188 Expedition to the 



Tobacco being very scarce, they do not carry vvitli them 

 a pouch, for the convenience of having it always at hand, an 

 article of dress invariably attendant on the Missouri Indian. 

 Bijeau informed us that the smoking of tobacco was regard- 

 ed as a pleasure so sacred and important, that the females 

 were accustomed to depart from the interior of a lodge when 

 the men indulged themselves with the pipe. The Shienne 

 chief, in consequence of a vow he had made against using the 

 pipe, abstained from smoking while at our council, until he 

 had the good fortune to find a small piece of paper which 

 some one of our party had rejected; with this he rolled up 

 a small quantity of tobacco fragments into the form of a se- 

 gar, after the manner of the Spaniards, and thus contented 

 himself with infringing the spirit of his vow, whilst he obey- 

 ed it to the letter. 



The rain having ceased, our guest and his attendants took 

 their leave. 



These Indians might readilv be induced to hunt the bea- 

 ver, which are so extremely abundant in their country, but as 

 yet, these peltries seem not to have entered amongst the 

 items of their trade. 



In the afternoon we struck our tents, and continued our 

 journey; we were soon overtaken by a thunder storm, v. hich 

 poured down upon us a deluge of rain, and continued, 

 with partial intermissions, during the night. 



For the elucidation of what we have said respecting the 

 form and arrangement of the skin, or travelling lodges of the 

 Indians, we subjoin an engraving, representmg an encamp- 

 ment of Oto Indians, which Mr. Seymour sketched near the 

 Platte river. In this plate, the group of Indians on the left 

 is intended to represent a party of Konza Indians approach- 

 ing to perform the calumet dance in the Oto village. It may 

 be proper to remark., that this party when still distant from 

 the Otoes, had sent forward a messenger, with the offer of a 

 prize to the first Oto that should meet them. This circum- 



