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Show The Jmnters return<'tl in the afternoon, without hriu~ al)]e to ru·ocut·e any of the game Wt> wished. exc(•pt the h~ll·king squit~rt-J, thou~h til<'J JdJied f"onr (~Ommon dc'el', and had seen large herds of buffaJoc, of which they brought in two. Thc·y a·csume{l their hunt in the morning, J•'r·iday. 29, anc1 the I'Cst of Hw Jl~u·fy were t-mploy('() in clt·rssing skins, cxcrpt two, who wc·rc st>nt to the village of the baa·king squia·rc]s, but could not sec one or thrm out of theit· hoJc·s. At ten o'clot'k the skins wet·c da·es 'ed, anc.l wo proceeded; and soon passed the entrance of \Vhitc •·ivcr·, tlte wnter of which is at this time ne«:U·Iy the colom· of milk. 'l,hc day was spent in hunting along lhr •·ive1,, so that we clid not advance mot·e than twenty-miles; hut with all OIH' (~fHwts we wct·e unaiJJe to kill either a. mule -elect· ot~ an antPlope, though we procur<'d the common deer, a pol'eupine, and somt• buffaloe. Thc•sc Jast animals a.r·e now so numea·ous that from an eminenr£' wr discovet·ed more titan wcl1ad c"·<·r seen befot·c. at one time; and if' it be not impo ·sihle to caJculatc the moving multitude, which darkened the whole plains, we are ronvinccd that tw<•uty thousand woulcl be no •·xaggerated numbet·. \Vith l'eganl to game in gcnct';.l], we obsene that the gt·ca.test quantity of wild animals arc usuaJJy Jound in the countt·y lyiug between tw•' nations at war. Saturday, 30. \Ve set out at tlw usual houa·, bul after going SOillC distance WCI'e obli;,;ed to stop foa• tWO hours, in ot·der to wait for one oft lw hunt<••·s. Dut·ing this time we made an cxcut·sion to a. laq~t~ ot·tllat•d of dt>licious plums, where we wca·e so fot·tunatc as to kill two buck elks. We then proceeded down the a·ivea·. and W<'l'C about landing· at a place whc•·e we hacl agt·erd to meet all the huutm· , when several pel·sons appcat•td on the high hiJJs to the nor·theast, whom, by the help or the spy-glass, we disting;uisltrd to lJe Indians. '" c landed on the southwest side of the t·ivcl', and immediat<.~Jy after saw, on a hci~ht opposite to ns, about tw<·nty P<'1'!:WOS, one or "'hom, ft·om his blanket g·•·oat-coat, and a haudkerohier round his head, we su1>poscd to be a ' . lfp tile JJliSSIJlU'i. Fr·enclmmn. At the same time, <'ighty oa· ninety mOJ'e Jntlians, m·med with guns and bows and al~t·ows, came out of a wood some distnnc<' below thl'm. and ftt·cd a salute, which we retut'Jl(•d. Ft·om t Ia cia· hostile a]lpf'a.1'an(·e, we we•·e apvrehen i\•e (hat they Ill i~h t be 1"ct on s; but as ft·om (he countt ·y ~ht'(HIV,'h whida thry WCl'C a·oving. it was posHibh~ that they wt·rc Yanktons, Pawnc<·. , or Ma.has,and thct·cl'ore lt>ss su ·pi<· ions~ we did not i'now in ''hat way to rrel'ive tlwm. In ot•der. howcv<·r. to asect·tain who t ht·y wt·re, without t•isk to tiH• party, captain (.;lcu·ke et·ossl'd, wi1h tlu·ec pca·sons who could speak difft~r<·nt ] nclian languages, to ~l saud bar near tht• opposite side, in hopc·s of convt·rsing with them. Eihht young m<'n soon met him on lhc sandbar, hut none of them cou1<1undc·rstand <.'itltt't' tl1•~ Pawnee or ~laha interpreter. They wet~e then adch·esscd in tltc Sioux language. and anSW<' t·cd that they wct·e ,..l't'fons, of' tile band hcadt•d by the Black~IJuffaloc~ Tahtacl\asaiJala. This was Oae same who had aUrmpted to stop us in 180i·; ancl hl'ing now less anxiou£ about offt·nding so mi sel1ievous a tt·ihe, capt a in Clarke told them that th<'y had been deaf to our coun ·il , had ill tt·eated us two yca•·s ago, and had ahus("'d a11 the "hites who had since visited them. He believc<l tlaem, he added, to be bad pco. plr and they must thcwefot·e t•rtur·n to thrit· eorupanions. fot· if tht~y cross('(l over to ou•· camp wc woulcl put thrm to death. 'l'hcy asked for some col'n. whic~h captain Cla.t·kc refused; they then l'<'questcd permis iou to como and visit our camp, but he ot·der~d them !Jack to c heir own pc~oplc. lie then returned, and all the arms we•·e prqmt·cd in case of an attack; but whrn the Indians rcacht·d thcit· comrades and IJad inJorm<'d thei1· chit•fs of' out• iuteution, they all set out on thc' it· way to tlwit· own camp; but some or them halted on a 1·i::,in:--; gr·ound, and abused us very copiously, threatening to kill us if we came acro~s. 'V e took no notiec of this for some time, till the return of three of our hunters, whom we were afl'aid the Indians might have mrt; but as soon as they join· cd ns, wo emltarked; anti to see what the Indians would at- |