Part 34 (2/2)

WT SHERMAN

Our next descent on Europe was ain chartered This time our destination was France The Parisians received the shoith asA ht American and Mexican saddles for their rides in the Bois

Cowboy hats appeared everywhere on the street There was a great cry for stories of the Plains and all the books that could be found that dealt with the West were translated into the French language Relics from the Plains and mountains, bows, moccasins, and Indian baskets, sold like hot cakes in the souvenir stores

While in the city I accepted an invitation from Rosa Bonheur to visit her at her superb chateau In return I extended her the freedom of the show, and she ht over with me She also painted a portrait of me on my favorite horse--a picture which I immediately sent home to my wife

Our sojourn in Rome was lively with incident The Prince of Simonetta, who visited the show, declared that he had some wild horses in his stable which no cowboy could ride The challenge was promptly taken up by soht not run amuck and injure anyone, special booths were erected in the show arena, where the trial was to be reatest enthusiasm was manifested by the Romans in the perforerly forward to the mortal injury of soht in sports like those of the old Roman arena had by nothey sprang into the air, snorted, kicked up their heels, and plainly defied any of the cowboys to do so much as to lay a hand on them But in less time than I can tell it the plainsh the air, and the horses discovered that they hadfor the winners, forgot their disappointht as the cowboys, one after another, mounted the fractious horses and trotted them submissively about the arena We closed this tour of Europe, which was successful to the end, with a second visit to England

I have now come to the end of my story It is a story of ”The Great West that Was,” a West that is gone forever

All my interests are still with the West--the modern West I have a nu in the wonderful Big Horn Valley, which I hope one day to see one of the garden spots of the world

In concluding, I want to express the hope that the dealings of this Government of ours with the Indians will always be just and fair They were the inheritors of the land that we live in They were not capable of developing it, or of really appreciating its possibilities, but they owned it when the White Man came, and the White Man took it away from them It was natural that they should resist It was natural that they eainst those whoarded as usurpers It was our business, as scouts, to be continually on the warpath against them when they coeneral

There have been times when the Government policy toward the Indians has been unwise and unjust That time, I trust, has passed forever There are still ed in agricultural pursuits Indian blood has added a certain rugged strength to the characters of many of our Western citizens At least two United States Senators are part Indian, and proud of it

The Indian ood soldier He is a real American, and all those of us who have coe should do their share toward seeing that he is dealt with justly and fairly, and that his rights and liberties are never infringed by the schehted administration of law

THE END