University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER XI.

JOURNEY FROM THE CANTONMENT OF LEAVENWORTH TO THE PUNCA INDIANS, FROM APRIL 22ND
TO MAY 12TH.

The Yellow Stone left the cantonment at five in the afternoon of the 22nd of April, and we
soon reached the narrow part of the river called, by the Osages and Konzas, Wassoba-Wakandaga
(Bear-Medicine). There were so many trunks of trees in the river that it seemed very problematical
whether we should be able to pass between them. Our people cut off some of the
most dangerous branches below water, and got our vessel gradually through; soon after which
we lay to for the night.

The next morning, 23rd of April, brought us a storm, with thunder, but without lightning.
Early in the morning a large branch of a tree, lying in the water, forced its way into the cabin,
carried away part of the door case, and then broke off, and was left on the floor. After this
accident, when one might have been crushed in bed, we came to Cow Island, where, in 1818,
some troops, on their way to Council Bluff, were overtaken by the frost, and obliged to pass
the winter. At half-past seven o' clock, the temperature was 67°. The heat of the preceding
day had greatly advanced vegetation; the forests were beautifully verdant, and there were
many flowers. The Indians now make sugar from the maple. The Kikapoo Indians, whom
we had seen at St. Louis, were to have lands assigned them in these parts, and their territory is
said to extend to Independence River. There were no fixed Indian villages at that time, but the

Joways, Saukies, and Foxes hunt in these parts. We proceeded past Cow Island, which is six
miles in length, and covered with poplars, and shave grass. The sand was marked by the
footsteps of the stags which come here to drink, by which they tread down deep paths to the
water's edge, and lick holes in the saline clay of the bank. Here began green hills without
wood, which are the transition to the entirely naked prairie, as they at first alternate with woods,
which grow in the ravines, and on the banks of the river. At twelve o'clock the thermometer
was at 77°. Our navigation was attended with many difficulties to Independence River, the
mouth of which is on the right bank; here we reached, on the same side of the river, naked
grassy eminences, where a village of the Konzas formerly stood, and which is still usually marked
in the maps. The Spaniards had a post of a few soldiers here. The soil is said to be very fertile
and favourable to settlers. The forests were now in their greatest beauty, and began to afford
some shade.

On the 24th we saw the chain of the Blacksnake Hills, but we met with so many obstacles
in the river that we did not reach them till towards the evening. They are moderate
eminences, with many singular forms, with an alternation of wooded and open green spots.
Near to the steep bank a trading house has been built, which was occupied by a man named
Roubedoux, an agent of the Fur Company. This white house, surrounded by the bright green
prairies, had a very neat appearance, and Mr. Bodmer sketched this pretty landscape, which
had a beautiful effect of light and shade. It is only this part of the chain that is called
Blacksnake Hills, for the chain itself is no other than that which we had long observed on
the banks, of which there are two, one on each side, running parallel to each other, and
forming the valley of the Missouri, more or less approaching to or receding from it. The
river flows through the alluvial soil which it has thrown up, and which is changed, every year,
crossing from one chain to the other, and, where it reaches the chain, produces high banks by
the shock.

When the steam-boat lay to, between 500 or 600 paces from the trading house, some
of the engagés of the company came on board, and reported that the Joway Indians, whose
village was about five or six miles distant, had made an incursion into the neighbouring territory
of the Omahas, and killed six of these Indians, and brought in a woman and child as
prisoners, whom they offered for sale. Major Dougherty, to whose agency the Joways belong,
immediately landed to rescue the prisoners, accompanied by Major Bean and Mr. Bodmer, but
they returned, at eleven o'clock at night, without having accomplished their object, because
the Joways, fearing his reproaches, had completely intoxicated both themselves and their
prisoners.[1] Mr. Bodmer brought some beautiful plants from the prairie, among which were

the fine orange-coloured flowers of the Batschia canescens, which we here saw for the first
time.

On the forenoon of the following day, the 25th, we passed the mouth of the Nadaway
River,[2] and met with many difficulties, so that we were even obliged to back for some distance,
and landed our wood-cutters in Nadaway Island. A Captain Martin wintered on this island for
two seasons, 1818 and 1819, with three companies of riflemen. At that time there was so much
game that they entirely subsisted on it. We were told that in one year they killed 1,600, in the
other 1,800 head of game (Cervus Virginianus), besides elks and bears; and wounded, perhaps, as
many more of those animals, which they were unable to take. The woods were very picturesque.
The numerous horse-chestnuts were in full leaf; the white ash was in flower, as well as many species
of pear and plum, which looked as if covered with snow, and formed a beautiful contrast with the
red masses of the flower of the Cercis. The canal between Nadaway Island and the cantonment
is called Nadaway Slew, at the end of which we saw the remains of some Indian huts. In a dark
glen in the forest, we observed a long Indian hut, which occupied almost its whole breadth, and
must have served for a great number of persons. The bald eagle had built its nest on many of
the high trees on the bank. In some places we saw smoke rising in the forest; in others, the trees
and the ground were burnt quite black. Such fires are sometimes caused by the Indians, in order
to escape the pursuit of their enemies, and sometimes, also, by the agents of the fur traders.
We were told that the forest was green, this year, a fortnight earlier than usual. We saw everywhere
pairs of the beautiful Anas sponsa, which came out of the holes in the bank, where they doubtless
had their nests. Before dusk we reached the mouth of Wolf River, where an eagle had built
her nest. The Oto Indians, mixed with some Missouris, live in these parts, on the west bank of
the Missouri. They are allies of the Joways, and hunt as far as the river La Platte.

