^76 Expedition to the 



arrival, and of our wish to see the principal men, four chiefs 

 presented themselves at our camp this morning at an early 

 hour, as representatives of the several bands, of the same 

 number of different nations here associated together, and 

 consisting of Kiawas, Kaskaias, or Bad-hearts, Shiennes 

 (sometimes written Chayenne,) and Arrapahoes; several dis- 

 tinguished men accompanied them. Wc had made some 

 little preparation for their reception by spreading skins for 

 them to sit on, hoisting our flag, and selecting a few pre- 

 sents from our scanty stoves. They arranged themselves 

 with due solemnity, and the pipe being passed around, many 

 of them seemed to enjoy it as the greatest rarity, eyeing it as 

 it passed from mouth to mouth, and inhaling its fragrant 

 smoke into their lungs with a pleasure which they could not 

 conceal. One individual, of a tall, emaciated frame, whose 

 visage was furrowed with deep wrinkles, evidently rather 

 the effect of disease than of age, after filling his lungs and 

 mouth top full of smoke, placed his hands firmly upon his 

 face and inflated cheeks as in an ecstasy, and unwilling to 

 part with what yielded the utmost pleasure, he retained 

 his breath until suffocation compelled him to drive out the 

 smoke and inhale fresh air, which he effected so suddenly, 

 and with so much earnestness and singular contortion of 

 countenance, that we restrained ourselves with some effort 

 ffom committing the indecorum of a broad laugh. We had 

 the good fortune to find one of them who could speak the 

 Pawnee language tolerably well; he had acquired it in his 

 early youth, whilst rtsiding in a state of captivity in that 

 nation, so that by means of our interpreters we experienced 

 no difficulty in acquainting them, that we belonged to the 

 numerous and powerful nation of Americans,* that we had 

 been sent by our great chief, who presides over all that 

 country, to examine that part of his territories, that he might 



* In contradistiucLion from l^pauiards, near whose frontier these Indians 

 rove. 



