Chapter XX: Stay at Fort MC Kenzie, From August 9th to September 14th (2)

In the morning of the 29th of August a part of the Blackfeet came to us, fatigued and hungry, and reported that they had pursued the enemy, and fired at them on both flanks, and had found one killed; but they had not returned the fire, without doubt, for want of ammunition. During the night we had lodged the principal chiefs in the fort; among them were Tatsiki-Stomik (the bull from the centre), Penukah-Zenin (the elk's tongue), Kutonapi, and Ihkas-Kinne (the bent horn); the latter was a chief of the Siksekai, or proper Blackfeet. Most of the Indians of the great horde went away, promising to return soon, with their tents and baggage, and begin the trade. The tents, with the wounded, were all removed, except a few, to better positions higher up the river. Several Blackfeet having heard that they were accused of cowardice, came to justify themselves. They alleged that their horses were too much fatigued, which might in some measure be true; but then they might have dismounted, and fought on foot, as very few of the enemy were on horseback. Bird, to whom Mr. Mitchell had refused to sell one of his best horses, left the fort in great anger; and an Indian told us that he had promised the several Indian chiefs to give them tobacco, if they would no longer dispose of their beaver skins here, but take them to the north, to the English Company. This man had said just the contrary to Mr. Mitchell; his insincerity therefore was evident; and it would be highly important to the Company to deprive this dangerous, influential Half-breed of the power of injuring them.

The expedition to the Kutanas, projected by Mr. Mc Kenzie, set out from Fort Mc Kenzie on the 30th of August. The object of it was to trade with that people, and especially to obtain skins of the white mountain goat (_Capra Americana_). It consisted of Doucette, Isidore Sandoval, {278} with his Indian wife, four _engagés_, and two Kutana Indians, one of whom was Homach-Ksachkum, all mounted, and with nine pack-horses, which carried the goods, the kitchen utensils, and the beds. They had to proceed two days' journey along the banks of the Teton River, and then to strike directly to the north, to the mountains; and, if the Kutanas were found in their usual places of abode, they expected to be able to reach them in twelve days.[125] They did not think that they could be back before the next spring. This enterprise was very dangerous; and we, in fact, learnt, in the sequel, that Doucette had been shot by a Blood Indian, and that the expedition had proved a complete failure. They had scarcely vanished from our sight behind the heights, when a great number of Blackfeet arrived, and among them many who were quite strangers to us, and who gazed on us with astonishment, as they had been but little accustomed to the sight of white men. They had put on their handsomest dresses, and were much dissatisfied when they learnt that the trade could not begin that day, because Mr. Mitchell was indisposed. The fort was crowded with them; we saw them smoking in every corner; and they were so idle, or so proud, that they gave their pipes to the first white man they saw to light them, though they were close to the kitchen fire. The gate was besieged by Indians, who were by no means all permitted to enter, and we ourselves all refrained from going out, because the great assemblage of these people inside could not be trusted. The number of chiefs at this time in the fort was small, in comparison with the preceding year, when fifty-four of them were there at one time. Among the Blackfeet who visited us there was an old man, called Homachseh-Kakatohs (the great star), who had a remarkable hooked nose. He wore the round felt hat with a tuft of feathers, which Mr. Bodmer made him take off, and then drew his portrait, which was an excellent likeness. When the drawing was finished, and he had received some tobacco, he rose, went into the court-yard, and delivered, with good address, a long speech, the tenor of which was--"The chief below (Mr. Mc Kenzie) had sent his children hither, and recommended them to the Blackfeet; they ought, therefore, to treat them well, to bring them good meat, that they might not lament and complain, but be merry, and always have their bellies full."

