Chapter I (9)

The principal Ioway chief was once at our camp; he is a very intelligent Indian, with a solemn dignity of deportment, and would not deign to enter our houses or even to approach them until invited. He is said to have a more intimate knowledge of the manners of the whites, than any other Indian of the Missouri, and to be acquainted with many of the words of our language, but will not willingly make use of them, fearing to express himself improperly, or not trusting to his pronunciation. He remained near Council Bluff in the autumn, in order to be present at the councils with the different nations, and to observe the conduct of the whites towards them respectively, a considerable time after his nation had departed down the river to their beaver trapping. After this he went with his family to the head waters of the Boyer, and during his stay there trapped sixty {163} beaver; when with us he was about to go in search of his people. He had three wives with him, one of whom appeared to be about nine or ten years of age, and whom we mistook for his daughter, until he undeceived us. We showed him our books of engravings, with which he was highly pleased. The Indians, almost all of them, delight to look over engravings, particularly those which represent animals; they are not soon fatigued when employed in this way.

This Indian is known by several names, as Grand Batture, Hard Heart, Sandbar, and in his own language, Wang-e-waha. During our late contest with Great Britain, he turned his back upon his nation, in consequence of their raising the tomahawk upon our citizens, and crossing the Missouri, united his destiny with the Otoes, who received and treated him with distinguished respect. Last autumn his nation joined him, and submitted to his guidance; so that the Otoes, Missouries, and Ioways were then united.

Some time since in a transaction with a captain, formerly of the United States' army, he thought himself grossly insulted, and demanded on the spot personal satisfaction, agreeably to the custom of the whites, challenging his opponent to single combat, with pistols or such other weapons as he might choose.

He is esteemed the bravest and most intelligent of the Ioways, and amongst the Otoes he was associated with many equally brave with himself. But as there are national prejudices amongst the Indians as well as amongst the whites, he has not escaped from many a keen allusion to his nation. In a quarrel, which arose from some expressions of this nature, Ietan knocked him down with a war-club.

He has been in fifty battles, and has commanded in seven.

He says the white people often request the Indians to abstain from war, and yet the white people continue {164} to fight each other, as if they wished to monopolize the occupation of war, and thereby deprive the Indian of his principal avenue to honour and dignity.

Several Omawhaws, who have been trapping in the country opposite to Blackbird-hill, remained with us last night. The principal one, A-ha-ga-nash-he, or the Upright Horn, has a rather handsome Sioux squaw, to whom he appears to be much attached, paying her great attention in conversation, giving her a portion of his whiskey, and handing her the pipe to smoke. She is, however, not exempted from the ordinary employments of the Indian women, and we had an opportunity to-day of seeing her depart from Mr. Lisa's with a heavy load, consisting of the goods which her husband had received in exchange for his beaver, on her back, whilst he carried only a keg of whiskey slung over his shoulders, and his gun and hunting apparatus. Previously to the departure of the Omawhaws from our establishment this morning, the brother of one of them, who, report said, had been killed by the Sioux, arrived; he has been with about ten lodges, (about twenty men) of his tribe trapping on the Elk Horn, and they had taken about two hundred beavers. He has taken sixty himself, of which he presented his elder brother twenty, and is on his way to Mr. Lisa, to have a trader with merchandize sent to his party to deal for the skins. It is a singular circumstance, that this is the second instance of these two brothers meeting in this vicinity, after the one had been supposed to have been killed by the Sioux.

A-ha-ga-nash-he, whom we invited to take up his lodgings for the night in our room, became alarmed at my repute as a medicine man, fearing that I would cast some spell upon him, or otherwise injure him by the operation of some potent mystic medicine: he removed his quarters to the adjoining room, where he seemed to think he was safe from my incantations.

Our hunter, whose name is No-zun-da-je; or, "He {165} that does not dodge," is esteemed a good hunter by his nation; but he is not a distinguished warrior, although he has been in numerous battles. He says he has killed several red skins in action, but never yet had the honour to _strike_ a body. He showed us the scars of many wounds, most of which he had inflicted on himself, when in mourning for the death of his relatives and friends, by thrusting arrows through the skin and a portion of the flesh of his arm. His brother, at the same time, showed many scars which he had caused by cutting out pieces from his body with a knife, on the same occasions.

Several Omawhaws visited us on the 8th, and a party of three of them, who were in possession of a keg of whiskey, invited our hunter to accompany them, for the night, to "make his heart glad" with a portion of its contents. The Omawhaws, Otoes, Missouries, and Ioways are excessively attached to this destructive liquor.

On the 9th December, Lieutenant Swift, in company with Mr. Pilcher[193] of the Missouri Fur Company, set out on a visit to the Omawhaws. His course was first directed towards the Elk Horn river, tributary to the Platte, and afterwards along the valley of the former, to the Omawhaw encampment, which he reached at the distance of about one hundred and twenty miles. The country over which he travelled was almost entirely destitute of woodland; the surface generally cut by numerous ravines; the soil for the most part sandy, but in some instances enriched by a black loam. He returned to camp on the 23d, his companion having purchased of the Indians one hundred and thirty beaver skins, besides raccoon and deer skins.

