Rocky Mountains. 439 



hibition of feats of skill and adroitness. Many of their horses 

 are branded, but this is the case with such only as are taken 

 in their predatory excursions against the Spaniards of New 

 Mexico, or the south-western Indians; the branded horses 

 all come originally from the Spaniards. It does not appear, 

 that the Indians have any method of affixing distinctive marks 

 to their animals. >Each Indian has usually but a very limited 

 number of horses, which are as well known, and as univer- 

 sally acknowledged to be his, as the children or other mem- 

 bers of his family. Some of the finest horses which we ob- 

 served, were ornamented with gaudy trappings, and furni- 

 ture of Spanish manufacture. 



We spent sometime in attempting to explain to the chiefs, 

 the nature and effects of the vaccine disease, and in endea- 

 vouring to persuade them to influence some of their people 

 to submit to inoculation; but in this we were unsuccess- 

 • ful. It is now several years, since the ravages of the 

 small pox have been experienced among them, and it is pro- 

 bable they feel an undue degree of security against its future 

 visitations. We were, however, by no means confident, that 

 they comprehended what we said on the subject of vac- 

 cination, if they did it is not probable their confidence in us 

 was sufficient to induce them to receive it as truth. All we 

 were able to effect, was to persuade the young Spanish in- 

 terpreter, to allow us to make use of his arm, to show the 

 Indians th^.t the proposed operation was by no means a for- 

 midable one. With the same intention, the operation was 

 performed upon Major Long's arm, and that of Mr. H. 

 Dougherty. 



We were not very solicitious to make the experiment 

 among them, our virus, as before remarked, being unfit for 

 use. We were accordingly afraid of impairing their confi- 

 dence in the remedy. 



In the plain about the village, we noticed several little 

 groups of squaws, busily engaged in dressing the skins of 



