We halted at evening in a small prairie on the north side of the river, the first we had seen for some time. The difficulties of navigation, arising from the shallowness of the water, prevented the arrival of the canoe and baggage until a late hour. The men had been compelled to wade a great part of the way, and drag the canoe over the sand.
September 9th. We had proceeded a mile or two from our encampment, when we discovered a herd of twenty or thirty elk, some standing in the water, and some lying upon the sand-beach, at no great distance before us. The hunters went forward, and singling out one of the finest bucks, fired upon him, at which the whole herd plunged into the thicket, and disappeared instantly. We had, however, too much confidence in the skill of the hunter to doubt but his shot had been fatal, and several of the party dismounting, pursued the herd into the woods, where they soon overtook the wounded buck. The noble animal, finding his pursuers at his heels, turned upon the foremost, who saved himself by springing into a thicket which the elk could not penetrate, but in which he soon became entangled by his enormous antlers, and fell an easy victim. His head was enveloped in such a quantity of cissus smilax and other twining vines, that scarce the tips of his horns could be seen; thus blind-folded, he stood until most of those who had followed into the woods had discharged their pieces, and did not finally yield up his life until he was stabbed to the heart with a knife. He was found in excellent condition, having more than two inches [29] of fat on the brisket. The meat was carried to the river, and deposited on a projecting point of rocks, with a note addressed to the men who were behind with the canoe, directing them to add this supply of provisions to their cargo.
At this point, and again at an inconsiderable distance below, a soft green slaty sandstone forms the bed of the river, and occasions a succession of rapids. At noon an observation by the meridian altitude of the sun's lower limb gave us 35° 30′, as an approximation to our latitude. This was much greater than we had anticipated from the position assigned to Red river on the maps, and tending to confirm the unpleasant fears we had entertained of having mistaken some tributary of the Arkansa for the Red river.
Thick and extensive cane brakes occurred on both sides of the river, and though the bottoms were wide and covered with heavy forests, we could see at intervals the distant sandstone hills, with their scattered forests of cedar and oak.
September 10th. We left our camp at the usual hour, and after riding eight or ten miles, arrived at the confluence of our supposed Red river with another of a much greater size, which we at once perceived to be the Arkansa. Our disappointment and chagrin at discovering the mistake we had so long laboured under, was little alleviated by the consciousness that the season was so far advanced, our horses and our means so far exhausted, as to place it beyond our power to return and attempt the discovery of the sources of the Red river. We had been misled by some little reliance on the maps, and the current statements concerning the position of the upper branches of Red river, and more particularly by the confident assurance we had received from the Kaskaia Indians, whom we did not suspect of a wish to deceive us in an affair of such indifference to them. Knowing there was a degree of ambiguity and confusion in the nomenclature of the rivers, we had insisted [30] particularly on being informed, whether the river we were descending was the one on which the Pawnee Piquas had their permanent residence, and this we were repeatedly assured was the case. Several other circumstances, which have been already mentioned, led us to the commission of this unfortunate mistake.
According to our estimate of distances on our courses, it is seven hundred and ninety-six and a half miles from the point where we first struck the Canadian to its confluence with the Arkansa. If we make a reasonable allowance for the meanders of the river, and for the extension of its upper branches some distance to the west of the place where we commenced our descent, the entire length of the Canadian will appear to be about one thousand miles.85 Our journey upon it had occupied a space of seven weeks, travelling with the utmost diligence the strength of our horses would permit.
On arriving at the Arkansa, we waited a short time for our canoe, in which we crossed our heavy baggage, and then swimming our horses, we ascended the bank in search of a place to encamp, but soon found ourselves surrounded by a dense almost impenetrable cane brake, where no vestige of a path could be found. In this dilemma, no alternative remained, but to force our way forward by the most laborious exertions. The canes were of large size, and stood so close together that a horse could not move forward the length of his body without breaking by main force a great number of them. Making our way with excessive toil among these gigantic gramina, our party might be said to resemble a company of rats traversing a sturdy field of grass. The cane stalks, after being trod to the earth, often inflicted, in virtue of their elasticity, blows as severe as they were unexpected. It is not to be supposed our horses alone felt the inconvenience of this sort of travelling. We received frequent blows and bruises on all parts of our [31] bodies, had our sweaty faces and hands scratched by the rough leaves of the cane, and oftentimes, as our attention was otherwise directed, we caught with our feet and dragged across our shins the flexible and spiny stalks of the green briar.
This most harassing ride we commenced at eleven in the morning, and continued without a moment's intermission till sunset, when finding we were not about to extricate ourselves, we returned near a mile and a half on our track, to a spot where we had passed a piece of open woods large enough to spread our blankets on. Here we laid ourselves down at dark, much exhausted by our day's journey.
Our fatigue was sufficient to overcome the irritation of the ticks, and we slept soundly until about midnight, when we were awakened by the commencement of a heavy fall of rain, from which, as we had not been able to set up our tent, we had no shelter.
On the following morning, after several hours spent in most laborious travelling, like that of the preceding day, we found ourselves emerging from the river bottom, and, to our great satisfaction, exchanging the cane brakes for open woods. At the foot of the hill lay a deep morass, covered with the nelumbo and other aquatic plants. It had probably been the former bed of the Arkansa. Observing water in some part of it, several of the party attempted to penetrate to it to drink, but the quaking bog was found so deep and soft as to be wholly impassable.
After ascending the hills we pursued our course nearly due north, through open woods of oak and nyssa, until we reached the prairie, and soon after discovered a large and frequented path, which we knew could be no other than that leading to Fort Smith. On emerging from the low grounds we had no longer the prospect of boundless and monotonous plains. We were in a region of mountains and forests, [32] interspersed with open plains, but these were of limited extent.
September 12th. We resumed our journey at sunrise. The weather was cool, and the morning fair. The wide and densely-wooded valley of the Arkansa lay on our route. The course of the river was marked by a long and undulating line of mist, brightening in the beams of the rising sun; beyond rose the blue summits of the Point Sucre and Cavaniol mountains, "in the clear light above the dews of morn." Though the region about us had all the characters of a mountain district, we could discover little uniformity in the direction of the ranges. The Cavaniol and Point Sucre mountains are situated on opposite sides of the Poteau, above the confluence of James's Fork, and are parts of low ridges running from S. W. to N. E. On the north side of the Arkansa is a ridge of considerable elevation, nearly parallel in direction to the aggregate course of the river.86
In the path we were travelling we observed tracks indicating that men on horseback had recently passed, and in the course of the morning we met a party of six or eight Indians, who informed us they were of the Cherokee nation; that we should be able to arrive at the military post at Belle Point on the following morning. They were on horseback, carrying guns, kettles, and other articles suited to a hunting excursion, which it was their purpose to make in the territory of the Osages; one or two of them had on round hats; all had calico shirts, or some other article of foreign fabric, as part of their dress; and all had a mean and squalid appearance, indicating that they had been in habits of frequent intercourse with the whites. They were unable to speak or understand our language, but communicated with considerable ease by means of signs.87
At eleven o'clock we halted, and as our provisions were nearly exhausted, most of the party went out to [33] hunt, but were not fortunate in meeting game. We found, however, some papaw trees with ripe fruit of an uncommon size and delicious flavor, with which we were able to allay our hunger. The papaw tree attains a much larger size, and the fruit arrives at greater perfection, in the low grounds of the Arkansa, than on the Missouri, Ohio, and Upper Mississippi, where it is also common. The papaws fall to the ground as soon as fully ripe, and are eagerly sought after by the bears, raccoons, oppossum, &c.
