SAMUEL SEYMOUR McDERMOTT 501 



At Engineer Cantonment near Council Bluffs, where Long's party 

 encamped for the winter, a council was held on October 4 at which 

 about 100 Otos, 70 Missouris, and 50 or 60 lowas were present. 

 According to the record, 



They arranged themselves, agreeably to their tribes, on puncheon benches, 

 which had been prepared for them, and which described a semicircle, on the 

 chord of which sat the whites, with Major O'Fallon and his interpreters in the 

 centre. Sentinels walked to and fro behind the benches ; and a handsome stand- 

 ard waved before the assembly. The council was opened by a few rounds from 

 the howitzers. A profound silence reigned for a few minutes, when Major 

 O'Fallon arose, and in a very animated and energetic manner addressed his Indian 

 auditors. Suitable replies were given by Shonga-tonga, the Crenier and others, 

 with all the extravagant gesticulation which is one of the prominent features of 

 Indian oratory. [Ibid., vol. 1, p. 158.] 



At some time during this meeting Seymour sketched his "Oto 

 Council" (pL 3), which was used to illustrate both editions of the 

 narrative. Less than a week later the Pawnees came in for a talk. In 

 the water color now made ("Pawnee Council") the artist gave a dif- 

 ferent view (pi. 4) of the council grounds and a detail more in 

 keeping with the text quoted above than was that of the "Oto 

 Council" (ibid., vol. 1, p. 159). 



There are no further references to Seymour's delineations until 

 the next spring or summer. The "Oto Encampment" (pi. 5.), which 

 was published only in the American edition, may have been done in 

 March or April during the winter encampment, or in June on the 

 march up the Platte Valley. In it was represented "an encampment 

 of Oto Indians, which Mr. Seymour sketched near the Platte river 

 . . . the group of Indians on the left is intended to represent a party 

 of Konza Indians approaching to perform the calumet dance in the 

 Oto village . . . this party when still distant from the Otoes, had 

 sent forward a messenger, with the offer of a prize to the first Oto 

 that should meet them. This circumstance was productive of much 

 bustle and activity among the warriors and young men, who eagerly 

 mounted their horses, and exerted their utmost speed" (ibid., vol. 

 1, pp. 188-189). 



Presently the explorers — whose new orders had diverted them from 

 the Yellowstone objective to a round over the Great Plains to the 

 mountains — on June 30, 1820, "were cheered by a distant view of 

 the Rocky Mountains" (ibid., vol. 1, p. 489) . Although James did not 

 mention it, the artist must now have done the "Distant View of the 

 Rocky Mountains" which forms one of the illustrations of the English 

 edition. Literally, these were not the Rockies, but they were prac- 

 tically the beginning of the mountains. Probably a day or two 

 later Seymour sketched the "View of the Rocky Mountains, on the 

 Platte, 50 Miles from their Base," published in the American edition. 



