　the　wars　with　the　Plains　tribes　was　in　better　condition　than　it　has　ever　been　since　that　day。　It　was　made　up　of　the　soundest　and　best…seasoned　soldiers　that　ever　fought　under　our　flag；　and　at　that　time　it　represented　a　greater　proportion　of　our　fighting　strength　than　it　ever　has　before　or　since。　In　1860　the　Regular　Army；　not　counting　the　volunteer　forces；　was　16；000。　In　1870　it　was　37；000one　soldier　to　each　one　thousand　of　our　population。

Against　this　force；　pioneers　of　the　vaster　advancing　army　of　peaceful　settlers　now　surging　West；　there　was　arrayed　practically　all　the　population　of　fighting　tribes　such　as　the　Sioux；　the　two　bands　of　the　Cheyennes；　the　Piegans；　the　Assiniboines；　the　Arapahoes；　the　Kiowas；　the　Comanches；　and　the　Apaches。　These　were　the　leaders　of　many　other　tribes　in　savage　campaigns　which　set　the　land　aflame　from　the　Rio　Grande　to　our　northern　line。　The　Sioux　and　Cheyennes　were　more　especially　the　leaders；　and　they　always　did　what　they　could　to　enlist　the　aid　of　the　less　warlike　tribes　such　as　the　Crows；　the　Snakes；　the　Bannacks；　the　Utesindeed　all　of　the　savage　or　semi…civilized　tribes　which　had　hung　on　the　flanks　of　the　traffic　of　the　westbound　trail。

The　Sioux；　then　at　the　height　of　their　power；　were　distinguished　by　many　warlike　qualities。　They　fought　hard　and　were　quick　to　seize　upon　any　signs　of　weakness　in　their　enemies。　When　we；　in　the　course　of　our　Civil　War；　had　withdrawn　some　of　the　upper　posts；　the　Sioux　edged　in　at　once　and　pressed　back　the　whites　quite　to　the　eastern　confines　of　the　Plains。　When　we　were　locked　in　the　death　grip　of　internecine　war　in　1862；　they　rose　in　one　savage　wave　of　rebellion　of　their　own　and　massacred　with　the　most　horrible　ferocity　not　less　than　six　hundred　and　forty…four　whites　in　Minnesota　and　South　Dakota。　When　General　Sibley　went　out　among　them　on　his　later　punitive　campaign　he　had　his　hands　full　for　many　a　long　and　weary　day。

Events　following　the　clos