468 THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 



Look iu hand, aud we started on a visit to the upper town of the Miuatarees, which 

 is half a mile or more distant, and on the other bank of the Knife River, which wci 

 crossed in the following manner. 



WOMEN FERRYMEN 



The old chief, having learned that we were to cross the river, gave directions to- 

 one of the women of his numerous household, who took upon her head a skin-canoe 

 (more familiarly called in this country a bull-boat), made in the form of a large tub, 

 of a buffalo's skin stretched on a frame of willow boughs, which she carried to the 

 water's edge, and placing it in the water, made signs for us three to get into it. 

 When we were in, aud seated flat on its bottom, with scarce room in any way to ad- 

 just our legs and our feet (as we sat necessarily facing each other), she stepped 

 before the boat, and pulling it along, waded towards the deeper water with her 

 back towards us, carefully with the other hand attending to her dress, which seemed 

 to be but a light slip, and floating upon the surface until the water was above her 

 waist, when it was instantly turned off, over her head, and thrown ashore, and 

 she boldly j)lunged forward, swimming and drawing the boat with one hand, which 

 she did with apparent ease. In this manner we were conveyed to the middle of the 

 stream, where we were soon surrounded by a dozen or more beautiful girls, from 

 twelve to fifteen and eighteen years of age, who were at that time bathing on the 

 oX^posite shore. 



They all swam in a bold and graceful manner, and as confidently as so many otters 

 or beavers ; and gathering around us, with their long black hair floating about on the 

 water, whilst their faces were glowing with jokes and fun, which they were cracking 

 about us, aud which we could not understand. 



In the midst of this delightful little aquatic group, we three sat in our little skin- 

 bound tub (like the " three wise men of Gotham, who went to sea in a bowl," &c.), 

 floating along down the current, losing sight and all thoughts of the shore, which 

 Avas equidistant from us on either side ; whilst we were amusing ourselves with the 

 playfulness of these dear little creatures who were floating about under the clear blue 

 water catching their hands on to the sides of our boat; occasionally raising one-half 

 of their bodies out of the water, and sinking again, like so many mermaids. 



In the midst of this bewildering and tantalizing entertainment^ in which j)oor 

 Ba'tiste and Bogard, as well as myself, were all taking infinite pleasure, and which 

 we supposed was all intended for our special amusement, we found ourselves sud- 

 dcnljr in the delightful dilemma of floating down the current in the middle of the river, 

 and of being turned round and round for the excessive amusement of the villagers, 

 who were laughing at us from the shore, as well as these little tyros, whose delicate 

 hands were besetting our tub on all sides, and for an escape from whom, or for fend- 

 ing off, we had neither an oar, or anything else, that we could wield in self-defense, 

 or for self-preservation. In this awkward predicament, our feelings of excessive ad- 

 miration were immediately changed to those of exceeding vexation, as we now 

 learned that they had peremptorily discharged from her occupation our fair con- 

 ductress, who had undertaken to ferry us safely across the river, and had also very 

 ingeniously laid their plans, of which we had been ignorant until the present mo- 

 ment, to extort from us in this w^ay some little evidence of oui' liberality, which, iu 

 fact, it was impossible to refuse them, after so liberal and bewitching an exhibition 

 on their part, as well as from the imperative obligation which the awkwardness of 

 our situation had laid us under. I had some awls in my pockets, which I presented 

 to them, and also a few strings of beautiful beads, which I placed over their delicate 

 necks as they raised them out of the water by the side of our boat; after which they 

 all joined in conducting our craft to the shore, by swimming by the sides of and be- 

 hind it, pushing it along in the direction where they designed to land it, until the 

 water became so shallow t^hat tiieir feet were upon th^ bottom, when they waded, 



