112 NOTES TAKEN. 
Soon after, the whole gang gathered round, and then such a 
chattering among the squaws, like so many monkeys, running 
round and handling every thing and begging for every thing 
they saw. 
A son of the old Chief made his appearance last, in full 
court costume, and a most laughable sight he was. 
He had on a pair of moccasins, leggings made out of an old 
pair of soldier’s pantaloons; a blue breech cloth, and an old 
greasy, summer sack coat, over which he wore an old 
fashioned full uniformed infantry coat minus one tail, the 
other, as Ak-a-quash told us, having been cut off by one of 
his comrades to get at his bottle of whiskey, whilst he lay 
drunk and asleep at Fort Belknap. His face was painted 
half a dozen colours, his ears loaded down with large brass 
rings, and with a shock head of hair, to one of the side locks 
of which was attached an old red worsted comforter, he pre- 
sented the most ludicrous figure imaginable, more particularly 
as he seemed so well pleased with himself, and strutted about 
like a young turkey cock. 
Among his other accomplishments he had learned to swear, 
and kept repeating two oaths constantly in all he had to say. 
How strange the perversion, that man, whether civilized or 
savage, is so apt to copy vice, so slow to imitate virtue !- 
To attempt to teach the savage to read, to write, to sow,'to 
reap, is a thankless undertaking ; to learn him to smoke, to 
drink, to swear, can be effected in the shortest time, and by 
any tyro in vicious indulgence, 