Soon after the arrival of the Great Star, Tatsiki-Stomik and Ihkas-Kinne came to the fort; they all asked for brandy, which seemed to be the main subject of their thoughts. Ihkas-Kinne was a tall, well-looking man, with a very marked countenance. He wore an otter's skin over his shoulders, with the tail hanging down before, and which was ornamented all over with pieces of shell. This man had rendered some services to the fort, and was to be depended on. On this occasion he stepped forward, with a noble, manly air, and delivered a long speech. "The French," he said, "must have hearts ill-disposed towards the Indians; for, on the evening after the battle, they had not given the Blackfeet (he would not say a word of himself) anything to drink; even the chiefs had received nothing. They had come to the fort hungry and thirsty, and so they had left it, though they were fatigued by their exertions in fighting for the Whites. He was just this moment {279} come from an expedition against the Crows, in which they had lost two of their people, and had no articles to trade with. They had traversed, without shoes, great tracts of prairie; their feet were sore, and tired, yet he had taken part in the action, and neither he nor others had received any present from the Whites." Mr. Mitchell answered that "he would make the chiefs some presents to-morrow; though he thought that he had done enough, as he had distributed among them, on the preceding day, a great quantity of powder and ball, and received those that were in need into the fort. Though it was true that the Whites possessed many medicines which they could employ to the ruin of the Indians, he had no such thoughts. He would, however, show them such a one to-day, to give them an idea of the power of the Whites. When a cannon was fired, they should pay attention. To-morrow he would have the colours hoisted, and a gun fired as a signal for the solemn reception of the chiefs." One of the Blackfeet chiefs had before observed, that "he was much surprised that the Whites always appeared in their common every day clothes, whereas they (the chiefs) put on their handsomest dresses. They had never seen the fine clothes of the Whites."

The chiefs having left us about six in the afternoon, the gate of the fort was shut, and, as soon as it was dark, Mr. Mitchell caused a gun to be fired, and then some skyrockets to be successively thrown up, which, as it happened, succeeded extremely well, rising to a great height, and bursting into stars. Most of the Indians, however, did not betray much astonishment at this exhibition, having already seen the same at the English posts. The Indians before the fort had already been dancing and singing to the sound of their drum; they now retired, rejoicing, to their tents. It was a still, moonlight night, but the noise of the Indians continued, and a watch was kept in the fort.

On the following morning we were surprised by the highly interesting appearance of the great Indian camp, consisting of about 400 tents, which stood close together, because the enemy was supposed to be still in the neighbourhood.[126]

News had been received that the Assiniboins were scattered, and perhaps concealed, in many small parties, in the adjacent country.

On the 31st of August the sky was very gloomy, but the clouds dispersed, and at nine o'clock Mr. Mitchell had a gun fired as the signal for the opening of the trade; on which about twenty-four of the chiefs and most distinguished warriors of the Piekanns, and with them the Blackfoot, Ihkas-Kinne, advanced, in slow procession, to the fort. Mr. Mitchell passed through a great crowd of women and children to meet the men, shook hands with them, and conducted them into the fort. They had put on their best dresses, and were received with a salute from the cannon of the fort; but the rain falling in torrents was extremely unfavourable to this interesting ceremony. At this moment, a numerous body of Blood Indians, with all their baggage, appeared on the heights on the other side of the river, who intended likewise to encamp near the fort; on this, Ninoch-Kiaiu {280} immediately appeared, and declared "that he already felt an inclination to fire at those people; and that there would certainly be blood shed, if they were not kept at a distance; especially if the minds of the parties were excited by the trade." In consequence of this declaration, Mr. Mitchell sent Berger, the interpreter, over the river, to represent to the Blood Indians the state of affairs, and to signify to them that it would be better to defer their trade till that with the Piekanns was over; with this declaration they were satisfied, and withdrew.

The chiefs who were now in the fort were the leaders of the Piekanns, Tatsiki-Stomik, Penukah-Zenin, Sachkomapoh (the little boy), Kitsipooch-Kiaiu (the spotted bear), Kiaiu-Stoman (the bear knife), Ninoch-Kiaiu (the bear chief), who, however, did not enter with the others, and was meanly dressed on account of his mourning: as also Haisikat, Mikutseh-Stomik (the red buffalo), Achsapacké (the handsome woman), Ihkas-Kinne (the bent cow-horn), and one or two others, whose names I have forgotten.[127] Among them there were fine, tall, robust men, and all wore extremely handsome and costly dresses, many of them ornamented with strips of ermine. Tatsiki-Stomik, in particular, wore a shirt of very white bighorn leather, embroidered on the sleeves with blue flowers, ornamented on the right arm with long slips of white ermine, rolled up, with red feathers, and on the left with tufts of long black hair. Across his shoulder he wore a palatine of otter skins, at each end of which there was a tassel of slips of ermine. The faces of the chiefs were painted with vermilion and the blue earth of the Rocky Mountains; they were unfortunately wet through, especially their beautiful shoes, by the rain falling so inopportunely. The old Middle-Bull had a venerable look; he was not tall; the expression of his countenance was good natured and thoughtful. He promised to sit for his portrait, which he did in the sequel, unhappily not in his handsome dress, but in his everyday clothes. The portrait is extremely like, and perfectly gives the honest expression of the old man's countenance.[128]

