A Cold Day in Hell: The Dull Knife Battle, 1876

“Tell Sitting Bull we are not leaving this country,” the soldier finally said, his voice even and moderate despite the anger flaring in his eyes. “We are here to protect the roads and the rivers. We will protect white commerce and white settlement. I repeat: the Sioux must return to their agency.”

“Sitting Bull says he has never been to an agency,” Johnny translated. “He cannot go back to where he has never been.”

“Goddammit! You tell him it doesn’t matter that he’s never been to Standing Rock. That’s where his Hunkpapa belong, and that’s where he’s going.”

“Sitting Bull will not go where he does not want to

Miles fumed a moment, then said, “He can go voluntarily, on his own—you explain that to him. Or I can drive him home, like I can drive buffalo out of this valley, on to the next, and on to the next.”

“We will go the next valley, Sitting Bull says. You cannot kill off all the buffalo, and you cannot kill off all the Lakota. You go away and leave us alone. Take your soldiers away from the log lodges at Tongue River. Take all the soldiers away from the big fort at the mouth of Elk River.”*

“I have my orders from your grandfather in Washington City: I am to see that you go back on your reservation.”

Johnny translated, then turned to ask Sitting Bull’s question, “And if we do not go back to this Standing Rock Agency?”

“Those who do not go will be followed, hounded and harried … and perhaps even killed by the soldiers who are coming.”

“There are no soldiers coming. Only you,” Bruguier replied.

“It is winter. Wait until spring. Come spring, there will be more than before. Many more.”

“We killed many of your soldiers this summer. The army did not drive us off of our hunting grounds. You will not drive us out next year.”

“Tell Sitting Bull there are more soldiers coming. And more settlers. More white men than there are blades of grass on this prairie, more than there will be stars in the sky tonight.”

For a few minutes Sitting Bull thought on those words, then stated, “I want only to be left alone. To live as my grandfather lived. I desire only to hunt buffalo. I want to do some trading—mostly to trade for ammunition for my guns so that I can hunt the buffalo. If you take your soldiers … all your soldiers out of our country and never return, we will leave you and your soldiers alone.”

Miles wagged his head in frustration, glancing at the restless warriors on their ponies milling about less than fifty yards behind their chiefs. “You must go in to your agency or there will be war.”

“We have had fighting with your soldiers for many years already.”

“Sitting Bull will not go in to Standing Rock voluntarily?”

Johnny finally shook his head, saying, “Sitting Bull says the Great Mystery above made him a free Indian. He did not make Sitting Bull an agency Indian.”

“Tell the chief he must return to the agency, for the good of his people.”

“Sitting Bull says he does not need to go to the agency for anything. All he needs is here in Lakota country. Plenty of buffalo—”

“Yes,” Miles interrupted curtly. “I know Sitting Bull and his people intend to move north to hunt buffalo on the Big Dry River. Then go on to Fort Peck to trade for guns and ammunition so they can keep making war on white men coming into this land.”

As Johnny translated that statement, Sitting Bull’s impassive face suddenly came alive with rage. The chief demanded, “How does the soldier chief know where I want to take my people? How he does he know we are going to the fort to trade with the métis? Who has spoken of this to the soldier chief?”

Evidently the loud, bellicose tone of Sitting Bull’s voice spurred some activity among the mounted, armed warriors waiting behind the council. They stirred, brandishing their weapons openly, beginning to inch their way toward the conference.

“You better tell those men to stay back,” Miles warned sharply, pointing over Sitting Bull’s shoulder.

Now there was restlessness among the few soldiers with Miles as Johnny turned to look over his shoulder. Most of the mounted warriors were easing up on the conference, converging from two sides.

“Watch for treachery, men,” Miles ordered in a low, clipped voice.

Putting up his hands, Bruguier first spoke in English, suddenly very frightened that events would spill out of control. “There’s no danger here! There’s no danger!”

Then he turned to Sitting Bull to explain why the soldiers were becoming anxious and afraid, keeping their hands near the fronts of their open coats.

“The soldiers will have guns under their coats,” Johnny warned.

Sitting Bull glowered at Miles. “I come without a weapon to talk to the Bear Coat chief. But he brings a gun to talk with me! Does he want to kill me?”

“No, I don’t think he wants to kill you,” Bruguier replied, trying his best to soothe, to calm the tension.

“Why does he bring his guns here?”

“I think he is afraid of the young warriors who come too close, showing their weapons.”