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Show 380 THE CALIFORNIA AND OREGON TRAIL. with some tobacco and a knife: I offered them to an Y one who would bring me what I wanted. After some delay a tolerabl shield was produced. They were very anxious to know wha: we meant to do with it, and Henry told them that w , · . . e v ere gorng to fight their enemies the Pawnees. This instantly produced a visible impression in our favor, which was increased b the d. 'b . f y Istn utwn o the presents. Amonrr these was alar b ge paper of a w Is, a gift appropriate to the women; and as we were anxious to see the beauties of the Arapahoe village, Henry requested that they might be called to receive them. A war. rior gave a shout, as if he were calling a pack of dogs together. The squaws, young and old, hags of eighty and girls of sixteen, came running with screams and laughter out of the lod()'es · b ' and as the men gave way for them, they gathered round us and stretched out their arms, grinning with delight, their native ugliness considerably enhanced by the excitement of the mo. ment. Mounting our horses, which during the whole interview we had held close to us, we prepared to leave the Arapahoes. The crowd fell back on each side, and stood looking on. When we Were half across the camp an idea occurred to us. The Pawnees were probably in the neighborhood of the Cacl1es; we might tell the Arapahoes of this, and instigate them to send down a war-party and cut them off, while we ourselves could remain behind for a while and hunt the buffalo. At first thought this plan of setting our enemies to destroy one another seemed to us a master-piece of policy ; but we immediately recollected that should we meet the Arapahoe warriors on the river below, they might prove quite as dangerous as the Paw· nees themselves. So rejecting our plan as soon as it presented INDIAN ALARMS. 381 itse If., we pas Sed Out of the village on the farther side. We urged our horses rapidly through the tall grass, which rose to their necks. Several Indians were walking through it at a distance, their heads just visible above its waving surface. It bore a kind of seed, as sweet and nutritious as oats; and our hungry horses, in spite of whip and rein, could not resist the temptation of snatching at this unwonted luxury as we passed along. When about a mile from the village, I turned and looked back over the undulating ocean of grass. The sun was just set; the western sky was all in a glow, and sharply defined against it, on the extreme verge of the plain, stood the numerous lodges of the Arapahoe camp. Reaching the bank of the river, we followed it for some distance farther, until we discerned through the twilight the white covering of our little cart on the opposite bank. When we reached it we found a considerable number of Indians there before us. Four or five of them were seated in a row upon the ground, looking like so many half-starved vultures. T~te Rouge, in his uniform, was holding a close colloquy with another by the side of the cart. His gesticulations, his attempts at sign-making, and the contortions of his countenance, were most ludicrous; and finding all these of no avail, he tried to make the Indian understand him by repeating English words very loudly and distinctly again and again. The Indian sat with his eye fixed steadily upon him, and in spite of the rigid immobility of his features, it was clear at a glance that he perfectly understood his military companion's character and thoroughly despised him. The exhibition was more amusing than P0 II't ·I c, and Tete · Rouge was directed to fi m·s h w h a t he had to say as soon as possible. Thus rebuked, he crept |