When the chiefs had taken their places in Mr. Mitchell's room, old Middle-Bull spoke nearly to the following effect:--"He hoped that the Whites would renounce their bad opinion of them, and not believe that they took their skins and furs to the English: for it was evidently their (the Piekanns') own interest to be on good terms with the fort situated in their neighbourhood, the English settlements being at much too great a distance; that, if some of their people talked of carrying their beaver skins to the trading posts of the Hudson's Bay Company, it was merely to try to obtain goods on lower terms." After this speech the chiefs, having received presents, gradually withdrew, and the trade began. It was not long before a dispute arose at the gate, in which an Indian drew his knife against the doorkeeper; but he was turned out by the chief, Penukah-Zenin, who was still there, and in this manner tranquillity was restored. Meantime, some troops of {281} Blood Indians had come near the fort, and the Piekanns fired at them with ball, which they answered, so that the balls whistled over the fort. Mr. Mitchell placed a strong, well-armed guard at the gate, and we could see, on the heights on the other side of the river, the heads of the Blood Indians, who had come down to observe what might happen.

We might now be considered completely as prisoners; for, at the gate, there was an incredible crowd of Indians, who all attempted to enter by force, pushed, crowded, fought, and struggled with each other, for we could not venture to admit more than a certain number at one time into the Indian magazines between the two gates. Several well-disposed Indians supported the guard in this difficult and disagreeable employment; yet, now and then, a man, with desperate violence, forced his way through the gate, knocked down the guard, and it was a good while before he could be turned out.

The trade continued on the 1st of September, and we saw in the fort the wife of the chief of the Blood Indians, who had lately passed by the fort, and who much regretted the misunderstanding that had arisen between the Piekanns and her tribe. They had entered into a negotiation with the Piekanns, to atone by presents for their blood-guiltiness, which might lead to an amicable arrangement.

Among our most interesting visitors were a couple of Sassi Indians; they were slightly-built men of the middle size, with nothing striking in their appearance, and came to announce the speedy arrival of a considerable body of their nation, who wished to dispose of their beaver skins. While the trade was going on very briskly, on account of the number of the men and women, a report was suddenly spread that the Assiniboins were approaching, on which all the Indians hastily withdrew; it proved, however, that the alarm had been caused by a new band of the Blackfeet (Siksekai), who had appeared on the heights. When any single Indians arrived, we saw them fire their guns at the burnt remains of the enemy lately killed, though they could scarcely be recognised. Then they generally soon came to us, and looked at Mr. Bodmer while drawing, which he continued very diligently, and without any opposition being made to it, because he had remarked that none of the men whose portraits he had drawn, had been lately killed or wounded. The musical box, in which they fancied that there was a little spirit,[129] and many other European toys, generally made a lively impression on these people, and afforded them much amusement.

