84 On the supposed Welch-Indians. 



approaching the mountains, they discovered, that, 

 instead of snow, they were covered with immense 

 bodies of white sand. 



They had, in the mean time, passed through about 

 ten nations of Indians, from whom they received very 

 friendly treatment. It was the practice of the party 

 to exercise the office of spokesman in rotation ; and 

 when the language of any nation through which they 

 passed was unknown to them, it was the duty of the 

 spokesman, a duty in which the others never inter- 

 fered, to convey their meaning by appropriate signs. 



The labour of travelling through the deep sands 

 of the mountains was excessive ; but, at length, they 

 relieved themselves of this difficulty, by following 

 the course of a shallow river, the bottom of which 

 being level, they made their way to the top of the 

 mountains, with tolerable convenience. 



After passing the mountains, they entered a fine, 

 fertile tract of land, which having travelled through 

 for several days, they accidentally met with three 

 white men, in the Indian dress. Griffith immediately 

 understood their language, as it was pure Welch, 

 though they occasionally made use of a few words, 

 with which he was not acquainted. However, as it 

 happened to be the turn of one of his Shawnees com- 

 panions to act as spokesman, or interpreter, he pre- 

 served a profound silence, and never gave them any 

 intimation that he understood the language of their 

 new companions. 





