Since Chief Many Horses is an Indian I would think he is speaking of getting on good terms with the white people. A few centuries ago the Native Americans and white people were just getting to know each other by way of contact on land. There were differences among the two races and cultures that would result in conflict and affect lives.
This means that he will established some relation with the white man, because somehow, they were going to have so mucho power over Indian people, so some type of relation would be good.