In the afternoon one of our mules failed so far that the undivided attention and the most active exertions of two men were required to keep him moving at the rate of a slow walk. This made it necessary we should encamp, and we accordingly selected a spot in a fine open grove of oaks, where we pitched our tent. Among other interesting plants we collected here the beautiful vexillaria88 virginica of Eaton, which has the largest flower of any of the legumina of the United States, as is remarked by Mr. Nuttall. We saw also the menispermum lyoni, hieracium marianum, rhexia virginica. As we encamped at an early hour, the party dispersed in several directions in search of game. Nothing was found except a swarm of bees, affording as much honey as we chose to eat for supper. While engaged in felling the tree we heard guns discharged at a distance, and by sending persons to examine, learned they were those of a party of men accompanying Mr. Robert Glen on his way from Fort Smith to the trading-house at the mouth of the Verdigrise.89 In the evening we received a visit from Mr. G., whose camp was distant only about a mile from ours. He was the first white man not of our own party whom we had seen since the 6th of [34] the preceding June. From him we received a highly acceptable present of coffee, biscuits, a bottle of spirits, &c.; also the welcome intelligence that Captain Bell, with his division of the exploring party, had arrived at Fort Smith some days previous.
Early on the 13th we took up our march in a heavy fall of rain, which continued until we arrived at the little plantation opposite Belle Point. Here we emerged from the deep silence and twilight gloom of the forest, and found ourselves once more surrounded by the works of men. The plantation consisted of a single enclosure, covered with a thick crop of maize, intermixed with gigantic stalks of the phytolacca decandria and ricinus palma christi; forming a forest of animal plants, which seemed almost to vie with miegias and annonas occupying the adjacent portions of the river bottoms. As we followed the winding pathway past the little cottage, at the corner of the field we were saluted by several large dogs, who sprang up from the surrounding weeds. Urged by our impatience to see human faces, we called out to the people in the cottage to direct us to Belle Point, although we knew the path could not be mistaken, and that we were not ten rods from the ferry. Notwithstanding our inquiries might have been thought impertinent, we were very civilly answered by a young woman, who came to the door, and attempted to silence the clamours of the dogs. We were not surprised to find our uncouth appearance a matter of astonishment both to dogs and men.
On arriving at the beach opposite Fort Smith, and making known our arrival by the discharge of a pistol, we perceived the inhabitants of the garrison and our former companions coming down to the ferry to give us welcome; and being soon carried over, we met from Major Bradford and Captain Ballard a most cordial and flattering reception.90 Captain Bell, with Mr. Say, Mr. Seymour, and Lieutenant Swift, having experienced numerous casualties, and achieved [35] various adventures, having suffered much from hunger, and more from the perfidy of some of their soldiers, had arrived on the 9th, and were all in good health. The loss most severely felt was that of the manuscript notes of Mr. Say and Lieutenant Swift. Measures for the apprehension of the deserters and the recovery of these important papers were taken immediately, and a reward of two hundred dollars offered. Mr. Glen had kindly volunteered his assistance and his influence to engage the Osages in the pursuit. But these efforts were unavailing.
We arrived at Fort Smith at about nine o'clock, and were soon afterwards invited to a bountifully furnished breakfast-table at Major Bradford's. Our attentive host knowing the caution necessary to be used by men in our situation, restrained us from a too unbounded indulgence in the use of bread, sweet potatoes, and other articles of diet to which we had been long unaccustomed. The experience of a few days taught us that it would have been fortunate for us if we had given more implicit heed to his caution.
The site of Fort Smith was selected by Major Long in the fall of 1817, and called Belle Point, in allusion to its peculiar beauty. It occupies a point of elevated land immediately below the junction of the Arkansa and the Poteau, a small tributary from the south-west. Agreeably to the orders of General Smith,91 then commanding the ninth military department, a plan of the proposed work was submitted to Major Bradford, at that time and since commandant at the post, under whose superintendance the works have been in part completed, not without some deviation from the original plan. The buildings now form two sides of a hollow square, terminated by strong block-houses at the opposite angles, and fronting towards the river.
The hill which forms the basis of the fort is a dark gray micaceous sandstone in horizontal laminæ, and is elevated about thirty feet above the water. The [36] country back of the fort has an undulating surface, and rises gradually as it recedes, being covered with heavy forests of oak, tulip tree, sassafras, &c. Towards the south and south-east, at no great distance, rise the summits of the mountainous range already mentioned. The Sugar-loaf and Cavaniol mountains (the former being one of a group of these similar conic summits), are visible from some points near Fort Smith. The Poteau, so called by the French from the word signifying a post or station, rises sixty or seventy miles south of Belle Point, opposite to the sources of the Kiamesha, a branch of Red river. Nearly the whole of its course is through a hilly or mountainous region, but it is one so sparingly supplied with water, that the Poteau, within two miles of its confluence with the Arkansa, is in the dry season no more than a trifling brook. In an excursion which we made from Fort Smith, we ascended the Poteau about a mile and a half, where we observed an extensive bed of bituminous clay-slate, indicating the neighbourhood of coal. Tracing this slate to the south and east, we found it to pass under a very considerable sandstone hill. Several circumstances induce us to believe that it is also underlayed by a sandstone similar to that at the fort. Attentive examination will show that these rocks have a slight inclination towards the east; and if the bituminous slate in question had been underlayed by compact limestone, as has been conjectured,92 it is highly probable this rock would have emerged near where the sandstone appears at Belle Point. We make this remark because, although we have often seen both limestone and bituminous clay-slate in various parts of the Arkansa territory, it has never been our fortune to meet with them in connexion. A few rods above this bed of bituminous slate we crossed the Poteau almost at a single step, and without wetting the soles [37] of our mockasins, so inconsiderable was the quantity of water it contained. The point between the confluence of the Poteau and the Arkansa is low and fertile bottom land, and, like that on the opposite side of the river, covered with dense and heavy forests of cotton-wood, sycamore, and ash, intermixed with extensive and impenetrable cane brakes. In these low grounds the beautiful papaw tree, whose luscious fruit was now ripe, occurs in great abundance. It rises to the height of thirty or forty feet, and its trunk is sometimes not less than a foot in diameter.
