108 Expedition to the 



these vessels, and the Indians appeared somewhat amused, 

 at the awkwardness of our attempts, in which we spilt more 

 water in our bosoms, than was conveyed into our mouths. 



When filled, these sacks cannot be set upon the ground 

 without suffering the loss of tiieir contents. To remedy this 

 the Kaskaias carry with them, as an indispensable article of 

 furniture, a sort of tripod consisting of three light poles tied 

 together at one end and sharpened at the other," by which 

 they are driven into the ground, and the water-sack is sus- 

 pended between them. One of these was placed near the 

 entrance of almost every lodge in this encampment. 



We had scarcely finished our scanty repast, when the wile 

 of the Red Mouse, showing her trencher to signify that we 

 were her debtors, began to beset us for presents; as we wei-e, 

 however, little pleased with her hospitality, we treated her 

 demands, as she had done ours. A number of small ar- 

 ticles were pilfered from us, and the Indians seemed deter- 

 mined to show us little respect, until they perceived we were 

 putting our guns in order for immediate use; at this they 

 expressed some apprehension, and behaved afterwards with 

 less rudeness. 



They had thirty-two lodges, and were probably about 

 two hundred and fifty in number, including men, women, 

 and children. Among these we could number only twenty- 

 two armed men, and these kept constantly about us. They 

 were armed, exclusively, with bows and arrows, and, as we 

 believed, had some fear of us, though we were less than 

 half their number. It was, probably, owing to our perceiv- 

 ing, or at least appearing to perceive this, that we escaped 

 from them uninjured. They had many horses, probably 

 more than five hundred and some of them very good. 



Towards evening, the chief withdrew from our lodge, 

 when we observed his squaw prepare some food for him, 

 pounding the jerked meat to a powder, with a stone pestle, 

 using a piece of skin instead of a mortar. When reduced 