10th. By a recent occurrence, the late treaty of peace between the Otoes and Konzas was on the eve of being infracted. The Otoes, who were encamped for hunting near the mouth of the Platte, had four horses stolen from them about two weeks since, and {166} subsequently ten more. These robberies were immediately attributed to the Konzas, and a war-party prepared themselves to march and retaliate upon that nation. Hashea, however, prevented them from going, saying that their father (Major O'Fallon) had been instrumental in reconciling them to a peace with the Konzas, and it would be highly improper for them to strike a blow, without asking his opinion upon the subject. It seems more probable that the horses have been taken either by the Sauks or Ioways. The latter appears to be a faithless people; they obtained a considerable quantity of goods on credit, last fall, from the Missouri Fur Company, and now, we are informed, instead of returning to discharge their debts, they are on their way down the river to barter their beaver at Fort Osage. It is said they will inhabit their old village, on the river Des Moines, the ensuing season.

12th. Many Indians visited us yesterday and to-day, some of whom brought jerked deer meat, mockasins, &c. to exchange for their favourite drink, and for trinkets. But as we have none of the latter, and as the former is interdicted from them by our laws, we are not authorized to make any purchases. That they do contrive to get whiskey elsewhere, perhaps of the traders, we have abundant proof. Yesterday a squaw got drunk, and made much noise; but her companions, after much ado, carried her off to their encampment.

As we were cutting up a log for fuel, one of the Omawhaws seeing a knot or protuberance of the wood, suitable to form into a bowl, requested us to cut it off for him; but not choosing to gratify him in that manner, we offered the axe we were using, that he might cut it in his own way; he, however, would not accept of it, but pointed to the palm of his hand, giving us to understand that such labour would make his hand sore and hard; he then called one of his squaws, who immediately went to work, {167} and handled the axe very dexterously. Observing several young Indians passing, I indicated to her the propriety of requesting one of them to assist her, but she laughed significantly, as if she would say--you are ironical.

The Indians are very fickle in bargaining. An Indian, some time since, exchanged his rifle for Mr. Dougherty's shot gun; yesterday he reversed the bargain, giving a pair of mockasins in return; and this morning he requested to exchange again, in which he was gratified.

A squaw offered to exchange mockasins for a couple of our military stocks. We could not conceive to what use she would apply them, but, upon inquiry, we learned that she wished to ornament the crupper of her horse with them.

The stone quarry, which supplied limestone for building chimnies at camp Missouri, was situate at the distance of an hundred yards below our cantonment. The labourers that were employed in this quarry opened upon many large fissures, in which were found a number of serpents that had entered there for the purpose of hybernating. Of these, three species appear to be new.[194]

This morning three Omawhaws were fired upon by a war-party of five Ioway Indians, and two were wounded; this occurred on the east side of the river, nearly opposite to our cantonment. When they fired, each one called out his name agreeably to the Indian custom. A party of Omawhaws then assembled, and pursued them about fifteen miles, but without success.

Two Oto warriors, and a boy, nephew of Ishta-gre-ja, Gray Eyes the elder, visited us this afternoon. They have been hunting on Blue Water creek, in the neighbourhood of the Konzas hunting camps, and not distant from the village of the latter; they have been so fortunate as to take one hundred and forty beavers, the skins of which they left at {168} their village, under the care of the son of Gray Eyes and their squaws; their business in this quarter is to look out for the best market for their peltries. They say it was certainly not the Konzas who stole the horses from their brethren who are encamped near the confluence of the Platte. They attribute that theft to the Ioways, who, they say, are still fools, as they always have proved themselves to be.

30th. In the morning a nimbus from the north. An imperfect parhelion appeared at sunrise, consisting of three luminous spots, at about 22° distant from each other in the horizon; one of them was the real place of the sun, and the others were to the north and south of it. As the sun ascended towards the zenith, the mock suns continued to ascend equally and parallel with it, but became gradually fainter until they disappeared near the zenith.

Evening. A complete paraselene appeared about the moon, of the diameter of 45 degrees.

The mercury was below Zero the greater part of the day, in Fahrenheit's thermometer.

31st. Several Canadians in the employ of the Missouri Fur Company, came this evening to dance and sing before us, agreeably to the custom of their countrymen, in celebration of the termination of the year. They were adorned with paint after the Indian manner, clothed with bison robes, and had bells attached to different parts of their dress. So completely were they disguised, that three of their employers, who happened to be present, had much difficulty in recognizing them. This dance is called _La Gineolet_,[195] and may have had its origin in the same cause that produced our _Belshnickles_, who make their appearance on Christmas-eve. We gave them what was expected, whiskey, flour, and meat.

January 6th, 1820. Mr. Graham and I measured the width of the river in two places, a short distance below our cantonment, and a short distance above; [158] the latter gave two hundred and seventy-seven and one-third yards, and the former one hundred yards.

We hear the barking of the prairie wolves every night about us; they venture close to our huts; last night they ran down and killed a doe, within a short distance of our huts; this morning the remains of the carcass were found, consisting only of bones and skin.

Mr. Fontenelle,[196] in the employ of the Missouri Fur Company, who has been absent for some time trading with one of the bands of the Omawhaws, called to-day on his return; this band had been much necessitated for food, subsisting for some time upon the fruit of the red haws, which the squaws sought for beneath the proper trees, under the snow. He met with some of the nation of Sioux, called Gens de Feuille[197] by the French. They have been much thinned in numbers by a disorder, which, from the description given of it, may be the quinsy. This same band is said to have suffered much from the small-pox last autumn. They were also now nearly starved for want of food; but they said if they could hold out until they arrived at Min-da-wa-cong, or Medicine lake, (on the maps, Spirit lake,)[198] they would do very well, as they had there a considerable quantity of wild oats buried, or _caché_, as the French say.