During the night of the 2nd of September, some Indians had broken a hole through the clay wall of the Indian magazine, and stolen several articles, among which were some dresses of the chiefs; and it was evident that the thief must have kept himself concealed in the fort during the {282} night. Towards seven in the morning we heard some musket shot fired in the fort, and the band of our friend Kutonapi, about sixty or seventy in number, advanced to the fort, headed by three chiefs, who were admitted. All the principal chiefs of the Piekanns arrived afterwards, whom Mr. Mitchell clothed in red uniforms, calico shirts, and every other article of dress--hung about their necks round looking-glasses, or silver medals with the bust of the president, &c. The most amusing was when he put on them the new red felt hats, with red plumes of feathers. Their prodigious, long, thick hair was too large for the hat, and the whole was, therefore, made into a great bunch, and stuffed into the hat before it could be put on their heads. They suffered themselves to be dressed like children, and received other presents, such as powder, ball, tobacco, knives, &c. The dress of every chief might be estimated at ninety dollars. Meantime, the newly-arrived band of the Siksekai had pitched their tents, and the fort was again surrounded by a multitude of dangerous men. Sometimes they threatened to fire at our people when they appeared on the pickets, and several things were stolen in the fort, because many men were still admitted on account of the trade. The chiefs were constantly begging, as well as the meanest Indians, and this may be justly stated as a most troublesome habit of the Blackfeet. In this respect the other tribes have much more delicacy. The Crows, in their visits and negotiations, presented the Blackfeet with valuable articles, costly feather caps, shields, horses, &c., but received nothing at all when they came to the latter, by which all the other Indian nations are incensed against the Blackfeet.

As the Indians became very troublesome towards evening, Mr. Mitchell had all the arms loaded with ball. Three detachments, each consisting of nine men and an officer, were commanded to keep guard, and he gave orders to fire from the pickets the instant an Indian attempted to climb over. All the chiefs were made acquainted with this order, that they might communicate it to their people. A new report being spread, that a thousand Assiniboins were approaching, the guards were doubled, and the officers divided, from which we strangers were not excepted. During this state of imprisonment our horses suffered from want of food, as they could not be driven into the meadows, and there was but little hay in the fort. The Indians had used or burnt the hay that was in the prairies higher up on the Missouri, and we were, therefore, much embarrassed about the horses.

On the 3rd of September, in the morning, some shots were fired, and soon afterwards a new body of the Siksekai, consisting of between thirty and forty men, arrived, of whom two of the principal warriors were admitted. They were tall and handsome, in costly new dresses. The name of the leader was Makuiè-Kinn (the wolf's collar). The other carried in his hand the sign of the prairie dogs--a long crooked staff wound all round with otter's skin, and adorned with bunches of feathers.[130] He told us that this medicine had the effect of rallying the warriors who were dispersed in the prairie. They told us that the greater portion of their {283} people were in the north, but that two strong parties of warriors were coming; and, in fact, one of them, consisting of 150 men, soon appeared on the heights, where it halted, and afterwards came down to the fort. The chiefs were admitted, but soon dismissed, because they had no articles to trade with. The proper Blackfeet (Siksekai) and the Blood Indians catch but few beavers, being chiefly engaged in war parties, and especially selling meat to the Hudson's Bay Company. The Piekanns, on the other hand, catch the most beavers. Beaver traps (which are lent them) were distributed among them to-day, and many Indians went away to hunt beavers.

Early in the morning of the 4th of September, the band of the Blood Indians, who had lately been sent away, were seen approaching the fort, because the trade with the Piekanns was concluded. Their old chief, Stomik-Sosak (the ox hide), and a medicine man, Pehtonista (who calls himself the east), entered the fort. The first, a very good old man,[131] had saved the life of Mr. Mitchell the year before, when an Indian was going to run him through with his spear: he is a great friend to the Whites, and resolved, with his small band, to remain faithful to the fort. He greatly regretted the late unfortunate occurrence, when his son had shot, by accident, as he affirmed, young Martin; and spoke much of his attachment to the French, as he called them. He called Mr. Mitchell his son, and added that, "to his great sorrow, he had been obliged to see the fort every day, without daring to come near it, on account of the unhappy difference with Ninoch-Kiaiu." One of the Siksekai took off all his clothes, and laid them down as a present before Mr. Mitchell, on which Stomik-Sosak lent him his robe to cover him. On such an occasion these people do not hesitate to sit down quite naked. This was again a very unpleasant day to us, for the press of the savage Siksekai was very violent. There was no end of their most importunate begging, and dangerous men forced their way into the fort. Most of them were very characteristic figures; their faces were painted red and black, with medicine skins trimmed with feathers or bells, with yellow ornaments, or buttons, glass beads, &c., in their hair. Some of them were excessively curious, clambered about every place, and wanted to examine everything. An extremely dangerous man forced his way in with the chiefs, whom we could by no means get rid of, though we repeatedly got the chiefs to desire him to go out again. His face was painted yellow and red; the expression of his features was that of a true hostile barbarian.

