19.People who lived thus by the chase，of course，had no cities and few cultivated fields.They roamed the woods in search of game，each separate tribe having its own “hunting grounds.”The tribes were frequently at war with one another，and in these wars they were very treacherous andcruel.Their favorite mode of war was to lie in ambush for their enemy and to cut him down when he was least expecting it.Prisoners were commonly put to death by torture，often being burned at the stake.
20.Now，these savages were not very numerous，and they roamed over a vast wilderness in their hunting.But the European settlers cleared off the forests and planted the fields with their crops.In this way the wilderness was gradually lessened，and the Indians saw their hunting grounds destroyed.Besides，the land was not always bought by the whites from its red ownersoften the newcomers simply took it.And when it was bought the simple Indians were often cheated.For these and other reasons the settlers and the natives often quarreled，and many bloody Indian wars were the result.The savage warriors would lurk in the forests until they could find the settlers off the watch.Then the warwhoop and the blazing cabin would wake the terrified family from sleep，only to perish under the tomahawk.Men and women and helpless children alike were butchered，and their bloody scalps torn off to adorn the brutal victor.
21.But the white men in the end were always too strong for the red men，and now the time of Indian wars has probably gone forever.The tribes have melted away，dying rapidly from disease and war.Liquor，however，has been more deadly than either.The savages became very fond of the white man‘s strong drink“firewater，”the Indians called itand it has ruined them.The remnants of the tribes now live on “reservations”tracts of land set apart by the government for them.Then，every year the government pays them a certain amount of money，by way of pay for the land they have given up.In this way the Indians do not have to work for a living.The game is long since gone，so there is little use in hunting.
22.On some of the reservations，and in the Indian territory，the Indians have become educated.They have schools and churches，and are sometimes quite wealthy.Attempts have been made in late years to send the children of the other tribes to school.At Carlisle，in Pennsylvania，there is a school for Indian children，which is doing good work.And there is another at Hampton，Virginia.
23.The Hampton Institute is a school founded in 1870for the training of young negroes to become industrious and skilful workmen，thus enabling them to live good lives and to earn a decent living.Such training was especially needed，as the negroes had only recently been freed from slavery，and had now for the first time to care for themselves.Ten years later the school was opened for Indians.The United States government pays for the education of 120Indian boys and girls，andA GRADUATING CLASS，INDIAN INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL，CARLISLE，PENNSYLVANIAgenerous people pay for a few more each year，so that there are nearly 150Indians in the school.Nearly 500have attended the school，and have gone back with its education to the reservations.Very few of these have made a bad record in their afterlife.A very large majority of them have learned to be industrious and intelligent workmen.The boys have become farmers，blacksmiths，and carpenters；the girls have been taught sewing and housework.So，instead of being mere rude savages，they are intelligent and honest men and women.
24.It is certainly much better to send the Indians to school than it is to shoot them，and it seems to cost no more.If the young can learnto live like white men，to earn their own living by honest work，they will become good citizens of our republic.Certainly that is what they ought to be.If the Indians had always been treated honestly and kindly by the whites，it is more than likely that the most of them would now be civilized.But we must own that white men have often treated their red neighbors very badly.It has been necessary for the land to be used by civilized people；it would not be reasonable for it to lie idle for a mere hunting ground.However，we cannot always be proud of the way in which our people have got the land or of the way in which they have treated the red men.
The Indians are not very numerous.In 1870it was estimated that there were 357，981wild Indians and 25，731civilized.In 1890，58，806civilized Indians were counted，and there were fewer wild ones than in 1870.
25.Two Stories of the Indian Wars.The bloody Indian wars have been full of cruel massacres，desperate fights，and hairbreadth escapes.The story of Mrs.Dustin，of Haverhill，in Massachusetts，is one of the most thrilling of these.And the poem，by an unknown author，commemorating a fight with the Indians in Maine，gives a quaint account of another.
Mrs.Dustin’s Escape①
IN March，1697，Thomas Dustin，of Haverhill，was at work in his field，when he heard the terrible whoop of Indians，and ran towards his house.He had eight childrenthe youngest only a week old.The mother was in bed with her infant，tended by her nurse，Mary Neff.
“Run for the garrison！”he shouted to his other children.They fled，the oldest carrying the youngest，while Mr.Dustin rushed into the stable for his horse.The Indians were close upon him.He could not save his wife；but would try and save some of the children.He came up with them.Which should he take？All were equally dear to him，and①From Coffin‘s “Old Times in the Colonies.”