13th. Ietan,[199] an Oto, of whom we have before spoken, visited us to-day for the purpose of getting two gun-locks mended. He left his people at the Republican fork of the Konza river, and intends as soon as he returns, to lead a party in pursuit of bisons, which he says are in plenty on the Loup fork of the Platte, about sixty miles distant from us.[200]

14th. Ietan called this morning, and as some of our party were going to visit at Camp Missouri, he accompanied them in order to obtain Major O'Fallon's permission for his nation to go to war with the {170} Konzas. He informed the agent that individuals of that nation had sometime since stolen horses from them. That one of the losers, Big Soldier, had gone to the Konza village to demand the horses; but seeing a number of horses belonging to that nation when he arrived near the village, he could not resist the temptation of immediately retaliating by seizing several, and appropriating them to his own use. But, Ietan said, he thought the honour of his nation still called for war, and he solicited the acquiescence of the agent in that measure. The Major replied, that his opinion ought to have been asked previously to the retaliatory measure which had already been prematurely taken, as they were not certain that the Konzas were the offenders, and that this ought to have been ascertained before any depredation on the Konzas had been committed. But the course which he would now advise them to pursue was, to send a deputation to the Konzas, for the purpose of ascertaining the fact, to return the Konzas' horses, and to demand their own. This course seemed satisfactory to the warrior; who, however, stated that if the Konzas attempted to steal horses from them in future, he would certainly lead a war party himself against them.

15th. Mr. Woods, of the Missouri Fur Company, has returned from a trading excursion. He reports that he saw several of the Pawnee _caches_, which had been broken open and robbed of their corn by the Omawhaws. This is by no means a rare occurrence with the Indians, but it does not appear that it has ever led to hostilities between nations; they say that when a person is in want of food, he has a right to take any he can find.

Corporal Norman, who went out this morning to kill rabbits, returned about noon with twenty-seven, which he had killed with single balls.

February 9th. Several Oto Indians have visited us within this day or two, and one of them, Ca-he-ga-in-ya, {171} remained with us last night; he was finely dressed, had on a chief's coat laced with silver, and a profusion of wampum about his neck, and suspended to his ears; he departed this morning on his way to the Omawhaws, to trade for horses.

The ice on the Missouri is sixteen inches in thickness, that of the Boyer creek fifteen and three-fourths.

12th. Messrs. Dougherty, Peel [Peale], and myself, with an assistant, encamped at a pond near the Boyer to obtain fish; we cut several holes in the ice of the pond, and obtained one otter and a number of small fishes, amongst which three species appeared to be new; several specimens were of the genus gasterosteus.

15th. Mr. Zenoni, of the Fur Company, who departed the twenty-seventh ultimo on a trading expedition, returned and remained with us last night. He and two men had ascended the Elk Horn about twenty-five miles higher than Mr. Swift had been, but were not successful in finding any Indians. And although they saw a few bisons and antelopes, and elks, they were not so fortunate as to kill any game for subsistence, excepting three turkeys; so that they returned in a state of considerable exhaustion, having been for some time on an allowance of a little maize per day. He found that the upper part of the Elk Horn had not frozen during the severe weather, but still remained open. This circumstance seems to indicate the flow of a great quantity of spring water, or water of a medium temperature, in that part of the stream, requiring time to cool in its passage, before it can congeal.

19th. The sand is blown by the violence of the wind from the sand-bars of the river, so as to resemble a dense fog. We have been hitherto very well supplied with fresh meat, from game killed principally by Mr. Peale, who, on one occasion, killed two deer at a single shot and with one ball, but we are now reduced again to salt pork of a very inferior quality. {172} The party, with the exception of myself, continue to enjoy good health.

22d. Messrs. Dougherty and Peale returned from a hunt, having killed twelve bisons out of a herd of several hundreds they met with near Sioux river, and brought us a seasonable supply of meat. They saw several herds of elk, and yesterday they saw swans, geese, and ducks, flying up the river. A dinner and ball were given at Camp Missouri, in honour of the day, to which our party were invited.

24th. Mr. Graham and I endeavoured to ascertain the rapidity of the current of this part of the Missouri, at the present low water. We availed ourselves of a long vacancy in the ice to float a porter bottle, to which the proper specific gravity was given, by partially filling it with water, it was attached to a cord of one hundred and twenty-two feet in length; it floated this distance in six successive experiments in the following several times 1′ 07″--1′ 04″--1′ 07-1/2″--1′ 05″--1′ 07″--1′ 07″, the mean of which is 1′ 06-1/2″ nearly, giving a velocity of 1 mile 441 yards 1-1/2 feet per hour.

By these experiments, however, the superficial current or stratum only was indicated, and as we had reason to suppose that this stratum was more impeded by friction against the inferior surface of the ice than it would be by the atmosphere, it became an object to ascertain the average velocity of the different depths. With this view a staff ten feet long was made to float vertically, by means of a weight attached to its inferior extremity; a line of one hundred and seventy-eight feet in length was run out by this arrangement, during the following intervals of time, in four experiments, viz. 1′ 21″--1′ 21″--1′ 19″--1′ 21″, of which the mean is 1′ 20-1/2″, which would seem to indicate a current of the velocity of 1 mile 893 yards 1 foot per hour. Thus the average velocity of ten feet in depth of the current of the Missouri, is greater by almost 452 yards in a single hour, than {173} that of a superficial stratum of about six inches depth, during the ice-bound state of the river. During these experiments the atmosphere was nearly calm.

