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The council broke up for that day.  On the next morning general Howard came by my lodge invited me to go with him and White-Bird and Looking Glass to look for land for my people.  As we rode along we came to some good land that was already occupied by Indians and white people.  General Howard pointing to this land said  "If you will come onto the reservation I will give you thses lands and move the people off" I replied  "No, It would be wrong to disturb these people.  I have no right to take their homes.  I have never taken what did not belong to me.  I will not now." We rode all day upon the reservation and found no good land unoccupied.  I have been informed by men who do not lie that General Howard sent a letter that night telling the soldiers of Walla-Walla to go to Wallowa Valley and drive us out, upon  our return home. In the council next day General Howard informed me in a haughty spirit that he would give my people thirty days to go back home, collect all their stock and move onto the reservation, saying if  you are not here in time I shall consider that you want to fight and I will send my soldiers to drive on you. I said "War can be avoided and it ought to be avoided, I want no war, my people have always been friends of the white man, why are you in such a hurry?  I can not get ready to move in thirty days, our stock is scattered and Snake River is very high.  Let us wait til fall. Then the river will be low.  We want time to hunt up our stock and gather supplies for winter." General Howard replied "If you let the time run over one day the soldiers will be there and drive you on the reservation and all of your cattle and horses outside of the reservation will fall into the hands of the whiteman. "I knew I had never sold my country and that I had no land in Hapwai, but I did not want bloodshed.  I did not want anybody killed.  Some of my people had been murdered by whitemen and the white murders were never punished for it." I told General Howard about this and again said I wanted no war.  I wanted the people who lived upon the lands I was to occupy at Hapwai to have time together their harvest.  I said that in my heart, rather than war.  I would give up my country,  I would give up my fathers grave, I would give up everything rather than to have the blood of whitemen upon the lands of my people.  General Howard refused to allow me more than thirty days to move my people and their stock.  I am sure he begun to prepare for war at once, when I returned to Wallowa. I found my people very much excited upon discovering that the soldiers were already in Wallowa Valley.  We held council and decided to move immediately to avoid bloodshed.  Too-hool-hool-suit who felt outraged by his imprisonment talked for war and made many of my young men willing to fight rather than be driven like dogs from the land they were born . He declared that  blood alone would wash out the disgrace General Howard had put upon him.  It required a strong heart to stand up against such talk and I wanted my people to be quiet and not begin a war.  We gathered all the stock we could find and made an attempt to move.  We left many of our horses and cattle in Wallowa and we lost several hundred in crossing the river.  All of my people succeeded in getting accross it safely.  Many of the Nez Perce' came together in Rocky Canon to hold a Grand Council.  I went with all of my people, this council lasted ten days.  There was a great deal of war talk and a great deal of excitement.  There was one young brave present whose father was killed by a whiteman five years before.  This man's blood was bad against whitemen.  And he left council calling for revenge again.I   counceled peace and I thought the danger was past.  We had not complied with General Howards order because we could not but we intended to do so as soon as possible.  I was leaving the councel to kill beef for my people.  When news came that the young man whose father had been killed had gone out with several others hot-blooded young braves and killed four white men.  He rode up to the councel and shouted  "Why do you sit here like women?  The war has already begun.  "I was deeply grieved, all the lodges were moved except my brothers and my own.I   saw clearly that war was upon us.  When I learned that my young men had been secretly buying ammuntion.  I heard that Too-hool-hool-suit, who had been imprisoned by General Howard, had succeeded in organising a war party.  I knew their acts would involve all my people.  I saw that their war could not be prevented.  The time had passed, I counceled peace from the beginning.  I knew we were to weak to fight the United States.  We had many grievances but I knew the war would bring more.  We had good white friends who advised us against taking the war path.   My friend and brother Mr. Chapman who had been with us since the surrender told us just how the war would end.  Mr.Chapman took sides against us and helped General Howard.  I do not blame him from doing so.  He tried hard to prevent blood-shed.  We hoped the white settlers would not join the soldiers before the war commenced.  We has discussed this matter all over and many of my people were in favor in warning them that if they took no part against us they should not be molested in the event of  being begun by General Howard.  This plan was voted down in the war councel.  There were bad men among my people who had quarreled with the white men and they talked of the wrongs until they raised all the bad hearts in the council.