After breakfast Pequay said, “Now, my friend, T want you to 
show us how white Indians set steel traps.” This I was not afraid to 
do as I knew more about setting steel traps than anything else. He 
brought out four traps which were badly rusted and I told him the 
first thing to do was to clean the traps. I raked up a pile of leaves, set 
them on fire and kept the traps moving in the blaze and smoke until 
they were hot. I then took them to the spring and gave them a thor¬ 
ough washing. This done I explained to the Indians that this was 
necessary to remove the iron and rust scent from the traps to prevent 
the animals from scenting the traps. I took the traps and made some 
dry land sets, also some log sets and showed them how to conceal the 
trap perfectly. I also took the btmch to the bank of the river and 
showed them how to make Beaver and Otter slides and how to make 
water sets and where to place the bait. I could see when I was showing 
them that they were particularly impressed. When I had finished 
giving the exhibition, Pequay said, “You are some kind of an Indian. 
I guess you just happened to come white.” This, of course, pleased 
me as I saw my exhibition was approved by the Indians. 
The next day I took them fishing and showed them how to catch 
fish on floats by allowing the hooks to drift down the river. I caught 
two fine catfish weighing 40 pounds a piece. After that we lay around 
camp for three or four days and feasted on deer, wild turkey and 
fish. This was common among the Indians until more game was 
needed. 
This became monotonous to me, so I told Bill we would start on 
our journey. This Bill agreed to and the . next morning Bill and I 
saddled our horses and were ready to bid Pequay and his bunch fare¬ 
well. One of the squaws handed me a small bundle and told Bill to tell 
me that if I was going to be an Indian she would give me a pair of 
moccasins. Bill delivered the message and I assured him that I was 
an Indian but that a snow came when I was born, therefore I was born 
white. This brought a laugh from all the bucks and squaws. As this 
was a good opportunity to make a start I shook hands with all the 
squaws first and then with the bucks, promising to return some day. 
As Bill and I rode up the trail I unwrapped the moccasins and 
say, you never saw a finer piece of work of that kind. They were 
beaded and a heart of beads on each instep. I showed them to Bill 
and he laughed and said, “That squaw likes you.” I asked Bill if I 
acted all right with the Indians, he replied that I could not have played 
a better hand. If you do the same when you meet the other different 
tribes, you will make friends with all the Indians in the territory. 
Bill and I rode all that day and entered what is known as the 
Creek Country. Bill said he didn’t have any use for the Creek Indians 
and that they did not like a Cherokee. “In olden times,” he said, 
“They used to come over in our country and steal horses and cattle 
and the Cherokees killed a bunch of them and they have been sore 
about it every since. Anyway they are a bad bunch, lots of halfbreeds 
among them—and we will camp as long as we are in that country. 
But as soon as we reach the Sack and Fox we will be home again.” 
— 55 — 