25th. Cooked for dinner the entire hump of a bison, after the manner of the Indians; this favourite part of the animal was dissected from the vertebræ, after which the spinous processes were taken out, and the denuded part was covered with skin, which was firmly sewed to that of the back and sides of the hump; the hair was burned and pulled off, and the whole mass exhibiting something of a fusiform shape, was last evening placed in a hole dug in the earth for its reception, which had been previously heated by means of a strong fire in and upon it. It was now covered with cinders and earth, to the depth of about one foot, and a strong fire was made over it. In this situation it remained until it was taken up for the table to-day, when it was found to be excellent food. Mr. Lisa and family dined with us by invitation. That we have sometimes food in great sufficiency, the provision upon our table this day will sufficiently attest. It consisted of the entire bison hump, above mentioned; the rump of a bison roasted, boiled bison meat, two boiled bison tongues, the spinous processes roasted in the manner of spare-ribs, sausages made of minced tender loin and fat, &c. It is true that we have no vegetables whatever, but having been so long estranged from them, we scarcely regret their absence. Their place is supplied by excellent wheat flour, of which our cook prepares us bread fully equal, in point of excellence, to any that we have ever eaten. The above repast was prepared for eleven persons, of whom two were ladies.[201] The collation was succeeded by coffee as a desert.

February 28th. I ascertained the temperature of spring water, which, however, was somewhat exposed to the atmosphere, but in a shaded situation, and in a ravine, to be 47°; that of the atmosphere being at {174} the same time 56°, and that of the river 32°, of Fahrenheit's scale.

Wednesday, March 8th. The Big Elk, Big Eyes, and Wash-co-mo-ne-a visited us to-day on their way, with their attendants, to the traders with jerked bison meat. They presented us with five large pieces. The Big Elk, principal Omawhaw chief, is much pitted with the smallpox, and is of commanding presence. He speaks with great emphasis, and remarkably distinct. He observed that we must think them strange people to be thus constantly wandering about during the cold of winter, instead of remaining comfortably housed in their village; "But," said he, "our poverty and necessities compel us to do so in pursuit of game; yet we sometimes venture forth for our pleasure, as in the present instance, to visit the white people, whom we are always delighted to see." Big Eyes is a large and remarkably muscular man. His nose is that of the European, the opposite to the Roman curve; he is second chief of the Omawhaws.

The Omawhaw chiefs remained with us the greater part of the following day, and presented us with eight more pieces of jerked meat. We presented them in return with some tobacco, &c. The Big Elk made us a considerable harangue, with all the remarkable vivacity, fluency, and nerve of Indian eloquence, in which he said that he would address me by the title of father; "And you," said he, to Mr. Dougherty, "whom I know so well, I will call brother. The Indians around," said he, "who tell the white people that they love them, speak falsely, as is proved by their killing the white people; but my nation truly love you, they have never stained their hands with the blood of a white man, and this much cannot be said by any nation of this land." He added a strong expression, that such was his attachment to us, that he believed that he should, at a future day, be a white man himself.

{175} When they took their leave, we advised them not to visit Camp Missouri, telling them what, in fact, they had already been informed of, that many of the soldiers were sick; (we did not wish them to observe the extent of the malady, with which that camp was afflicted,) but Big Elk remarked, that it had been his intention to go there, and it was not fear that could prevent him; his life was at the disposal of the great Wahconda only, and he could not die before his time; "But," said he, "agreeably to your request I certainly will not go."

Of all the objects which we exhibited to the view of the chiefs, quicksilver (mercury) seemed to excite the most surprise; they weighed the vessel, in which it was contained, in their hands, dipped their fingers into it, and were surprised at the resistance which it offered to the immersion, and what appeared most singular was, that they should be withdrawn without any appearance of moisture upon them; that they might not be deceived they repeated the experiment again and again. A couple of iron nails were then thrown upon the mercury, and as these did not sink to the bottom, they pressed them down with their fingers; but finding that the nails constantly arose again to the surface, the Big Elk returned the vessel to me, saying, with a smile of pleasure strongly impressed on his strongly marked countenance, that the fluid was the Omawhaw's Wahconda.

The last load of stone, which was taken from the quarry early in December last, was prevented from reaching Camp Missouri by the floating ice; the boat was driven ashore and abandoned. It was now observed floating down the river, with a large quantity of drift ice; and, when opposite our cantonment, was readily secured by Major Ketchum, without having received any injury whatever.[202] Major Ketchum, with a detachment of men, has been engaged for two or three days past in cutting out of the ice, three of the boats from our harbour. These, together with {176} one, which is at Camp Missouri, are intended to convey the sick from that camp down the river to Fort Osage. Camp Missouri has been sickly, from the commencement of winter; but its situation is at this time truly deplorable. More than three hundred soldiers are, or have been sick, and nearly one hundred have died. This fatality is occasioned by the scurvy (scorbutus). Individuals who are seized rarely recover, as they cannot be furnished with the proper aliments; they have no vegetables, fresh meat, nor antiscorbutics, so that the patients grow daily worse, and entering the hospital is considered by them as a certain passport to the grave. Yet it is some consolation to reflect that all the science, care, and attention of the healing art have been exerted for the relief of the sufferers by Doctors Gale and Moore, as far as their present insulated situation will admit. The causes which have been productive of all this disease, are not distinctly known, although there are many supposed ones to which it has been imputed. But it was generally remarked, that the hunters, who were much employed in their avocation, and almost constantly absent from Camp Missouri, escaped the malady.

