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Show Ex. Doc. No. 41. \V c marched a clistauce of 13 mile~, ant1 <tl J~ight were obligee{ lo enc.:amp in th · opt•n prairit'. Our ftres ~f "bats de vache" :e rv •d well enough' to boil c~ur co.fi'l'l'.' bu_t vt>ry ltttlc heat was to be ob-tain rei from the burntn~ of tb1s ktnd of fuel. . . . .February 9.-'l'o-d<~y \\ C Hltlrclt(•cl fifte 'n ~n.de(,; a !-;1tgh,t nun that fcllla~l nip;ht made our prngr<·.ss more <ld!tculL thau tnat. of y c,. t e r d a y . J us t a ~ t h c s. u n '" a s ~ c tt ln g- , a n d '' h d c I . w a s ~ e a r e h 111 g out a fit place for our ltttl e c;•mp to halt for t.hc ntgl~1, l lool~cd back and sa \\ a dc11sr g roup of' llH'll suddenly n:;c up from Ul'hlll<l the ri\(•r bank, where th<·y lt ad lH•<•n st•neted; they nnw sp~·c·a d oul to disply their numl'rical ~trl'ngth; .th (•y had a 1ttll(' fl;tg d~ s plny c cl in tokt· tt of <1mity, and they made sq~ns to u,:; that tltt•y wtsh<'d to approach. \Y • 1\0\\ pnwitt<•d two of tltrm to .rome forw ard , and 1 ,, nl out with Laing to mcd them. They oflt•red us the hnnd, t e 11 i 11 r; u s t h a t t b (' y w c 1 e 1\nv n c c s , s l r i h n ~ t lt t> i r b r r a~ l s a n d rr y i n g out P~t\\nyc! l)it\\nyc! Tbc one " ·ho !'t ; '"·d bim:cif tht' "c:1pt·1i11" asld: rl why we were pulling tht• wa ~o n, and want ·d to know if all our oxen had diL·d; and add~.· d, that if we wisht•d he \\ oul d furn.i.· l1 us wi1h mulP ~, for h<· hacl a grt•at number on th e opposite side of the riYcr. lie ::-aid that if L would encamp now, that in thl' morn ing he \\ o ttl d bring so m <: of b is m ul e s a c r o s. l he r i' n. A s ami - cable 1clations were now eslaulish(•d, he ~ign<·d for his party to approach, nnd we wl'nt oa to the "ngon. Findin g tbal tl1c Indians were mingling among~l my men, l told the chief in a. loud ton e to ordrr them to k ·cp away; they ins~antly obeyed him. Wt• now encamped; all the Indians nossccl the ri,er exrepl the chief antl five other~. I invited the chief to slay with me all nig\d; he ron~ a~ n t c d , b ul s t i \I ret a. inc d It is f1 v c a tl c n d an l. . l to I d him that tlH• y nnt ~ l not sl ir about al night, for my guards wt•rc alwny~ on the wat t.: h for t hi c \ ish l n d ian R, an cl l h <' y mi ght b c s h o l u y nu ~ l ;l\( e. At night th(·y all nowtlca into my tent, ancl slept coiled up in <'- little spa('c . car ·e roomy enough for me alone. PcbruaTy 10.- Thc morning was extremely cold atHI thrc a tt'ningJ clouds were flying rapidly aero:: the sky. Our Indian friend~, as soon as tlH')' looked out, rai sed their hands bigh abo\ c til •ir lt cacl~ , and, permitting them to hang Ion. <'ly from the wrist, shook t h c m as o n c s h a k c s w at c r f r o m t h e t i p s o f h i · fi n g e r s , <l n d lu cIt l h c y w o u I d to u c h so m c w It i t c o b j t' ct ; by t h e ~ e sign s t h 1 • y m c a nl th o. t "while rain" would fall wh ·n l11e sun \\t\S at such a position in h i ~ p ~ l h , w h i e h p o s i t. i o n l h t y i n d i t,; a t c d t o \I s . T h <' y r'f, Jn d m y p e r m 1 · s 1 o n t o g o t o t h e u· o w n I o d g c u n t i l t h e I) n 0 w s t 0 r m ~ h o u I d h~vc passed, and they b<'g~c<l me to aC'company tb<•nL 1 dcter llltllctl to go, although the Icc was not stronn· l'llOllgh 1o hear a man'' weight; bull sn_.pcetcd that tbese \cry India ns bad stolen o.u r m nl e s. A<' ·om pan 1(: d by t h c ~ i x In dian s, I s t art e cl a c r o !-s t b c rncr. A strong north wind wa ~ blowing on our ba (' l< ~; tbis lH·Ipcd us <~ 1? n g, for w c were obI i g c' d to k • c p our feet w i cl (' a part , in t b c po ~ tlton of those of a per on who is sliding on the i<'e; but, nt•ver· t h c I e s s , w c a ~ I h r o k e l b r o u g h r o n . t au t 1 y , a n rl. w h c r c t h c · c · 11 n r n l w ~· " c.lc rp an1l rap1d we were forced to wade. 'l'he air was f'rC'<'Zing cold, and a soon ns we reacb ed the southern bank of the r i v cr, we t;d • Ex. Doc. No. 41. 