Page:Don Coronado through Kansas.djvu/159

148 TUSKSTRANGUSa., pie ofEicera for the purpose of getting him to make a confession, and here is what was written at the time of the transaction: "Turk after much persuasive cross-ezaminati(Hi, was at last induced to confess that he had lied." They asked the Turk why he had lied and had guided ^em so £Eir out of the way. He said that his country was in that direction, and that besides this, the people at Gicnye had asked him to lead them off upon the plains and lose them, so that the) horses would die when their provisions gave out„ and they would be so weak if they ever returned that they could be killed without any trouble. Thus they could take revenge for what had been done to them. This was the reason why he had led them astray, supposing that they did not know how to hunt or to live without corn; while as for gold, he did not know where there was any of it. He said this like one who had given up hope and was being persecuted, since they had begun to believe Ysopete, who had guided them better than he had. Fearing lest those who were there might give him some advice by which harm would come to them, they garrotted him. Tills vindicated Ysopete because he had always said that Turk was a rascal and that he did not know what he was talking about, and had always hin- dered his talking with anybody. After Turk was strangled, Ysopete on the third day of their sojourn at Junction City got near enough to some of his Indian friends to have them recognize his sign of friendship, for it is conceded that all the tribes understood the sign language, making it pos- sible for them to convey ideas to each other notwith-