Two years before, at the conclusion of the treaty of peace, he had boasted to Berger, at the very first interview, that he had already shot five Whites; and it was not without the greatest difficulty that we could now get rid of this savage.

During the night Mr. Mitchell sent all the good horses belonging to the fort, about twenty in number, to Fort Union, by land, because we were not able to feed them any longer. Dechamp and his brother, with Papin and Vachard, were charged with this business, and arrived safe at Fort Union. The speedy removal of the horses was the more necessary, as the Indians intended to steal them, and so advantage was taken of the fine moonlight night to send them away.

{284} It was my intention to pass the winter in the Rocky Mountains, and I had the execution of this project much at heart; but circumstances had arisen which rendered it very difficult, nay, impossible. A great number of the most dangerous Indians surrounded us on all sides, and had in particular occupied the country towards the Falls of the Missouri, which was precisely the direction we should have to take. They had obliged Mr. Mitchell to send away all the serviceable horses; so that, with the best will in the world, he could not have supplied us with these animals, which were indispensably necessary. Without an interpreter we could not undertake a journey which was very difficult for a few persons, and, Doucette having been sent away, Mr. Mitchell had not one left; at the same time, a long stay, which would be absolutely necessary for our researches in natural history, was quite out of the question, as we should be obliged, in some sort, to make our way by stealth. We had before asked old Tatsiki-Stomik whether we should encounter much danger in such an undertaking? and his answer was, that "the Piekanns might, perhaps, rob us, but would not probably treat us as enemies; but that the Kahna and the Siksekai were fools, and we must be on our guard against them;" and, in truth, we might judge of the intentions of the latter, since they had fired with ball at the Piekanns, though of their own nation, near the fort. For all these reasons, I therefore found myself compelled to give up my plan of going further up the Missouri, and therefore asked Mr. Mitchell for a vessel to return down the rivers; but, as he had not one to spare, he promised to have a new one built for me. As we might any day be attacked by the Assiniboins, and such an attack might have proved more serious than the preceding, and, at all events, much valuable time would be lost by our being again imprisoned in the fort, as, in this case, we should be, not to mention that, autumn being already far advanced, a longer delay promised us a very unpleasant voyage, I endeavoured to have the work hastened as much as possible, in which Mr. Mitchell willingly co-operated. We had, besides, got pretty well acquainted with the Blackfeet Indians, and collected a great number of interesting portraits of them, and could not hope to observe anything new during the winter, or to add to our collection. As the Assiniboins were our enemies, to whom our scalps would doubtless have been a very welcome acquisition, I intended, in case of need, to make use of the night also, and had therefore no time to lose.

Planks were cut for my new Mackinaw boat, and the carpenter or shipwright immediately set to work in the court-yard of the fort. The weather was rather cool, and the Gros Ventres des Prairies, who visited us early in the morning, came with their teeth chattering with cold, the nights being already frosty. A sign of autumn was, that the locusts sought their food on the shrubs, there being nothing more in the prairies, and the crows began to take their flight in large flocks to the south.

On the 7th of September, at noon, a band of about sixty Gros Ventres des Prairies, of whom twenty-nine were mounted, approached the fort. They marched abreast, and then alighted. Mr. Mitchell went to meet them, and received from them a large horse, blind of one eye, as a present; {285} after which the Indians were received in the usual manner. Two chiefs, Mexkemauastan and Eh-Siss (the sun), were the leading men; the latter was a good old man, with a very expressive countenance. The fort was filled with these Indians, who importuned us for medicines, many of them having old wounds which had been neglected. Remedies were given to some for inflammation in the eye, on which they embraced and kissed us. They had but few things to dispose of. The women and children begged, and were so troublesome, that it was necessary to shut the gates.

