He made the medicine for the fight, and I have understood from the Sioux at Pine Ridge that Sitting Bull sat on a hill, some distance from the action, and went through with his incantations in plain view of many of the warriors. McLaughlin states that Sitting Bull and his family fled when the shooting began. Be that as it may, the success of the fight was attributed, in no small part, to the efficacy of Sitting Bull’s medicine, and he became a great man thereafter.
After the Custer fight the Indians separated into two parties, one soon surrendering to the military, and the other, under Sitting Bull, continuing fighting. Various army officers pursued them, and Sitting Bull continued his flight towards the north, to escape capture. The pursuit by General Miles occupied some time and the Indians were continually harassed, and driven here and there, until finally they found an asylum in Canada. Toward the close of the seventies a Commission was appointed to visit him, and persuade Sitting Bull and his followers to return to this country. In view of the dislike on the part of our authorities toward him, it is incomprehensible that they should seek his return. He was very abrupt in his treatment of the Commission, and publicly shook hands with Her Majesty’s representatives and declined to return to this country.
His later life was much embittered by his confinement at Fort Randall, contrary to the promise made him.
Sitting Bull possessed a grim humor. He knew more of our ways than he admitted, and always availed himself of the opportunity to get the better of white people. McLaughlin tells this story:—
“He was not a nice character, Sitting Bull; he took what looked good to him, whether it was a woman or property of other sort, and he was not in any sense typical of his people. I never heard that he had a love-affair, and the measure of the man was shown when Bishop Marty tried to induce him to put away one of his wives. He went to see the Bishop, who was visiting the missions. The Bishop pointed out to him the evil of his ways, and the bad influence he exerted among the people, finally asking him if he would not put away one of his wives. Sitting Bull was crafty.
“‘You think that I should put away one wife and that would be good?’ he asked.
“‘It would, and the woman would be taken care of. You should keep only your first wife.’
“‘But I cannot put one away; I like them both and would not like to treat them differently.’
“The Bishop admitted that it might be hard, but one should be put away; the second wife.
“‘But I could put them both away without injuring either one,’ said Sitting Bull.