THE ‘BIG TALK.’ 39 
ing—“ Ahi platicarémos despues’—‘ We will 
talk about that hereafter.” 
We then showed them a spot a few rods 
from us, where they might encamp so as not 
to intermix their animals with ours; after 
which all the capitanes were invited to our 
camp to hold a ‘big talk.” In a very short 
time we had ten chiefs seated in a circle with- 
in our tent, when the pipe, the Indian teken 
of peace, was produced: but, doubting per- 
haps the sincerity of our professions, they at 
first refused to smoke. The interpreter, how- 
ever, remarked as an excuse for their conduct, 
that it was not their custom to smoke until 
they had received some presents: but a few 
Mexican cigarritos being produced, most of 
them took a whiff, as if under the impression 
that to smoke cigars was no pledge of friend- 
hi 
ship. 
Lieut. Bowman now desired us to broach 
the subject of peace and amity betwixt the 
Comanches and our people, and to invite 
them to visit the ‘ Capitan Grande’ at Wash- 
ington, and enter into a perpetual treaty to 
that effect; but they would not then converse 
on the subject. In fact, the interpreter in- 
quired, “Are we not at war?—how can we 
go to see the Capitan Grande?” We knew 
they held themselves at war with Mexico and 
Texas, and probably had mistaken us for Tex- 
ans, which had no doubt caused the interpre- 
ter to speak so emphatically of their immense 
numbers. Upon this we explained to them 
that the United States was a distinct govern- 
