Rocky Mountains. 179 



craunched the oily vermin between her teeth, and conversed 

 wiih the most rapid and pleasant loquacity as she picked 

 them up from the skin before her. 



Our attention was now arrested by a phenomenon, which 

 soon relieved us from the crowd that pressed upon us. A 

 heavy and extensive cloud of dust was observed in the north 

 obscuring the horizon, and bounding the range of vision in 

 that direction; it moved rapidly towards us. An animated 

 scene ensued. The Indians forded the river with as much 

 rapidity of movement as they could exert towards their en- 

 campment, horse and foot, the water foaming before them. 

 It soon became obvious that the dust ascended into the 

 atmosphere under the influence of a violent current of air; 

 we, therefore employed a few moments of interval, in strength- 

 ening our feeble tenements, to resist the influence of the ap- 

 proaching tempest. They were so nearly filled with our red 

 brethren, that it was with no little difficulty we wedged 

 ourselves into shelter. It soon became necessary to ex- 

 ert our strength in holding down our tents, and supporting 

 the poles, which bowed and shook violently under the 

 pressure of the blast; thunder, lightning, rain, and hail suc- 

 ceeded. During this play of the elements our guests sat in 

 stillness, scarcely articulating a word during the prevalence 

 of the electrical explosions. 



Our tents were much admired, and previously to the fall 

 of rain, which exposed their imperfection, in admitting the 

 water modified into the form of a mist, one of the natives 

 offered to exchange an excellent mule for that in which he 

 was sitting. And, as the commonalty could not distinguish 

 us in their minds from traders, another off"ered two mules, 

 valued equal to four horses, for a double barrelled gun; 

 and a third would willingly have bartered a very good horse 

 for an old and almost worn out camp kettle, which we could 

 by no means part with, though much in want of horses. 



These Indians differ, in many particulars, from those of 



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