On the following morning, April 26th, we saw great numbers of water fowl, and many wild
geese with their woolly young; the parents never abandoned them, even when our people shot at
them. The care and anxiety which these birds shewed for their young interested us much. We
came to the mouth of the Grand Nemahaw river in a beautiful romantic country, from which,
to the Little Nemahaw, the territory of the people called Half-breeds extends. Among the
Omaha, Oto, Joway, and Yankton (Sioux) Indians, there lived from 150 to 200 of their descendants
by white men, to whom they assigned this tract of land as their property. They had taken
this resolution two years before, but had not yet carried it into execution. The land was given
by the Otos to whom it belonged, and the other tribes bore part of the expenses. Towards
noon, when the thermometer was at 27°, we again, several times touched the bottom, near Tarkio

River, but without receiving any injury. Picturesque forests alternate with the verdant alluvial
banks of the river, and Indian hunting huts were everywhere seen, but no inhabitants. One
may travel thousands of miles along this river without seeing a human being. From the mouth
of the Nishnebottoneh to Council Bluffs, there is a narrow green prairie before the chain of hills;
the mouth itself is between lofty trees on the east bank. In the wood below, Major
Dougherty once killed twenty elks, all belonging to one troop. They had divided, and part
broke into the ice in the river, where they fell a prey to the Otos who pursued them. Beavers
formerly abounded in this river, but they are now extirpated. When the evening sun, gradually
sinking behind the tall forest, illumined the whole country, we had a lovely view of the chain of
hills, variously tinged with brilliant hues of violet, pink, and purple, while the broad mirror of the
river and adjacent forest shone as if on fire. Silence reigned in these solitudes, the wind was
hushed, and only the dashing and foaming of our steam-boat interrupted the awful repose. We
were disagreeably roused from our reverie by our vessel striking against the snags in the river.
We passed the night near Morgan's Island, not far from which there was formerly a trading
house for the Oto Indians, but it no longer existed. The note of the whip-poor-will, which we
had not before met with, was heard in all the adjacent forests.

The next morning, proceeding on our voyage, we plainly observed in the steep banks of the
river, the alternate strata of clay and sand, with a thick layer of fertile black mould at the top,
and, about eight feet below the surface, a black stratum of bituminous coal, or coal slate, which
we were, however, unable to examine closely. On the bank we saw what are called pumice
stones, which are pieces of the rock of the Upper Missouri, changed by fire, and brought down
by the river; the Indians use this pumice stone to smooth their tanned and hardened skins.
At the mouth of the Little Nemahaw River, the Missouri was very shallow. Our vessel having
received several violent shocks by striking, and a storm, accompanied by heavy rain, arising,
we ran aground, about noon, on a sand bank, and were obliged to put out a boat to take
soundings, but the wind, which blew with increasing violence from the open prairie on the
south-west, drove us further into the sand bank. Every moment it became more furious;
our vessel lay almost on her side, which the people endeavoured to counteract by fastening her
with strong cables to the trees lying in the water. After dinner several of our hunters went on
shore, but the boat had scarcely returned, when the storm suddenly increased to such a
degree that the vessel appeared to be in imminent peril. One of our chimneys was thrown
down, and the fore-deck was considered in danger; the large coops, which contained a number
of fowls, were blown overboard, and nearly all of them drowned. As they got upon the sand
banks they were afterwards taken up, with other things which we had been obliged to throw
overboard; our cables had, happily, held fast, and, as the wind abated a little, Captain Bennett
hoped to lay the vessel close to the bank, which was twenty feet high, where it would be safe

but the storm again arose, and we got deeper and deeper into the sands. Some of our hunters
and Mr. Bodmer appeared on the bank, and wanted to be taken on board, but the boat could not
be sent, and they were obliged to seek shelter from the storm in the neighbouring forests.
Mr. Mc Kenzie, and other persons acquainted with the Missouri, assured us they had never
encountered so violent a storm in these parts. After four o'clock, however, the wind abated, and
the boat was dispatched to pick up the articles we had lost.

On the following day we were obliged to lighten the ship before we could proceed, by landing
the wood which we had taken in the previous day, and many other articles. Our vessel,
however, soon ran aground again, and as we could not proceed, we made the vessel go backwards
to the right bank, where we passed the night. In the preceding year the Yellow Stone had been
detained five days at this place. Towards evening a flock of above 100 pelicans, flying northwards,
passed over us. Their flight was in the form of a wedge, and sometimes of a semicircle.
On the 29th, we found sufficient water, and proceeded; a still larger flock of pelicans induced our
engagés to make use of their rifles, and they winged one of the birds, which strutted about on
the shore, but we cold not venture to take it. At half-past seven, A.M., we were at a place called
the Narrows of Nishnebottoneh; here, about thirty miles from its mouth, this river comes so
near to the Missouri, that between both there is an interval of only 200 paces. The appearance
of the chain of hills beyond the Nishnebottoneh is very remarkable. The calcareous rock is in
very strange forms, sometimes like entrenchments and bastions, partly clothed with verdure,
partly with dry yellow grass, and spotted with yellowish red clay. The soil is extremely
fertile, and well adapted for agriculture; formerly there were hundreds of elks and stags
in these parts, but they are now rarely met with. By a general agreement the Otos, Joway,
Fox, and Saukie Indians hunt this country in common. Having been on shore for some time,
I was returning to the vessel when the pilot called out that there was a rattlesnake very near
me, the rattle of which he heard; I looked, and immediately found the animal, and having
stunned it with some slight blows, I put it into a vessel in which there were already a live heterodon
and a black snake, where it soon recovered. The three agreed very well together, but were
afterwards put into a cask of brandy to go to Europe. This rattlesnake was of the species
Crotalus tergeminus, first described by Say, which is very common on the Missouri. The water
being too shallow, it was necessary partly to unload the vessel on a sand bank, and to stop for
the night. On the morning of the 30th, many attempts were made to move from this spot;
we sounded, put out thirty men, but were at last obliged to return to the place where we had
passed the night. Messengers were then sent up the river to endeavour to procure a keelboat;
meanwhile all our hunters went ashore. I found in the vicinity traces of the Indians, and large
traces of wolves in the sand. A storm drove us back to the vessel, and soon drenched us with
a torrent of rain. Our hunters killed a wild goose, a wood duck, and an owl, and brought a

