| OCR Text |
Show APPENDIX TO PART H. or eighty yards wicle, we marched a whole day bef~rc we reached t 1\ e waters o f t]\e Kanscs ' ·•m d wert agreeably surprised to fin.d our· se Iv es on tl1 e b•' l &\l"' of a bold running stream. Bet we. en th1s and t I1 <: , 1., , "ge of tlle P•·1 ,vnces, we crossed two strongly Impre. gnated. tsa t.t nes, w 1u · c1 1 p·•1 sscd over a• sandy country, almost • destitute oi herbage, and after a painful m.arch, undet: an oppressive sun, .over :1n •n -regu 1a r "" n<l bt·ok•' ·n surh' ce we arnved at the town ol the Republican Pawnees on the 25th of ~eptcmber. \V~ (~he c~ay be· lore were met by a number of warrwrs, whom cm·ws1~y h.1d led 1 1 t n1s tr ar t o sec u"_, , •a mono:'·- whont was the third consc<ptcntml . churac. - tcr of the republican party; for you rrntst know that the village IS composecI o f tl'•c . 1r'o llowcrs of a diss lti:•., (1t:d wanior, who •f irst ma~lo this establishment, and the adherents of a regular ch1~f of :he Orand P:twnees, who migt·ated thither some few years s1~1ce w~th his family, and usurped the power of the republican w~rnor .ro such a pitch does this party spirit prevail that you eas1ly perc~tve the hostility which exists between the adherents of the two cluefs. Early on the morning; of the 25th we were joined by a fe,~ mor~ savages of distinction, headC'd hy thC' brother of Chm·acten sh; 01 the White TtVo(f, chief of the nation, who was to act as master o! the ceremonies to our fot·mal entry. Preparatory to our mnrch, we had our men equipped as neatly as circumstances would adrnit. About mid-day we rcnched the summit of a lofty chain of ridges, where we were requested to h alt nnd wait the arrival of the chief, who was half a mile from us, with three hundred ho1·semen, who were ge~erally naked (except buffalo robes and breech cloths) and p ainted wtth white, yellow, blue, and black clay. At the word of the chief the warriors divided, and pushing on at full speed, flanked us on the right and left yelling in a mo~t diabolical manner. The chief ad· v~nced in front, accompanied by I skataftjlc, or the Rich Man, the econd great personage of the village, an<l his two sons, who :ve~·c clothed in scarlet cloth. They approached slowly, and when \\'lthlll hundred yards, the three latter hnlted, and Characterish adv~mc~cl in great state, and when within a few paces of us, stretched out h~s hand and cried "Bou jour." Thus ended the first ceremony. We moved on about a mile farther, and havinr, gained the summit of a .onsiderable hill, we discovered the village directly at its base. We here were again halted, and the few Osages who accompanied us were ordered iu front and seated in rank entire. The chief sqnat- ted on his hams in front of them and filled n calumet, w 1H•C I1 5'e VCI'''I I diffcrCJlt Indians took from him, and handed the Osa~es to smo~>C· rhi<> \\ 'l !:i rallccl the hor:~e-.suwkc, as e<~rh pcr<;On who took the pllle APPENDIX TO PART II. 23 from the chief intended presenting the Osag-es a horse. M 1•• Jljke and Dr. Robinson .afterwards accompanied the chief to his lodg-e, aud I moved on with the detachment and formed out· camp on the opposite bank of the r epublican fot·k of the Kanscs t·iver, on a commanding hill, which had been selected as the most favorable situation for making observations, though very inconvenient on account of wood and wuter, which we had to transport nearly a quarter of u mile. At a council held some few days after out· arrival, lieutenant Pike explained to them the difference of the it· present situation, and that of a few years past ; that now they must look up to the president of the united States as thcit· g'l'CUt father, and that he had been sent by him to asure them of his good wishes, &c. &c:. ; th~tt he perceived a Spanish flag flying· at the council lodge door, and was anxious to exchang·e one of their great father's for it, and that it was om• intention to proceed on furthct· to the west ward, to cxamiue this our newly acqui!·ed country. To this a siu g-u la1· and extraordint~ry response was given-in fact, an objection, st:utecl in direct opposition to Ol~t· pt·occeding· fnrther to the west; however they g-ave up tho Spantsh flag, and we had the pleasure to sec the American standard hoisted in its stead. ~t the same council Charactcrish obsc1·ved that a large body of Spamards had lately been at his village, and that they prolllised to retul'll and build a town adjvin ing his. The Spanish chief. he said . ' ' mentiOned that he was not empowered to council with him ; that he ~ame mct·cly to bt·eak the t·oad for his master, who would visit him ll1 the spring with a large army, and that he further told him the Americans were a little people, but were enterprising, and ouc of those clays would stretch themselves even to his towu, ancl that they took the lands of fn dians and would drive ofT' th cit• game ; and how Vet·y true, says Characterish, has the Spauish chieftain spoken! vVe demanded to purchase a few horses, which was prohibited us and the ft·iendly communication which had existed between the'town and out· camp was stopped. The conduct of out· neighbours assumed a mysterious change; out· guards we1·e several times alarmed, and finally appearances became so 111enacing as to make it netessary fot· us to be on our guard day and night. It was obvious that the body of Spaniards who preceded us b..u t a few , vee J"· s m· 1 • • · · · • t 1eu rrussJon to tins village, wet·e the reg ular t ,\Valt·v ancii'nf'· t1t' 1'tl · {'(.: 1~ 1 til t y o lC provmcc o ,}anta · ce, as they had formed thc·i r cam · 1 1 . ps m regu at· 01'< r, and we were informed tltey kept regu-tal' guat•tb, and that the beat!> of their d rum wac uniform moruing 1~ |
