124 HUNTINO Y. m'KNTURES. 



'i. the world, of its kind, can possibly surpass in beauty and grace, 

 some of their games and amusements their gambols and parades, 

 if which I shall speak an I paint hereafter. 



As far as my travels have yet led me into the Indian country, 1 

 nave more than realized my former predictions, that these Indians 

 who could be found most entirely in a state of nature, with the 

 least knowledge of civilized society, would be found to be the most 

 cleanly in their persons, elegant in their dress and manners, and 

 enjoying life to the greatest perfection. Of such tribes, perhaps 

 the Crows and Blackfeet stand first ; and no one would be able to 

 appreciate the richness and elegance (and even taste, too,) with 

 which some of these people dress, without seeing them in their 

 own country. 1 will do all I can, however, to make their looks as 

 well as customs known to the world ; I will paint with my brush 

 and scribble with my pen, and bring their plumes and plumage, 

 dresses, weapons, &c., and every thing but the Indian himself, to 

 prove to the world the assertions -which I have made above. 



Every one of these red sons of the forest (or rather of the prairie j 

 is a knight and lord his squaws are his slaves ; the only things 

 which -he deems worthy of his exertions are to mount his snorting 

 steed, with his bow and quiver shuvg, his arrow-shield upon his 

 arm, and his 'long lance glistening in the war-parade ; or, divested 

 of all his plumes and trappings, armed with a simple bow and 

 quiver, to plunge his steed amongst the flying herds of buffaloes, 

 and with his sinewy bow, which he seldom bends in vain, to drive 

 deep to life's fountain the whizzing arrow. 



The buffalo herds, which graze in almost countless numbers on 

 these beautiful prairies, afford them an abundance of meat ; and 

 so much is it preferred to all other, that the deer, the elk, and the 

 antelope sport upon the prairies in herds in the greatest security; 

 as the Indians seldom kill them, unless they want their skins for a 

 dress. The buffalo (or more correctly speaking, bison) is a noble 

 animal that roanis over the vast prairies, from the borders of Mexico 

 on the south, to Hudson's Bay on the north. Their size is some 

 what above that of our common bullock, and their flesh of a delicious 

 flavor, resembling and equalling that of fat beef. Their flesh 



