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. 158Chief Joseph & the Flight of the Nez PerceOn the trail, however, the issues were much less abstract and muchmore dire.The warriors had little fear of pursuing soldiers because theyknew that most were on foot and had proven cowardly when forced tofight armed men rather than sleeping women and children.They sharedmocking stories of how the soldiers in the grove of trees had cried likebabies when they were trapped, and they formed teepee-shaped piles ofhorse dung on the trail behind as a signal of derision to any troops whomight be following.But the chiefs, trying desperately to protect a dispirited, grieving groupof people, sensed a gathering storm.It was true that the warriors raidswere gaining them much-needed provisions and were depriving the pursu-ing soldiers of forage and fresh mounts, but these endless attacks on inno-cent settlers were sure to bring the wrath of the whites down upon them.Though the warriors were killing no women or children, the settlers couldnot know that.All men will fight more fiercely to defend their homes andfamilies than they will when alone in the field.If these settlers formed to-gether or were joined with a strong soldier force, the Nez Perce would befaced with a battle they could not easily win.In a last effort to gain allies, and perhaps the ear of sympathetic whites,Looking Glass and White Bird led a group of warriors into the smallmining town of Junction to talk with Chief Tendoy of the Lemhi Sho-shone.Though the Shoshone and Nez Perce had a long history of enmity,it was hoped that their common skin color would elicit sympathy and sup-port.But Tendoy, like Chief Charlot, had chosen the route of conciliationand wanted nothing to do with a tribe that was at war with the U.S.mili-tary.He told the Nez Perce that they would get no assistance from him andthat they should leave.Reluctantly, they agreed to do so.But their merepresence in the town had so unnerved the white populace, who had takenrefuge in a hastily built log stockade, that many were convinced the rene-gades had come to attack the barricade.It was only through the towns-folk s fortitude and solid preparation, they believed, that the murderousred men had been kept at bay.Soon another story of heroic white resist-ance to Indian savagery was making its way by courier and telegraph to theoutside world.But not far outside that town, an act of true savagery and terror wastaking place.While the Nez Perce families were struggling along in the re-lentless August heat, a small caravan of freight wagons appeared in the dis- In a Dream Last Night I Saw Myself Killed 159tance.The wagons were making their way through the dust and sagebrushwith supplies for the scattered white settlements in the area.The chiefs,hoping to trade, rode up to the wagons and made conversation.The wag-oneers were nervous and offered food as a gesture of friendship.Though thegoods they were transporting were not theirs to distribute, the frightenedfreight haulers willingly exchanged bags of flour for Nez Perce gold dust,hoping the trade would mollify the Indians and send them on their way.While this was going on, some of the young warriors discovered twoChinese miners who were traveling with the wagon train.Full of their new-found power, the warriors made the terrified miners get down on all foursand buck like horses to save their lives.When the warriors tired of thissport, they tried to make the white wagoneers do the same.But the white men refused to do so.An altercation ensued, and thewagoneers were quickly overwhelmed and murdered.Then the warriorsdiscovered ten barrels and a few random bottles of whiskey on the wagonsand proceeded to drink themselves into a stupor.One of the nondrinkingwarriors, named Ketalkpoosim, became upset and tried to stop them. Ifsoldiers come, he said, you will not be able to fight, not be able to ride. The drunken warriors paid him no mind.When he tried to restrainthem they took out their guns and shot him.He had been among thebravest fighters at the Big Hole, helping to capture an army cannon anddismantle it and risking his own life to save the lives of the women andchildren.Now he was mortally wounded at his own brothers hands.Looking Glass, White Bird, and Joseph were furious.They made thewarriors pour out the remaining whiskey.But the drunken warriors simplygot down on all fours and ate the mud.Everything seemed to be disintegrating.They were in hot, desolatecountry.Every tribe they had counted on for friendship had turned againstthem.Internal divisions were surfacing everywhere, and the young war-riors were out of control
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