On the 19th, Mr. Immel,[203] of the Missouri Fur Company, returned from an expedition to the Sioux. During his stay in the vicinity of the pseudo volcanoes, which occur on the banks of the Missouri, a tremendous subterranean explosion occurred, which much alarmed the Indians as well as the whites; the concussion was succeeded by a large volume of dense smoke from the aperture of the volcano, by the sinking in of a portion of the hill in the rear, and by the cracking of the ice in the river. Messrs. Peale, Swift, and Dougherty departed in a periogue yesterday, on their way to the Bowyer Creek to hunt.

An igneous meteor, or jack-o'-lantern, was seen on the evening of the 20th, near our cantonment; it was described to me as of the size of a double fist, {177} with a caudate appendage, or tail, of the length of about two feet; it emitted a light of the colour of the flame of burning sulphur; it passed along the river shore nearly over the observer's head, at but a very small elevation, nearly in a right line, with an equable motion, about as rapid as the flight of a bird, and with an audible sound like the blowing of a moderate stream of air through a thicket; it was visible about one half a minute, when it crossed the river, became paler, and disappeared.

The waters of the Missouri have been as clear during the winter as ordinary rivers; the earthy matter, which they hold in suspension during the temperate and warm weather, and which every person who views the river remarks as characteristic of its waters, subsides as soon as the wintry temperature occurs, but is again renewed in the spring. They have been gradually more and more turbid, these two or three days past. The ice in the river broke up on the 29th ult., and entirely disappeared on the 19th instant.

Great flights of geese, swans, ducks, brant, and cranes have been passing up the river, at their usual migrating altitude above the surface of the earth; but this migration of these aquatic birds has nearly ceased.

April 5th. A war-party of Omawhaws arrived at the trading house of the Missouri Fur Company. They are one of three parties, which have been for ten days past in pursuit of a war-party of thirteen Sauks who carried off a number of horses from near the Omawhaw village. They pursued the trail of the Sauks, until they lost it nearly opposite to this place; they, nevertheless, continued the pursuit in the direction which they supposed the enemy had taken, but are now returning unsuccessful; they say they are in hopes, that one of the other parties may overtake them. It seems probable, that it was this same {178} party of Sauks who fired upon a soldier on the 30th ult.

6th. The war-party mentioned yesterday visited us this morning, on their way home. They danced for us, and after receiving bread, buffaloe meat, and tobacco, departed well pleased. In the afternoon, another war-party of eleven Omawhaws, who had also been in pursuit of the same Sauks, arrived. We were notified of their proximity by hearing their war-song, and going out, we observed them at a short distance arranged in a line, from the centre of which were elevated two handsome streamers, which, upon their approach, we found to be two long lances, to which feathers of different colours, fancifully arranged, were attached. The partizan advanced, and made us a speech as usual, in which he gave an account of their adventures, and concluded by praising the kindness of the whites, their hospitality, and their greatness in arts and arms. This address being well understood to aim at food and lodging, though neither of these were mentioned, we supplied them with bison meat, bread, and maize, and invited them to remain with us during the night to rest themselves in comfort and safety. They immediately sat down, and, the food being portioned out by one of the warriors, they proceeded to eat with the appearance of such appetites as convinced us that their fast had been of long duration. In conversation during the evening the partizan said, that they had followed a considerable trail, supposing that the Sauks had taken that direction; that they observed stakes stuck in the ground at certain distances, and the trees _blazed_ as far as they went upon that trail. He inquired if we knew the reason of such marks; he was then informed, that it was to indicate the course of a road which was to be made in that direction, and that if he had travelled far enough upon the trail he would have met with towns of white people, who would have treated him well. After musing some time, he {179} observed, that they had travelled a good distance on that route, and having occasion to deviate a short distance from it, they found when they returned that a white man and three horses had passed along during their absence; (this was Lieutenant Fields, the express,) they immediately despatched two of their young men back to follow him, and to learn if he had met the fugitive Sauks; but they could not overtake him. "We continued on," said Naugh-ken-ne (or the Left Hand), "with all speed; but at length, being almost famished, we were necessitated to halt and hunt; of course we gave over the pursuit. Not wishing to return to our nation without obtaining some trophy, we resolved to go to Nishnebottona, in order to strike upon the Ioways, who, we had been informed, were at that place; but when we arrived there, we had the mortification to learn that they were gone; we must, therefore, return without these poor young men having any opportunity to distinguish themselves." "Did you not," we asked, "make peace with the Ioways last season?" "Yes, it is true we made a kind of peace with them, but you know they are bad men; we do not like them; the whites do not like them; perhaps it was a party of that nation, and not Sauks, that stole our horses, and you know it was very hard to be obliged, after all our difficulties and starvations, to return to our people without either scalps or horses. We wished to obtain some trophy that should repay us for our toils." In the evening they sang for our amusement a number of tunes, whilst two or three danced as well as they could in our small chamber. A negro belonging to the Fur Company coming in on an errand, they spoke of him as the _black white man_, and one of them jokingly said, he was a Wasabajinga, or little black bear.[204]

The Indians departed early on the 7th, with many thanks for the attention they had received. Before they went, they presented to us a wild cat, which {180} they had shot, but we advised them to keep it to eat on the way home, upon which they thanked us for it, as if they had never owned it.

11th. We learn that a third war-party of Omawhaws, who departed in pursuit of the Sauks before either of the others, were met by a strong party of that nation, who were on their way to the Omawhaw village; they however escaped from them with the loss of one man killed and several wounded; the loss of the Sauks is not known. The party speak highly of one of their number, a boy of twelve years, who, at a critical juncture of the engagement, ran up to several of the enemy and flashed his gun three times at them; he escaped unhurt.

