82 On the supposed Welch- Indians. 



Maurice Griffith, a native of Wales, which country- 

 he left when he was about sixteen years of age, was 

 taken a prisoner, by a party of Shawnees-Indians, 

 about forty years ago, near Vosses' Fort, on the 

 head of Roanoke river, in Virginia, and carried to 

 the Shavrnees nation. Having staid there about two 

 years and a half, he found, that five young men of 

 the tribe had a desire of attempting to explore the 

 sources of the Missouri. He prevailed upon them 

 to admit him as one of the party. They set out 

 with six good rifles, and with six pounds of powder 

 a-piece, of which they were, of course, very careful. 



On reaching the mouth of the Missouri, they were 

 struck with the extraordinary appearance, occasioned 

 by 7 the intermixture of the muddy waters of the Mis- 

 souri, and the clear, transparent element of the Mis- 

 sisippi. They staid two or three days amusing them- 

 selves with the view of this novel sight : they then 

 determined on the course which they should pursue, 

 which happened to be so nearly in the course of the 

 river, that they frequently came within sight of it, as 

 they proceeded on their journey. 



After travelling about thirty days, through pretty 

 farming wood-land, they came into fine, open prairies, 

 on which nothing grew but long, luxuriant grass. 

 There was a succession of these, varying in size ; 

 some being eight or ten miles across, but one of them 

 so long, that it occupied three days to travel through 

 it. In passing through this large prairie, they were 

 much distressed for water and provisions, for they 



