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handy (ball) by the Indians ; about sixty were engaged in it, old and young, 

 men and boys, and they had a number of bets staked on the result. The 

 whole company appeared to be greatly interested, as the women stood at the 

 lodge doors occasionally cheering on the game with songs and shouts. — 

 The players, had laid aside all their garments except their clouts, and 

 played with as much zest as a set of school boys, but not with equal fair- 

 ness ; for some of them carried blankets or robes with which to stop the 

 ball. This, I am told, is a favorite game with the Indians, and sometimes 

 hundreds are engaged in it. 



They have another popular game called billiards on which they bet a 

 great deal ; it is entirely different from our game of that name. In the e\e- 

 ning walked up to the prairie village with A. to kill a prairie dog, but did 

 not succeed, 



Friday, May 24. — Last night I was aroused by the roaring of the wind, 

 blowing violently through my open window, which I immediately closed ; 

 soon after my ears were delighted to hear the rain beating heavily on 

 the roof, and I was prepared for the evidence shown this morning of a heavy 

 fall of water. 



In the afternoon I took a walk up the river for exercise and to gather 

 flowers ; saw very few, as the day had been cold and cloudy. I found, 

 however, two new specimens and several of the old ones were quite nume- 

 rous, especially the delicate purple violet. I paid a hasty visit to the prairie- 

 dog village and got three sculls, and then hastened home refreshed by the 

 invigorating breeze, and prepared to relish my supper. M'Kenzie was out 

 at the same time and secured three birds for stuffiing — one of them a thrush 

 and two others quite small specimens. • 



I noticed on my way home a black bird with his wings marked with white 

 where one species has the beautiful, brilliant red ; also noticed a little bird 

 with its breast of the singular color of a pale pea-green. 



After tea talked out to see another game of bandy ; all were again at it 

 with hearty good will — it appeared strange to see the old chief, Little Bear, 

 with nothing but his breech cloth on, and his bandy in hand as hard at play 

 as the youngest child in the party, and there were some quite young among 

 them. They afforded a pretty sight as they hurried in different directions 

 after the ball in their flesh colored uniform, their scarlet cloth streaming 

 out behind, with an occasional head highly or^iamented 



One squaw only joined in the play and as she had on an English dress 

 she appeared somewhat out of place. The whole encampment however took 

 great interest in the scene, and every lodge had its collection of squaws and 

 babies looking on with A'aried interest. It was altogether a wild and cheer- 

 ful scene, and a good illlustration of one of the national amusements of the 

 Indians. I would suggest it as a grave question for those who can see 

 farther than their neighbors into a mill stone — whether our school-boys de- 

 rived this game from the savage, or handed it over to them, or whether both 

 being ranked under the head of savages may be regarded as having inherited 

 it from the same original source ? 



Two of the voyageurs were engaged in the game, and at the end of 

 the sport an Indian gave one of them a horse, worth probably twenty 

 robes ; the same person a few days ago received a present of forty robes ; 

 "fortunate fellow" would the unitiated exclaim ; but an Indian present is 

 like an eastern gift, which is to be returned with compound interest ; in this 

 country one finds it more to his advantage to buy anything he may want 