FOOTNOTES:

[189] I. _Vespertilio pruinosus._--Ears large, short,
not so long as the head, hairy on the exterior side more than
half their length; _tragus_ very obtuse at tip, arcuated;
_canine teeth_ large, prominent; _incisors_, only one distinct
one on each side, placed very near the canine, conic, almost
on a line with it, and furnished with a small tubercle on its
exterior base; _nostrils_ distant; _fur_ of the back, long,
black brown at base, then pale brownish-yellow, then blackish,
then white; towards the rump dark ferruginous takes the place
of the brownish-yellow on the fur; _beneath_ the colours are
similar to those of the back; but on the anterior portion of
the breast the fur is not tipped with white, and on the throat
it is dull yellowish-white dusky at base; the brachial
membrane is densely hairy on the anterior margin beneath;
interfemoral membrane covered with fur: length nearly 4-1/2
inches.

This bat is common in this region, and was observed by Mr.
Thomas Nuttall at Council Bluffs. It is a fine large species,
and remarkable for its many-coloured fur. It has much affinity
with the New York bat, (V. novaboracensis,) but is more than
double its size, and is distinguished from it by many minor
characters.

The late professor Barton, presented a specimen of this bat to
the Philadelphia museum, that had been captured in Philadelphia.

2. _Vespertilio arquatus._--_Head_ large, _ears_ rather shorter
than the head, wide, and at tip, rounded, hairy at base,
posterior edge with two slight and very obtuse emarginations;
the anterior base distant from the eye; _tragus_ arquated,
obtuse at tip; interfemoral membrane naked, including the tail
to one half of the penultimate joint.

Total length 5 inches: tail 1-1/2 inches.

Expansion more than 13 inches.

This bat might be readily mistaken for the Carolina bat,
(V. carolinensis, Geoff.) which it resembles in colour, but
differs from it in being of a larger size, the ears broader and
proportionally shorter, and an arquated tragus, curving in an
almost luniform manner towards the anterior portion of the ear,
like that of the V. _serotinus_, Daub. Geoff., though not so
broad. The upper incisor teeth, like those of several of our
species of bats, are not prominent; they are very much inclined
forward, and do not rise at their tips above the level of the
intermediate callosity.--JAMES.

[190] 1. _Canis latrans._--Cinereous or gray, varied with
black above, and dull fulvous, or cinnamon; _hair_ at base
dusky plumbeous, in the middle of its length dull cinnamon,
and at tip gray or black, longer on the vertebral line; _ears_
erect, rounded at tip, cinnamon behind, the hair dark plumbeous
at base, inside lined with gray hair; _eyelids_ edged with
black, superior eyelashes black beneath, and at tip above;
supplemental lid margined with black-brown before, and edged
with black-brown behind; _iris_ yellow; _pupil_ black-blue;
spot upon the lachrymal sac black-brown; rostrum cinnamon,
tinctured with grayish on the nose; _lips_ white, edged with
black, three series of black seta; _head_ between the ears
intermixed with gray, and dull cinnamon, hairs dusky plumbeous
at base; _sides_ paler than the back, obsoletely fasciate with
black above the legs; _legs_ cinnamon on the outer side, more
distinct on the posterior hair: a dilated black abbreviated line
on the anterior ones near the wrist; _tail_ bushy, fusiform,
straight, varied with gray and cinnamon, a spot near the base
above, and tip black: the tip of the trunk of the tail, attains
the tip of the os calcis, when the leg is extended; _beneath_
white, immaculate; _tail_ cinnamon towards the tip, tip black;
posterior feet four-toed, anterior five-toed.

ft. in.
Total length (excepting the hair at tip of tail) 3 9-1/2
Trunk of the tail 1 0-1/2
Hind foot os calcis to tip of claw 0 7-1/5
Fore foot elbow to tip of claw 1 0-3/4
Ears from top of head 0 4
Rostrum from anterior can thus of the eye 0 3-3/4

Taken in a trap, baited with the body of a wild cat.

The line on the anterior side of the anterior feet, near the
wrist, is wanting in a second specimen.

This species varies very much in size; another specimen
measured--

ft. in.
In total length (excepting the hair at tip of tail) 3 2-1/2
Tail (excepting the hair at tip of tail) 0 11-3/4
Ear from top of head to tip 0 3-5/8

The snout was narrower than in the preceding specimens, but in
colour similar.

Another specimen was destitute of the cinnamon colour,
excepting on the snout, where it was but slightly apparent;
the general colour was, therefore, gray with an intermixture
of black, in remote spots and lines, varying in position and
figure with the direction of the hair.

2. _Canis nubilus._--Dusky, the hair cinereous at base, then
brownish-black, then gray, then black; the proportion of black
upon the hair is so considerable as to give to the whole
animal a much darker colour than the darkest of the _latrans_;
but the gray of the hairs combining with the black tips, in
the general effect, produce a mottled appearance; the gray
colour, predominates on the lower part of the sides; _ears_
short, deep brownish-black, with a patch of gray hair on the
anterior side within; _muzzle_ blackish above; _superior
lips_, anterior to the canine teeth, gray; _inferior jaw_ at
tip, and extending in a narrowed line backwards, nearly to the
origin of the neck, gray; _beneath_ dusky ferruginous,
greyish, with long hair between the hind thighs, and with a
large white spot on the breast; the ferruginous colour is very
much narrowed on the neck, but is dilated on the lower part of
the cheeks; _legs_ brownish-black, with but a slight admixture
of gray hairs, excepting on the anterior edge of the hind
thighs, and the lower edgings of the toes, where the gray
predominates; the _tail_ is short, fusiform, a little tinged
with ferruginous black above, near the base and at tip, the
tip of the trunk hardly attaining to the os calcis; the longer
hairs of the back, particularly over the shoulders, resemble a
short sparse mane.

ft. in.