Grape vines, several scandent species of smilax and cissus, and a most singular vine allied to menispermum, are so intermixed with the sturdy under growth as to render the woods almost impassable. Paths have been opened by the people of the garrison where they have been found necessary by cutting away the canes and small trees; but they may be said to resemble subterranean passages, to which the rays of the sun never penetrate. We found the air in these, and indeed in every part of heavy forests, stagnant, and so loaded with the effluvia of decaying vegetable substances as to be immediately oppressive to the lungs. After spending an hour or two in an atmosphere of this kind, we found ourselves perceptibly affected with languor and dizziness.
The gardens at Fort Smith afforded green corn, melons, sweet potatoes, and other esculent vegetables, which to us had for a long time been untasted luxuries. It is probable we did not exercise sufficient caution in recommencing the use of these articles, as we soon found our health beginning to become impaired. We had been a long time confined to a meat diet, without bread or condiments of any kind, and were not surprised to find ourselves affected by so great and so sudden a change. It may be worth while to remark, that we had been so long unaccustomed to the use of salt, that the sweat of our faces had lost all perceptible saltness, and that the ordinary [38] dishes which were brought to our mess-table at the Fort appeared unpalatable, on account of being too highly seasoned.
In a region of extensive river alluvion, supporting, like that of the Arkansa, boundless forests, impervious to the winds, and the rays of the sun, it is not surprising that a state of the atmosphere should exist unfavourable to health; intermitting, remitting, and continued bilious fevers prevail during the summer and autumn, and in many instances terminate fatally. Among recent settlers, the want of the most common comforts, of the advice and attendance of skilful physicians, and, above all, the want of cleanliness, and the destructive habits of intemperance, are causes operating powerfully to produce and aggravate these diseases. The settlements about Fort Smith were sickly, and we saw numbers with that peculiar sallowness of complexion which accompanies those chronic derangements of the functions of the liver, so often the consequence of bilious fevers. It is obvious, that the causes of the acknowledged sickliness of the recent settlements in the south and west, are in a great measure local and unconnected with the climate; by the increase of settlements, and the progress of cultivation, they will be in part removed.
Fort Smith is garrisoned by one company of riflemen, under the command of Major Bradford. Among other important designs contemplated in the establishment of this post, one was to prevent the encroachments of the white settlers upon the lands still held by the Indians. Some of the most fertile portions of the Arkansa territory are those about the Verdigrise, Skin Bayou, Illinois, Six Bulls, &c.;93 in which some unauthorised settlements were heretofore made, but have recently been abandoned, in compliance with the requirements of the commandant at Fort Smith.94
The Party Proceed upon their Route—Thunder-storm—Some Account of the Kiawa, Kaskaia, Arrapaho, and Shienne Indians—New Species of Toad.
Monday, 24th. After the departure of so great a portion of our numbers, combined with whom we could hardly be regarded as sufficiently powerful to contend successfully with a force which we were daily liable to encounter, we were well aware of the necessity of exerting an increased vigilance, and of relying still more implicitly upon our individual means of defence, than we had hitherto done. Our small band now consisted of Captain Bell, Lieut. Swift, Mr. Seymour, Mr. Say, and the interpreters Bijeau, Ledoux, and Julien, with five soldiers.
We were cheered by the reflection, that we had successfully performed a very considerable and most important part of our expedition, harmonizing well [40] with each other, and unassailed by any urgent visible dangers, such as had been anticipated by ourselves, and predicted by others. We could not however look forward to the trackless desert which still separated us from the utmost boundary of civilisation, and which we had no reason to believe was less than a thousand miles in breadth, traversed in many portions of its extent by lawless war-parties of various nations of Indians, without an emotion of anxiety and of doubt as to the successful termination of our enterprize.
We were this afternoon assailed by a very severe thunder-storm, and Julien, who had skirted the timber for the purpose of hunting, was electrified by a flash of lightning, which entered the earth within a few yards of him. The wind was violent, and blew the drops of rain with so much force into our faces, that our horses refused to proceed, constantly endeavouring to turn themselves about from the storm; we at length yielded to their obstinacy, and halted upon the plain. The storm did not abate until we were thoroughly drenched to the skin, when, after being delayed some additional space of time, until a straggler had joined us, we continued our journey.
Wednesday, 26th. Late in the afternoon we saw, at a great distance before us, evident indications of the proximity of Indians, consisting of conic elevations, or skin lodges, on the edge of the skirting timber, partially concealed by the foliage of the trees. On our nearer approach we observed their horses grazing peacefully, but becoming suddenly frightened, probably by our scent, they all bounded off towards the camp, which was now full in view. Our attention was called off from the horses by the appearance of their masters, who were now seen running towards us with all their swiftness. A minute afterwards we were surrounded by them, and were happy [41] to observe in their features and gestures a manifestation of the most pacific disposition; they shook us by the hand, assured us by signs that they rejoiced to see us, and invited us to partake of their hospitality. We however replied, that we had brought our own lodges with us, and would encamp near them. We selected for this purpose a clear spot of ground on the bank of the river, intending to remain a day or two with this little known people, to observe their manners and way of life. We had scarcely pitched our tents, watered and staked our horses, before presents of jerked bison meat were brought to us by the squaws, consisting of selected pieces, the fattest and the best, in sufficient quantity for the consumption of two or three days. After the usual ceremony of smoking, they were informed to what nation we belonged, and that further communication would be made to their principal men to-morrow, whom we wished summoned for that purpose. About sun-down they all retired, and left us to our repose. The Indians were encamped on both sides of the river, but the great body of them was on the opposite bank, their skin lodges extending in a long single line; the extremities of which were concealed from our view by the timber of the islands in the river, whilst about ten lodges only were erected on the side we occupied, and within a quarter of a mile of our camp.
Soon after our arrival, an Indian well stricken in years inquired if we had seen a man and squaw within a day or two on our route: we described to him the appearance of the calf and his squaw. "That is my wife," said he, "who has eloped from me, and I will instantly go in pursuit of them." He accordingly procured a companion, and both were soon on their way, well armed and mounted.
