GEN. ZEBULON PIKE, EXPLORER 
boats. Our party consisted of two lieu- 
tenants, one surgeon, one sergeant, two 
corporals, sixteen privates and one inter- 
preter. We had also under our charge chiefs 
of the Osage and Pawnee, who with a 
number of women and children had been to 
Washington. These Indians had been re- 
deemed from captivity among the Poto- 
watomies, and were now to be returned to 
their friends at the 
Osage towns. The 
whole number of 
Indians amounted 
to fifty-one.” 
Of the twenty 
soldiers in the party 
fifteen had been 
with Pike on his 
Mississippi voyage. 
A few days after 
they started one 
private deserted. 
Later, October 28, 
Lieut. Wilkinson 
with five soldiers 
left the party to 
descend the Arkan- 
sas (or Arkansaw, 
as Pike spelled it). 
With the fifteen re- 
maining men Pike 
started up the river, 
traveling by land 
south of the stream. 
Onepartof Pike’s 
mission was to make treaties of peace with 
the various Indian nations. He encoun- 
tered several large bands of Pawnee, and 
it is surprising that there was no _ blood- 
shed. One day he met an unsuccessful war 
party on their return home. He put ona 
bold front, but was obliged sorely against 
his will to submit to their insolence. His 
narration of the affair shows the danger the 
whites were in: 
““Made for the woods and unloaded our 
horses, when the two partisans endeavored 
to arrange the party; it was with great diff- 
culty that they got them tranquil, and not 
until there had been a bow or two bent on 
the occasion. When in some order we found 
them to be sixty warriors, half armed with 
firearms and half with bows, arrows and 
lances. Our party was sixteen total. In a 

GEN. ZEBULON PIKE 
From a Painting in Independence Hall, Philadelphia 
Iil 
short time they were arranged in aring and 
I took my seat between the two partisans; 
our colors were placed opposite each other; 
the utensils for smoking were paraded on a 
small seat before us; thus far all was well. 
I then ordered half a carrot of tobacco, one 
dozen knives, sixty fire steels and sixty flints 
to be presented them. They demanded 
ammunition, corn, blankets, kettles, etc., 
all of which they 
were refused, not- 
withstanding the 
pressing instances 
of my interpreter to 
accord to some of 
their points. The 
pipes yet lay un- 
moved, as if they 
were undetermined 
whether to treat us 
as friends or en- 
emies, but after 
some time we were 
presented with a 
kettle of water, 
drank, smoked and 
ate together. Dur- 
ing this time Dr. 
Robinson was 
standing up to ob- 
serve their actions, 
in order that we 
might be ready to 
commence hostili- 
ties as soon as they. 
They now took their presents and com- 
menced distributing them, but some mal- 
contents threw them away, by way of con- 
tempt. 
“We began to load our horses, when they 
encircled us and commenced stealing every- 
thing they could. Finding it was difficult to 
preserve my pistols I mounted my horse, 
when I found myself frequently surrounded, 
during which some were endeavoring to 
steal the pistols. The doctor was equally 
engaged in another quarter and all the 
soldiers in their positions in taking things 
from them. One having stolen my toma- 
hawk I informed the chief, but he paid no 
respect, except to reply that ‘they were 
pitiful.’ Finding this, I determined to pro- 
tect ourselves as far as was in my power, 
and the affair began to take a serious aspect. 
