How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
[T]he trappers and the Sioux had been allies in the siege against the Arikara. Glass remembered that the Sioux had quit the fight in disgust over Colonel Leavenworth's tactics (1.13.22)
The Sioux and the Arikara have a long-standing beef, so the Sioux jump at the chance to fight their archenemies alongside the U.S. military. As they quickly learn, however, the Army has few ethics and little respect for their people as a whole. Talk about making a deal with the devil, huh?
Quote #5
Scattered teepees spotted the clearing around the fort, a few pitched temporally by Indians visiting to trade, a few pitched permanently by resident Yankton Sioux drunks. (1.15.3)
This is a perfect illustration of U.S.-Indian relations of the frontier. While there are plenty of individuals who benefit from the increased presence of traders, there are plenty of others whose way of life has been completely upended by this invading force. In other words, this situation is grayer than an old school Game Boy.
Quote #6
Taken bit by bit, none of the foreboding seemed overwhelming. Yet Yellow Horse sensed that these scattered strands [...] braided in a warning that he could not yet fully perceive. (1.15.28)
Yellow Horse is the only one who realizes that a calamity is about to strike the frontier. Between a rapid increase in trading, the growing presence of the U.S. military, and the continuing assaults waged by the Arikara tribes, the current situation is like a fuse ready to blow at any time. The only question that remains is who's going to drop the match.