Thursday, 27th. Notice having been sent to the opposite party of our arrival, and of our wish to see [42] the principal men, four chiefs presented themselves at our camp this morning at an early hour, as representatives of the several bands, of the same number of different nations, here associated together, and consisting of Kiawas, Kaskaias or Bad-hearts, Shiennes (sometimes written Chayenne), and Arrapahoes. Several distinguished men accompanied them. We had made some little preparation for their reception, by spreading skins for them to sit on, hoisting our flag, and selecting a few presents from our scanty stores. They arranged themselves with due solemnity, and the pipe being passed around, many of them seemed to enjoy it as the greatest rarity, eyeing it as it passed from mouth to mouth, and inhaling its fragrant smoke into their lungs with a pleasure which they could not conceal. One individual of a tall emaciated frame, whose visage was furrowed with deep wrinkles, evidently rather the effect of disease than of age, after filling his lungs and mouth topfull of smoke, placed his hands firmly upon his face and inflated cheeks as in an ecstacy, and unwilling to part with what yielded the utmost pleasure, he retained his breath until suffocation compelled him to drive out the smoke and inhale fresh air, which he effected so suddenly and with so much earnestness, and singular contortion of countenance, that we restrained ourselves with some effort from committing the indecorum of a broad laugh. We had the good fortune to find one of them who could speak the Pawnee language tolerably well; he had acquired it in his early youth, whilst residing in a state of captivity in that nation; so that, by means of our interpreters, we experienced no difficulty in acquainting them, that we belonged to the numerous and powerful nation of Americans,96 that we had been sent by our great chief, who presides over all the country, to [43] examine that part of his territories, that he might become acquainted with its features, its produce and population; that we had been many moons on our journey, and had passed through many red nations, of whose hospitality we largely partook, &c. This was translated into French, then into Pawnee, and afterwards into Kiawa, and the other languages, by their respective interpreters. In reply, a chief expressed his surprise that we had travelled so far, and assured us that they were happy to see us, and hoped that as a road was now open to our nation, traders would be sent amongst them.
We assured them, that traders would be soon amongst them, provided we could report on our return that we had been hospitably treated while travelling through their country.
A few presents, such as knives, combs, vermilion, &c., were then laid before the chiefs, who, in return, presented us with three or four horses, which terminated the proceedings of the council. We afterwards understood that our guests thought we gave but little; and it is perhaps true, that the value of their presents was far greater than ours, yet our liberality was fully equal to our means.
The whole population had now deserted their edifices and crowded about us, and, agreeably to our wishes, which were announced in the council, the women brought jerked meat, and the men skin and hair ropes for halters, to trade with us for trinkets; and we were enabled to obtain a sufficient quantity of each, at a very moderate price. The trading being completed, we expected the crowd to diminish, but it seemed rather to augment in magnitude and density, until, becoming a very serious inconvenience, we requested the chiefs to direct their people to retire, which they immediately complied with, but, with the exception of the Shienne chief, were not obeyed. All the Shiennes forthwith left us, in compliance with [44] the peremptory orders of their chief, who seemed to be a man born to command, and to be endowed with a spirit of unconquerable ferocity, and capable of inflicting exemplary punishment upon any one who should dare to disobey his orders. He was tall and graceful, with a highly-ridged aquiline nose, corrugated forehead, mouth with the corners drawn downward, and rather small, but remarkably piercing eye, which, when fixed upon your countenance, appeared strained in the intenseness of its gaze, and to seek rather for the movements of the soul within, than to ascertain the mere lineaments it contemplated. The other chiefs seemed to possess only the dignity of office, without the power of command; the result, probably, of a deficiency of that native energy with which their companion was so pre-eminently endowed. They scarcely dared to reiterate their admonitions to their followers, not to press so closely upon the white people, but to limit their approaches to the line of our baggage. Still our tents were filled, and our persons hemmed in by the ardent and insatiable curiosity of the multitude, of both sexes and of all ages, mounted and on foot. To an observer of mankind, the present scene was abundantly fruitful and interesting. We could not but remark the ease and air of security with which their equestrians preserved their equipoise on the naked backs of their horses, in their evolutions beyond the crowd; nor could we restrain a smile, in the midst of vexatious circumstances, at the appearance of the naked children, mounted on horses, sometimes to the number of three or four on each, carelessly standing erect, or kneeling upon their backs, to catch a glance, over the heads of the intervening multitude, at the singular deportment, costume, and appearance of the white strangers.
In the rear of our tent, a squaw, who had become possessed of a wooden small-toothed comb, was occupied [45] in removing from her head a population as numerous, as the individuals composing it were robust and well fed. She had placed a skin upon her lap to receive the victims as they fell; and a female companion who sat at her feet alternately craunched the oily vermin between her teeth, and conversed with the most rapid and pleasant loquacity, as she picked them up from the skin before her.
Our attention was now arrested by a phenomenon which soon relieved us from the crowd that pressed upon us. A heavy and extensive cloud of dust was observed in the north, obscuring the horizon, and bounding the range of vision in that direction. It moved rapidly towards us. An animated scene ensued; the Indians fording the river with as much rapidity of movement as they could exert, towards their encampment, horse and foot, the water foaming before them. It soon became obvious that the dust ascended into the atmosphere under the influence of a violent current of air; we therefore employed a few moments of interval in strengthening our feeble tenements to resist the influence of the approaching tempest. Within, they were now so nearly filled with our red brethren, that we wedged ourselves in with some difficulty amongst them. It soon became necessary to exert our strength in holding down our tents and supporting the poles, which bowed and shook violently under the pressure of the blast. Thunder, lightning, rain, and hail succeeded. During this play of the elements, our guests sat in stillness, scarcely articulating a word during the prevalence of the electrical explosions.
Our tents were much admired, and previously to the fall of rain (which exposed their imperfection, in admitting the water, modified into the form of a mist) one of the natives offered to exchange an excellent mule for that in which he was sitting; and as the commonalty could not distinguish us in their minds [46] from traders, another offered two mules (valued equal to four horses) for a double-barrelled gun; and a third would willingly have bartered a very good horse for an old and almost worn-out camp-kettle, which we could by no means part with, though much in want of horses.
These Indians differ, in many particulars, from those of the Missouri, with whose appearance we had been for some time familiar. Their average stature appeared to us less considerable; and although the general appearance of the countenance was such as we had been accustomed to see, yet their faces have, perhaps, somewhat more latitude, and the Roman nose is obviously less predominant; but still the direction of the eye, the prominence of the cheek bones, the form of the lips, teeth, chin, and retreating forehead, are precisely similar. They have also the same habit of plucking the hair from various parts of the body; but that of the head, in the females, is only suffered to attain to the shoulders, whilst the men permit theirs to grow to its full extent. They even regard long hair as an ornament, and many wear false hair fastened to their own by means of an earthy matter, resembling red clay, and depending in many instances (particularly the young beau) to their knees, in the form of queues, one on each side of the head, variously decorated with ribbon, like slips of red and blue cloth, or coloured skin. Others, and by no means an inconsiderable few, had collected their long hair into several flat masses, of the breadth of two or three fingers, and less than the fifth of an inch in thickness, each one separately annulated with red clay at regular intervals. The elders wore their hair without decoration, flowing loosely about their shoulders, or simply intermixed with slender plaited queues. In structure and colour it is not distinguished from that of the Missouri Indians, though, in early youth, it is often of a much lighter colour; and a young man, of [47] perhaps fifteen years of age, who visited us to-day, had hair decidedly of a flaxen hue, with a tint of dusky yellow.
