468 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



to dispute the terms of exchange 

 •with the trader, who declared on 

 liis return to St. Louis, that it was 

 the most profitable voyage he had 

 ever made. Mr. Tellier, a gen- 

 tleman of respectability who re- 

 sided near St. Louis, and who had 

 been formerly Indian agent there, 

 informed me that Blackbird ob- 

 tained this inHuence over his na- 

 tion by the means of arsenic, a 

 quantity of that article having 

 been sold to him by a trader, who 

 instructed him in the use of it. If 

 afterwards any of his nation dared 

 to oppose him in his arbitrary mea- 

 sures, he prophesied their death 

 within a certain period, and took 

 good care that his predictions 

 should be verified. He died about 

 the time that Louisiana was added 

 to the United States ; having pre- 

 viously made choice of a cave for 

 his sepulchre, on the top of a hill 

 near the Missouri, about eighteen 

 miles below the Maha village ; by 

 his order his body was placed on 

 the back of his favourite horse, 

 which was driven into the cave, 

 t(^e mouth closed up with Stones, 

 and a large heap was afterwards 

 raised on the summit of the hill." 



An interview with a tribe of 

 Indians is the subject of the fol- 

 lowing narrative : — 



" Before breakfast this morning 

 we discovered two Indians on a 

 bluff on the north-east side of the 

 ) iver : we stopped opposite to them 

 to breakfast, during which tliey 

 frequently harangued us in a loud 

 tone of voice. After we had break- 

 fasted, Mr. Hunt went over the 

 river to speak to them, and took 

 with him Dorion, the interpreter. 

 We noticed, that when he landed, 

 one of the Indians went away, and 

 for a short time disappeared from 



our Sight, but immediately re- 

 appeared on horseback, and went 

 at full speed over the bluffs. Mr. 

 Hunt informed us on his return, 

 that these Indians belonged to the 

 Sioux nations ; that three tribes 

 were encamped about a league 

 from us, and had 280 lodges. 

 Theywerethe Yangtons Ahnah,the 

 Tetons Bois Brul6, and the Tetons 

 Min-na-kine-azzo. The Indiati 

 informed Mr. Hunt that they had 

 been waiting for us eleven days, 

 with a decided intention of op- 

 posing our progress, as they would 

 suffer no one to trade with the 

 Ricaras, Mandans, and Minate- 

 rees, being at war with those ra- 

 tions. It is usual to reckon two 

 warriors to each lodge, we there- 

 fore found that we had to appose 

 near six hundred savages, w ith the 

 character of whom we were well 

 acquainted ; and it had also been 

 stated by the Indian that they 

 were in daily expectation of being 

 joined by two other tribes, Tetons 

 Okandandas and Tetons Sahone. 

 We proceeded up the river, and 

 passed along an island, which, for 

 about half an hour, intercepted 

 our view of the noith-ea?t Side of 

 the river. On reaching the u])j)er 

 point we had a view of the bluffs, 

 and saw the Indians pouring 

 down in great numbers, some on 

 horseback, and others on fdot. 

 They soon took possession of a 

 point a little above us, and ranged 

 themselves along the bank of the 

 river. By the helj) of our glasses 

 we could perceive that they were 

 all .armed and painted for war. 

 Their arms consisted chiefly of 

 bows and arrows, but a few had 

 short carbines : they were also 

 provided with round shields. We 

 had an ample sufficiency of arms 



for 



