38 



STONE INDIANS. 



particularly noticed one of their children, the 

 boy's father was so affected with the attention, 

 that with tears he exclaimed, " See ! the God 

 takes notice of my child." Many of these In- 

 dians were strong, athletic men, and generally 

 well-proportioned ; their countenances were 

 pleasing, with aquiline noses, and beautifully 

 white and regular teeth. The buffaloe supplies 

 them with food, and also with clothing. The 

 skin was the principal, and almost the only 

 article of dress they wore, and was wrapped 

 round them, or worn tastefully over the shoul- 

 der like the Highland plaid. The leggins of 

 some of them were fringed with human hair, 

 taken from the scalps of their enemies ; and 

 their mocasins, or shoes, were neatly orna- 

 mented with porcupine quills. They are noto- 

 rious horse-stealers, and often make predatory 

 excursions to the Mandan villages on the banks 

 of the Missouri, to steal them. They sometimes 

 visit the Red River for this purpose, and have 

 swept off, at times, nearly the whole of our 

 horses from the settlement. Such indeed is 

 their propensity for this species of theft, that 

 they have fired upon, and killed the Company's 

 servants, close to the forts for these useful 

 animals. They run the buffaloe with them in 

 the summer, and fasten them to sledges which 