Their costume is very simple, that of the female consisting of a leathern petticoat, reaching the calf of the leg, destitute of a seam, and often exposing a well-formed thigh, as the casualties of wind or position influence the artless foldings of the skirt. The leg and foot are often naked, but usually invested by gaiters and mockasins. A kind of sleeveless short gown, composed of a single piece of the same material, loosely clothes the body, hanging upon the shoulders, readily thrown off, without any sense of indelicacy, when suckling their children, or under the influence of a heated atmosphere, displaying loose and pendant mammæ. A few are covered by the more costly attire of coarse red or blue cloth, ornamented with a profusion of blue and white beads: the short gown of this dress has the addition of wide sleeves descending below the elbow; its body is of a square form, with a transverse slit in the upper edge for the head to pass through; around this aperture, and on the upper side of the sleeves, is a continuous stripe, the breadth of the hand, of blue and white beads, tastefully arranged in contrast with each other, and adding considerable weight as well as ornament to this part of the dress. Around the petticoat, and in a line with the knees, is an even row of oblong conic bells, made of sheet copper, each about an inch and a half in length, suspended vertically by short leathern thongs as near to each other as possible, so that when the person is in motion, they strike upon each other, and produce a tinkling sound. The young unmarried females are more neatly dressed, and seem to participate but little in the laborious occupations, which fall chiefly to the lot of their wedded companions.
The dress of the men is composed of a breech cloth, skin leggings, mockasins, and a bison robe. In [48] warm weather the three latter articles of dress are sometimes thrown aside as superfluous, exposing all the limbs and body to view, and to the direct influence of the most ardent rays of the sun. Such are the habiliments that necessity compels the multitude to adopt; but the opulence of a few has gained for themselves the comfortable as well as ornamental and highly esteemed Spanish blanket from the Mexican traders, and of which we had previously seen two or three in the possession of Pawnee warriors worn as trophies. Another species of garment, in their estimation equally sumptuous with the blanket, is the cloth robe, which is of ample dimensions, simple in form, one half red and the other blue, thrown loosely about the person, and at a little distance, excepting the singular arrangement of colours, resembling a Spanish cloak.
Some have, suspended from the slits of their ears, the highly prized nacre, or pearlaceous fragments of a marine shell, brought probably from the N. W. coast.
The Shienne chief revisited us in the afternoon. He informed us, that one of his young men, who had been sent to ascertain the route which the bison herds had taken, and their present locality, had observed the trail of a large party of men, whom, by pursuing the direction, he had discovered to be Spaniards on their way towards the position we then occupied, where they must very soon arrive. As we were now in a region claimed by the Mexican Spaniards as exclusively their own, and as we had for some days anticipated such an event as highly probable, we involuntarily reposed implicit confidence in the truth of the intelligence communicated by the chief, who regarded that people as our natural enemies. Nevertheless his story was heard by our little band, as it was proper that it should have been in our situation and in the presence of Indians, with the appearance of absolute apathy. The chief seemed not to have [49] accomplished some object he had in view, and departed evidently displeased. When he was out of hearing, the Indian interpreter, who had become our friend, told us, that the story was entirely false, and was without a doubt the invention of the chief, and designed to expedite the trade for a few additional horses that we were then negociating.
Mr. Say (accompanied by an interpreter), who made a short visit to the small group of lodges near us, was kindly received, though hooted by the children, and of course snarled and snapped at by the dogs. The skin lodges of these wandering people are very similar to those of the Missouri tribes, but in those to which he was introduced, he experienced the oppression of an almost suffocating heat, certainly many degrees above the temperature of the very sultry exterior atmosphere. A very portly old man, whose features were distinguished by a remarkably wide mouth and lengthened chin, invited him to a small ragged lodge, to see the riches it contained. These consisted of habiliments of red and blue cloth, profusely garnished with blue and white beads, the product of the industry and ingenuity of his squaw, from materials obtained last winter from some white traders, who made their appearance on Red river. The present members of this family were the old man, one wife, and four children, the latter as usual in a state of nudity. The baggage was piled around the lodge, serving for seats and beds; and a pile of jerked meat near the door served also for a seat, and was occasionally visited by the dirty feet of the children. A boy was amusing himself with that primitive weapon, the sling, of an ordinary form, which he used with considerable dexterity; the effect of which he appeared disposed to try upon the stranger, and was not readily turned from his purpose by a harsh rebuke and menacing gesture.
He was informed, that the party of traders who had last winter ascended Red river to their country, were [50] Tabbyboos (a name which they also applied to us, and which appears to be the same word which, according to Lewis and Clarke, in the language of the Snake Indians, means white men; but it was here applied particularly to the Americans). These traders offered various articles, such as coarse cloths, beads, vermillion, kettles, knives, guns, powder, lead, &c. in exchange for horses and mules, bison-robes, and parchment or parfleche. Such was the anxiety to obtain the merchandize thus displayed before them, that those enterprising warriors, whose stock of horses was but small, crossed the mountains into Mexico, and returned with a plentiful supply of those animals for exchange, captured from the Spanish inhabitants of that country. This illicit trade in horses was conducted so extensively by that party of traders, that he was told of a single Indian who sold them fifty mules, besides a considerable number of horses from his own stock.
At his return to camp he was informed, that an old Indian had been there, who asserted that he never before had seen a white man; and on being permitted to view a part of the body usually covered by the dress, he seemed much surprised at its whiteness.
These Indians seem to hold in exalted estimation the martial prowess of the Americans. They said that a battle had lately been fought in the country which lay very far down Red river, between a handful of Americans and a great war-party of Spaniards, that the latter were soon routed, retreating in a dastardly manner, like partridges running through the grass. They were at present at war with the Spaniards themselves, and had lately killed many individuals of a party of that nation near the mountains.97
In the evening, squaws were brought to our camp; and after we had retired to our tent at night, a brother of the grand chief, Bear Tooth, continued to interrupt our repose with solicitations in favour of a squaw he had brought with him, until he was peremptorily [51] directed to be gone, and the sentinel was ordered to prevent his future intrusion.
The Bear Tooth is the grand chief of the Arrapahoes, and his influence extends over all the tribes of the country in which he roves; he was said to be encamped at no great distance, with the principal body of these nations. He is said to be very favourably disposed towards the white people, and to have afforded protection and a home in his own lodge to a poor and miserable American who had the good fortune to escape from the barbarity and mistaken policy of the Mexican Spaniards, and from the horrors of a Spanish prison, to find an asylum amongst those whom they regard as barbarians, but to whose commiseration his wretchedness seemed to have been a passport.
