606 TRIBES OF THE UPPER MISSOURI [BTH. ANN. 46 



formation intended only for their friends when cut on trees is liable 

 to be interpreted to their disadvantage by enemies, which would 

 consequently be a bar to its general practice. None of their draw- 

 ings are executed with neatness, but occasionally have some pre- 

 tensions to proportion. It appears to be the meaning only that is 

 desired, for paintings done by whites correctly are not more appre- 

 ciated as work of art, perhaps not so much, as their own rude repre- 

 sentations, but are looked upon with more superstitious dread. 



The explanation of the drawing (pi. 78) would be as follows: 

 "We were a party of 20 men (1) and stole 39 horses (2) from the 

 Blackfeet" (see the 29 horse tracks so marked going away from the 

 camp). "The camp turned out, killed one of us" (see the picture 

 of a hand pointing toward their enemy's camp (3) and a scalped 

 man drawn) " and recaptured from us 14 horses (4) " (see the 14 

 tracks going back to camp, each track always standing for a horse). 

 "We forted and fought with them" (see (1) representing a brush 

 fort and the men therein; the guns pointing toward the fort (5) 

 are those of their enemies and the others signify the firing kept up 

 by themselves). 



"In the battle three of us were wounded and six horses killed" 

 (see 6 representing a wounded man, and six horses stationary, seven; 

 that is, going neither way, proving them to be unable to travel). 

 " We got off with 19 horses " (8) (this being the tracks of horses leav- 

 ing the fort) ; " the first night we encamped on the plains near a 

 spring " (9) (the dotted line shows the path, and 9 is intended to rep- 

 resent a small fort or sleeping place, with another dotted line to the 

 left where the spring (10) is marked). " In the encampment we left 

 a wounded man (6) ; we made two more encampments after that, when 

 we now leave this painting and intend pursuing our course home to 

 the right. A band of buffalo (11) was seen on the opposite side of 

 the river on a creek while the battle was going on, which are all we 

 have yet seen." (These marks mean buffalo tracks.) 



The end of the dotted line is as far as they have then gone, and 

 other marks show the road they intend to pursue, but if they expect to 

 get home without sleeping the dotted line is made as far as the lodges. 



Explanation of Plate 79. — "We are a party of 10 men (1), have 

 stolen 21 horses (2) from the Blackfeet and taken a scalp (3), but 

 lost one of our own party. The first night we forted on a creek (4), 

 the second night we slept on the prairie in a small fort at the foot 

 of some timbered hills (5), the third night we slept at a lake (6), 

 the fourth at a spring (7) where we are now. We intend to make 

 three more encampments to get to our lodges, which are on the head 

 of the next river (8). These figures (9) represent the lodges of their 

 enemies, and the horses' tracks going from the lodges, indicating 



