EACn TEIBE LEAVES ITS MAEK ON THE DEAD. 63 



I ^ 



his legs, from tlic liip to the knee, lay opcii with horrible 

 gashes, and from the knee to the foot they had cut the flesh 

 with their knives. Thus mutilated, Wylyams lay beside the 

 mangled horse. In all, there were seven killed and five 

 wounded. 



As I have said, almost all the different tribes on the plains 

 had united their forces against us, and each of these tribes 



w 



has a different sign by which it is known. 



The sign of the Cheijenne^ or *^^Cut arm,'' is made in peace 

 by drawing the hand across the arm, to imitate cutting it 

 with a knife ; that of the Arapahoe^ or ^^ Smeller tribe," by 

 seizing the nose with the thumb and fore-finger; of the Sioux ^ 

 or *^Cut-tln*oat," by drawing the hand across the thi'oat. The 

 Comanche J or " Snake Indian," waves his hand and arm, in 

 imitation of the crawling of a snake ; the Ci^otv imitates with 

 his hands the flapping of wings; the Pmvnee^ or '^WoLf 

 Indian," places two fingers erect on each side of his head, to 

 represent pointed ears; the Blaclcfoot touches tl^e heel, and 

 then the toe, of the right foot ; and the Kmua^s most usual 

 sign is to imitate the act of"di-inking. 



If we now tm-n to the body of poor Sergeant Wylyams, 

 we shall have no difficulty in recognising some meaning in 

 the wounds. The muscles of the right arm, hacked to the 

 bone, speak of the Cheyennes, or *^ Cut arms ;" the nose slit 

 denotes the *^^ Smeller tribe," or Arapahoes; and the throat 

 cut bears witness that the Sioux were also j)rcsent. There 

 were, therefore, amongst the warriors Cheyennes, Arapahoes, 

 and Sioux. It was not till some time afterwards that I knew 

 positively what these signs meant, and I have not yet dis- 

 covered what tribe was indicated by the incisions down the 

 thighs, and the laceration of the calves of the legs, in oblique 

 parallel gashes. The arrows also varied in make and colour, 





