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Show [ 23] cherry lizzard gopher· sun flower racoon water snake small beetle bee centipede plum . asclepias buffalo skull prairie snake buffalo bull buffolo cow antelope head fish young badger poni von~ em ho m1 0 tah hoi ist ne know vist an no tuts is se vote o ne me ip po ust mo quis tun a e uts 14 Verbs. .. mah ne mick how tah wis is te mah ho· e nus mach coon ne e kis meush kis ha nome me-shim me men ne mm mah ton I must mahto ah mik sa so nit tan o to wah· mah no vo ka nah mi~ co co na no rome tehon to shoot to cpver to ride to hide to roast to boil to undo to wrap to write to break ; Nah-moust entere d my room d un" ng thek " day anWd 'tshh oIwndeida nm ep aa-looking- glass frame that hke ha~t ~::~w~adalyn!. a wh~te man could tience he had been at wor on 1 ' have ~ade it in half an hour. . f th "Peublo," In the evening, some Mormons came m rom near e reen about ei<Thty miles west of this place; they broughthus so~e g~ has pumpki;s and corn; neither the sweet potatoe nor t e ca ab rs of been cultivated. Around the fo:t we can gather great num e the pods of the myrtinia proboscidea., k" filled This afternoon "Ah-mah-nah-co" brought me two s ms the with wild cherrie~, one of the skins was from a young ~acj~o:hape, other from a young badger. As they were stuffed out o a l' t and I did not care much to draw them, but he had been so yo 1 .e at obli in to me that I · sketched them in orde_r to gratify him,m whi~h ~e felt so delighted t_hat he brought his squaw to take Y measure for a pair of moccasms. . de ar- September 7 -I commenced in earnest prepanng forfmf ~ kin ture for Santa .Fe. I purchased some "par fleche," bu a o s ' • 15 [ 23] dressed so as to form a stiff leather resembJing saddler's leather, and is used for pack saddles, harness, and so forth. I purchased some moccasins to-day, they were made of buffalo skin dressed without the hair, and had the fronts ornamented with a fig~re wotked in beads, intended to imitate a squaw. They have only one seam, that is on the outer side of the foot, the skin being doubled over; the inside line is perfectly straight. These peculiarities mark the Cheyenne moccasin. I got one· pair .made of antelope skin that have fringes attached to the heel one foot ten inches long; these cannot be worn conveniently ex~ept by horsemen. In muddy .weath~r the Indians braid all their fnnge.s to prevent them from be1ng soiled. They say that these fringes secure their lPgs from being bitten by the rattlesnake. In the evening, I procured a specimen of the little plover, and set to work to transfer it to my sketch book, when old "Nah-comense" came in bringing me a couple of buffalo tongues. ·I asked him why he had not been to see me before; he, in reply, crooked his forefingers slig~tly, putting them by the side of his head, to signify buffalo, then dropping his hands a little, with the bac4:s up, commfi'nced moving them downwards, as if passing them over a globe; after which, he brought his hands up in front with the fingers carefully kept distinct, to signify many, then joining the tips of his fingers ancl thumbs, moved them back ancl forth toward~ his mouth, to signify eating, and conclll<.led his gestures by stretching the forefingers and thumbs apart, as if to span something; he placed his hand near his stomach, and moved it up along his body until the muscle, connecting the thumb and forefinger, rested in his mouth, to signify that he was full up to the mouth. All of which meant that he had a heap of buffalo meat, and that he had been eating until he was full up to the mouth. The young men had returned laden with the spoils of a successful foray amongst the buffalo. Although the first time since January that they have had abundance, our friends had not forgotten to gorge themselves in accordance with the custom of Indian festivities. For the last two days, they had been feasting from morning until night, and from night until morning, during which time I have not seen an Indian near the fort. This evening a party of teamsters arrived; they seemed to be very insubordinate, and refused to go on to Santa Fe, afthough the troops there must be greatly in want of provisions. They said, "we engaged to go to Bent's fort, and we will go no further." The cattle and wagons belong to the government, and these independent characters had so wofu11y neglected them, that the oxen greatly nePded rest, and the wagons repairs. Tu~sday, September 8.-I spent this morning employed in taking the dimensions of Bent's fort. It required some time to complete all the measurements. The structure is quite complex; they may, however, be useful in giving one an idea of the forts that can be built in that country. The roof and walls of clay cannot be set on fire, and the thickness of the walls renders them impenetrable to |
