PAWNEE CHIEFS. 259 CHAPTER XIV. Pawnee Chiefs with whom I started.-Leave Fort Leavenworth. -Rolling Prairie.-Halting-place.-Loss of Horses.-Flock of Perroquets. Our stray Horses.-Indian Appetite.-Accidents by the Way.-Overtake the Pawnee Deputation. Esculent Roots.-Deer-stalking in the Prairie.-A Misfortune. -Cross the Great Nimahaw River.-Party in Search of Elk. -Rejoin the Camp. Tired Horse. False Alarm of Chill and Fever. The Kanzas River.-My Dog killed and eaten.Fatiguing Travelling.-Friendly Reception.-Effect of Whisky on the Indians. Indian Village.-Occupations of the Men, Women, and Children.-The old Chief.-Buffalo Meat. -Order of March.-Pawnee Summer Lodge.-Medicine.First Night in the Pawnee Lodge.-Dogs. - THE names of the four principal Pawnee chiefs with whom I started were (nearly) as follows: Sâ-ní-tsǎ-rish, or "wicked-chief," grand Pawnees; Le-pre-colo-'hoo-la-charo, or "mouth-chief," Tapage Pawnees; Pa-ta-la-cha'rò*, or " man-chief," grand Pawnees; Too-la-la-cha-shu, or "the man who runs," grand Pawnees. Having left Fort Leavenworth with the Pawnees about eleven o'clock, we travelled, rather to the north of west, twenty-five miles, through a beautiful rolling * The son of the Maha, or Pawnee Loup chief, was also with the deputation. 260 HALTING-PLACE. prairie, interspersed with trees, which were so regularly and carefully grouped as to remind me of Windsor and other noble English parks; but these had the additional advantage of forming part of a woodland scene boundless in extent, and for the first ten miles the picturesque and broken heights which confine the Missouri increased the beauty of the prospect. The grass, which was extremely rich and luxuriant, was sprinkled with gay flowers, which were mostly unknown to me, although I had seen some as tenants of a British hothouse, as several varieties of the cactus," and others, whose names, vulgar or scientific, I am unable to record. 66 We camped, with our good-humoured savages, at sunset, on the banks of a creek,* thinly clothed with brushwood, where the mosquittoes were not much more numerous than the flies in a sugar cupboard. Having released our horses and mules from their saddles and packages, we proceeded to cook our supper, consisting of tea, fried ham, and seabiscuit. The night was extremely foggy and cold; and, on rising at daybreak, we made the agreeable discovery that four of our animals, including a mule, had broken away from their respective fastenings, and were nowhere to be found. I despatched the younger of our attendants and an Indian in pursuit; meanwhile the savages proceeded on their journey, leaving us in total igno * A small river or stream is invariably so denominated in this part of the world. FLOCK OF PERROQUETS. 261 rance of the "locale" of our quadruped deserters. It was a dull and weary day, and gave ample scope for an attack of the blue devils. In seasons like these, when the solitude and monotony of the prairie is not relieved by the excitement of travelling or the chase, the ghosts of remembered social enjoyments are apt to intrude on the wanderer's waking dreams! Could some of those with whom he has shared them, and who are still within their sphere, only imagine how often they are called up by fancy or memory to cheer the hours of absence, I cannot but think it would augment their happiness. By the enchantment thus lent by distance, the ordinary and daily occurrences of social intercourse (so apt to be ungratefully passed over) are seen in their fairest colours, and a walk, a ride, a word, a smile, recalled to mind, become food for delightful, though somewhat melancholy, rumination. I rambled about the woods near our halting-place, with my fowling-piece in my hand and Peevish by my side, but found nothing feathered upon which to exercise my skill except a small flock of green Perroquets. (I believe, the species called Psittacus rufirostris.) I killed half a dozen, and we cooked them for supper; they were fat, and by no means unpalatable. I retained some of the more gay and brilliant feathers as presents for the Indians. On the following day, our lad returned with the Indian and two of the stray horses, leaving us minus the largest mule and a very pretty little mare, 262 INDIAN APPETITE. which last I had destined to the honour of bearing me to charge the buffalo. We called a council, to decide whether we should return to the fort, recover the remaining estrays, and seek some other opportunity; or place our packages on the two remaining animals, and proceed at all risks. The spirit of adventure prevailed, and we determined to follow the Pawnees immediately. It should be added, more I fear to the praise of the horses' endurance than of our humanity, that the two recovered fugitives, one of which was my favourite riding-mare, had gone the whole way back to the fort, and thence been again ridden hard to our campingplace, making in all seventy-five miles, without rest or food, except what they could pick up by the way. This was not a good "preliminary" for a long journey of a thousand miles more or less. I had been lucky enough to kill a fawn, (the only deer seen since we left the fort,) which furnished us a good supper, and no more; for never did I see anything equal to the appetite of our Indian. Ribs, head, shoulders, &c. disappeared one after the other. He quietly ate everything placed before or near him, without the slightest symptom of diminished power; and I was not then aware of the incredible capacity of Indians, or of their notion that it is impolite to decline proffered food under any circumstances whatsoever. We rode on, under a hot sun, but with a fine breeze, through a country rather less rich in timber and foliage, and camped at night, having made about thirty-four miles: course, W.N.W. Not being yet accustomed to pass the night under the free star-lit vault, I did not sleep much; but it did not matter, as my young German companion slept enough for both. The 9th of July was a continued chapter of accidents, commencing with a somerset performed by my little mule, that was carrying about 250lbs. with which he attempted to scramble up a slippery bank, at the bottom of which was a pond, about four feet deep. Like the immortalised cat, he "tumbled headlong in," his whole load falling on him, and would probably have been drowned or smothered, had not one of the men jumped in, and cut all the cords and thongs that bound him. For a few minutes, our provisions, consisting of sugar, flour,* and biscuit, as well as our presents for the Indians, such as powder, vermilion, tobacco, &c. remained under water, very much to our consternation and annoyance; nor do I think the strongest advocate for cleanliness and cold water that ever drew breath, could have viewed that immersion with satisfaction. The invulnerable mule was unhurt, and repacked. A few miles further, he thought fit * Before quitting the fort, I had added to our stock of provisions a small bag of flour carefully sewn up in repeated folds of skin and wax-cloth; it was prepared by an experienced hunter, so as to be proof against wet and all other damage. I never told what it contained, being determined to keep it as a reserve, in case of extreme necessity. |