89 [ 1 ] 



however, I find that to take all things patiently is the best way to get along^ 

 and so I shall do so. 



The face of the country along the route of to-day lias been hilly ; it is 

 nearly all barren rolling prairie, scarce of water and tind)er, and having the 

 soil strongly impregnated with saltpetre. I understand this to be the 

 cause of the white appearance I here so often noticed ; it looks like lime 

 st;attered over the ground, and has been very abundant to day. Not sa 

 much gravel, nor so many stones as on the other side of the Missouii. Mr. 

 M'Kenzie has had great opportunity for learning the customs and habits of 

 the Indians. lie told me to-day, tbat while they have no priests nor regular 

 religious system, they all worsliip something — they otler sacrifices of cloth 

 and other articles to the Great Spirit, and this is done by simply casting 

 them into the prairies with some form of prayer I suppose. Scarlet cloth is 

 generally preferred for this, also calico with red in it, and sheet iron kettles 

 that iiave not been used. The Gros Ventres and Assiniboines are mere re- 

 gular in this than the other tribes; they otfer great sacrifices every s})ring, 

 at the time of the first rain wbich is accompanied with thunder and light- 

 ning. Besides the worshij) of the Great Spirit, they all have something 

 else to worship — a pipe stem, cap, feather or whatever suits their fancy. 



The tribes along the Missouri have no chiefs ; those who have authority 

 amongst them gain it by their valor in war, their skill in stealing horses, 

 and the number of their kinch'ed. They have authority only because they 

 are feared, and if accidents removes this prop, they fall. This is often 

 the case, as I have been told by several lamiiiar with all the Missouri 

 tribes. They make frequent war parties, but in my opinion their bravery 

 is overrated ; they do not fight openly and boldly as the whites, but their 

 great object is to surprise. M'Kenzie told me of one party of Sioux, nine 

 iiundred strong, wlio went to war against the Gros Ventres and returned, 

 having murdered only one little boy, whom they caught straying from the 

 village. Another party had several of their number taken prisoners and burnt 

 before their eyes, and, instead of revenging the death of their triend, they 

 •leturned crying, and were laughed at, when they got home. There are about 

 000 lodges of the Yanktonians, and about four hundred of the Tetons. 



Wednesday, May 8. — We are encamped this evening on the Sheepoi 

 river about forty-four miles from the Fort; our old mules have done better 

 to-day than I expected, as they have brought us thus far, although they 

 gave out again this afternoon. The road to-day has been very hilly and 

 the land barren. Animals are scarce — we have not seen any but a single 

 wolf since we left, and a few small birds; one of the latter is beautiful in 

 shape and plumage. It is a small snow bird, white in winter, but now of a 

 dove color with some white. 



T picked up to-day quite a number of small pieces of petrified wood 

 which were lying in the road. 'I'he bills thus far have not been covered 

 with stones and rocks as they were across the river ; I passed l)ut one hill 

 to-(hiy on which were stones scattered over the surface, and they seemed 

 to have been made by the breaking of large rocks; the pieces were about 

 the sv/.o of those for turnpike roads. Wood has been found more abundant 

 than I expected from the account given me of its scarcity ; it is scarce but 

 vStill enough is found for a fire every ten miles, water isalso abundant now, 

 but probably not so in the smnmer. W^- dined to-day at Big Hole creek, 

 at present containing plenty of good water, but in summer it only a large 

 hole filled with water. 



