]«^q SUPPOSED WELCH INDIANS* 



Traditional ae- confidence was at once given to his declarations, the king 

 count of inhabi- advanced and gave him his hand. They abandoned the de- 

 fuppofed to have n g n OI putting him and his companions to death, and from 

 originated from that moment treated him with the u tin oft friendfhip. Griffith 

 Wales * and the Shawnees continued eight months in the nation ; but 



were deterred from profecuting their refearches up the Mif- 

 fouri by the advice of the people of the country, who in- 

 formed them, that they had gone a twelve, month's journey 

 up the river, but found it as large there as it was in their own 

 country. 



As to the hiftory of this people, he could learn nothing fa- 

 tisfadory. The only account they could give was, that their 

 forefathers had come up the river from a very diftant country. 

 .They had no books, no records, no writings. They inter, 

 mised with no other people by marriage, there was not a dark- 

 fkinned man in the nation. Their numbers were very confi- 

 derable. There was *a continued range of fettlements on the 

 river, for fifty miles, and there were within this fpace three large 

 water-courfes which fell into the Miflburi, on the banks of each 

 of which they were likewife fettled. He fuppofed that there- 

 muft be fifty thoufand men in the nation capable of bearing 

 arms. Their cloathing was fkins well drefTed. Their houfes. 

 were made of upright pofts and the barks of trees. The only 

 implement they had to cut them with, were (tone tomahawks j 

 they had no iron. Their arms were bows and arrows. They 

 had fome filver which had been hammered with ftones into 

 coarfe ornaments, but it did not appear to be pure. They 

 had neither horles, cattle, (beep, hogs, nor any domeftic nor 

 tame animals. They lived by hunting, He faid nothing about 

 their religion. 



Griffith and his companions had fome large iron tomahawks 

 with them. With theie they cut down a tree and prepared 

 a canoe to return home in : But their tomahawks were io great 

 acuriofity, and the people of the country were fo eager to 

 handle them, that their canoe was completed with very little 

 labour. When this work was accomplished, they propofed 

 to leave, their new friends ; Griffith, however, having pror 

 mifed to vifit them again. 



They defended the river with confiderable fpeed, but amidft 

 frequent dangers, from the rapidity of the current particularly, 

 when puffing through the while mountains. When they reached 



tta 



