320 Expedition to the 



were sitting on the river bank at the establishment of the 

 Missouri fur company, quietly smoking their pipes, and ap- 

 parently much interested in the movements before them. 

 One of them was accosted by a soldier who had left his cor- 

 dclle for the purpose, with an offer to purchase the pipe he 

 was then using; but the Indian would not part with it, say- 

 ing, he had no other to bear him company in his hunting ex- 

 cursions. The soldier requested permission to examine it, 

 but as soon as the Indian put the pipe into his hands, he 

 twisted the bowl from the handle and ran off with it. The 

 Indian in company with one of the traders, immediately 

 pursued the thief to his boat, and demanded the pipe; but 

 obtaining no satisfaction, he came to Engineer Cantonment, 

 and stated the circumstance to Major O'Fallon, who assured 

 him that his influence should not be wanting to procure the 

 pipe again, and to have the offender punished by a very se- 

 vere whipping. The Indian, however, with more mercy than 

 justice, replied that he would extremely regret the infliction 

 of any punishment whatever upon the soldier, and he desir- 

 ed it might not be done; all he wished for was the recovery 

 of his property. 



The Omawhaws consider themselves superior, in the scale 

 of beings, to all other animals, and appear to regard them 

 as having been formed for their benefit- They will sometimes 

 say, when speaking of a bad person, " he is no better than a 

 brute." It is true that a magician tells his auditors that " a 

 grizzly bear whispered in my ear, and gave me this medi- 

 cine ;" but his meaning is that the Wahconda, in the shape 

 of that animal, had communicated with him. 



Neither do they seem to suppose that the inferior animals 

 accompany them to the other world, though they expect to 

 pursue their occupation of hunting there. 



In their opinion, the Wahconda has been more profuse in 

 his distribution of gifts to the white people, than to the red- 

 skins, particularly in imparting to us the knowledge of let- 



