Expedition, £s?c. itfl 



A Pawnee prisoner, an interesting young man, was brought 

 to them, who said he was desirous to accompany them to his 

 nation, but at the same time, was afraid his people would not 

 recognize him, and would kill him for a Kouza. He was 

 promised protection, but at the same time it was remarked 

 to him, that if he should attempt to steal the horses of the 

 party on the way, they would certainly pursue him and take 

 his scalp. 



On the 24th, says Mr. Say, having been detained until after- 

 noon in searching for our horses, we departed, accompanied 

 by several Indians, who intended to pass the night with us, 

 and to return to the village the following morning. 



Our path led along the margin of Blue Earth creek, a 

 stream of the width of twenty- five yards, and greatest 

 depth of three feet, which discharges into the river a 

 mile or two above the Konza village. The soil supports but 

 a thin growth of grass, and the timber is far from abundant, 

 consisting principally of different sorts of oak, confined to the 

 margin of the creek, its ravines and tributaries. One of our 

 Indian followers, who, although a chief of the extinct Mis- 

 souri nation, has yet much influence with the Konzas, wish- 

 ed to exchange a horse he had with him, for one of ours, 

 which was evidently a less valuable animal. The reason he 

 assigned, in explanation of his desire, of such an apparently 

 disadvantageous exchange was, that his horse had been pre- 

 sented to him by a person, who, he feared, intended to re- 

 claim him, but that if he should exchange him for another 

 horse, he would be secure in the possession of the individual 

 so obtained, as an Indian will not reclaim a present which is 

 not identically the same he had given. At the distance of 

 seven miles from the village, our party encamped by the side 

 of the creek, in a narrow but beautiful, and level prairie bot- 

 tom, which was bounded by an abrupt, though verdant, range 

 of bluffs. 



