OLD MISSOURI DAYS 173 



The high bluffs back of the prairie are destitute of stones. 

 On my way there I saw abundance of gopher hills, two 

 geese paired, two yellow-crowned herons, red-winged star- 

 lings, cowbirds, common crow blackbirds, a great number 

 of Baltimore orioles, a swallow-tailed hawk, yellow red-poll 

 warbler, field-sparrow, and chipping sparrow. 



" Robins are very scarce, parrakeets and wild turkeys 

 plentiful. The officers came on board, and we treated them 

 as hospitably as we could; they ate their lunch with us, and 

 are themselves almost destitute of provisions. Last July 

 the captain sent twenty dragoons and as many Indians on 

 a hunt for buffaloes. During the hunt they killed fifty- 

 one buffaloes, one hundred and four deer, and ten elks, 

 within eighty miles of the camp. The Sioux Indians are 

 great enemies to the Pottawattamies, and very frequently 

 kill several of the latter in their predatory excursions 

 against them. This kind of warfare has rendered the Pot- 

 tawattamies very cowardly, which is quite a remarkable 

 change from their previous valor and daring. Bell col- 

 lected six different species of shells, and found a large lump 

 of pumice-stone which does float on the water. "We left 

 our anchorage (which means tied to the shore) at twelve 

 o'clock and about sunset we passed Council Bluffs. 



" Here, however, the bed of the river is utterly 

 changed, though you may yet see that which is now called 

 the old Missouri. The bluffs stand, truly speaking, on a 

 beautiful bank almost forty feet above the water, and run 



