SOURCE OF ST. PETEr's RIVER. 231 



were satisfied and did as he bid them ; but not one of them 

 ever returned to his liome, to see if his promises were 

 fulfilled ; for they all fell in battle, on account, as we have 

 always believed, of their having parted with their medi- 

 cine bags. I," added Wennebea, " spoke to him plainly ; 

 I told him he wished to impose upon us ; that our bags 

 had not lost their virtue ; that still in the hour of need we 

 applied to them, and generally with success; that we kept 

 them in our villages, and that when our friends were sick, 

 we applied to them for relief; and that if we were 

 not successful in all cases, at least we were so in most in- 

 stances. But he was very angry at me, and his brother 

 Tecumseh who was near to us, laid his hand upon me and 

 offered to strike me, which he would have done had he 

 not been prevented." 



Thus spoke Wennebea Namoeta, a Sauk Indian of the 

 tribe of Pa-c6-ha-m6-a, (which signifies Trout;) his bro- 

 ther had succeeded to the dignity of chief, although he was 

 younger, being considered a man of more talent; and 

 so Wennebea himself admitted him to be. We regretted 

 tliat we did not meet with this chief, we should have 

 liked to see what his abilities are; he may be a bet- 

 ter warrior or a more impressive orator, but we ques- 

 tion much whether he surpasses our guide in genuine phi- 

 losophy. We have with regret shortened the communica- 

 tion of the observations made by tliis interesting man ; we 

 should have wished to give them entire. They breathe 

 throughout a wisdom which would have done honour 

 to the philosophers of old, and a morality of which no 

 Christian need have blushed. Indeed they speak strongly 

 in favour of the doctrine, that wisdom and morality are 

 the spontaneous growth of the human heart, the seeds of 

 which have been implanted by the great Creator himself; 