Mr. Bodmer had now taken several views in the environs, and among the rest had begun that of the Rocky Mountains and the Bear's Paw from the heights behind the fort.[132] We went there every day, but were obliged always to have somebody to keep a sharp look-out while Bodmer was drawing, because we were never safe from a visit of the Indians. Sometimes we were alarmed by false reports, and returned home without doing anything. We, however, accomplished our object, and Mr. Bodmer's above-mentioned drawings give a correct idea of that country.

On the 29th [9th] of September, Mr. Mitchell sent Harvey, with thirty more, to begin the erection of the new fort. They took with them the only pirogue that was left, and also the horses, for which there was no hay in the fort. After this diminution of our numbers, we had only twenty-eight persons remaining in the fort. So many Indians had been seen on this day, at a distance, who did not come to the fort, that it was necessary to have a stronger guard during the night; and when it was dark, we were alarmed by a shot, but we soon found that it was some of our people returning from the new fort, who fired as a signal to be brought across the ice. They brought word that the Gros Ventres had, on the preceding day, killed thirty buffaloes, and we might, therefore, expect some fresh provision, of which we had been for some time deprived. Our breakfast as well as our dinner had, for a long time, consisted of old dried meat, in the morning with coffee, and some bread baked with fat, and at noon with maize boiled in broth. The maize was now all consumed, and we had only the dry meat, as tough as leather, to eat; we had, therefore, the more reason to be rejoiced, when, on the 10th of September, the Gros Ventres brought eighteen horse-loads of fresh meat, all of which we purchased of them with knives, powder, ball, and other things. On the 11th of September, twenty-one men, belonging to the fort, took the boat, which had been built for me by the carpenter, Saucier, to the Missouri: the necessary arrangements for our voyage were made; large cages were made for my two live bears; and kitchen utensils and beds were procured. The cases, containing my collections, filled a great part of the boat, which, unfortunately, proved too small. I had received from the Company Henry Morrin as steersman, and, besides him, three young, inexperienced Canadians, Beauchamp, Urbin, and Thiebaut, who were ill qualified for such a voyage, and did not even possess serviceable fire-arms. Thus, there were only seven persons in the boat, but the time was most valuable, and I fixed my departure for the 14th of September.

FOOTNOTES:

[105] According to Catlin's Indian vocabulary, "Natose" means any form of medicine or mystery.--ED.

[106] See his portrait in the central figure in Plate 79, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.

[107] See opposite page for diagram of Indians seated before Fort Mc Kenzie.--ED.

[108] See Plate 78, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.

[109] Isidore Sandoval was long employed on the upper Missouri by the American Fur Company. In 1832 he was one of the men sent with Kipp to begin the Blackfoot trade, and upon the latter's return to Fort Union was left in charge thereof. He was a valued interpreter and clerk, charged with many important missions. Finally he quarreled with Alexander Harvey, who shot and killed him in the store at Fort Union. See Culbertson's narrative in Montana Historical Society _Contributions_, iii, p. 231; Larpenteur's account in his _Journal_, i, pp. 168-170.--ED.

[110] Later glimpses of this renegade Bird are afforded by Townsend in our volume xxi, pp. 353, 354, who reports that he was a great chief among the Blackfeet, leader of their war parties, and in 1836 took a treacherous revenge upon Antoine Godin, one of Wyeth's engagés at Fort Hall. Father De Smet met Bird at the Rocky Mountain House of the Hudson's Bay Company in 1845; he speaks of his treacherous and suspicious character, which was proved when he deserted the missionary priest in the wilderness. See H. M. Chittenden and A. T. Richardson, _Life, Letters, and Travels of Father Pierre-Jean De Smet_ (New York, 1905), pp. 526-528.--ED.

[111] See Plate 20, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.

[112] In the preceding summer Mr. Mitchell had had a similar adventure, by which he was made acquainted with the nature of such meetings with the Indians. He was riding out, unarmed, with one attendant, when he met two Indians, who immediately demanded tobacco. He gave them what he had, but could not satisfy them; they demanded his knife, threw the tobacco which he had given them in his face, and with a menacing air drew their bows. They did not suffer him to go till he promised to give them more on board his vessel the next day. They came on board accordingly, but Mr. Mitchell took no notice of them. Since that time he never goes out unarmed.--MAXIMILIAN.

