Rocky Mountains. 235 



the enemy, but the squaw was soon overtaken, struck to the 

 ground, and subjected to the terrible operation of scalping. 

 The husband, although at this time beyond the reach of the 

 balls and arrows of the Sioux, seeing his squaw in their 

 hands, immediately turned upon them, and drawing his knife, 

 the only weapon he had, furiously rushed amongst them, in 

 order to revenge the death of his squaw, even with the ine- 

 vitable sacrifice of his own life; but he was almost immedi- 

 ately dispatched, without having accomplished his heroic 

 purpose. 



In the young squaw, the catamenia, and consequent capa- 

 bility for child-bearing, we were informed, takes place about 

 the twelfth or thirteenth year, and the capacity to bear chil- 

 dren seems to cease, about the fortieth year ; but as supersti- 

 tious notions prevent these Indians from taking any note of 

 their ages, these periods are stated with some hesitation. 



When the married squaw, perceives that the catamenia 

 does not recur at the expected period, she attaches a small 

 leathern string to her girdle, and ties a knot in it, to note the 

 incipient state of pregnancy, and another knot is added, at 

 the termination of each successive moon, as a register of its 

 progress. 



When the squaw perceives the approach of this depura- 

 ting process, she retires from her family, and erects a little 

 shelter of bark or grass, supported by sticks properly ar- 

 ranged, where she makes a fire, and cooks her victuals 

 alone. She is thus compelled by custom, to absent herself 

 until the expiration of four days, when she returns to her 

 lodge. During this time she must not approach, or touch 

 a horse, as the Indians believe that such contamination would 

 impoverish that animal. They sometimes retire, and build 

 their little shelter under a false pretext, when the real ob- 

 ject is to favour the approach of some esteemed lover, to 

 whom the vigilance of the husband has denied any other 

 means of obtaining a stolen interview. 



