RECEPTION THERE.

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made no sign of wanting food. The man gave me a pipe, and, in a few minutes, a fine fat rib, hot from the fire, was placed before me. On this occasion my appetite must have done itself justice, for I picked the bone as clean as it could have been made by a prairie wolf. I think these people had been with me in the great camp, but, not belonging to the band or quarter where I had lodged, they had only seen me at a distance; although they knew that I had been with old Sâ-ní-tsă-rish, for I heard them say so. The squaws were very good-humoured and curious: they seemed much puzzled at my dress, for it was now late in the evening, and rather cold. I had only my blue cotton shirt: they felt it, then touched the skin of my throat, uttering a kind of "ugh" of astonishment at its being so white and thin, in comparison to their own dark and coarse cuticle. They asked me if I had not a horse, a blanket, or a buffalo-robe? I said I had all of them, but they were waiting for me in the prairie. Finding the Indians in this lodge very good-natured and communicative, I began to prosecute my investigations respecting my party; but they knew nothing of them, neither had their trail been seen.

460

UNPLEASANT PREDICAMENT.

CHAPTER XXIII.

Unpleasant Predicament.—Set forth in Search of my Party.— Night Wanderings.-Rejoin my Friends. Journey resumed. -Evening Camp.-Prairie Wolves.-Scotch Servant.-The American Lad.-Conversation with the Guide.-Enormous Rattlesnake.—Indian Manœuvre.-Danger from Snakes.— An Antelope shot.-A Bath.-Our Feast.—Meeting with Pawnee Hunters.-Their Conference with our Guides.— Consultation with my Companions.-Desertion of the Guides. -Difficulties of our Situation.-Commencement of my Office as Guide.

I NOW found myself in a very unpleasant predicament. My life, indeed, was not in much danger, because I might, probably, have been permitted to accompany these Indians to the Pawnee villages on the Platte, where I might have waited until some trading party should go down the Missouri; but my condition would not, in this case, be very enviable. With neither horse, clothes, nor blanket, and with a very small stock of ammunition, I was cetainly not well equipped for a long journey and residence with the Pawnees; neither did I think that my own party could get on very well without me, as V― was crippled, and none of them were hunters. So I determined to sally forth, and seek them at all risks.

SEARCH FOR MY PARTY.

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Fortunately, the clouds cleared away and the stars shone brightly; I easily found the polar-star, and compared it with the fronting of the lodge, which I found correct as usual, due east. I then examined the course of the stream, and, in short, took all my bearings, both on earth and in the sky, as deliberately and as carefully as I could. The Indian thought I was making "great medicine;" and when I pointed to the polar-star, he seemed evidently to know it, and said that the "buffalo were now going that way;" but he could not make out what I had to do with it.

66

As soon as I gave him to understand that I was going to set off on a night journey, he said, "Ugh!-it is not good!" and made me signs to wrap myself in one of his robes and sleep. He asked "if I was tired." I told him, "No; I am strong." He inquired" where I was going." I answered by signs that, "before morning, I should rejoin my party and get my horses." Indeed, I affected more confidence in this matter than I felt. I had made up my mind to walk all night, and all the following morning, in search of my party; and if I could not find them, to come back to this camping-place, and follow the trail of these Indians, in order to reach them, as I might otherwise run a risk of perishing with cold and hunger. I made signs that it was very far, and asked if they would give me some meat to take with me, which they immediately did. Of this I slung two or three

462

NIGHT WANDERINGS.

slices to my waist-belt, and started on my night expedition, after thanking, with the warmest expressions and gestures, the inmates of the lodge, who were, indeed, the most simple good-natured Indians whom I had met with. I wished I had something better than thanks to give them; but not being able to spare my shirt, I was obliged to forego that satisfaction.

As I started, I took the precaution to examine carefully the locks of my rifle, at which manoeuvre the old Indian gave another significant" Ugh!" and we parted. The night being fresh, it was somewhat annoying that I was obliged (from the direction in which I calculated my party to be) to cross the stream near which the Indians were encamped; however, it did not wet me much above the knees, and I knew that I should not be likely to want exercise very soon. I walked as fast as I could, and examined all the country near the main creek without success. I then tried the higher ridges, and followed one, where the nature of the ground made it probable that another creek met the one which I had left. I lay down repeatedly, and put my ear to the ground, in hopes of hearing some sound which might guide me, but none met my ear, except the shrill, barking howl of the prairie wolves; and I found that, in that position I certainly could hear the noise of the little Indian camp further than I could when I stood up. I should think, however, that the assistance deriv

REJOIN MY FRIENDS.

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able from it must be greater on a level plain, than a hilly district, such as I was now crossing.

This latter cast was more fortunate; I had not long begun to descend the second ridge, when I perceived at a distance a glimmer of light and some smoke. As I drew near, I went carefully and stealthily forward, for fear it might be a party of strange Indians, and that I might be discovered by some of their scouts: but I soon found, to my great joy, that it was the camp of my own friends. They had begun to feel much alarmed at my long absence, but had very wisely remained by the place first agreed upon, trusting to my being thus enabled more easily to find them. I told them of my having fallen in, and supped with, a small Pawnee party; but I did not tell them how completely I had been lost, and with what anxious fears of not rejoining them I had been rambling over the prairie because I was ashamed of having acted with so little carefulness and prudence.

course,

On the 13th, we started early, and travelled about ten miles, in a wet, thick fog, accompanied by a raw drizzling rain and wind from the north-east. In short, it was such weather as we often experience in Britain about the end of February east-south-east. At noon, the weather improved, and we camped by a small creek, which we believed to be one of the tributaries of the Kanzas. Here, again, we enjoyed an excellent meal of buffalo meat, seasoned with a few flour cakes fried