Friday, 28th. This morning at sunrise we were called from our tents by the cry of Tabbyboo, proceeding from two handsome mounted Arrapahoes, who appeared delighted to see us; they had passed our camp in the night, on their way from the camp of the Bear Tooth, with a message from that chief to our neighbours. In consequence of this information or order, the lodges on both sides of the river were struck at six o'clock, and the whole body of Indians commenced their march up the river, notwithstanding the threatening aspect of the heavens, which portended a storm. We could not but admire the regularity with which the preparations for their journey seemed to be conducted, and the remarkable facility with which the lodges disappeared, and with all their cumbrous and various contents were secured to the backs of the numerous horses and mules. As the long-drawn cavalcade proceeded onwards, a military air was imparted to the whole, at the distance at which we contemplated it, by the activity of the young warriors, with their lances and shields, galloping or racing along the line for caprice or amusement.
[52] The Kiawa chief, and a few attendants, called to make his parting visit; an old man, rather short, inelegantly formed, destitute of any remarkable physiognomical peculiarity, and like other chiefs without any distinction of personal ornament. In common with many of his tribe, his system was subject to cutaneous eruptions, of which several indications, besides a large ulcer near the angle of the mouth, exhibited the proof. We were soon all driven into our flimsy and almost worn-out tents, which afforded us but a very partial shelter from the fall of a heavy shower of rain from the N. W. Here we obtained some additional information from the chief, who was disposed to be communicative, to augment the considerable mass which we had already collected from other Indians, and particularly from Bijeau, respecting these wandering herds. The chief seemed to take a pleasure in pronouncing to us words of the Kiawa language, and smiled at our awkward attempts to imitate them, whilst we were engaged in committing them to paper. This vocabulary, as well as that of the Kaskaia language, which we had previously obtained from the Calf, had been for some time the objects of our wishes; as Bijeau persuaded us that they were more difficult to acquire than any other language, and that although formerly he resided three years with those nations, he never could understand the meaning of a single word, not even their expression for Frenchman, or tobacco. Nor does this observation, though perhaps unintentionally exaggerating the idea of the abstruse nature of the language, appear absolutely destitute of foundation, since these nations, although constantly associating together, and united under the influence of the Bear Tooth, are yet totally ignorant of each other's language; insomuch that it was no uncommon occurrence to see two individuals of different nations sitting upon the ground, and conversing freely with each other by means of the language of signs. In the art of thus [53] conveying their ideas they were thorough adepts; and their manual display was only interrupted at remote intervals by a smile, or by the auxiliary of an articulated word of the language of the Crow Indians, which to a very limited extent passes current among them.
These languages abound with sounds strange to our ears, and in the noisy loquacity of some squaws, who held an animated debate near our tents yesterday, we distinguished pre-eminently a sound which may be expressed by the letters koo, koo, koo.
The Shiennes, or Shawhays, who have united their destiny with these wanderers, are a band of seceders from their own nation; and some time since, on the occurrence of a serious dispute with their kindred on Shienne river of the Missouri, flew their country, and placed themselves under the protection of the Bear Tooth.
These nations have been for the three past years wandering on the head waters and tributaries of Red river, having returned to the Arkansa only the day which preceded our first interview with them, on their way to the mountains at the sources of the Platte river. They have no permanent town, but constantly rove, as necessity urges them, in pursuit of the herds of bisons in the vicinity of the sources of the Platte, Arkansa, and Red rivers.
They are habitually at war with all the nations of the Missouri; indeed, martial occurrences in which they were interested with those enemies formed the chief topic of their conversation with our interpreters. They were desirous to know of them the names of particular individuals whom they had met in battle, and whom they described; how many had been present at a particular engagement, and who were killed or wounded. The late battle, which we have before spoken of, with the Loup Pawnees, also occupied their inquiries; they denied that they were on that occasion aided by the Spaniards, as we understood [54] they had been, but admitted their great numerical superiority, and the loss of many in killed and wounded. Their martial weapons are bows and arrows, lances, war-clubs, tomahawks, scalping-knives, and shields.98
Tobacco being very scarce, they do not carry with them a pouch for the convenience of having it always at hand, an article of dress invariably attendant on the Missouri Indian. Bijeau informed us, that the smoking of tobacco was regarded as a pleasure so sacred and important, that the females were accustomed to depart from the interior of a lodge when the men indulged themselves with the pipe. The Shienne chief, in consequence of a vow he had made against using the pipe, abstained from smoking whilst at our council, until he had the good fortune to find a small piece of paper which some one of our party had rejected; with this he rolled up a small quantity of tobacco fragments into the form of a segar, after the manner of the Spaniards, and thus contented himself with infringing the spirit of his vow, whilst he obeyed it to the letter.
The rain having ceased, our guest and his attendants took their leave.
These Indians might readily be induced to hunt the beaver, which are so extremely abundant in their country; but as yet, these peltries seem not to have entered amongst the items of their trade.
In the afternoon we struck our tents and continued our journey; we were soon overtaken by a thunder-storm, which poured down upon us a deluge of rain, which continued with partial intermissions during the night.
Saturday, 29th. The sun arose with renewed splendour, and ushered in another sultry day. Two of the horses which had been presented by the chiefs ran off, and were soon observed to rise the bluffs, and disappear; men were despatched in pursuit of them, who, after a long and fatiguing chase, returned about [55] noon unsuccessful. We reconciled ourselves as we might to this privation, and after dining proceeded onward. The alluvial margins of the river are gradually dilating as we descend, and the mosquitoes, which have of late visited our camp but sparingly, are now increasing in number. A fine species of toad (bufo)99 inhabits this region. It resembles the common toad (B. musicus daud.), but differs in the arrangement of the colours, and in the proportional length of the groove of the head, which in that species extends to the nose; it is destitute of large verrucose prominences intervening between the verrucæ behind the eyes, and of the large irregular black dorsal spots edged with white, observable upon the musicus. In the arrangement of the cinereous lines, it presents a general resemblance to B. fuscus saur. as represented on pl. 96. of the Encycl. Method. It thus resides in a country almost destitute of timber, where, as well as a variety of the musicus, it is very much exposed to the direct rays of the sun.
Arrapaho War-party—Tabanus—Rattlesnakes—Burrowing Owl—Departure of Bijeau and Ledoux for the Pawnee Villages—Scarcity of Timber—Great Herds of Bisons—Wolves.
