SOURCE OF ST. PETEr's RIVER. 107 



gave him a long but confused account of the division which 

 exists among the Miamis, into two tribes, one of which 

 considers itself as having risen from the waters, and the 

 other from the centre of the earth. Those of Neptunian 

 origin, made their way as is believed, to the surface, by 

 climbing up trees, &c. The man who gave this account 

 is a half-breed Miami, his father being a Frenchman ; he 

 speaks very good French. x'Vt the time we saw him, he 

 was dressed like a trader, and from his appearance, man- 

 ners and language, we should never have suspected him to 

 be any other than a Canadian fur-dealer. He is said, how- 

 ever, to possess considerable influence with his tribe. He 

 sometimes assumes the Indian costume, with the exception 

 of the blanket, for which he always substitutes a capote. 

 In the conversation which we had with him, we had reason 

 to consider him as well entitled to the reputation which he 

 has acquired, of being one of the most artful and deceitful 

 of his nation. He declined meeting the party in conference, 

 stating that the other chiefs of his tribe were absent, and 

 that the circumstance of his holding a confprp.nee with 

 white men might expose him to suspicion, which would 

 the more readily attach to him on account of his being him- 

 self but a half-breed. This reason was too plausible to allow 

 of our objecting to it; and we regretted that we could not 

 test the sincerity of his offer, to answer all our questions, in 

 a few days, when the other men of his nation would have 

 arrived. The gentleman of the party who conversed with 

 him, noticed that he had never met with a man whose man- 

 ners evinced so much cunning and subtilty as those of this 

 chief. Affecting not to understand questions to which he 

 did not choose to reply, and involving all his answers in 

 obscurity, he imparted no information concerning the points 

 upon which he was questioned, except in the instance 



