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Show 206 THE INDIANS OF THE ingly homely and many horribly ugly. This is the case particularly with the old women, some of whom have the most unsightly faces I ever saw on human forms ; and to make their appearance still more disgusting, are their filthy per sons and habits. They have no incentive to be otherwise, for they are the most complete slaves of the men ( not the old squaws only, but all), and are required to do all manner of drudgery. They dress and tan skins, prepare and dry game, put up and take down lodges, transport them on the animals they ride, catch and saddle the ponies of the men, and in a word, do everything but hunt and fight. They are not easily distinguished from the men at a distance, when their features cannot be observed, and, indeed, many times I have been unable to distinguish them by their features, or in any other way, as the outer dress of both is alike a buf falo- skin or a blanket. They are generally shorter and broader than the men, and formed not unlike the negress. The dress of the female consists in an unnameable garment, extending from the neck to the knees, open under each arm nearly to the waist, and not in front or behind, which seems rather inconvenient when nursing their children ; a pair of short leggins, the moccasin, and the robe or blanket. They ride in the same manner that men do. Both sexes have their heads uncovered, as a rule, though sometimes the men wear old hats obtained from soldiers or immigrants, and both wear their hair long, which is invariably thick and black. The women, particularly, discard all covering for their heads except their robes, or blankets. These they pull over them in the same way the men do. I have seen squaws who have left their tribes, to live with white men, who have been dressed like ladies in every other respect, but refuse, under all circumstances, tc a love of a bonnet ; " and though they may wear a fine delaine dress and cashmere shawl, the latter will be pulled up to answer instead of a hat. The squaws carry their pappooses in a variety of con trivances. Some fold their blankets in a way to form a bag on their back, large enough to hold the offspring in an |