Sunday, 30th. About sunrise a dense fog intercepted the view of surrounding scenery, which was soon dissipated as we moved on, exhibiting all the variety of partially revealed and unnaturally enlarged objects, so familiar to observers of rural sights. At noon, a beautiful natural grove of cotton-wood, lining a ravine in which was some cool but stagnant water near the bank of the river, invited us to repose during the oppressive mid-day heat. We had hardly stripped our horses of their baggage, and betaken ourselves to our respective occupations, when a voice from the opposite bank of the river warned us of the proximity of Indians, who had been until now unseen. Nine Indians soon appeared, and crossed the river to our camp. They proved to be an Arrapaho war-party of eight men and a squaw, of whom one was a Kiawa.100 This party informed us, that they had left the Bear Tooth's party on a tributary of this river, at the distance of about half a day's journey from us, moving upwards. As no apprehension of mischief was entertained from so small a party, they were invited to encamp near us for the remainder of the day; to which, urged by curiosity, and perhaps by the hope of receiving some presents, they readily assented. The squaw busied herself in erecting a little bowery, of a sufficient size to contain herself and her [57] husband, who we afterwards discovered to be a personage of some eminence in their mystic arts. Having supplied our guests with a pipe of some tobacco, we resumed our occupations. Our attention was, however, diverted to the young Kiawa warrior, who had the presumption to seize the Kaskaia horse which was purchased of the Calf Indian, loose him from the stake around which he was grazing, and having the further audacity to lead him near to our tents, proceeded to make a noose in the halter, which he placed over the mouth of the animal, that patiently submitted to his operations. This sudden subjugation of the horse was a subject of more surprise to us than the outrageous attempt of the Indian, as he had hitherto resisted all our endeavours to accomplish the same object, whether conciliatory or forcible. It seemed to corroborate the truth of the observation, that the horse readily distinguishes the native from the white man by his acute sense of smelling. The intention of the Indian to take possession of the horse was now manifest, and one of our party stepped forward and seized the halter near the head of the animal; but the Indian, who held the other extremity of the halter, betrayed no symptoms of fear, or of an intention to relinquish a possession which he had thus partially obtained: he looked sternly at his antagonist, and asserted his right to the horse, inasmuch as he had, he said, formerly owned him, and meant now to repossess him. Supposing that this altercation might eventuate unpleasantly, the remainder of our party stood prepared to repulse any attempt which the other Indians might make to support the claim of their companion, whilst Bijeau, with a manly decision, advanced and forcibly jerked the halter out of the hands of the Indian. His companions sat enjoying themselves with their pipe, and did not appear disposed to take any part in the transaction. He fortunately made no further exertions to obtain possession of the horse, but immediately mounted his own horse, and [58] rode off in high dudgeon, saying he would remain no longer with us for fear we would kill him. Contrary to our expectations, the other Indians loudly condemned his conduct; they said that the horse had never been his property, though they all knew the animal well; that the Kiawa was a very bad Indian, and would either assemble a party to return against us, or he would return himself that night to accomplish his purpose. "If he does come," said they, "you need not give yourself any trouble; for we will watch for him, and kill him ourselves."
When the excitement of this incident had subsided, we felt desirous to examine the contents of the medicine bag of the man of mysteries, who was at once a magician and the leader of the party. At our solicitation he readily opened his sacred depository, and displayed its contents on a skin before us, whilst he politely proceeded to expatiate on their powers and virtues in the occult art, as well as their physical efficacy. They consisted of various roots, seeds, pappus, and powders, both active and inert, as respects their action on the human system, carefully enveloped in skins, leaves, &c., some of which, to his credulous faith, were invested with supernatural powers. Similar qualities were also attributed to some animal products with which these were accompanied, such as claws of birds, beaks, feathers, and hair. But the object that more particularly attracted our attention was the intoxicating bean, as it has been called, of which he possessed upwards of a pint. Julien recognized it immediately. He informed us, that it is in such high request amongst the Oto Indians, that a horse has been exchanged for eight or ten of them. In that nation the intoxicating bean is only used by a particular society, who at their nocturnal orgies make a decoction of the bean, and with much pomp and ceremony administer the delightful beverage to each member. The initiation fees of this society are rather extravagant, and the [59] proceeds are devoted principally to the purchase of the bean. That old sensualist, Shongotonga (big horse), is the principal or presiding member of the society, and the bean is obtained in some circuitous manner from the Pawnee Piquas of Red river, who probably receive it from the Mexican Indians. With some few trinkets of little value, we purchased the principal portion of our medicine man's store of beans; they are of an ovate form, and of a light red, sometimes yellowish colour, with a rather deeply impressed oval cicatrix, and larger than a common bean. A small number of a differently coloured and rather larger bean was intermixed with them.101
The squaw had in her possession a quantity of small flat blackish cakes, which on tasting we found very palatable. Having purchased some of them, we ascertained that they were composed of the wild cherry, of which both pulp and stone were pounded together, until the latter is broken into fragments, then mixed with grease, and dried in the sun.
Not choosing to rely implicitly on the good faith of the strangers, however emphatically expressed, the sentinel was directed to look well to them, and also to keep the horse in question constantly in view during the night, and to alarm us upon the occurrence of any suspicious movements.
All, however, remained quiet during the night, and in the morning, Monday 31st, we resumed our journey. The river now considerably dilates, and is studded with a number of small islands, but the timber that skirts its stream is still less abundant, and more scattered. The alluvial formation affords a moderate growth of grass, but the general surface of the country is flat, sterile, and uninteresting. The day was cloudy with an E. S. E. wind, which at night brought some rain.
Tuesday, August 1st. Set out late; and after having travelled about two miles, a horseman armed with a spear was seen on the bluffs, at the distance [60] of about a quarter of a mile, who, after gazing at our line for a short time, disappeared. Our Pawnee interpreters being at a considerable distance in the rear, Julien was sent forward to reconnoitre. He mounted the bluff to the general level of the country, and abruptly halted his horse within our view, as if appearances before him rendered precaution necessary. The Indian again came in sight, and in full career rushed towards him, passed him, and wheeling, halted his horse. Many other Indians then appeared, who surrounded Julien, and after a short and hurried conference, they dashed at full speed down the steep bank of the bluff to meet us, the whole in concert singing the scalp song. So adventurous and heedless was this movement, that one of the horses stumbled and fell with great violence, and rolled to the bottom. His rider, no doubt prepared for such an accident, threw himself in the instant from his seat, so as to fall in the most favourable manner, and avoid the danger of being crushed by the horse; not the slightest attention was bestowed upon him by his companions, and indeed the disaster, however serious it first appeared, hardly interrupted his song. His horse being but little injured, he almost immediately regained his saddle, and came on but little in the rear of the others, who now had mingled with our party, shaking us by the hand with a kind of earnest familiarity not the most agreeable. We needed no additional information to convince us that this was a war-party; their appearance was a sufficient evidence of the nature of their occupation. One of us asked an individual if they were Kiawas, and was answered in the affirmative; he asked a second, if they were Kaskaias, and a third, if they were Arrapahoes, who both also answered affirmatively. This conduct, added to their general deportment, served to excite our suspicions and redouble our vigilance. Two or three other little detached squads were now seen to approach, also singing the scalp [61] song. Our interpreters having joined us, it was proposed that we should avail ourselves of the shade of a large tree which stood near the river, to sit down and smoke with them. They reared their spears against the tree with apparent carelessness and indifference, and took their seats in the form of a semicircle on the ground. Having staked our horses in the rear, and stationed the men to protect them and the baggage, we seated ourselves, and circulated the pipe as usual. But as the party opposed to us was nearly quadruple our number, we did not choose to follow their example in relinquishing our arms, but grasped them securely in our hands, and retained a cautious attitude.
