18 EXPEDITION TO THE 



having given Hum as much tobacco as our small stock of 

 Indian presents allowed us to spare, Major Long mounted 

 his horse, and gave his men orders to march. The Indians 

 attempted no opposition at the time ; but after we had tra- 

 velled about a quarter of a mile, they following in our 

 rear, a gun was fired at some distance on the prairie, to the 

 right of our line, and a number of mounted Indians were 

 seen in that direction, coming towards us. Those who had 

 followed us, then made a signal to them that we were white 

 men ; and ran up to us to desire that, as their chief was 

 then coming up, we would stop and shake hands with 

 him; the party halted, until the mounted Indians had 

 come up and greeted us in the usual manner. Observing 

 that their chief was not among them. Major Long again 

 set his men in motion, but before we had proceeded far, 

 several of them ran up to the head of the line, fired their 

 guns across our path, reloaded them immediately, and 

 formed a crescent in front of the leader, to prevent 

 him from proceeding. At that time the number of the In- 

 dians must have been about seventy or eighty, while ours 

 amounted only to twenty-five. Their intentions could not 

 be misunderstood. It was probable that they did not care 

 much to harm our persons, but they were anxious to pilfer 

 our baggage, and especially to secure our horses ; and as 

 we wei^e resolved not to part with them without a strug- 

 gle, it was evident that the first gun fired would be the 

 signal for an attack, which must end in the total destruc- 

 tion of our party ; for the number of the Indians, and their 

 mode of dispersing upon the prairie, and continually chang- 

 ing their situation during a skirmish, would have given 

 tliem a very great advantage over us, as, in order to pro- 

 tect our horses and baggage, we would have remained col- 

 lected in a body, and exposed to their arrows and balls. 



