white river poems 367
10
what happened
Testimony of the Women at the Hearings
Arvilla's words
`She is entirely passive,'
Meeker once complained;
he never became aware
of her matter-of-course respect
for how things happen thus and not otherwise.
one
Douglas came in at dinner time
(just after we had fi nished up)
with several others, and we gave them
some victuals, thinking nothing of it.
We always have a kitchen-full
of Indians, more or less, and squaws,
and children underfoot at meals.
Mrs. Price and I were looking out
at the window, when we saw a Ute
coming on the dead run. She said,
"Just see that Indian run.
It must be he has news."
two
We were running and had reached the sagebrush
when the ball struck me, and I dropped
so as to be less of a mark;
I then saw that my wound was slight.
As I lay there I saw them capture
Josie and Mrs. Price, and then
they saw me; the one who came for me
thought I was hurt as I lay there.