black snake with them; one of them had broken off a piece of a poison vine, by which his face
and hands were much swollen; but the people here do not much mind such accidents, though
the swelling frequently lasts many days.

The 1st of May set in with rain and a clouded sky; the forests were dripping wet; during
the night we had observed some fireflies. Numerous flocks of two kinds of swallows passed us,
flying to the north. About noon a white cat-fish was caught by one of the lines which we
had thrown out; a second broke the strong line as we were drawing it up. The first we had
caught weighed sixty pounds, and we soon took another weighing sixty-five pounds, and a third
weighing 100 lbs, in the jaws of which was the hook of the line that had been broken. In the
stomach of this and the other cat-fish were found large pieces of pork, the bones of fowls, &c., feet
of geese, all refuse from the vessels; and likewise the entire gills of another large fish. A great
number of leeches were attached to the gills of these fish. It is only on the Upper Missouri that
this fish attains so large a size.

On the following morning the Missouri had risen a little. In the neighbouring thickets
some birds were singing, or rather twittering, and there was nothing like the loud concert which,
at this season of the year, animates the European forests. The Yellow Stone did not set out till
near eleven o'clock. In the afternoon we came to some almost perpendicular hills on the bank,
the base of which consisted of violet, the middle of bluish grey, the upper part of yellow red clay.
In some places a whole colony of swallows had built against them. About the place where
Weeping-water Creek opens, among beautiful thickets, before the green hills of the prairies, we met
with great obstructions, and were several times obliged to put the vessel back. We reached Five
Barrel Islands, in a broad part of the river, just when the evening sun gave a peculiar charm
to the verdant landscape. The forest was picturesque but not very lofty; the bird cherry was in
flower, but the blossoms of the red bud had lost their bright colour. Vines twined round the
trunks of the trees, and the numerous blossoms of the phlox formed blue spots amongst the rocks.
Towards night we met a canoe, with two persons on board, one of whom was M. Fontenelle,
clerk to the Fur Company, who resided near at hand at Belle Vue. He was a man who had much
experience in the trade with the Indians, and had often visited the Rocky Mountains. As he
was shortly to undertake an expedition to the mountains, with a body of armed men, he turned
back with us.

Early on the morning of the 3rd of May, we came to the hill called by the Otos and
Omahas—Ischta Maso, or Ischta Manso (the iron eye). It is rather higher than the neighbouring
hills, and a small stream of the same name runs from its side into the Missouri. We were now
near the mouth of La Platte River. Four or five miles before you come to the conflux, you distinguish
the water of the two rivers by their colour, that of the La Platte being clear and green, and
keeping unmixed on the western bank. A mile further up, the water was covered with foam, in

consequence of the heavy rains. In half an hour we came to the first mouth of the river, which
is divided from the second by a low island, with gently rounded verdant hills in the back ground.
The second mouth is the largest. There were large piles of drift wood on the sand bank, next the
island. The river, which was much swollen, brought down wood and foam, and its waters, though, at
present, not quite clear, yet still of a bluish tint, were plainly distinguished as they ran in a semicircular
bend, from the yellowish, dirty water of the Missouri. After passing the sand bank at its mouth,
we reached, in twenty minutes, Papilion Creek, and saw before us the green-wooded chain of hills
with the buildings of Belle Vue, the agency of Major Dougherty. There were many sand banks
in the river, on which there were numbers of wild geese, and some quite white birds, with black
quill feathers—perhaps cranes or pelicans. At two in the afternoon we reached M. Fontenelle's
dwelling, consisting of some buildings, with fine plantations of maize, and verdant wooded hills
behind it. A part of the plantations belongs to the government. The prairie extends beyond
the hills. The land is extremely fertile; even when negligently cultivated, it yields 100 bushels
of maize per acre, but is said to produce much more when proper care is bestowed on it.
The cattle thrive very well, and the cows give much milk, but some salt must now and then be
given them. M. Fontenelle expected to possess, in a few years, 5,000 swine, if the Indians did
not steal too many of them. The government of the United States bought of the Indians a great
tract of land to the east of the Missouri, extending to Big Sioux River, but have hitherto left
them in possession of this land.[3]

