48 CAIRN-BURIAL. 



from whence he could see, as he said, ' the Frenchmen passing up and down 

 the river in their boats.' He owned, amongst man}' horses, a noble white 

 steed, that was led to the top of the grass-covered hill, and with great pomp 

 and ceremony, in the presence of the whole nation and several of the fur- 

 traders and the Indian agent, he was placed astride of his horse's back, 

 with his bow in his hand, and his shield and quiver slung, with his pipe and 

 his medicine bag, with his supply of dried meat, and his tobacco-pouch 

 replenished to last him through the journey to the beautiful hunting grounds 

 of the shades of his fathers, with his flint and steel and his tinder to light 

 his pipes by the way ; the scalps he had taken from his enemies' heads could 

 be trophies for nobody else, and were hung to the bridle of his horse. He 

 was in full dress, and fully equipped, and on his head waved to the last 

 moment his beautiful head-dress of the war-eagles' plumes. In this plight, 

 and the last funeral honors having been performed by the medicine-men, 

 every wan-ior of his band painted the palm and fingers of his right hand 

 with vermilion, which was stamped and perfectly impressed on the milk- 

 white sides of his devoted horse. This all done, turfs were brought and 

 placed around the feet and legs of the horse, and gradually laid up to its 

 sides, and at last over the back and head of the unsuspecting animal, and 

 last of all over the head and even the eagle plumes of its valiant rider, 

 where all together have smouldered and remained undisturbed to the pres- 

 ent day." 



CAIRN-BURIAL. 



The next mode of interment to be considered is that of cairn or rock 

 burial, which has prevailed and is still common to a considerable extent 

 among the tribes living in the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevadas. 



In the summer of 1872 the writer visited one of these rock cemeteries in 

 middle Utah, which had been used for ^ period not exceeding fifteen or 

 twenty years. It was situated at the bottom of a rock slide, upon the side 

 of an almost inaccessible mountain, in a position so carefully chosen for 

 concealment that it would have been almost impossible to find it without a 

 guide. Several of the graves were opened and found to have been con- 

 structed in the following manner : A number of bowlders had been removed 

 from the bed of the slide until a sufficient cavity had been obtained ; this 

 was lined with skins, the corpse placed therein, with weapons, ornaments, 