Bijeau ascertained that they were a Shienne war-party, on their return from an expedition against the Pawnee Loups. They had killed one squaw, whose scalp was suspended to the spear of the partizan or leader of the party, the handle of which was decorated with strips of red and white cloth, beads, and tail plumes of the war-eagle. He also informed us, that he recognized several of them, particularly a chief who sat next to him, whose person himself and party had formerly seized upon, and detained as a hostage for the recovery of some horses that had been stolen. The chief, however, did not now betray any symptoms of a disposition to retaliate for that act, though, without doubt, he regarded us as in his power. Our interpreter readily conversed with them through the medium of a Crow prisoner, whose language he partially understood.
The partizan who killed the victim of this excursion, and two others, one of whom first struck the dead body, and the other who took off the scalp, were painted deep black with charcoal, and almost the entire body being exposed, rendered the effect more impressive. One of the latter, a tall athletic figure, remained standing behind us, and refused to smoke when the pipe was offered to him, alleging [62] as an excuse, the obligation of a vow he had made against the use of tobacco, on the demise of his late father.
We now drew upon our little store of merchandize, for two or three twists of tobacco and a few knives, which, being laid before the partizan, excited from his politeness the return of thanks. He was of an ordinary stature, and had exceeded the middle age; his face much pitted with the small pox, his nostrils distended by a habitual muscular action, which at the same time elevated the skin of the forehead, and forcibly drew downward that part which corresponds with the inner extremity of the eyebrows, into a kind of gloomy frown. This singular expression of countenance, added to the contrast of the whites of his large eyes, with the black colour with which his features and body were overspread, seemed to indicate the operations of a mind hardened to the commission of the most outrageous actions. He however behaved with much propriety. During these scenes Mr. Say succeeded in ascertaining and recording many of the words of the language, from an Indian who had seated himself behind him.
The party was armed with spears, bows, and arrows, war-clubs, tomahawks, scalping knives, &c.
As many of them now began to ask for tobacco and for paper, to include fragments of it in the form of segars for smoking, and not finding it convenient to gratify them in this respect, we thought it prudent to withdraw, lest a quarrel might ensue. We therefore mounted our horses without molestation, having been detained an hour and a half, and proceeded on our journey, with the agreeable reflection that our deportment had not warranted a supposition that we were conscious of any inferiority in force, but rather that it was dictated by a high courtesy.
A few bisons varied the landscape, which is fatiguing to the eye by its sameness; and after travelling twenty-three miles, we encamped for the night. A [63] large green-headed fly (tabanus) has made its appearance in great numbers, which exceedingly worries our already sufficiently miserable horses. Their range seems to be in a great measure restricted to the luxuriant bottoms, and, like the zimb of Egypt, they appear to roam but little beyond their proper boundaries. If we traversed these fertile portions of the low grounds, which yield a profuse growth of grasses, we were sure of being attacked by them, seizing upon the necks of the horses, and dyeing them with blood; but the refuge of the more elevated surface, and arid barren soil, afforded speedy relief, by banishing our assailants.
Scarcely were our tents pitched, when a thunder-storm, which had been approaching with a strong west wind, burst over us, but was of short continuance.
Wednesday, 2d. After moving a few miles, we halted, and sent out hunters to kill a bison.102 The confluent rattlesnakes are very abundant, particularly in and about the prairie dog villages; but neither their appearance nor the sound of their rattle excites the attention of our horses; the sagacity of Mr. Seymour's mule, however, seems superior to that of his quadruped companions. He appears to be perfectly aware of the dangerous qualities of these reptiles, and when he perceives one of them near him, he springs so abruptly to one side, as to endanger his rider. Fortunately none of us have been bitten by them during our pedestrian rambles.
A recent trail of some war-party was this morning observed, leading across the river. The hunters returned unsuccessful, and we proceeded on until sunset to a distance of twenty miles. Great numbers of bisons were seen this afternoon, and some antelopes.
Thursday, 3d. The morning was clear and fine, with a temperature of 57 degrees. The antelopes become more numerous as we proceed; one of them trotted up so near to our line as to fall a victim to his curiosity. A considerable number of the coquimbo, [64] or burrowing owl, occurred in a prairie dog village of limited extent. They readily permitted the hunter to approach within gunshot, and we were successful in obtaining a specimen of the bird in good order. Upon examining the several burrows upon which the owls had been observed to be perched, we remarked in them a different aspect from those on which the prairie dog had appeared; they were often in a ruined condition, the sides in some instances fallen in, sometimes seamed and grooved by the action of the water in its course from the surface to the interior, and in other respects presenting a deserted aspect, and, like dilapidated monuments of human art, were the fit abode of serpents, lizards, and owls. The burrows on which we saw the prairie dog were, on the contrary, neat, always in repair, and evinced the operations of industrious tenants. This contrast, added to the form and magnitude of the dwelling, leads us to the belief that the coquimbo owl does not, in this region, excavate its own burrow, as it is said to do in South America and in the West India islands; but rather that it avails itself of the abandoned burrows of this species of marmot, for the purposes of nidification and shelter.
On our arrival at our mid-day resting-place, on the bank of the Arkansa, the water of the river was potable, but in a few minutes it became surcharged with earthy and stercoraceous matters, from the sweepings of the prairie by the late rain, to such a degree that our horses would hardly drink it. There remained however, a short distance below, a small stream of beautifully pellucid water, which rapidly filtrated through a fortuitous embankment of sand and pebbles, and strongly contrasted with the flood with which it was soon again to intermingle. Our travelled distance to-day was twenty-three miles.
Friday, 4th. Proceeded on about six miles, when we forded a small portion of the river to an island which supported a growth of low and distant trees. [65] Here the tents were pitched, with the intention of halting a day or two, to recruit our miserable horses, and to supply ourselves with a store of jerked meat. The hunters were accordingly sent to the opposite side of the river, and in a short time they succeeded in killing four fat cows, which gave employment to all the men in preparing the meat for transportation.
A brisk southerly wind prevailed, that rendered the atmosphere less oppressive than usual.
Saturday, 5th. The wind ceased during the night, and the lowing of the thousands of bisons that surrounded us in every direction, reached us in one continual roar. This harsh and guttural noise, intermediate between the bellowing of the domestic bull and the grunting of the hog, was varied by the shrill bark and scream of the jackals, and the howling of the white wolves (canis mexicanus var.), which were also abundant. These wild and dissonant sounds were associated with the idea of the barren and inhospitable wastes, in the midst of which we were then reposing, and vividly reminded us of our remoteness from the comforts of civilised society. Completed the operation of jerking the meat, of which we had prepared two packs sufficient in weight to constitute a load for one of our horses, and disposed every thing for an early departure to-morrow.