320 
INCIDENTS AT THE 
a frock coat lined with scarlet and ornamented with 
gilt buttons. His pantaloons, at his request, were 
open from the knee downwards, after the fashion of 
the Mexicans, with a row of small fancy buttons on 
one side, and a broad strip of scarlet cloth on the 
outer side from the hip downwards. A white shirt 
and red silk sash completed his dress. While the 
tailor had it in hand, he visited him daily to watch its 
progress, and a child might have envied him his de- 
light, But in putting them on, his Indian character 
was most strikingly displayed. He insisted on wear- 
ing his shirt outside of his pantaloons; and all my 
efforts to induce him to reverse the arrangement were 
without effect. The reluctance of all Indians to con- 
form to our customs with regard to dress is well 
known ; and it is only after many years of constant 
intercourse that the men will wear their shirts as we 
do. The women adhere with equal tenacity to some 
of their customs. They prefer the leggin and blanket 
to any other dress ; and even after they have become 
completely domiciliated among us, as is the case with 
the Iroquois tribes in the State of New- York, they 
refuse to give up their broad-brimmed hats and fea- 
thers. 
C I often invited the chiefs, and in particular Mangus 
Colorado, to dine with me.3 On these occasions their 
conduct was marked with as much decorum as though 
they had been used to civilized society all their lives ; 
though it is true, they sometimes exhibited a curiosity 
to understand the nature of the dishes that were placed 
before them, and generally wished to have a taste of 
every thing. After a little while they showed a dis- 
