314 ON THE FKONTIEB. 



was very old and very wise ; what he said was right, and 

 ought to be done, all the tribe would consent to do ; that 

 the old man was not there, but not far off ; and that he 

 (Pah-Squal) would send some of his young men to fetch 

 him, for he was sure we were talking straight talk about 

 making peace. He knew we would wait for his father. 

 In the meantime our horses would want grass ; some of 

 his boys would take them to where there was plenty until 

 we should require them again. This statement and propo- 

 sition we did not quite relish ; it looked very much like a 

 plausible tale got up to quietly deprive us of our mounts- 

 X. replied that the horses had had plenty of grass, as they 

 had been eating it all night ; that corn was better for them, 

 as it was what they were most accustomed to; that we 

 had some with us, and would feed them presently; that 

 we would wait for his father, and hoped he would not be 

 long, as we were in a hurry to get back to the mountains 

 where the soldiers were ; for if we did not do so soon, they 

 would think we had been killed, and then all start out and 

 shoot every Indian they saw, since, as he well knew, 

 soldiers could not tell one Indian from another; and we 

 should be very sorry for any of his people to be killed on 

 our account, as he wished for peace, and had been so 

 friendly. 



Of course there was nothing for it but to wait; so we 

 passed the time talking with the Indians to the best of our 

 inability, about game, horses, their tribal customs, and 

 mutually examining arms and equipments; but all the 

 time on the qui vive for any intimation of treachery, and 

 ready at any and every moment for a fight. I can vouch 



