340 PICTURE-WRITING OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 
on the other lake (East Machias lake) and would camp there three 
days, Shown by the same number of strokes at c; so he waited for him 
until he came back. 
Josiah Gregg (a) says of the Plains tribes: 
When traveling they will also pile heaps of stones upon mounds or conspicuous 
points so arranged as to be understood by their passing comrades; and sometimes 
they set up the bleached buffalo heads, which are everywhere scattered over those 
plains, to indicate the direction of their march, and many other facts which may 
be communicated by those simple signs. 
Putnam (a) gives one example of this character: 
A family of five persons were killed—a tall man, a short, fat woman, and three 
children—at some place to the north. Five sticks were cut of various lengths. The 
longest being forked or split indicated the man, the thick short one the woman, 
and three of smaller sizes and lengths the children. They were all scalped, as is 
shown by the peeling of the bark. There were thirteen Indians, as we are informed 
by the stick with stripes and thirteen notches; and they have fled south with two 
prisoners, as we judge from the pointer and little strips of bark seemingly tied 
together. Sometimes all the intimations would be on one stick or piece of bark. A 
spy finding, at places well known, some of these mysterious articles. would bring 
them to the station, where a consultation would be held and conclusion drawn as to 
the meaning. A spy or hunter would intimate to his friend his want of powder or 
lead or other want and the place at which he would look for supplies. 
Hind (a) speaks of a special form, of notice by the natives of the Lab- 
rador peninsula: 
To indicate their speed and direction on a march, the Nasquapees of the Labrador 
peninsula thrust a stick in the ground, with a tuft of grass at the top, pointing 
toward their line of route, and they show the rate at which they are traveling by 
the greater or less inclination of the stick. This mode of communicating intelligence 
to those who may follow is universal among Indians; but the excellent and simple 
contrivance for describing the speed at which they travel is not generally employed 
as far as I am aware, by other nations. 
Mr. Charles G. Leland, in a letter, tells that the English gypsies, at 
a crossroad, drew the ordinary Latin cross with the long arm pointing 
in the direction taken. Others pulled up three bunches of grass by the 
roots and laid the green points in the direction. Others again, at the 
present time, take a small stick and set it up inclining at an angle of 
45 degrees in the line of travel. 
Dr. George M. Dawson (a) reports of the Shuswap people of British 
Columbia— 
A rag of clothing, particularly a small piece or pieces of colored or other easily 
recognizable material from a woman’s dress, left in a forked twig, indicates that a 
person or party of persons hasepassed. If the stick stands upright, it means that 
the hour was noon, if inclined it may either point to the direction of the sun at the 
time or show the direction in which the person or party went. If it is desired to 
show both, a larger stick points to the position of the sun, a smaller to that of the 
route followed. If those for whose information the signs are left are likely to arrive 
after an interval of several days, a handful of fresh grass or a leafy branch may be 
left, from the condition of which an estimate of the time which has elapsed can be 
formed. Such signs are usually placed near the site of the camp fire. 
The device to indicate the time of depositing the notice may be com- 
pared with that shown in Fig. 446. 
ee 
