Rocky Mountains. 175 



people on their way home. Some of them shake hands with 

 you in a friendly manner, whilst their hands are yet stained 

 with your blood; and if you examine your own hands, my 

 father, I think you would find some of it adhering to them 

 yet. For my part, my father, I am proud to boast, that my 

 hands are clean. Never has one of my nation stained 

 his hands with the blood of a white man. I do not under- 

 stand, my father, your mode of treating those well, who treat 

 you ill. It is true I know that you have more sense than I 

 have, but I cannot understand it. I have heard that the 

 Pawnees have been to see you, a nation that has killed, rob- 

 bed, and insulted your people. I was also informed that you 

 feasted them, and at their departure you put weapons in 

 their hands. I should not be surprised to hear, that those very 

 weapons were stained with white man's blood, before they 

 reached the Pawnee village. This is what I cannot under- 

 stand. This circumstance led me to believe, that if you treat- 

 ed those, that have injured you, so well, you surely would 

 treat your poor children the Omawhaws, who have never done 

 harm to your people, with much kindness also. But I am 

 afraid the transaction will have a bad effect on my young 

 men. When they heard of American troops ascending this 

 river, they feared and respected them. But I am fearful 

 that this transaction will throw them off their guard, make 

 them lose their respect for you, and cause them to do some- 

 thing, that they would not otherwise have done, and thus 

 create trouble and difference between us. You said, my 

 father, that those troops do not come to harm us. I believe 

 it is true. I consider them all my brothers and friends. So 

 far from thinking they come to injure me, I regard them as 

 my shield, to guard me against bad nations around me. 

 You say, that if ever there is a difference between us, that it 

 will be our fault ; but I hope not, my father. I cannot think 

 that the Omawhaws will offer any indignity to your people, 

 now that they have seen all those troops, when they have not 



