SOURCE OP ST. Peter's river. 371 



intendant, showed us every attention, and supplied us with 

 as many of the articles which we required, as he could dis- 

 pose of. In the vicinity of Mr. Moore's house, we saw lamb's 

 quarter,* which was more than seven feet high. This plant 

 was, at that time, almost too old for use, but until then it had 

 proved a very valuable addition, at our meals, to the extreme- 

 ly small ration of biscuit, which at that time was reduced to 

 about one ounce per day for each man. At Mr, Moore's 

 we ate of a very good fish, called the buffalo fish. We had 

 met, on the bluff which commands his house, two Indian 

 lodges, in one of which was T^t^nkS. Wechadi^ta, (the buf- 

 falo man,) an Indian who claims the command of the 

 Wahkpatoans. We had declined his invitation to stay at his 

 lodge in the afternoon, being desirous of reaching Mr. 

 Moore's house as early as possible, but we promised to re- 

 turn about sunset, and he accordingly made all due prepa- 

 rations to receive us. The chief, and his principal men, 

 were in waiting. We entered the skin lodge, and were 

 seated on fine buffalo robes, spread all round ; on the fire, 

 which was in the centre of the lodge, two large iron ket- 

 tles, filled with choicest pieces of buffalo, were placed. 

 When the chief took his seat, he had near him a large 

 pouch or bag, decorated with but little taste, although he 

 seemed to have gathered up all that he could collect in the 

 way of ornament. Among other things, we observed 

 an old and dirty comb. He had, since our first visit, be- 

 dawbed his face with white clay. Tatanka Wechacheta is 

 a young man, slender, but well-formed, rather tall, with a 

 wide mouth, large eyes, which, when we saw him, had an 

 unusual expression of fierceness, from being remarkably 

 bloodshot 5 otherwise we should judge that his appearaiice 



* Chenopodium album. 



