North-West Co?iUnent of America* 



181 



served several men in the second steep, who displayed the 

 same postures and menacing actions as those which we 

 have so lately described. Our conductors went to them 

 immediately on an embassy of friendship, and, after a very 

 vociferous discourse, one of them was persuaded to come 

 to us, but .presented a very ferocious aspect : the rest, who, 

 were seven in number, soon followed his example. They 

 held their bows and arrows in their hands, and appeared in 

 their garments, which were fastened round the neck, but 

 left the right arm free for action. A cord fastened a 

 blanket, or leather covering under the right arm-pit, so 

 that it hung upon the left shoulder, and might be occasi on- 

 ally employed as a target, that would turn an arrow which 

 was nearly spent. As soon as they had recovered from 

 their apprehensions, ten women made their appearance, 

 but without any children, whom, I imagine, they had sent 

 to a greater distance, to be out of the reach of all possible 

 danger. I distributed a few presents among them, and 

 left my guides to explain to them the object of my journey, 

 and the friendliness of my designs, with which they had 

 themselves been made acquainted ; their fears being at 

 length removed, I gave them a specimen of the use to 

 which we applied our fire-arms : at the same time, I calm- 

 ed their astonishment, by the assurance, that, though we 

 could at once destroy those who did us injury, we could 

 equally protect those who showed us kindness. Our stay 

 here did not exceed half an hour, and we left these people 

 with favourable impressions of us. 



From this place we steered East by North half a raile* 

 South by East three quarters of a mile, and South by West 

 a mile and an half, when we landed again on seeing some 

 of the natives on the high ground, whose appearance was 

 more wild and ferocious than any whom we had yet seen. 

 Indeed I was under some apprehension that our guides, 

 who went to conciliate them to us, would have fallen a 

 prey to their savage fury. At length, however, they were 

 persuaded to entertain a more favourable opinion of us, and 

 they approached us one after another, to the number of 

 sixteen men, and several women, I shook hands with 

 them all, and desired my interpreters to explain that salu- 

 tation as a token of friendship. As this was not a place 

 where we could remain with the necessary convenience, 

 I proposed to proceed further, in search of a more com- 

 modious spot. They immediately invited us to pass the 



