78 



NARRATIVE OP A JOtJRNEY 



sat myself down, and stirring up the dying embers of the camp fire, 

 taken the precious little memento from my bosom, undrawn the 

 string of the leathern sack which contained it, and poured over 

 the dear characters, till my eyes would swim with sweet, but sad 

 recollections, then kissing the inanimate paper, return it to its 

 sanctuary, tighten up my pistol belt, shoulder my gun, and with 

 a quivering voice, swelling the ''alVsxcelV upon the night 

 breeze, resume my slow and noiseless tramp around my sleeping 

 companions. 



Many of our men have left us, and joined the returning compa- 

 nies, but we have had an accession to our party of about thirty 

 Indians ; Flat-heads, Nez Perces, &c., with their wives, children, 

 and dogs. Without these our camp would be small ; they will 

 probably travel with us until we arrive on Snake river, and pass 

 over the country where the most danger is to be apprehended 

 from their enemies, the Black-feet. 



Some of the women in this party, particularly those of the 

 Nez Perce nation, are rather handsome, and their persons are 

 decked off in truly savage taste. Their dresses of deer skin 

 are profusely ornamented with beads and porcupine quills ; huge 

 strings of beads are hung around their necks, and their saddles 

 are garnished with dozens of little hawk's bells, which jingle and 

 make music for them as they travel along. Several of these women 

 have little children tied to their backs, sewed up papoose fashion, 

 only the head being seen; as they jolt along the road, we not un- 

 frequently hear their voices ringing loud and shrill above the 

 music of the bells. Other little fellows who have ceased to re- 

 quire the maternal contributions, are tied securely on other horses, 

 and all their care seems to be to sleep, which they do most perti- 

 naciously in spite of jolting, noise, and clamor. There is among 

 this party, a Blackfoot chief, a renegado from his tribe, who 

 sometime since killed the principal chief of his nation, and was 



