Rocky Mountains. 61 



the Bald-heads, and a few Shoshones, or Snakes. These na- 

 tions, the Kaskaia informed us, had been for some time em- 

 bodied, and had been engaged on a warlike expedition against 

 the Spaniards on Red river, where a battle was fought, in 

 which the Spaniards were defeated with considerable loss. 



We now understood the reason of a fact which had appear- 

 ed a little remarkable; namely, that we should have traversed 

 so great an extent of Indian country, as we have done since 

 leaving the Pawnees, without meeting a single savage. The 

 bands above enumerated, are supposed to comprise nearly 

 the whole erratic population of the country about the sources 

 of the Platte and Arkansa, and they had all been absent from 

 their usual haunts, on a predatory excursion against the 

 Indians of New Mexico. 



At our request, the Kaskaia and his squaw returned with 

 us several miles, to point out a place suitable for fording the 

 Arkansa, and to give us any other information or assistance 

 in their power to communicate. Being made to understand 

 it was the design of some of the party to visit the sources 

 of Red river, he pretended to give us information and advice 

 upon that subject; also to direct us to a place where we 

 might find a mass of rock-salt, which he described as exist- 

 ing on one of the upper branches of Red river. 



At ten o'clock we arrived at the ford, where we halted to 

 make a distribution of the baggage and other preparations 

 requisite to the proposed division of the party which was 

 here to take place. Our Kaskaia visitor, with his handsome 

 and highly ornamented wife encamped near us, having erect- 

 ed a little tent covered with skins. They presented us some 

 jerked bison meat, and received in return a little tobacco and 

 other inconsiderable articles. A small looking-glass, which 

 was among the presents given him, he immediately stripped 

 of the frame and covering, and inserted it with some inge- 

 nuity into a large billet of wood, on which hf^ began to 

 carve the figure of an alligator. Capt. Bell bought of him 



