40 JOHN WESLEY POWELL. 



tains, and about themselves, to tell other men at home; and that I 

 want to take pictures of everything, and show them to my friends. 

 All this occupied much time, and the matter and manner made a 

 deep impression. 



"Then their chief replies: 'Your talk is good, and we believe 

 what you say. We believe in Jacob, and look upon you as a father. 

 When you are hungry, you may have our game. You may gather 

 our sweet fruits. We will give you food when you come to our 

 land. We will show you the springs, and you may drink; the 

 water is good. We will be friends, and when you come we will be 

 glad. We will tell the Indians who live on the other side of the 

 great river that we have seen you, and you are the Indians' friend. 

 We will tell them you are Jacob's friend. We are very poor. Look 

 at our women and children ; they are naked. We have no horses ; 

 we climb the rocks, and our feet are sore. We live among rocks, 

 and they yield little food and many thorns. When the cold moons 

 come, our children are hungry. We have not much to give ; you 

 must not think us mean. You are wise; we have heard you tell 

 strange things. We are ignorant. Last year we killed three white 

 men. Bad men said they were our enemies. They told great lies. 

 We thought them true. We were mad; it made us big fools. We 

 are very sorry. Do not think of them, it is done; let us be friends. 

 We are ignorant like little children in understanding compared 

 with you. When we do wrong, do not get mad, and be like chil- 

 dren too. 



" 'When white men kill our people, we kill them. Then they 

 kill more of us. It is not good. We hear that the white men are 

 a great number. When they stop killing us, there will be no In- 

 dian left to bury the dead. We love our country ; we know not 

 other lands. We hear that other lands are better ; we do not know. 

 The pines sing, and we are glad. Our children play in the warm 

 sand ; we hear them sing, and are glad. The seeds ripen, and we 

 have to eat, and we are glad. We do not want their good lands; 

 we want our rocks, and the great mountains where our fathers 

 lived. We are very poor ; we are very ignorant ; but we are very 

 honest. You have horses and many things. You are very wise ; 

 you have a good heart. We will be friends. Nothing more have 

 I to say.' 



"Mr. Hamblin fell into conversation with one of them, and 

 held him until the others had left, and then learned more of the 

 particulars of the death of the three men. They came upon the 

 Indian village almost starved and exhausted with fatigue. They 



