174 



at the falls of Saint Anthony, or from traders $ 

 and also for horses, mules, dried meat, and other 

 articles. Their principal customers are the Sioux, 

 the Che'm Indians, Watapahatoes, Gens-dis-vatch, 

 Kites, and Dotame, the most of whom, except the 

 Sioux, reside on the river Chein. This nation 

 was once very numerous, and consisted of ten 

 tribes of the Pants, who reside on the river La 

 Plate, and whose tongue they speak in somewhat 

 of different accent. They have now not much 

 over five hundred warriors ; having been reduced 

 from live thousand warriors, to their present 

 number, in less than thirty years, by the small 

 pox and attacks of their enemies ; particularly by 

 the Sioux, who have got them so far under sub- 

 jection, that they dare not offend them, and are 

 frequently robbed, plundered, and even murdered, 

 without daring to resent it. This information 

 was given me by an old chief of the lower vil- 

 lages. 



Above the Sioux river, and between that and 

 the River Sacque, is a small hill, destitute of 

 timber, which the natives say is inhabited by 

 spirits, in shape of human beings, of a very 

 diminutive size, not being, according to their de- 

 scription, more than six or eight inches high. 

 Respecting these bodily spirits they have a num- 

 ber of ridiculous fancies. An old chief told me, 

 with great gravity, that the occasion of their com- 

 ing and living on this hill, was, because the In- 

 dians, a great many winters ago, were so wicked 



