106 
HORSE-HEAD CROSSING 
and frontier men in detecting “signs” on the prairie, 
when and by whom made, the strength of the parties, 
their direction, etc., whether Indians, Mexicans, or 
Americans. So with the places where there have 
been encampments. These the wary traveller on the 
prairie inspects with care, to see whether friend or 
enemy has preceded him. If Indians, he will find 
poles from their wigwams, fragments of skins, scraps 
of leather ties, beads, etc. ; and a little experience 
will enable him to distinguish the tribe, whether 
Comanches, Lipans, or Apaches. The principal cha- 
racteristic, I believe, is the form of their wigwams. 
One sets up erect poles, another bends them over in 
a circular form, and the third gives them a low oval 
shape. There is also a difference in their moccasins, 
and the foot-prints they make. I know not the precise 
form of the Comanche and Lipan moccasins; but 
the Apaches assured me they could tell the foot- 
prints of the Comanches, the Mescaleros, the Yutas, 
the Coyoteros, or the Navahoes, and pointed out the 
distinctive marks of several. Different tribes of 
Indians have their peculiar fashions as well as civi- 
lized races, which are chiefly shown in their modes of 
dressing their hair and their coverings for the feet.^ 
American emigrants or travellers leave many marks to 
indicate their nationality and character, such as scraps 
of newspapers, bits of segars, fragments of hard bread, 
pieces of hempen rope, and other things. Mexicans 
would not be likely to have either of the articles 
named, but would be detected by the remains of 
cigarritos (small paper segars), pieces of raw hide, 
which they use instead of rope, etc. Or if they left 