Belle Vue, Mr. Dougherty's post, is agreeably situated. The direction of the river is north-west.
Below, on the bank, there are some huts, and on the top the buildings of the agents, where a subagent,
Major Beauchamp, a blacksmith, and some servants of the company, all lived with their families,
who attend to the plantations and affairs of the company. These men were mostly married to
women of the tribes of the Otos and Omahas; all, on our landing, immediately came on
board. Their dress was of red or blue cloth, with a white border, and cut in the Indian fashion.
Their faces were broad and coarse, their heads large and round, their breasts pendent, their
teeth beautiful and white, their hands and feet small and delicate. Their children had dark
brown hair, and agreeable features. Belle Vue was formerly a trading post of the Missouri Fur
Company, on the dissolution of which it was bought by M. Fontenelle, who parted with it to the
government, and was appointed to the agency of the Otos, Omahas, Pawnees, and Joways.
M. Fontenelle settled, as I have said, 600 or 800 paces further down the river. Here the
Yellow Stone lay to, and we inspected the buildings of the agency, from which there is a very
fine view of the river, especially from the summit of the hill, where the cemetery is situated. The
rock here is limestone, with a great number of shells, of which, however, I could see only
bivalves; but our time was too short to decide on this point.

It was near this place that a marauding party of twelve Joways lately crossed the river, and
pursued a defenceless company of Omahas, who had just left Belle Vue; and, having overtaken
them three miles off, killed and plundered all of them, except some who were desperately
wounded, and whom they believed to be dead. The victors returned by another way. A
woman and a child recovered. Major Dougherty took leave of us at Belle Vue, intending
to go to the Omahas, and appease the vengeance of that tribe. About five in the afternoon
we also left, and were proceeding along the west bank, when we met two Mackinaw[4] boats, which
had been obtained for our vessel by a boat which we had sent before. On the same bank we
suddenly saw three Omaha Indians, who crept slowly along. They were clothed in buffalo
robes, and had bows, with quivers made of skin, on their backs. About the nose and eyes
they were painted white.

[ILLUSTRATION]

Among these Indians there was a woman who had been severely wounded; namely, the
well-known Mitain, who is spoken of in Major Long's "Travels to the Rocky Mountains," as an
interesting instance of maternal affection, but without mentioning her name. She and her
child had received many severe wounds, but were so fortunate as not to be scalped. The
nearest village of the Omahas is twenty-five miles from Belle Vue. This country is the proper
territory of this tribe, which lives on both sides of the Missouri, from Boyer River to Big
Sioux River, and hunts further up to Jacques River, as well as between Running Water
River (l'eau qui court) and the La Platte.

On the morning of the 4th of May, at half-past seven o'clock, the thermometer was at 69¾°.
We had all round us beautiful low prairie hills, before which was alluvial land, thrown up by the

river, covered with fine grass. The river had risen an inch during the night. The noise and
smoke of our steamer frightened all living creatures; geese and ducks flew off in all directions.
There was formerly a village of the Joway Indians at this place, the inhabitants of which, on the
death of their chief, returned to their countrymen further down. On the left bank there were
whole tracts covered with dead poplars, which had been killed by the fires caused by the Indians
in the forest and prairie. We soon saw the white buildings of Mr. Cabanné's trading post, which
we saluted with some guns, and then landed.

We were very glad to see, at the landing-place, a number of Omaha and Oto Indians,
and some few Joways, who, in different groups, looked at us with much curiosity; all these people
were wrapped in buffalo skins, with the hairy side outwards; some of them wore blankets, which
they sometimes paint with coloured stripes. In their features they did not materially differ
from those Indians we had already seen, but they were not so well formed as the Saukies.
Many of them were much marked with the smallpox. Several had only one eye; their faces
were marked with red stripes: some had painted their foreheads and chins red; others, only stripes
down the cheeks. Few only had aquiline noses, and their eyes were seldom drawn down at the
corners; generally speaking, their eyes are small, though there are exceptions. They wore their
hair loosely hanging down their backs; none had shaved their heads; and, on the whole, they
looked very dirty and miserable. The countenances of the women were ugly, but not quite so
broad and flat as those of the Foxes and Saukies; their noses, in general, rather longer. Their
dress did not differ much from that of those Indians, and they wore the same strings of wampum
in their ears. The men carried in their hands their tobacco pipes, made of red or black stone (a
hardened clay), adorned with rings of lead or tin, which they generally obtain from the Sioux, at
a high price.

This trading post consists of a row of buildings of various sizes, stores, and the houses of the
engagés, married to Indian women, among which was that of Mr. Cabanné, which is two stories
high. He is a proprietor of the American Fur Company, and director of this station. He
received us very kindly, and conducted us over his premises. From the balcony of his house was
a fine view over the river, but the prospect is still more interesting from the hills which rise at
the back of the settlement. Between the buildings runs a small stream, with high banks, which
rises from a pleasant valley, in which there are plantations of maize for the support of the inhabitants.
Mr. Cabanné had planted fifteen acres of land with this invaluable grain, which yield,
annually, 2,000 bushels of that corn, the land here being extremely fertile. The banks of the
stream are covered with fine high trees, and many of the plants were in flower, especially the beautiful
blue lychnis, the white oak, &c. A high wind prevailed throughout the day, but, within doors,
the weather was warm, 78° at four o'clock. Our vessel remained here the whole day, and we
were besieged all the time by Indians, who caused a very disagreeable heat in our cabins. Among

them was a Joway, called Nih-Yu-Máh-Ni (la pluie qui marche), who sold us several articles of his
dress. Mr. Bodmer made a sketch of the boy of an Omaha, whom the father first daubed with
red paint. He took vermilion in the palm of his hand, spat upon it, and then rubbed it in
the boy's face. The head of this boy was shaved quite smooth, excepting a tuft of hair in
front, and another at the back. (See the wood-cut.) A number of men and women stood round,

[ILLUSTRATION]

looking on with eager curiosity. I showed the Indians a rattlesnake in brandy, and they
gave me to understand that a child had lately been bitten by one of these animals, and died in
consequence. The little child, lately wounded by the Joways, was brought to us; the wounds,
though they had not been dressed and covered, were almost healed.