Length from the tip of the nose to the origin of the tail 4 3-3/4

Length of the trunk of the tail 1 1

Ear, from anterior angle to the tip 0 3-3/4

From the anterior angle of the ear, to the posterior
canthus of the eye, 0 4-3/4

From anterior canthus of the eye, to the middle of the
tip of the nose, 0 5-1/2

Between the anterior angles of the ears, rather more than 0 3

The aspect of this animal is far more fierce and formidable than
either the common red wolf, or the prairie wolf, and is of a
more robust form. The length of the ears and tail distinguish
it at once from the former, and its greatly superior size,
besides the minor characters of colour, &c., separate it from
the prairie wolf. As the black wolf (C. lycaon,) is described to
be of a deep and uniform black colour, and his physiognomy is
represented to be nearly the same as that of the common wolf, it
is beyond a doubt different from this species. It has the mane
of the _mexicanus_. It diffuses a strong and disagreeable odour,
which scented the clothing of Messrs. Peale and Dougherty, who
transported the animal several miles from where they killed it
to the cantonment.

1. _Sylvia celatus._--_Above_ dull greenish-olive; _rump_ and
_tail coverts_ purer greenish-olive; _primaries_ and _tail
feathers_ blackish-brown, olive-green on the exterior margins,
and white on the interior margin; _head_ very slightly and
inconspicuously crested; _crest_ with the feathers orange at
base; _bill_ horn colour, slender, base of the inferior
mandible whitish beneath; _beneath_ olivaceous yellow;
_inferior tail coverts_ pure yellow; _legs_ dusky.

Length 5-1/4 inches.

Shot at Engineer Cantonment early in May. This bird is
distinguished by the colour of the feathers on the crown of
the head, which are of a fulvous colour, tipped with the same
colour as that of the neck and back, so that the fulvous
colour does not appear at first sight. The wings are destitute
of any white band, and the margins of the six exterior
primaries are much paler than those of the others. We cannot
find any description of this bird; it seems, however, to
approach nearest to the S. _leucogastra_, Steph., Nashville
warbler of Wilson; but in our specimen the belly is not white,
neither does Wilson's description of the colour of the head of
his Nashville warbler agree at all with that of our bird.

2. _Sylvia bifasciata._--Above bluish; all beneath white;
_head_ highly varied with darker; between the eyes and bill
blackish; _bill_ black; _interscapulars_ lineate with
blackish; _wings_ blackish; _shoulders_ bluish; _wing coverts_
with two white bands; _primaries_ margined with white on the
inner side, and with plumbeous on the exterior side; _tail_
black; _feathers_ blackish, white on the inner margin, and
plumbeous on the exterior margin; and, excepting the two
middle ones, with a white spot on the inner side, near the
tip; _flanks_ spotted with plumbeous; _feet_ black.

Length rather more than 4-3/4 inches.

Shot in May, near Engineer Cantonment. This species seems to
approach very closely to S. cærulea.

_Genus Limosa_, CUV.

_Limosa scolopacea._--Dusky cinereous; _bill_, straight; upper
mandible a little longer, and very slightly arquated towards
the tip; the grooves continue to near the tip, about as long
again as the head, yellowish green; _tip_ black, dilated,
rugose, with a dorsal groove; _palate_ with reflected,
cartilaginous spines; _head_ with a line from the upper
mandible, passing over the eye and inferior orbit; white
_cheeks_, _chin_, _throat_, and origin of the _breast_,
cinereous; the plumage margined with dull whitish; _back_
beneath the interscapulars, white; _rump_, plumage white,
fasciate with black; _tail coverts_, and _tail_ white fasciate
with black, which latter colour is more abundant; _lesser wing
coverts_ margined with whitish; _greater wing coverts_ black,
terminal margin white: _secondaries_ black, margin and
submargin white; _primaries_ black, interior ones very
slightly edged with white; _outer shaft_ white, a little
longer than the second; _breast_ and _belly_ white; _sides_
spotted or undulated with blackish cinereous; _inferior tail
coverts_ with black abbreviated bands, the white prevailing;
_feet_ dirty greenish; _toes_ webbed at base, the exterior one
reaching the first joint of outer toe, the interior one very
short; _hind toe_ rather long.

inches.
Length from tip of bill to that of the tail, 11-3/4
Length of bill, 2-3/4
Length of feet, 5-3/4
Length from the knee to the origin of the feathers, 1-1/10

Tail projecting more than one inch beyond the tip of the wing.

Several specimens were shot in a pond near the Bowyer creek.
Corresponds with the genus scolopax, Cuv. in having the dorsal
grooves at the tip of the upper mandible, and in having this
part dilated and rugose; but the eye is not large, nor is it
placed far back upon the head; which two latter characters,
combined with its more elevated and slender figure, and the
circumstance of the thighs being denudated of feathers high
above the knee, and the exterior toe being united to the middle
toe by a membrane, which extends as far as the first joint,
and the toes being also margined, combine to distinguish this
species from those of the genus to which the form and characters
of its bill would refer it, and approach it more closely to
_limosa_. In one specimen the two exterior primaries on each
wing were light brown, but the quills were white. It may perhaps
with propriety be considered as the type of a new genus, and
under the following characters, be placed between the genera
scolopax and limosa.

