182 Expedition to the 



cies of garment, in their estimation equally sumptuous %yith 

 the blanket, is the cloth robe, which is of ample dimensions, 

 simple in form, one half red and the other blue, thrown 

 loosely about the person, and at a little distance, excepting 

 the singular arrangement of colours, resembling a Spanish 

 cloak. 



Some have, suspended from the slits of their e?rs, the 

 highly prized nacre, or perlaceous fiagments of a marine 

 shell, brought probably from the northwest coast. 



The Shienne chief revisited us in the afternoon. He in- 

 formed us that one of his young men, who had been sent to 

 ascertain the route which the bison herds had taken, and 

 their present locality, had observed the trail of a large party 

 of men, whom, by pursuing the direction, he had discovered 

 to be Spaniards on their way towards the position we then 

 occupied, where they must very soon arrive. As we were 

 now in a region, claimed by the Mexican Spaniards as ex- 

 clusively their own, and as we had for some days anticipated 

 such an event as highly probable, we involuntarily reposed 

 implicit confidence, in the truth of the intelligence communi- 

 cated by the chief, who regarded that people as our natural 

 enemies. Nevertheless, his story was heard by our little 

 band, as it was proper that it should have been in our situa- 

 tion, and in the presence of Indians, with the appearance of 

 absolute apathy. The chief seemed not to have accomplish- 

 ed some object he had in view, and departed evidently dis- 

 pleased. When he was out of hearing, the Indian interpreter 

 who had become our friend, told us that the story was en- 

 tirely false, and was without a doubt the invention of the 

 chief, and designed to expedite the trade for a few addition- 

 al horses, that we were then negociating. 



Mr. Say, accompanied by an interpreter, who made a short 

 visit to the small group of lodges near us, was kindly receiv- 

 ed, though hooted at by the children, and of course snarled and 

 snapped at by the dogs. The skin lodges of these wander- 