We spent a very pleasant evening with Mr. Cabanné; sitting in the balcony of his house, we
enjoyed the delightful temperature and the fine scene around us. The splendid sky was illumined
by the full moon; silence reigned around, interrupted only by the noise of the frogs, and the incessant
cry of the whip-poor-will, in the neighbouring woods, till the Indians assembled round the
house, and, at the request of Mr. Cabanné, performed a dance. About twenty Omahas joined in
it; the principal dancer, a tall man, wore on his head an immense feather cap, like those of the
Camacans in Brazil, but larger and of less elaborate workmanship, composed of long tail and wing
feathers of owls and birds of prey;[5] in his hand he held his bow and arrows. The upper part of
his body was covered only with a whitish skin, which fell over the right shoulder and breast, and
was adorned with bunches of feathers; his arms, face, and the uncovered parts of his body, were
painted with white stripes and spots. His trousers were marked with dark cross stripes, and
trimmed at the ankles with a great quantity of fringe. He also wore an apron. He had a
savage and martial appearance, to which his athletic figure greatly contributed. Another man,

who was younger, of a very muscular frame—the upper part of whose body was naked, but
painted white—had in his hand a war club, striped with white, ornamented at the handle with
the skin of a polecat. He wore on his head a feather cap, like that already described. These

[ILLUSTRATION]

two men, and several youths and boys, formed a line, opposite to which other Indians sat down in
a row; in the middle of which row the drum was beat in quick time. Several men beat time
with war clubs hung with bells; and the whole company (most of whom were painted white)
sung, "Hi! hi! hi!" or "Hey! hey! hey!" &c., sometimes shouting aloud. The manner of the
dance was thus: bending their bodies forward, they leaped up with both feet at once, not rising
high from the ground, and stamped loudly, while the drum beat in quick time, and their arms
were rattled and occasionally lifted up into the air. Thus they leaped opposite to each other,
with great exertion, for about an hour; they perspired violently, till the usual presents, a quantity
of tobacco stalks, were thrown on the ground before them. This dance was very interesting to
me, especially in connection with the beautiful evening scene on the Missouri. The bright light
of the moon illumined the extensive and silent wilderness; before us, the grotesque band of
Indians, uttering their wild cry, together with the loud call of the night raven, vividly recalled
to my mind scenes which I had witnessed in Brazil. We did not return to our vessel till late at
night, after taking leave of our kind host, and of Major Pilcher; the former was on the point of
returning to St. Louis, leaving the superintendence of the trading post to Major Pilcher.

The Omahas, or, as some erroneously call them, Mahas, were formerly a numerous tribe,
but have been much reduced by frequent wars with their neighbours; the smallpox, too, has
committed dreadful ravages, and there are now but few vigorous young men among them. Their
language differs from that of the Otos, Missouris, and Joways; there is, however, an affinity
between them. The best and most complete accounts of the Omahas are given by Mr. Say in
his Narrative of Major Long's "Expedition to the Rocky Mountains," to which I would refer my
readers.

On the 5th of May, the Yellow Stone left Cabanné's trading house; the weather was warm

and serene; we passed the mouth of Boyer's Creek on the east bank, where the Missouri makes
a bend, and saw the ruins of the former cantonment, or fort, at Council Bluffs. This military
post was established, in the year 1819, for 1,000 men, but, in fact, there were now only 500 men
of the regiment in garrison at Jefferson barracks. In the year 1827, these troops were
withdrawn and stationed at Leavenworth; the fort, or, rather, the barracks, formed a quadrangle,
with a bastion, or blockhouse, in two of the angles. At present there were only the stone
chimneys, and, in the centre, a brick storehouse under roof. Everything of value had been
carried away by the Indians. We were told that numerous rattlesnakes are found among the
ruins. The situation of Council Bluffs is said to have been much more favourable for observing
the Indians than that at Leavenworth; and it was even conjectured that this post will be again
occupied. The military station was at first placed a little further inland, but the scurvy carried
off 300 of the garrison in one winter. Mr. Sandford, who had rejoined us, once found here
the large grinders of a mastodon, which are no win the possession of General Clarke, at St. Louis.

At twelve at noon, we ran aground, but happily sustained no damage, at a dangerous place,
where the left bank was blocked up with many snags, and which is called the Devil's Race-ground.
The country was low and uniform till we again reached the hills, which were rather bare of wood,
but of grotesque form, and covered with a fine verdant carpet. Near the mouth of the Soldier
River, an engagé met us, who brought letters from the Assiniboin steamer. We went on pretty
well till the evening, when we got upon a sand bank, and then made the vessel fast for the night;
after which our people exerted themselves to get off the bank, in the midst of a storm of
thunder and lightning.