537 :'""ff in a ~1arcl run to kN•p our w •t clothing from frrrzing- onr limb~ . [he .Indtans were not lc~ s wet than my·q·lf', for thc·y had t ic·d th('ir ~l'g!~t ns rlo~P ar~und th(•tr anC'Ic · to pro l~·c·t th vir legs from being iu - 1 u.r e d w h c n t. b <' l l' • b rob' t. h r o 11 ~ h . Aft n a run or a r1wt r t <' r 0 f a r~tlc, we arrt\·ccl at the lndtan lod <.?;l'S. The rhic•f c·allcd tltn•r• of l11s party, who took IllY sot· l s attd lc·gt;ins nnd mo .,.a,ins· \\ ith 1 i lt It• stick:' t h c y. u eat o If t h <' i I' c•; t 1.1(' y w r 1111 g- t h c w n t <' r o ul 'of' m) c loth es, and dttl'd thc•m by the· ftre. In tlte mt•itnwllil<' I was o}) li g-c• cl ~o ~it witl1 as little c lo t l.t in~ on as. ever any Jnrlian wore. 'lhc· [ndt.tns soot: fix:t>cl a plan· for me· to stl. ln a sllorllinH' tlt1•y co.ok •d sorr1~· b111Ldo mea t, and gn\·c• me thl' l ar~c·sl sha.n· of f'.1l and o f } c. an , . w l11 (' .h tIt (' y p I •.u· t' d on a fJ a l stone in fa u It o r a p 1 tt <'. L, t>tgntn ~ afl l' r a wllll<· that 1 wanl('d to l'(' - <'l'03S the rivc.·r I 31cppl·d c ut to r ec onttoitrl'. 'J' hp snow sldrrn h ;• d cau .... ,·d tlw In dians lo colled thc•ir mttl1•s in thP li ttle· ,·orrrl'" \\hiL·'t :1l)l)llllll • ' ) t) «lllong th e sand Jul!s that ar'' found on this side of 1hc· 1\tkansa-.;· lltc mull'S wrrc also c·o\·c·r1'd will1 skins ,Jf wolves and bull'.tlo<·s t<; J>I'Otc.•ct litem. f c·nul d not St'(' any thing- of' the llllllc f had )ost. The snc~w ~totm.now r:l t~ t'd fi crcc•ly, and l r!'tnrn rd to tltc· <"amp of the l11dtan:-:, t_elltng them \hal tlu.~ sto rm ra ged too furio11"1Y for me to c r o s <.; l b c r tv cr. W c Ia i 'I cl o w n to s ll' c p , w hi c h \\'as u o w an d lite n i nll' r I' II pI c d b .Y t lt (! (' nl ('an(.' e () f s 0 Inc () r t It c ] ll d i illl s (In l i n e I~' \\ ho rcportl·d l' vny chang<· in th .· weatlt<'r, or any lllO\'emcnt among the Uufl'alo; althOUJ!;It till.~ }attn WC'l'C \'('1')' lllllllt'l'OIIS, Si.iiJ l h c :-: c J n d i a 11 s we r e a I m o o.; t w i tIt o u l f o o d ; an d w h i I e I ,.,. as w i l h I hem ·omc of the subordinates C'ame to dallrc tbc ' "bro·~ar's dancr" t f . t'> ' l c o r c t h <' c h 1 c f 's l o d g r . I ask e d h i m w h a l l h c d a n r c r · m r· a n t , a n tl \'\as told tbal t !1cy wan led somctlting to eat. 'l'h r. chid' t IH·n gave them some• butl',llo lllt'al. This c·o ntirmPd tn<' in tltC' suspi l'i on that l h c.: e f I' ! I o w s It n. d s l o l c n o 11 r m ul P s . It '\ a · 11 o w e v i d e n l t lt a l t h c y were hl rt· l"r snme mis c:hic\·ons purpO S(', and would not fire at Uti' huff.tlo for . t...tr p ,tsscrs-hy shou ld ll!'~\1' th0ir gu11s, and tr;u·k them to t h < • i r l.t i r. I n.:; k c d t h e m w h y t h r• y d i d n o t k i II b u ff,ll o . T h c• y an";wered, without hesitancy, th .\l their f.;\l tl C: mi ght no .il'y partie: of ('h••vt' llll<'H, whidt wcr<' continua lly makin cr "war}), tits" tltrourrh . J n ' " lhc•tr < ountry . J asked them what thc>y were•. d oing- hl'l't' ()11 th ArlcansiiS. 'J'l1~'Y said that there \\'ns no grass to\\ .1rds tlu• t1 o rth <•rn region \vhf•re they liYed, and that l!Jt·y had hrnug :tt t lte i!· mule..; hne to grazl'; but, l H! it ltl0\\ 0 that tltc•y Vd!l't' '"i1hont thei r women nnd childn'tl 1 aucl without lodges, not tr:n cllin ti lik a jlCat.: ·ful grctzing p a rty, bul prepartd for war and rob'H•ry. !n the evt• nin~ the Hlorrn rlear ·d away; and, with th,• pnlilC' gut d.l.nt,;e of' the indian s, J m;utl gc·d to ero"s t ht• rivn without hrNtking thr i r· •·, whic·h '" a-; sti ll weak, allhou <rh much ;trongcr tit an it was liti s morning. .-::~ My mvn h::ul laiu abed all day, in ordC'r to kl't'p wnrlll, for tlH·r<· Wi S 00 W')Od IO be IJad Otl tltis :--ide Of' the river wdh which lo build r fi.r cs .. I told lltuu th ai th(•y C'Oilld gel pl~nly or wnocl Oil the oppo· ;, ttC' Stdc· bnt t!H•y broke throrwh lht• i<.;l' aud WPI'C o!JJjo·pd to ' . h ' b l'c·1 urn; we wnc f.t in to us<· "bttffalo c·hips. ' Ptbruar!J 11.- This mor ui11g my men arose early anti cros~e1l the |