_Bill_ longer than the head, dilated and rugose at tip: _tip_
slightly curved downwards, and with a dorsal groove: _nasal
groove_ elongated; _feet_ long, an extensive naked space above
the knee; _toes_ slightly margined, a membrane connecting the
basal joints of the exterior toes; first of the primaries
rather longest.

_Genus Pelidna_, CUV.

1. _Pelidna pectoralis._--_Bill_ black, reddish-yellow at
base; upper mandible with a few indented punctures near the
tip; _head_ above black, plumage margined with ferruginous, a
distinct brown line from the eye to the upper mandible;
_cheeks_ and _neck_ beneath cinereous very slightly tinged
with rufous, and lineate with blackish; _orbits_ and line over
the eye white; _chin_ white; _neck_ above dusky, plumage
margined with cinereous, _scapulars_, _interscapulars_, and
_wing coverts_ black, margined with ferruginous, and near the
exterior tips with whitish; _primaries_ dusky, slightly edged
with whitish, outer quill shaft white; _back_, (beneath the
interscapulars, _rump_) and _tail coverts_ black, immaculate;
_tail feathers_ dusky, margined with white at tip, two
intermediate ones longest, acute, attaining the tip of the
wings, black, edged with ferruginous: _breast_, _venter_,
_vent_ and _inferior tail coverts_ white, plumage blackish at
base; _sides_ white, the plumage towards the tail slightly
lineate with dusky; _feet_ greenish-yellow; _toes_ divided to
the base.

Length nearly 9 inches.
Bill 1-1/8 inches.

This bird in many respects resembles _cinclus_, but as the
average size of that bird is stated at seven inches and one or
two lines, ours is doubtless a distinct species. Many flocks
of them were seen at Engineer Cantonment, both in the spring
and autumn, the individuals of which corresponded in point of
magnitude: we add a description for the information of
ornithologists. It is described from a specimen in the
autumnal plumage. In the spring dress, the colour of the
superior part of the bird is much paler, almost destitute of
black, and the feathers are brownish, margined with pale
cinereous; the superior part of the head is always darker than
any part of the neck, and margined with ferruginous; the
plumage of the neck beneath, and the breast, does not appear
to be subject to so much change, as that of the superior part
of the body.

2. _Pelidna cinclus._ VAR.--Above blackish-brown, plumage
edged with cinereous, or whitish; _head_ and _neck_ above
cinereous with dilated fuscous lines; _eyebrows_ white; a
brown line between the eye and corner of the mouth, above
which the front is white; _cheeks_, _sides of the neck_, and
_throat_, cinereous, lineate with blackish-brown; _bill_
short, straight, black; _chin_, _breast_, _belly_, _vent_, and
_inferior tail coverts_ pure white, plumage plumbeous at base;
_scapulars_ and _lesser wing coverts_ margined with white;
_greater wing coverts_ with a broad white tip; _primaries_
surpassing the tip of the tail, blackish, slightly edged with
whitish, exterior shaft white, shafts whitish on the middle of
their length; _rump_ blackish, plumage margined at tip with
cinereous tinctured with rufous; _tail coverts_ white,
submargins black; _tail feathers_ cinereous margined with
white, two middle ones slightly longer, black, margined with
white; _legs_ blackish. A male.

Length to tip of tail 7 inches.
Bill 7/8 of an inch.

This bird was shot in November, near Engineer Cantonment, and
it is probably a variety of the very variable _cinclus_ in its
winter plumage.--JAMES.

[191] A sketch of Big Elk is given in Bradbury's _Travels_,
volume v of our series, note 52.--ED.

[192] Some reminiscences of White Cow (or White Buffalo), will
be found in Nebraska Historical Society _Transactions_, i, p. 79
_et seq._--ED.

[193] Joshua Pilcher was a Virginian who came to St. Louis when
a young man, during the War of 1812-15, and there plied his
trade of hatter. He became a director of the bank of St. Louis,
and entered the Missouri Fur Company upon its organization,
succeeding Manuel Lisa as president upon the latter's death.
Upon the dissolution of this company, he was for a time
at Council Bluffs in charge of the American Fur Company's
interests. He succeeded William Clark as superintendent of
Indian affairs (1838), holding the position until his death, in
1847.--ED.

[194] _Coluber flaviventris._--Olivaceous, beneath yellow;
inferior jaw beneath white; scales destitute of carina.

Description. _Body_ above, olivaceous; tinged with brown on the
vertebræ; _scales_ impunctured at tip, posterior edges and basal
edge black; _skin_ black, beneath yellow, rather paler behind;
_inferior jaw_ beneath white to the origin of the plates; _head_
with nine plates above, two longitudinal series, of about four
large scales each, intervening on each side between the two
posterior plates and the three posterior supermaxillary plates;
intermaxillary plate somewhat heptagonal, dilated, emarginate at
the mouth, superior angle obtusely pointed; _eye_ black-brown,
pupil deep black, surrounded by a whitish line, posterior
canthus with two plates.

Plates 176, scales 84
Plates 174, - ——

ft. in.
Total length 3 4-1/2
Tail 8-5/8
Head, to the tip of the maxillary bones 1-3/20

Another specimen, plates 130, scales 91.
Total length 3 11-3/8
Tail 11-1/2

Three specimens were found. The inferior surface of one was
immaculate, but that of the smaller one had on each side of
the plates an obsolete double series of reddish-brown spots,
irregularly alternate on each side; these were so indistinct
as not to be noticed at the first glance of the eye. The tip
of the tail in this last is deficient.

2. _Coluber parietalis._--Above blackish, with three yellowish
fillets, and about eighty red concealed spots; beneath bluish;
a series of black dots each side.