The steamer was got afloat by daybreak on the 6th. On both sides there was alluvial soil,
thickly covered with willows and poplars, mixed, in some places, with other trees. Here we
saw, on a sand bank, two large wolves, which seemed to look at us with surprise. The Omaha
Indians hunt on both banks of this part of the river; they are said to be the most indolent, dull,
unintellectual, and cowardly of the Missouri Indians. At two in the afternoon we landed on the
prairie, which was covered with tall trees, and forty or fifty of our men immediately began to
hew down wood for fuel; there was abundance of grass, but not a single flower, which was caused
by the prairie having been set on fire; black burnt wood was scattered about, and the ground
itself was discoloured in places by the effects of the fire.

From this place the country becomes more and more level, and bare of wood, and the eye
roves over the boundless prairie. Behind a willow-tree I saw some remains of Indian huts, in
front of one of which a pole was set up, with a piece of red cloth attached to the top. The forest,
which had been inundated, was likewise destitute of flowers; numerous traces of stags were
everywhere seen. During the night a man deserted, whom Mr. Mc Kenzie had some time before
put under arrest for having uttered vehement threats. The 7th of May, the anniversary of our

departure from Germany, was very fine. We soon reached the chain of hills on the left bank,
at a place where the yellow limestone rock was nearly perpendicular, and in which innumerable
swallows had built their nests; these are called Wood's Hills, and do not extend very far. On
one of them we saw a small, conical mound, which is the grave of the celebrated Omaha chief,
Washinga-Sahba (the blackbird). In James's Narrative of Major Long's Expedition, is a circumstantial
account of this remarkable and powerful chief, who was a friend to the white man:
he contrived, by means of arsenic, to make himself feared and dreaded, and passed for a magician,
because he put his enemies and rivals out of the way when it suited him. An epidemical smallpox
carried him off, with a great part of his nation, in the year 1800, and he was buried, sitting
upright upon a live mule, at the top of a green hill on Wakonda Creek. When dying, he gave
orders that they should bury him on that hill, with his face turned to the country of the white
men. The Omahas have been since so reduced by their enemies, the Sioux, Saukies, and Foxes,
that they are now quite powerless and insignificant, not being able to muster above 300 or 400
warriors. Washinga-Sahba was so feared by his own people, that nobody ventured to wake him
when he slept: it is said that they used then to tickle his nose with a blade of grass. The
present chief of the Omahas is Ongpa-Tanga (the great elk), of whom Godman, in his Natural
History, has given a good portrait. He lives on the Horn River, which falls into the La Platte,
about twenty miles above its mouth.

On the following day (the 8th of May) we came to Floyd's Grave, where the sergeant of that
name was buried by Lewis and Clarke. The bank on either side is low. The left is covered
with poplars; on the right, behind the wood, rises a hill like the roof of a building, at the top of
which Floyd is buried. A short stick marks the place where he is laid, and has often been
renewed by travellers when the fires in the prairie have destroyed it. A little further up is Floyd's
River, and on Floyd's Hills there were a few fir trees, over which the kite hovered in the air.
About half a league beyond Floyd's River is the mouth of the Big Sioux River, interesting from
the circumstance of its being the boundary of the territory of the Dacota, or Sioux nation. Its
breadth, at the mouth, is about sixty paces, and it is said to be navigable by Mackinaw boats for
100 miles. About 120 miles up this river, a tribe of the Sioux reside, which is known by the
name of Wahch-Pekuté; this, and another tribe of this people on the Mississippi, and near Lake
Pepin, are the only ones of their nation who plant maize; all the other hordes of the Sioux are
hunters. The territory of these people formerly extended further to the south, till the before-mentioned
treaty for the purchase of land was concluded with the Indians.

At noon, with a temperature of 75°, there was such a violent wind, that the fine sand from
the banks penetrated into the innermost parts of our vessel; the broad river was so agitated by
the wind, that the pilot could not distinguish the sand banks, and we were obliged to lie to. In
a small meadow in the woods we saw the giant footsteps of the elks, and likewise of the common

stag, which we would willingly have followed had not a rising tempest compelled us to return on
board. Vivid lightning flashed in the horizon, the rain soon poured down in torrents, and at
night a storm arose which, at midnight, raged with such fury, that we might have felt some alarm,
had not our vessel been so well protected by the bank. The storm frequently forced open the
doors of the upper cabin, and the rain beat into the room. Towards daybreak the tempest
returned with increased violence; the flashes of lightning and the claps of thunder were incessant
during the twilight, and everybody thought that the vessel must be struck.

The 9th of May set in with rain, a cloudy sky, and high wind; the thermometer, before so
high, fell, at half-past seven o'clock, to 56°. When the storm had passed over, our vessel quitted
the place where it had taken shelter. We passed along wild, desolate banks, then a green
prairie, by a chain of steep hills, partly bare, partly covered with forests, or with isolated fir
trees and picturesque ravines, with dark shadows, into which the close thicket scarcely allowed
the eye to penetrate. We here saw, for the first time, a plant which now became more and
more common; namely, the buffalo-berry-bush (Sheperdia argentea, Nutt.), with pale, bluish-green,
narrow leaves. At the mouth of the Joway River, which runs into the Missouri, on the
south bank, at a very acute angle, clay-slate appeared to stand out on the bluffs, divided into
narrow, horizontal strata, the lower of which were blackish-blue, and those above of yellowish-red
colour. Our hunters and wood-cutters landed, on which occasion we lost a hound, which had
strayed too far into the forest. Five or six hundred paces further up, we saw, among the thickets
of willow and poplar, an old Indian wigwam,[6] near which the red willow, mixed with the common
willow, was in blossom. The thermometer, which had been at 56° in the morning, rose at ten
o'clock, when the sun broke through the clouds. We frequently observed the wild geese, which
endeavoured to take their young, of which they never had more than four or six, to some
place on shore, where they would be safe from us. When we came very near, the mother
fluttered anxiously to a little distance, and called them to her.

