AN INDIAN WAO. 339 



grace, and with nothing nearly so good an expression of 

 countenance. In age he was probably midway between the 

 other two. He was an openly-pronounced dandy. His 

 large nose-ring and ear-drops of green obsidian (volcanic 

 glass), the elaborate charms hung round his neck, the 

 highly-ornamented bowstring-guard round his left wrist, 

 his stained moccasins, his paint, feathers, strut, and general 

 importance of demeanour, left no room for doubt on that 

 point ; and he appeared to think that to dress himself up, 

 and look supercilious, was to discharge " the whole duty of 

 man." 



Ere long we reached Ash Creek, and had not penetrated 

 far into the timber of its bottoms when " Halt ! " rung out, 

 and we found ourselves before a sentinel. When he saw who 

 we were he permitted us to pass, and we made our way into 

 an encampment of a troop of dragoons. Our Indians were 

 evidently surprised at coming suddenly on a camp of such 

 size, and by seeing upwards of a hundred horses tied in a 

 double line to the picket-rope. Captain S. invited us cor- 

 dially to his tent, and the three chiefs and our companions 

 were hospitably entertained by the soldiers, to whom three 

 live Indians in full fig were objects of special and peculiar 

 interest. They gathered around and watched them eating, 

 as though they (the Indians) were lions being fed in a mena- 

 gerie. But the savages seemed to rather like it, and to con- 

 sider it all as a flattering attention. 



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