ArizonaRealCountry.com 45 June 2019 It is as if they shot me, attack them (Philbrick, The Last Stand, p. 177).” Sitting Bull then stayed in the background, directing the movements of his two war chiefs as they smashed Custer and his immediate command, then turned on the fleeing Reno. But he did venture out in the wake of Reno's repulse, and one memorable, poignant moment as he approached the banks of the Little Big Horn sheds much illumination on the character of this great man. For a one-time friend lay dying in the timbers, shot as he tried to flee with the rest of Reno's surviving command. This old friend was the black Scout Isaiah Dorman, who had lived with the Sioux for years, married a Sioux woman, and then took up with the whites. Now he lay in the wood, shot in the gut and surrounded by vengeful Sioux women intent on mutilating him while he was still alive. At that point, Sitting Bull rode up, and according to Historian David Humphreys Miller, who chronicled the Indian side of the story said in a commanding tone: "Don't kill that man. He is Teat. He used to be a friend of our people!" The women slunk away, stung by their chief's rebuke. The mortally wounded Dorman turned to his one-time friend and begged for water. Sitting Bull took out his personal cup made of polished buffalo horn, filled it with water, then in a last gesture to his stricken friend let him drink as much as he could before he died (David Humphreys Miller, Custer's Fall, p.116, 1994). This gesture was so characteristic of the man who could be a cruel warrior to his enemies, but a man who could also turn around and show kindness to women and children, and even to an old friend who had become an adversary but now lay dying on the Little Big Horn. With victory, the Sioux hoped with their victory over Custer that they would be able to hold on to the Black Hills, but Sitting Bull himself knew better and knew the whites would come back in force. And as that summer of 1876 ended Sitting Bull's old adversary Crook, with a refitted and rested force, set out after him. With an ambitious Colonel by the name of Nelson Miles leading the way, the Sioux were forced to abandon their sacred ground and move north towards Canada. Even then, Sitting Bull still sought a truce sending Miles an appeal: "I want to know what you are doing on this road. You scare all the buffalo away. I want to hunt in this place. I want you to turn back. If you don't, I will fight you again. I want you to leave what you got here, and turn back from here. I am your friend Sitting Bull (Brown, The American West, p.235).” Miles, however, would have none of that and resumed hostilities with the retreating Sioux. Knowing the old ways were gone, knowing that in the wake of the Custer fight Red Cloud and other chiefs were forced to sign away the rights to the Black Hills upon the dual threats of starvation and renewed hostilities, knowing that even Crazy Horse was now seeking accommodation with the whites, and knowing too, that the soldiers were out for blood and avenging Custer, Sitting Bull had no choice but to flee across the border into "Grandmother's Land," which he did in February 1877 seeking refuge and mercy from a Canada that was unable to keep their own First Nations (the Metis, Cree, and Blackfoot) fed and cared for. The stay would initially be sweet, but as the buffalo dwindled and the Canadian tribes grew restless, it would soon turn sour. The second part of the Sitting Bull story will briefly touch upon his Canadian exile, his forced return to the states and reservation life his friendship with Buffalo Bill Cody and "Little Sure Shot" Annie Oakley, and his experiences in Cody's "Wild West" show. It will also touch upon his mixed attitude towards whites and towards his late adversary Custer, his little-known meeting (with other chiefs) with President Grover Cleveland, and his premonition of death - at the hands of his own people. A premonition which as things turned out would sadly come true. Sitting Bull was a man who could be a cruel warrior to his enemies, but a man who could also turn around and show kindness to women and children, and even to an old friend who had become an adversary but now lay dying on the Little Big Horn. Come see why London Gold was voted: Best Engagement Ring Store in the Valley Best Local Jewelry Store SCOTTSDALE 10441 N Scottsdale Rd Scottsdale, AZ 85253 (480) 367-1717 ARROWHEAD 7311 W Bell Rd Peoria, AZ 85382 (623) 979-4445 CHANDLER 3100 W Chandler Blvd Chandler, AZ 85226 (480) 705-4191 or online at LondonGold.com Serving the Valley for Over 40 Years