We continued our voyage, but soon lay to at the prairie, on the right bank, because Mr.
Mc Kenzie wished to form a plantation at this place. The whole plain was covered with high,
dry grass. On the bank of the river there was a fine border of tall timber trees, in which the
turtle-dove cooed, and flocks of blackbirds were flying about. The hills of the prairie were
covered with the finest verdure, and the singular forms of the hills afforded us an interesting subject
of observation on the otherwise uniform appearance of the country. We halted for the night
near the high trees that bordered the prairie, where there were numbers of ducks and plovers.
As soon as it was dark, the young men set fire to the dry grass of the prairie, to give us the
pleasure of seeing how the fire spread, but the attempt did not fully succeed, because there was

no wind. Mr. Mc Kenzie left some men here, with agricultural implements, to make a plantation;
among them was one François Roi, of Rheims, whose name gave occasion to many
innocent jokes, and we deliberated what name should be given to the kingdom he was going to
found.

On the following day, the 10th, we had been exactly four weeks since we left St. Louis.
At the spot where we now were, it is said that large herds of buffaloes are seen in the winter, but
we had not yet met with one of these animals. The character of the country was much changed;
it is, for the most part, naked, and without woods. The trees which are found here are no longer
lofty and vigorous, as on the Lower Missouri; yet the wild vines are still seen climbing on the
bushes, though this, too, entirely ceases further up the river Near the mouth of Vermilion Creek,
the green hills of the prairie approach very near the water; and here we saw, on the back of one
of the hills, a grave surrounded with poles, which was that of some Sioux Indians, who had been
killed by lightning in a violent thunder-storm. At the mouth of the stream we saw wild ducks
and geese, of which a pair of the latter, with six young ones, anxiously endeavoured to escape us.
The female remained faithfully with the young ones, while the male flew away.

The morning of the following day (the 11th of May) brought us to the mouth of Jacques
River, which was concealed from our view by a sand bank. The steep banks, which in Lewis
and Clarke's map are called Calumet Bluffs, have deep ravines, and are of an ash-grey colour at
the base, and yellow above. We reached the island called by those travellers Sego Island, where
we found very little water, and then came to Lewis and Clarke's White Bear Bluffs, of which
Mr. Bodmer made a drawing. At noon the thermometer was at 63°. After dinner we saw, at a
distance, the Assiniboin steamer, with which we came up in half an hour. It had not been able
to proceed any further for want of a sufficient depth of water. After we had saluted the master of
the vessel, Mr. Pratte, son of the General of that name at St. Louis, and a member of the
American Fur Company, we went on board his vessel. In this steamer there were two cabins,
much lighter and more pleasant than those in the Yellow Stone; the stern cabin had ten berths,
and the fore cabin twenty-four, and between decks was the large apartment distinct for the engagés.
The crew had lately killed a she-bear—the young ones were alive on board. While we
were visiting the Assiniboin, we suddenly perceived, on the left or southern bank, a number of
Indians, between fifteen and twenty of whom rolled down the hills. As our people did not seem
very desirous of having anything to do with them, and contented themselves with looking at
them through a telescope, we took advantage of the fine weather to make an excursion into the
prairie.

The chain of hills, bounding the valley of the Missouri on the north, crossed the verdant
prairie, in a straight line, at a distance of about 1,000 paces from the river. The appearance of
this chain was singular, with perpendicular, yellow, calcareous walls, which indicated that the

river must, formerly, have flowed in that direction; and the cylindrical hollow marked the ancient
bed of the river. In the prairie itself there were many pools of water, and we found several
interesting plants, among which were some with long roots like carrots, especially the yellow
flowering Batschia longiflora (Pursh.), and the Oxitropis Lamberti B. The great yellow-breasted
lark (Sturnella, Vieill.), was everywhere seen in pairs, and its short, coy call, and its pleasing,
whistling note, were heard from every side. Besides these, we saw the prairie hen, and the
great long-billed curlews (Numenius longirostris), of which we shall speak hereafter. Skeletons
of buffaloes were scattered in the plain, especially many skulls, but very few of which were
entire.

When I returned to the vessel, I found there three Punca Indians, the chief of the tribe
Shudegacheh,[7] his brother Passitopa,[8] and Ha-cha-ga. They were all robust, good-looking
men, tall, and well-proportioned, with strongly-marked features, high cheek-bones, aquiline
noses, and animated dark hazel eyes. Their hair hung down as far as the shoulders, and part of
it lower; that of the chief was shorter, and fastened together in a plait. The upper part of the
body of these Indians was naked, only they wore round the neck an ornamented band, and had
a large slit in their ears: from those of the chief an ornament of shell work was suspended. His
beard below the chin consisted of scanty hairs, which had been suffered to grow very long. (See
the portrait, Plate VII. Fig. 3, which is a good resemblance.) They wore a narrow bracelet of
white metal round the wrist, very plain, leather pantaloons, and large buffalo robes; the chief,
however, was wrapped in a white blanket.

