Ex. Doc, No. .41. 431 



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dressed so as to form a stiff leatLer resembling saddler's leather 

 and IS used for pack saddles, harness, and so forth. ' 



I purchased some moccasins to-day, they were made of buffalo 

 skm, dressed without the hair, and had the fronts ornamented with 

 a figure worked in beads, intended to imitate a squaw. Thev havp 

 only one seam, that is on the oute*r side of the foot, the skin bein^ 

 doubled over; the inside line is perfectly straight! These pecu? 

 lianties mark the Cheyenne moccasin. ^ 



I got one pair made of antelope skin that have fringes attached 

 to the heel one foot ten inches longj these cannot be worn conve 

 mentiy except by horsemen. In muddy weather the Indians braid 

 all their fringes to prevent them from being soiled. They sav that 

 these fringes secure their legs from being bitten by the rattle 



In the evening, I procured a specimen of the little plovef an^ 

 set to work to transfer it to my sketch book, when old <'Nah en 

 mense'' came in bringing me a couple of buffalo tongues. I asked 

 him why he had not been to see me before; he, in reply, crooked 

 his forefingers slightly, putting them by the side of his' h ad, to 

 signify buffalo, then dropping his hands a little, with the backs un 

 commenced moving them downwards, as if passing them over a 

 globe; after which, he brought his hands up in ffont with the 

 fingers carefully kept distinct, to signify many, then joining the 

 trps of his fingers and thumbs, moved them back and forth towards 

 WT f ' fi° "'^""'^^^ f 'l"^'^^ concluded his gestures by stretch' 

 n^L /vr'^'tf ' and thumbs apart, as if to span somefhing he 

 placed his hand near his stomach, and moved it up alon^ his bod v 

 Jintil the muscle, connecting the .thumb and forefinger,^e ted ii 

 his mouth, to signify that he was full up to the mouth. \]] nt 



which meant that he had a heap of buffalo meat, and that he had 

 been eating until he was full up to the mouth The voint r!^! 



?he\"i'^r^' If.'"" ^I'V"' ^P°^^^ '' - successful foraranfo'.Tt 

 the buffalo. Although the first time since January that thev havP 

 had abundanrp- nnr frJpn,!* h^A «^f r ...^ . ^ "'^^ }^^y ^ave 



i« -"---"—? -'" liicuu* u«iu noi lorgotten to gorge themselves 

 m accordance with the custom of Indian festivitiel ^^^"^selves 



.SV ^^^.^^^S^y^ days, they had been feasting from morning 



^ntil night, and from night until morning, during which timpf 



tave not seen an Indian near the fort. ^ -^ ^ 



This evening a party of teamsters arrived; they seemed \n h. 



very insubordinate, and refused to go on to Santa Fe alThn„.r^ ^ 



roops there must be greatly in w^t of proviLn''. ' T^e/ sa '/ 



we engaged to go to Eent's fort, and we will go no furthpr '' 



The cattle and wagons belong to the government %nrlthl-i' 



pendent characters^ had so wofully ne|lected hi L^^h" '"^'' 



greatly needed rest, and the wagons repairs ^' ^'' '^' °^^" 



tKp r ^'- ^^P^^"^^^^ 8-— I spent this morning employed in takincr 



wterbTus'eT? •" '^'^ ''''''''''' '' ^^^*^ --P^-^- ^heymay 

 buiU In fW ^""^ '"^ S'^'°S *^°^ ^^ i^ea of the forts that can be 



fi^e and tbp 'T\'^- ^^' ""^ ^'^^ ^^^^^ ^^ "-^^^ cannot.be se° o« 

 h^e, and the thickness of the walls renders them impenetrable To 



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