[113] Snow River, as named by Lewis and Clark, is a southern affluent of the Missouri not far above its junction with Maria's. The present name of this stream is Shonkin Creek, rising in Highwood Mountains, and flowing nearly north, disemboguing just below the site of Fort Benton, for many years the head of navigation on the Missouri, and the most important post of the upper country.--ED.

[114] The three forks of the Missouri which unite at the present town of Gallatin, Montana, in the county of that name. These names were given by Lewis and Clark (1805) in honor of the president, and two members of his cabinet.--ED.

[115] This range was probably the Highwood Mountains, for which see note 71, _ante_, p. 83.--ED.

[116] Jean Latresse had acted as Mitchell's envoy to Fort Union, upon the sinking of his keel-boat the preceding year.--ED.

[117] This is a frequent custom among the Indians, which always occasions the Whites some expense. They must bury these bodies decently at their own cost, for which blankets, cloth, red paint, &c., are necessary, and the Indians, by this means, avoid the obligation of providing all these things themselves. If the Whites were to refuse such a present, they would be considered as acting very meanly.--MAXIMILIAN.

[118] In the year 1832, when Mr. Mitchell had a dispute with Tatsiki-Stomik, who was on the point of withdrawing with his whole band, he could not find any means of retaining him, till an Indian proposed the above measure. Mr. Mitchell accordingly took a mouthful of brandy, went into the Indian camp, embraced the angry chief, and discharged the liquor into his mouth, by which the friendship of the old man was restored, who became very kind, and entertained no further thought of going away.--MAXIMILIAN.

[119] See Plate 79, the figure at the right hand of the page, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.

[120] Minohanne was the principal chief and the leader of the whole party of Assiniboins engaged in this expedition, in which there were likewise 100 Crees. After this battle he changed his name, and called himself Tatogan (the antelope or cabri).--MAXIMILIAN.

_Comment by Ed._ See further account of this chief in Montana Historical Society Contributions, iii, p. 209, note. Pierre De Smet, _Western Missions and Missionaries_ (New York, 1859), pp. 168-205, also gives a long biography of this dangerous and potent tribesman.

[121] See Plate 75, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv, for a view of the contest.--ED.

[122] See description of the battle as given by Culbertson in M. R. Audubon, _Audubon and his Journals_ (New York, 1897), ii, pp. 133-136; also in Montana Historical Society _Contributions_, iii, pp. 207-209. The prince here omits reference to his own participation, and to the fact that he was possibly the slayer of the Assiniboin.--ED.

[123] For a further adventure of Augustin Bourbonnais, "a free trapper," consult Coues, _Larpenteur's Journal_, i, pp. 117-123.--ED.

[124] This Dechamp was an excellent marksman, and very brave in action. He had been in the service of the Northwest Company, and, in the battle with Governor Semple, had killed an Englishman, a circumstance of which he always spoke with great pleasure, having a genuine Indian spirit. An account of the disgraceful defeat of Governor Semple by the Half-breeds and Indians, among whom Maji-Gabowi was present, may be found in Schoolcraft's Expedition to Itasca Lake, p. 102, and in Ross Cox's Account of his Journey to the Columbia, p. 269.--MAXIMILIAN.

[125] The usual habitat of the Kutenai Indians was along the river which takes its name from them--running chiefly in British Columbia, with a loop into northwestern Montana.--ED.

[126] See the view of this great camp of the Piegan, in Plate 76, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.

[127] Onistahna (the chief of the white buffalo cow) was considered the principal chief of all the Blackfeet.--MAXIMILIAN.

[128] See Plate 78, the left-hand figure, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.

[129] Captain Lyon (Private Journal, page 140), says, that the Esquimaux took such a musical box to be the young one of a little barrel organ, and which they, in like manner, thought to be animated by a spirit.--MAXIMILIAN.

_Comment by Ed._ George Francis Lyon (1795-1832), who accompanied Parry in his voyage of discovery in the "Hecla." His private journal was published at London in 1825.

[130] See p. 113 for illustration of badge of Prairie-dog band.--ED.

[131] A very striking resemblance is found in the left-hand figure of Plate 79, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.

[132] See Plate 77, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.