The Puncas, as they are now universally called, or as some travellers formerly called them,
Poncaras, or Poncars, the Pons of the French, were originally a branch of the Omahas, and speak
nearly the same language. They have, however, been long separated from them, and dwell on
both sides of Running-water River, and on Punca Creek, which Lewis and Clarke call Poncara.
They formerly lived, like the Omahas, in clay huts at the mouth of the river, but their powerful
enemies, the Sioux and the Pawnees, destroyed their villages, and they have since adopted the
mode of life of the former, living more generally in tents made of skins, and changing their place
from time to time. Their external appearance and dress do not much differ from those of the
Omahas. They are said to have been brave warriors, but have been greatly reduced by war and
the smallpox. According to Dr. Morse's report, they numbered, in 1822, 1,750 in all; at
present the total amount of their warriors is estimated at about 300. The band of them, which

we met with here, has set up eight or nine leather tents, at the mouth of Basil Creek, on a fine
forest, as is seen in Vignette XI. They plant maize, which they sell to the Sioux, but they had
neglected to cultivate this grain for about three years, and obtained it from the Omahas; they,
however, intended to grow it again themselves.

As Major Bean was agent of the Puncas, they came to speak to him. The chief had formerly
received, through the agent, a large silver medal of President Madison, which he wore
suspended round his neck. On the face of all these medals, which are given as a distinction to
the Indian chiefs, there is the bust of the President, and, on the reverse, two clasped hands, with
a suitable inscription. Shudegacheh had a remarkably intelligent countenance, and fine manly
deportment. He sat down by us, and smoked, with his comrades, the only pipe that they had
with them; but, according to Indian custom, several pipes soon circulated in the company. The
evening was very cool, and, as some of the Indians had no leggins, we took them into our cabin,
where their portraits were drawn, after they had been regaled with pork, bread, and tea, which
Mr. Mc Kenzie gave them. One of the Indians made me a present of his wooden war-club, which

was painted reddish-brown; another, with a pair of shoes, made of elk leather, which were dyed
black with the juice of white walnut. These people were not armed, as they had come merely
on a visit, and had left their best effects behind. Among them was a French Canadian, named
Primeau, who has long lived among them. He acted as interpreter, and communicated to me
some words of the Punca language.

The morning of the 12th of May was cold, there having been a hoar frost during the night.
The Indians sat upon the bank, wrapped in their buffalo skins, as represented in the subjoined
woodcut.

[ILLUSTRATION]

While the Yellow Stone remained stationary, the Assiniboin attempted to pass the shallow
place on the river, during which time the hunters went into the prairie. The Indians had a
conference with their agent, in which the chief expressed a wish that their great father (the
President) would send them several articles, particularly agricultural implements. The attitude
and gestures of the speaker were graceful; his right arm and shoulder were bare, while he gesticulated
with his hand; and his fine, manly countenance was very expressive. As he had not
put on his leggins, we observed, on his muscular calves, two tattooed stripes crossing each other, X;
otherwise, he was neither tattooed nor painted. Some of these Indians had been inoculated
with the smallpox by a surgeon, whom Major Bean had taken to them the year before, and who
had inoculated 2,600 Indians of different tribes. Many of them had manifested distrust on this
occasion; and, when he offered to perform the operation, said, "Now we are well; if we should
become sick it will be time enough to submit to the operation." Shudegacheh had on the upper
part of his arm a large, round scar, which he is said to have burnt into his flesh with his tobacco-pipe,
on the death of a relation. Major Bean presented to the Indians, in the name of the Government,
tobacco, powder, and ball, and the chief received a fine blanket. Mr. Mc Kenzie observed
to him, that "the Puncas furnished too few skins, and did not plant maize enough; it was not
possible to purchase anything of them;" to which he replied, that "there was no unity among
his people; that they lived too scattered, and, therefore, he could not superintend them, and
keep them to work." At noon, the thermometer being at 67°, our hunters returned, without
having seen anything of consequence, except a couple of large curlews. The boats, which had
been sent out to take soundings, likewise came back, and great exertions were made to lighten
the steamer, by transferring part of the cargo to the Maria keel-boat. At length, at two o'clock,
we were able to weigh anchor, and run awhile down the river, which was done with such rapidity
that the Indians became giddy, and sat down on the floor. In this manner we turned round a
sand bank, and proceeded upwards, along the south coast of the river, and in twenty minutes were
opposite the huts of the Punca Indians. They lay in the shade of a forest, like white cones, and,
in front of them, a sand bank extended into the river, which was separated from the land by a
narrow channel. The whole troop was assembled on the edge of the bank, and it was amusing
to see how the motley group crowded together, wrapped in brown buffalo skins, white and red
blankets—some naked, of a deep brown colour. The little children, with their protuberant bellies,[9]
and their legs, of a dark brown colour, carrying bows and arrows in their hands, were running
along the beach, or cowering like little monkeys, while the men walked about, very gravely,
with their weapons in their hands. We landed our Indian visitors on the sand bank; the
boat brought back some skins, and we afterwards saw Primeau, with the Indians, wade through

the channel. A little further up we witnessed a great prairie fire, on the left bank. The flames
rose from the forest to the height of 100 feet—fiery smoke filled the air: it was a splendid
sight! A whirlwind had formed a remarkable towering column of smoke, which rose, in a most
singular manner, in graceful undulations, to the zenith. Afterwards we came to steep hills, behind
which is Manoel's Creek, so called from Manoel Lisa, a Spaniard, who formerly carried on
the fur trade in these parts. Towards evening we were near the Assiniboin steamer, which
lay before us, and halted in the vicinity of Basil Creek, where the Puncas formerly dwelt, numbers
of whose graves are seen upon the hills. The trunks of trees in the river had much injured our
paddles.