Page:Life Among the Piutes.djvu/227

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Oh, if he had lived I know I would have a good friend to help in my work, not like the one who has the charge of his work now. That is Dr. Bland.

“Well, if the government pets are to be the ones to condemn me, I have no fear whatever. I am not going into their private life, because I am not to condemn any one. I am only telling what the agents are doing. I think it is better for the government to keep the money than to give it to agents.”

We were now ready to start, and the man who brought us to Washington was going with us. I said to him,—

“I am not going as I came here.”

“All right; you shall have a sleeping-car.”

We had been on the road two days when a lady joined us. She was going to Duck Valley Agency to her husband, who was an agent there. She had a Bible with her. Ah! ah! What do you think the Bible was? Why it was a pack of cards. She would sit every day and play cards with men, and every evening, too. She was an Indian agent’s wife.

Mr. Hayworth went as far as Omaha with us. He came to me there and said, “Sarah, I am going back.”

I ran to the car where my father and brother were to tell them. He came in and bade them good-bye, and gave brother three dollars to provide us all with eating on our way,—more than a thousand miles.

This is a copy of the order Secretary Schurz gave me. I have the original in my possession now.


Department of the Interior,

Washington, D.C., July 20, 1880.

The Pi-Utes, heretofore entitled to live on the Malheur Reservation, their primeval home, are to have lands allotted to them in severalty, at the rate of one hundred and