scarcely call our own and in which we cannot remain in safety and pursue our peaceful avocations, nor can we visit the bones and the graves of our kindred, so dear to our hearts and sacred to our memories, to pay the tribute of respect, unless we run the risk of being murdered by our more powerful enemies; and

Whereas there still remains in the timbered countries, on the plains, and in the mountains many nations and bands of our people, which, if united, would present a body that would afford sufficient strength to command respect and assert and maintain our rights: Therefore, we the Cherokees, Choctaws, Muscogees, Seminoles, Chickasaws, Reserve Caddos, Reserve Osages, and Reserve Comanches, comprising the Confederate Indian tribes and allies of the Confederate States of the first part, and our brothers of the plains, the Kiowas, Arapahoes, Chivans, Lipans, and of the several bands of the Comanches, the Nocomies, Co-cho-te-kas, Le-na-weets, Yampankas, and Mootchas, and Jim Pock Mark's band of Caddos and Anadarkoes, of the second part, do, for our peace and happiness and the preservation of our race, make and enter into the following league and compact, to wit:

ARTICLE I. Peace and friendship shall forever exit between the tribes and bands parties to this compact. The ancient council fires of our forefathers already kindled by our brothers of the timbered countries shall be kept kindled and blazing by brotherly love, until their smoke shall ascend to the spirit land to invoke the blessing of the Great Spirit on all of our good works. The tomahawk shall be forever buried. The scalping knife shall be forever broken. The warpath heretofore leading from one tribal or band to another shall grow up and become as the wild wilderness. The path of peace shall be opened from one tribe or band to another, and kept open and traveled in friendship, so that it may become white and brighten as time rolls on, and so that our children in all time to come may travel no other road, and never shall it be stained with the blood of our brothers.

ART. II. The parties to this compact shall compose (as our undersigned brothers of the timbered country of the first part already have done) an Indian confederacy or band of brothers, having for its object the peace, the happiness, and the protection of all alike, and the preservation of our race. In no case shall the warpath be opened to settle any difficulty or dispute that may hereafter arise between any of the tribes or bands parties to this compact or individuals thereof. All the difficulties shall be settled without the shedding of any blood, and by suggestion of the chiefs an deadmen of the tribes, band, or persons interested. The motto or great principle of the confederated Indian tribes shall be, "An Indian shall spill an Indian's blood. "

In testimony of our sincerity and good faith in entering into this compact we have smoked the pipe of peace and extended to each other the hand of exchanged the tokens and emblems of peace and friendship peculiar to our race, this 26th of May, 1865.

[Signatures omitted.]

[Inclosure Numbers 7.]

Resolutions of the grand council, passed at Cleata Yamaha, Choctaw Nation, June 15, 1865.

Whereas at the grand council held at Camp Napoleon on the 24th day of may, 1865, the Cherokees, Choctaws, Creeks, Chickasaws, Seminoles, Comanches, Caddos, Osages, Cheyennes, Kiowas, Arapahoes, Lipans, the Northern Caddos, and Anadarkoes, did enter into a solemn league of peace and friendship; and,