Rocky Mountains. 183 



ing people, are very similar to those of the Missouri tribes, 

 but in those to which he was introduced, he experienced the 

 oppression of an almost suffocating heat, certainly many de- 

 gress above the temperature of the very sultry exterior at- 

 mosphere. A very portly old man, whose features were dis- 

 tinguished by a remarkably wide mouth and lengthened chin, 

 invited him to a small ragged lodge, to see the riches it con- 

 tained. These consisted of habiliments of red and blue cloth, 

 profusely garnished with blue and white beads, the product 

 of the industry and ingenuity of his squaw, from materials 

 obtained last winter from some white traders, who made 

 their appearance on Red river. The present members of this 

 family, were the old man, one wife and four children, the 

 latter as usual in a state of nudity. The baggage was piled 

 around the lodge, serving for seats and beds, and a pile of 

 jerked meat near the door, served also for a seat, and was 

 occasionally visited by the dirty feet of the children. A boy 

 was amusing himself with that primitive weapon, the sling, 

 of an ordinary form, which he used with considerable dex- 

 terity, the effect of which he appeared disposed to try upon 

 the stranger, and was not readily turned from his purpose, 

 by a harsh rebuke and menacing gesture. 



He was informed that the party of traders, who had last 

 winter ascended Red river to their country, were Tabbyboos^ 

 a. name which they also applied to us, and which appears 

 to be the same word which, according to Lewis and Clark, 

 in the language of the Snake Indians, means white men, but 

 it was here applied particularly to the Americans. These 

 traders offered various articles, such as coarse cloths, beads, 

 Vermillion, kettles, knives, guns, powder, lead, &c.; in ex- 

 change for horses and mules, bison robes, and parchment or 

 parjleche. Such was the anxiety to obtain the merchandise 

 thus displayed before them, that those enterprising warriors, 

 whose stock of horses uas but small, crossed the mountains 

 into Mexico, and returned with a plentiful supply of those 



