336 Capt. Blakiston’s Explorations in the Rocky Mountains. 
There are some considerable tracts of the Tobacco Plains which 
are prairie; the grass however, does not grow close and thick, 
but in small bunches with bare ground between, and the pasture 
is nothing to be compared to that at the base of the mountains 
on the east side. This is perhaps chiefly owing to the nature of 
the soil, which in the latter case, is a black mould, while on the 
Tobacco Plains it is sandy, and in most parts stony; at this sea- 
son the grass was quite dried up and yellow. . 
As tot ootanie Indians, their language at once strikes one 
as being most guttural and unpronounceable by a European, 
every word appearing to be brought up with difficulty from their 
lowest extremities. 
hey are nearly all baptized Roman Catholics, and are most 
particular in their attendance at morning and evening prayers, 
to which they are summoned by asmall hand-bell. They always 
pray before eating. On the Sunday that I spent with them, their 
service, in which is a good deal of singing, lasted a considerable 
time; one of their number preached, and seemed to be well at- 
n to. 
Their food at this season appears to be almost entirely berries, 
S ” 
